134 The War Begins

Everything has its price. Since Murong Lan dared to harm the Lingyun Empire, how could I possibly let him off easily?

I called Zijun out.

"Sister, is there something the matter?"

"Do you see that?" I stood atop a nearby mountain peak. "That is the land of my Lingyun Empire, the empire of the Huangfu family."

"I see it." His expression turned solemn.

"I once thought that if war were to break out, the people here would end up just like we were six years ago—homeless and drifting."

"But we have no other choice, do we?"

"Indeed. But later, I thought about it carefully. For thousands of years, this land has been divided and united; war can never be erased forever. What must come will eventually come."

"That is true. Rest assured, Sister, I will do my utmost to ensure the common people live a better life."

"When you ascend the throne in the future, never forget the suffering we endured while fleeing all these years. As long as the empire is in the hands of traitors, there is not a single day of peace. It was Father’s carelessness that led to his downfall by those villains. You must never repeat the same mistake. As a ruler, you must never allow your judgment to be clouded by sycophantic voices; you must value honest advice, however unpleasant, and never exclusively trust in petty men."

"Zijun will keep your teachings in mind, Sister."

The siblings gazed into the distance.

A gyrfalcon circled in the sky, stirring the clouds. I reached out, and it landed steadily on my arm. I removed the note from its leg and looked out into the distance once more.

"Sister, is there news?"

"Yes. Let us return and prepare to rendezvous with Dongfang Qingyu."

"Understood."

Back at the manor, Zijun quickly issued orders, while I wrote a message to Li Yexuan to give him a heads-up, ensuring the news wouldn't go astray.

Outside the borders of Lingyun, a party approached on horseback.

Dismounting, Zijun and I walked toward the hundred-thousand-strong army. The leader, clad in military armor, was none other than Dongfang Qingyu.

"You've arrived."

"Indeed, we have."

"The entire army, hear my command! Rest where you stand!" As Dongfang Qingyu gave the order, the soldiers began setting up camp.

"Zijun, Zijun, come with me."

"Very well."

Dongfang Qingyu led us into the main command tent.

"Gu Teng and Aunt will arrive shortly with the people from the Fantian Pavilion. There are only three thousand elite soldiers in total, but they were all personally trained by the 'Twelve Killers'."

"No matter. Since this hundred-thousand-strong army is here, there is no reason for them to just go through the motions," Dongfang Qingyu said with a smile.

"How did that old man of yours agree so readily?"

Though Dongfang Qingyu was the Crown Prince, he still had an Emperor above him and couldn't make all the decisions. I had requested that his hundred thousand troops stay put if possible, treating the maneuver as a mere formality.

"He only agreed on the condition that I inherit the throne sooner so he can retire and enjoy his leisure."

"Oh? You are not exactly young anymore, either."

"Spare me. I’ve just finished listening to the old man’s nagging; don't you start, too."

Zijun and I shared a smile. Dongfang Qingyu had never been one for seriousness. For all these years, he had loved roaming the world, caring more for the martial arts realm than for the empire.

Shortly after, Gu Teng and Aunt arrived with the three thousand elite soldiers and merged them into the main force. In an instant, news that the Northern An army was pressing down on Lingyun spread everywhere.

Li Yexuan’s reply also arrived promptly. As I had expected, Lingyun had sent a plea for help to Li Yexuan. It was said that in the imperial court, Yun Heng had boasted that he would lend Lingyun a helping hand. Unfortunately, years ago—after the incident involving me—the Tiger Tally had already fallen into Li Yexuan’s hands, and the military power was now entirely in the hands of the royal family. Since Li Yexuan made no move to intervene, the commotion subsided.

"Zijun is truly formidable," Dongfang Qingyu’s voice drifted in from outside, followed by someone carrying battle robes.

"What is this?"

"Battle robes, naturally. How many times in one's life does one get to experience war? Zijun, Gu Teng, and Aunt have theirs as well; they’ve all been delivered to your respective tents."

"Do you think this is a game?" I said, nudging Dongfang Qingyu with my elbow.

"Still, your plan was ruthless. With this, the Murong family in Lingyun has no chance of resistance." Dongfang Qingyu gave me an appreciative look.

"The Huangfu clan is naturally not to be trifled with. Our founding emperor was a woman."

"A woman?"

"A woman?"

"Huh?"

We all looked at Aunt with curiosity.

"It’s no wonder you are too young to know. The Empress was very low-key, and you were all too small; your Imperial Father simply didn’t tell you. Zijun’s abilities are likely inherited."

"Then Aunt must be very formidable as well."

"The Empress Dowager of the Great Desert is naturally formidable."

Dongfang Qingyu wiped the sweat from his brow. "Then the entire Huangfu family is formidable, all of them. What did the founding emperor of our Dongfang family do? Why bother fighting wars? He should have just married a woman from the Huangfu family!"

"Hahaha..."

"Reporting..." The voice of a soldier sounded outside.

The group stopped smiling.

"Enter."

"Reporting to the Crown Prince, a letter has arrived from Lingyun."

Dongfang Qingyu took the letter.

"You may withdraw."

"Yes."

Dongfang Qingyu opened the letter and read it aloud to everyone. It was supposedly written by the Empress Dowager herself, stating nothing more than that Lingyun and Northern An had no personal grievances, and if Northern An had any demands, they should simply state them; there was no need for war, and so on.

"She can still write? It seems that medicine of mine was a bit too merciful," I muttered, resting my chin in my hand as I pondered.

"..."

"What shall we do next?"

"Do nothing. Just reject it and wait for the war to begin." My smile was so cold it sent a chill through those around me.

Northern An showed no signs of reconciliation, and Lingyun began to panic.

Three days later, Murong Shaoxu stood atop the outer walls of Lingyun. The other generals of Lingyun had been quietly replaced by my own people, leaving Murong Shaoxu with no choice but to take the field himself.

Dongfang Qingyu served as the commander-in-chief, while Zijun and I were the deputy commanders. The two armies stood in confrontation. The three thousand elite soldiers from the Fantian Pavilion were the ones who had arrived.

"Prince of Northern An, Lingyun and Northern An have always kept to our own affairs. I ask that you reconsider." Murong Shaoxu was indeed eloquent; even at this moment, he didn't forget to try and persuade Dongfang Qingyu.

"Enough talk! Attack the city!"

The Twelve Killers led the way, and the three thousand elite soldiers stood as one.

They carried the hidden weapons I had meticulously designed over the past five years. Every piece of equipment was of the finest quality, and the majority of the Fantian Pavilion’s wealth had been poured into them. Each of these three thousand soldiers was one in a hundred.

Five years ago, on the island, I had personally trained the Twelve Killers. At first, the twelve of them were unconvinced, thinking I was incapable of anything. But after one round, they were nearly driven to death by my methods.

Whether it was crawling in the forests all day, navigating in total darkness or dense fog to distinguish directions and find the enemy, or mastering the hidden weapons I designed, I had turned their initial defiance into complete submission by igniting their desire to be challenged. These three thousand elite soldiers were all designed based on the experience of the Twelve Killers.

Zijun had also trained alongside them. Even though he was my own brother, I showed no mercy. He spent his days covered in bruises, yet he persisted day after day.

Gu Teng and Dongfang Qingyu, after training for just one day, fled in terror and spent the next month avoiding me, fearful that I would force them back into training.

"Launch the smoke bombs!" I swung the red flag in my hand.

Countless trebuchets began to operate, hurling smoke bombs toward the city walls. Upon landing, a thick fog blanketed the area, making it nearly impossible to see.

"Advance!" Zijun raised a green flag, circling in place before slowly lowering it. The command was given.

Countless elite soldiers activated the mechanisms on their bodies. Devices emerged from their gloves and boots, allowing them to scale the high walls. Years of training meant that while the smoke was blinding to others, they were completely accustomed to it. From time to time, one could see silk threads being shot out as the soldiers leaped upward.

In just two hours, the fog dissipated, and the outer city walls were a scene of carnage. Murong Shaoxu retreated with his soldiers.

The city gates slowly opened, and we marched in openly.

The Twelve Killers carved a bloody path across the gore-streaked walls.

Zijun and I removed our helmets. Seeing our faces, Murong Shaoxu, who hadn't retreated far, collapsed to the ground.

I slowly took out an item and released a signal.

A cold blade was pressed against Murong Shaoxu’s throat.

"You!" Murong Shaoxu’s deputy general had seized him. The deputy had followed him for years, only to betray him now.

"Twelve Killers, go and bring our Great General Murong over."

"Understood."

High atop the city wall, Murong Shaoxu was bound in iron chains, forced to his knees.

"I have treated you well all these years. Why betray me?" Murong Shaoxu glared at his deputy with bloodshot eyes.

"I apologize, but I was your enemy from the very beginning." The deputy tore off the human-skin mask on his face. It was none other than Gu Teng.

"Murong Shaoxu, it has been many years. Do you still recognize us two siblings?"

Upon hearing me mention "siblings," Murong Shaoxu’s gaze turned icy.

"Why do you only remember my face? Do you not recognize him?" I pointed at Zijun.

"What? You dare not recognize the Crown Prince? Damn you!" With that, Zijun, who had been looking quite majestic, took the opportunity to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks on Murong Shaoxu.

"Enough, brother, stop for now."

"Hmph!" My brother gave Murong Shaoxu one last kick before finally feeling satisfied and standing by my side.

"I truly regret not cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots all those years ago."

"If you were truly capable, you would have done so. Murong Shaoxu, each generation produces its own talents. Don't think you are the only one capable of conspiracy. I, Huangfu Zijun, have plenty of ways to torment you. I will make you watch as I slowly destroy everything you have plotted for years! I will take back everything you inflicted upon the Huangfu family, down to the very last bit. Ling Yi, feed him the medicine."

Ling Yi stepped forward and forced Murong Shaoxu to swallow the medicine in his hand.