Chapter 269 Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

　　In its thousand-year history, the empire had enjoyed unparalleled prosperity and glory,. Yet, today was the very day she would witness this great empire fall to its knees towards complete collapse.

　　As the sun shone on her pale face, Chu Qiao took a deep breath and closed her eyes gently, as that pair of fox-like eyes flashed right by her again.

　　I’ve done all I can, Li Ce.

　　Not everything that you did in life may be correct, but you didn’t have a choice then.

　　Farewell, Zhuge Yue.

　　Like a swarm of locusts, countless enemy troops climbed up another rope ladder that had been set up. Throwing aside her sheath, Chu Qiao wielded her sword and charged forward.

　　“Protect her!” The soldiers of the Xiuli Army rushed forward, shielding Chu Qiao.

　　Donned in their black armor, the Xiuli Army arranged themselves in their attack formation, before bravely charging towards the enemy. As the sun set and darkness enveloped the sky, a red mist began to spread across the land, reflecting off the faces of soldiers. Blood began to seep the soil as the sounds of killing dominated the skies, everyone below killing with all their might.

　　The iron-clad cavalry spread across the city, the footsteps of their horses shaking the earth. Their eyes bloodshot red, these soldiers were part of an army that was nothing short of a miracle. In the past, at Beishuo City, they had resisted against the Xia Army that vastly outnumbered them. At the battle of Longyin Pass, they stood shoulder to shoulder and managed to successfully hold off Zhao Yang’s iron clad cavalry forces.

　　“Kill!” A thundering command drowned out every other sound, as the soldiers picked up their weapons and charged towards their enemy like a rogue wave, unleashing a bloodbath. The land was covered with the metal of armor, while swords flew across everywhere as smoke billowed from the landscape. Blood and human remains were strewn across the earth. The bodies of young, fighting men tumbled one after another, while armor on the ground was crushed into a mangled mess by the stampede that was countless horses and warriors fighting on it.

　　As the last rays of daylight were covered by the unleashed flurry of arrows, the enemy soldiers at the very front were all shot dead even before they could let out a war cry. The screams of wounded horses filled the air while panicked soldiers trampled on each other, yet there was no hiding from the cold tip of weapons that ranged from arrows to swords to spears. Death was everywhere as the swords of soldiers turned red from the blood of their enemies. The soldiers had forgotten everything except one principle, which was to kill as many as they could. Killing one would even things out while killing two was a bonus.

　　It was a horrific nightmare that no one could escape from.

　　Even with the city gates breached, the enemy was not flooding in as expected. A ferocious, gruesome battle erupted in front of the city gates, forming a wall of rotting human remains as ever more bodies piled up. Chu Qiao stood amongst the crowd wielding her sword, as her armor was stained red with fresh blood. Her breathing was heavy, but her swordsmanship was still exquisite.

　　The longer she held on, the more time she would buy for He Xiao to flee further.

　　As night eventually fell and darkness fully enveloped the sky, the screams of killing dominated the area. Suddenly, Chu Qiao was hit by a wave of weakness, her movements no longer agile. Even her will to fight became heavily affected. Despite knowing today was the day she would die, she knew that, as a mother, it was her duty to protect the unborn child in her stomach.

　　Seeing her fatigued self, an enemy soldier sneaked up the flanks to ambush her, only to have the light from the torches reveal her face and unique armor. The soldier immediately recognized her, and was stunned with his mouth wide open, as if he was about to scream for help.

　　“Ah!” A long blood-curdling scream was unleashed even before he could react to dodge. The sword was swung with unparalleled speed and strength as blood splattered everywhere. The next moment, a loud thud was heard as a body fell onto the ground, its right shoulder almost split entirely, adding to the wall of bodies at the city gate.

　　For an instant, the enemy troops outside couldn’t help but look at Chu Qiao, stunned at her ferociousness. With one hand wielding her sword, Chu Qiao could only stand there as her senses went into overdrive. That moment, every gust of wind, every sound of blood bleeding from the soldiers, the sounds of fear in the soldiers and the earth moving were all picked up by her ears.

　　Boom! Boom! Boom! The overwhelming darkness began pouring in from all sides as her eyes began to close uncontrollably from extreme fatigue.

　　Just drop, don’t hold on any further.

　　He Xiao should have run far enough with the Tang Emperor to rendezvous with Sun Di, protecting Li Ce’s descendants.

　　There’s no point holding on anymore. Get some sleep, you’ve had enough.

　　Her legs became to turn soft as her mind began to drift. Yet at that very moment, the enemy troops retreated like a receding tide back into the ocean. An urgent siren was sounded among their formations, their commanders screaming at the top of their lungs. Yet, the long distances between them meant that they could only hear incoherent fragments of their message. Torches were lit and waved, seemingly transmitting a message.

　　Chaos! Utter chaos!

　　“General?” a puzzled surviving soldier looked at Chu Qiao and asked.

　　Chu Qiao paused for a moment, before turning around and darting up the city tower, as if she had made a sudden realization.

　　“General! We have reinforcements!” Even before she reached the top of the city wall, a messenger stormed down and knelt before her, his face flushed red with emotion as he shouted, “We have reinforcements!”

　　Chu Qiao did not even respond as she stormed up to the top of the city walls. Everyone in the tower was in a celebratory mood, embracing each other and letting out thunderous cheers.

　　A thin, iron-clad line soon appeared over the horizon. It did not take long for this stream to grow ever wider into a sea of metal that covered the land, as countless troops clad in their heavy armor stormed in, bringing with them a thunderous atmosphere.

　　“Kill them!”

　　“It’s the Qinghai Army!”

　　It wasn’t clear who gave the first shout as everyone huddled together, cheering and crying in disbelief. The soldiers that had just been rescued from the brink of death cheered wildly at the advancing army coming from afar. The Qinghai Army soldiers returned the favor, unleashing their own thunderous cheer.

　　“General! We’re saved! Tang is saved!”

　　Soaked in blood, the commander of the Wolf Army excitedly came up to Chu Qiao and exclaimed, “The king of Qinghai has brought reinforcements!”

　　Yet, Chu Qiao remained silent. The lady stood still in the light from the flames around her, as she lowered her sword to her side. Tears quietly streamed down her cheeks.

　　Hanshui River.

　　Even though they were far away from the battle raging in in the east, the Yan Bei soldiers in the Hanshui area could still hear the sounds of fighting and killing reverberating across the land.

　　Mu Lang ran forward to Yan Xun, who was sitting on his horse, reporting, “Your Majesty, we should go.”

　　Yan Xun nodded ever so slightly, yet otherwise remained still, as he gazed into the rising flames in the east.

　　He did arrive after all.

　　Yet that instant, a sudden wave of tension and anxiety ripped through him, echoing ever so silently within his soul. Perhaps, deep inside, he had hoped she would not die. However, he had hoped that that man would not have appeared here.

　　It had always been a tough choice to choose between the empire or the beauty. The things that he had not been able to let go of, others managed to.

　　“Your Majesty, ever since Zhuge Yue left, our troops have launched an assault on Yanming Pass. General Lu has just breached the pass.”

　　“Your Majesty, Zhao Che has led the remnants of his troops towards the northern pass. General Cheng Yuan has already taken over 18 provinces in the northeast and is on the brink of victory.”

　　“Your Majesty, only Zhao Yang’s army remains in Xia territory, they are near the Fangcun Mountains.”

　　“Your Majesty…”

　　Suddenly, Yan Xun was no longer hearing anything around him. Instead, he was brought back to many years ago, as a crisp voice echoed in his ears. Smiling ever so brightly, a girl reached out with her pale white fingers and tapped on his chest.

　　“Will you bully me?”

　　Will you bully me?

　　Will you?

　　As the wind blew, two eagles circled over him, letting out their sharp howls. He turned around, his mind fixated. The others had long made their decisions, while he should have followed the plan that he set out a long time ago. After all, the end result was always going to be one dictated by himself. Life was short. There was no room for placing on over-emphasis on love, hesitation, indecisiveness, nor regrets…

　　In his mind, Yan Xun repeated the principles of his heritage and ancestry, thinking of how his parents had been exiled from home, and how his fathers and brothers were ruthlessly killed on the highlands of Yan Bei.

　　From then, the lands of Xia will be ruled under the flag of Yan Bei. The people will submit to me and the land would be under my will. I would be the new supreme ruler of this territory. How would a woman ever compare to my achievements? I will have absolutely no regrets.

　　Yan Xun rushed towards the front of his troops, his army and the thousands of horses in it following him like a turbulent sea.

　　Mu Lang could only stand and watch as the king of Yan Bei rode away. In an instant, the young general felt that his ruler was ever so lonely.

　　Thunderous cheers and celebration reverberated inside the Tang capital.

　　Chu Qiao stood in front of the city gates, with countless civilians and soldiers behind her.

　　Covered in dust with blood-stained clothes, Zhuge Yue jumped off his horse. “What are you doing here?”

　　“To take back what belongs to me.” Chu Qiao’s eyes grew even redder as she resisted her urge to bawl out in tears. Then, she stepped forward, reached out her fist, and punched him lightly on the chest.

　　“Fool.”

　　Zhuge Yue reached out his hands and hugged her ever so tightly. As he smiled, he said, “Xing’er, follow me back to Qinghai.”

　　Huddled in his arms, tears began to stream down Chu Qiao’s eyes, soaking his shirt drop by drop.

　　Under the hot morning sun, Zhuge Yue held her hand tightly, as he felt warmth inside himself.

　　With tears streaming down her face, Chu Qiao nodded with the little energy she had left.

　　She tip-toed and whispered softly yet excitedly into his ear.

　　“Zhuge Yue, I’m pregnant.”

　　Under the vast lands and as time flew by, what should have ended had finally ended. The future was bright. Although there were still many uncertainties, one thing that was sure was that they had each other to rely on presently.