The young, handsome Wu Danyu obliged. He was not an original member of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison. Rather, he was drafted into the army afterward by He Xiao and the rest. He was once a renowned bandit in Helan Mountains.

　　“General, if you are alright with this, I can think of a way to lure the enemy to Thousand Ice Lake. I’m familiar with the terrain there. Once they step in there, you won’t see them again!”

　　Chu Qiao thought for a while before saying, “Let’s play by ear. If things permit, I authorize you to take charge of the situation.”

　　Wu Danyu laughed and replied, “Thank you, General!”

　　“He Qi, bring the third team to guard the northern city walls. Cooperate with the first team to defend Chidu. Commander He Xiao, I will leave the city gates of Chidu in your hands. The entire of Yan Bei will be watching you from behind.”

　　The look in He Xiao’s eyes brightened. He bowed with respect, and echoed in unison with his brother, “We will not let you down!”

　　“The objective of this battle is not to wipe out the enemy’s forces. We will carry out small-scale assaults to disrupt the enemy’s morale while cutting off their supply of rations. This will cause them to retreat due to fatigue, delaying the assault on Chidu. Everyone, time and patience are our only weapons. As long as we last seven days, the reinforcements from Your Highness will arrive!” Chu Qiao looked up. The lights shone on her face, giving it an otherworldly feel. The young soldiers looked at the lady younger than them, with determination in their eyes.

　　The room was small and the lights inside were bright. Chu Qiao reached out her hand slowly and put it on her chest. Solemnly, she said, “Everyone, the battle is nearing. There is no room for hesitation. The country is in danger. As loyal soldiers, it is our responsibility to defend the civilians. Regardless of whether we win or lose, we did not let Yan Bei down. We did not let our conscience down. We did not let the ensign above our heads down! This battle will determine whether we live or die. Everyone, please take care!”

　　“General, take care!” Over ten pairs of hands mimicked Chu Qiao’s gesture.

　　The northern winds raged on outside. The room inside was brightly lit. Not far out from the city walls, the enemies had sharpened their knives. Chu Qiao gave her orders, and the warriors slowly departed from the room, assuming their positions in the battlefield. She was unsure if anyone would live from the aftermath of this battle.

　　The battle began that very night. The original guards of Chidu City were scared out of their wits. However, the start of the battle was not as intense as they expected. The enemy’s rear backup forces seemed to be restrained, causing them to dispatch the frontline troops to the back for defense. The formation at the back had been disrupted with the occasional small-scale disturbances.

　　Chu Qiao knew that Feng Ting had succeeded with his assaults near the Helan Mountains. The Xia army was in an unfamiliar environment. Up till now, they had not heard from Yan Xun and the Second Army. Given Zhao Yang’s cautiousness, he would be reserved in his actions. Her motive in sending out small groups of troops was to make sure that the enemy’s worries were valid, and that their movements would be restrained.

　　As expected, Zhao Yang was an outstanding commander. Although Feng Ting had issued an official decree, Chu Qiao changed her strategies here and there, formulating a concrete and complex plan. However, the assault on Helan Mountains was declared to be a failure on the dawn of the second day. The original plan was to defend the region for two days, but her troops did not last even one day. 1,000 soldiers from the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison were wiped out overnight, none of them making it back alive.

　　Because of Feng Ting’s defeat, Mu Rong and AhMu faced the assault of the Xia troops ahead of time. The battle began from the time of breakfast, all the way until noon when it concluded. AhMu’s brother escaped back to the city from the shortcut and declared the failure of the mission. Over 2,000 soldiers perished in the battle, while the rest were dispersed and never to be heard of again.

　　The Xia army was on a rampage. They advanced at full throttle towards the city gates of Chidu, but met an ambush at the pine forests along the way. A team of about 500 people sliced into the rear core of the Xia Army in no man’s land, managing to carry out three rounds of massacres. They also managed to burn the army’s central flag and central tent. The leader of the team used a retractable arrow to pierce through the vice commander’s Taiyang Acupoint. With a tug, he dislodged half the brain of the Xia commander.

　　The Xia Army fell into shambles. The leader of the team chased after them. Zhao Yang was too late to prevent this from happening. Hence, that day, the Xia Army lost 8,000 elite troops. All of them were drowned and frozen to death in the freezing waters of Thousand Ice Lake.

　　The Xia army was enraged. They sent 200,000 troops, but suffered such a humiliating defeat. Even Zhao Yang was unable to control the cries for revenge within the army. Driven to desperation, he had no choice but to pick up the pace of his assault, focusing his sights on wiping out this team of 500 people. Although Wu Danyu’s team was outnumbered, they outwitted the enemy as they were more familiar with the terrain and environment. Despite the Xia army’s efforts to locate them, the team of 500 managed to evade their sights for two days without losing any willpower to fight. They managed to buy precious time for the defense of Chidu.

　　After two days, Zhao Yang suddenly ordered all his forces to retreat. Amidst the confusion of the troops of Yan Bei, the Xia army suddenly focused its entire strength of 200,000 on clearing the entire forest. In less than half a day, the pine forest was entirely deforested. Wu Danyu’s team of 500 was entirely exposed to the enemy.

　　Chu Qiao stood on the tall city walls, looking on as Wu Danyu’s team of 500 were swallowed up by the Xia army without any resistance. They were but a small ripple in the lake, fading away quickly.

　　“For freedom!” A loud cry drifted over from the distance. There was dead silence in the city of Chidu. The soldiers removed their helmets. Having witnessed their comrades die in the battle outside the city, many seasoned soldiers teared up silently. The sun shone brightly in the sky. After three entire days, the Xia army finally surrounded the city of Chidu completely. Situ Jing stood beside Zhao Yang, saying with respect, “Fourteenth Royal Highness, I have heard some news from the conscripts that we captured. The army in charge of guarding the city is the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison, traitors of Xia. Their commander is a female. Her name is Chu Qiao. She is also a rebel of Xia.”

　　“Chu Qiao?” Zhao Yang uttered the two words calmly. He closed his eyes slowly. Barely one year had passed, yet he felt that it was an eternity. He remembered the night that Yan Xun escaped out of Zhen Huang and Zhao Che’s words while he pointed at that shadow. His seventh brother was talented, but he did not know how to be adaptable. He was not adept at scheming for power. In these chaotic times, although he had the ability to succeed, he would not be able to have a stronghold in court. However, Zhao Yang had to admit that Zhao Che’s judgment was good. Based on his words back then, it had led to the current situation.

　　“Your Highness, Your Highness?” Situ Jing said in a low voice. “Please issue the order.” His journey had been an arduous one. Having lived in the palace for many years, no one had ever offered him a helping hand, even for a short while. The world was uncompassionate. He had seen and experienced too much.

　　The images in his memories faded away. With a solemn look, Zhao Yang said slowly, “Let’s carry on at full speed. After we breach Chidu, kill everyone in the city and burn its flag.”

　　Swoosh! The wind blew, causing the Xia army’s flag to fly high up in the air. Everything that obstructed them was to be wiped out! Chidu City, its army, the enemies, kinship, weakness, hesitation, and…conscience!

　　Under the bright sunlight, the Xia army carried out the first head-on assault on Chidu City. Thousands of soldiers rode forward on their horses, galloping across the plains. The sounds of the horses’ hooves were deafening. The cavalry army was dressed in neat military outfits. The spikes were shiny, while their swords were brandished. Their body armor reflected the sunlight shining on it, giving them a crimson red, bloody appearance. The eagles of Yan Bei circled in the sky. The cold winds scattered the snow into the air, shrouding the army in a layer of white. The sight appeared even more intimidating!

　　“Kill the enemies!” a loud, deafening warcry echoed out. The soldiers of Xia activated the signal for the battle to commence. The first cavalry army wielded their swords and waved it over their heads, sprinting towards the city gates. The heavy cavalry soldiers followed closely behind, while the infantry battalions flanked them on both sides. The archers, under the protection of the shielded troops, surged forward and camped at the ditch, ready to strike. The enemy was everywhere. Their swords, recognized as one of the most fearsome weapons in the world, were everywhere. The soldiers let out loud cries, causing the ground to shake uncontrollably. In comparison to the noises of the Xia army, there was dead silence in the city walls of Chidu. The soldiers of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison waited quietly at the top of the city gates with their weapons, awaiting the order to strike.

　　Commander He Xiao held a crossbow in his hand. He loaded a sharp arrow, closed one eye and released the arrow!

　　Swoosh! The soldier at the very front of the Xia army was shot off his horse. The strength of the arrow caused him to fall to the ground, only stopping after rolling four or five times.

　　The Xia army froze for a short while, startled by He Xiao’s frightening strength. However, they snapped out of their trance swiftly, discounting this incident as a one-off. They picked up their courage, and continued to charge towards the city gates.

　　“On my mark!” He Xiao hollered and raised his hand. “Fire!”

　　The sky suddenly turned dark. The sun seemed to be covered. A dense flurry of arrows flew forward in mid-air like hornets, at frightening speed. They flew towards the troops of the royal capital, who were proclaimed to be invincible. The nightmare descended upon them. The soldiers at the front were struck by the arrows, falling off their horses and knocking over three or four soldiers behind them. The warhorses collapsed on the ground; cries of agony started to sound out. The soldiers became real-life targets with arrows embedded in them, making them appear like porcupines. Blood stained the snowy ground a bright red.

　　Zhao Yang frowned tightly, issuing emergency orders for the heavy cavalry and soldiers carrying shields to reinforce the frontline. However, before they approached, another flurry of arrows flew towards them. The soldiers of Xia broke out in hearty laughter; the heavy cavalry soldiers flaunted their armor and mocked the Yan Bei troops for overestimating themselves. However, before their laughter ended, the arrows pierced through their armor with terrifying force. They did not even have any time to call for help before a stampede ensued. Death, cries of agony, fresh blood, corpses. Faced with this frightening assault, no one dared to advance forward. The frontline troops were instantly wiped out. The officials of Xia took out their swords and killed over ten of their troops, forcibly curbing the situation where soldiers attempted to flee towards the back.

　　“Charge! After me!” a commander rode on his horse while shouting and using his sword to beat against the armor covering his chest. Before he had finished his speech of passion, a sharp arrow pierced through his brain, causing blood to ooze out and down his body armor like a stream.

　　“Those who retreat will die! Those who retreat will die! The opposition has barely 10,000 people. Once you breach the hillock in front, you will be recognized as war heroes!” The officials chanted loudly, igniting the passion in their soldiers. After all, they were the main forces of the royal capital. In the face of adversity, they refused to back down, advancing forward on their horses. Another big group of troops streamed forward, like an unstoppable flash flood.