Seeing how Chu Qiao could barely open keep her eyes open, Yan Xun burst out in laughter. “What are you agreeing for? You are so tired.”

　　“I…am not. I’ve been listening carefully,” with a yawn, Chu Qiao replied.

　　Yan Xun stood up, and with one swift action he scooped her up into his arms like a bride, and whispered gently, “There is no point in worrying about him. Either way, what will come, will come. Let us wait and see who will be the first to act up.”

　　Cowering in Yan Xun’s embrace, Chu Qiao muttered a reply. With her arms around Yan Xun’s neck, she fell into a deep slumber.

　　Under the moonlight, the horn for lights out sounded off in the distant army encampment. With thousands of lights going out almost all at once, it was truly a spectacular sight to behold. Looking at the lady in his arms, Yan Xun was suddenly filled with energy and motivation.

　　Within a side courtyard of the Zhuge Family, the Fourth Master of the Zhuge Family was relaxing and drinking tea. He had always been someone who would go to great lengths to take care of himself. Although he had just fallen out of favor within the family, he had not given up on himself as the outside world had expected him to. Instead, he began to relax, as he started on all kinds of hobbies, such as grooming plants, tasting tea, writing calligraphy, and reading. From time to time, he would even head to the stable to ride horses.

　　Seeing his current state, no one would think that he had just been defeated in a power struggle within his family, with him committing a serious mistake that caused him to end up in a state where it would be highly impossible for him to bounce back into power. Now, he could not even freely walk out of the doors of the Zhuge family, and was essentially under house arrest.

　　Yue Qi walked into the room, and quietly informed him, “Master, I am back.”

　　“Sure.” Zhuge Yue lazily turned his eyes and acknowledged him. He then continued to carefully examine the tea leaves in his cup.

　　“The Seventh Prince returned to the capital, and is heading toward Sheng Jin Palace. The soldiers of Shang Lü Court are by his side. Yet, the Southwestern Army Officers were no longer following him. I heard that army has already been taken over by the Third Prince.”

　　Zhuge Yue’s movements slowed down for a split second before he gave a slight smile. It was impossible to tell his thoughts.

　　“The various provinces of the northwest regions have already made necessary preparations for logistic supply. The Batuha family will be sending 10,000 of their elites, and the 14th Prince will be following the army as well. This time, the Empire will muster a total of 300 thousand troops, and consist entirely of elite cavalry and heavy infantry. This is an extremely strong lineup.”

　　While drinking his tea, Zhuge Yue snorted lightly, while casually replying, “Even if a pack of dogs attacks together, they cannot best a lion. The Xia Empire must be on its last legs if we are sending out such a bunch of useless people now.”

　　Yue Qi was a bit stunned by his master’s acrimonious words, and asked, “Master, the Third Prince graduated from the Shang Wu Hall, and the 14th Prince also returned from the Northwest after several victorious skirmishes against the Yan Bei army. The Batuha family’s troops are extremely strong and vicious. How would they be considered useless?”

　　Slowly lifting up his head, Zhuge Yue looked at Yue Qi with his jet-black pupils, and slowly explained, “On paper, they seem great. But in reality, things are vastly different. If this battle was commanded by Zhao Qi, or Zhao Yang, or in fact anyone, there would be a 50 percent chance of victory. However, this time, the army is a coalition of three forces all led by a commander who thinks too highly of themselves. What kind of result do you think that will cause?”

　　Hearing that, Yue Qi was dumbfounded.

　　Zhuge Yue frowned very slightly as he continued his monologue, “In an army, only one commanding voice is needed. That will ensure the effective communication of strategies and orders. Now, with three different voices hindering each other, if Yan Xun could not take advantage of our weakness, he would really be an idiot.”

　　Slowly standing up, Zhuge Yue walked towards the inner room of the building. While walking, he instructed, “Inform Zhu Cheng to withdraw all our business and assets from the west. This battle will be long and tough. We no longer stand to profit from the west.”

　　With the sunlight brightly shining, the loose clothes of the man disappeared in the layers upon layers of plants. Gazing at the silhouette of his young master, Yue Qi pondered a question he would never dare ask. He was really curious. Master, so who do you hope will win?

　　Sixth of October, it was a windy day.

　　The coalition consisting of the Northwest Army led by the 14th Prince, Southwest Army led by the Third Prince, and the Jinri Regiment led by the eldest son of the Batuha family, Tuba Guli, along with the forces sent out by the various provinces of the Northwestern region set off towards the Northwest. The Southwest Army and the Jinri Regiment were tasked with full frontal assault, while the Northwest Army was to flank the enemy. The spearpoint of war was sharper than ever before as combatants totaled over 500 thousand. When including the manpower handling logistics and transport, the total manpower involved exceeded one million. Such a gargantuan force loomed over Yan Bei’s future like rainstorms.

　　The main paths of the Xia Empire heading toward the Northwest regions were flooded with troops and carriages carrying war supplies. A seemingly unending supply of rations, troops, horses, and other supplies continuously flowed toward the encampments. After mustering troops for so many months, the fury of the Xia Empire would finally be unleashed upon the rebels. In the face of the flames of war, there was no retreat. The army of Yan Bei gathered at the border city of Beishuo, solemnly awaiting the siege of their fated enemies. A historical battle would soon occur.

　　October 13th, the first snow of this winter fell on the Yan Bei highlands. The ferocious snowing lasted for three days and three nights, creating a blanket of snow that was at least a foot deep. The cold front engulfed the entire northwestern region as the temperature plummeted. Even though it was high noon on a clear day, one could barely see the sun apart from the faint blot of yellow that seemed brighter than the rest of the sky.

　　Such snow was rare and few in the history of Yan Bei, and caught many unprepared. Many livestock froze to death, and many buildings collapsed from the heavy snow and strong winds. Countless Yan Bei civilians lost their homes. On the bright side, the rapidly advancing Xia Army had been halted in their tracks, as they set up camp in the Bailin Province to wait for the storm to subside. As a result, the two armies that were poised for an earth shattering battle sank into silence, merely waiting for each other to act.

　　Within the endless snowy plains, a group of men rapidly advanced along the main path heading toward Beishuo City. Their horses were big and muscular, and despite being covered by only leather armor, they were not in the least bit hindered by the cold as they galloped over the thick snow. Soon, the group approached the city, and a group of scouts sallied forth, questioning their intent, “Who are you?”

　　The quickly advancing group gave no verbal reply, but the leading cavalryman raised a small red flag. The group of scouts were taken aback by the flag, and backed off. Without any further questions, they let the group pass. The group continued rushing toward their destination, quickly disappearing into the vast snow plains.

　　“Brother Xun, who were they? Why did everyone just let them pass?” one of the younger scouts in the team asked. Wearing a cap made out of bearskin, his face was red from the cold.

　　“Do not question too much!” The leader chided him before looking around carefully, as if he was scared that those men would quickly return if this conversation was to be overheard. Then, he whispered, “That is the flag of massacre, symbolizing the second army.” The leader had kept his volume very low, but the whole team could still hear him loud and clear. At that instance, the team felt chills go down their spines, as they turned in unison, looking at the figures that were already vanishing into the vast whiteness.

　　Considering the fact that the Xia Empire had sent a formidable force, the new Yan King had sent out assembly orders to muster troops from all over the country. Just then, the last troops that were from the distant Meilin Pass had arrived.

　　Despite the looming battle, there were crowds of refugees in the front of the city gates of Bei Shuo. In the snow storm, many civilians’ houses had collapsed, and their livestock froze to death. In a mere three days, hundreds of civilians had died from the freezing temperature or hunger. Now, they gathered before the city gates, hoping to enter the city to escape from this disaster. Yet, Beishuo city had long ago entered top alert. Despite the mounting numbers of refugees that were gathered at the city gates, Yan Xun had ordered the gates to be shut to prevent any possible infiltration of spies, with thousands of soldiers remaining on guard at any time. In front of the massive city walls of Bei Shuo, the moaning and wailing of civilians could be heard everywhere.

　　“Give way!” A flurry of horse galloping sounds could be heard. Amidst the sound, one could hear even hear sounds of the whip slapping on the civilians forcing them to move. The vanguards of the second army rapidly arrived in front of the city gates of Beishuo. A general wearing a maroon robe waved the crimson red flag at the guards while shouting, “We are the vanguards of the second army! I am Xue Zhiyuan. Open the gates!”

　　Before long, a line of torches appeared on the city wall. One of them loudly questioned, “Does General Xue have General Cao’s letters?”

　　Xue Zhiyuan replied, “The letter is here!”

　　A bamboo basket was let down from the city walls. One of the cavalrymen beside Xue Zhiyuan strode up and placed the letters in the basket. Before long, the torches in the city gates lit up, and with a creak, the gates opened without any prior indications.

　　“Ah! The gates are open!” A wave of cheering resounded as the thousands of refugees cheered all at once, and moving their frozen hands, they charged toward the city gate. Like flood water bursting the bank, the crowd of refugees instantly disrupted the formation of the second army’s vanguards.

　　“Idiot!” The general who was clad in a maroon coat swore, before he dismounted the horse.

　　“Quickly! Stop them!” It was only then Commander Cui, who was in charge of guarding the gates, realized his folly. His soldier dashed out, and stood in front of the gates while shouting, “Whoever dares to stir trouble will be shot dead! Go back! Go back!”

　　In the howling winds, their voices were tiny like a mosquito buzz. Staying beyond the city wall would mean certain death, and the refugees charged at their only chance of survival with bloodshot eyes. While charging, they shouted, “Let us in? We are the citizens of Yan Bei! Let us in!”

　　“General Xue! General Xue!” Commander Cui was worried that the allied forces would be injured in the mess, as he panickedly shouted.

　　At this time, a streak of blood shot up into the sky, as a young officer drew out his blade and struck at one of the refugees. The sharp blade coupled with the strength of the blow immediately knocked the man away, as his blood spilled all over the pristine white ground, creating a pool of red. These bunch of refugees, although desperate, were all humble civilians who had never seen such gore and killing. Upon seeing the bloodied blade of the soldier, they shrieked in fear and immediately distanced themselves from the young officer.

　　Commander Cui was taken aback as he had never thought that anyone would really dare to use lethal power. Just as he was about to speak, that young officer walked over, and calmly said, “I am Xue Zhiyuan.”

　　Just as Commander Cui was about to greet this officer, he suddenly heard a heart-breaking cry. A woman was crying with all her strength, “Dear! Dear! Wake up!”

　　“Someone died! The army killed someone!”

　　The woman’s cries were like a stone thrown at the surface of water, as the ripples of angst spread amongst the refugee. An elderly man who seemed to be in his seventies stood in the front of the crowd. “What right do you have to kill us? What gives you the right to? My three sons are all in the army, and followed you off to fight the Xia dogs. Now, why would you not let me enter? Let us enter the city!”

　　Despite the cold weather, Commander Cui’s forehead was full of cold sweat, as he was at a loss as to what he should do next.

　　The young general Xue Zhiyuan frowned and firmly stated, “We do not have much time. Please decide on what to do, with haste.”

　　“What?” Commander Cui asked, dumbfounded. He was born to a blacksmith, and was promoted only because he displayed extraordinary valor during combat. After killing roughly a dozen enemies, he had been promoted to a small commander. Tonight he just happened to be on guard duty, and was completely confused by the flow of events. He merely looked at this young and collected man in front of him and asked, “What did you say?”

　　In that short moment, the refugees had already charged up. The city guards must have been insanely incompetent as over a dozen soldiers had been so easily suppressed by the refugees. Seeing how the guards were losing control of the city gates, a tinge of seriousness flashed across Xue Zhiyuan’s eyes as he bellowed out, “Archers! Get ready!”