【That night, the Marshal of the Great Yong Dynasty, Meng Shifang, pondered deeply in his tent.】

【He kept contemplating Prime Minister Sun Longhai’s words.】

【”Pay more attention to Huangfu Baizhi.”】

【To be honest, even if Sun Longhai hadn’t said anything, Meng Shifang had already been paying close attention to Huangfu Baizhi.】

【Although she was a woman, among the younger generation of generals, she was a leading figure.】

【Not only had she reached the Divine Transformation realm, but her command of troops was also exceptional.】

【She was definitely a promising talent worth cultivating.】

【However, her current position as a minor general was due to her background.】

【Huangfu Baizhi’s father, Huangfu Ying, was a defector from another country. He had no roots in the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【Such a person, no matter who employed them, would cause some concern.】

【It’s more reassuring to use someone with a solid background in the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【After all, defectors are still just defectors.】

【So, was Prime Minister Sun Longhai suggesting that such people should not be used extensively?】

【Yes, that must be it.】

【Combining this with Ye Yu’s angry departure, everything made sense.】

【After a moment of contemplation, Meng Shifang summoned Huangfu Baizhi.】

【He ordered her to sign a military warrant, leading troops to attack the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty overnight, or face military punishment if unsuccessful!】

【Upon hearing this demand, Huangfu Baizhi was very surprised.】

【To have a minor general like her attack the capital?】

【What was going on?】

【Could this be some kind of test by the Marshal?】

【After a moment of silence, Huangfu Baizhi agreed to the request.】

【Unbeknownst to her, this was Meng Shifang’s cunning scheme.】

【He knew Huangfu Baizhi was strong, but the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty was not so easily conquered.】

【Failing to capture it would be normal.】

【Then, using the military warrant as an excuse, Meng Shifang could have Huangfu Baizhi removed from the military camp and demoted to a commoner.】

【Girl, don’t blame me for being ruthless.】

【Blame your own background!】

【If Meng Shifang’s thoughts were known to Sun Longhai, he would be furious to death on the spot.】

【Is that how it’s interpreted? Pay attention, it’s to ensure Huangfu Baizhi doesn’t die too soon.】

【After all, she’s a woman who’s caught His Majesty’s eye.】

【Who knew this idiot would think like this? Truly incomprehensible!】

【To everyone’s surprise, that night, Huangfu Baizhi indeed captured the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty.】

【The reason was mainly that the Great Xia royal family had already lost their will to resist.】

【In their eyes, the fall of the city was just a matter of time.】

【Such a tremendous achievement left Meng Shifang with no reason to act out. He could only greet Huangfu Baizhi’s return with a smile.】

【Two days later, the news was sent back.】

【Ye Yu was extremely pleased and declared a nationwide celebration.】

【Money was given out, more money, and still more money!】

【He also announced that trade, land purchases, and slave purchases in the Great Xia Dynasty were now open.】

【This allowed the people of the Great Yong Dynasty to experience the allure of war for the first time.】

【Especially when, half a month later, the soldiers returned, each bringing back a fortune enough to last them a lifetime.】

【It made countless people envious.】

【A wave of war enthusiasm swept through the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【Countless people eagerly volunteered for battle.】

【Ye Yu did not dampen their spirits.】

【He immediately announced that, in two months, the army would continue its campaign and attack the Great Liao Dynasty!】

【This news set the entire country abuzz.】

【In the following century, the Great Yong Dynasty continued its conquests.】

【Ye Yu also fulfilled his previous promise.】

【He made all the soldiers incredibly wealthy.】

【However, there were those who were both joyful and troubled.】

【In the military camp, there was always a group of outliers.】

【They were always at the forefront of every battle, but also the most marginalized.】

【These were the defectors led by Huangfu Baizhi.】

【These people are all composed of defeated soldiers of the enemy countries.】

【They received the least amount of money and were never promoted.】

【Any of the Great Yong Dynasty’s regular soldiers felt superior to them.】

【And their commander was Huangfu Baizhi.】

【According to her achievements over the years, Huangfu Baizhi should have been granted a marquis title or even promoted to Grand Marshal.】

【But because of the biases from above, she was forever relegated to leading defectors.】

【Over the past century, Huangfu Baizhi had signed countless military warrants, completing numerous grueling tasks.】

【Yet, the final result was always the same: she and all the defectors were stationed in the bitter cold frontier.】

【They had to endure surveillance by the Great Yong Dynasty’s military overseers.】

【This unequal treatment eventually became the spark that ignited discontent.】

【Stationed in the extreme north, Huangfu Baizhi, spurred on by the soldiers, raised her arm and revolted!】

【In truth, Huangfu Baizhi did not want to rebel.】

【She was very aware that, with the current unity of the Great Yong Dynasty and the morale of the troops, rebelling now would be a matter of life and death.】

【But the defectors could not endure the oppression any longer.】

【Despite having helped the Great Yong Dynasty secure such vast territories, shedding blood and suffering injuries, why did the Great Yong Dynasty still treat them as if they were enemies?】

【It was unfair!】

【Huangfu Baizhi was also influenced by the defectors.】

【She vowed to lead them to the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty and ask Ye Yu why they were being treated this way?】

【Upon learning of Huangfu Baizhi’s rebellion, the Great Yong Dynasty was furious.】

【Everyone rushed to petition for a military campaign to quell the rebellion.】

【Ye Yu was also quite surprised.】

【During his reign, the treatment of soldiers had been elevated to the highest level.】

【Everyone took pride in being a soldier of the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【So what was the purpose of their rebellion?】

【Hearing Ye Yu’s question, the civil and military officials present were also puzzled.】

【Indeed, what was the reason for the rebellion?】

【At this moment, after years of warfare, Meng Shifang had successfully been promoted to Grand Marshal of the Armies.】

【He stepped forward and took the initiative to apologize, claiming that he had not acted decisively against Huangfu Baizhi when Sun Longhai had originally warned him, leading to the current grave mistake.】

【Hearing this, Sun Longhai was completely bewildered.】

【He quickly asked, What warning?】

【Meng Shifang blinked and candidly explained, More than a hundred years ago, when we were marching to attack the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, didn’t you tell me to pay more attention to her?】

【So, I kept assigning her impossible tasks and started various forms of suppression.】

【But to my surprise, Huangfu Baizhi not only completed everything but also continued to achieve greater military success.】

【Under such circumstances, it was impossible to find a reason to punish her.】

【I could only leave Huangfu Baizhi and the rebels in the bitter cold north, letting them fend for themselves, hoping not to see them again.】