The south had just entered autumn, but in the north, not a single yellow leaf remained on the tree branches.

Lianqinhou sighed as he looked at the bare branches in the courtyard, “The cold came early this year. When winter arrives, the Northern Barbarians’ attacks will only become fiercer.”

Xie Chi looked at his father’s still strong figure, thinking of the current predicament in Beiting, and a hint of gloom passed through his mind.

However, he said, “The Iron Cavalry of the Xie Family has been guarding Beiting for many years. When have the Northern Barbarians ever breached the defenses?

Even if we can’t obtain that letter to expose Li Xin’s conspiracy, with the former Crown Prince’s ten thousand troops coming over, it should be enough to restrain him.

We don’t need to worry about Li Xin stabbing us in the back. Our soldiers are well-versed in dealing with the Northern Barbarians’ tactics after so many battles.”

Lianqinhou looked at his young and spirited youngest son, but the worry between his brows did not dissipate as he sighed, “I’ve been fighting against the Northern Barbarian Chieftain Thager for over twenty years.

He’s getting old, and so am I.

Thager is already thinking of abdicating, and this time, his eldest son Kadan is leading the attack on Beiting.

He’s a new alpha wolf on the grasslands, with skills no less than Thager’s in his prime. For the sake of vying for the position of chieftain, this battle might be even more difficult…”

Xie Chi’s carefree demeanor became more restrained as he said, “I’ll go guard the gap near Liangzhou. You stay at Qiangliu Pass.”

With the Northern Barbarians attacking from Liangzhou and Qiangliu Pass, Beiting was sandwiched between them, and they also feared Li Xin’s northern army stabbing them in the back, making their situation particularly passive.

He tightened the wrist guard on his hand, “Although we haven’t obtained the letter, if what the former Crown Prince said is true, and Liangzhou’s loss is related to Li Zhong, we can release the news that we’ve obtained the vice general’s letter and know about the loss of Liangzhou.

This will deceive Li Zhong. He’ll feel guilty, and his army will become disorganized.”

Lianqinhou patted Xie Chi’s shoulder, showing a hint of relief in his eyes, “You discuss this matter with your elder brother. He has always been thoughtful in handling matters and can deal with both the Chen and Chu forces. I’ll leave it to him.”

Xie Chi nodded, “Alright, I’ll go find my big brother.”

As he turned to leave the study, Lianqinhou seemed to remember something and asked, “I heard that Huan’er has been getting close to the daughter of the Qin family lately?”

Xie Chi lazily raised an eyelid, “I’ve just returned from Liangzhou. I haven’t been home, so how would I know which lady my brother is getting close to?”

Lianqinhou realized it was true.

Besides, with his son’s nonchalant attitude, it would be strange if he could discern anything.

He waved his hand to signal him to leave.

Stretching lazily, Xie Chi went to find Xie Huan.

The two brothers’ courtyards were adjacent.

When Xie Chi returned home, he just had to turn a corner to reach Xie Huan’s courtyard.

Because he practiced martial arts all year round, Xie Chi’s courtyard was very spacious.

In comparison, Xie Huan’s courtyard was much more elegant, with cobblestone paths and artificial rock formations.

If you didn’t know, you might think you’d entered a courtyard in Jiangnan.

Xie Huan was practicing calligraphy in his room.

He was tall and thin, lifting the azure sleeve of his robe when he held the brush, his wrist high, his muscles distinct.

His writing style was both wild and sharp, contrasting with his gentle and easygoing personality.

Every time Xie Chi saw his brother’s calligraphy, he couldn’t help but complain, “Father always says my calligraphy is not good. He should really see your handwriting. I’ll bring you some of Master Yan’s calligraphy books for you to copy.”

After finishing the last stroke, Xie Huan put down the brush and hung the scroll aside.

He cleared the table and gestured for Xie Chi to sit. “If you can write cursive script like this, Father won’t criticize you anymore.”

Ignoring his brother’s teasing, Xie Chi sat down on a nearby chair and fiddled with the precious brushes on the table. “Have you discussed marriage yet? Did Mother say anything to you about it?”

Xie Huan found his question odd. “With a major crisis looming, how could Mother arrange a marriage for me at this time?” He poured a cup of tea for Xie Chi. “Why bring this up suddenly?”

Xie Chi drank the tea in one gulp. “It’s nothing. Father suddenly asked me if you’re close to the Qin family’s daughter. I guess Mother might have said something to him.”

Xie Huan remarked, “Mother does seem to like Miss Qin.”

Xie Chi’s eyebrows twitched.

Did this non-rejection, non-affirmation mean his brother had some feelings for that girl?

After carefully considering the reasons behind it, Xie Chi patted Xie Huan’s shoulder. “Even if Father wants to ally with the former prince’s faction, you don’t have to sacrifice your own future for the Northern Barbarian.”

Xie Huan remained silent.

Xie Chi then shared his experience earnestly, “I told you to learn from me earlier. Look at you, being charming might attract girls, but encountering such matters would only lead to trouble…”

Xie Huan picked up several pastries from the plate nearby and stuffed them into Xie Chi’s mouth. “Stop talking nonsense.”

This kid, obsessed with his warhorse, didn’t understand anything.

Xie Chi choked and rolled his eyes, gulping down a cup of tea to save himself.

Before Xie Chi could speak, Xie Huan asked, “Did you come to find me just to talk about this?”

Suppressing his complaints, Xie Chi got straight to the point, “When you negotiate with the Chen camp, use that letter to deceive them.”

Li Xin hoped to stir up public opinion in Beiting.

However, Lord Lian had been managing Beiting for over twenty years, with honest governance and accumulated prestige and reputation.

A few words and a little kindness from Li Xin couldn’t sway them.

Now, feeling guilty that Lord Lian wasn’t indifferent to the loss of Liangzhou, only the people outside Beiting blamed him.

Although Lord Lian himself didn’t care about the rumors, Xie Chi and Xie Huan couldn’t stand the public’s criticism of their father.

They were waiting to expose Li Xin’s true face and show the world the real intentions behind his noble facade.

A cold smile flickered on Xie Huan’s lips. “Good.”

Li Zhong led fifty thousand troops to Beiting several days ago.

Pretending they were there to help defend Beiting from external enemies, but their camp was far from the front line.

Following Li Xin’s orders, Li Zhong targeted the villages in Beiting with the scarcest food supply.

He had the troops cook porridge on the spot, and the local people, grateful for the help, came to collect it several times.

When Li Zhong thought it was time, he deliberately incited the soldiers responsible for distributing the porridge to make the locals complain about Lord Lian’s governance and support them instead.

However, as soon as one soldier said, “You can’t even have a proper meal. Does the government not open its granaries to help you?”

An old man who had come to collect the porridge immediately defended the local government.

“The government has no grain left. The little remaining grain has to be saved for the soldiers. Otherwise, if the Northern Barbarians invade, where would we go?”

The soldier choked up upon hearing this and continued, “Isn’t there any stored grain in the granary? In good years, they should store more grain. It could be used in emergencies.”

Pointing to the desolate land beyond the Great Wall, the old man wiped his tears with his dusty sleeves. “Sir, take a look. Most of the land here is barren and frozen for most of the year.

In the past, the court used to transport grain from the Jiangnan area to help Beiting in times of need.

But now, the south is in chaos, and there’s no time to think about Beiting.”

The old man wiped his tears with his dusty sleeves. “Lord Lian has allocated military provisions for us several times for the sake of us commoners. Lady Lian has even sold her dowry to buy food…”

Originally planning to win over the locals, the soldiers were moved by the old man’s tearful plea.

They began to see how difficult it was for Lord Lian to govern Beiting.

Before, even though Chu was on the verge of collapse, there were still honest officials who could handle droughts, floods, and other disasters by redistributing money and grain.

But now, with various forces vying for power, Beiting, an important defense against external enemies, had its food supply cut off because of the chaos in the south.

The soldiers, who had deliberately incited the locals while distributing porridge, ended up being persuaded by them.

They began to admire Lord Lian and started to question why Li Xin, who had proclaimed himself emperor in Bianjing, didn’t allocate any food or funds to Beiting.

Even the junior officers, when reporting the results to Li Zhong, couldn’t help but sigh, “General, Beiting is the first line of defense against the Northern Barbarians.

The northern land is not suitable for farming, and Lord Lian has a hundred thousand troops in his hands.

Supplying them with food and forage is difficult. Should we report to the emperor and ask for some provisions for Beiting?”

Li Zhong’s eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. “Nonsense!”

He raised his hand and slapped the junior officer’s head. “I sent you to distribute porridge and win hearts, not to come back and ask for supplies for Lord Lian!”

The junior officer was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t until he heard Li Zhong’s shout that he remembered his original task.

But thinking about the plight of the soldiers in Beiting, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic towards his comrades defending against external enemies.

Fortunately, at that moment, a soldier came to report that the eldest son of Lord Lian was seeking an audience.

Li Zhong didn’t have time to scold the junior officer anymore and just waved him away.

As Xie Huan entered the tent, Li Zhong sat arrogantly on a tiger skin chair, wanting to assert his authority over this young man, “I’ve heard that Young Master Xie is highly educated and is often referred to as ‘South Qin, North Xie’ along with the eldest son of the Duke of Qin in Bianjing. Today, seeing you in person, it’s clear that the rumors are true.”

Xie Huan smiled politely, “General, you overpraise me. Although I haven’t met the Duke of Qin’s son in person, I’ve had the privilege of reading some of his works. His poetry and prose are truly exceptional, far beyond my own.”

One of Qin Jian’s most famous pieces of literature was his criticism of Li Xin.

Li Xin was at odds with the former Crown Prince, and Qin Jian was the brother of the former Crown Princess.

Hearing his own name mentioned in the same breath as Qin Jian’s, Li Zhong couldn’t help but feel compelled to clear it up.

Li Zhong’s tone turned unfriendly, “Young Master Xie, if the Duke of Qin’s son knew how much you admired his literary talent, I’m sure you two would become good friends…”

This statement had a hint of irony.

Li Zhong laughed a few times to ease the tension. “I’m just a rough man. I suppose you scholars don’t care about political affiliations.”

Xie Huan smiled faintly, “General Li’s broad-mindedness is admirable. After all… the land of Liangzhou has been lost.”

Seeing Li Zhong’s expression change from blue to white, Xie Huan’s heart sank as well.

Losing Liangzhou was indeed Li Xin’s doing.

Li Zhong’s reaction was quick.

He instantly changed his expression to anger. “Young Master Xie, you’re quite adept at distorting the truth, just like Qin Jian! The loss of Liangzhou is clearly because Beiting refused to support it!”

At these words, Xie Huan chuckled lightly, but his gaze grew colder, inch by inch. “Distorting the truth? General Li, do you think that with the death of the deputy general, no one knows the truth behind the loss of Liangzhou?”

Seeing Li Zhong’s face change from green to white, Xie Huan didn’t say anything more.

He narrowed his eyes and stood up. “I’ll take my leave.”

As he reached the door, Li Zhong suddenly shouted, “Stop him!”

The iron-armored guards at the door drew their swords to block Xie Huan’s path.

Xie Huan sneered, “General Li, do you want to fight against the hundred thousand iron hooves of our Xie family in front of the enemy?”

Li Zhong’s mind raced.

The Xie family was just here to remind him that they knew the truth about the loss of Liangzhou.

If he detained Xie Huan directly, it would be equivalent to declaring war on Beiting.

There was no need for further evidence.

His lie about coming north to defend against external enemies would be exposed.

Li Xin had put so much effort into restoring his reputation.

If it was ruined here, Li Zhong wouldn’t be able to explain to Li Xin later.

Li Zhong watched the mocking smile on Xie Huan’s lips, almost grinding his teeth to bits.

After careful consideration, he could only order, “Let him go.”

As soon as Xie Huan left the tent, Li Zhong was so angry that he kicked over a few desks.

He called for a trusted aide and demanded, “Didn’t you say that everyone from the Governor’s Office in Liangzhou was dead? How did the news leak?”

Cold sweat broke out on the aide’s forehead, and he stammered, “The night the Governor’s Office’s family fled in a carriage, I led men to chase after them. I saw the carriage fall off a cliff with my own eyes…”

Li Zhong exploded in anger, “Where are the bodies?”

The aide trembled as he answered, “I searched along the way, and I only found the broken carriage and some blood-stained clothes. Wolves often roam outside the pass. I thought the wolves might have taken away the bodies…”

Li Zhong kicked him in the chest. “Idiot!”