The news that the granary in Yicheng had been burned down reached Chen’s Army camp.

Shen Yanzhi, with veins bulging on the hands he braced on the desk, his eyes hidden in the shadows, spoke in a sinister tone: “Are you saying… An Yuanqing burned down the granary in Yicheng?”

The young soldier who had rushed back from Yicheng to report the news was frightened by Shen Yanzhi’s appearance and stammered in response, “The army carried the Yongzhou flag. It was indeed An Yuanqing’s troops…”

“The An family, great, just great!” Shen Yanzhi laughed angrily, “Since the An family is courting death, I will grant their wish!”

If it were just the granary in Yicheng being burned, Shen Yanzhi might have doubted it a little.

But not long ago, the crown prince’s confidant had gone to see the An family with a letter from the crown prince.

It was clear that the An family, having learned the truth.

The Chen army surrounded the An residence. The commander led his soldiers through the mansion, searching everywhere.

“What are you doing?” The old steward tried to stop them, but was stabbed in the abdomen with a sword and kicked aside.

Hearing the commotion, the An family mother and daughter came out and turned pale with fright at the scene.

Madam An forced herself to stay calm and questioned, “You storm into my house and kill my servants. Does Prince Shen know about this?”

The commander’s eyes roved over Madam An and her daughter, and he sneered, “It is the prince who sent us to capture your family of traitors! An Yuanqing, that old fool, dared to deceive the Prince and secretly Colaborated with the Crown prince, leading troops to burn down the granary in Yicheng. The prince wants to use you as a sacrifice!”

Madam An’s expression changed, and she angrily retorted, “You speak nonsense! My entire family is in Wucheng. How could my husband abandon his family?”

The commander sneered, “Do you really think the prince is unaware of your dealings with the crown prince?”

He waved his hand heavily to his soldiers, “Arrest them!”

Madam An’s well-maintained face was full of anger, “Nonsense! The crown prince has harmed our family, how could we be involved with him?”

An Ruoyan’s face showed a trace of panic.

The commander heard Madam An’s questions and just sneered, “This is Wucheng. Whatever your family has done or who you have met, nothing escapes the prince’s eyes.”

Madam An seemed to realize something and looked towards An Ruoyan: “Yan’er?”

An Ruoyan turned pale and did not dare to meet her mother’s eyes.

The soldiers moved to capture them, and a few skilled guards barely managed to hold them off, but they were outnumbered.

An Ruoyan knew they couldn’t escape Wucheng with everyone.

She told the servant who had been protecting her, “Yuen, you are skilled in martial arts. Get out and inform my father!”

“But…” The man named Yuen hesitated.

“No buts, go quickly!” An Ruoyan commanded.

The man took one last look at An Ruoyan, steeled himself, fought his way out, and climbed over the courtyard wall.

The commander was furious, “Chase him! Kill on sight!”

After the remaining guards were subdued, the An family mother and daughter were loaded onto a prison cart.

Madam An looked at her daughter, “What are you hiding from me?”

An Ruoyan knew the trouble she had caused might doom both the An family and her maternal family, the Chen family.

Though usually composed, she was just a young girl of eighteen and said anxiously, “Mother… the crown prince’s adviser did come and brought a letter from the crown prince. It was Shen Yanzhi’s idea to bring us to Wucheng as hostages from the start…”

Madam An slapped An Ruoyan heavily, “Why didn’t you tell me about such a serious matter earlier?”

An Ruoyan choked, “Mother, you were unwell. I didn’t want to worry you…”

Madam An interrupted her, “Where is the crown prince’s adviser?”

An Ruoyan replied, “I was afraid of complications, so I had Yuen kill him and threw the body into the dry well in the backyard.”

Even though Shen Yanzhi’s scheme had led to their current predicament, it was the crown prince who ultimately used the plan, intending to force her to become his concubine.

An Ruoyan knew the crown prince wanted to see the An family and Shen Yanzhi turn against each other.

To thwart the crown prince’s plan, and fearing that Shen Yanzhi might discover they knew the truth and take action against them, she decided to kill the crown prince’s adviser.

Madam An was heartbroken, “Foolish girl! Shen Yanzhi’s men saw the adviser enter the An residence but didn’t see him leave. What do you think he would assume?”

The adviser’s visit had been very secretive, and An Ruoyan had not anticipated that Shen Yanzhi had been keeping an eye on them all along.

“He would… think we harbored the crown prince’s adviser?” Realizing that her seemingly flawless plan had become a death sentence for her family, An Ruoyan felt a chill in her hands and feet. “I didn’t write to inform my father about this! The burning of the Yicheng granary must be a crime Shen Yanzhi fabricated to frame my father!”

She seemed to see a glimmer of hope and, with excitement, said to Madam An, “Mother, we still have a chance. If we can see Shen Yanzhi and tell him we killed the crown prince’s adviser early on, he wouldn’t dare harm us now, given the support our families provide!”

An Yuanqing was a man of integrity.

Previously, he had been forced to feign defection to the Chu camp because his family was held hostage by the crown prince.

Later, Shen Yanzhi controlled the crown prince, and Madam An had allied the Chen family with Shen Yanzhi, informing An Yuanqing that it was Shen Yanzhi who had rescued An Ruoyan from being forcibly married by the crown prince, saving the An family.

An Yuanqing, feeling indebted, continued to work for Shen Yanzhi.

If An Yuanqing knew that Shen Yanzhi had orchestrated the hostage situation with his family, he would not tolerate it.

Madam An, knowing her husband’s nature, looked at her sobbing daughter with despair in her eyes, “The crown prince sent someone to deliver a letter to our residence. Do you think he wouldn’t send a letter to your father? I have always told you that intelligence is good, but don’t be overconfident. Why didn’t you listen…”

If they had known these things earlier, even if An Yuanqing no longer wanted to serve Shen Yanzhi, they could have left Wucheng before Shen Yanzhi discovered everything, rather than being at his mercy now.

The fact that the crown prince sent a letter to An Yuanqing as well was something An Ruoyan had not considered.

She cried uncontrollably, “Mother, I was wrong…”

Madam An turned her head away, tears streaming down her face, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taught you these things.”

She was a noblewoman who married a crude military man to secure military power for her family.

An Yuanqing, straightforward in nature, had struggled to learn basic literacy after marrying her, let alone composing poetry or painting.

They had never had much in common.

An Yuanqing respected her, admired her talents, and was happy to provide their daughter with ink and books, hoping she would become as educated as her mother.

“May our daughter be like you,” An Yuanqing once told her.

But the seemingly gentle Madam An harbored the pride of a noblewoman.

Though she bore children for him, she never truly liked her rough husband.

While educating their daughter, she not only taught her poetry and art but also the cunning and coldness expected of a noblewoman.

At that moment, Madam An felt a pang of regret.

An Yuanqing wasn’t the ideal husband she envisioned, but he had protected her for half a lifetime.

**

Mengjun.

Chu Chengji had initially ordered An Yuanqing to lead the Yongzhou army to attack Yicheng.

An Yuanqing had informed Shen Yanzhi of Chu Chengji’s battle plans and then was ordered to attack Mengjun.

As the granary of the Jianghuai region, Mengjun had strong defenses and a garrison of 30,000 soldiers.

Despite Qingzhou being under siege, not a single soldier was sent to aid them.

An Yuanqing’s 20,000 Yongzhou soldiers were undoubtedly in for a tough fight.

Although An Yuanqing had seen Lin Yao favored by Chu Chengji in the Chu camp, he had underestimated him due to Lin Yao’s background as a bandit and lack of notable achievements.

After challenging and fighting Lin Yao a few times at Mengjun’s city gate, An Yuanqing realized he had not only hit a wall but also stepped on a nail.

They couldn’t break through by force, and they couldn’t win in direct combat.

They could only surround the city and hope to wear them down.

Adding insult to injury, Lin Yao had a sharp tongue.

Every day, he would stand on the city wall and scold An Yuanqing for half an hour without stopping.

“An Yuanqing, you turtle bastard! What’s so great about that treacherous little man from the Li family that you pledge your loyalty to him? You came to defect, and the prince even treated you to braised pork!”

“The pork in the camp is raised by the soldiers themselves! Don’t you feel guilty eating it?”

“And the rice, it’s grown by the crown princess and the soldiers themselves! You heartless ingrate, you came to deceive us and then ate our food! Have you no conscience?”

“Li Xin’s two sons are worthless! His eldest son blamed his father-in-law, General Han, for his own defeat, and even divorced his wife to avoid involvement. If he can treat his father-in-law like that, aren’t you afraid you’ll end up like General Han, serving such a beast?”

…

After being scolded for days, as soon as Lin Yao started yelling from the city wall, An Yuanqing would silently stuff cotton into his ears in his tent.

He had previously known that there were two scholars in the Chu camp not to be messed with—Qin Jian and Cen Daoxi.

These two could insult someone so politely that they’d dig up their ancestors’ ashes for a proper airing.

Now he added another name to his list.

An Yuanqing couldn’t understand how a military man like Lin Yao could have such a sharp tongue.

Compared to the smoke-filled battlefields elsewhere, the only sign of conflict in Mengjun was Lin Yao standing on the city wall daily, hands on hips, cursing the enemy.

Both sides’ soldiers were confused.

Usually, it was the besiegers who hurled insults, but here it was the other way around.

It wasn’t that An Yuanqing was afraid to fight.

He knew his 20,000 men couldn’t capture Mengjun.

Rather than engaging in a bloody battle with heavy casualties, it was better to simply surround Mengjun and wait for Shen Yanzhi to capture Qingzhou.

Even if he didn’t take Mengjun’s granary, preventing Mengjun’s troops from aiding Qingzhou was still an achievement.

This strange stalemate was broken when An’s family servant arrived in Mengjun.

Upon learning that Shen Yanzhi had captured his wife, children, and elderly mother,

An Yuanqing was furious: “I have been following Shen Yanzhi’s plan, besieging Mengjun. Why is he tormenting my family?”

Yuen, the servant, was shocked: “You didn’t burn the Yicheng granary?”

An Yuanqing, pacing anxiously in his tent, replied, “I marched directly to Mengjun from the start. I never went to Yicheng!”

As a seasoned general, An Yuanqing quickly realized he had fallen into the former Chu prince’s trap.

He slapped his hands together heavily and exclaimed, “Ah! I’ve been tricked! I will take 3,000 elite cavalry back to Wucheng immediately to explain to the prince that this is a scheme by the former Crown prince of Chu!”

Yuen, seeing that An Yuanqing was unaware that it was Shen Yanzhi who initially devised the plan against the An family, knelt before him, fearing that returning would only lead him into a trap.

“General, there is one more thing I must tell you.”

An Yuanqing, eager to rescue his family, was strapping his sword to himself and said, “Speak on the way.”

Yuen urgently said, “It was Shen Yanzhi who originally suggested to the crown prince to use your wife and daughter as hostages.”

An Yuanqing froze, staring at Yuen, “What did you say?”

Yuen, with a sorrowful expression, replied, “It was Shen Yanzhi who caused our family’s downfall!”

An Yuanqing, unable to contain his rage, slashed his sword, breaking the sword rack, and shouted, “Pass my order, the army will break camp immediately and head to Wucheng at full speed!”

Lin Yao, who had been cursing An Yuanqing daily, saw him suddenly retreat in a hurry.

Fearing a change in Qingzhou’s situation or that it was a ploy to lure them out, Lin Yao deliberated and sent scouts to follow them.

When the scouts reported that An Yuanqing’s army had not stopped and was heading towards Qingzhou, Lin Yao, recalling recent news of Chu Chengji’s severe injuries, could no longer sit still.

Unable to leave Mengjun himself, he dispatched 10,000 troops to support Qingzhou.

Qingzhou was at its breaking point. With the granary in Yicheng lost, Chen’s army had become a mad dog, swearing to level Qingzhou’s walls with artillery.

The 50,000-strong army, with Shen Yanzhi personally overseeing the battle, had piled corpses high at the foot of Qingzhou’s walls, their uniforms dyed dark with blood, indistinguishable between sides.

This was the largest battle since the Chu army took Qingzhou.

The seemingly small actions Qin Zheng took in Qingzhou proved invaluable in this battle.

The medicinal herbs she had collected saved many soldiers’ lives.

The women’s army, having learned how to handle wounds early on, took the burden when the military doctors were overwhelmed and full of hands.

Some women even took up fallen soldiers’ weapons to defend breaches in the city’s defenses.

Initially regarded as a joke by the soldiers, the women’s army earned respect through their actions in this great battle.

From generals to foot soldiers, their perception of the women’s army changed significantly.

But the disparity in numbers was ultimately insurmountable.

Of Qingzhou’s 30,000 defenders, fewer than 5,000 could still fight on the city walls after days of relentless assault by Chen’s army.

Song Heqing, an old offcial, had fought tirelessly for days and finally succumbed to illness.

Dong Cheng, still injured, donned his armor to take his place on the wall.

For the final battle, Song Heqing insisted on climbing the wall despite his illness.

Dong Cheng tried to dissuade him, “Master Song, listen to the military doctors and return home to recover. As long as I, Dong Cheng, draw breath, I will not let the Chen dogs breach this gate.”

Song Heqing, looking at Dong Cheng’s pale face, felt a deep sense of weariness, “Young General Dong, you have a long road ahead. Follow the prince, achieve great things, and complete the journey your father couldn’t finish. As for this old body, the least I can do for the prince and the crown princess is to hold this gate.”

His face was weary, but his spirit was still strong: “Stubborn boy, don’t fight me on this!”

Dong Cheng’s eyes were red, and he forced a smile, pushing back his tears: “Uncle Song, I will guard this gate with you.”

He called him Uncle Song, not Master Song, treating him as a close friend of his father.

Song Heqing looked at the young man before him and finally nodded with a smile: “Very well, today, we two uncles and nephews will guard this gate for the prince and the princess!”

The two of them stepped up to the wall together, their expressions grave as they looked down at the Chen soldiers swarming like locusts, relentlessly charging at the city walls.

The Chen soldiers were climbing the ladders, and the soldiers on the wall threw rocks and logs down, knocking some off, but more would quickly take their place.

The soldiers who leaned out to throw the rocks and logs exposed themselves to the Chen soldiers’ arrows and spears, making them easy targets.

Earlier, Song Heqing had ordered his men to pour oil on the ladders and set them on fire, burning dozens of the Chen soldiers’ ladders.

But now, the oil had run out, and they could only rely on human barricades to resist.

Down below, the city gate was being battered by dozens of Chen soldiers with a battering ram.

The impact made sand and stones fall from the walls, and a large dent appeared on the iron-covered gate, though it hadn’t yet been breached.

Days earlier, Song Heqing had instructed his soldiers to dig a shallow trench behind the gate, bracing it with dozens of logs.

The other ends of the logs were fixed in the trench, forming a triangular support that was more effective than having soldiers physically brace the gate.

Arrows rained down like a torrential storm, whizzing just above people’s heads.

Seeing the Chu soldiers growing tired, Dong Cheng, ignoring his own arrow wounds, ran to the high platform on the wall and beat the war drum wrapped in red silk heavily: “Soldiers of Great Chu, kill them all—”

The blood-crazed soldiers on the wall responded with a unified roar.

However, soon there was a loud crash from the gate below, followed by the frenzied shouts of the Chen soldiers.

Song Heqing knew the gate couldn’t hold much longer and raised his arm, shouting: “Archers, follow me down to the gate!”

Even if the Chen soldiers breached the gate, the first ones in would be shot down by the archers inside.

As Song Heqing descended from the wall, he saw that the gate hadn’t been breached yet.

However, the iron-covered gate had been smashed with a battering ram, creating a large hole.

The Chen soldiers continued to hammer around the hole, widening the breach.

Song Heqing directed his archers: “Release arrows!”

The ground started to tremble slightly. Initially, Song Heqing thought it was caused by the Chen soldiers’ siege engines.

But when the sound of horns blared through the bloody air and the ground trembled more noticeably, as if floating on waves, and the cheers of the Chu soldiers rang out from the walls, Song Heqing froze.

He looked up and shouted to Dong Cheng on the high platform, his voice trembling: “Is the prince back?”

Dong Cheng stopped drumming.

Blood from his reopened wounds ran down his arm, staining his hand.

Gasping, he grinned widely and shouted with all his might: “The crown prince is back with the army!”

The Chu soldiers on the walls and below cheered, their fatigue swept away, and fought with renewed vigor.

Song Heqing, standing below the walls, was almost in tears of joy.

On the distant horizon, a dust cloud rose, blocking out the sky.

A black-armored army surged forward like a tidal wave.

At the forefront of the army, a black flag with a golden “Chu” character waved like a lion’s mane in the wind.

Heavy cavalry led the charge, their warhorses’ hooves shaking the ground like an earthquake.

The Chen soldiers, seeing the approaching Chu army, began to retreat in panic.

The heavy cavalry’s horses were taller and stronger than ordinary horses, easily carrying heavy armor.

The cavalrymen wore full armor, wielding shields and spears.

The gleaming armor of the men and horses shone under the scorching sun.

The light cavalry flanked from the sides, armed with bows and spears, cutting off all retreat routes for the Chen soldiers.

Shen Yanzhi, watching from his command vehicle, saw a general in black armor riding out from the heavy cavalry, his eyes like poisoned arrows: “Chu Chengji? Wasn’t he gravely injured and near death?”

Under the blazing sun, the man in black armor and a golden crown, standing before the army, raised his halberd and roared: “Kill!”

His soldiers turned from a steady tide into a surging tsunami, roaring as they charged the retreating Chen soldiers.

The Chu soldiers inside the city, also rejuvenated, flung open the gates and charged out to engage the Chen soldiers.

With attacks from both sides, the demoralized Chen soldiers were quickly defeated.

Chen Qin approached Shen Yanzhi in the command vehicle: “Master, the former crown prince isn’t injured. The earlier news was likely a ruse! After exhausting us at Qingzhou, they’ve come to finish us off!”

Shen Yanzhi grabbed Chen Qin by the collar, sneering: “What do you mean? Are you saying I fell for that Chu scoundrel’s trick again?”

Chen Qin, knowing this topic was sensitive, pleaded, “Master! Let me cover your retreat!”

The scene was eerily familiar.

Shen Yanzhi stared at Chu Chengji, high on his horse, almost breaking his teeth in frustration, but memories of Chen Qing’s death also flashed before his eyes.

That time, his insistence on killing Chu Chengji had cost Chen Qing his life.

Finally, he released Chen Qin and hoarsely ordered, “Sound the retreat.”

The signal to retreat sounded, and the already demoralized Chen soldiers began a large-scale withdrawal.

Under the scorching sun, Shen Yanzhi, from his command vehicle, watched his army retreating like scattered ants and felt a sudden dizziness.