Chapter 51

The August sky was like a richly painted canvas rendered in heavy ink.

Early in the morning, before the sunlight had fully unsheathed its sharp edge, the treetops in the Osmanthus Garden sparsely echoed with the chirping of cicadas, as if whispering to the world that the hustle and bustle of a new day was about to begin once again!

August in Kyoto was a hurried affair. The adults in the Osmanthus Garden were even busier. Gu Yusheng had already left for the morning court audience before the fourth watch. As soon as day broke, Lü Qianqian hastily swallowed a few bites of breakfast and hurried over to the donation station in Qinghe Lane. The Qinghe Lane of the present was no longer a marketplace, and the Seven Treasures Society no longer sold "seven treasures." The imperial court had established a material donation station within the Seven Treasures Society to collect funds and supplies in support of the Northern Expedition. Lin Xiaolian was now the director of the donation station, and Lü Qianqian came every day to assist.

By noon, Kyoto was unbearably stifling. The sun poured down its scorching rays, baking the bluestone slabs on the streets until they were piping hot, shrinking the shadows of the trees along both sides into tiny patches. The dry heat hung in the air, and visible waves of heat shimmered across the landscape.

Gu Yusheng, dressed in the scholarly attire of a first-degree scholar, stopped outside the door of a farmhouse just outside the Southern City Gate. He had visited this farmhouse a year ago, at which time the Violet Rose and the Red Rose had lived here.

Standing before the door, Gu Yusheng fished out a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead, then raised his right hand and knocked.

After a long while, the door opened a crack, and a woman's head poked through. "Who is it?" she asked.

Recognizing Red Rose at a single glance, Gu Yusheng said cheerfully, "Red Rose, it's me, Gu Yusheng!"

Red Rose hurriedly threw the door wide open and asked with delight, "Lord Gu, what wind blows you to this place today?"

Gu Yusheng smiled and replied, "An east wind! I've come here to find you and Violet Rose. I wish to ask you both to notify Xiao Guimu to come to the capital immediately, as I would like her to join me in leading troops to the northwestern border to repel the Tatars."

Red Rose invited Gu Yusheng into the farmhouse. While ordering servants to serve tea, she said, "Brother Yusheng, Younger Sister Azij returned to Bright Moon Island more than half a year ago, summoned back by Third Chief Xiao via a homing pigeon message. A few days ago, I received another homing pigeon message from Third Chief Xiao, stating that she and Azij are already on their way to the capital and will arrive here shortly. She also instructed me to pack my luggage in advance, as I am to set off for Bright Moon Island as soon as they arrive." With that, she handed Xiao Guimu's message to Gu Yusheng.

Gu Yusheng unfolded the letter and read it thoroughly, learning that Xiao Guimu and Violet Rose were indeed on their way to the capital—they wished to participate in the Northern Expedition and wanted Red Rose to return to Bright Moon Island to serve as the fourth chief.

Returning the message to Red Rose, Gu Yusheng smiled and said, "Congratulations to Younger Sister Red Rose on becoming the fourth chief of Bright Moon Island!"

With a sorrowful expression, Red Rose said, "What is there to congratulate about becoming a bandit chieftain!"

Taking advantage of the torrential rains and floods that breached the city walls, Qi Yaoyao had captured the Qingshakou Pass, slaying countless enemies and capturing over twenty thousand Northern Zhen troops, including the commanding general, Ruan Yanshu.

On one hand, she wrote a report to Grand Marshal Gu to announce the victory; on the other, she pacified the local populace. After the floods subsided, she ordered the soldiers to dredge the riverbed of the Chuangtou River, clear away mudslides, repair the city walls, and rebuild the bridge that had been washed away by the flood, connecting the walls on both sides. During the restoration of the walls, she instructed the craftsmen to redirect all the steps leading up to the ramparts to face south.

Gu Jiuren was overjoyed and dispatched officers to Qingshakou Pass to reward the army. At the same time, he ordered Qi Yaoyao and Gu Yuru to lead all the forces of the right wing to continue garrisoning Qingshakou Pass, while commanding the one hundred thousand soldiers of the former center army, who had been sent to assist in the assault, to withdraw to the camp in the outskirts of Tongcheng for rest and reorganization.

Before long, Gu Jiuren issued the order to attack Tongcheng.

Grand Marshal Gu played the drama with authentic vigor, his offensive growing fiercer by the day. Gu Aishi, the commander defending Tongcheng, was inherently a man who clung to life and feared death. Seeing such a ferocious assault, he grew as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Aside from dispatching wave after wave of messengers to send frantic pleas for help to Meng'an Dan Xinglian, he also sent men to request reinforcements from Aheida, the commander guarding Yitian Pass.

Aheida was a clear-headed general. He said to the messenger, "Send troops to reinforce you? No! But go back and tell your commander Gu Aishi not to panic, and to offer his utmost resistance. Tell him also that the Northern Expeditionary forces attacking Tongcheng are merely making a feint; Gu Jiuren's true target is my Yitian Pass."

At the Military Governor's Mansion, upon receiving Gu Aishi's desperate plea, Meng'an Dan Xinglian hurriedly summoned his generals to deliberate.

He asked, "Honorable generals, troops are maintained for a thousand days to be used in a single hour. Tongcheng is now in peril; which of you generals is willing to lead troops to its rescue?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Second-Rank General Gu Keshi stepped forward and declared, "This subordinate is willing to go."

Meng'an Dan Xinglian said with delight, "General Gu Keshi is the second bravest warrior of Northern Zhen and the blood brother of General Gu Aishi. With you leading the troops to relieve Tongcheng, this governor can truly rest easy!"

Gu Keshi was indeed burning with anxiety to save his brother. He hastily mustered a force of fifty thousand reinforcements, took his leave of Meng'an Dan Xinglian, and galloped without stopping toward Tongcheng.

Halfway between Zhendu and Tongcheng:

Following the military orders of Grand Marshal Gu Jiuren, Xie An and Guan Yi had long since led their troops to set an ambush in the Great Narrow Gorge along the route.

They ordered their soldiers to station themselves on the mountaintops on both sides, piling up boulders and heavy logs. They instructed the combat engineers to block the entrance of the road with stones, cutting off the throat of the passage. They directed the archers to prepare ample arrows, seize the tactical heights on both flanks, and wait for the enemy to arrive before unleashing a hail of arrows.

At dusk, as Xie An and Guan Yi were inspecting the encampments, word suddenly came that the scouts sent out on reconnaissance had returned.

Xie An immediately hurried back to the main tent and summoned them, asking, "Have they dispatched reinforcements?"

The scout replied, "They have. Meng'an Dan Xinglian, the Great Governor of Northern Zhen, has sent Gu Aishi's younger brother, Gu Keshi, leading fifty thousand elite troops, rushing day and night toward this place. They are expected to reach the Great Narrow Gorge in two days."

Xie An asked, "Is this accurate?"

"One hundred percent accurate," the scout replied, and then withdrew. Xie An smiled at Guan Yi and said, "My wife, just as Grand Marshal Gu anticipated, Meng'an Dan Xinglian has indeed sent the Second-Rank General Gu Keshi to rescue Gu Aishi!"

With a trace of anger, Guan Yi said, "Gu Keshi, just like his older brother, is a traitor who betrayed his country and sought glory, deserving death long ago. I reckon this Great Narrow Gorge shall be their final resting place!"

Xie An replied, "I expect his time of death will be within these few days! However, my wife, Gu Keshi is the second fiercest warrior in Beijing and no ordinary adversary. You and I must not underestimate him!"

With intensified fury, Guan Yi retorted, "Whether he is the first fiercest warrior or the second matters not. It will be fine if he stays away from this Great Narrow Gorge, but if he truly comes here, I shall make certain he passes through this gorge lying horizontally."

Xie An said, "Well spoken, my wife! If this arch-traitor dares to set foot in this Great Narrow Gorge, I, Xie An, would rather die in battle than let him pass through it alive."

Guan Yi said, "Gu Keshi must die, but you, Xie An, cannot die."

Xie An replied, "If I can annihilate Gu Keshi and his reinforcements here, my death as Xie An will be of little consequence."

Guan Yi extended a finger to gently press across her husband's lips. "If you die, what shall become of me?" she asked. "Our son, Xiefang, is still young and needs a father to raise him. Your aging parents back in Xiejiazao need you, their only surviving branch, to return and fulfill the filial duties."

Xie An pulled his wife into a tight embrace. "You are right, my wife. Neither of you nor I shall die. Promise me that in future battles, you will be careful and protect yourself well."

Burrowing her head into her husband's chest, Guan Yi replied, "Guan Yi promises her lord."

Around midday on the third day, a junior officer flew over to report, "Gu Keshi has arrived."

Xie An climbed to the summit of the mountain to survey the scene. He saw that along the road over ten li ahead, dust billowed into the clouds, banners blotted out the sun, and the procession was magnificent, stretching for ten li.

Xie An issued his command: "All officers and soldiers, take your respective positions and await my, the vanguard's, signal."

A harrowing and ferocious battle of interception commenced.

When the entirety of Gu Keshi's fifty thousand troops had entered the Great Narrow Gorge, a cannon sounded. From the slopes on both sides of the gorge, boulders and heavy logs tumbled down toward the valley floor like a collapsing mountain. The cries of weeping parents and wailing children shook the earth throughout the ravine. Half of the Northern Zhen troops and horses were crushed to death.

Depending on his forces being more than double those of the Northern Expeditionary army, Gu Keshi repeatedly urged his troops to charge toward the mouth of the gorge. However, the exit had long since been barricaded by Xie An with a masonry wall, and Xie An himself stood atop that wall with his archery division, nocking arrows and waiting for them.

Xie An's archery was infallible. As Gu Keshi's iron cavalry charged forward, Xie An drew his bow while shouting to the archers, "Brothers, let them draw closer before releasing your arrows!" With a sharp *thwip*, the arrow flew from his grip, and the enemy soldier in the very front was struck and tumbled from his saddle. After a few charges, the ground before the barrier was piled high with the corpses of Northern Zhen soldiers.

Gu Keshi ordered his men to seek another exit, but both sides were sheer precipices—where was an exit to be found? It was then that Gu Keshi realized he had committed a fatal error: bringing all fifty thousand of his men into the Great Narrow Gorge. Logically speaking, Gu Keshi was the second fiercest warrior of Northern Zhen and well-versed in military strategy; given the terrain of the Great Narrow Gorge, he should have foreseen an ambush. First, he had been burning with anxiety to rescue his elder brother, thinking only of reaching the destination swiftly; second, Gu Keshi clearly held Xie An and Guan Yi in contempt and grew careless; and third, he possessed an absolute numerical advantage with fifty thousand elite troops.

Just as Gu Keshi was consumed by a regret so bitter it tore at his very liver and gallbladder, another cannon blast shook the heavens. Leading three thousand elite cavalry, Guan Yi charged down from the mountain slopes. She plunged straight into the enemy formation, cutting her way from the vanguard to the rear, and then slashing back from the rear to the vanguard. Gu Keshi's battle array was shattered into fragmented pieces, forcing his men to fight entirely on their own.

Riding his warhorse, Gu Keshi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Reform the ranks!" But his shouts were drowned out by the din of battle. The routed soldiers could no longer be reassembled.

Gu Keshi had long since forgotten his intended destination. Riding alone on his steed, he slashed and parried as he charged back and forth, swinging his blade while desperately seeking a way out. At that moment, he truly resembled a wandering, untethered knight-errant.

A third cannon blast thundered.

The Northern Expeditionary soldiers, lying in ambush on the mountains on both sides of the Great Narrow Gorge, poured out like a swarm, their battle cries shaking the skies.

Blood flowed like rivers through the Great Narrow Gorge, and corpses littered the ten-li-long road.

Xie An leaped down from the masonry wall at the gorge's entrance, vaulted onto a horse, and joined Guan Yi's cavalry ranks, riding and shooting arrows as he moved.

Suddenly, Xie An caught sight of a figure attempting to scale the barrier wall. It was Gu Keshi.

Xie An cursed, "Trying to slip away? Not a chance!"

He spurred his horse toward the wall, leaped up, and scrambled to the top.

Gu Keshi had already slain all the archers stationed on the wall and was preparing to make his escape.

Xie An nocked an arrow and shouted loudly, "Halt! Or I will shoot you dead!"

Gu Keshi whirled around, nocked an arrow of his own, and pleaded, "Spare my life..."

Two arrows hissed through the air simultaneously with a twin *thwip*, and both Gu Keshi and Xie An crashed to the ground.

The battle of interception was ultimately won.

Guan Yi sat limply on the ground, staring blankly at her fallen husband, her mind entirely devoid of thought. Her heart was dripping blood. The blood pooled tightly in her chest, growing heavier and heavier until she could no longer breathe. She cursed silently within her heart: *You truly are a man without faith; you promised that neither of us would die, so why have you died instead?* Yet not a single word could pass her lips. She wanted to weep bitterly, but there was not a single tear left in her eyes—she was far too exhausted, lacking even the strength to cry. Before long, she too lost consciousness and fainted.

Tongcheng.

Wang Qianqian was a young man from the Northeast, solidly built with strong bones and tendons—naturally cut out to ride horses, shoot arrows, and gallop across vast lands. Regrettably, he was born into a merchant family; since childhood, his parents had taught him only how to make money, neglecting to teach him how to ride or shoot—because they did not know how themselves.

Wang Qianqian's parents ran a large spice shop in Tongcheng. From a young age, they had taught him how to identify various spices and how to blend them. By the age of ten, Wang Qianqian had memorized them all: Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and costus root were pungent spices; star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and five-plus-one bark were aromatic spices; baizhi, peach blossom, shengxiang, and cassia twig were deodorizing spices; purple gromwell, turmeric, and gardenia were coloring spices; hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, and licorice were flavoring spices...

At eighteen, Wang Qianqian took a wife. The bride was also the daughter of a wealthy merchant—not only strikingly beautiful, but exceptionally skilled in business. Having entered the household for just over three years, she had already borne Wang Qianqian a son and a daughter, and was currently pregnant once more. By this time, Wang's elderly parents had grown quite old, and the management of the spice shop had long since been handed over to the young couple. Wang Qianqian possessed a nimble mind, and with his capable wife assisting him, their spice business grew increasingly prosperous. Aside from the original shop, they had opened four branch stores within the four gates of Tongcheng.

However, three months ago, the Northern Expeditionary army surrounded the city. Officials were dispatched to the spice shop to instruct Wang Qianqian to immediately close his doors, pack up his family and valuables, and retreat to their ancestral home in the Northeast.

Wang Qianqian had never dared to disobey official decrees. While instructing his wife and family to pack their luggage, he also ordered the shop assistants to clear out the inventory at a loss. Yet, with war imminent, who would want to buy these spices? Wang Qianqian looked at his warehouse full of goods with deep reluctance. It was only yesterday morning, upon hearing that the Northern Expeditionary army had begun assaulting the city, that Wang Qianqian gritted his teeth, ordered the shop assistants to nail shut the doors, hired three horse-drawn carriages, and, carrying his family and belongings with lingering sorrow, departed Tongyu to journey slowly toward Yitian Pass, preparing to return to his ancestral home in the Northeast.

The road was filled entirely with people heading back to the Northeast.

Some rode in carriages, some on horseback, but the majority traveled on foot. The adults carried loads on shoulder poles or packs on their backs, dragging their children along as they meandered in a winding procession along the twisting road.

Suddenly, the carriages came to a halt.

Wang Qianqian poked his head out from inside the carriage and asked, "What is going on?"

The driver pointed his whip ahead and replied, "Master, look, someone is blocking the road."

A middle-aged woman approached the carriage window and said to Wang Qianqian, "Honorable sir, we are people from the Northeast who made our living doing business in Tongcheng. A few months ago, my two sons were seized by the officials to haul boulders on the city walls, and to this day, no one knows whether they are alive or dead. A few days ago, the officials sent men to drive us out of Tongcheng immediately and return to our ancestral home in the Northeast. With no other choice, we packed our bundles and left. However, we could not hire a carriage, and after walking on the road for days, we are utterly exhausted. Both of my daughters-in-law are six months pregnant and about to give birth. I earnestly beg you, sir, considering that we are all fellow folks from the Northeast, to give us a ride? Just a ride—once we pass through the pass, we will figure out our own way."

Wang Qianqian looked at the two pregnant women: both possessed prominent bellies and gazed at him with pleading eyes.

Struck by a pang of compassion, Wang Qianqian said, "Very well, but the first two carriages are already filled with my family members. The third carriage carrying the luggage still has some empty space. If you do not mind, you may ride in that luggage cart."

"Thank you so much, honorable sir!" the middle-aged woman expressed her gratitude profusely before leading her two "daughters-in-law" toward the baggage cart.

Wang Qianqian noticed that although the middle-aged woman's two "daughters-in-law" carried large pregnant bellies, their movements were remarkably agile; in the blink of an eye, they had already seated themselves atop the luggage.

Once again, the carriage was brought to a halt.

The driver announced, "Master, we have reached Yitian Pass."

Stepping down from the carriage, Wang Qianqian saw that the area before the pass gate was packed densely with people, layered tier upon tier.

Wang Qianqian asked a young man standing nearby, "Brother, why aren't we moving forward?"

The young man cast a scrutinizing gaze at Wang Qianqian and replied with displeasure, "How can we move forward? The sun is already high, and the gates are still bolted shut. We've been waiting half the day."

"We?" Wang Qianqian lowered his gaze and saw a pile of bundles at the young man's feet, upon which sat a young married woman.

Wang Qianqian glanced at the young woman; her face was quite pretty, though her skin was somewhat darkened by the sun, yet her physique was robust. He mused to himself, *This couple must have engaged in trades that required traveling through the streets of Tongcheng; otherwise, they wouldn't be tanned to such a degree.*

"The gates are opening!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

The sea of heads began to surge toward the gate.

Two rows of soldiers clad in iron armor and holding weapons emerged from within the gateway, taking their positions on either side of the city portal. A lieutenant stood at the entrance and shouted, "Listen well, citizens passing through the pass: today, only the elderly, women, and children are permitted to pass. Men, especially young men, are strictly forbidden."

An instant uproar erupted before the pass.

"On what grounds?" someone demanded loudly.

Brandishing the sword in his hand, the lieutenant shouted, "Quiet down! This is the order of our General Aheida."

Curses shook the heavens before the pass.

Old Man Wang sat in the first carriage sighing deeply, quietly cursing, "Why won't lightning strike this heartless General Aheida dead!"

Beside the window of the second carriage, Wang Qianqian asked his wife, who sat within the eastern compartment, "My wife, what shall we do now?"

This young woman, both beautiful and capable, had always been headstrong at home. She had consistently opposed leaving Tongcheng to return to her ancestral home in the Northeast. She had once told her husband, "What is there to fear about death? For a whole family to die together in Tongcheng is quite a fine thing!"

Glaring at her husband with displeasure, she retorted, "Let's turn the carriages around and head back to Tongcheng."

Turning to look back along the road they had come, Wang Qianqian said slowly, "We can no longer return to Tongcheng."

At that moment, the middle-aged woman who had hitched a ride hopped down from the third carriage, came over to Wang Qianqian, and spoke a few words to him. Wang Qianqian first relayed her words to his wife, then hurried joyfully to the window of the first carriage to repeat them to his elderly parents.

What on earth had that middle-aged woman said to Wang Qianqian? We cannot know for certain. But very quickly, all three of the Wang family's carriages passed through the gate.

Of course, the three carriage drivers were not permitted to pass. The first carriage had its reins guided through the gateway by the middle-aged woman herself. Sitting inside, Old Man Wang and his wife introduced the middle-aged woman to the inspecting soldiers as their "family housekeeper."

The middle-aged woman's "younger daughter-in-law" guided the second carriage through the gate. Seated within the eastern compartment, Madam Wang informed the inspecting soldiers, "She is a personal maid I brought from my maiden family, a little vixen."

The middle-aged woman's "elder daughter-in-law" also successfully led the baggage cart through the portal—though the two ingots of silver hidden within the bundles were "confiscated" by a junior officer. Bursting into tears and snot, she wailed, "Military officer, the Wang family runs a spice business in Tongcheng, and all the wealth they earned was ill-gotten money; take it all! Pity my husband and me, who have labored like beasts of burden for the Wang family for over a decade. Now that they are returning to their ancestral home in the Northeast, they refuse to let us couple return home as well... Wuwu..."

Holding a silver ingot in one hand and a spear in the other, the junior officer cursed, "Who told you to be someone else's servants? What are you crying for? Get lost before I..."

Standing on a distant earthen mound before the pass, Wang Qianqian watched helplessly as all three of his family's carriages vanished into the deep gateway. Filled with anxious trepidation, he muttered to himself, "Who on earth are those three mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who hitched a ride?"

Those three "mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law" were none other than Princess Zhao Chuoyun of Bashu as the "mother-in-law," Qi Qiongqiong as the "elder daughter-in-law," and Duan Zhaoyue as the "younger daughter-in-law."

They settled the Wang family into an ancient castle inn at the foot of the Great Wall.

Before parting ways, Zhao Chuoyun instructed Madam Wang, "Your husband will soon come here to reunite with you. Stay safely in the inn and wait, and do not leave no matter what happens outside."

Madam Wang was an intelligent woman; finding herself in such circumstances, she could only follow instructions and told her family to comply accordingly.

After dinner that evening, Zhao Chuoyun, Qi Qiongqiong, and Duan Zhaoyue took advantage of the darkness to slip back onto the mountain at Yitian Pass. The garrison soldiers of Yitian Pass maintained guards only before the gate. As Zhao Chuoyun well knew, the five hundred female soldiers of the Mudi Lake Women's Battalion had already infiltrated the pass, each having assumed their assigned positions according to plan.

Duan Zhaoyue whispered softly to Qi Qiongqiong, "Elder sister, it would be wonderful if their five hundred 'husbands' could have made it through the pass as well."

Qi Qiongqiong murmured in reply, "Aheida truly lives up to his reputation as the premier warrior of Northern Zhen! He anticipated long ago that our Northern Expeditionary army would send people disguised to sneak through, but in his wildest dreams, he never imagined we would send female soldiers!"

Duan Zhaoyue whispered, "Sister, just now I quietly went to inspect, and all five hundred-plus female soldiers we sent have slipped in. They are all in their positions, hiding exceptionally well—every single one of them is brilliant!"

Qi Qiongqiong said, "They were painstakingly trained by Senior Aunt over many years, so of course they are brilliant!"

Hearing this, Zhao Chuoyun remarked, "They are all bitter children; once this war ends, we should release them all so they may return home and marry."

Qi Qiongqiong smiled. "They say Senior Aunt is a person of boundless compassion, and it is truly true."

Zhao Chuoyun replied, "Your Senior Aunt was once a young maiden herself, after all."

Duan Zhaoyue had always been uninhibited and outspoken before her mother—she was like that in her childhood, and she remained so now that she was married and about to become a mother herself.

She smiled brightly at Zhao Chuoyun and said, "Mother, aren't you spouting falsehoods again? Isn't it a bit too late to think about letting them go home to marry at this stage? Take Quan Niannian, Dai Guihua, and Mulan—they are all at the age of senior aunties now; how are they supposed to marry?"

Zhao Chuoyun glared at Duan Zhaoyue. "What kind of nonsense are you speaking? Can you blame your mother if those three aunties haven't married yet? You don't know—Aunt Quan Niannian holds your imperial brother, His Majesty himself, in her heart! And your Aunt Dai Guihua and Aunt Mulan both possess ambitions higher than the heavens..."

Duan Zhaoyue beamed. "They share ambitions higher than the heavens, just like you, Mother!"

Zhao Chuoyun demanded, "You wicked girl! When has your mother ever harbored ambitions higher than the heavens?"

Duan Zhaoyue replied with characteristic bluntness, "If Mother hadn't harbored ambitions higher than the heavens back then, how on earth did I end up becoming the Princess of Dali?"

Zhao Chuoyun cast a sidelong glance at Duan Zhaoyue, who simply stuck out her tongue in response.

On the watchtower of Yitian Pass, a deputy general said to Aheida, "General, what should we do if the Northern Expeditionary army employs fire tactics?"

Aheida laughed and replied, "Rest assured! They will not adopt fire tactics! But this general has long since made thorough preparations: all our large and small water vats are filled to the brim with water!"

At that moment, a junior officer came running over and reported, "Reporting to the General, the water vats on the watchtower are nearly empty!"

Aheida shouted loudly, "Transmit my command: the soldiers originally assigned to fetch water must continue hauling it. We must ensure that every single water vat, large or small, remains completely full at all times."

At that instant, war drums shook the skies. The Northern Expeditionary army had launched its assault on the pass.

The Northern Expeditionary soldiers at the foot of the city walls tried every possible means to scale them, while the Northern Zhen troops defending the ramparts continuously hurled boulders and heavy logs down upon them...

Taking advantage of the nocturnal chaos, the five hundred-plus female soldiers of the Mudi Lake Battalion who had infiltrated the pass launched their move under the leadership of Zhao Chuoyun, Qi Qiongqiong, Duan Zhaoyue, Quan Niannian, Dai Guihua, Mulan, and others, rapidly seizing key positions across the watchtower, the barbican, and the ramparts.

Someone shouted aloud, "There are Southern Han soldiers mixed among those on the city walls!"

Aheida shouted from a distance, "Capture them immediately and hack them to pieces!"

Another voice rang out, "The pass gates have been battered open by the Southern Han!"

Aheida yelled toward the gateway, "Close the gates! I command you to close the pass gates immediately!"

The gates could no longer be closed.

The Northern Expeditionary forces swarmed through the portal like bees, their battle cries shaking the firmaments.

Standing atop the ramparts, Aheida shrieked hysterically, "Hurl down every last boulder and heavy log! Smash them to their deaths..."

This bloody battle raged fiercely through the entire night.

Corpses littered every corner within Yitian Pass.

As dawn broke, the sounds of battle finally ceased.

Covered entirely in dried blood and dragging his precious sword, Aheida staggered back up to the watchtower.

He had swung his blade and hacked away for an entire night.

Utterly exhausted, he slumped down onto a wooden chair and muttered to himself, "These Northern Expeditionary troops have finally been hacked to the last man by this general!"

He remained completely oblivious to the fact that three women were already standing inside the watchtower.

"General Aheida, you are mistaken! It is not the Northern Expeditionary army that has been hacked to the last man, but rather all of you garrison troops defending Yitian Pass who have been utterly annihilated by the Northern Expeditionary forces!" A woman's voice drifted in from the side.

With a loud *thump*, Aheida sprang up from his wooden chair, brandishing his sword as he demanded, "Who goes there?"

Stepping out from behind the doorway, Zhao Chuoyun replied, "I am Zhao Chuoyun, Princess of Bashu and Imperial Inspector of the Northern Expedition."

Aheida asked, "Princess of Bashu, what do you intend to do?"

Zhao Chuoyun answered calmly, "Yitian Pass has fallen to us. We have now come to claim the life of its defending commander, Aheida."

Aheida burst into hearty laughter. "With just the likes of you alone?"

Emerging from another doorway, Qi Qiongqiong declared, "No! There is also myself—Qi Qiongqiong, Left-Wing Vanguard of the Northern Expeditionary army."

Simultaneously, Duan Zhaoyue stepped out from a third doorway and announced, "And Deputy Vanguard, Princess Duan Zhaoyue."

Glancing down at the prominent baby bumps of Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue, Aheida sneered at Zhao Chuoyun, "Princess of Bashu, do you know that I, Aheida, am the premier warrior of Northern Zhen?"

Zhao Chuoyun replied, "General Aheida, this inspector not only knows you are the foremost warrior of Northern Zhen, but also that you are a member of the orthodox imperial nobility of the Northern Zhen dynasty."

Aheida said triumphantly, "Knowing that, you should realize that my life cannot be taken by three women today. Seeing as these two female vanguard officers are close to full term, you had best take them back so they can deliver their babies!"

Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue spoke in unison, "It will not be too late for us to return and give birth after we first send General Aheida off to paradise!"

Arrogantly, Aheida retorted, "I am like a cat with nine lives; I cannot die!"

Zhao Chuoyun exchanged a brief glance with both Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue.

In an instant, three swords flashed outward simultaneously. Aheida also lunged forward, thrusting his blade directly at Zhao Chuoyun.

With a single parry, Zhao Chuoyun deflected Aheida's incoming strike.

Qi Qiongqiong drove her sword straight into Aheida's chest. With a fierce palm strike, Aheida sent Qi Qiongqiong flying more than a dozen paces back.

Duan Zhaoyue thrust her sword into Aheida's back. Whipping around with a backhanded blow, Aheida knocked the sword from Duan Zhaoyue's grasp.

Blood spurted from both the wound on Aheida's chest and his back. Brandishing his sword and roaring furiously, he charged toward Zhao Chuoyun.

Zhao Chuoyun was fully prepared. Bending her knees, her body suddenly propelled upward into mid-air, tracing a brilliant arc with her blade. Over half of Aheida's head was sliced clean off. Blood gushed from his entire body as he staggered a few steps forward and collapsed onto the ground.

Just as Zhao Chuoyun prepared to step forward and sever Aheida's head, she heard Duan Zhaoyue cry out in distress, "Mother, my belly hurts."

Turning back instantly, Zhao Chuoyun saw Duan Zhaoyue clutching her abdomen and collapsing weakly to the floor.

Reassuring her, Zhao Chuoyun said, "Do not be afraid, Yue'er! It must be time for the birth."

Aheida was not yet dead.

Opening his blood-stained mouth, he cursed, "Time to give birth? I'll let you give birth!" With all his remaining strength, he hurled the sword in his hand directly at Duan Zhaoyue.

"Look out!" Zhao Chuoyun shouted, vaulting forward to throw herself in front of Duan Zhaoyue.

Aheida's flying blade pierced straight through Zhao Chuoyun's back and out her chest.

Clambering up from the floor, Qi Qiongqiong retrieved her precious sword and leaped forward in a single bound, slicing cleanly through Aheida's neck.

At that moment, the sky above Yitian Pass seemed to be abruptly snuffed out by an invisible hand; thick, ink-black clouds rolled and converged as if to swallow the entire world. Suddenly, a pale bolt of lightning tore across the firmament, followed by a deafening crack of thunder echoing beside their ears, and then torrential rain began to pour. The heavens were grieving! The heavens were weeping! Shedding tears for the peerless beauty, Zhao Chuoyun!

Upon the watchtower of Yitian Pass, Aheida, the foremost warrior of Northern Zhen, lay dead amidst a pool of blood, his head severed from his body, thoroughly and irrevocably dead.

And Zhao Chuoyun, the imperial inspector of the Northern Expedition and peerless beauty, Princess of Bashu, likewise lay in a pool of blood, pierced through the chest by Aheida's flying blade, having lost consciousness.

Duan Zhaoyue knelt beside her mother, weeping and calling out to her.

"Mother, what is wrong? Wake up..."

"Mother, Yue'er's belly truly hurts..."

"Mother, you cannot leave Yue'er behind!"

Holding her sword in one hand and Aheida's blood-dripping head in the other, Qi Qiongqiong dropped to her knees beside Zhao Chuoyun with a heavy *thud*. "Senior Aunt," she choked out, "I have severed Aheida's neck! Here is his head, please open your eyes and look..."

Zhao Chuoyun slowly fluttered her eyes open, gazing first at Duan Zhaoyue and then at Qi Qiongqiong, her gaze carrying the distant weight of another lifetime.

Weeping, Duan Zhaoyue asked, "Mother, it is me, your daughter Yue'er..."

Clutching one of Zhao Chuoyun's hands, Qi Qiongqiong sobbed, "Senior Aunt, we have successfully taken Yitian Pass through strategy!"

A sudden spark of light flickered within Zhao Chuoyun's eyes.

Her complexion was as pale as white paper.

Fixing her gaze upon Duan Zhaoyue's protruding belly, Zhao Chuoyun's lips trembled.

With a trembling hand, she reached out toward Duan Zhaoyue's swelling abdomen...

"Mother, why must you abandon Yue'er!" Duan Zhaoyue's cries of anguish pierced the air, but her mother would never wake again.

Half an hour later, Duan Zhaoyue gave birth to a son atop the watchtower of Yitian Pass. Another half-hour later, Qi Qiongqiong gave birth to a daughter in the same watchtower. By sheer coincidence, the brother and sister were born during the exact same double-hour, though the elder brother entered the world at the very beginning of the Chen hour, while his younger sister arrived at its very end. Gu Jiuren named his youngest son Gu Sibao and his daughter Gu Wumei.

Following the strategic capture of Yitian Pass, Grand Marshal Gu Jiuren ordered Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue to lead the left wing in garrisoning the pass.

Over half of the five hundred female soldiers from the Mudi Lake Battalion perished during the operation to take Yitian Pass. Fifth Commander Dai Guihua and Fourth Commander Mulan died heroic deaths on the ramparts. In accordance with the dying wishes of Princess Zhao Chuoyun of Bashu, His Majesty issued an imperial edict posthumously conferring upon Third Commander Quan Niannian the title of imperial consort, and Grand Marshal Gu Jiuren dispatched an escort to accompany her back to the imperial palace. As for the remaining female soldiers, those who wished to return home were provided with imperial escorts; those who wished to marry had the Empress herself personally select spouses for them and prepare their dowries so they could wed with pomp and splendor; and those who were unwilling to leave the Northern Expeditionary forces were entirely reassigned to the left wing by Grand Marshal Gu Jiuren, with strict injunctions for the vanguard commanders Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue to take good care of them.

After assuming their garrison duties at Yitian Pass, Qi Qiongqiong and Duan Zhaoyue sent men to the ancient castle inn at the foot of the Great Wall to bring the Wang family to live within the watchtower.

Madam Wang spent several days searching near the pass before finding her panic-stricken husband, Wang Qianqian, amidst a throng of refugees.

Before long, Tongcheng was captured by the Northern Expeditionary army. Once normal order was restored, Wang Qianqian returned with his entire family to their home in Tongcheng, resuming their spice business, which flourished with ever-greater success—but that is a tale for another time.