Chapter Fifty-Seven

Beizhen Imperial City.

Early spring brought days of heavy rain and snow.

For nearly a year, Gu Yuren's Northern Expeditionary Army had kept Beizhen Imperial City under siege without launching a direct assault. Panic and unease gripped everyone inside the imperial city. At court, half of the ministers advocated opening the city gates to surrender, while the other half insisted on holding the line. Meanwhile, Grand Commander Duxing Lian, responsible for defending the imperial city with the Beizhen troops, remained constantly on edge. When the Northern Expeditionary Army first laid siege, Prime Minister Xiang Renzhi had assured Grand Commander Duxing Lian that the Tatar army was already attacking the northwestern border passes of the Southern Han, and that as long as Grand Commander Duxing Lian could hold out for a single month, the crisis of the imperial city would naturally resolve itself. Yet now, Grand Commander Duxing Lian had been holding the city for nearly a year; there was neither news of the Tatar army breaching the Southern Han's northwestern border nor any sign of the Northern Expeditionary Army voluntarily retreating. Instead, they kept the imperial city sealed as tight as water.

Chungong Hall.

During the early morning court session, a middle-aged woman was bound tightly with thick ropes to a stone pillar directly in front of Chungong Hall. Her mouth was firmly stuffed with a bundle of cloth, rendering her entirely speechless. She was Liao Sina, the young emperor's only surviving aunt. Just as she had lain down to rest the previous night, Grand Commander Duxing Lian had burst into her bedchamber with a band of warriors, seized her without a word of explanation, stuffed her mouth, and bound her to the stone pillar.

This very Liao Sina was the Princess Liao Sina who had previously traveled to Peach Blossom Fortress to persuade Xing Fannian to surrender to the Beizhen Dynasty. Ever since returning to Beizhen from the Southern Han, she had remained unmarried and had continuously resided within the imperial palace. Prime Minister Xiang Renzhi had long harbored the ambition to murder the young emperor and usurp the throne in his place, but because Princess Liao Sina possessed formidable martial arts and secretly protected the young emperor from the shadows, Xiang Renzhi's conspiracy to seize supreme power had never succeeded. Xiang Renzhi had long regarded Liao Sina as a thorn in his eye and a spike in his flesh, desperately wanting to be rid of her at the earliest opportunity. Yet Liao Sina had sensed this long ago and remained on her guard. Finally, the opportunity arrived: last night was the young emperor's birthday, and Xiang Renzhi had someone tamper with the wine Liao Sina drank. Drugged into unconsciousness, she lay helpless in bed as they bound her hand and foot.

Inside Chungong Hall, the young emperor leaned sideways on the dragon throne as usual, doing nothing. The hem of his vermilion dragon robe trailed upon the floor like a maple leaf withered by the rain. The heavy enemy forces besieging the imperial city, Princess Liao Sina bound to the stone pillar before the hall—all of these seemed to have nothing whatsoever to do with the young emperor!

"Your Majesty, please affix the seal." Prime Minister Xiang Renzhi held a proclamation in both hands, bowing respectfully. Without waiting for a response, he shoved the imperial jade seal directly into the child's hand, then guided the boy's small wrist to stamp heavily upon the proclamation.

This was a proclamation sentencing Princess Liao Sina to death. The stated reason for her execution was collusion with the Southern Han imperial court. Prior to this, Xiang Renzhi had repeatedly told the young emperor: "Your Majesty, Princess Liao Sina has long desired to murder you so that she might become empress herself. The Southern Han troops outside the imperial city were all brought here by Liao Sina; she intends to coordinate from within and without to replace you!"

The young emperor pouted his small mouth and said, "Old Minister Xiang, my old aunt is simply too hateful! Find a way to put her to death!"

"This old subject will strictly obey the imperial decree!"

The proclamation bore the emperor's red seal.

Picking up the sealed proclamation, Xiang Renzhi immediately straightened his back and turned to face the civil and military officials kneeling in the hall. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he commanded, "Men, immediately drag the traitorous imperial aunt Liao Sina outside the Meridian Gate and behead her to show the public!" With that, he handed the proclamation to the execution supervisor, Grand Commander Duxing Lian.

Before long, Liao Sina's severed head was presented inside Chungong Hall.

The young emperor spat viciously onto the floor and cursed the severed head: "You truly deserved to die! Who told you to try and usurp the throne!"

Listening to the young emperor's curses, the civil and military officials kneeling throughout the hall lowered their heads in bewildered silence.

Liao Sina's severed head was hung from the grand gate of the imperial city for public display—positioned precisely where Zhao Rouya's head had once been hung.

***

Outside the Beizhen Imperial City, within Marshal Gu Yuren's command tent.

Gu Yuren, Guan Yi, Qi Qiongqiong, and Duan Zhaoyue were studying strategies for storming the city.

"An imperial decree has arrived—"

This was the imperial decree from the Southern Han emperor ordering the Northern Expeditionary Army to take the city.

A few days later, the heavy rain and snow ceased. Gu Yuren ordered the Northern Expeditionary Army to launch the assault. Several days after that, the young Beizhen emperor ordered the city gates opened in surrender. All under heaven was once again unified.

***

Yuhan Pass, Southern Han.

Mangshannai's main force numbered two hundred thousand men, forming the personal foundation of Right Wise King Gester. Consequently, Mangshannai was reluctant to commit these two hundred thousand troops lightly.

The siege had lasted three days, and countless soldiers had already fallen in battle. If he failed to send these two hundred thousand men onto the battlefield today, Mangshannai would be too selfish to rightfully hold the title of marshal.

Mangshannai was, after all, a marshal in name and fact. Before dawn, he deployed his two hundred thousand loyal core troops to the plaza before the Great North Gate, organizing them according to the formations and tactics he had painstakingly studied and refined over many years.

This formation—as Marshal Mangshannai described it in his address to the soldiers—"must not be underestimated; it maximizes siege efficiency and defensive strategy."

"Officers and men, when storming the city, you must advance strictly according to the formations and lines prescribed by this marshal! Anyone who makes a mistake will have his head severed by this marshal!" Mangshannai repeatedly emphasized during his pep talk.

The sun rose.

Mangshannai ordered the soldiers to bombard the city walls with artillery first. When directing combat, Mangshannai never skimped on artillery. He knew that Right Wise King Gester possessed abundant resources, and their storehouses were overflowing with cannons and fire-arrows. Mangshannai also knew that while Right Wise King Gester cared most dearly for his two hundred thousand soldiers, he never stinted on artillery and fire-arrows.

An hour of artillery bombardment was followed by Mangshannai's order for archers to loose fire-arrows. Another hour passed.

Finally came the hurling of boulders by catapults.

The men began to move—Mangshannai's two hundred thousand soldiers advanced to storm the city in accordance with his formation.

***

Upon the ramparts of the Great North Gate.

Witnessing this scene, Xiao Guimu turned to Gu Yusheng and asked, "Marshal Gu, what should we do?"

Gu Yusheng pointed to the gunpowder, cannons, and fire-arrows piled high along the ramparts and replied, "General Suppressing the South, are these things of ours merely for decoration?"

Xiao Guimu immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, "Troops, hurl gunpowder at their ranks! Fire the cannons! Loose the fire-arrows!"

In an instant, the cannons, gunpowder, and fire-arrows from the ramparts fell like a torrential downpour into the ranks of the Tatar soldiers. The plaza before the Great North Gate became a sea of fire. The Tatar soldiers caught fire, screaming in agony as utter chaos engulfed them.

Mangshannai drew the scimitar at his waist and roared, "Extinguish the fire on your bodies immediately! Reform your ranks! Anyone who dares move out of line will have his head cut off by this marshal!" As he spoke, he slashed with his scimitar at the head of a soldier who was attempting to flee.

Gu Yusheng seemed equally disinclined to spare gunpowder, cannons, or fire-arrows. Hours passed, and the deafening explosions above the heads of the Tatar soldiers never ceased.

Hiding inside a shelter covered with raw ox-hides on the outside, Mangshannai cursed furiously, "Damn it all! Gu Yusheng isn't playing by the rules. This marshal used artillery to attack the city, and in response he uses artillery, gunpowder, and fire-arrows to attack the men! Fall back! Retreat quickly!"

Mangshannai suspended the assault on the Great North Gate. The fourth day of the siege had brought him the heaviest losses. More than fifty thousand of his core troops had perished. He truly found it difficult to explain this to Right Wise King Gester.

From then on, Mangshannai held his position and made no move, allowing his entire army to rest and recuperate for a full two months.

***

Late spring. Peach blossoms were in full bloom.

Battle reports transmitted from the imperial court revealed that the fallen Beizhen Dynasty had surrendered to the Southern Han court. Marshal Gu Yuren had led the Northern Expeditionary Army to garrison Beizhen Imperial City—following several years of northern expeditions, the Chinese nation had finally achieved northern and southern unification.

This was the unification of territories between north and south! Yet the war at the northwestern border continued. Mangshannai's forces were still besieging Pan City. Heavy enemy forces still weighed down upon the northwestern border.

Originally, the Tatar state had dispatched troops to besiege Pan City in order to aid the Beizhen Dynasty. Now that the Beizhen Dynasty had surrendered, Xiang Renzhi's dreams had shattered, and the Tatar state's pretext for besieging Pan City had vanished. However, Khagan Erdewen had long harbored the ambition to contend for the Central Plains. He had long cast a covetous eye upon the Southern Han court. He told his ministers: "Since we have sent forth our troops, there is no reason to ever retreat! Moreover, after several years of northern expeditions, the Southern Han court has exhausted vast national resources, leaving its treasury empty and grain scarce. This is precisely the optimal moment to destroy the Southern Han court." Therefore, on one hand, he ordered Mangshannai to continue the siege; on the other hand, he dispatched envoys to various tribes across the grasslands to strengthen unity and stabilize his rear. At the same time, he demanded that all eligible slaves be conscripted into the army and heavily levied mercenaries from surrounding tribes. He intended to forge a powerful military force capable of trampling the Central Plains.

At the border, Marshal Mangshannai constantly remembered the life-or-death pact he had signed with Khagan Erdewen. Following two months of recuperation, the army had basically recovered its combat effectiveness, but time was running short. He had to capture Pan City by the end of spring, or his own head would roll!

Some time ago, Mangshannai had received an imperial decree stating that Khagan Erdewen was coming to lead the campaign in person. This had pleased Mangshannai for a few days. Once the khagan arrived at the border, he would become the de facto marshal, rendering Mangshannai's marshal title an empty name, meaning the assault at the end of spring would be personally commanded by the khagan. In other words, the life-or-death pact he had signed with the khagan would naturally become void. He guessed that Khagan Erdewen would arrive at the border by mid-spring—yet he did not come; there was only an imperial decree urging Mangshannai to attack the city immediately.

"This old khagan is no good! All thunder and no rain!" Mangshannai cursed inwardly. "Ultimately, he just wants me and my brothers to march to our deaths! But I, Mangshannai, am not so easily killed."

On the first day of late spring, Marshal Mangshannai brought all his troops—whether core or allied—to the plaza before the Great North Gate of Yuhan Pass to deploy his formations. This time, he required every single soldier to participate in the siege.

That day, he drove his soldiers to launch a fierce assault against the Great North Gate. Countless soldiers were killed or wounded, yet it all proved to be in vain.

As night fell, the moonlight grew faint.

Gu Yusheng and Qi Yaoyao were walking side by side atop the city walls, performing their rounds of night watch.

Today, Mangshannai had launched a ferocious day-long assault on the Great North Gate, and Gu Yusheng had led his men in a day-long defense. Though losses were heavy, they had ultimately held firm.

At the ramparts of the Great North Gate, the husband and wife unexpectedly ran into his father, Gu Datong, who was inspecting the guards.

[Chapter 1 of 3 ends here]

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[Chapter 2 of 3 begins here]

The father reminded his son, who served as marshal: "Second Son, don't let Mangshannai's desperate gamble of gathering all his forces to attack the Great North Gate today fool you; in this father's view, this is a plot! Tonight the wind is strong; he may send troops to launch a sneak attack under cover of darkness! As marshal, you must keep a clear head!"

Gu Yusheng asked in a low voice, "Dad, which section do you think Mangshannai will send troops to raid tonight?"

Gu Datong said in a deep voice, "Perhaps my Great East Gate, perhaps the Great South Gate guarded by your mom, but the highest probability is the Great West Gate guarded by Purple Rose and Jiang Hong! Still, you must remind the troops at all major gates to keep their guard up a hundred times tonight!"

Gu Yusheng said gratefully, "Thank you for the reminder, Dad! Yusheng has already made arrangements for all this! Mom's Great South Gate, and Purple Rose and Jiang Hong's Great West Gate have already been notified! Coming to your Great East Gate right now, Dad, was precisely for Yusheng and Yao'er to inform you, and incidentally to check on you, Dad."

That his son and daughter-in-law had come to check on him deeply moved Gu Datong. He said to Gu Yusheng once more, "Second Son, this father has one more suggestion."

Gu Yusheng asked, "What suggestion?"

Gu Datong lowered his voice and said, "If tomorrow Mangshannai repeats today's all-or-nothing gamble and attacks only the Great North Gate, we can dispatch three elite strike teams through the tunnels to simultaneously assault the left, center, and right flanks of their formation, scattering their ranks. Order every soldier to carry strong liquor from our Pan City wine cellars, spray it onto the enemy soldiers, burn them to death, create chaos, and disrupt his siege formation!"

Gu Yusheng said happily, "That is a fine suggestion! However, choosing the personnel for these three small strike teams will be somewhat difficult! Especially selecting the three commanding officers is even harder; not only must they possess peerless martial arts, but once they go out, they may well never return! Therefore, whether soldiers or generals, they must be volunteers!"

Gu Datong reminded him, "When selecting personnel, it must be done quietly, keeping strict confidentiality!"

Gu Yusheng said, "There is no time to lose; Yao'er and I will return to the marshal's tent immediately to handle this! Please take care of yourself, Dad!"

"Very well! I bid farewell to the marshal and the general defending the west!" Gu Datong joked.

At the ramparts of the Great North Gate, Xiao Guimu and Li Liuwen were arguing over who should lead the sortie out of the city tomorrow.

Xiao Guimu said, "White-Clad Scholar Li Liuwen, what do you have to contend with me? I am a former top-ranked martial arts scholar; my martial arts are undoubtedly far superior to your martial arts graduate, and the court appointed me as General Suppressing the South and vanguard officer of the northwestern army, whereas the court only appointed you as deputy commander and deputy vanguard! I am your superior! Now I order you to remain on the ramparts to defend the city, and the task of leading the sortie will be handled by this general!"

Li Liuwen was deeply unconvinced and retorted, "Does higher rank crush people to death? I, Li Liuwen, am your husband; a wife must obey her husband! Besides, the two of us have never sparred to see whose martial arts are stronger and whose are weaker!"

Xiao Guimu said, "Shall we test our skills right now to see who is superior?"

Li Liuwen said, "You are carrying our Li family's child; please leave an heir for me, Li Liuwen, General Suppressing the South?" The white-clad scholar shed a tear.

That night, Gu Yusheng and Qi Yaoyao tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Gu Yusheng embraced Qi Yaoyao and murmured, "Yao'er, if I were not marshal, I would definitely lead the troops out of the city tomorrow and substitute for you no matter what!"

Qi Yaoyao buried her head in Gu Yusheng's chest and said, "Husband, the northwestern field army can do without me, Qi Yaoyao, but it cannot do without Gu Yusheng! If I truly do not return tomorrow, please promise me you will raise our daughter, Nuonuo, to adulthood!"

Gu Yusheng held his wife tightly and said, "I will! Of our two children, Yu'er and Nuonuo, I cherish Nuonuo the most!"

Qi Yaoyao continued, "You must personally teach her swordplay, pass down all of the Lou Family Sword Techniques to her, and your returning-horse spear technique as well!"

Gu Yusheng whispered into his wife's ear, "I will."

Qi Yaoyao continued, "Tell her that her mother was a battlefield general, driven by circumstances beyond her control, and unable to accompany her as she grew up; ask her to forgive this unqualified mother." With that, she began to sob.

Gu Yusheng comforted her, "Don't cry! If we are talking about being unqualified, I am an even more unqualified father, spending even less time by her side than you!"

Qi Yaoyao pressed her face against Gu Yusheng's chest and said, "When she grows up, you must find a good husband for her. Her husband must be just like her father: both handsome and a dual-champion in both literary and martial arts."

Gu Yusheng said, "That matter is somewhat difficult to arrange."

Qi Yaoyao opened her beautiful eyes wide and asked, "Why is that difficult?"

Gu Yusheng rubbed her hair with his cheek and replied, "Although handsome young men are everywhere under heaven, one who is both handsome and a dual-champion in literary and martial arts is virtually extinct—impossible to find deliberately, only to be met by chance!"

Qi Yaoyao wrapped her body tightly around Gu Yusheng and whispered, "I, Qi Yaoyao, have met one in this lifetime..."

***

At dusk, atop the watchtower of the Great West Gate, Purple Rose and Jiang Hong had just returned from their rounds. They were eating dinner.

Leaning against the parapet, Purple Rose ate her meal as she remarked, "I, Purple Rose, really have a deep affinity with the family of Deputy Vanguard Li Liuwen; first I danced the 'Dual Swords United' alongside his senior wife, and now I am garrisoning the Great West Gate alongside his junior wife."

Jiang Hong stopped chewing and asked, "Sister Zi, make yourself clear: who is the senior wife and who is the junior wife?"

Purple Rose said, "Naturally, my sister the General Suppressing the South is the senior wife!"

Jiang Hong chewed as she replied, "In all things, there is always precedence! I arrived at their Li family earlier than your sister..."

Before Jiang Hong could finish her sentence, a junior officer came running up to report: "Reporting to the two deputy commanders, the Tartars have launched a sneak attack under cover of darkness!"

Jiang Hong sprang to her feet and commanded the officer, "Quickly go notify the troops of all camps to resist!"

"Understood." The junior officer bolted down the steps.

Purple Rose put down her meal box and cursed, "Damn it all, everyone's in such a rush to be reincarnated! They won't even let a person eat a proper meal in peace!"

A male voice drifted from beside the ramparts: "Haha, who said they wouldn't let people eat in peace? I have always cherished jade and pitied fragrance, please continue eating!" His spoken Chinese was halting and awkward.

Purple Rose demanded sharply, "Who are you? How did you get up here?"

The man smiled cheerfully and said, "Two beauties, I am none other than the grassland's number one hero, Grass-Leaping-Over."

Purple Rose frowned and asked, "Are you that grassland horse-taming fellow, Grass-Leaping-Over?"

Grass-Leaping-Over said, "I used to be a horse-taming fellow, but now I am General Grass-Leaping-Over, vanguard under Marshal Mangshannai."

Purple Rose glanced sideways at Grass-Leaping-Over and continued, "Vanguard General Grass-Leaping-Over, let me ask you: you were tending horses quite well on the grasslands, why come invade our Southern Han?"

Grass-Leaping-Over said, "To marry a beautiful Southern Han girl as my wife."

Purple Rose asked, "You have girls on your grasslands too, why must you marry a Southern Han girl?"

Grass-Leaping-Over said, "Because there are simply too few girls on our grasslands! If I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, until this day, aside from my mother, I've never touched the finger of another woman." He was lying! Every night he held a captured peasant woman in his arms as he slept.

Jiang Hong said, "General Grass-Leaping-Over, your words are truly pitiable! I, Jiang Hong, am already someone else's wife, so you wouldn't care for me anyway! But our deputy commander here, Purple Rose, is not only strikingly beautiful, but she is also an untouched maiden; do you want her?"

Grass-Leaping-Over stared at Purple Rose and said, "My goodness, you are that Purple Rose who killed my predecessor, General Subutai? You are indeed beautiful, but this vanguard lacks the fortune to enjoy it!"

Purple Rose asked, "For what reason?"

Grass-Leaping-Over replied, "Because this vanguard does not wish to die young!"

Purple Rose cursed, "In that case, get rolling down these city walls right this instant!"

Grass-Leaping-Over chuckled, "Although I don't want her, our Marshal Mangshannai does! He's a man willing to die under a pomegranate skirt!"

Purple Rose swiftly exchanged a glance with Jiang Hong and cursed at Grass-Leaping-Over, "Preposterous! Taste my sword!"

Jiang Hong shouted at the top of her lungs, "Dual Swords United," and instantly drew her precious sword.

Grass-Leaping-Over grasped his scimitar and laughed heartily, "You two lasses want to kill me? It's not that easy!"

[Chapter 2 of 3 ends here]

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[Chapter 3 of 3 begins here]

Purple Rose and Jiang Hong joined forces to attack Grass-Leaping-Over. Grass-Leaping-Over truly lived up to his reputation as the grassland's bravest warrior. Wielding his scimitar, he wrapped himself in a tight barrier of blade-light. Purple Rose and Jiang Hong found themselves dazzled, unable to find an opening for a moment.

Jiang Hong shouted loudly once more: "Dual Swords United."

Purple Rose instantly caught her meaning, swinging her sword in a horizontal slash toward Grass-Leaping-Over's neck. A flash of sword-light later, Grass-Leaping-Over collapsed to the ground, head and body separated.

Jiang Hong also collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from her chest. As it turned out, Jiang Hong had used her own body as bait, allowing Grass-Leaping-Over to drive his scimitar straight through her chest so that Purple Rose could seize the split-second opening to strike.

Weeping, Purple Rose ran over, scooped Jiang Hong into her arms, and chided, "Sister Jiang Hong, you are so foolish!"

Jiang Hong pressed one hand against her bleeding chest while grasping Purple Rose's arm with the other, whispering, "Sister Zi, please tell your sister... I, I, I Jiang Hong, am willing to be her younger sister..."

Tears streaming down her face, Purple Rose sobbed, "Sister Jiang Hong, I was just teasing you a moment ago! Sob, sob..."

Purple Rose's weeping grew ever more mournful, but Jiang Hong could no longer hear it.

***

The next day, Mangshannai concentrated his entire force to assault the Great North Gate just as before. He seemed to have gone mad.

Wielding his scimitar, Mangshannai roared, "Grass-Leaping-Over, attack the city!" A warrior by his side reminded him, "Reporting to the Marshal, Vanguard Grass-Leaping-Over perished in last night's sneak attack!"

Mangshannai cursed angrily, "Damn it, he died without even sending me a single hair of a woman? I don't believe he's really dead!"

The warrior stated, "Reporting to the Marshal, Vanguard Grass-Leaping-Over is dead beyond all doubt!"

Hearing this, Mangshannai gave a dismissive chuckle and said, "You certainly have an interesting way of speaking! Still, everyone has to die anyway! Better he died early than late!" He looked up and commanded the warrior, "Stop standing around here, go attack the city! If we fail to take Pan City this time, your head and this marshal's head will both be rolling!"

The warrior saluted, bade farewell, and departed.

By this time, the siege and defense battle at the Great North Gate had also entered a white-hot phase. Mangshannai had concentrated all his strength to assault the North Gate.

The three small elite strike teams dispatched by Gu Yusheng also struck out from the tunnels.

The commander of the first squad was Qi Yaoyao and Li Jingxian. Carrying ample supplies of gunpowder and strong liquor, they fought their way forward, spraying gunpowder and liquor onto the bodies of the Tartars before setting them ablaze with fire. The Tartars shrieked in agony as the flames burned them. Bursting through the center, they slashed all the way to the enemy rear camp, casually ignited the tents, and then fought their way back along their original path, cutting down enemies in both directions. Both Qi Yaoyao and Li Jingxian faced death as if returning home.

The commander of the second squad was General Yang Wenhua, a loyal military hero and descendant of a meritorious official. Like the first squad, they carried plenty of gunpowder and liquor, assaulting the right flank of the Tartars.

The commander of the third squad was Deputy Vanguard Li Liuwen. His squad members were all elites from the cavalry camp.

Riding his battle steed, Li Liuwen stood before the tunnel exit, leveling his spear and shouting, "Brothers, mount up! Follow this deputy vanguard to attack their left flank."

At the watchtower of the North Gate, Gu Yusheng commanded the drummers to beat the drums with all their might. He roared at the top of his lungs, "Soldiers, slaughter them with all your might! Absolutely do not let a single Tartar remain alive upon the city walls..."

Lou Mingxuan hurled stones down toward the foot of the wall while shouting, "Brothers and sisters! Marshal Gu has given the order: while striking the enemy fiercely, we must protect ourselves..."

Xiao Guimu, cradling her pregnant belly, swung her sword unceasingly and called out to the vanguard camp soldiers, "Brothers and sisters of the vanguard camp, move fast! The Tartars are starting to climb the ropes! Cut their ropes instantly and send them crashing to their deaths..."

Gu Datong commanded the fire-arrow and artillery camp.

A junior officer reported, "Deputy Commander Gu, the Tartars' scaling ladders are pushing forward again, what should we do!"

Gu Datong tossed away his dry tobacco pipe and said, "Don't rush! Let them get a bit closer..."

The officer said, "Deputy Commander Gu, they are already very close! They're about to touch the city wall!"

Raising his Lou Family precious sword, Gu Datong shouted, "Fire-arrow and firearm marksmen, ready! Aim at every single scaling ladder of the Tartars, fire—"

Qi Wei swung a Lou Family precious sword identical to Gu Datong's as he declared, "Haha, I am a businessman by trade, so I can't afford to run a loss in battle either!" His Lou Family sword was exceptionally sharp, slicing off Tartar heads as easily as cutting melons.

Meanwhile, Qi Wei's wife, Yin Yuanyuan, stood upon the ramparts of the Great North Gate's main entrance. Drawing her bow and notching an arrow, she shouted, "Brothers and sisters, our feathered arrows are running low, so we must conserve them. Wait until they come close before aiming. There are small strike teams of our own men mixed within the enemy ranks, so everyone must identify them clearly and avoid harming our own people..."

Yin Yuanyuan's greatest concern was the safety of her daughter, Qi Yaoyao.

This day's "slaughter" proved to be the most tragic and fierce since the war began. The soldiers of the three strike teams that sortied through the tunnels all went forth and never returned. The four commanders—Qi Yaoyao, Li Jingxian, Yang Wenhua, and Li Liuwen—all fell in battle on the plaza before the Great North Gate. Mangshannai was a vicious and merciless fellow. He ordered the heads of Qi Yaoyao, Li Jingxian, Yang Wenhua, and Li Liuwen to be severed and hung high from bamboo poles as a warning.

That night, tears of sorrow flowed throughout the entirety of Pan City.

Gu Yusheng and Xiao Guimu gazed sorrowfully at the severed heads hanging high in the plaza, shedding tears of grief. Yet the most heartbroken of all were the two mothers—Lou Mingxuan and Yin Yuanyuan; their hearts were bleeding. Lü Xun looked upon Li Jingxian's head, weeping tears without moisture left to shed.

Lou Mingxuan said to her son, "Marshal Gu, this deputy commander requests an order from you: tomorrow I wish to lead the second wave of strike teams into the enemy ranks to slaughter them!"

Gu Yusheng dropped to his knees before Lou Mingxuan and pleaded, "Mom, no matter what, this Yusheng will never let you go march to your death!"

Lou Mingxuan's resolve seemed unshakeable as she replied, "Yusheng, Mom must avenge her son and daughter-in-law; I cannot not go!"

Xiao Guimu told Gu Yusheng, "I too want to go and avenge my husband..." Lou Mingxuan struck Xiao Guimu with a single palm-strike, rendering her unconscious, and then instructed her daughter Gu Yuru, "She is pregnant, so no matter what, you must keep a close watch on her."

With tears streaming down her face, Gu Yuru promised her mother.

That night, Mangshannai dispatched no sneak attack forces.

***

On the third day, as the sun broke the horizon, Mangshannai gathered his full strength and began assaulting the Great North Gate.

Nearly half of his soldiers had already fallen. Today could be considered his final desperate gamble. Today was also the doomsday set by his death sentence.

On this day, the commanders of the three strike teams departing from the tunnels were: for the first squad, Lou Mingxuan, tasked with attacking the enemy center; for the second squad, Gu Datong, tasked with attacking the left flank of the enemy formation; for the third squad, Qi Wei, tasked with attacking the right flank of the enemy formation and retrieving the severed heads of Qi Yaoyao, Li Jingxian, Yang Wenhua, and Li Liuwen.

The fierce battle raged for an entire day. Lou Mingxuan and Gu Datong both died on the battlefield. Only Qi Wei and five soldiers returned through the tunnels to Pan City, bringing back the bodies of the six fallen: Lou Mingxuan, Gu Datong, Qi Yaoyao, Li Jingxian, Yang Wenhua, and Li Liuwen.

This war of aggression and counter-aggression drew its period on this very day.

The Tartars had lost over two hundred thousand men, and the siege had failed! The Tartars' dream of conquering the Central Plains was shattered.

Gu Yusheng's northwestern army had also lost nearly two hundred thousand men, but the city defense had succeeded! Furthermore, they consolidated the victory of the Northern Expeditionary Army—the nation was unified from north to south.

Half a month later, Khagan Erdewen ordered a retreat and had Marshal Mangshannai beheaded.

Among the major Southern Han commanders who died at the border during this war of aggression and counter-aggression were: General Defending the West Qi Yaoyao, Loyal Martial General Yang Wenhua, Border Defense General Kong Gengxiu, Deputy Commander Li Liuwen, Deputy Commander Lou Mingxuan, Deputy Commander Gu Datong, Deputy Commander Jiang Hong, and Deputy Commander Li Jingxian—over two hundred commanders in total.

Spring returned, bringing renewed life to Yuhan Pass and Pan City.

The surroundings of Pan City were once again vibrant: the ice began to melt, and the crystal-clear "Ice Mirror" of Hayuqi shimmered with rippling light.

Before long, the Southern Han emperor issued an imperial decree ordering Prime Minister Lü to return to court to manage affairs. To prevent the Tartars from staging a comeback, the Southern Han emperor simultaneously decreed that Gu Yusheng should lead the forces of the northwestern field army to continue garrisoning Yuhan Pass.