Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

Outside Zhenbei City, at the Hanshan Army's main camp.

Unlike the decadent wine pools and meat forests, and the debauchery of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

Here, only black military flags flutter in the wind and weapons gleaming from the cold.

Tens of thousands of tents were neatly arranged, like black chess pieces, silently covering the earth.

In the heavily guarded camp, apart from the synchronized footsteps of the patrolling soldiers, there was not a single other sound.

This is the most elite force in the North, the Mountain Shakers.

Inside the central command tent, the atmosphere was even more somber than the cold wind outside.

The strong medicinal smell was almost solidified, making it hard to breathe.

An elderly military doctor with half-gray hair and beard rested his fingers on a withered wrist on the sickbed, his eyes closed, silent.

He has maintained this posture for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Inside the tent, several armored generals held their breath, deliberately slowing their breathing, for fear of disturbing the last renowned physician of the North.

However, a burly, towering veteran with a full beard finally lost his patience.

His name was Meng Hu, the deputy commander of the Shaking Mountain Army, and he had a fiery temper.

"What the hell happened?! You bastard, say something!"

Meng Hu darted forward and grabbed the old military doctor by the collar with his large, fan-like hand.

The old military doctor was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that his old face instantly turned pale.

His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"Uncle Meng!"

A low shout came.

A tall, upright young general strode forward and forcibly separated Meng Hu's hands.

The young man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handsome face, and his features bore a striking resemblance to the elderly man on his sickbed.

He is Chu Wenshan's only son, Chu Tiankuo.

Chu Tiankuo first bowed deeply to the still-shaken old military doctor.

"Sir, you have been frightened. Uncle Meng was very anxious. I hope you can forgive me."

After comforting the military doctor, he turned around and shook his head at Meng Hu.

He then turned to the old military doctor again. Although his voice was young, it carried a composure that was beyond his years.

"Sir, we are aware of my father's situation, please... tell us the truth."

The old military doctor looked at the young man who was trying so hard to remain calm, then glanced at the group of iron-willed generals in the tent, their eyes filled with expectation, and finally let out a long sigh.

That sigh extinguished the last vestige of warmth in the tent.

"Young General... Generals..."

The old military doctor's voice was dry and weak.

"The commander-in-chief suffered numerous internal injuries from his early battles and was already at his limit."

"In recent years, I have been overworked with military affairs in the North and am exhausted... I am... I am on my last legs and medicine is... ineffective."

"Bullshit!"

"Quack doctors! They're all fucking quacks!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Hu kicked over the brazier next to him, sending sparks flying everywhere.

He was about to throw a punch when he was held back by several generals beside him.

"Commander Meng! Calm down!"

"Commander Meng!"

Everyone knew that this wasn't the first time they'd heard the same answer.

In order to cure the old general's illness, they searched for almost all the famous doctors in the North.

All that can be obtained is the despairing phrase, "the oil has run out and the lamp is out of oil."

Chu Tiankuo swayed, his face as white as paper.

He forced himself to stay upright, took out a heavy bag of silver from his pocket, and stuffed it into the old army doctor's hand.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

He waved his hand, his voice trembling slightly.

"We respectfully saw the gentleman off as he left the camp."

"Yes."

The old military doctor was led out of the tent by two guards, and then the tent fell into a deathly silence.

The generals who were holding Meng Hu released their grip.

With a "plop".

That towering figure slumped into the chair.

Meng Hu, a man who sheds blood but not tears on the battlefield, was now gripping his knees tightly with both hands, his veins bulging.

His broad shoulders trembled slightly under extreme pressure, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Moments later, all the grief turned into a raging inferno.

"Bang!"

Meng Hu slammed his fist hard on the table next to him, and the sturdy wooden table cracked in response.

"Why should I?!"

"Yuwen Biao indulges in debauchery in his palace, and those blind, corrupt officials in the court don't even utter a peep!"

"The old general spent his entire life loyal to his emperor and patriot, guarding the northern border, yet no one cares about him; he can only wait to die here!"

"Why! Why?!"

Meng Hu grew angrier the more he thought about it, and began to speak recklessly.

"The emperor of Great Xia is incompetent and foolish; all he knows is seeking immortality and concocting his worthless elixirs of immortality!"

"The Third Prince is blind to talent, appointing treacherous officials while leaving loyal and virtuous men to die here!"

"I think the Great Xia Dynasty is doomed! Doomed!!"

Meng Hu's roars, like thunderclaps, resounded inside the tent.

The generals around him all looked worried.

However, Chu Tiankuo was so shocked by these words that he trembled all over.

He snapped back to his senses, took a step in front of Meng Hu, and shouted sharply.

"Uncle Meng! Be careful what you say!"

"If this gets out, it will be a catastrophe for my 30,000 brothers in the Mountain-Shaking Army!"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Meng Hu shoved Chu Tiankuo's hand away, wanting to curse again.

Just then, a messenger's urgent voice came from outside the tent.

"Report! Young General, Guo Feng, the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Zhenbei's Palace, requests an audience."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's expression changed inside the tent.

Guo Feng?

The dog that Yuwen Biao favored the most?

"What's he doing here!"

Meng Hu instantly bristled and leaped to his feet.

"What tricks is that fat pig up to now?!"

"Get him out of here! I don't want to see a single dog in his mansion right now!"

"Let him in."

Chu Tiankuo unexpectedly spoke up.

He took the damp cloth handed to him by the guard, carefully wiped the sweat from his father's forehead, and gave instructions without turning his head.

After a while.

A slender, middle-aged scholar with a goatee slowly walked into the main tent under the angry gazes of the generals.

It was Guo Feng.

He first glanced at Chu Wenshan on his sickbed, feigning grief.

"Oh dear, Commander Chu, what's going on..."

"Spit it out!"

Meng Hu squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

Guo Feng was not annoyed upon hearing this.

He simply smiled and took out a letter from his sleeve bearing the vermilion seal of the Prince of Zhenbei.

"By order of the Prince, I have come to inform the young general."

"Iron Wall Pass, gone."

Guo Feng's casual remark stunned everyone in the tent.

What? The Iron Wall Pass is gone?

What does this mean?

Chu Tiankuo also stopped what he was doing.

He slowly turned around and took the letter.

On the paper, there was wild, unrestrained cursive script.

He embellished the story of how Lin Mo breached Tiebi Pass, how his 50,000-strong army was wiped out, and how Wu Zhong died a tragic death.

At the end of the letter, Lin Mo was further vilified as a traitorous leader who colluded with barbarians and intended to overthrow the northern border.

The more Chu Tiankuo looked, the more gloomy his face became.

By the end, I was frozen in place, falling into a long silence.