No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

Snow stopped.

The beacon fires burning in the direction of Yumen Pass were particularly glaring against the gray sky.

Su Chuang stood atop the highest observation tower of Wangbeitai, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, squinting at the straight plume of black smoke in the distance.

"Three beacon fires."

He spat out a blade of grass, "The Huns are getting serious."

Lin Ruxue stood beside him, her plain cotton robe fluttering in the wind: "Brother Chuang, how long can Ye Qingyue hold on?"

"It depends on whether she wants to hold on."

Su Chuang grinned, "If they really wanted to hold out to the death, the walls of Yumen Pass would be enough for the Xiongnu to gnaw on for ten or fifteen days."

"But what if she doesn't want to stay?"

Su Chuang turned to look at her, blinked, and said, "Then let's not guard it."

As the two were talking, footsteps came from below the tower.

Yue Fei, clad in black armor, strode through the snow and greeted them with clasped hands: "My lord, the scouts have reported back."

"explain."

"The Xiongnu vanguard of three thousand wolf cavalry has already set up camp three miles outside Yumen Pass."

"The rest of the army has arrived one after another, and at least 15,000 cavalry have now gathered outside the pass."

Yue Fei paused, "Ye Qingyue closed the city gates, and the entire Divine Might Army was on the walls, but..."

"But what?"

"A grain depot inside the pass caught fire last night."

Yue Fei's voice turned serious, "At least three thousand shi of grain were burned."

Su Chuang was delighted.

He rubbed his hands together, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, and cracked one open with a "crack": "This woman, she's really going all out with her acting."

Lin Ruxue frowned: "Did she burn it on purpose?"

"Otherwise what?"

Su Chuang spat out the sunflower seed shells. "If the grain is burned, we'll have a reason to defend the city."

"It's not that I don't want to defend it, it's that we don't have enough food to defend it."

Jia Xu had somehow appeared at the foot of the tower, his gray robe stained with snow. He looked up and said, "My lord, Ye Qingyue is leaving herself a way out."

"I can tell."

Su Chuang nodded. "If the pass is breached, she can say that she is short of supplies and unable to fight to the last man."

"If she holds the pass, she can report that 'burning grain shows her determination and inspires the soldiers'—either way, she's in the right."

"Then let's..." Yue Fei hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"Let's watch the play."

Su Chuang grinned. "Pass down the order: Wangbeitai is to enter a state of combat readiness. Add two more guards to the wall, and expand the patrol team to thirty li."

"Here you are."

Yue Fei turned around to make arrangements.

Su Chuang then looked at Jia Xu: "Wenhe, the Embroidered Uniform Guards keep a close eye on her. If Ye Qingyue tries to escape, tell me immediately."

"Does our lord intend to intercept her?"

"Why would I intercept her?" Su Chuang chuckled. "I want to see where she's going."

Jia Xu understood and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate understands."

After everyone dispersed, only Su Chuang and Lin Ruxue remained on the watchtower.

The wind picked up, and it felt like knives on my face.

Lin Ruxue leaned closer to Su Chuang and whispered, "Brother Chuang, are you really not planning to save Yumen Pass?"

"save?"

Su Chuang raised an eyebrow. "What can we do to save them? With over two thousand of us, we wouldn't even make a splash if we were thrown in."

"But there are still civilians inside the pass..."

"The people have already started to evacuate."

Su Chuang interrupted her, "Even if Ye Qingyue is stupid, she knows to fortify the city and clear the fields."

"I reckon there aren't many civilians left inside the pass now, besides the garrison troops."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"Ru Xue, I am not a saint."

Whether Yumen Pass falls or not is beyond my control. What I can control are the two thousand brothers at Wangbeitai, and you.

Lin Ruxue's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up at Su Chuang's profile.

That face, always sporting a roguish grin, was now half-lit and half-shadowed by the flames of war, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.

"Brother Chuang."

She said softly, "Don't you think I'm...too cold-blooded?"

"Cold-blooded?"

Su Chuang turned to look at her, grinned, and said, "If you were really cold-blooded, you would have advised me to surrender the city or run south long ago."

He reached out and ruffled her hair.

"You little rascal, you have the softest heart of anyone."

"But you know when to be firm and when to be soft—that's enough."

Lin Ruxue's eyes were slightly red. She didn't say anything, but just buried her face in his chest.

Su Chuang held her in his arms, but his eyes remained fixed on the direction of Yumen Pass.

The flames of war are still burning.

The days passed by.

The Xiongnu army outside Yumen Pass grew larger and larger. By the fifth day, scouts reported that more than 30,000 cavalry had gathered outside the pass.

Wanyan Wugu's royal banner also appeared.

The large black banner with gold wolves stood out conspicuously against the snowy plain.

On the Wangbeitai side, Su Chuang found himself with some free time.

Every day, he would squat on the earthen mound, eat sunflower seeds, watch Yue Fei train his troops, watch Zhao Yun lead his patrols, and watch Li Cunxiao chop wood.

That knife, as wide as a door panel, is now used specifically for chopping firewood for winter heating; it can chop up a whole pile at a time, with frighteningly high efficiency.

Zhang Liao's elite elite troops have begun to take shape.

Five hundred veterans plus more than two hundred newly recruited soldiers made up a total of eight hundred, all wearing black armor and long swords, and their shouts during training were deafening.

Su Chuang went to see it once, and grinned at Zhang Liao, saying, "Wen Yuan, your soldiers are well-trained; they have a fierce streak."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist salute: "You flatter me, my lord."

"This humble general merely followed General Yue's method, adding a little... his own personal touch."

"What personal agenda?"

"If you see a Xiongnu, fight them to the death."

Zhang Liao's eyes were icy cold. "Leave no survivors."

Su Chuang laughed: "This is great, I like it."

On the evening of the seventh day, it snowed again.

Heavy snow fell from the sky, and overnight, the area outside Wangbeitai was covered in white snow again.

Wrapped in a mink cloak, Su Chuang squatted at the door of the earthen house, watching the snow fall, holding a bowl of hot ginger soup in his hands, sipping it slowly.

Lin Ruxue sat inside sewing clothes, the firelight reflecting on her face, making her appear gentle and serene.

"Brother Chuang."

She suddenly spoke up, "Sister Xu... has anyone written?"

Su Chuang paused.

He put down the bowl, took out an oil paper package from his pocket, and tossed it to Lin Ruxue: "It just arrived this morning, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet."

Lin Ruxue took it and unwrapped the oil paper.

Inside was a letter, thick and heavy.

The letter paper is bamboo paper, a specialty of southern Xinjiang, with a faint scent of grass and wood.

The handwriting is elegant and unrestrained, clearly the work of Xu Mengran.

"To Su Chuang:"

"I have arrived safely in southern Xinjiang. My father is in relatively good health, but he is getting old and some of his old injuries often flare up."

"Xu's army has 200,000 men, and I am temporarily in command of them. Those veteran generals were initially unconvinced, but I defeated a few of them, and now they are all obedient."

"I've heard about what happened in northern Xinjiang."

"Sixty thousand Xiongnu cavalry are pressing in, and Yumen Pass is in imminent danger—you bastard, are you squatting somewhere eating melon seeds and watching the show again?"

"My father said that if the northern border cannot be defended, you can lead your troops south."

"The Xu family has been operating in the Southern Frontier for three generations. I dare not say anything else, but they are more than capable of protecting you. Even if you bring that little princess with you, I can tolerate it."

"But I know you're a very stubborn person, so you probably won't come."

"So, I've prepared a gift for you."

"Thirty thousand sets of rattan armor, five thousand hard bows, one hundred thousand arrows, and three hundred cartloads of medicinal herbs, a specialty of southern Xinjiang."

"They're using a caravan route, transporting the goods in ten batches. They should be almost at Jiangbei by now."

"If needed, send someone to meet you. If not needed... keep it as part of your dowry."

One last thing: Don't die.

"If you dare to die, I'll lead my troops to the northern frontier, drag you out of the underworld, and give you another beating."

"Xu Mengran, December 8th, at the Southern Frontier Commander's Mansion."

I've finished reading the letter.

The earthen house was quiet, with only the crackling of charcoal fire.

Lin Ruxue carefully folded the letter and handed it back to Su Chuang, saying softly, "Sister Xu... is so good to you."

Su Chuang took the letter without saying a word.

He stared at the letter for a long time, then grinned.

"That woman is still as fierce as ever."

He tucked the letter back into his pocket and took a big gulp of ginger soup.

It's spicy, burning from my throat all the way to my heart.

"Brother Chuang," Lin Ruxue looked at him, "will you go to Southern Xinjiang?"

"No way," Su Chuang shook his head. "I haven't had enough fun in the Northern Frontier yet."

He paused, then said, "But that batch of supplies... we have to accept them. Wenhe!"

Jia Xu appeared at the door in response, his gray cloth shirt covered in snow.

"My lord."

"General Xu sent a shipment over to Jiangbei."

"Arrange for someone to meet them, take a covert route, and transport them back to Wangbeitai in batches."

Jia Xu's eyes lit up: "May I ask, my lord, what kind of supplies are these?"

"Thirty thousand rattan armors, five thousand strong bows, one hundred thousand arrows, and three hundred carts of medicinal herbs."

Su Chuang grinned, "That's enough for two of our armed battalions."

Jia Xu bowed and said, "I will take care of it immediately."

He turned to leave, but Su Chuang called out to him again, "Wait."

"Does my lord have any further instructions?"

"Send a reply letter to General Xu."

Su Chuang rubbed his hands together. "Just tell them I've accepted the things, thanks. Also..."

He thought for a moment, then grinned.

Tell her I'll keep my dowry and wait for her to come and marry me.

Jia Xu's lips twitched, but he finally nodded: "Yes."

tenth day.

The sounds of battle shouts could already be faintly heard from the direction of Yumen Pass.

On the earthen wall of Wangbeitai, Su Chuang squatted behind the crenellation, holding a monocular telescope.

The system redeemed it, costing him fifty military merits—he squinted at the distance.

Shadows loomed on the wall, arrows rained down like locusts.

The Xiongnu erected cloud ladders and charged upwards wave after wave.

The Divine Might Army resisted fiercely, with rolling stones and logs raining down as if they were free, and hot oil and molten gold being poured on them. The screams could be heard even from a distance.

"They fought really hard," Su Chuang muttered.

Lin Ruxue stood beside him, also holding a pair of binoculars—a gift from Su Chuang, who said, "Girls should protect their eyesight."

"Ye Qingyue... she's actually defending the city." She was somewhat surprised.

"She has no choice but to stay."

Su Chuang grinned.

"That old bastard Wanyan Wugu is clearly trying to establish his authority by using her."

"When the city falls, she'll be the first to die."

As they were talking, a fierce battle suddenly broke out at one of the crenellations on the wall.

Dozens of Xiongnu soldiers scaled the wall, and in the flash of their swords, a large number of the defenders fell.

That section of the city wall was about to fall—

A figure in silver armor suddenly appeared.

The gleaming silver spear moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, striking one enemy at a time, and in the blink of an eye, it sent seven or eight Hun soldiers flying.

It is Ye Qingyue.

She took charge herself.

Su Chuang squinted, looking at the figure in the binoculars.

His silver armor was stained with blood, and his long hair was disheveled, but the spear in his hand was still ruthless and precise.

With one thrust, he pierced the throat of a Hun centurion, then with a backhand sweep, he sent two more flying.

"This woman... she's pretty good at fighting." Su Chuang clicked his tongue.

Lin Ruxue said softly, "After all, she is a fourth-rank Yangwei General. Without some ability, she wouldn't be able to hold onto this position."

"What a pity," Su Chuang shook his head. "He used his skills in the wrong place."

The battle lasted for a full hour.

When the Xiongnu retreated, at least five hundred corpses were left behind at the foot of the pass.

Ye Qingyue stood atop the wall, her silver spear resting on the ground, her body covered in blood, whether her own or that of her enemies, it was unclear.

Su Chuang put down his binoculars and grinned.

"Pass down the order: extra food tonight."

However, the situation at Yumen Pass did not improve after the initial defeat.

On the thirteenth day, the Xiongnu brought in siege engines.

That thing was three zhang tall, covered with iron sheets, and had wheels at the bottom. When pushed to the front of the wall, the Xiongnu soldiers on it could jump directly onto the top of the wall.

Ye Qingyue organized several suicide squads to try to burn the siege engines, but all attempts failed.

Heavy casualties.

On the fourteenth day, a breach was smashed in the southeast corner of the wall.

The Xiongnu soldiers surged in like a tide, and the Divine Might Army fought desperately to block them. After a bloody battle lasting half an hour, they barely managed to close the breach.

But the morale of the defending troops had plummeted.

On the evening of the fifteenth day, the scouts reported back.

Yumen Pass... is about to fall.

"The grain supplies inside the pass can only last for three days at most."

Yue Fei reported in a deep voice.

"Seventy percent of the arrows have been used up, and very few rolling stones and logs remain. The defending troops have suffered over four thousand casualties, and fewer than fifteen thousand are still capable of fighting."

Inside the earthen house, the candlelight flickered.

Su Chuang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a handful of melon seeds in his hand, but didn't crack them open.

He stared at the map on the table for a long time.

"Where are the Xiongnu?" he asked.

"Casualties are estimated at around 8,000, but reinforcements are coming."

Yue Fei said, "Wanyan Wugu has transferred another 20,000 cavalry from the grasslands, which will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow."

"That's 80,000 against 15,000," Su Chuang grinned. "This battle is unwinnable."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

There's really no way to win.

The fall of Yumen Pass is only a matter of time.

"My lord," Jia Xu suddenly spoke, "we...should make preparations."

"What are you preparing?"

"Once Yumen Pass is breached, the Xiongnu army's advance will be aimed directly at Wangbeitai."

Jia Xu said calmly, "Although Wangbeitai is easy to defend and difficult to attack, we won't be able to hold out for long if 80,000 troops surround us."

Su Chuang remained silent.

He grabbed a sunflower seed, put it in his mouth, and cracked it open with a "crunch".

Spit out the shell.

I grabbed another one.

"Click."

The room was so quiet that only the sound of people cracking sunflower seeds could be heard.

Everyone was looking at Su Chuang.

Let him make a decision.

To defend, to retreat, or...

"Report—"

Suddenly, urgent shouts came from outside the door.

A Flying Tigers soldier rushed in, knelt on one knee, and panted heavily:

"My lord! A troop of men has been spotted thirty li outside the pass! They're flying... the banners of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Su Chuang paused.

How many people?

"About three hundred! All cavalry! Protecting a carriage!"

"A carriage?" Su Chuang raised an eyebrow. "Whose carriage is this, heading towards the northern frontier at this hour?"

The soldier looked up, his expression strange:

"There's a yellow canopy on the carriage... Yes, it's someone from the palace!"

Su Chuang's pupils contracted.

In the palace?

At this time?

He suddenly stood up, scattering sunflower seeds all over the floor.

"Let's go! Let's take a look!"