A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

When Huo Qingluan woke up, Wei Zhao was no longer there.

The tent still held the warmth of last night, but the spot next to the pillow was already ice-cold.

She turned to her side, her fingers touching a faint indentation on the pillow. She paused for a moment, but didn't think much of it.

She got up and dressed with the efficiency of someone who had served in the military for twenty years.

When she tightened her belt, tied up her long hair, and pushed open the tent curtain, it was already bright outside.

The sounds of new recruits practicing their drills echoed from the drill ground, while wisps of smoke rose from distant cooking fires, indicating that the logistics department arranged by Su Qingyun was preparing breakfast.

Everything is normal. It's as if nothing happened last night.

……

Wei Zhao lived a fulfilling life in the days that followed.

During the daytime march, Su Qingyun rode her chestnut horse beside him.

She always carried an account book in her hand, muttering to herself which prefecture along the way had seen a rise in grain prices, which merchants she could cooperate with, and which grain transport route was the safest.

Wei Zhao sometimes listened attentively, and sometimes he would drift off – not because he found her talkative.

Instead, Su Qingyun has a habit of unconsciously making a clicking sound when she speaks, like she's turning the abacus beads.

The sound mingled with the sound of horses' hooves, creating a strange sense of peace.

"Husband, you didn't listen again."

Su Qingyun glanced at him, her tone carrying three parts reproach and seven parts helplessness.

"I'm listening," Wei Zhao said without changing his expression.

"You just said that the price of rice in Pingliang City has increased by 20%, and you plan to transfer grain from Longxi via the Wei River."

Su Qingyun narrowed her eyes and stopped turning the abacus beads.

"...Alright, you pass."

The style changes at night.

Liu Jingshuang and Huo Qingluan took turns appearing in his tent.

Sometimes Liu Jingshuang would bring over a pot of wine, saying she was "checking on the commander's physical condition," and then the two of them would drink until they ended up in bed together.

Sometimes Huo Qingluan would stand outside the tent with her ears turning red, and after a long while, she would finally manage to say, "I've come to check out tomorrow's marching route."

Then, after going in, they never came out again.

Wei Zhao felt that his physique, which was close to 2,000 points, was still more than capable of handling such exertion.

Even the next day, I felt particularly energetic.

This was quite a challenge for both Liu Jingshuang and Huo Qingluan.

"Your physique... was it really cultivated in a Taoist temple?"

When Liu Jingshuang came out of his tent one morning, her legs were a little weak, and she had an expression of both annoyance and admiration on her face.

Wei Zhao smiled but remained silent.

Was he raised in a Taoist temple? His physique was raised to 1905 points.

He can't always tell the truth.

……

Another two weeks have passed.

The army finally arrived at the outskirts of Yumen Pass.

Wei Zhao reined in his horse and stood on a high slope, gazing ahead.

Unlike the imposing and majestic Yanmen Pass, Yumen Pass is more like an iron lock embedded between the desert and the Gobi.

The fortress is not large, but its terrain is extremely treacherous. On the left and right sides are wind-eroded cliffs that are barren and devoid of vegetation, and only a narrow passage in the middle is passable.

The flags on the fortress were tattered and swayed weakly in the hot wind of the Gobi Desert.

Black bloodstains and arrow marks can be faintly seen on the city wall, and some parts have even collapsed halfway, haphazardly blocked with wooden stakes and sandbags.

I've been playing for a long time.

Wei Zhao's gaze swept across the area behind the fortress. Further away, there were rolling hills and dried-up river valleys.

That was the territory of the Western Qiang—a natural mountain maze, easy to get in but difficult to get out.

"No rush to enter the pass, let's set up camp first." Wei Zhao dismounted.

Liu Jingshuang glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to make arrangements.

Half an hour later, the 230,000-strong army set up camp five miles outside Yumen Pass.

Fifty thousand cavalry, fifty thousand heavily armored soldiers, fifty thousand veteran infantrymen, plus more than eighty thousand new recruits—

Although the recruitment and training has been ongoing and they are still far from 100,000, the more than 80,000 people have undergone a month of grueling training by Liu Jingshuang and Huo Qingluan, so at least they won't wet their pants as soon as they go to the battlefield.

Inside the central command tent.

Wei Zhao sat in the main seat, with a rough map of the Western Regions in front of him.

Liu Jingshuang stood on the left, Huo Qingluan on the right, and Su Qingyun moved a small stool to sit in the corner, still fiddling with her abacus.

"Tell me what happened."

Wei Zhao tapped the table. He hadn't rushed here for nothing.

As messages from scouts and spies continued to arrive, he had a general idea of ​​the outline of the battlefield at Yumen Pass.

But that's probably not enough; he needs more details.

Liu Jingshuang spoke first.

"The Western Qiang are different from the Northern Rong."

She walked to the topographic map and pointed her finger at the dense contour lines on the west side of the pass.

"The Northern Rong rely on cavalry charges, operating in large, sweeping fashion on the plains, while the Western Qiang don't play that game."

"Their soldiers were mostly infantrymen wearing leather armor, and their weapons were a motley collection—some used stone axes, some used bone spikes, and some even used poisonous vines as whips."

"Their individual combat capabilities are extremely strong. Each of them has been trained in the mountains and is as agile as a monkey in the jungle and mountains."

As Wei Zhao listened, his mind began to automatically deduce the scenario.

Commander Yiqian's brilliant mind broke down every word Liu Jingshuang uttered into specific tactical parameters.

Mountain infantry, leather armor, high mobility, diverse weapons but strong in close combat.

What does this mean?

This means that his advantage of heavy armor will be largely negated by the terrain.

The tactics used on the plains—such as advancing with shield walls and slaying with greatswords—are completely ineffective in the mountains.

"There's one more thing." Liu Jingshuang's tone turned somber.

"The Western Qiang are best at night raids and night battles."

She turned to look at Wei Zhao, her phoenix eyes filled with obvious seriousness.

"It was mentioned in a previous battle report. The attack on the pass lasted all day, and the defenders thought they could finally catch their breath at night."

"As a result, after nightfall, a group of Western Qiang soldiers climbed the city wall with their bare hands like wild beasts and stormed into the pass."

"The soldiers guarding the city wall didn't even have time to sound the alarm before they were alerted."

"So close—just a little bit more, and Yumen Pass would have been gone."

Wei Zhao's fingers paused on the table for a moment.

Night combat was something he hadn't experienced much of.

The battle at Yanmen Pass was a daytime frontal assault from beginning to end.

His killer archetype granted him terrifying personal combat skills and command abilities, but night battles require more than just these—

It requires an early warning system, night vision capabilities, and the ability for soldiers to maintain their formation in the dark.

His new recruits couldn't do these things.

How many people were in the Western Qiang army?

"They claim it's worth 400,000." Liu Jingshuang scoffed.

"The actual number of combat-ready troops is estimated to be between 250,000 and 300,000. But even with a discount, it's still a considerable number."

"What about this side of Yumen Pass?"

"Nominally, there are 100,000 troops stationed here."

Liu Jingshuang's tone turned cold.

"But the general here is one of Lu Song's men."

Upon hearing this, the air inside the tent seemed to grow heavier.