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

"Seven thousand three hundred and twelve people."

Su Qingyun closed the ledger, her voice as calm as if she were reading a purchasing list.

"Of them, 4,600 were killed in action and more than 2,700 were seriously wounded and unable to fight any longer."

"According to the scouts' count of the corpses and discarded armor left on the battlefield, the Western Qiang people estimate—"

Su Qingyun turned to another page, her narrow phoenix eyes scanning the densely packed numbers.

"No fewer than 48,000 enemy soldiers were killed, not including those who were routed and captured."

The casualty ratio was roughly one to seven.

Wei Zhao nodded, seemingly satisfied.

The battle at Yanmen Pass was a combination of defense and counterattack, taking full advantage of the terrain, resulting in a better casualty ratio.

This time, they took the initiative to leave the city for open battle, with cavalry charging into infantry formations. The number of kills they achieved has exceeded expectations.

"What about the care of the wounded?"

"It's already being processed."

Su Qingyun placed the account book on the table, and the abacus beads clicked twice.

"The military doctors in the city are not enough, so I borrowed more than a dozen doctors from the military caravan, and also transferred a batch of medicinal herbs over."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I have enough money, enough for now."

Wei Zhao didn't press further. Su Qingyun's statement, "It's enough for now," meant it was truly enough.

If she says "enough," then we should be worried.

The tent was quiet for a moment.

Wei Zhao closed his eyes, and the dark red panel deep in his mind popped up automatically.

[First Battle at Yumen Pass - Settlement in Progress...]

[The host personally killed 327 enemy soldiers in this battle]

[47891 enemy soldiers killed in this battle]

[Gained Killing Power: 5116 points!]

More than 5,100 points.

Wei Zhao tapped his fingers on the armrest.

After the last Yanmen Pass settlement, I got 49004 points, and I put them all into my attributes.

This time it's over five thousand again.

A line of text popped up below the panel.

[Convert Killing Points into Experience Points? Current Level: 5 (52550/100,000)]

Wei Zhao thought for a moment and decided not to rush.

He has already surpassed the ceiling of this world in all four attributes, so he doesn't need to use attribute points for the time being.

While experience points can unlock new skills, the martial arts manuals in the martial arts shop are the real hard currency.

The cheapest "Ten Thousand Armies Breaking Formation Blade" costs 100,000 Killing God Points.

He had saved up more than five thousand yuan, which was still a long way from one hundred thousand.

But the battle is not over yet. The 300,000-strong Western Qiang army has only been defeated once, and there will definitely be more fierce battles to come.

Save it for later. Once the war is over, accumulate 100,000 Killing God Points and exchange them for a cultivation technique.

The thought of a first-grade physical body paired with heaven-level martial arts sent chills down Wei Zhao's spine.

"Save it first."

Let's calculate it all after the battle is over and see if we can buy a cultivation manual.

……

The Western Qiang Royal Palace.

"Defeat?"

The King of Western Qiang suddenly sat up from his couch, his cloudy eyes wide open.

His withered hands gripped the bedding tightly, veins bulging.

"Nearly 300,000 people—we lost!"

The messenger, kneeling before the bed, trembled all over, his forehead pressed to the ground, too afraid to lift it.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Wei family army's 50,000 cavalrymen launched a counterattack outside the city at night, and our army's formation was broken up."

"Casualties...nearly 50,000 casualties. The eldest prince has retreated to the west of Eagle's Beak Gorge to regroup..."

The King of Western Qiang swayed twice.

Tuoba Yue grabbed his shoulder from the side.

Old Wang's lips trembled, and his chest heaved violently.

He wanted to curse and throw things, but his body wouldn't allow him to do anything violent.

"really."

After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out two words.

"Just as I thought."

He leaned back on the pillow, his eyes fixed on the top of the tent. The fire of resentment still burned, but it was now covered by something deeper—despair.

"The fate of the Great Wei... has not ended."

The King of Western Qiang spoke in a low voice, as if he were talking to himself.

"As long as the Wei family exists, the dragon vein will not be severed."

He turned his head and stared at Tuoba Yue.

"The Western Qiang's ambition to rule the Central Plains is nothing but a pipe dream."

Three elderly ministers with white hair stood by the couch, but none of them spoke.

"Eji."

The King of the Western Qiang suddenly summoned the old general with white hair and beard.

The veteran stepped forward, straightening his hunched back a little.

"Issue my order—" The King of Western Qiang's voice suddenly rose, as if he were pouring all his last bit of strength into it.

"Announce the news of the defeat at the front to all tribes!"

He took a couple of breaths and turned his eyes to Tuoba Yue.

"Depose the eldest prince Tuoba Ye from the succession, and establish my daughter Tuoba Yue as the new queen of the Western Qiang."

The tent fell silent.

Tuoba Yue gripped her father's shoulder tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She wasn't surprised.

The Wei family army will come; this was something the old matriarch had instructed her to do before she returned to Western Qiang.

That evening, her mother-in-law sat under the lamp, holding her hand, her tone as if she were instructing her on household chores—

"The Wei family army will come, just hold on."

She believed it. Her mother-in-law said she would come, and she definitely would.

But the matter of making her the new queen—

"Father, no!"

She shook her head, shaking it very forcefully.

"I married into the Wei family, so I am a member of the Wei family. I don't care about being a queen or anything like that, and I will never stay on the grasslands in the future."

At that moment, several guards outside the door burst in.

"The eldest prince had long anticipated this day would come."

The burly man sneered and pointed his curved knife forward.

"This royal decree cannot leave the palace today. We will wait for the eldest prince to return before deciding your fate."

The King of Western Qiang was so angry that he trembled all over.

"Foolish! Don't you know we've already lost at the front?"

He struggled to sit up, but Tuoba Yue pressed down on his shoulder.

"That rebellious son Tuoba Ye is going to destroy the entire Western Qiang!"

"You're just scapegoats following him!"

The burly man's face twitched, but he didn't waver.

"Victory or defeat is not up to you, Your Majesty. The eldest prince still has more than 200,000 men under his command, so how could he—"

"Pfft."

A thin line of dark red blood clung to the tip of the sword, flashing briefly under the oil lamp.

Tuoba Yue stood behind him.

No one saw when she slipped past the bedside. The sword was drawn, stabbed, all in one swift motion.

That sword was a gift from my fourth brother. It was small and lightweight, and I usually wore it on my waist as an ornament. Nobody paid much attention to it.

The burly man lowered his head and collapsed, and the tent fell silent.

Five corpses lay on the ground, their blood slowly seeping into the animal skin carpet, creating a dark lake-like pool.

Tuoba Yue gripped the blood-dripping sword, her chest heaving.

She turned around and looked at her father and three old ministers who were staring in disbelief on the bed.

"At this point, being locked up here and waiting to die is not an option."

As she spoke, she wiped the blood off the sword with her sleeve, her movements as swift as if she were wiping a bowl or chopsticks.

"Father, and all my uncles—"

Her gaze swept across the faces of several elderly people.

Are there any usable troops left near the palace?

The old general paused for two seconds, then nodded vigorously.

"Yes, there are three thousand elite troops outside the palace."

His voice trembled, not from fear, but from excitement.

"There are also 100,000 slave soldiers."

One hundred thousand slave soldiers.

Tuoba Yue frowned slightly. Slave soldiers were just that—slave soldiers, an army composed of prisoners and criminals captured from various tribes.

Poor equipment, low morale, and high desertion rate; they're practically useless in direct combat.