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

The news of the passing of the King of Western Qiang was delivered by Su Qingyun's informant.

The letter was only a thin sheet of paper, and the handwriting on it was so messy that it looked like it had been drawn on the muddy ground with a twig.

But every word hit Wei Zhao's head, making it buzz.

The King of Western Qiang has passed away.

With the support of his ministers, Tuoba Yue took up the royal decree, killed the guards, recaptured the palace, and incorporated three thousand elite troops and one hundred thousand slave soldiers into his army.

The old ministers of the Western Qiang supported Tuoba Yue as the new king.

He then announced that he would lead his troops to conquer Tuoba Ye.

Wei Zhao turned the letter over and looked at the back.

Blank.

He flipped it back to the front and read those lines of text for the third time.

"...Goodness gracious."

Wei Zhao leaned back in his chair, his lips twitching involuntarily.

He was still discussing with Liu Jingshuang and Huo Qingluan how to get Tuoba Yue out of the Western Qiang palace, how to undermine Tuoba Ye's rear, and how to use political means to divide the Western Qiang.

As a result, Tuoba Yue directly destroyed Tuoba Ye's stronghold.

It wasn't just that it was overthrown; the entire Western Qiang royal court changed hands.

Wei Zhao slammed the letter on the table, his mind racing with a 1100 intelligence-based deduction machine.

What does Tuoba Yue have in his possession right now?

Three thousand elite troops and one hundred thousand slave soldiers. The three thousand elite troops are capable of fighting, but the one hundred thousand slave soldiers are basically just there to make up the numbers.

But she had something more deadly than military strength—legitimacy.

With the royal decree in her hands, the old ministers supported her, and the King of Western Qiang passed the throne to her on his deathbed.

Tuoba Ye had an army of over 200,000, but from this moment on, he was no longer the commander of the Western Qiang.

He was a rebel.

"Tuoba Yue's move..." Wei Zhao muttered to himself, tapping his fingers twice on the table.

Ruthless, too ruthless.

The curtain was lifted, and Liu Jingshuang strode in.

She also held a letter in her hand, her expression complex—a mixture of shock, admiration, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"You saw it?"

Wei Zhao waved the paper in his hand.

"I saw it."

Liu Jingshuang slammed the letter on the table, her phoenix eyes gleaming.

"I really underestimated Xiaoyue before."

Huo Qingluan entered at some point, standing at the door with a command flag in her hand, a rare hint of emotion on her face.

"Tuoba Yue became the King of the Western Qiang?"

Her voice was so soft it sounded like she was confirming something that didn't quite feel real.

"The new king."

Wei Zhao corrected him, pointing his finger at the letter.

"The troops have already set off, their destination is Eagle's Beak Gorge."

The tent was quiet for two breaths.

Su Qingyun looked up from the corner, and the abacus beads stopped moving.

"And what about us?"

Wei Zhao did not answer, but looked at Liu Jingshuang.

Liu Jingshuang had already walked up to the topographic map.

Her finger traced a line from the location of Yumen Pass, across the Gobi Desert, and landed on the west side of Yingzui Gorge.

"send troops."

She turned around, her phoenix eyes fixed on Wei Zhao.

"Send out the troops immediately, send the entire army forward."

Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow but didn't speak, waiting for her to finish.

"But not to fight."

Liu Jingshuang drew a large circle around Eagle's Beak Gorge with her finger.

"Surround but don't attack."

Her voice turned cold, and she enunciated each word clearly.

"Tuoba Ye still has more than 200,000 men under his command. A head-on battle is not impossible, but it is unnecessary."

"Tuoba Yue has already seized his lifeline—the legitimate dynasty is no longer on his side."

Liu Jingshuang took a step forward.

"We'll attack from the front and block him at Eagle's Beak Gorge."

"Tuoba Yue led troops from the rear, blocking his retreat and creating a pincer movement—"

She paused for a moment.

"The tribal soldiers under Tuoba Ye's command simply dispersed."

After listening, Wei Zhao had already mentally analyzed the entire situation.

Liu Jingshuang is right.

Of Tuoba Ye's army of over 200,000, only 80,000 were his core and direct subordinates.

The rest were all coalition forces put together by various tribes, who had come along specifically to plunder the benefits of the Great Wei.

They gained no benefits and instead lost nearly 50,000 men to the Wei family army.

The front lines were losing, and the rear was in turmoil—a new king ascended the throne, and the old stronghold changed hands.

What are these tribal soldiers after?

Was the image intended to be buried with Tuoba Ye?

As long as Tuoba Yue appears on the battlefield as the new king, half of Tuoba Ye's soldiers will immediately lay down their weapons.

To subdue the enemy without fighting.

This is the truly best strategy.

"Jing Shuang is right."

Wei Zhao stood up and glanced at the people inside the tent.

"The entire army is to attack, targeting Eagle's Beak Gorge. We will surround it but not attack, waiting for Fourth Sister-in-law to arrive."

He walked to the topographic map and pointed heavily at the mountain pass east of Eagle's Beak Gorge.

"Fifty thousand cavalry will advance from the front to block the gorge, while fifty thousand heavy armored troops will split into two groups and circle around to the ridges on the north and south sides to press down from above."

The finger then traced to the western exit of the canyon.

"The rest of you should guard the western retreat route. Once Fourth Sister's troops arrive, the trap will be sealed."

He turned around.

"Azure Phoenix".

Huo Qingluan looked up.

"Can we set up an array on the ridges on both sides of the canyon?"

Huo Qingluan's eyes lit up. She walked to the topographic map and quickly marked several points on the high ground on both sides of Eagle Beak Gorge with charcoal.

"Yes, the ridge is not wide enough to set up a large-scale formation, but a feint formation is fine."

Her voice regained the calmness it had when she was focused.

"Plant more flags and set up more drums and bugles, so that he feels that there are people all over the mountains on both sides."

"What's the reality?"

"In reality, the heavy armored troops only need to hold the key passes. They can't escape anyway."

"Jing Shuang, you lead the cavalry."

Liu Jingshuang grabbed the long spear leaning against the pillar, and the butt of the spear struck the ground with a thud.

"We await your order."

Wei Zhao grabbed the letter and took one last look.

Tuoba Yue... is truly a ruthless person.

"Pass on the order—"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was as steady as the foundation of a city wall.

"The entire army is ready to depart in one hour."

……

Eagle's Beak Gorge.

Tuoba Ye squatted on the makeshift command platform, with a sheepskin map in front of him.

His face looked terrible.

The defeat in the previous battle cost him nearly 50,000 men, and although the remaining troops regrouped at Eagle's Beak Gorge.

But morale has plummeted.

The tribal chiefs have started coming to his tent under various pretexts these past two days, their words subtly probing his intentions.

Prince, should we continue this war?

If we don't fight, we want to go back.

Tuoba Ye suppressed his anger and did not lash out.

He knew that if he could delay for a few more days and wait for supplies to arrive from the rear, he would still have a chance to turn the tide.

The terrain of Yingzui Gorge was advantageous to him, as the mountains were the home ground of the Western Qiang soldiers.

The Wei family army's cavalry could not break into the canyon, and the heavy armored troops could not maneuver effectively on the mountain roads.

As long as he drags it out, time will be on his side.

Then the message arrived.

The messenger was out of breath, and his whole body trembled when his knees hit the ground.

"The...the eldest prince—"

"explain!"

"The palace...the palace has been seized by the princess!"

Tuoba Ye stopped.

"General Wuchi has been killed, three thousand elite troops have surrendered to the princess, and one hundred thousand slave soldiers have been incorporated into the army!"

The messenger's voice grew faster and faster, as if he feared being beheaded if he slowed down.

"The King has passed away—the Princess, by royal decree, has succeeded to the throne—the veteran ministers have hailed her as the new Queen—"

Tuoba Ye slowly stood up.

"She has already... she has already led her troops and set off for Eagle's Beak Gorge!"

Tuoba Ye stood there, motionless.

The wind blew in from the canyon, making his animal-skin cloak flutter loudly.

His face showed no anger, no panic, not even any expression.

Only the fire in those eyes was slowly dying out.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Just then, the sentry on the east side went mad and blew his horn.

Woo-woo-woo-

Tuoba Ye suddenly turned his head to look at the entrance of Eagle Beak Gorge to the east.

Dust billowed on the distant horizon.

A black line was rapidly approaching, like a giant iron plow, rumbling and pushing across the gravel in the Gobi Desert.

Banner hunting.

On the very front of the large white banner, the character "卫" (Wei) was so bright in the morning light that it hurt the eyes.

The gates of Yumen Pass have opened.

The Wei family army is launching a full-scale attack.