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

Tuoba Ye quickly realized what was happening.

He squatted on the command platform, staring at the sheepskin map, his mind racing.

The palace was lost, the father died, and the sister declared herself queen.

These three pieces of information would have left most people completely bewildered.

But Tuoba Ye was no ordinary person.

He had lived on the grasslands for thirty years, and ever since he first climbed to the position of tribal chief by stepping over the corpses of others at the age of sixteen, he had never been afraid of such a situation.

What's the use of being afraid?

Are you afraid of bringing the dead back to life?

He looked at the marked points on the parchment map, his finger stopping at the location of the royal palace.

Tuoba Yue, his younger sister, has been the apple of her father's eye since she was a child.

Everyone in the Western Qiang knew that the Western Qiang King's favorite son wasn't him, his eldest son, but the little girl with colorful beads adorning her braid.

When she married into the Great Wei, the King of the Western Qiang cried for three days.

Now look what's happened, the man's back, back to seize his throne.

Tuoba Ye's lips twitched; it wasn't a bitter smile, but a cold one.

"What kind of soldiers does she have?"

The messenger, still kneeling on the ground, answered tremblingly upon hearing this.

"Three...three thousand elite troops, plus one hundred thousand slave soldiers."

Tuoba Ye's sneer turned into a genuine laugh.

One hundred thousand slave soldiers.

Those useless bunch who don't even have decent weapons?

Sharpened wooden sticks served as spears, and tattered animal hides as armor; a gust of wind could knock them all down.

If a real battle breaks out, a thousand elite cavalry could easily scatter them.

Three thousand elite troops are a problem, but that's all.

He still has more than 200,000 people under his command. Even if you exclude the cunning tribal coalition forces that are always ready to run away, his own troops alone number more than 60,000.

Sixty thousand against three thousand plus one hundred thousand worthless?

Anyone can do the math.

But on the other side—

Tuoba Ye shifted his gaze to the east side of Eagle Beak Gorge.

The banners of the Wei family army have come into view, with 50,000 cavalry blocking the gorge entrance, and a steady stream of infantrymen following behind.

That madman surnamed Wei actually sent his entire army up.

The words "besieged on both sides" froze Tuoba Ye's smile for a moment.

In front of them were the Wei family army of over 200,000, and behind them were Tuoba Yue's 130,000—though they were weak, their numbers were undeniable.

If he were truly attacked from both sides, even if Tuoba Yue's troops were made of clay and earth, just the disruption of their formation would be enough to give him a hard time.

We can't fight on both fronts.

This judgment took only two breaths.

Then just shoot one head.

Which way to shoot?

Wei Family Army?

Tuoba Ye snorted inwardly. The battle last night was still fresh in his mind. Fifty thousand cavalrymen moved in and out of a crowd of three hundred thousand men as if they were strolling in a garden.

The terrifying combat power of that white-clad cavalry general still sends chills down his spine.

You can't win by fighting head-on.

But on Tuoba Yue's side—

Three thousand elite troops and one hundred thousand slave soldiers, departing from the palace, would still be at least two days' journey to Eagle's Beak Gorge.

If we abandon the main battlefield and retreat with the entire army, leaving 10,000 men at the gorge to make a show of holding off Wei Jiajun—

Tuoba Ye drew a line on the map with his finger, heading west from Eagle's Beak Gorge, straight towards the royal palace.

Eat Tuoba Yue first.

Eat her, reclaim the royal decree, and take back the palace. Only then will he be the rightful King of Western Qiang.

With the title of king, whether we talk or fight with the Wei family army later, at least our rear is secure.

The idea had barely formed when the curtain was lifted.

A middle-aged man with a long, thin face and triangular eyes walked in, bowing and smiling obsequiously.

This man was named Helian Gu, and he was an advisor to Tuoba Ye—though he was called an advisor, he was actually a scheming scoundrel.

He's quick-witted, has a sharp tongue, and is best at finding a plausible reason for Tuoba Ye's decisions.

"Your Highness, I have something to say."

Helian Gu leaned closer to the map, his triangular eyes flashing in the lamplight.

"The princess claimed to have received the king's will to inherit the throne."

He lowered his voice, his tone carrying a sinister undertone.

"But what right does a woman who married into the Great Wei have to be the queen of our Western Qiang?"

Tuoba Ye's fingers stopped.

He looked at Helian Gu.

Helian Gu's lips curled up, revealing a row of yellowed teeth.

"Who did she marry?"

"The fourth son of the Wei family of the Great Wei Dynasty. Who is the Wei family?"

"The family that killed our Western Qiang brothers the most ruthlessly, and the one who was the top military general of the Great Wei."

His voice grew softer and softer, like a viper flicking its tongue.

"A woman who eats the food of the Great Wei, sleeps in the bed of the Great Wei, and bears children for the Great Wei—she comes back claiming to be the Queen of the Western Qiang?"

Tuoba Ye's eyes lit up.

Yes.

What makes her worthy of being queen?

The King's last edict?

What credibility does that thing have?

Who saw what Father wrote by hand?

Who can prove that it wasn't this woman who forced the terminally ill old man to change the edict?

Are those old senile women, Mother?

They had followed their father their whole lives, so of course they would speak up for their father's beloved daughter.

But what about the tribal chiefs below?

How could those grassland men who had spent their lives herding sheep and hunting accept a woman who had married into an enemy country and was now riding on their heads?

"A forged imperial edict," Tuoba Ye uttered.

Helian Gu's smile deepened.

"The eldest prince is wise."

Tuoba Ye ignored his flattery. He stood up and used his fingernail to press a deep mark into the location of the palace on the map.

The thought process is now clear.

We don't need Yumen Pass anymore.

We're not fighting the Wei family army anymore.

He now has more than 200,000 men under his command. Going head-on to attack the Wei family army would be suicidal, but turning around to attack Tuoba Yue would be a different story.

Three thousand elite soldiers plus one hundred thousand slave soldiers who couldn't even hold a sword properly?

That's like chopping melons and cutting vegetables.

After defeating Tuoba Yue, he returned to the palace and ascended the throne.

Then they publicly declared that Tuoba Yue had usurped the throne by forging an imperial edict, and that as the eldest son, he was rightfully in charge of restoring order.

As for the Wei family army?

They came to Xiqiang to fight, not to destroy the country.

With Tuoba Yue dead, the Western Qiang were reunified in his hands. Could the Wei family army still pursue them into the heart of the grasslands?

"Pass on the order."

Tuoba Ye jumped down from the command platform, his animal-hide cloak fluttering in the night wind.

"Leave 10,000 men at the gorge entrance, keep the flags up, keep the campfires burning, and keep the tents up as usual."

His voice was cold and hard, like stone hitting stone.

"Everyone else—evacuate immediately and head west."

The captains inside the tent exchanged glances.

A centurion with a face full of scars couldn't help but speak up.

"Your Highness, the Wei family army is just outside the gorge. If we retreat, they'll catch up—"

"Can't catch up."

Tuoba Ye interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"West of Eagle Beak Gorge are continuous mountain roads, which cavalry cannot enter. The Wei family army's heavy armor is practically scrap metal in the mountains."

He glanced at the centurion.

"Ten thousand men will hold them off for half a day, that's enough. After that, I'll lead my troops to attack Tuoba Yue, and then it will all be over."

The centurion remained silent.

Helian Gu added a timely comment from the side.

"The eldest prince is right. Tuoba Yue's slave soldiers are no match for her. As soon as the main army arrives, her small force will scatter faster than rabbits on the grassland."

Tuoba Ye didn't waste any more words. He walked out of the tent, stood on the low hill, and glanced eastward.

Outside the eastern entrance of Eagle's Beak Gorge, torches formed a bright line, and the cavalry of the Wei family army stood ready, their banners fluttering in the night wind.

Even from this distance, the character "卫" on that white banner stung his eyes.

I'll settle the score with you next time.

Tuoba Ye turned around and strode towards his warhorse.

"All troops—retreat!"