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

"I'll lead it myself."

After the guards were dismissed, Wei Zhao pulled on the reins and walked back. Nie Yinniang, on horseback, leaned her head against the horse's neck, her eyes closed, and remained silent the whole way.

The army is still advancing eastward.

Liu Jingshuang rode at the very front of the vanguard, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, and caught a glimpse of a cloud of dust rising from the end of the official road.

They guessed it might be Wei Zhao, and there was another person on horseback.

Liu Jingshuang pulled on the reins, turned her horse around, and led a dozen or so guards to meet them.

You can only see it clearly when you get closer.

The person lying on the horse's back was soaked in black, with blood dripping from the hem of his clothes onto the ground.

His left arm hung limply and could not move, there was a gash on his back, and half a broken arrow was stuck in his shoulder.

Nie Yinniang.

Liu Jingshuang loosened her hand from the knife, and a sudden tightness gripped her chest.

She didn't ask what had happened.

He gave a wink to the captain behind him.

"A military doctor!"

The captain took off running.

Wei Zhao tossed the reins to his personal guard, bent down, lifted Nie Yinniang off the horse, and placed her on the stretcher that the guard had just laid out.

She was too light, abnormally light.

Liu Jingshuang stepped forward to help, and the two of them together laid Nie Yinniang flat.

"Seven Kill Tower".

Wei Zhao only uttered three words.

Liu Jingshuang's phoenix eyes narrowed instantly.

The Seven Kill Tower—the number of people in the entire Great Wei who could send nine top-tier assassins to kill Wei Zhao could be counted on one hand.

"Lu Song".

It's not a question.

Wei Zhao did not respond.

Not answering means admitting defeat.

Liu Jingshuang glanced down at Nie Yinniang, who had single-handedly held off nine top-tier assassins, her body riddled with wounds, yet she still managed to hold on until Wei Zhao arrived.

Her phoenix eyes closed slightly for a moment.

The military doctor ran over; the three of them, carrying medicine boxes, were covered in sweat.

Wei Zhao squatted beside the stretcher and explained each point one by one.

"Don't move the left arm for now. Don't pull out the broken arrow from the right shoulder. Stop the bleeding first. The cut on the back is the deepest, so sew that one first."

He wasn't a doctor. But he had seen too many wounds on the battlefield, and he knew better than these army doctors which ones could wait and which ones couldn't be delayed.

The army doctor cut open Nie Yinniang's sleeve and saw her crippled left arm; his hand trembled.

"quick."

Wei Zhao urged him on, stood up, and strode toward the commander's tent.

The tent wasn't fully set up yet; only the roof was pulled up, and it was drafty on all sides.

"map."

The guards rummaged through chests and cabinets, and soon returned with a yellowed map of the Great Wei Dynasty, which they unfolded on the table.

Wei Zhao lowered his head, placed his hands on the edge of the table, and swept the table inch by inch from west to east.

Slide your finger to the very center.

Beijing.

Wei Zhao's finger stopped on the words "capital city," and his nail slowly dug into the wood, leaving a white mark.

Lu Song, oh Lu Song.

We should build you a shrine in the capital, cast an iron statue inside, and make you kneel there for thousands of years.

People all over the world will spit on you if they pass by, and your descendants will never be able to hold their heads up high.

You'll receive all the same treatment as Qin Hui, without exception.

He went through the scene in his mind over and over again, his killing intent rising layer upon layer, emanating from the very marrow of his bones, almost uncontrollable.

"Don't act impulsively."

Hua Jieyu's voice came from behind.

Wei Zhao did not turn around.

Hua Jieyu and Su Qingyun entered the tent almost at the same time.

Su Qingyun was still holding an abacus in her hand, her skirt covered in a layer of dried mud. Hua Jieyu had changed into a black outfit, sweat beading on her forehead, having just rushed back from outside.

The two men entered and both saw Wei Zhao leaning against the table.

My back was taut.

Without wasting words, Hua Jieyu walked to the map and pointed directly to the east.

"Xiao Guanyin is still in Xianyuan."

Wei Zhao paused for a moment.

Xiao Guanyin.

The wife of Bage Wei Kai, the legitimate daughter of the Xiao family of Xianyuan.

The Xianyuan people are semi-Sinicized, and the Xiao family has a deep-rooted presence there. This marriage was arranged to stabilize the eastern border.

After the death of the myna bird in battle, Xiao Guanyin stayed in the Wei residence, quiet and reserved, even more so than Nie Yinniang.

But during the Southern Barbarian invasion, she suddenly disappeared.

Wei Zhao had guessed this before.

Following the same path as Tuoba Yue, she returned to her maternal home ahead of time and worked within Xianyuan to mediate for the Great Wei.

Tuoba Yue accomplished it in the Western Qiang. Xiao Guanyin might very well be able to do the same.

However, the situation at Hangu Pass is much more complicated than that at Yumen Pass.

The Western Qiang only have one enemy; Tuoba Yue only needs to deal with the royal court.

Hangu Pass borders the two major foreign tribes of Xianyuan and Donghu. Xiao Guanyin is made of iron and cannot hammer many nails.

"However, the situation at Hangu Pass cannot be held up for long by Xiao Guanyin alone."

Wei Zhao finally raised his head.

Hua Jieyu nodded, then traced the location of Hangu Pass on the map and moved her finger northward.

"Outside Hangu Pass, the Xianyuan army numbers two hundred thousand."

It paused for a moment.

"The Donghu army numbers nearly 500,000."

No one spoke inside the tent.

Su Qingyun's hand hovered in mid-air as she manipulated the abacus.

Seven hundred thousand.

They were even more ruthless than the 430,000 Southern Barbarians. At least the Southern Barbarians were one family, but the Donghu and Xianyuan were two dogs, biting each other with their mouths at the same time.

Hua Jieyu continued speaking.

"The reason why Hangu Pass hasn't been breached yet—" Hua Jieyu's finger stopped at the location of the pass.

"It was all thanks to the defending general Zhao Qing that they held out for almost two months."

Sixty thousand versus seven hundred thousand.

two months.

Wei Zhao raised his head.

This Zhao Qing is a tough nut to crack.

When Hua Jieyu uttered her next sentence, the fire in Wei Zhao's chest flared up again.

"Zhao Qing started sending urgent reports to the imperial court last month. He requested reinforcements, provisions, and weapons. One report after another was sent by express courier, covering 800 li."

Her voice dipped slightly.

"They were all suppressed by Lu Song; not a single one was sent to the Emperor."

Wei Zhao lifted his hand from the table, his five fingers slowly bending, the bones cracking.

Sixty thousand men held Hangu Pass at the cost of their lives, sending letter after letter to the capital pleading for help, desperately trying to survive and waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

Lu Song sat in the Prime Minister's residence, pressing the letter under his desk.

"You scoundrel."

The two words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Su Qingyun stood to the side, the abacus on the table untouched; she didn't try to persuade her.

Some things don't need to be advised; Wei Zhao will figure them out on his own.

Wei Zhao closed his eyes.

Two paths are in my mind.

The first rule is to turn back to the capital, send 300,000 Wei family troops to the foot of the imperial city, drag Lu Song out and execute him by a thousand cuts.

It felt good, satisfying, and I could vent my anger right there.

and then?

No one came to the rescue at Hangu Pass. Zhao Qing's 60,000 men couldn't hold out for more than a few days. Meanwhile, 500,000 Donghu cavalry poured into the heart of the Central Plains. Who would save the lives of tens of millions of people?

Even if Lu Song were skinned alive at that time, it would have been pointless.

The second rule—patience.

First, block the entrance on the east side, then come back and deal with that old dog.

It was unpleasant, but it was useful.

The country comes first, then the family.

If Hangu Pass were to fall, and the 500,000 iron cavalry of the Donghu were to flood into the Central Plains, it wouldn't be a question of whether the country would perish—it would be a question of whether tens of millions of people could survive.

At that time, even if Lu Song were torn to pieces, it wouldn't bring him back.

"The plan remains unchanged."

Wei Zhao removed his hand from the map.

"Let's go to Hangu Pass first."

He raised his head, staring in the direction of the capital, his mouth slowly widening into a smile, but there was no warmth in it.

"After we finish fighting the Donghu and Xianyuan, we'll go back to the capital and settle scores with that scoundrel Lu Song, one by one."