Isolated town in northern border region

The last city of the Chen state was called Yingzhou.

When Xiao Lie led his army to the city, there were only five days left in the three-month period.

The flags of the Chen Kingdom still hung on the city wall, fluttering in the wind, their edges worn and frayed, as if they had been hanging there for too long without being replaced.

The moat beneath the city wall has dried up considerably, with rubble and dead branches piled up in its bed.

The city gates were tightly shut, with several newly added crossbeams on the gate panels, nailed up overnight by the city's residents.

They probably thought that adding a few more pieces of wood would block something.

Xiao Lie reined in his horse and stopped three miles outside the city, looking at the city that shrank into a ball in the twilight, without rushing to give orders.

Luo Daniu came over.

"Your Highness, shall we fight or not?"

Xiao Lie shook his head.

"Speak out first."

He paused for a moment.

"Tell them that if they surrender the city within three days, the lives of the Chen royal family will be spared."

"If the city gates are not opened in three days..."

He glanced at the elite troops of the northern frontier arrayed behind him.

"I will dismantle it for them."

Luo Daniu accepted the order and left.

He rode his horse to the moat, shouted at the top of his lungs toward the city wall, and his voice carried far across the open plains.

There was no response from the city wall, but shadowy figures could be seen moving behind the crenellations, as if someone was looking down, before quickly retreating.

When the news reached the city, Yingzhou was already in complete chaos.

King Li Jiang of Chen sat in the palace, where a heated argument was taking place in the court. The pro-surrender faction knelt on the ground, as did the pro-war faction. Both sides held their own opinions, and their spittle almost sprayed onto the roof beams.

Someone said while crying.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Lie has built a mound of skulls outside Jingzhou City. If he doesn't let us go..."

Someone slammed their hand on the table and said...

"The State of Chu is too powerful; the State of Chen can no longer be defeated. Dragging this out will only lead to more deaths!"

The voices of the pro-war faction have quieted down a bit, but there are still some who are stubbornly refusing to back down.

"Are we just going to hand over the empire that our ancestors conquered to others like this?"

His voice echoed through the empty hall, only to be met with ridicule from the crowd.

Li Jiang sat on the dragon throne, looking at the faces in the hall.

He recalled Yan Que's appearance when he went to war; his armor was gleaming, and as he rode out of the city, he turned back to bow to him and said, "Your Majesty, I have good news for you."

As the footsteps of the 120,000-strong army marched out of the city gate, he stood on the city tower and watched them go, feeling that the army would surely be invincible.

At this moment, a secret envoy from the Jing Kingdom was quietly led into the palace and handed Li Jiang a secret letter.

The letter contained only one sentence.

"If Your Majesty can hold off Xiao Lie for ten days, Jing Kingdom will send troops to aid Chen."

Li Jiang read the letter three times, her knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

"Ten days... How can I possibly delay for ten days?"

The envoy bowed slightly.

"If Your Majesty simply holds firm and does not venture out, a change in circumstances will occur within ten days."

Li Jiang was silent for a moment, then nodded.

However, three days later, Xiao Lie's patience ran out.

He noticed that the flag on the city wall had not been lowered and asked a question.

Still no movement?

Scout reports back.

"No, but scouts reported that ships from the Jing Kingdom entered the city via the waterway."

Xiao Lie did not get angry after hearing this; he simply turned around and walked back to the front of the artillery position.

"Push the cannons up, aim them at the city gate tower...and fire all the remaining shells."

The gunner adjusted the muzzle and lit the fuse.

After a deafening roar, the cannonball landed precisely in the center of the city gate tower, shattering bricks and scattering wood chips everywhere. The flag of the Chen Kingdom broke in the shockwave, and the flagpole fell to one side at an angle.

A chorus of exclamations and cries erupted from the city wall.

The city gates opened that afternoon.

King Li Jiang of Chen, dressed in plain clothes, held the imperial seal in both hands and knelt at the city gate with his court officials.

He kept his head down, his voice hoarse.

"The State of Chen... has surrendered."

Xiao Lie rode up to him, but did not take the imperial seal. He simply looked down at the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground and trembling, and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Did you give the order to massacre the people of my Great Chu?"

Li Jiang raised her head, her eyes filled with fear.

Xiao Lie dismounted, took the imperial seal from his hand, weighed it in his hand, and then handed it to Chen Hu behind him.

"Either you die... or your entire Chen royal family dies. The choice is yours."

Xiao Lie looked down at him from his high vantage point.

"If you don't choose... then I'll ask you to choose."

Li Jiang trembled all over. Xiao Lie glanced at the civil and military officials behind him. The row of officials, dressed in their robes, had their heads bowed, and no one dared to make a sound.

Li Jiang stood up, trembling.

"These are all my orders; they have nothing to do with anyone else."

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Okay, that's quite responsible."

"Luo Daniu! Drag him away and skin him alive!"

"Bring the head back to Jingzhou and hang it above the city gate!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiang's vision went black, and she fainted.

Xiao Lie then continued to issue orders.

"Pass down the order: once inside the city, do not disturb the people."

"The existing positions of the officials in Chen State will remain unchanged for the time being, pending the arrival of officials from the imperial court to take over their duties."

"From this day forward, the seven provinces of Chen shall all belong to Great Chu!"

The ceremony to enter the city was very simple. There was no drumming or music, no ceremonial guards. Only when Xiao Lie rode his horse through the main street of Yingzhou did the people on both sides of the street kneel down.

Some people lowered their heads, afraid to look; others secretly sized up the young general who had destroyed their country. Xiao Lie didn't ride past them like prisoners of war; he reined in his horse every now and then, saying a few words to the kneeling figures.

Get up. Things will get better.

When he arrived at the Yingzhou Imperial Palace, he dismounted and stepped onto the steps in front of the palace gate. Behind him, the flag of the Chen Kingdom had just been torn down and replaced with the military flag of the Great Chu Kingdom.

He stood on the top step and looked back at the unfamiliar upturned eaves. The wind blew from the south, carrying the unique dampness of the season.

He remained silent for a while before letting out a soft sigh.

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer."

When the news reached the State of Chu, the storyteller in the teahouse struck his gavel.

"Gentlemen, the State of Chen is doomed!"

The hall was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

Some people slammed their fists on the table, some smashed bowls, and some stood up and started singing a folk song from the State of Chu.

On the streets of the capital, people were setting off firecrackers. The sound of firecrackers echoed from the east to the west of the city. Children chased after red paper scraps scattered on the ground, while several elderly people stood by the roadside, laughing and crying at the same time.

The councilors gathered in the council hall, with Shen Chongyuan standing in the middle, his voice loud and clear.

"The Kingdom of Chen has been destroyed! The King of the Northern Frontier will soon be returning to the capital in triumph!"

The room erupted in cheers, and even Xie Anlan couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod in approval.

When he heard the news, Zhou Xun was arranging a new supply train.

After listening to the messenger's report, he stopped what he was doing, remained silent for a moment, and then said something to the person next to him.

"Quickly send a message to the Queen: The Kingdom of Chen has fallen!"

His tone was calm, but the excitement in his eyes was undeniable.

"In March...the country was destroyed!"

"Your Highness, are you truly not a god?"

Jiang Min received the news at the Yan-Shu camp.

She was sitting in the tent reading when a maid lifted the curtain and placed a secret report on the table. She glanced at it, then closed the book, stood up, and walked to the tent entrance.

"Such joyous occasions should certainly be shared."

"Tell Yanji and Yang Wei that my husband has returned in triumph!"

Her tone was full of pride, as if she were not a hostage, but simply out sightseeing.

In the capital city of Jingguo, Jiang Jun sat in the imperial study, with a secret report from Yingzhou spread out on the table in front of him.

After reading it, he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Xiao Lie, oh Xiao Lie..."

"How did you end up being born in the State of Chu?"

"If you are a member of the royal family of my Jing Kingdom, I would gladly abdicate in your favor!"

"Unfortunately, only one of us can live!"

The eunuch beside him lowered his head, not daring to respond.

Jiang Jun stood up and walked to the window.

"Send word to have the Crown Prince of Chen move to Wenshu City, provide him with the best residence and the best tutor."

"Tell him how tragically his father died, and how his life of wandering was all caused by Xiao Lie!"

"When he grows up, I will send him back to where he belongs."

"So what if you destroy the Chen Kingdom? I won't let you swallow up all seven provinces so easily!"

When the news reached the states of Yan and Shu, Yan Ji and Yang Wei sat facing each other in their tents for a long time, neither of them speaking first.

Jiang Min's official letter was spread out on the table.

Yanji picked up his teacup.

"If the State of Chu has the power to destroy Chen, it also has the power to destroy Yan and Shu."

"After you finish this cup of tea, whether you fight or make peace is up to you."

Yang Wei did not answer, but he picked up his cup of tea and gently clinked it against Yan Ji's.

The sound of the rims of the glasses touching was very soft, and then silence returned.

Yanji put down his teacup.

"Send someone to tell the Queen... that our Great Yan is willing to form an eternal alliance with the Chu Kingdom."

Yang Wei took a small sip of hot tea.

"Our great Shu wishes to form an eternal alliance with the Chu Kingdom."

Meanwhile, in the Yingzhou Imperial Palace, Xiao Lie stood in an empty side hall, looking at the old murals remaining on the wall, and suddenly asked Chen Hu beside him a question.

"Has the logistics been replenished?"

Chen Hu nodded.

"It has recovered to 70%, and the factories in northern Xinjiang are operating at full capacity."

Xiao Lie nodded.

"That's good."

He didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the mural, which had cracked over the years.

Tell Zhou Xun that I will be returning in a few days.

"I have a great use for him—he stockpiles large quantities of sulfur!"

His fingers tapped lightly twice on the edge of the mural.

"This time, no one can stop the advance of Great Chu!"