At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Murong Di's cold and arrogant voice boomed down from above, carrying a mocking tone and absolute control.

The wooden bars of the prison cart were icy cold, and iron chains bound the two figures tightly.

The man in the center, whose bright yellow dragon robe no longer possessed its former majesty and nobility.

The robes were torn and wrinkled, stained with dust and blood. The five-clawed dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread was mostly covered by mud, and the edges were worn and tattered.

The once aloof and majestic Emperor Xiao Jinghuan of the Great Qian Dynasty now had disheveled hair, a haggard face, bloodshot eyes, and looked exhausted and disheveled, showing no trace of his imperial demeanor.

Beside him, his personal eunuch Li Fuquan was completely limp, his face ashen, his hands gripping the iron bars tightly, his eyes fixed on Duanyun Pass.

The king and his servant, disheveled and in a sorry state, like prisoners, were exposed naked to the sight of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

The dazzling afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the two men's disheveled appearance clearly, revealing every detail and leaving no room for concealment in the eyes of every soldier at Duanyun Pass.

Instantly, a tremendous uproar erupted on the city wall!

Previously, everyone had only heard that His Majesty had fallen into the hands of the Yan Kingdom, and they were filled with unease, but they still held onto a sliver of hope that the Emperor was safe and sound, and that everything was just a case of wrong intelligence.

But seeing it with their own eyes now, all their hopes were shattered, and the cold reality crashed down on everyone's hearts!

"It really is His Majesty! It really is... the Emperor of my Great Qian Dynasty!" A young soldier's pupils shrank, and he whispered in disbelief, his voice trembling with shock.

"His Majesty has truly fallen into the hands of the Yan people! He has become a hostage used by Yan to blackmail us!"

"This is terrible... This is a complete disaster!"

Suppressed whispers rose and fell, echoing from every corner of the city wall, instantly creating a huge rift in the once united morale of the army.

Everyone's face was deathly pale, their eyes were filled with panic, and their hands gripping the weapon clenched involuntarily. Their hearts were completely enveloped by immense fear and bewilderment.

"What should we do? What should we do?"

"The Emperor has been captured and is trapped in enemy territory! If we start a war today, swords have no eyes, and the Yan people, enraged, will surely kill His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty is the rightful Son of Heaven of the Great Qian Dynasty. If Your Majesty were to pass away, the country would be without a ruler, the court would surely be in turmoil, the princes would vie for power, and the officials would be disloyal. At that time, the world would be in chaos, the people would be displaced, and wouldn't the foundation of our Great Qian Dynasty be destroyed in an instant?"

"But if we don't fight and surrender, and Duanyun Pass falls, the Yan army will advance unimpeded, and thousands of miles of southern border will fall into enemy hands. That would also mean the destruction of our country and the loss of our homes!"

"Don't panic, didn't you hear what the generals said?"

"His Highness the Third Prince has made it clear that he doesn't care about His Majesty's life or death. Rather, with the Third Prince in charge of the court, things won't get chaotic. Don't fall for the Yan people's trick."

"But His Majesty is trapped right before our eyes, this..."

"Yes, are we really going to abandon our monarch?"

This desperate situation trapped all the border soldiers.

On one side lies the life of the emperor and the legitimacy of the nation.

On one side lies the land and rivers of our nation, a vast territory stretching for thousands of miles.

Whether we fight or not, it's all an abyss!

Morale was wavering, and the soldiers were filled with apprehension. The resolute fighting spirit in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep confusion and fear.

The sounds of chaos and sighs from the city walls drifted clearly to the Yan army's lines outside the pass.

Murong Di, who was standing at the forefront of the central army, took in all of this. A smug and sinister smile instantly appeared on his handsome and sharp face.

This is exactly the effect he wanted!

Compared to head-on, bloody battles and brutal assaults, breaking the enemy's morale and demoralizing their soldiers is the most cost-effective and deadly tactic.

Xiao Jinghuan, this hostage, is the ultimate weapon he used to break through Duanyun Pass and defeat the Daqian garrison today!

Seeing the disarray and chaos on the city walls, Murong Di felt confident of victory. He suddenly spurred his horse, and it slowly stepped out of formation and moved to the front of the prison cart.

He looked down at the disheveled Xiao Jinghuan inside the prison cart, then raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the empty wilderness, meeting the countless panicked eyes on the city wall of Duanyun Pass. He gathered his inner strength and shouted loudly, his voice booming and resounding throughout the heavens and earth!

"Soldiers of the Great Qian border! Look carefully!"

"Your sworn allegiance to and the worship of Emperor Xiao Jinghuan of the Great Qian Dynasty is now in my hands. He is not the supreme ruler, the Son of Heaven, but merely a fish on the chopping block, a prisoner of my Yan Kingdom!"

His voice was arrogant and mocking, every word piercing the heart, deliberately amplifying this humiliation:

"You, as soldiers guarding the borders of the Great Qian Dynasty, donned armor and wielded weapons, fought bloody battles, and risked your lives to protect the Emperor, who has now become a prisoner of my Yan Kingdom! What use are you, no matter how capable you are in battle or how elite your troops are?!"

"This general gives you a piece of advice: those who understand the times are the wise ones!"

"Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately to avoid a pointless battle and unnecessary deaths!"

"Now that your emperor is in my hands, the Great Qian Dynasty is leaderless and the court is empty. Various vassal kings and powerful ministers are already restless and eager to make their move. I'm afraid that right now, some people in the capital are already taking this opportunity to raise an army, plot a rebellion, and seize control of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"The empire is on the verge of collapse, the court is in chaos, and you are still risking your lives for a captured, incompetent emperor? Are you still defending the city gates for the doomed Great Qian Dynasty? How foolish you are!"

These words were extremely provocative and manipulative, each one striking at the most vulnerable hearts of the Daqian soldiers.

The already volatile and chaotic morale of the army was dealt another heavy blow, causing it to completely collapse and disintegrate!

The soldiers on the city wall grew increasingly pale, their eyes filled with panic and confusion. Many of them even trembled slightly with their long spears, their minds completely in disarray.

Faced with the double pressure of national subjugation and the fear of regicide, no one dared to reaffirm their will to fight.

The morale of the Daqian army is wavering, and disintegration is imminent!

Beside the command platform, Wang Yang, who witnessed the entire event, had his brows furrowed tightly, his expression extremely solemn, and his brows filled with indignation and anxiety.

He stared intently at the arrogant and smug Murong Di outside the pass, and gritted his teeth as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, Murong Di is far too ruthless and despicable!"

"He knew perfectly well that His Majesty was the rightful heir of our Great Qian Dynasty, and he manipulated the loyalty of our army to the emperor, deliberately using the emperor as a hostage to disrupt our morale and coerce us into abandoning the battle!"

"In a direct battlefield confrontation, knowing he cannot completely defeat our elite border troops, he resorts to such insidious tricks! If we have no way to counter this, the morale of our entire army will collapse completely. Once the Yan army seizes the opportunity to launch a strong attack, our Duanyun Pass defense line will surely crumble without a fight!"

Veteran general Zhou Lin, his face also ashen, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said urgently in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, morale is the foundation of any army! Our soldiers are now hesitant and fearful, lacking any will to fight and utterly incapable of engaging us! If this continues, our army will collapse before the Yan army even has a chance to act!"

The generals accompanying the army all looked gloomy, filled with resentment yet helpless.

With the emperor and father captured, the subject is caught in a dilemma, unable to act for fear of harming the innocent. This is an intractable predicament!

As everyone grew anxious, all eyes turned to Xiao Yunche in front of them.

At this moment, a fierce wind was blowing on the city wall, causing Xiao Yunche's armor and cloak to flutter wildly.

Faced with the humiliating provocations from beyond the Great Wall, the demoralized and chaotic army on the city walls, and his father, trapped in the enemy camp in a sorry state, Xiao Yunche stood before the battlements, his posture as upright as a mountain, his face calm and undisturbed, showing no trace of anger, anxiety, or panic.

While everyone else was distracted and disoriented by the crisis, he remained clear-headed and extremely calm.

His dark, deep eyes were fixed on Xiao Jinghuan in the prison cart below, his gaze devoid of emotion or warmth, only filled with endless coldness and deep thought.

He was well aware of Murong Di's scheme.

This man is no ordinary brave man; he is well-versed in the military stratagems of winning hearts and minds and subduing the enemy without fighting.

Today's move is intended to use the principles of loyalty and filial piety between ruler and subject to bind the hands and feet of the Great Qian army, and take Duan Yun Pass without lifting a finger.

Impatience, anger, and impulsiveness are all outcomes that the other party most wants to see. Once you lose your composure, you will fall completely into their trap.

Just as everyone was anxiously pondering, Murong Di outside the pass burst into laughter again. His laughter was arrogant and unrestrained, full of mockery and ridicule. It pierced through the wind and slammed hard against the city wall!

"Hahaha! Xiao Yunche!"

He called him by his full name in a loud voice, his tone extremely humiliating:

"As a prince of the Great Qian Dynasty and the commander-in-chief of the Southern Frontier, you are praised by the world for your youthful promise, your mastery of both literature and martial arts, and your unparalleled wisdom and courage! But what about now?"

"Your own father is in my hands and has become a prisoner! You command tens of thousands of troops and guard formidable fortresses, yet you couldn't even protect your own father!"

"Blood is thicker than water, and father and son are bound by natural instinct! Can you really just stand by and watch your father die at my hands?"

"I'm giving you a chance! Immediately order the city gates to open and surrender, lay down your arms and submit! I will spare Xiao Jinghuan's life and allow you and your son to reunite! Otherwise, today will be the day your father dies!"

"How laughable! How pathetic that the dignified Third Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty couldn't even protect his own father!"

Every word is like a knife, every sentence pierces the heart!

The blatant humiliation and coercion instantly ignited the fury of all the generals on the city wall!

"Outrageous! Murong Di is despicable and shameless!" Zhou Lin roared, his hair and beard bristling, his chest burning with rage. "In battle, each side relies on its own skill! Instead of fighting a fair and square duel on the battlefield, you resort to kidnapping your ruler and father to blackmail him. Such despicable tactics are utterly contemptible to all warriors and a disgrace to the Yan army!"

The other generals were also filled with righteous indignation, and they stepped forward one after another, cupping their hands in a gesture of request to fight, their voices impassioned:

"Your Highness! This humble general requests permission to fight! I am willing to lead my elite cavalry out of the city to break through the Yan army's front lines and rescue His Majesty!"

"Your Highness! Rather than be bound hand and foot and passively suffer humiliation, let's go to war! The soldiers of Great Qian will rather die than surrender!"

"This humble general is willing to lead the charge! With my spear, I will break through the enemy's defenses, shatter the Yan army's morale, and crush Murong Di's arrogance!"

The men were filled with fervor and high morale, eager to leave the city immediately and fight the Yan army head-on to wash away this humiliation.

Amidst the chaos and noise, Xiao Yunche, who had been standing silently, slowly raised his hand.

A simple gesture, steady and powerful, exuding the authority of a commander-in-chief.

The noisy and arguing generals instantly fell silent, and the city wall returned to quiet in an instant. All eyes were focused on him, waiting for his decision.

Xiao Yunche's gaze swept over the group of indignant soldiers. His voice was clear and calm, each word distinct, soothing their hearts: "Generals, please calm down."

"The more desperate the situation, the less one should be angry or agitated. Anger disturbs the mind, and impatience cloud judgment."

"If our army is swayed by emotions and rashly goes into battle, it will play right into Murong Di's hands and fall completely into his trap."

His vision was far-reaching, and he calmly analyzed the battle situation:

"All warfare is based on deception. On the battlefield, the victor is king, and the loser is a bandit."

"There is no morality to speak of, and no warmth to speak of."

"Murong Di is a shrewd and decisive man, not a reckless one. This situation today was carefully planned by him."

"This person is the most formidable enemy in our Great Qian Dynasty. From now on, everyone must be extremely cautious when facing enemies and must not underestimate them."

Upon hearing this, everyone suppressed their anger, calmed down, and nodded repeatedly.

After calming down and thinking it over carefully, everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

Just now, everyone was filled with anger and only wanted to fight to avenge their humiliation, but they did not think deeply about the advantages and disadvantages. If they rashly left the city, they would only be caught off guard by Murong Di and put in a completely passive position.

Wang Yang frowned slightly, stepped forward and asked softly, "Your Highness, what should we do now? The morale of the army is in disarray, and the soldiers' spirits have plummeted. If we drag this out any longer, the situation will only become more and more unfavorable."

Shen Luotang also looked at Xiao Yunche with a calm gaze, her eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and expectation.

We are now in a dead end, caught between a rock and a hard place. Surrendering would mean losing territory, going to war would endanger our sovereign and father, and remaining patient would demoralize our troops.

No one could think of a way to break the deadlock, and no one knew what other way was possible to reverse the morale of the army and counter the Yan army.

Xiao Yunche's gaze sharpened as he looked at the arrogant Yan army formation beyond the pass. His thin lips parted slightly, and his voice was icy:

"There is no need to leave the city to fight, nor is there any need to endure or back down."

"I will strike, and with a single arrow, utterly crush the Yan army's morale and stabilize the spirit of my entire army!"

"A single arrow to break the deadlock?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned, their faces filled with surprise and doubt as they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wang Yang frowned slightly, pondering deeply, but he couldn't figure out the key to the problem: "Your Highness, the main force of the Yan army is at the front, while Murong Di is in the center of the formation, far from the city gate. Ordinary arrows simply cannot reach him. How can we break through the stalemate and cut off his momentum with a single arrow?"

The generals were also puzzled and speculated wildly.

Could it be that Your Highness intends to use your archery skills to kill Murong Di from a distance?

However, the two armies were far apart, and Murong Di was wearing heavy armor and was guarded from both the front and back, so it was impossible for him to be seriously injured by arrows.

As everyone was filled with doubt, Xiao Yunche turned to the personal guard captain beside him, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable command:

"Bring me my longbow and armor-piercing arrows."

"yes!"

The personal guard captain dared not hesitate and immediately took the order. He turned around and ran away quickly. A moment later, he returned with a jet-black iron longbow and several armor-piercing heavy arrows that gleamed with a cold light, and respectfully handed them to Xiao Yunche.

The cold, heavy longbow had an ancient pattern on its body. It was a peerless hard bow specially made for the army, and only those with extraordinary arm strength could draw it.

The armor-piercing arrowheads are sharp and cold, gleaming with a chilling light, enough to penetrate heavy armor, break through enemy lines, and kill the enemy.

Xiao Yunche raised his hand and took the longbow, gripping the bow with his five fingers, his posture calm and composed.

The eyes of everyone on the city wall instantly fixed on him, their breaths catching in their throats, filled with curiosity and doubt.

Everyone wanted to know what His Highness intended to do by drawing his bow and arrow in this situation.

Is he really going to shoot Murong Di from a distance and intimidate the Yan army with his own strength?

Murong Di, who was watching from the front lines outside the pass, saw Xiao Yunche on the city wall take out his bow and arrow, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

He was a seasoned veteran with extensive experience in combat, and he could tell at a glance that this bow was no ordinary item and that its arrows were sharp and deadly!

At this moment, even the arrogant and conceited Murong Di felt an extreme sense of vigilance rising in his heart!

Xiao Yunche's martial arts prowess has long been renowned throughout the three states. His mastery of spear, sword, and archery is top-notch and is by no means an empty reputation!

"not good!"

Murong Di's heart alarm bells rang loudly. He instantly suppressed all the playful smiles on his face, flipped his wrist, gripped the spear at his waist, tensed up instantly, circulated his true energy throughout his body, focused his mind on guard, and stared intently at the movements on the city wall, preparing for a full-scale defensive posture!

Tian Cheng, the general beside him, paled drastically and shouted sharply, "General, be careful! The enemy general has fired arrows!"

Before he finished speaking, Tian Cheng immediately spurred his horse forward, holding a heavy black iron shield, and stood firmly in front of Murong Di, raising the shield high to protect his vital points and prepare to block the arrows!

The Yan army's front-line guards instantly tensed up, countless eyes fixed on the tall figure on the city wall, and the entire army was on alert!

In the open field, the wind howled, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense!

Everyone assumed that Xiao Yunche's powerful arrow was aimed at Murong Di, the commander-in-chief of the Yan Kingdom!

As long as the commander-in-chief of the Yan army is shot down, the Yan army will be leaderless and its morale will collapse, thus reversing the course of the battle!

The soldiers of the Great Qian army on the city wall held their breath, a glimmer of expectation burning in their eyes as they watched nervously.

The Yan army soldiers outside the pass were focused on defense, on high alert, and fully prepared for the incoming arrow attack!

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, on the high platform atop the city wall.

Xiao Yunche held the bow in one hand and took the arrow with the other, his movements fluid and without the slightest hesitation.

With a soft clang, the armor-piercing arrow was firmly nocked onto the bowstring.

He suddenly exerted force in his arms, his arm muscles tensed, and the heavy bow was instantly pulled open!

The bowstring vibrated, and a chilling glint flashed in its light!

Drawing the bow, nocking the arrow, gathering strength—all in one smooth motion!

A fierce gust of arrows whistled through the air, locking onto the void ahead!

Just when everyone thought the arrow was about to pierce the air and head straight for Murong Di's head.

Xiao Yunche, who had always maintained a cold expression and calm gaze, suddenly curled up a chilling smile at the corner of his mouth.

Those deep, cold eyes did not look at the heavily guarded Murong Di, but instead looked past thousands of Yan soldiers and locked onto the Emperor of Daqian, Xiao Jinghuan, in the prison cart below!

His arrows were never aimed at the enemy commander!

Instead, he shot at his father, the emperor, who was trapped in the enemy camp!