My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

As darkness fell, the wind howled across the wilderness.

Yao Jingyuan lay prone on the horse's back, his legs gripping the horse's belly tightly, the whip in his hand already splitting the horsehair.

The cold wind rushed into his mouth, making his throat taste sweet and metallic, but he dared not stop, much less turn around.

The shouts of battle behind them had long since faded away, and the outline of Fangzhou City had been completely swallowed up by the undulating earthen slopes.

But he still felt a chill down his spine, as if the gray-black iron rod might fall from the sky at any moment and smash into his spine.

After running for another half hour, the warhorse under his feet finally couldn't hold on any longer. Its front hooves buckled, and it neighed and knelt down on the ground.

Yao Jingyuan tumbled off his horse and fell heavily to the ground, his mouth full of mud.

"Lord Yao!" He Jin dismounted and quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Yao Jingyuan pushed him away, staggered to his feet, and looked back.

The sky was overcast. When his guards saw him finally stop, they dismounted and collapsed onto the ground in disarray.

The road they had come from was deserted. Further away, only a few soldiers were moving in twos and threes, their faces filled with fear, like stray dogs.

His army of 60,000.

Sixty thousand!

That's all that's left!?

"Stop..." Yao Jingyuan's voice was dry and hoarse. "Count the heads, see how many are left!"

After he finished speaking, he plopped down on the ground, leaning against a withered, crooked tree. The rough bark made his shoulder blades ache.

He didn't care about decorum anymore, tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls of water handed to him by his guards. The water dripped from the corners of his mouth, flowed down his neck and into his armor, leaving a cold, damp spot.

After a while, He Jin returned, looking rather unwell.

"Lord Yao, the count is complete. There are... approximately 8,700 people remaining..."

"Eight thousand..." Yao Jingyuan murmured, then suddenly sprang up and slammed the water bag onto the ground.

"Eight thousand!"

The water bag bumped and fell over, and the remaining water inside gushed out.

The guards around him were startled and lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.

Yao Jingyuan's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Useless! A complete and utter bunch of useless trash!"

"Shu Jingwei! That idiot! What elite force, what undefeated record!"

"I'm afraid she hired someone to fabricate this!" He was furious, his voice changing tone due to extreme anger and lingering fear.

"They can't even beat a bunch of lousy thugs with iron bars! These trash dare call themselves elite?!"

He kicked away the empty water bag next to him.

"And Wang Meng! That brute! What did he do to deserve this?! I don't know what stroke of luck he had to get his hands on those weird weapons—"

At this point, he suddenly turned his head, his gaze piercing He Jin like a knife.

He Jin was leaning against a tree, drinking water. His upright posture contrasted sharply with the terrified guards around him.

He felt Yao Jingyuan's gaze and his hand paused slightly.

"And you!"

Yao Jingyuan jumped up and rushed to He Jin, spitting almost onto his face.

"These are all your brilliant ideas!! What's with all this talk about gathering troops and marching north! What's with all this talk about reaping the benefits of others' labor!"

Yao Jingyuan was panting heavily, staring intently at him.

"And now?! We haven't taken the northern border, and we've lost our troops! What are we going to use to fight Shu Jingwei? What are we going to use to fight Wang Meng? Tell me!"

He Jin neither dodged nor defended himself; his face was expressionless, though a barely perceptible cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

After Yao Jingyuan finished cursing, he slowly put down the water bag in his hand and spoke, his voice extremely low.

"Lord Yao, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Now is not the time to assign blame; the most urgent task is to plan our escape route and how to proceed."

Yao Jingyuan was speechless.

He Jin stood up, dusted himself off, and moved slowly and deliberately, as if he wasn't the one who had just been yelled at.

Yao Jingyuan suppressed his inner turmoil, frowned at him, and asked, "What, you have a plan?"

He Jin glanced around to make sure the guards were far enough away before taking a step closer and speaking almost into Yao Jingyuan's ear.

"Wang Meng is currently at the height of his power, so going north from Fangzhou is out of the question. However, the northern border is vast. Perhaps you might consider temporarily hiding your identity and remaining in the northern border."

"Stay in the North?" Yao Jingyuan looked at him as if he were a madman.

"Wang Meng is definitely sending people to search for me everywhere. Do you want me to die even faster?"

"My lord, you are wise! I had absolutely no such intention!"

He Jin's gaze was deep and unfathomable, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a meaningful smile.

"I have some connections among the China tribe. If you're willing, sir, we can disguise ourselves as merchants and go there to lay low for a while. Once we leave the Great Flame and enter the grasslands, neither Wang Meng nor Shu Jingwei will be able to interfere!"

He turned to face Yao Jingyuan, his eyes carrying a certain hint.

"My lord, think about it. Now that Wang Meng has those divine weapons, he'll start waging war sooner or later. Shu Jingwei certainly won't obediently give up her territory. In that case, no matter who wins, the winner will be badly hurt."

"And we'll wait on the grasslands. Once they've fought enough, we'll borrow troops from the Chinar tribe to launch a counterattack—"

He Jin didn't say anything more, but just looked at Yao Jingyuan with a deeper smile.

Yao Jingyuan's breathing gradually became rapid.

He understood.

Staying in the North is a strategic retreat!

When the time is right, we will take advantage of the barbarians' strength and launch a comeback!

"The China tribe..." Yao Jingyuan licked his chapped lips, a light rekindling in his eyes. "Why should they help me?"

He Jin chuckled softly, as softly as a breeze on the grassland.

"Rest assured, my lord, I have some connections with their Khan. Besides, if we can help you ascend to that throne, it would be a great service to the emperor, and they will not refuse."

Yao Jingyuan remained silent for a moment, his mind racing.

Right now, he has no better options left.

His small force is utterly incapable of accomplishing anything.

"Alright." He gritted his teeth. "Let's go to the China tribe to take refuge first."

He Jin lowered his head, concealing the glint of shrewdness in his eyes, and bowed respectfully.

"My lord is wise."

……

Before the Heavenly Mirror, Lin Ye took in everything.

He remained leaning back on the sofa, his fingers tapping idly on the armrest.

The light from the television screen shone on his face, illuminating his thoughtful gaze.

The Chinese tribe.

He remembered this.

In Ye Fan's memory, wasn't the battle he fought in the Northern Territory against the Chi Na tribe?

The nomadic tribe that had caused headaches for successive emperors of the Great Yan Dynasty was defeated by Ye Fan's army and forced to submit, never daring to invade again.

Lin Ye's gaze fell on He Jin's face on the screen.

The face had high brow bones, prominent cheekbones, a square and powerful jaw, and slightly sunken eye sockets, giving it a rugged appearance.

He Jin...the China tribe...

and many more!

Lin Ye abruptly stopped tapping the sofa and looked He Jin over carefully again.

Although He Jin deliberately grew a beard and spoke standard Da Yan Mandarin without a trace of a grassland accent, his facial features were at least 70% similar to those of the Khan of China in his memory.

He Jin was a member of the China tribe.

Moreover, it is highly likely that he was someone related to Chinar Khan.

Lin Ye's lips slowly curled up, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

"This is interesting..." he muttered to himself.

The people of the China tribe approached Yao Jingyuan, offered him advice, and led him to seek refuge on the grasslands.

And what about Shu Jingwei's side? Could there also be a "He Jin" by her side?

Lin Ye's eyes flickered.

Ye Fan lost power so quickly and suddenly back then, it's hard to say that no one was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Lin Ye leaned back into the sofa, his smile widening, but his eyes growing colder.

"Okay, random selection is fine."

His voice suddenly rang out in the empty living room.

"No matter what your plans are, or what your intentions are—"

"This time, we'll catch them all in one fell swoop."