Chapter 117 Epilogue (Part Two): We Won.

Chapter 117

Shen Suining still went to Danyu Pass.

The messenger sent by King Zhao conveyed his message, but after much deliberation, Shen Suining did not choose to return to Huadu.

Hu Ji asked her why she didn't return. She already knew that the Crown Prince wanted her to go and die. Perhaps before they even reached Danyu Pass, the entire court would have evacuated the capital.

Shen Suining smiled and asked him in return, "If Tuoba Dian is truly invincible, if Danyu Guanzhu is definitely not going to be able to hold the pass, if there is definitely someone who has to stand in front of the pass, then anyone can do it, so why can't she?"

Hu Ji reminded her that even if they held the pass to the death, their sacrifice would be meaningless.

Shen Suining said it wouldn't be meaningless. There were so many people in Huadu, not only the imperial court and noble children, but also many unsuspecting commoners. Even if they really had to evacuate, it was impossible to evacuate them all in a short time. Holding Danyu Pass for as long as possible would buy them more time.

At this point, Shen Suining paused, then said with dissatisfaction: "Why are you so sure that Danyu Pass will fall? What if she can hold it?"

Hu Ji remained silent. It was taboo to say discouraging things on the battlefield, as it could easily destabilize the morale of the troops. However, he knew perfectly well that with the few men he led, even the Heavenly King himself couldn't hold the line, let alone the fact that the opponent was Tuoba Dian, the most valiant general of the Great Dan.

He was well aware of his situation. Having failed to provide the Crown Prince with the assistance he desired over the years, this useless old general had already been abandoned by his heartless nephew. He knew he couldn't possibly return alive anyway, so there was no need to drag another person down with him.

Hu Ji's intentions were indeed good, but Shen Suining was not a coward who would desert her post. She had discussed the defenses of Danyu Pass with Hu Ji several times and had formulated an adjustment plan before arriving.

This made Hu Ji look at her with new respect, saying that she had the demeanor of General Qin back then.

General Qin is Qin Yanzhi, Shen Suining's father Shen Yan. Although he has been away from the battlefield for many years, he is still as sharp as ever. Under his influence, Shen Suining is naturally not too bad either.

Danyu Pass is built against the mountain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its most distinctive feature is that the mountains are divided by rivers with rapid currents. Although the army of Da Dan is brave, it is not good at naval warfare.

Isn't that a coincidence?

Shen Suining's limited experience in group combat came precisely when she was sixteen, when she fought a group of pirates for resources. Those pirates had been eyeing the treasure land of Shuyu Manor for a long time, almost storming the mountain and losing many of their brothers. Even after being driven away, Shen Suining was still not satisfied and led her men to chase them out to sea. With her tenacious will and strong determination to avenge them, she exhausted their food supplies and slaughtered them all.

Of course, this kind of group warfare among small factions vying for resources is like child's play compared to a war between two nations, but some experiences can still be learned, such as—

First, cut off their supplies, then force the soldiers on the shore into the water, and defeat them using fighting methods they are not good at.

However, what Shen Suining didn't know was that the so-called army of Tuoba Dian was just a feint by the Great Dan royal family. The real Tuoba Dian had already led his men to infiltrate Huadu, ready to seize power and take over at any time.

...

This day is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In previous years, the palace would hold a Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, where members of the royal family would gather to admire the moon, creating a lively atmosphere. However, this year it seems particularly quiet.

The eldest princess, who had not worn palace attire for a long time, prepared to enter the palace despite her illness.

Li Bo wanted to see her. This was a message personally delivered by King Zhao, so the princess went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation accompanied by King Zhao.

Li Bo said to her, "Long time no see, little sister."

The eldest princess had no desire to reminisce with him; she hated him to the core.

In order to win over the court officials, Li Bo disregarded her wishes and betrothed her to He Changxin, a man of humble origins. Fortunately, although He Changxin was somewhat crude, he treated her very well. Over time, the two developed feelings for each other. However, Li Bo then discarded He Changxin after using him, ruthlessly putting him to death.

Now, her family is scattered far and wide. Her son and daughter-in-law are on their respective battlefields, their fates unknown. She and her husband are long gone. At this point, talking about sibling affection is just empty talk. She wishes she could kill Li Bo to vent her anger.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Li Bo finally looked up at her and said, "I know you hate me, you all hate me. I also know that since A Jin left, I have done many wrong things. I... I will give them an explanation, but my country cannot fall into the hands of foreign tribes."

The princess's legs went weak, her heart skipped a beat, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

"What did you say? Could it be... could it be that Ningning..." The princess couldn't believe it. A month had passed, and there was still no news from Danyu Pass. She always comforted herself, saying that no news was the best news.

Li Bo knew she had misunderstood and said, "The army at Danyu Pass is just a decoy used by Da Dan to mislead us. Tuoba Dian has already infiltrated Huadu, and he has taken over the two armies under the Empress Dowager's command."

"How could this be... How could Mother Empress do such a thing!"

Li Bo laughed out loud, and said sarcastically, "Do you think the Empress Dowager is a kind person? She never was. She was obsessed with power, but neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Zhao pleased her. Since there was no precedent for a woman to rule in the Central Plains, she made a deal with Tuoba Dian, allowing Tuoba Dian, who had no hope of succeeding to the throne in Da Dan, to become the King of the Central Plains. She would then become the Queen and rightfully take over the government and govern the country."

The eldest princess staggered back a few steps, muttering curses, "...You've all gone mad!...Tuoba Dian is a full twenty years younger than Mother!"

Li Bo was silent for a moment, then chimed in, "Yes, they've all gone mad. You're probably the only normal person in this family... Oh, Shao Yu could barely be considered one, but lately all he's been thinking about is women! Useless wretch, and I even had high hopes for him!"

Although the eldest princess was somewhat stunned by the successive news, she still managed to pick up on the key phrase, "Prince Zhao? His Majesty means..."

She didn't say the rest of the words, but Li Bo knew what she meant and hummed in agreement. Now that it was just the two of them in the hall, he said frankly, "Shaoyu is more suitable to sit in this position than Chuan'er. He is smarter than Chuan'er and has more courage than I did back then."

Li Bo belatedly realized that Prince Zhao, who was raised by the Empress Dowager, was facing the exact same situation as he had been back then, but at a young age he overturned the table, dared to confront the Empress Dowager, and made a completely different choice.

This made Li Bo wonder if, had he persisted back then, Xu Jin wouldn't have died with such regret? Would he not be in this situation today?

Li Bo handed the princess an elaborately wrapped food box. The box was heavy, and inside were the glutinous rice candies she loved most when she was young. It wasn't the first time the princess had received candy from the emperor, but it was certainly the first time she felt that it was so heavy.

Li Bo explained: "Although Chuan'er is dull-witted, he has not made any major mistakes. I hope that... if we really come to the point of fighting, Shao Yu can... leave Chuan'er a way out."

The eldest princess put away the food box, hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been bothering her: "Since you knew all along that Prince Zhao was more suitable, then back then, Zhang Xuanqing..."

“I just want to prove that I can make my own decisions,” Li Bo interrupted her.

The eldest princess was stunned.

People are ultimately trapped by what they cannot obtain in their youth, and what Li Bo longed for most in his youth was to break free from his mother's control and do something completely on his own.

Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager was a mother with an extremely strong desire for control, both towards her and Li Bo. She wished she could control everything. However, she was a little luckier and married out of the palace. He Changxin was not a weak person and failed to satisfy the Empress Dowager's desire for control in the slightest, thus giving her a relatively free space.

He Changxin was the kind of person who could break into Shou Kang Palace and take her away when the Empress Dowager was punishing her, declaring with neither servility nor arrogance, "Once you marry into the He family, you are a daughter-in-law of the He family. How can you bind me with the Li family's rules?" How could the Empress Dowager control him? And how could the Emperor tolerate him?

The eldest princess sighed, realizing that Li Bo had made a valid point earlier.

There isn't a single normal person in this family.

...

Two days later, Tuoba Dian entered the imperial city as agreed with the Empress Dowager and went straight to the Golden Palace.

The emperor's dragon throne was empty. Li Bo sat on the steps, dressed in a yellow robe. A beaded curtain covered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

There was no one else in the entire hall except him.

He knew better than anyone that he would not be able to leave this palace today. He had been killed by his own mother when he was young, and now he was about to die at the hands of his power-obsessed mother.

Li Bo had no particular emotion about his downfall; perhaps it was to be so. He had simply made a deal with Tuoba Dian.

He said that after his death, he would dispose of his body as he saw fit, and asked Tuoba Dian to spare his concubines and the people of the city.

Tuoba Dian agreed, giving him a white silk ribbon and a dagger, letting him choose for himself.

So Li Bo took the white silk and hanged himself in the Golden Palace, on the dragon throne he had sat on countless times.

Subsequently, Tuoba Dian took control of the capital city. According to the agreement, he declared himself king and the Empress Dowager became queen, with the two ruling the Central Plains together. However, Tuoba Dian reneged on the deal at the last minute, saying that there were so many young and beautiful women in the Central Plains, and he did not want to marry an old woman who was the same age as his parents.

The Empress Dowager was furious and berated Tuoba Dian for breaking his promise.

What good could Tuoba Dian's retort have been? She betrayed her country and killed her son for power; her crimes were countless and she would be condemned by the world for a thousand years.

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, and unable to bear the humiliation, the Empress Dowager chose to commit suicide to atone for her sins.

At this point, Chengdu fell, the court was without a ruler, and all the civil and military officials scattered and fled. Even the crown prince, upon receiving the news, immediately fled with the gold and silver treasures of the Eastern Palace, infuriating Grand Tutor Xue Baoyi.

The Grand Master of the Prince Zhao's Palace also advised the Prince Zhao to flee quickly, saying that as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. It would be better to wait for reinforcements to arrive before showing up, rather than waiting to die in the capital.

King Zhao refused. After Tuoba Dian entered the city, he killed many stubborn civil officials, saying that this was a mistake made by the Li family and that he should bear the responsibility.

Seeing that he wouldn't listen to their advice, the crowd chose to live and die with him, for this was the only hope for Dacheng.

On August 19th, former Prime Minister Ouyang Qi called on civil and military officials to gather in front of the imperial city gate for a silent protest. As a result, more than 29 people were ruthlessly killed, including Ouyang Qi, who was already in his sixties.

On August 20th, Lin Qingrong stopped Grand Tutor Xue Baoyi, who was preparing to commit suicide, at the Xue family home;

On August 22nd, Lin Qingrong, a prime minister who was upright and incorruptible throughout his life, bent his back and entered the palace to serve Tuoba Dian in order to protect the people of Huadu.

On August 23, Song Fei, the former commander of the palace guards, met with King Zhao with his two sons.

In just half a month, Huadu was like a purgatory shrouded in a huge shadow. No one saw the light of day or any hope. All they heard was that the King of Dadan had killed countless innocent people.

It wasn't until news of victory arrived from the south, and Shen Yan and He Hansheng, who had gone to quell the rebellion, were about to return to the capital, that a glimmer of light finally appeared for the people shrouded in gloom.

Meanwhile, at Danyu Pass, Shen Suining had finally finished her last battle. She was almost completely exhausted and sat on the ground, panting, with her back against the rough city wall.

"...We won?" She felt like she was dreaming.

It wasn't until Hu Ji, who was standing to the side, stammered "Ah," and nodded, "We won."

After a moment of deathly silence, the crowd erupted in a huge cheer.

Ling Rui and Shen Fengyu hugged each other, tears welling up in their eyes. Everyone was disheveled, but they couldn't hide their joy of victory. They exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master, Young Master, we won!"

Shen Suining was also very excited. Today, she finally understood what those generals who fought and bled for their country were upholding.

This battle was not easy. The enemy suffered heavy losses, and they were not much better off. Even if they won, it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Shen Suining wiped the dust off her face. She hadn't showered for more than half a month, and the smell of sweat, blood, and mud on her body was really unpleasant, to the point that even she herself found it extremely disgusting.

Shen Fengyu asked her, "Young Master, shall we rest for a while before returning to Huadu?"

Shen Suining shook her head, "No, I'll go back now."