Xie Rang's goal was very clear: to eliminate Lü Le, the biggest variable, and that no one else was a threat.

They arrived so suddenly that in the chaos, the Rouran people didn't even notice someone flanking them from the side. By the time they realized what was happening, Lule had already fallen to the ground with a thud, his eyes wide open.

The splattered blood landed on the strategist beside him.

The strategist cried out in anguish, "Fifth Prince!!"

The Rouran were a nomadic people who rarely conducted large-scale drills. In addition, they had many branches within their territory, so they relied mainly on the command of their chief general in battle.

The scene was extremely chaotic. Not long after Lule fell, more Da Xi soldiers arrived and captured the general and strategist alive.

The fire was still burning, and smoke filled the sky. The two groups of men joined forces and successfully surrounded the army. White blades went in and red blades came out, and a pungent smell permeated the air.

A general beside Xie Rang shouted, "The commander-in-chief is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The general had a loud voice, and his shout was extremely penetrating, causing the chaotic situation to quiet down for a moment. Those in front had already seen Lü's unseeing eyes as he died, and even the strategist was being forced to lie down in a disheveled state.

They weren't exactly known for their fighting spirit, and without a coach, continuing to fight would be pointless.

"Clatter".

Some people dropped their weapons.

Then, one, and more...

Apart from the sound of the wind and the sound of fire burning the grass, there seemed to be no other sounds.

Li Yunshu had just managed to maneuver around the burned area, her face covered in soot, but no one would say anything in this situation.

When she saw Lü Le's dead body, she gasped in shock. A direct hit to the forehead was indeed quite difficult.

She asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

Xie Rang's gaze was cold as he swept over the area where the fire was burning: "What's the situation over there?"

Li Yunshu said, "With a river running through it and a firebreak dug in advance, it should be destroyed."

At this point, Li Yunshu felt she had to admire her older sister.

They probably never imagined that the Rouran people would resort to burning pastures—a method that would kill a thousand enemies but also harm eight hundred of their own.

Pasture is the most vital survival resource for nomadic peoples. Without it, countless cattle and sheep would starve to death, and then people would follow.

It can only be said that risks and opportunities coexist.

If they succeed, they may trap Xie Rang in the fire and cause him to perish. With the emperor dead, the fate of the nation will be in turmoil—this is self-evident.

"Collect their weapons, take them with you, and head north."

When Xie Rang looked away, the fire in the distance was gradually subsiding. Just to be on the safe side, he left some people there to keep an eye on things and prevent the fire from reigniting and causing even more incalculable consequences.

Li Yunshu shared the same thought: "Your subject obeys."

-

Once the army left, the area outside the city suddenly became much emptier.

With the people staying home for the time being, the streets were much emptier. Yun Qing had to oversee all the mobilization of supplies, and his bodyguards all came out to work in the open.

They were all keeping a close eye on the situation at the front.

Soon, the first news arrived.

"The fifth prince of Rouran has been shot dead by His Majesty, and His Majesty is currently leading a large army to the north."

Qingque was calm and composed.

“So fast!”

Yun Qing knew Xie Rang acted swiftly, but she still didn't expect him to eliminate Lü Le so quickly. There was already a lot of internal strife within Rouran, and without this powerful competitor, the other competitors wouldn't be able to pose much of a threat.

"How many casualties were there?"

Qingque: "Dozens of people."

Yun Qing was relieved; this ratio was quite considerable.

The message that came through was not long, only giving a general overview. When Yun Qing heard that neither Xie Rang nor Li Yunshu was injured, she breathed a sigh of relief.

On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; she only hopes that the people she cares about can return safely.

Li Xu and Meng Wan went to a place that was a bit far away, and news of them had not yet come back. Fortunately, Xie Rang had made it there, which put Yun Qing at ease.

Qinglan was worried that Yunqing was overthinking things, and seeing the good news, she quickly advised her to rest for a while. Yunqing understood this, and just as she got up, someone else came in to report.

"Lord Li, we've caught someone at the gunpowder depot."

The previous gunpowder tests were all conducted in front of the Rouran, with the aim of intimidating them. It wasn't exactly a secret. Yun Qing had sent his Li family army to guard the area beforehand, and sure enough, they captured the person.

Yun Qing pondered for a moment: "I'll go take a look."

Qinglan: "Miss..."

"Go and rest after watching."

Having experienced sudden death before, Yun Qing was very cautious about such matters, but she still needed to confirm the situation with her own eyes before she could feel at ease. In such a special time, no small detail could be overlooked.

"All right."

Qinglan couldn't stop her, so she had no choice but to go with her, which would also make it easier to keep an eye on her.

Surprisingly, quite a few people were caught. They looked no different from ordinary people, tied up and trembling.

Yin Rong said, "They were acting suspiciously around the area with oil drums and torches, so I arrested them."

The gunpowder depot was already heavily guarded, so carrying a torch was suspicious enough, but carrying an oil drum as well, it goes without saying what they were up to.

Yun Qing was puzzled: "You also live here. You know how important border defense is, so why are you doing these things at a time like this? What are you trying to do?"

"My lord, spare us! We...we were blinded by greed...that man just told us that if we did it, we'd get money, we..."

"Enough with the nonsense, I don't believe a single word." Yun Qing scoffed. She thought they were really naive, thinking they could get away with it like this. "I don't believe you can't see what their purpose is. You're acting out of wishful thinking and disregarding the lives of the border soldiers. Throw them in jail and await your fate!"

Throughout history, there has never been a shortage of traitors. Yun Qing found it difficult to understand what these people were thinking, and she felt extremely angry when she was in that position.

Aren't there enough tragedies caused by selfishness?

They should never be forgiven lightly.

Yun Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Follow their confessions and catch the traitor as soon as possible."

The person next to him should be.

After settling the matter for the time being and giving Yin Rong a serious warning not to let her guard down, Yun Qing finally returned to her residence to rest.

Back in the capital, Xie Rang would always bother her, and she would occasionally find it annoying. But now that he's really gone, she finds it hard to sleep.

Ultimately, it's about keeping something in mind. After all, going to the battlefield is completely different in history books and in reality; it's not something that can be easily explained by talking about it.

Surrounded by Xie Rang's aura, including herself, Yun Qing felt a little more at ease when she grabbed the red rope in her hand.

She sighed softly, "You must be safe and sound..."