A hero has fallen, but his loyal spirit will live on forever.

The winds of the northern frontier always carry sand and a biting chill. War, ultimately, inevitably broke out in full force.

The enemy nation amassed a large army, advancing with overwhelming force, intending to breach the northern border defenses of the Great Liang in one fell swoop. Lu Beichen, who was guarding the frontier, was already on high alert. His wife, General Shen Anci, also dressed in military attire, stood beside him on the city wall, her gaze firm and fearless.

A fierce battle erupted, exceptionally brutal. Lu Beichen led the charge, his silver spear cutting down the enemy wherever it went. Shen Anci, on the other hand, commanded with composure, maneuvering troops and patching gaps in the defenses. Her archery skills proved invaluable on the battlefield, as she swiftly and accurately sniped enemy generals several times, stabilizing morale.

The husband and wife, one strong and the other gentle, one charging and the other defending, worked together seamlessly, like the most impregnable bulwark in the northern frontier, firmly blocking the enemy's frenzied attack. Seeing their commander and his wife so brave, the soldiers' morale soared, and they fought valiantly against the enemy.

However, the cruelty of war far exceeded imagination. In a crucial breakout battle, Lu Beichen, while covering a besieged and isolated army, found himself surrounded. He fought valiantly, killing several enemy generals, but ultimately, outnumbered, he was wounded multiple times. Shen Anci, seeing this from afar, was filled with rage and, disregarding everything, led his personal guards into the enemy lines to their rescue.

When she reached Lu Beichen, he was covered in blood, barely able to stand, leaning on his spear. Seeing Shen Anci, a faint smile appeared on his blood-stained face, and with his last strength, he shouted, "Anci! Take the brothers... and go!"

Before he could finish speaking, a cold arrow pierced the air, aiming straight for Lu Beichen's heart! Without thinking, Shen Anci leaped forward and shielded him with his body!

"Thud—" The arrow pierced deep into Shen Anci's shoulder blade, and blood instantly stained her battle robe.

"Anci!" Lu Beichen was terrified.

Shen Anci gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow. His face was as pale as paper, but he still stood tall and protected Lu Beichen, shouting, "Beichen! If we die, we die together!"

Finally, reinforcements arrived and repelled the enemy, but Lu Beichen, due to his severe injuries, passed away on the way back to the camp. Before he died, he tightly held Shen Anci's hand, his eyes filled with reluctance and worry.

General Lu Beichen, the General Who Guards the North, died on the battlefield, his body wrapped in horsehide.

Shen Anci was severely wounded in the shoulder and grieving the loss of his beloved, leaving him exhausted. However, his outstanding achievements in the battle led his soldiers to temporarily elect him as their commander-in-chief. Due to heavy casualties on both sides, a temporary ceasefire and peace talks were reached. Both sides agreed to a three-month truce to allow each other time to recuperate.

Despite her grief and sorrow, Shen Anci arranged Lu Beichen's funeral, entrusted the army's defense to her deputy, and stayed in the wounded soldiers' camp to recover from her injuries and stabilize morale. She had only one thought in her mind: to recover from her injuries, avenge Beichen, and defend the border that he had fought so hard to protect.

However, the enemy was cunning and utterly untrustworthy. They feigned peace negotiations while secretly deploying troops. Less than a month after the ceasefire agreement took effect, when Shen Anci was still recovering from his injuries and at his weakest, the enemy launched a lightning-fast surprise attack!

When the bugle sounded, Shen Anci was suffering from a persistent high fever due to an infected wound. Hearing that the enemy was attacking, she struggled to put on her armor, picked up the blood-stained spear left behind by Lu Beichen, and was about to rush out of the tent.

"General! You can't go! Your injuries..." The lieutenant and the military doctor desperately stopped her.

"Get out of my way!" Shen Anci's eyes were bloodshot and his voice was hoarse. "Beichen's guns are still here! The positions in Beijiang are still here! As long as I, Shen Anci, have a breath left, I will never let the enemy take a single step!"

She pushed through the crowd, mounted her horse, and charged into the battlefield.

Seeing their commander fighting despite his injuries, the soldiers were all moved to tears, their morale instantly ignited, and they unleashed astonishing fighting power. Shen Anci seemed to have returned to the time when she fought alongside Lu Beichen. She wielded her spear like a goddess of vengeance, and wherever she went, the enemy army collapsed in disarray.

But her body had finally reached its limit. Still recovering from serious injuries, and with a high fever and exhaustion, her movements gradually slowed, leaving her vulnerable. Ultimately, she was surrounded and attacked by several enemy generals, suffering multiple stab wounds, and fell from her horse.

As she fell to the ground, gazing at the gray sky of northern Xinjiang, she seemed to see Lu Beichen smiling and reaching out his hand to her.

"Beichen...I've come...to be with you..."

General Shen Anci fought bravely until his strength was exhausted, and died a heroic death for his country.

When the news reached the capital, the whole country was shocked and deeply saddened!

Holding the battle report, the emperor, tears streaming down his face, stood in the court, his voice choked with emotion: "Minister Lu and General Shen, husband and wife, sacrificed their lives for the country, their loyalty and bravery unparalleled! They were truly the backbone of our Great Liang! My heart aches so much! So very much!"

He immediately issued an imperial edict posthumously conferring upon Lu Beichen the title of "Grand General Who Guards the Nation" and upon Shen Anci the title of "Grand General Who Assists the Nation," ordering them to be buried with the rites due to royalty on the land in the northern frontier where they had fought together, and establishing a shrine to commemorate them so that they may enjoy eternal worship. Their heroic deeds were recorded in history and passed down throughout the world.

Inside Prince Yi's residence, Qin Yuti, upon receiving the devastating news, dropped her teacup, which shattered on the ground.

She stood there for a long time, tears silently streaming down her face. That spirited, cheerful confidante, that fierce daughter of a military family who once said she would "beat Lu Beichen eight times a day," was now... forever lost in the sands of the northern frontier.

Zhao Jingyi's eyes also reddened. He slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth, "These treacherous bastards! Lu Beichen! Shen Anci! You are both heroes! You are heroes of our Great Liang!"

In the northern frontier, soldiers and common people come to worship at the shrine built for the couple year-round.

People say that on windy, sandy nights, one can sometimes hear the neighing of warhorses and the clash of weapons, as if the loyal souls of the general and his wife are still guarding this land they defended with their lives.

They fell from grace, but their loyal spirit will live on forever, becoming one with the northern defense line of the Great Liang Dynasty, and will be remembered forever.

The capital city remains prosperous, but the laughter and joy of those four close friends are forever incomplete.