Above the valley, Xi Zhicai stood on the cliff edge, looking at the chaotic crowd in the valley, a ripple appearing in his calm gaze.

As a mountain breeze blew by, Xi Zhicai's white robe billowed, and the silk scarf on his head also fluttered in the wind, giving him a sense of loneliness and desolation from afar.

An aide came up behind Xi Zhicai and bowed.

"Master Xi, the Yuwen tribe's forces and Tan Shihuai's pursuers are all trapped in the valley!"

"Then let's get started!!"

Xi Zhicai said something indifferently, then closed his eyes and felt the mountain breeze.

"yes!"

The staff officer agreed and then turned and left.

Soon, squads of Red Ribbon Army soldiers, carrying firewood, kerosene, and other supplies, arrived at the edge of the cliff.

"ignition!!"

"put!"

As the officers shouted, the Red Ribbon Army soldiers threw bundles of burning firewood into the valley.

Both the Yuwen tribe and Tan Shihuai's pursuers were like headless flies, dodging the falling firewood. Many warhorses were also startled by the firelight and lost control, running wildly in all directions.

In an instant, countless people died from the stampede, and cries of agony filled the air.

As more and more firewood was thrown down, many people were engulfed in flames, rolling on the ground and uttering pitiful howls.

Listening to the sounds coming from the valley, Xi Zhicai's tightly closed eyes twitched incessantly.

Before long, a raging fire broke out in the entire valley. The nearly 20,000 soldiers trapped inside had nowhere to hide and were all burned alive.

The aroma of meat wafting from the valley made the people above feel nauseous.

"Alas, though I have rendered service to the Han Dynasty, this method is truly contrary to Heaven's will, and I will never use such a scheme again in my life!!"

Xi Zhicai sighed, and two lines of tears slid down his cheeks.

The instructors and staff officers following behind him were also deeply moved.

Just as everyone was sighing with emotion, Tan Shihuai led 10,000 elite Gaoliu troops to a spot not far from the valley entrance.

"Sigh~, I never expected that Tan Shihuai would have such courage!"

Xi Zhicai turned his head and glanced at Tan Shihuai's army, then sighed.

"Yes, to be willing to use so many lives to lure us in, Tan Shihuai is indeed extraordinary!" an advisor said with a solemn expression.

Xi Zhicai waved his hand: "That's enough. Although we failed to completely annihilate Tan Shihuai's army in this battle, it has severely weakened them. In a while, our Great Han Iron Cavalry will completely sweep across the grasslands!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's go!"

After saying this, Xi Zhicai turned and walked down into the valley, with the soldiers on both sides of the cliff following behind him.

At the same time, Tan Shihuai also led his people to the entrance of the valley.

"Your Majesty, look up there..." a guard suddenly shouted, pointing to the top of the valley.

Tan Shihuai looked up and saw that on both sides of the cliff, squads of Red Ribbon Army soldiers were retreating eastward in an orderly manner.

"That despicable fellow, he actually resorted to such a vicious scheme!"

Looking at the blocked valley entrance and the waves of heat and the aroma of meat emanating from within, Tan Shihuai couldn't help but curse angrily.

He had anticipated that the enemy would lay an ambush, but he hadn't expected them to use a fire attack, a tactic that seemed to defy the heavens.

Now that the fire in the valley has not yet been extinguished, he can no longer continue the pursuit, and all those baits have died in vain.

Thinking of all this, Tan Shihuai's face also turned very ugly.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" a guard asked.

Tan Shihuai did not speak, but raised his head and gazed at the surrounding terrain.

"Sigh, the mountain path here is steep, and there's only one passage. It seems we have no choice but to take a detour and join the other two routes!"

After observing for a long time, Tan Shihuai finally sighed and then led his men back along the original route to join up with Han Sui and Mi Jia's forces.

By afternoon, Tan Shihuai's army had returned to the same three-way intersection they had visited before.

Just as Tan Shihuai was wondering where to go, a scout sent by Han Sui arrived in front of him.

Before the scout could speak, Tan Shihuai asked first, "What's the situation on the southern route?"

"Your Majesty, when we arrived there, the battle had already ended."

Our pursuing troops and Yuwen soldiers were all killed by the Han ambush!

"What? You mean, the Han army killed both our soldiers and the Yuwen tribe's soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Tan Shihuai couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his face showing disbelief.

The scout nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. When we arrived, the bodies of our army and the Yuwen army were piled up together. They all died at the hands of the Han army."

Unfortunately, they assembled too quickly, and our army, having completed a long march, was unable to pursue them. That's why Mr. Wenyue sent this humble servant to find Your Majesty!

"Phew, I never imagined that the people of the Han Dynasty could be so ruthless!"

After hearing the scout's report, Tan Shihuai's face was full of apprehension and solemnity.

Just as Tan Shihuai was pondering, another scout came rushing from the north.

After the scouts stopped, Tan Shihuai hurriedly asked, "How is the situation on Miga's side?"

"Your Majesty, when our army arrived there, the battle was already over..."

The scout's report was not much different from the previous one.

The baits from both the Yuwen and Tanshihuai tribes were all wiped out by the Han army's ambush.

"Phew, it seems the situation in the mid lane is the same!"

Tan Shihuai let out a soft breath, his gaze fixed on the direction of Yuwen's troops, his eyes filled with resentment.

Now that the Han army's three ambushes have all safely withdrawn, trying to catch up and wipe them out would only waste more time.

However, I don't have that much time left.

Thinking of all this, Tan Shihuai's face turned extremely ugly, and he kept pondering in his heart.

"Sigh!"

After a long while, Tan Shihuai let out a helpless sigh, then looked at the two scouts who had come to report the news.

"Go tell Han Sui and Mi Jia to withdraw!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The two scouts responded in unison and then rode away.

Watching the two scouts' departing figures, Tan Shihuai suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and then everything went black before he swayed a few times and fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

The guards behind him rushed forward and helped Tan Shihuai up.

Because of Tan Shihuai's fainting, the army had to stop at this crossroads.

It wasn't until the next morning that Tan Shihuai, who had been unconscious for a long time, slowly woke up.

"Your Majesty, you've finally woken up!"

Upon seeing this, the doctor nearby quickly approached with a delighted expression.

Tan Shihuai asked weakly, "Sir, am I about to die?"

"Your Majesty's illness has been exacerbated by this sudden surge of anger; it is now critical. At most, only..."

The doctor paused, then said in a solemn voice, "At most, we only have one month left!"