As dawn breaks, the eastern horizon, shrouded in morning mist, is gradually tinged with a rosy hue.

An unprecedented atmosphere of tension permeated the area outside the military camp on the border of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Chen Zhennan led a well-disciplined army of 60,000 men, which stretched across the wilderness like a Great Wall of Steel.

Banners fluttered, war drums thundered, and every soldier's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit, ready to pounce.

As dawn broke, the two armies faced each other in formation, the very air seeming to be cut apart.

Chen Zhennan sat firmly on his horse, his eyes blazing as he stared directly in the direction of the Great Yan army camp.

Instead of ordering an attack, he sent a messenger to demand that the soldiers of the Great Yan return to find Jiang Wenyu and Song Yunyang.

When Jiang Wenyu heard this news in his military tent, although he didn't understand what Chen Zhennan was planning, he knew that as the emperor of the Great Yan, he couldn't afford to lose in terms of momentum.

After donning his armor and mounting his horse, Jiang Wenyu leisurely left the military camp and, with Chen Zhennan's tacit understanding, arrived between the two armies.

"Chen Zhennan, what do you mean by this?"

Wen Yu's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction. Although he was several feet away from Chen Zhennan, their eyes met in the air, sparks flying.

Chen Zhennan loosened the reins and said coldly, "Jiang Wenyu, I'm here to bring Song Yunyang back. Where is she?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenyu's lips curled up, revealing a playful expression.

"Haha, interesting! Song Yunyang is already my empress. How dare you, a rebel leader, know her whereabouts?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan was filled with rage and clenched his fists.

Why did Jiang Wenyu actually bestow the title of Empress upon Song Yunyang?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zhennan tried his best to suppress his emotions.

"Jiang Wenyu, if you don't release him, don't blame me for being impolite."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenyu laughed instead of getting angry, "Chen Zhennan, do you think I don't know how many men you have? 270,000 against 60,000, the advantage is mine, not yours. If you dare to take another step forward, I will make sure you die without a burial place today."

After a pause, Jiang Wenyu added, "Of course, we can also cooperate. I'll help you overthrow the Wu Kingdom and let you ascend the throne. In return, the gold and silver that Song Yunyang stole can be forgiven. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan became interested.

"So much gold and silver, and you don't care? In this situation, you still want to cooperate with me, what are you after?"

"The Thirteen States of Customs!"

Those five words shattered Chen Zhennan's illusions of peace.

The Thirteen Customs States, including Qing State, are the thirteen border states of the Wu Kingdom, covering an area that is about half the size of the Yan Kingdom.

Jiang Wenyu is really asking for the moon; he wants to get rich quick.

"Jiang Wenyu, no matter who the master of Dawu is, I will not lose even an inch of land. Don't be delusional!"

Seeing this, Jiang Wenyu shrugged and pretended to be helpless.

"If you want something, you always have to pay a price. These are my conditions. Since you don't agree, then get out of here. I will personally take over your thirteen customs prefectures."

Upon hearing this, the tense atmosphere almost froze in the morning breeze. Chen Zhennan quickly pulled a pistol from his sleeve and pointed it at Jiang Wenyu's head.

This is his last trump card, and also the method he least wants to use.

"Chen Zhennan, what do you mean by this?"

Jiang Wenyu's voice carried a hint of panic; he had never seen such a weapon before, but his face still maintained an indifferent expression.

Chen Zhennan gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Jiang Wenyu, I'll say it again, hand over Song Yunyang."

Jiang Wenyu's face darkened, but his eyes still held a hint of contempt.

"Chen Zhennan, do you think you can threaten me with this little gadget? You're too naive."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhennan decisively pulled the trigger.

With a loud bang, the bullet whistled out and struck the horse beneath Jiang Wenyu.

The horse let out a mournful neigh and crashed to the ground, throwing Jiang Wenyu to the ground as well, raising a cloud of dust.

Chen Zhennan dismounted with the speed of a cheetah. He rushed to Jiang Wenyu's side, grabbed Jiang Wenyu's neck with his left arm, and pressed the gun against Jiang Wenyu's temple with his right hand.

"Jiang Wenyu, I don't want to say it a third time, hand over Song Yunyang."

Jiang Wenyu's face turned pale, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger: "Chen Zhennan, you're courting death!"

Seeing that Jiang Wenyu was still unwilling to hand over the person, Chen Zhennan decisively pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet struck Jiang Wenyu directly in the calf, splattering blood everywhere.

Jiang Wenyu screamed in agony, his voice filled with pain and anger.

Upon seeing this, the Yan army surged forward, their eyes filled with anger and unease.

Chen Zhennan's men reacted quickly, and the soldiers on both sides faced off in a tense atmosphere, with a major battle about to break out.

Chen Zhennan emphasized again: "Jiang Wenyu, this is your last chance. Hand over Song Yunyang, or the next shot will kill you."

This time, although Jiang Wenyu was still unwilling, he could tell that Chen Zhennan was not joking.

"Alright, alright, don't kill me! I'll send someone to bring Song Yunyang out. Quickly! Bring the Empress out!"

A soldier quickly left, and soon after, Song Yunyang emerged, 'escorted' by several soldiers.

She was still wearing a phoenix robe, but her eyes were lifeless, and she looked listless and extremely weak.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhennan immediately released Jiang Wenyu and rushed to Song Yunyang's side.

Chen Zhennan was filled with urgency. He reached out his hand, ready to pull Song Yunyang up and leave this dangerous place together.

However, Song Yunyang gently pushed his hand away, "Chen Zhennan, I can't leave."

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