The light on the horizon grew brighter, and a thick stench of blood and decay permeated the entire battlefield. The Western Regions' troops were routed with overwhelming force and quickly retreated from the battlefield. Yan Beimo personally led his troops in pursuit, and the mighty army chased them into the Beichuan Mountains.
Qilin, riding a fine horse, looked at the cavalrymen fleeing in panic ahead, his gaze slightly narrowed.
Before the battle of Lichuan, His Majesty learned that the two sides had joined forces, so he planned to set up the trap himself. To prevent the news from being leaked, the plan was meticulous and almost no one knew about it.
However, fearing a riot in the palace, His Majesty instructed the generals who were leaving the north in advance that if news of his death in battle spread and a rebellion broke out in the capital, they should be executed on the spot. He also ordered all the generals of the Northern Expedition to defend Tongguan Pass and not to engage in battle.
Later, His Majesty was struck by a golden arrow and fell into the Lichuan River during the chase. A double assassin, who had been trained half a year earlier, was deliberately pulled up and killed by Helian Ye, who was in a bloodthirsty rage. Everyone witnessed His Majesty's death.
In the chaos of the battlefield, the bodies were difficult to find. To ensure the plan would succeed, when reinforcements arrived, the group of suicide soldiers took the bodies away and buried them.
However, the Northern Emperor was extremely cautious. He failed to catch them and even sent someone to Jiankang to investigate. The person infiltrated the palace, and to prevent their plan from being exposed, they did not dare to send any messages. The turmoil throughout the Great Qi Kingdom also convinced the Northern Capital and the Western Regions.
Throughout the year, he accompanied His Majesty on his travels to various countries in the Western Regions, strictly controlling information, planting troops in the Western Regions to incite uprisings, sending assassins to monitor the war between the two sides, and secretly adding fuel to the fire, causing both sides to lose countless warhorses, provisions, and reinforcements.
Knowing that war was about to break out in Beichuan a month ago, and that the news couldn't be delivered to the front lines in time, His Majesty wasn't afraid of exposing his identity. So His Majesty went to the Northern Frontier in person and made a deal with the King of the Northern Frontier. Now that the entire Western Regions is in chaos, Helian Ye must go back to quell the rebellion even if he doesn't die.
This day was the eighth day of the twelfth month of the fourth year of the Jianyuan era, and there was a strong wind.
The Battle of Chidu, which determined the victory of the Northern Expedition, has been recorded in history by countless unofficial histories. According to records, on the night of the 8th, the Great Qi Emperor, who was said to have died in the Battle of Lichuan, suddenly appeared and led an army of 560,000 to pursue the enemy army in the Western Regions. In the Beichuan Mountain area, he killed 100,000 enemies. The Western Regions army and the Northern Yan army were routed and fled in panic from Yuehan Pass.
This year also marked the complete annihilation of the Northern Yan dynasty, which disappeared into the annals of history. Fourteen cities in the Yinshan area were successively captured. When the nobles in Shengjing heard that the southwest had fallen, they were terrified and hastily moved the capital and fled.
Some scholars and writers criticized the Great Qi for being unjust and having no legitimate reason to attack, but the Emperor of Great Qi directly issued a nationwide order: "Fight! Fight them until they perish!"
The entire Northern Yan was plunged into a brutal war. Within a month, Yongchang fell, and on the 12th, several cities in Jingzhou fell one after another. On February 25th of the same year, the magnificent Shengjing was burned to the ground. The two factions that were fighting each other in the Northern Yan were completely split. Some fled to the Western Regions, and some fled to the Northern Capital.
However, the Western Regions also entered an era of division and civil war that year. In order to oppose the tyranny of the royal court, the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions fought wars in many places. The young ruler of the Western Regions, Helian Ye, was forced to end his southern expedition and return to the royal court to suppress the rebellion.
He was ruthless and cunning on the battlefield. In just a few years, he quelled the rebellion and secured his throne. Of course, that's another story.
After the troops from the Western Regions withdrew from the north, the Great Qi swiftly occupied the Northern Yan and stationed troops there. The Northern Yan became a vassal state of the Great Qi. With the destruction of other states, the entire northern region was almost entirely under the rule of the Great Qi. The Western Regions could no longer establish a regime in the south. As long as the Northern Capital was captured, the northern region would be completely unified.
Beidu has been engaged in continuous warfare in recent years, which has greatly damaged its national strength and made its finances difficult. The army of Daqi crossed the Beidu River in a mighty manner to attack Beidu. Without a leader, Beidu lost several cities in succession. However, the long-lost Northern Emperor suddenly returned to the capital and personally went to meet the battle.
The situation in the north is now clear: there is no separatism or chaos. As long as the Great Qi and the emperor of the Northern Capital are not ambitious enough to establish a new regime or empire, and can coexist peacefully, the war can end.
The protracted war that lasted for many years left both sides with no money to be made, their national strength declining, and the people of the world suffering in dire straits, with refugees and displaced people everywhere. After the Battle of Beishuo, the two sides signed a treaty, dividing the country along the river and temporarily ending the war. Now, with Li Bei holding the northern position, the Great Qi has successively taken over Beiyou, Beiliang, and Beiyan, occupying too much of the northern land. Beidu is no match for it, and there will be no more war for at least several decades.
Chu Changning had heard the news of Yan Beimo's return to Beichuan a month ago. At that time, the army in the north suddenly received a military order to march to Chishui, and she knew that the person must have returned.
After the army captured Chishui City, Xuan Yao returned to Tongguan and found her in the north. He quickly explained everything to her.
Upon hearing that the person had gone to Shengjing, she had been waiting at Tongguan. Two days ago, the Qi army withdrew from Beishuo, and she rode her horse all the way to Beishuo.
Located in the northern desert, Beishuo is a place where the sky and the earth reflect each other. The mountains are winding and the distant rivers are like ripples. The scenery on the plains is beautiful in spring. The moonlight shines on the vast and boundless land. She leads her horse across the plain and sees a figure riding a horse from thousands of miles away.
As night fell, the man on horseback, dressed in a white robe, had his striking features illuminated by the moonlight. He possessed the handsome face of a noble young master, yet his demeanor exuded a refined and composed air, as if he had weathered many storms on the battlefield.
Their gazes met at the edge of the vast sky, and in that instant, it seemed as if thousands of fireworks had ignited on the horizon, bursting forth in a dazzling display of light and color.
Chu Changning, using the light, gazed at that familiar face from afar. As she looked, a smile slowly crept onto her lips. The firelight illuminated her face, revealing a pair of bright, moist eyes.
She stood quietly in place, her eyes fixed on the man approaching her.
The warhorse reared up and neighed, crossing countless mountains and rivers, and stopped in front of her.
Yan Beimo looked at the person standing there in a daze, and the suppressed and excited longing in his heart surged up in an instant. He stared deeply into her eyes and brows, greedily scanning every inch of her body, and finally fixed his gaze on her face.
Chu Changning gazed at him silently, a myriad of complex emotions—sadness and joy—swirling within her. She remained silent, simply staring intently at him.
All around was silent, with the occasional chirping of insects echoing across the open field.
Yan Beimo's eyes seemed glued to her face, and he said in a serious tone, "It's not that I don't want to accompany you, but why did you come here? Can't you even wait a few days?"
He heard from Xuan Yao via carrier pigeon that she had come to Tongguan. He originally planned to break camp and return to Tongguan that very night, but as soon as he left the camp, he heard from the assassins that she had come to Beishuo.
Chu Changning stared at him intently, her lips slightly parted, "It's been two years since we last met, and Your Majesty has aged even more."
She knew that this petty scoundrel, who pretended to be indifferent on the surface, was actually very vengeful and was indirectly accusing her of not wanting to spend time with him before.
Yan Beimo chuckled at her witty retort, dismounted, strode over, and pulled her into his arms.
The moment their bodies touched, they both seemed to tremble. Then, he pulled her tightly into his arms.
Chu Changning buried her face in his shoulder, bit him fiercely with red eyes, and cursed.
"You liar."
Under the moonlight, the two embraced tightly. Her eyes were red, and she clung to his waist, beginning a torrent of accusations. Yan Beimo listened silently as she berated him for everything that had happened in the past two years. She said she thought he was dead, and was so heartbroken she couldn't eat, fell seriously ill, and berated him for not sending a letter, for not knowing she was about to be driven mad by him, for having to deal with those treacherous officials at court, for being heartless, for being ruthless, for being a complete liar—
As he listened to these things, his eyes darkened slightly, and he held her tightly, as if he wanted to embed her into his very bones.
A cool breeze blows, and the moonlight hangs low over the willow branches.
Chu Changning was tired of cursing and just wanted to rest for a while when a hot, burning kiss landed on her. He held her waist and forcefully lifted her up by her hips.
She punched him fiercely, refusing to let him hug her, but he was very domineering and slapped her on the buttocks. She blushed with anger, but her legs unconsciously wrapped tightly around his waist.
He kissed her fiercely, as if trying to make up for all the loss of the past two years. Her reason was quickly taken away, and she went limp, pressing herself tightly against him and hugging his neck to return his kiss.
A gentle breeze lifted their robes, which became inextricably intertwined. Like dry tinder igniting a raging fire, they rolled onto the grass behind them, whispering sweet nothings to each other, their clothes disheveled.
The moonlight shone dimly on the land, and he, like a vicious dog, greedily pounced on her, only to hear her soft whisper in his ear.
"I forgot to tell you, we are now a family of four."
(over)
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