In the twelfth month of the Jianyuan era, the Qi army broke through the Sishui River and entered the Xishan Pass, igniting a full-blown war in the northern lands.
The outside world is in chaos. The Northern Liang, in alliance with the Rouran, attacked the Central Plains, but were blocked at Tianguan by the troops of the northern gentry.
Taking advantage of the situation, Beidu launched a full-scale attack on the capital of Beiliang.
Li Bei, the Northern You army almost completely surrounded the border of Northern Liang, causing widespread suffering among the people.
After suffering repeated defeats, the Northern Liang retreated to the Xiaonan area. Seeing their country on the verge of collapse, they petitioned the Western Regions royal court for help. At the same time, the southern desert withdrew its troops, and the entire desert began to unite to resist the foreign enemy.
A heavy snow fell across the entire north, the sky was a vast expanse of gray, and the cries of crows echoed through the heavens.
Beneath the majestic and desolate city walls, a massive army pressed down on the city. The icy snow, accompanied by a howling wind, blanketed the entire land in a thin layer of silver.
The leading man was dressed in military uniform, his eyes cold and icy. The fighting over the past few days had given him a terrifying aura, like the snow that never melts on Mount Kunlun, no longer the clear breeze and bright moon of the past, but full of a chilling and murderous atmosphere.
Yuwen Hu looked at the man below the city wall with a sinister gaze.
They had twice attacked Qi from the Northern Liang, and were defeated each time. This time, they were forced to this point by that scoundrel Yan Bei Mo. He would rather die than accept it.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he looked at the woman standing in front of him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Ashletur is right. Northern Liang was almost destroyed and its people were wiped out. Using the women of Yanbeimo as scapegoats can be considered a way to console the souls of the millions of soldiers who died in Northern Liang.
Unaware of the thoughts of the person behind him, Helian Ye stood side by side with Chu Changning atop the city wall.
She wore a bright red gauze robe, her hair was braided and tied up high, and gold ornaments and pebbles were wrapped around her hair. When the wind blew, her appearance was like a bold stroke of a mural from the Western Regions, so bewitching that she seemed otherworldly.
Chu Changning was held tightly around the waist and couldn't move.
She didn't look at the men in front of the army below the city; she lowered her head wearily.
"His Majesty personally led the expedition, and in just one month, he actually managed to reach this place. I admire him greatly."
After Helian Ye finished speaking, he glanced at the cold woman beside him, and his laughter, mixed with internal energy, pierced through the earth.
"Once we cross Tuling Pass, we will be in the territory of my northern frontier. I wonder if His Majesty of the Central Plains will wage war against my Western Regions for the sake of a woman."
Yan Beimo looked at the two people standing close together on the city wall, and his desire to kill Helian Ye erupted like churning lava, engulfing his limbs and bones.
Seeing that he remained silent, Helian Ye glanced at the person beside him and suddenly smiled.
"Yan Beimo, how about we make a bet?"
Snowflakes flew for miles, cold and clear, while the army below the city stood in perfect formation, and the entire land was desolate and bleak.
Yan Beimo stared intently at Chu Changning, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, his gaze indifferent.
"What kind of bet?"
The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it was like jade striking against jade, carrying an imperial sense of oppression.
Helian Ye laughed, "Let's bet on whether you can handle her, how about it?"
What's the meaning?
Chu Changning glanced at him sideways and looked at him coldly.
Helian Ye leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I won't let you fall. Just scare him a little."
His eyes were full of wicked laughter. He grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and placed her on the city plate.
Chu Changning was forced to stand on the city wall, lowered his eyes, looked at the white expanse of earth, and blinked.
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Hu narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips, and gestured behind him.
Beneath the city wall, the generals of the Great Qi looked at the emperor in front of them, and despite the cold weather, they couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.
But Yan Beimo remained indifferent, showing no sign of panic.
Helian Ye looked at him calmly and composedly, a fierce glint flashing in his bewitching eyes.
"Everyone says that emperors are heartless, but the emperors of the Central Plains were completely unmoved when they saw their wives hanging on the city walls."
Yan Beimo sneered disdainfully, "Are you threatening me?"
Helian Ye raised an eyebrow, stepped onto the brick, rested his hand on his bent knee, and smiled deeply.
"So what if I threaten you? How about it, do you dare to bet?"
"Then you might as well kill her, so I won't have to do it myself."
Helian Ye tightened his grip on the knife, a layer of frost covering his devilish face—a stubborn, unyielding scoundrel.
He raised an eyebrow and smiled as he said to the person beside him, "Did you hear that? He wants you dead."
A cold wind brushed against the strands of hair at her temples. Chu Changning's eyes were clear and cold as she gazed at the distant sky, lost in thought.
Helian Ye found the two of them extremely boring.
He slightly raised his eyelids, hummed, and said with a half-smile, "Your Majesty speaks so ruthlessly, yet you personally led an expedition and even tracked us all the way here."
"Heroes from all over the world are vying for supremacy in the Central Plains; how could I possibly fail to keep up?"
Helian Ye hated Yan Beimo's perpetually calm and unflappable demeanor the most, and he sneered.
Aren't you afraid she'll really die?
Yan Beimo said calmly, "You can kill her now."
The wind was fierce, and the snow was thick all around, covering the eaves and the ground in white.
The two were talking back and forth, and neither of them noticed that a sharp, icy blade flew out like a shot from a bow.
As killing intent surged from behind, Chu Changning suddenly saw A Yu's face in her mind. She snapped out of her daze and tried to dodge backward.
But then it started snowing, and the bricks were covered in snow. She slipped and fell from the city wall.
This scene happened so fast that everyone was shocked.
Before the army, Yan Beimo's originally indifferent face changed drastically in an instant, his heartbeat seemed to stop, and he roared angrily.
"Chu Changning!"
With a long neigh, the young emperor rode down to the city wall as if he had gone mad.
On the vast, empty land, icy winds and snow swirled, and tens of thousands of arrows flew down from the city walls like a hurricane, heading straight for the emperor.
The people of Daqi watched in shock as their emperor disregarded the enemy's arrows and headed towards the city wall.
"Protect the Emperor."
"Quickly, protect the emperor!"
A massive, dark army surged forth, fine snow blanketed the land, and the resounding cries of battle shook the heavens and earth with an overwhelming force.
On the city wall, Helian Ye came to his senses and flew into a rage. He turned around and kicked Yuwen Hu, who had killed someone, and then thrust his knife down hard.
"Who gave you permission to do it?"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Yuwen Hu coughed up blood, his eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground.
The Northern Liang, loyal to the Western Regions royal court, was shocked to see Yuwen Hu killed. The Northern Liang soldiers immediately aimed their arrows at Helian Ye, but before they could make a move, they were subdued by the Western Regions soldiers nearby.
Helian Ye's eyes turned red with rage. Ignoring them, he grabbed a long rope and flew down toward the city wall.
But the figure in blue fell so fast that there was no time to catch it.
The sky was overcast, and heavy snow was falling. The biting wind felt like knives scraping against one's face. Yan Beimo, like a madman, drew the arrows from his body and rushed down to the city wall without regard for anything else.
The figure falling through the snow was incredibly fast. He tried desperately to catch her, but could only watch helplessly as she fell right before his eyes.
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