Wang Dian’s tent was arranged right next to Liang Ye’s.
Estimating it was about time, he prepared to go have dinner with Liang Ye. Just as he lifted the tent flap, a clear horn blast echoed through the sky.
“Enemy attack—” someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
Almost instantly, the previously peaceful camp became chaotic. Though the soldiers’ response seemed quite swift to Wang Dian, he was nearly knocked over. The guard soldiers politely asked him to return to his tent.
Wang Dian returned to his tent, and Chong Heng entered right after. From outside came thunderous battle cries and continuous booming sounds, probably from catapults or something else, making the ground tremble slightly.
“Master said for you to stay in the tent,” Chong Heng stood beside him vigilantly holding a sword. “Don’t wander around.”
“Where’s Liang Ye?” Wang Dian asked.
“The enemy attack was sudden. He and Jiao Yan went up to the wall,” Chong Heng replied.
What they called a wall was actually a defense line built on the Gobi Desert, standing over ten meters tall in the distance. Wang Dian had come from the west and had only glimpsed it from afar a couple of times.
Wang Dian didn’t understand warfare, his impression of ancient battles limited to TV dramas and history books. He had listened to Liang Ye and those generals discuss for half a day without getting much clarity, so he hadn’t spoken up rashly.
Having no martial arts skills, and knowing how extremely backward ancient medical care was, he sensibly stayed in his tent, eating his meal methodically.
Seeing Chong Heng staring at him, Wang Dian invited him, “Want some?”
Chong Heng shook his head, standing nearby with his sword. After a moment, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you worried about the master?”
On the battlefield, weapons showed no mercy. Even though Liang Ye had strong martial arts, accidents could still happen.
Wang Dian took a bite of vegetables with his chopsticks, “My worrying won’t help. He’s been fighting for over three months now, he knows what he’s doing.”
Having not slept properly for a day and night, Wang Dian was somewhat tired. He had originally planned to have a good rest after dining with Liang Ye, but now that was clearly inappropriate, so he could only finish his meal first.
“Thank you for pleading with the master on my behalf,” Chong Heng finally said after holding it in for a while, feeling relieved afterward.
Wang Dian was trying to soak his dry flatbread in vegetable soup when he replied casually, “Liang Ye wouldn’t have punished you severely even if I hadn’t spoken up. I just took the chance to show myself in front of him. Don’t worry about it. This is quite tasty, want to try?”
“…” Chong Heng stared at him for a while, then sat across from him and tore off a piece of flatbread to dip in the vegetable soup. He frowned and said, “This bread is rough on the throat, the soup isn’t as good as what the master makes, and there’s no meat.”
The bread was made from coarse flour mixed with chaff, and the large pot of vegetables had barely any oil. With over three hundred thousand people, it was good enough that they could fill their stomachs. Before the grain supplies arrived, they didn’t even have this kind of bread and had to drink thin porridge for over half a month.
Many civilians couldn’t even get thin porridge to drink.
Wang Dian smiled, “Make do with what we have.”
Chong Heng firmly refused to eat more after just two bites. As Wang Dian was eating most of his bread soaked in vegetable soup, thunderous shouts suddenly came from far beyond the tent.
“His Majesty has joined the battle!”
“His Majesty has joined the battle!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Besides the battle at Ziyan City, His Majesty hasn’t personally fought for a long time…” the guards outside the tent conversed in low voices.
“His Majesty is valiant and skilled in martial arts, he will surely defeat Yu Polu completely!”
Chong Heng turned his head to see Wang Dian, who had been calmly wiping his hands with a handkerchief, suddenly stand up and stride out of the tent.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness! The battle outside is fierce, please rest in the tent!” The guards hurriedly tried to persuade Wang Dian to return when they saw him come out.
“Your Highness,” Chong Heng followed him out and advised quietly, “Weapons show no mercy.”
“To the wall,” Wang Dian frowned and strode forward.
The surrounding soldiers didn’t dare to really stop him, they could only stay close to protect him.
After Wang Dian reached the wall, two generals who were up there hurriedly bowed to him, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Wang Dian vaguely remembered one of them was called Lu Shu, and gestured for them to rise, “Where is His Majesty?”
Lu Shu quickly pointed it out, “Your Highness, His Majesty is at the vanguard.”
Wang Dian followed his direction and shifted his gaze to the battlefield.
The setting sun was blood-red, and battle cries shook the heavens.
Northern Liang’s dark battle flags fluttered violently in the wind. Countless soldiers fought on the desolate Gobi Desert, their dark masses seeming endless to the eye, as if the air itself had been stained with blood.
Primitive, savage fighting played out on the vast land. The deep war drums in the cold wind alternated between urgent and intense rhythms. Northern Liang soldiers in black armor clashed with Eastern Chen soldiers in silver armor, creating splashes of red that exploded in Wang Dian’s pupils.
He found Liang Ye’s figure among the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
The coat of his spotted horse had already been dyed a harsh blood-red. This usually fastidious emperor, who previously favored refined and deadly soft swords and thin blades, now wielded a rugged spear. Its fire-red tassel cut through the thick black gunsmoke and pierced through enemy chests. His usual noble arrogance had transformed into cold killing intent. The black armor made him look like Yama crawling out of hell, leading his excited and passionate soldiers like arrows, directly breaking through Eastern Chen army’s defense line.
Looking down from above, Liang Ye appeared like an arrowhead, submerged in a sea of silver armor. Only after a long while did Northern Liang’s black-armored cavalry follow closely behind him.
Wang Dian nervously gripped the ice-cold stones of the wall, their rough surface hurting his palms.
He stared at Liang Ye without blinking, his heart nearly in his throat.
With just one man, one spear, and one horse, Liang Ye was unstoppable. His followers’ morale soared, and the entire Northern Liang vanguard cavalry advanced like an unstoppable force. Other units seemed to form some kind of formation, forcefully pushing back the Eastern Chen army a considerable distance.
Though Wang Dian didn’t understand battle formations, he instinctively felt Northern Liang’s troop deployment was extremely sophisticated. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, suddenly from Eastern Chen’s silver-armored army, a figure emerged. This person wore silver armor and red clothes, wielding twin ring blades as he charged straight at Liang Ye.
“Not good!” Lu Shu beside him had sharp eyes and slapped the wall, “It’s Yu Polu!”
“Wasn’t Yu Polu skilled with the spear? Why is he using twin blades?” Wang Dian had heard of Yu Polu’s battle prowess and knew he was most skilled with the spear, so he was confused.
“Your Highness doesn’t know, although the longer the weapon the stronger it is, and spears have the greatest killing power, well-wielded twin blades can actually counter spears,” Lu Shu frowned and said, “Yu Polu is using double-edged blades, which ordinary people can’t master, but they’re perfect for countering His Majesty’s spear!”
Sure enough, Yu Polu blocked Liang Ye’s spear with one blade while the other blade chopped down toward Liang Ye’s head. Liang Ye reacted extremely quickly, suddenly bending backward until his upper body was almost lying sideways on his horse, narrowly avoiding Yu Polu’s powerful chop. He immediately pulled the reins to sit up, his wrist turning to entangle Yu Polu’s left blade with his spear. When Yu Polu’s blade was entangled, he decisively slashed at Liang Ye’s neck. Liang Ye dodged with the momentum, his spear sweeping upward, releasing its hold on the blade. The two passed each other on horseback, immediately launching into their next moves.
“Yu Polu understands spears too well,” Lu Shu’s expression was grave, “Although His Majesty’s martial arts are superior, he specializes in swords. He might be at a disadvantage here.”
Wang Dian’s hands suddenly clenched tight inside his sleeves.
Liang Ye’s techniques were strange and varied, while Yu Polu’s style was bold and direct. They exchanged nearly a hundred moves without reaching a conclusion, but keen observers could see that Liang Ye’s spear was gradually being suppressed by Yu Polu’s twin blades, forcing him to change his techniques.
Liang Ye rarely met a worthy opponent and fought Yu Polu with great intensity. Although he didn’t need to persist in the fight, he knew Wang Dian must be watching from the wall, so his attacks became increasingly vicious.
Even if he couldn’t take Yu Polu’s head, he’d at least break his arm and bring it back for Wang Dian to play with.
Yu Polu didn’t know what the Emperor Liang was thinking, but he saw his originally cold expression suddenly change into a sinister, venomous smile. He knew something was wrong and quickly turned his blades, but unexpectedly, his opponent let go of the spear, ignoring the blade aimed at his heart, and thrust the spear straight at his neck.
Seeing no way to dodge, and with his opponent’s vital points exposed, Yu Polu’s hawk-like eyes suddenly narrowed, and he too fearlessly charged forward.
It all came down to who was faster!
Just as the blade tip was about to pierce his heart, Liang Ye suddenly shifted sideways and pulled back his force, using his foot to hook the spear and slam it toward Yu Polu’s chest. Yu Polu twisted his wrist, his blade slashing fiercely toward Liang Ye’s waist. Liang Ye didn’t dodge at all – a thin flexible sword had appeared in his hand at some point, wrapping around Yu Polu’s right arm like a venomous snake, then viciously twisting and pulling, instantly causing blood to spray.
Both men turned their horses around simultaneously.
Yu Polu’s entire right arm was flayed open and drenched in blood, with stark white bone faintly visible. He clutched his arm while coldly staring at Liang Ye.
Liang Ye neurotically twisted his neck, his face radiating an excited yet venomous smile, and taunted, “General Yu, your bones are truly beautiful, perfect for making bone arrows for Zhen’s beloved consort.”
The numerous Northern Liang soldiers behind Liang Ye immediately erupted in arrogant roars of laughter.
“They say Emperor Liang is mad, but in my view, he’s nothing but a despicable villain!” Yu Polu said coldly. “Within ten days, I will take your head!”
Liang Ye suddenly pointed his spear at Yu Polu’s brow with one hand, laughing loudly, “Zhen will be waiting!”
The sudden raid ended with the Eastern Chen commander retreating with his injury.
After the emperor led such a satisfying battle, the Northern Liang soldiers were excited as if they were injected with chicken blood, and their worship of Liang Ye reached a fanatical level.
Liang Ye casually tossed the spear aside, and Bian Feng hurriedly reached out to catch it.
Liang Ye lazily rode his horse toward the wall, looking up at Wang Dian above. His handsome face, splattered with blood, wore an arrogant and smug smile. Mimicking Wang Dian’s earlier gesture, he pressed two fingers together against his lips, then blew a kiss flirtatiously toward the person gazing down at him.
Although the soldiers didn’t understand what His Majesty’s gesture meant, the excited and fanatical troops immediately burst into enthusiastic roars.
Meeting Liang Ye’s excited and manic gaze, Wang Dian’s suspended heart finally fell heavily back into his chest.
The blood-red setting sun cast oblique rays over the corpses strewn across the field, while the clamorous sounds mixed with gunsmoke shot straight toward the endless sky.
