He trained diligently every day, pushing himself to exhaustion no matter the scorching sun or fierce winds.

Blurred vision at the brink of exhaustion was natural.

The difference was that back in the capital, it was never this severe.

Since arriving at the borderlands, where the sunlight was harsher and more blinding compared to the capital, Zhang Yulin had started experiencing discomfort in his eyes even when he wasn’t completely worn out.

But life at the border was constant warfare. When he had the military physician examine him, the diagnosis was that his eyes were normal, so he didn’t dwell on it further.

It wasn’t until Zhou Manniang personally examined him that his unusual condition was discovered.

More peculiar than the condition itself was Zhou Manniang’s realization that it was incurable.

The inability to look directly at bright light seemed to be a condition he was born with.

Fortunately, while it couldn’t be cured, it could be managed.

She formulated a medicinal solution for Zhang Yulin to apply to his eyes before battle, temporarily shielding him from the harm caused by intense light.

This time, Zhang Yulin’s decisive victory, where he severely injured Nu Lei with little effort, was likely aided by her medicine.

Wen Yuesheng, upon hearing this, withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, “He reminds me of someone I once knew.”

Zhou Manniang didn’t understand the meaning behind the comment. After pondering, she assumed it was a matter of fate between Zhang Yulin and Wen Yuesheng.

After all, it was Wen Yuesheng who had kicked Zhang Yulin into the lake during his foolish youth, an incident that somehow restored his clarity of mind.

She didn’t notice the deeper implication in Wen Yuesheng’s words.

The experimental subjects, forcibly injected with a refined zombie virus, were no longer fully human. The side effects of forced evolution left all of them inherently flawed.

Not only did Zhang Yulin resemble Subject No. 9, but after regaining his senses, he began to exhibit the same condition—an inability to withstand bright light.

Before Zhou Manniang could ask further, a piercing sound echoed from a distance.

The moment the sound arose, every soldier on the city wall became alert, and even Zhou Manniang’s expression changed.

Raising her eyes, she saw a densely packed Haozhou army advancing toward the main city.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The war drums thundered.

Since Yu Shun had personally led his troops to the front, the entire main city had been on high alert.

As soon as the Haozhou army made a move, a messenger soldier waved flags and shouted warnings while running toward the city gates.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Haozhou army approaching! All soldiers prepare for battle!”

The city gates opened briefly to let the messenger in, then slammed shut again.

Nearby troops quickly gathered beneath the city walls.

The messenger, after switching to a fresh warhorse, sped through the city, repeating the urgent message.

The pounding of hooves echoed like a drumbeat in everyone’s hearts.

In mere moments, the entire city was gripped by an intense, taut atmosphere.

The movement of an army 300,000 strong was impossible to ignore.

While Haozhou’s other generals continued capturing towns, Wen Yuesheng had dispatched several of her own generals to resist them.

Zhang Yulin, Lu Tingyu, Lu Qinghuai, and even Li Qingyuan and Liu Yi were all away from the main city.

The only experienced commanders left in the city were the old generals, Marquis Zhongyong and Lu Zhenguo.

As for Jiang Yan, the defector, he had been sent to the border by Wen Yuesheng before Haozhou’s resurgence.

The city still had a substantial force, but the key commanders numbered only three.

Facing the overwhelming Haozhou army, everyone’s hearts sank.

As the enemy approached, the uniform march and clatter of hooves reverberated outside the city, the soldiers of the Great Hui Empire wore solemn, grim expressions.

Upon realizing an attack was imminent, Marquis Zhongyong and Lu Zhenguo donned heavy armor and ascended the city walls, standing beside Wen Yuesheng.

Lu Zhenguo’s gaze was sharp and cold as he looked toward the enemy forces.

As Haozhou’s soldiers drew closer, they could clearly see Yu Shun leading his army.

Everyone knew that the true military genius in Haozhou was not the so-called strongest general, Nulei, but the newly crowned Emperor Yu Shun.

In the few battles Yu Shun had personally commanded, even the borderland forces, including the three Lu family generals, had been outmatched.

Yu Shun was a dominant force on the battlefield.

Lu Zhenguo had never seen Wen Yuesheng fight, but in his heart, he suspected that Yu Shun’s prowess might rival hers.

As Haozhou’s army closed in, the tension grew unbearable.

But one similarity stood out: Yu Shun had only brought a few commanders with him.

While strong, they were not the elite Five Generals.

Yu Shun’s sudden attack was prompted by news of Nu Lei’s defeat.

Nu Lei’s severe injury and failure had a profound impact on Haozhou, prompting Yu Shun to order an immediate assault.

Under the blazing sun, Haozhou’s soldiers gleamed in their silver armor.

Riding at the center of his troops, Yu Shun was clad in golden battle armor atop a warhorse similarly adorned.

His handsome features were sharp and cold, exuding authority.

As his army drew closer, he raised his head and spotted Wen Yuesheng standing atop the city wall.

The battle was imminent, yet she wore no armor.

As before, when he had seen her in Fuzhou, she remained dressed in black robes, hands behind her back, standing with an air of unshakable calm.

“Your Highness,” one of Yu Shun’s generals asked softly, “Shall we commence the attack?”

“Something feels off,” interjected Chu Liehong, another of Yu Shun’s confidants and a trusted advisor.

Chu Liehong had always been by Yu Shun’s side during his campaigns, serving as a strategist.

Chu Liehong’s expression turned cold. He said, “Hao Zhou’s army is at the gates, yet the Princess of Da Hui remains unmoved.”

From a distance, the city walls of the main fortress could be seen, lined with dark archers, and surrounding them were ballistae. The enemy indeed appeared to be on defense, but aside from that, there were no soldiers outside the city.

They had not yet assembled their forces. Were they planning to open the gates once Hao Zhou’s army arrived and let their soldiers march out to face the enemy?

Chu Liehong did not believe that the Princess of Da Hui was such an unprepared person, nor did he think she would open the gates under the immense pressure of their 300,000 strong army.

Such an action would be no different from letting them enter the city.

Chu Liehong paused for a moment and softly gave some instructions to the person beside him.

Yu Shun’s deep eyes shifted away from Wen Yuesheng and turned to the nearby general. His cold voice echoed, “Have there been any updates from the various fronts?”

The general’s face was solemn, and upon hearing the question, he shook his head.

There was news of Nu Lie’s defeat, but his injuries were severe.

Nu Lie had already been wounded by Zhang Yulin, and before he left, a bowshot from Lu Hongying had struck him at a very long distance.

The accuracy of that shot was terrifying. Thankfully, Nu Lie’s heart was slightly misaligned, or else Lu Hongying’s arrow would have pierced his heart. Even so, he was almost crippled.

On his escape route, he had fainted, and after returning to Hao Zhou’s camp, it took several hours of intense treatment just to save his life.

By now, they had no choice but to act.

Chu Liehong also deduced that Da Hui’s main city had insufficient troops, while their own 300,000 soldiers stationed outside the city were the elite of Hao Zhou’s army.

No matter how strong Wen Yuesheng was, she could not stop the 300,000 soldiers from flattening the city.

But after they mobilized their forces, Wen Yuesheng still made no move.

What was she thinking?

Before he could dwell further, urgent news came from the rear.

“Report!” A communication soldier appeared, quickly making way through Hao Zhou’s ranks.

The messenger rushed in front of Yu Shun and bowed, loudly declaring, “Your Majesty, we have received a report from Hai City. Da Hui has broken through the gates of Hai City, and their army is heading toward the Jianghai Road!”

Upon hearing this, the army fell into dead silence.

Chu Liehong’s face immediately changed, his voice filled with disbelief. “What did you say?!”

Da Hui’s army had breached Hao Zhou’s city?!

How was that possible?

But the message had traveled all the way here, so it couldn’t be false.

After the soldier repeated the news, Chu Liehong’s face turned ashen.

He suddenly realized.

Wen Yuesheng’s sudden attack on Yuwang Town that day seemed to have been merely to clear the Hao Zhou forces left behind in the town and rescue prisoners of war.

But in reality…

Chu Liehong closed his eyes, his heart shaken.

Yuwang Town was located at a strategic point between the two countries. Wen Yuesheng’s army only needed to secure the town and then pass through the Death Desert behind it to reach Hai City, a border town of Hao Zhou!

But…

The Death Desert was one of the most treacherous and difficult terrains in the entire border region, known for its harsh climate and complexity. People who lived near Yuwang Town for years dared not enter it carelessly.

Yet she led her forces through it.

Chu Liehong’s eyes snapped open, gritting his teeth as he muttered, “Jiang Yan!”

In Da Hui’s army, there was a former Hao Zhou traitor, familiar with the terrain and born in the desert, who had once defied death to escape the Death Desert!

In an instant, Chu Liehong and his generals were both shocked and furious.

After all, they never expected Da Hui to actively launch an attack, and when they did, it was on Hai City.

Hai City, despite its name, faced a vast desert. It wasn’t the most crucial border city for Hao Zhou, but it was the closest one to the capital. For this reason, even though they had launched attacks on Da Hui in the past, they had never withdrawn the defenses of Hai City.

Hai City alone had 50,000 troops stationed there.

Now, if the messenger’s report was true, then Da Hui must have sent at least 100,000 troops.

This meant that the main city in Da Hui, where the Princess resided, certainly had fewer than the 200,000 troops they had expected and only around 100,000.

She was calmly watching Hao Zhou’s 300,000 troops press forward without showing any sign of panic.

What kind of madwoman was she?

Chu Liehong, who had been in military service for years, had never encountered such a person.

He realized that if Jiang Yan couldn’t be trusted or if something went wrong with her army, the remaining 100,000 defenders in the main city would certainly be crushed by Hao Zhou’s forces.

But now…

Standing before the vast army of Hao Zhou, Wen Yuesheng spoke.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but in the stillness of the battlefield, it reached everyone’s ears.

Wen Yuesheng said softly, “Yu Shun.”

Under the scorching sun, Yu Shun looked up, his deep gaze meeting hers.

She spoke again, her eyes as cold as ice: “Do you want Hao Zhou’s capital or Da Hui’s border city?”

“Choose.”