Wen Yuesheng’s voice was soft, but the words she spoke caused the atmosphere of the entire Hao Zhou army to freeze, falling into a deep silence.

Under the blazing sun, Yu Shun’s emotions swirled in his eyes.

He came from a prestigious background and was appointed Crown Prince at a young age. At the age of fifteen, he had led troops to decisively defeat Da Hui.

In the land of Hao Zhou, he was almost without rivals.

Even when his father suddenly passed away after he left Hao Zhou, and the former Prime Minister, Yang Gu, conspired with his third brother to rebel, they were all crushed by Yu Shun within a few months.

Since his birth, Yu Shun had been the chosen son of heaven, and his ambition surpassed even his father’s.

While his father had invaded Da Hui’s borders to plunder its wealth and women, Yu Shun’s goal was to open Da Hui’s gates and charge straight in, aiming to unify the entire land.

Even when he agreed to the marriage alliance with Da Hui, his true aim was merely to understand Da Hui better, knowing his enemy would ensure victory.

But now, during this mission to Da Hui, what had once seemed like an easy conquest for him had suddenly encountered an unforeseen variable.

She was now standing before him, not far away.

Under the scorching sun, the generals at Yu Shun’s side and Chu Liehong all looked particularly grim.

Especially Chu Liehong. Before today, he had heard many rumors about the Da Hui Princess. Some said she was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, others said she was decisive and ruthless.

He had assumed she would be a fierce warrior.

Even though they had suffered consecutive defeats, they were already on high alert, and he personally had never underestimated her. However, years of smooth sailing had made him subconsciously arrogant.

The person before them was not only brave and skilled in battle, but also highly strategic.

Not only was she good at tactics, but she was also incredibly bold.

In military matters, having someone like her would explain why they were now at a disadvantage.

The commanders of the three major tribes came to their senses and spoke solemnly, “What should we do now?”

Among those beside Yu Shun were a few fierce generals from the Jin family. Because Jin Chi had been killed by Wen Yue Sheng, they harbored resentment toward her.

After hearing the question, the Jin generals immediately spoke, “Isn’t she acting this way to force Hao Zhou to retreat a second time?”

“The more she behaves like this, the more we cannot give her what she wants!” A Jin general’s face darkened as he harshly said, “Your Majesty, I believe that with the strength of our Hao Zhou soldiers, even if we only leave 100,000 behind, we can easily flatten Da Hui’s main city.”

“Right now, we have 300,000 troops. If we want to be more cautious, we can leave 150,000 and send the other half back to Hao Zhou to wipe out the traitor Jiang Yan!”

This general spoke the thoughts of many others.

In the current situation, no one was willing to back down.

The army had already arrived at the gates of the city. Wen Yue Sheng’s main city only had about 100,000 soldiers, yet she dared to face the Hao Zhou army like this. What did they have to fear?

They should just act and move their forces.

No matter what, the strength of Da Hui’s soldiers would always be inferior to Hao Zhou’s.

What Wen Yue Sheng was doing now was nothing more than a gamble, betting that they would retreat from the threat to Hai City.

“General Jin speaks wisely.”

“Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops back to Hao Zhou and eliminate the traitor Jiang Yan.” A general immediately stepped forward and loudly declared, “As long as Your Majesty gives the order, I will bring Jiang Yan’s head!”

These generals came from the three major tribes, and after the near annihilation of the Bor family, their hatred for Da Hui did not match the hatred they felt for Jiang Yan.

No one had expected this little traitor to cause so much trouble.

Therefore, they were even more eager to take Jiang Yan’s life.

However, when Yu Shun heard this, he remained silent.

The young and handsome emperor, clad in his magnificent golden armor, had a sharp and handsome face with deep, dark eyes.

Unlike the old emperor of Hao Zhou, who had ruled for many years, Yu Shun, despite his youth, already had an aura of authority that did not need to be expressed in anger.

The surrounding generals paused, exchanging looks, but none could guess what Yu Shun was thinking.

Yu Shun didn’t speak, but after a long period of contemplation, Chu Liehong finally said, “Given the current situation, it would be best to proceed on both fronts simultaneously, with both sides winning. That would be the best for Hao Zhou and the morale of the army.”

“But…” Chu Liehong’s face darkened as he coldly said, “This is a gamble Da Hui can afford, but Hao Zhou cannot.”

The surrounding area fell silent as countless eyes focused on him.

Chu Liehong’s expression was serious as he said, “Da Hui’s border city is indeed the most important city in their border defense, but there are three other such cities nearby.”

“If we truly lose the main city, the Da Hui Princess can simply lead her army to retreat to the nearest Huai City.”

What he said was not wrong.

The four border cities of Da Hui supported each other, and in recent years, they had briefly infiltrated one or two of them.

But as long as none of the cities fell simultaneously, Da Hui still had a chance for a counterattack.

But Hao Zhou was different.

Chu Liehong’s expression darkened as he said, “In comparison, Jiang Yan’s attack on Hai City has one goal: the capital.”

“Even with his troops, how could he possibly attack the capital?” General Jin rebutted.

“It isn’t easy,” Chu Liehong coldly looked at him. “But General Jin, ask yourself, is it easy to attack a border city like this? After all, the Da Hui Princess single-handedly destroyed the Bor family.”

General Jin immediately fell silent.

While their relationship with the Bor family had not been harmonious, he had to admit that the Bor family’s generals were far braver than his own.

If Da Hui could destroy the Bor family without certainty of success, they could just as easily destroy the Jin family.

“Your Majesty, I believe we should retreat immediately,” Chu Liehong finally made up his mind and said solemnly, “Our priority is to kill Jiang Yan and protect the capital.”

Seeing some discontent from the others, he directly added, “If we must proceed on both fronts, it may end up in a disastrous situation.”

A short-term retreat wouldn’t be considered as backing down. Though it would inevitably affect morale, it would not result in the worst possible outcome.

If one must grab with both hands, then the worst-case scenario is that both hands fail to hold on.

Losing the capital city and being unable to breach the main city would likely lead to more than just a morale blow.

As soon as he spoke, the voices around him disappeared.

Yu Shun’s gaze deepened, and after a final glance at the person above him, he coldly said, “Issue the order to retreat the troops.”

As soon as he spoke, Chu Liehong responded without hesitation, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Once Yu Shun made the decision, the others understood that no further discussion was needed and quickly began to reorganize the troops.

The Haoyu army moved swiftly, almost as soon as the decision was made, the troops started retreating from a distance.

Yu Shun, on horseback, rode at the back of the army. Before leaving, he gave a deep, lingering look at the people on the city wall.

“Your Majesty,” Chu Liehong returned to report. Yu Shun nodded lightly and spurred his horse forward.

Under the bright sun, his dazzling golden armor stood out.

The Haoyu army’s swift retreat was met with a quiet sigh from the Duke of Zhongyong beside Wen Yuesheng: “Such a pity.”

Chu Liehong had guessed correctly; the troops left behind in the main city weren’t just tens of thousands, but a full 200,000.

These 200,000 troops had once been led by the three generals of the Lu family from the border army.

And Jiang Yan’s side indeed had 100,000 soldiers.

Once these 300,000 troops were split in two, even with the disparity in numbers—20,000 versus 15,000—along with Wen Yuesheng’s coordination and the abundance of weapons in the main city, the outcome of this battle was still uncertain.

However, Haoyu’s army would undoubtedly suffer massive depletion in the split.

But the enemy was smart and knew that dividing their forces wouldn’t work.

What they didn’t know was this.

After Haoyu announced their retreat, and Yu Shun led his horse to the originally stationed military camp, he suddenly pulled on the reins.

Seeing this, Chu Liehong quickly asked, “What are your orders, Your Majesty?”

Yu Shun’s eyes were deep as he replied, “Send orders to the four generals.”

He was referring to the ones originally dispatched to conquer various towns, such as Tai Lan and others.

Nu Lie was seriously injured and defeated, but there were still four such teams remaining.

Now that Yu Shun’s army was retreating, it was expected that these four teams would also retreat with them.

Chu Liehong thought so too, but Yu Shun coldly said, “Order the four generals to continue the attack.”

At these words, Chu Liehong was stunned for a moment before realizing, “Your Majesty means…”

“The forces sent by Da Hui to meet the enemy are probably not as numerous as they appear,” Yu Shun lifted his gaze, scanning the retreating army, his eyes gleaming coldly.

Chu Liehong’s heart skipped a beat. In the blink of an eye, he exclaimed loudly, “Currently, it’s known that General Zhang Yulin led 30,000 troops to defeat General Nu Lie.”

“Reports from other battlefields have yet to arrive. The Da Hui Princess likely placed many of her forces in the main city and with Jiang Yan, leaving fewer troops to resist the four generals!”

Or perhaps, only Zhang Yulin’s forces were the largest.

The Da Hui Princess had predicted that Zhang Yulin would defeat Nu Lie, so she gave him the most troops.

Nu Lie’s defeat was also a crucial piece in the earlier scenario!

This news of defeat subtly hinted that Wen Yue Sheng was also well-prepared for the other four generals.

Because of this, Chu Liehong thought of the people in the main city and Jiang Yan’s forces, but did not consider the troops dispatched.

When he realized this, he gasped.

Had Yu Shun not reminded him today, he would have been completely led astray.

According to the battle reports, the total force in Da Hui’s border was less than 500,000, at most around 400,000. How could they suppress three fronts and ensure victory? Not to mention that Da Hui’s military strength was already inferior to Haoyu’s!

Once Chu Liehong realized this, his back was drenched in cold sweat, yet his spirit was highly excited and agitated.

This battle situation had once again fallen into their hands.

Without hesitation, he immediately transmitted Yu Shun’s orders.

The four generals, except Nu Lie, were to continue the attack! They must gather outside the main city after clearing Jiang Yan’s forces! Await the second wave of assault!

The message was swiftly delivered.

What he didn’t know was that while their message hadn’t yet spread, the forces in the main city had already been divided into five, with part left behind to guard the city.

The other four units, after Haoyu’s army retreated, were preparing to head to various towns for reinforcements.

As the sun began to set, under the grand evening sun, Wen Yuesheng spoke coldly, “Order the whole army to prepare for a counterattack.”

The sky was painted in crimson, and the splendid sunset reflected on her calm side face, as if the glowing arcs of the sky were blossoming in her eyes.

Wen Yuesheng’s gaze was sharp as she commanded, “We must annihilate all the Haoyu forces stationed at the border!”

At her command, the army, ready from a distance, immediately responded in unison, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

The next moment, the main city gates opened wide, and the troops, stepping in perfect unison, surged forward with a deafening roar.

Aside from Nu Lie, Haoyu had four other forces invading various towns.

And of the four forces Wen Yuesheng had sent to resist, the weakest was the Luocheng army led by Liu Yi.

This army wasn’t small, with more than 20,000 soldiers, but in terms of strength, it was indeed the weakest.

So after leaving the main city, Wen Yuesheng headed straight for Chuixi Town, where Liu Yi was stationed.

Chuixi Town was surrounded by four other towns, all of which had already been breached by Haoyu’s general Ji Lan.

Ji Lan was one of the five major generals, and he had fought many battles with Da Hui’s top martial generals. Although his martial skills weren’t on par with Nu Lie or Tai Lan, he was still a fierce general.

When Liu Yi’s forces clashed with him, they found it exceptionally difficult.