In the Dao Li year 3920, within the Lin Zi prefecture, the winds of change and the rains of conflict swept through the land with unprecedented ferocity as the calendar turned past the twelfth month.

First, the grand army of Qi, bent on subjugating Xia, found its advance checked before the gates of Tong Yang City. What began with the momentum of a shattered bamboo grove in the initial three campaigns quickly devolved into a protracted war of attrition.

The Qi forces arrived beneath Tong Yang City on the twentieth day of November. On that very day, Xie Huai’an, commanding a coalition of thirty myriad soldiers from the various Eastern Domain nations, marched his forces towards Lin Wu. Simultaneously, Chen Fu led thirty myriad prefecture troops to You Ping. Following this initial thrust, however, no further advance was made. The western front had taken a mere four days to see the entire Feng Jie prefecture change hands. Yet, the subsequent half-month of fighting saw neither Lin Wu nor You Ping fully occupied!

It was a truth known to all: Qi’s conquest of Xia, the strategic space seized in the world’s grand chessboard, capitalized on the unprecedented opportunity presented by the Jing-Mu war. Speed was of the essence! Even the whispers of commoners in the streets and alleyways echoed this shared understanding.

However, upon reaching Xiang You Prefecture in the Xia territories, Cao Ji began to tarry. It was said he spent his days drilling troops outside Tong Yang City, and on multiple occasions, he was seen riding his steed across the Jiang Yin plain, leisurely enjoying the scenery, seemingly unconcerned with the battles raging on the northern and eastern fronts.

Slowly, voices of dissent began to rise from both court and countryside. The mighty Qi army, one hundred myriad strong, had taken but eight days to reach Xia. In a single day, they had shattered Jian Feng Mountain, and in three more, they had occupied the entirety of Feng Jie Prefecture! In less than another day, they had broken the Nine Dragon Raging Fire Array, forcing out Xia’s national protective grand array! The strength of the Qi army and the weakness of the Xia forces were laid bare for all to see.

If Xia was weak to such an extent, why did Cao Ji not break it in a single, decisive blow? And why were Chen Fu and Xie Huai’an, each leading thirty myriad strong armies, progressing with such frustrating slowness in taking You Ping and Lin Wu?

Amidst all these voices, one narrative gained the widest traction—if Xia was so weak, and Cao Ji was still fighting with such lethargy, perhaps it would have been better to have appointed Zhong Xuan Chu Liang as commander from the outset!

Between the court and the common folk, the debate over who was stronger, Cao Ji or Zhong Xuan Chu Liang, had always been a topic of endless discussion. In terms of status and influence within the military affairs hall, the two were always seen as equals, though Cao Ji held a slight edge. In terms of military records, Cao Ji had no particularly famous battles to his name. Zhong Xuan Chu Liang, however, had fought several astonishing wars, some even worthy of being recorded in history, far more conspicuous than Cao Ji’s career.

And reviewing the current campaign against Xia, one could easily discern that the initial speed of Cao Ji’s advance was actually a contribution of Zhong Xuan Chu Liang. It was Xiong Tu’s personal bravery, facing arrows and stones, that had led to the capture of Jian Feng Mountain in a single day, forcing Yu Li Yang to retreat, thereby shattering the will of the Xia army in Feng Jie Prefecture. This in turn paved the way for the subsequent three-day occupation of the entire prefecture. Yet, after this, it seemed Cao Ji, in an effort to suppress Xiong Tu’s military merit, had deliberately held back such a talented commander, keeping him at the Tong Yang City front to slowly drill troops. He allowed the battlefields of You Ping and Lin Wu to languish without intervening!

What strength did Qi possess, and what weakness did Xia exhibit? If Feng Jie could be occupied in four days, why not Xiang You, You Ping, or Lin Wu? If not in four days, then why not in fourteen? In such a crucial war, a fortnight had passed without an inch of progress. What was Cao Ji trying to achieve? What was Cao Ji doing? He had overturned the initial plans, allowed Ding Yuan Hou Zhong Xuan Chu Liang and the contemporary Cui Cheng Hou Li Zheng Yan to risk their lives, seen the nine-dead elite troops fight to the death, and directly delivered Zi Ji’s Zheng Long… only to then enter into a war of attrition?

Voices, increasingly clamorous, began to declare Cao Ji incompetent and jealous, demanding that the Emperor replace him with Xiong Tu. These voices, at first, held little sway, merely the gossip of those who could not grasp the larger situation. But in the Dao Li year 3920, on the seventh day of December, a momentous piece of news arrived, and public opinion instantly exploded…

On this day, the six great powers of the world, specifically the nation of Jing, formally initiated their westward expansion war! Following a formal military court meeting, this military court empire, dominant in the northern domain, dispatched the Ying Yang Guard Great General Zhong Shan Yan Wen, the Qing Hai Guard Great General Jiang Ke Lian, the Xiao Qi Great Commander Xia Hou Lie, and the She Sheng Great Commander Cao Yu Qian, each leading their respective armies, towards the five-country alliance in the northwest!

Jing’s six guards and seven protectors were the foundation of this military court empire. But this time, the dispatch of four major armies at once carried the momentum of thunder shattering jade. In the midst of the comprehensive Jing-Mu great war, with the Qi army heavily engaged in conquering Xia, it seemed Jing also found itself free to address its “old friends” on the western front. Han, Tie, Liao, Zhen, and Gao, these five nations of the harsh northwest, awoke to face the gleaming blade edge of the military court empire.

Although the war erupted in the contemporary northwest, its influence on the nation of Qi was also extremely far-reaching. World-changing events were never isolated, especially at the level of the world’s six great powers. Any action taken by one would inevitably impact the global pattern. Jing’s launch of its westward expansion war seemed, at first glance, to be solely Jing’s affair. However, it conveyed a posture, revealed a fact—in the great war between Jing and Mu, Jing was no longer free to intervene. With real troops dispatched and true, bloody warfare initiated, Jing was now fully committed. Even if Jing wished to withdraw and act elsewhere, it could no longer do so. Jing’s immersion in this new battlefield meant that both Mu and Jing could engage with greater freedom, unburdened by external concerns. Jing’s westward expansion, in fact, intensified the Jing-Mu war!

The resulting chain reaction was clear: Qi’s conquest of Xia now faced greater time pressure. The increased intensity of the Jing-Mu war meant that these two hegemonic powers would also decide the victor more quickly. Time waited for no one!

Therefore, after Jing launched its westward expansion war, the voices criticizing Cao Ji as incompetent, scolding him for misleading the nation, demanding a faster pace on the front lines, demanding a change in command to Zhong Xuan Chu Liang, and even demanding that the military god don his armor and go to battle… all became impossible to suppress. Among these voices, not all were from other nations. A very significant portion truly harbored concern for the Great Qi Empire and worried about the outcome of this war. Some even voiced the pessimistic saying: “To conquer Xia now, if not quickly obtained, will quickly perish!”

Public opinion had fermented to a point where a response was imperative. Even Cao Ji on the front lines, to a greater or lesser extent, felt the pressure.

But at this crucial juncture, Zhong Xuan Chu Liang, currently on the battlefield, dispatched a memorial via a ten-thousand-li expedition, urgently sending it back. It was presented to the Emperor and the princes above, and distributed to the hundred officials and common people below. In this memorial, Xiong Tu clearly stated that Cao Ji’s entire strategy for conquering Xia was being executed perfectly. Regarding Cao Ji’s command of the grand army for the conquest of Xia, he declared himself utterly convinced. He would strictly adhere to Cao Ji’s military orders and contribute his utmost strength to accelerate the end of this war. Regarding the debate between himself and Cao Ji within the court and countryside, he even wrote explicitly—

“In the confrontation of myriad armies, I am not his equal. In striving to slay a hundred thousand, he is not my equal. In this war that shakes the nation, I should attach myself to the tail of his horse!”

He personally drew a close to the debate about his and Cao Ji’s leading abilities, ending it by stating his inferiority. With his life’s honor, he completed Cao Ji.

Once this memorial was released, it immediately extinguished the voices within the court and countryside that wished to use him to replace Cao Ji. Closely following this, the military god Jiang Meng Xiong, speaking publicly through the Zhen Guo Yuan Shuai Fu, declared that Cao Ji was fighting this battle very well, that Xia no longer had any opportunity, and that he firmly supported Cao Ji.

And then…

The Qi Emperor, in the court hall, facing the civil and military officials, stated unequivocally, with nail and iron precision:

“In the matter of the conquest of Xia, there shall be no interference with Cao Ji. Unconditional support for Cao Ji! If Cao Ji says to fight for one year, I will support him to fight for one year. If Cao Ji says to fight for ten years, I will support him to fight for ten years!”

Thus, the myriad voices were silenced. Who knows how many secretly pushed public opinion tides were calmed in this manner? After all, the Qi Emperor had even uttered the words “fight for ten years.” Cao Ji had only lingered for a mere dozen or so days. What was there to be so urgent about?