As the Qi army swept through Fengli Prefecture, piercing through Linwu and Fengli, achieving a great victory on the eastern front, earth-shattering news arrived from Great Ye Prefecture, exploding like thunder across a thousand *li*. On the twenty-sixth day of December, in the year 3920 of the Dao Calendar, Chong Xuan Zun, the vanguard general of the Great Qi, led three thousand soldiers, moving by day and night, traversing the perilous Leopard Valley. They suddenly appeared in Great Ye Prefecture, assaulting and killing the Qingling garrison general, seizing Qingling City. From there, they pushed the routed soldiers before them, invading the Imperial Tomb. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, Chong Xuan Zun slew the tomb guardian, a cultivator of the Shenlin Realm, utterly routed the tomb guardian legion, and besieged the tomb of Emperor Xia Xiang!

This single battle shook the world.

How he vanished from the Linwu battlefield, suddenly appeared in Great Ye Prefecture, advanced so rapidly within the heavily garrisoned prefecture, breached Qingling City, and slew that veteran Shenlin Realm tomb guardian – these questions, perhaps, could only be revisited after the war’s end.

But the fact remained, undisputed: the Qi army had struck a vital blow at the heart of the Xia Dynasty!

While the frontline was still embroiled in intense combat, the ancestral graves of the Xia Emperor in the rear had been captured by the Qi army!

It is worth noting that Chong Xuan Zun did not desecrate the Imperial Tomb or exhume the imperial bones. Unlike many speculations, he did not open Emperor Xia Xiang’s coffin to whip the corpse, trample upon the Xia imperial family, or step on the dignity of the Si clan of Great Xia.

Instead, he meticulously tidied the tomb of Emperor Xia Xiang, personally offered prayers, composed a text chronicling the Emperor’s life and achievements, praised his virtues, and mourned his passing.

Then, piling soil to form an altar, he burned incense and performed a ritual, representing the Qi Emperor… to conduct an enfeoffment ceremony.

In the name of the Great Qi Empire, he enfeoffed Emperor Xia Xiang as the Marquis of Anle of Qi, personally carving the stele and erecting it before the tomb!

A deceased individual, of course, could not refuse.

No matter how commanding one’s power was in life, no matter what kind of wise ruler or hegemon one became, once laid in the grave, a lifetime’s reputation could only be inscribed by others.

The title “Marquis of Anle” was precisely the term of surrender offered to the Xia Emperor by the Qi Emperor in the final ultimatum sent before the Qi-Xia War commenced. The Xia Emperor, at the time, had naturally torn it to shreds and furiously denounced the old thief Jiang Shu. In turn, he also intended to enfeoff the Qi Emperor.

But now, it was self-evident whose face was truly swollen.

Chong Xuan Zun’s literary talent was not outstanding, merely standard. Yet, within the text titled “Sacrifice to the Great Qi Marquis of Anle, Si Ming Yuan Zhe,” there was a particular sentence:

“Now your descendants are unworthy, and the Emperor of the Eastern Realm seeks to preserve the bloodline of heroes, to ensure your descendants enjoy eternal wealth and nobility. Enfeoffed with land under the Great Nation, they shall receive good fields, treasures, and jewels, while finding peace and joy!”

The current Xia Emperor, faced with the phrase “your descendants are unworthy,” how could he refute it?

Chong Xuan Zun’s action directly demoted the present Xia Emperor to the heir of the Marquis of Anle – a declaration that if you do not accept the enfeoffment, I will enfeoff your father!

This one-sided enfeoffment ceremony targeting a deceased individual, though seemingly absurd, in fact, pulled the Xia imperial family down from their pedestal.

The current Xia Emperor’s inability to protect the ancestral tombs was a fact. That his great father emperor, who once looked down upon the world with pride, was enfeoffed with a marquisate by another after death, was also a fact.

Some people lamented: “The common people of Great Xia number in the billions, with generals like clouds and ministers like rain, commanding hundreds of thousands of soldiers, claiming they would trample the Eastern Realm with their horses. Yet how were the gates of the nation breached, only to bring humiliation upon our ancestors!”

Others decried: “Below, they cannot protect the common people; above, they cannot guard the ancestral tombs. What use are the great armies? What use are the great generals? The entire court, civil and military, feasting like kings and marquises, what can they actually accomplish?”

The face of the Xia imperial family was utterly lost!

Across the various prefectures and cities of Great Xia, the entire nation mourned.

Wherever the news spread, weeping sounds filled the air.

On one hand, many generals simply disregarded orders, no longer steadfastly defending their lines. They angrily led their troops towards Great Ye, vowing to defend the First Emperor – a move that caused huge upheaval in the nationwide defense system meticulously built by Si Jiao.

On the other hand, many people completely lost their fighting spirit!

What kind of character was Emperor Xia Xiang? He had brought the Xia Dynasty to unprecedented prosperity, truly deserving the title of the First Emperor since Great Xia’s founding. Even decades after his death, he remained a spiritual leader in the hearts of many Xia people.

Yet such a great existence, his lifetime of hegemony interrupted by Qi, still had to receive enfeoffment from Qi after death.

How extreme was this humiliation? How truly unworthy were the descendants!

When the frontline in Tongyang City received this news, a group of important ministers of the Great Xia Empire knelt facing the direction of Great Ye Prefecture, many wailing loudly.

Even Yun Huai Bo, Zhang Lingyu, committed suicide on the spot, his hair covering his face as he mutilated his own corpse, declaring he had no face to see the First Emperor!

The Prime Minister of the Nation, Liu Xiyi, removed his prime minister’s seal, intending to angrily return to Great Ye and vow to kill Chong Xuan Zun, yet he was restrained by Wu Wang, Si Jiao.

Cao Ji, at this very moment, with the forces of the Spring Death, Autumn Kill, and Chase Wind armies, fiercely attacked Tongyang, leaving the important ministers within Tongyang City unable to move, consumed by mourning!

During this period, of the seven cities in southern Linwu, only three remained. The spearhead of the Qi army was already approaching Huyang Pass!

At the same time, the Qi army, having fully occupied Fengli Prefecture, after a brief reorganization, surged into Hui Ming Prefecture.

Unlike the Fengli Prefecture campaign, where the troops were divided into two routes, each with its own commander, the Hui Ming Prefecture campaign was a complete feast for those seeking military merit. Each general, relying on their own abilities, led their troops in a chaotic but effective assault.

Among them, Chong Xuan Sheng, Jiang Wang, Bao Bozhao, Yan Po, and Ouyang Yong performed the most outstandingly, achieving consecutive victories and repeatedly capturing enemy cities.

Furthermore, some Qi forces pushed through Fengli Prefecture and attacked Jinnan Prefecture.

Units eager for merit had already advanced beyond Hui Ming and entered Shaokang Prefecture!

At this very moment, if one were to outline all the battle lines on the map of the Xia Dynasty, the situation would be laid bare. One could clearly see that on the eastern front, flags were blooming in all directions.

The great victory meticulously planned and achieved by Chong Xuan Sheng on the eastern front, and Chong Xuan Zun’s audacious strike at the Great Xia Imperial Tomb, had triggered a chain reaction.

Aggression on the eastern front burned fiercely, while Tongyang City on the central front remained suppressed. On the northern front, only three cities in Youping Prefecture stubbornly resisted, and Tian Anping was already leading his troops into Wuxing Prefecture!

The Xia Dynasty’s defense line, which had always been under intense pressure, was now, in a single night, teetering on the brink!

Drawing a line on a vast map like this, the mountains and rivers, the majestic valleys and cities of Great Xia, felt both familiar and strange.

Familiar were the every blade of grass and every tree. Strange was the ubiquitous presence of blades and weapons.

Perhaps it should not feel strange?

It was nothing but a re-enactment of the story from thirty-two years ago… but could it truly be re-enacted?

The routes of the spreading Qi army on the map were like a powerful giant, its mighty arms already open, tightly strangling the neck of the Xia Dynasty, continuously exerting force.

Across the entire Qi-Xia battlefield, the Qi army’s situation was overwhelmingly favorable.

The Xia army appeared to be in disarray!

No, where only appeared?

Sending aid to Great Ye Prefecture, pursuing and killing Chong Xuan Zun, saving Hui Ming, helping consolidate the defenses of Jinnan Prefecture, protecting Shunye and the capital – the entire empire was riddled with holes in an instant. This was the result of the chaos and losses on all fronts, leaving people at a loss as to where to begin patching things up.

Consider why Cao Ji chose to fully spread out the battle situation – it was precisely based on absolute confidence in the quality of the Qi army, precisely foreseeing such a situation as today!

The people of Xia, of course, were tenacious, resisting stubbornly on every battlefield.

But the winning momentum of the Qi army was continuously accumulating, their blades and weapons becoming sharper, the beacon fires burning more fiercely.

For the Xia Dynasty, it was a predicament of dismantling the eastern wall to supplement the western, a desperate plight!

That pen, finally, stopped on the map, grasped by a hand with bulging blue veins, crushed into wisps of smoke. Fragile, lingering smoke.

Above the mark of the city pool named Wuyang on the map, just this wisp of smoke hung, and this hand.

Suddenly, the hand smashed down heavily, like a collapsing mountain!

Thus, the vast map was scattered.

In the darkness, a voice spoke: “Hatred arises from suffering injury yet being unable to retaliate.”

“Anger is born from dissatisfaction with the current situation yet being powerless.”

“These are all manifestations of weakness!”

New Year’s Eve of the Dao Calendar year 3920 arrived in the midst of war.

For the people of Qi and Xia alike, this day, traditionally celebrated by countless families, was a complex experience.

Bao Bozhao felt no particular sentiment towards New Year’s Eve.

As the legitimate eldest son of Shuo Fang Bo, he had long maintained strict self-discipline, rarely indulging in leisure. He had studied much, only lamenting the swift passage of time. Military strategy and tactics, Daoist techniques and divine powers, laws and rituals, day after day of cultivation – so-called festivals were nothing but comings and goings, nothing but maintaining various relationships, not truly relaxed days.

Especially at this moment on the Qi-Xia battlefield, all he saw with his eyes were military merits.

The inheritance of Shuo Fang Bo’s title had already been settled, but he would not relax because of it. What he would pursue hereafter was how to surpass the glory of “Shuo Fang”!

The Qi army held a great advantage, and the Xia army’s will to resist was not as tenacious as it had been earlier.

A clear phenomenon was… for the Xia army, surrender seemed to have become less difficult.

Chong Xuan Sheng’s forces had to assault Dai City for two days and nights before it surrendered, surrounding it on all sides and exerting pressure. Later, forcing the surrender of Shouan was accomplished by merely bringing a camp of surrendered troops…

And now, even guarding forces that would surrender upon seeing the Great Qi army’s flag had appeared.

For example, this city before his eyes.

The situation was clear for all to see…

In the face of the Great Qi army’s spearhead, the Xia Dynasty fundamentally had no power to counterattack!

The so-called Wu Wang, the so-called Min Wang, the Ximeng Prefecture, Liu Xiyi – all were suppressed in Tongyang City, unable to move.

With the main forces of the three armies all engaged in the Tongyang City battlefield, the Qi Dynasty, relying solely on county soldiers and allied armies from the various Eastern Domain nations, was still like a strong wind sweeping away fallen leaves, horizontally sweeping through Xia territory.

The two nations that once contended for hegemony were now, today, completely opponents on different levels.

What dragon-tiger struggle? It was nothing but a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep!

Thus, the Qi Emperor fundamentally had no intention of personally coming to finish things. Si Yuan was already dead, and the Qi Emperor was too lazy to look south.

Thus, the divine generals of the Great Qi army had also not arrived.

People indeed held feelings for their homeland, a heart to guard their territory and defend their borders. These Xia generals and troops indeed possessed chests full of hot blood.

But a hopeless battle, how long could it be sustained?

Qi and Xia were originally one sect!

Bao Bozhao silently recited this phrase, only feeling how wonderfully incomparable it was, making one feel as if the political wisdom of the former Prime Minister Yan Ping followed the heavens and responded to fate, merging sects and flowing as one, dissolving how much enmity!

Now was precisely the time to receive surrenders.

Bao Bozhao dismounted gracefully, lending a hand to support the Xia army’s guarding general kneeling before him, speaking kindly:

“The moment I saw General, I felt an immediate kinship! General’s decision to abandon darkness and turn to light, bringing the city back to Qi, truly moves this Bao!

From now on, we are one family, there is no need to be estranged from me!”

The manner of being wise and humble, Bao Bozhao naturally possessed in abundance. He performed it seamlessly, making people feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

He grasped the man’s hand, smiling warmly: “My name is Bozhao, what should I call my brother?”

The Xia army guarding general before him was still somewhat flustered: “Your subordinate, Wei Guangyao.”

“Excellent name!” Bao Bozhao praised, patting his shoulder to ease his unease: “Brother Wei is handsome and speaks extraordinarily well. You are sure to achieve something in Great Qi!”

Then, with a hint of complaint, he added: “From now on, you are a person of Qi. Offering the city is a great merit, how can you still use the word ‘subordinate’?”

“It is I who spoke wrongly.” Wei Guangyao clearly relaxed considerably, almost slapping his own mouth: “Truly, I should be hit.

I still haven’t adjusted yet!”

Both men laughed.

While they spoke for a while, the well-trained Qi army had already completed the control of key points in the city’s defenses. They had taken the hub of the city’s great defense array and began to seal off storehouses and tally military supplies.

A group of people, chatting and laughing, thus walked towards the city gate archway.

In the midst of their conversation and laughter, Bao Bozhao glanced at the city tower against the light, clearly seeing the two characters “Wuyang.”

He suddenly laughed: “Speaking of it, my name contains ‘Zhao,’ which also has the meaning of ‘Yang.’ There is truly some fate with this city!”

Wei Guangyao laughed heartily: “As General says, your ‘Zhao’ character is bright sunlight, and my ‘Guangyao’ is also bright. I should claim kinship with General!”

Bao Bozhao said: “Qi and Xia were originally one sect. Now that you and I are both people of Qi, how are we not relatives? If Brother Guangyao does not dislike it, we shall address each other as brothers from now on!”

Wei Guangyao suddenly became solemn, bowing his hand to Bao Bozhao in a formal gesture: “What virtue and ability do I, Wei Guangyao, possess to receive favor from such a figure as you! No other words, from now on, I shall regard you as my elder brother! I am willing to serve before and after the saddle for elder brother!”

Bao Bozhao was a famous genius figure of Great Qi, while Wei Guangyao, over thirty years old, had only managed to become the guarding general of Wuyang City. In terms of age, Wei Guangyao was undeniably older. But as the saying goes, the capable one is the elder brother, and this address of “elder brother” was not cold! He called it very smoothly.

Bao Bozhao smiled as he supported the man: “Such trivial matters as serving before and after the saddle, I may not need my wise brother for, but building merits and establishing careers, that is something we must do hand in hand with my wise brother!”

“Elder brother is willing to promote me, how can this younger brother not follow? From now on, wherever elder brother points, that is where I will strike. Guangyao will have absolutely no second thoughts!”

Bao Bozhao smiled brilliantly.

In this war against Xia, he had already recognized four sworn brothers. After returning to Qi, they would all be his foundation. To hold a city in the Xia Dynasty, to be renowned in a prefecture, to command soldiers – these people all possessed true abilities and were not easily recruited.

If not for this war, where could he find them?

He needed these people’s abilities. These people, after surrendering to Qi, their half-lifetime’s accumulation was gone, and they also needed to leverage the power of his Great Qi Bao family. It was precisely a case of each taking what they needed.

Such relationships were truly reliable.

“Come, Brother Guangyao, tell me about this Wuyang City.” Bao Bozhao walked and observed this city pool, rich in color and possessing the typical style of Xia land.

Wei Guangyao also smiled and accompanied him, explaining readily: “Wuyang City has a long history, nestled against mountains and beside water, with a beautiful environment, ever since the First Emperor pacified the Ghost Head Barbarians. Look at my mouth! It has been since Emperor Xia Xiang pacified the Ghost Head Barbarians that—*Boom*!”

The city gate, clearly already under the control of the Qi army, *boomed* shut!

This single sound was like a strong man striking a heaven drum, like a startling thunderclap moving the nine heavens.

The entire Wuyang City suddenly plunged into darkness!

First, set a small goal, such as staying alive: