“This is truly a moment of fortune! The Kingdom of Jing has vanquished the Kingdom of Mu and can now dispatch troops south at any moment. The Qi rebels are caught in a perilous bind, unable to advance or retreat!”

So many days, so many lives sacrificed, all culminating in this auspicious outcome… Heaven truly has eyes!

“Heaven’s Mandate rests with Xia!”

“The hatred of this day, we must never forget!”

“We cannot allow the Qi dogs to retreat so easily! We must bite them fiercely!”

“General Wang speaks truly, bite them! Wait for the Kingdom of Jing to come south. Just this once, make them suffer!”

“If we can bury the Nine Corps and Three Armies here this time, perhaps Linzi… truly can be saved! What say you all?”

Within the council hall, voices rose and fell, a fervent chorus, then, like the receding tide, a wave of silence washed over them…

The opening of the hall doors by Xi Meng Fu also brought with it the chilling wind from outside. A mournful howl extinguished the fervent joy that had filled the air.

The chill of spring was, in fact, harder to bear than the cold of winter.

Unbidden, the assembly scattered, their gazes becoming wary. They stared at the corridor pillars, at their seats, at the fine lines at the corners of their neighbors’ eyes, at their own boot-clad feet…

In short, it was as if they could not see the approaching figure at all.

With every step Xi Meng Fu took, it was as if he trod upon falling rain and snow.

And the silence that enveloped the council hall, it was all a tacit interpretation of… “Unwelcome.”

The human heart was colder than the spring wind.

Xi Meng Fu seemed oblivious.

He had weathered far colder seasons, felt the chill of human hearts more acutely.

He knew, with crystalline clarity, the harsh truth of this world.

And the reason he could stride forward with such unwavering resolve was because once, a hand had pulled him from the cold tide of humanity, saving him from the bitter sea of drowning.

The warmth of that touch, even thirty-three years later, could still ward off the frost.

It could still support him, allowing him to walk a very long road.

He walked forward.

Walking past cold expressions.

Walking past scrutinizing gazes.

Walking past those who disliked, suspected, disdained, and hastened to avoid him.

He walked to the platform before the Wu Wang.

“I hear, Bei Gong Nan Tu has fallen?” he inquired.

“Yes, Meng Fu!” Si Jiao’s face was alight with a smile as he clapped the shoulder of this Grand Preceptor of Great Xia with force. “We have finally reached the turning point! This is the result of all our collective efforts!”

“The Kingdom of Jing, I presume, has already contacted you,” Xi Meng Fu asked, his words direct and to the point. “When do they plan to dispatch their troops?”

“Should Jiang Hong is currently leading his forces north in pursuit, and will only be finished once he has driven the remnants of the Mu Kingdom thoroughly back into the grasslands. Only then will he be free to come south.” Si Jiao spoke with an air of self-possession, his tone light and easy. “It won’t take long.”

“Three days? Seven days?” Xi Meng Fu pressed.

“Perhaps they still require some time to rest… Meng Fu.” Si Jiao looked at him. “Actually, the timing of the Kingdom of Jing’s arrival is no longer paramount. What matters is that the Qi Kingdom has lost its window of opportunity. The deterrent of the Kingdom of Jing is once again effective, and the great trend cannot be defied. With Cao Quan’s reasoning, he must surely have already begun preparations to withdraw his army!”

Looking into Si Jiao’s unfathomably deep eyes, Xi Meng Fu understood.

On the distant battlefield in the Sheng Kingdom, although the Kingdom of Jing held an overwhelming advantage and was on the cusp of ultimate victory in the Jing-Mu war, within its own ranks, there was still no consensus regarding the dispatch of troops southward. At the very least, Si Jiao had not yet received an affirmative reply.

Thinking about it, it was understandable.

What kind of strategic genius was the Empress of the Mu Kingdom?

For years, she had steadfastly guarded the borderlands, contending with the Sons of Heaven from various hegemonic powers, never ceding ground.

Since she had taken the initiative to ignite a war between hegemonic powers, she must surely have had her reasons for confidence. The God Crown Grand Priest descending from the Vault Mountain also undoubtedly had confidence in spreading the divine light beyond the grasslands.

Although the sources of this confidence and assurance remained unknown for now, and how the Kingdom of Jing achieved victory – whether through overwhelming strength or better preparation – was also unclear…

But even if Should Jiang Hong truly slew Bei Gong Nan Tu, how could it have been without cost?

The trump card that the Mu Kingdom could rely on for victory or defeat, how could it be easily crushed?

Even if the Kingdom of Jing won against the Mu Kingdom this time, it was absolutely not a crushing victory. It must have involved an extremely high price.

The Kingdom of Jing was, of course, unwilling to sit idly by and watch the Qi Kingdom expand, of course unwilling to witness the Qi Kingdom destroy Xia in a single war. But in this situation, were they willing to immediately engage in another hegemonic war?

How strong was their resolve to curb the Qi Kingdom’s expansion?

Perhaps only the people of the Kingdom of Jing themselves knew.

If they were truly willing to go to any lengths, the battle that unfolded on the Star Moon Plain should not have been a war between the Elephant Kingdom and the Dawn Kingdom, not a battle between the young prodigies of the Qi and Jing Kingdoms.

At that time, it should have been a great war between Yu Que and Jiang Meng Xiong!

With Feng Jie’s fall, the protective national array being forcibly breached, coupled with the rotten situation on the eastern front, the desecration of the imperial tomb, and the continuous breakthroughs on the northern front…

The morale of the people of Xia had already plummeted to rock bottom. The increasing number of generals on the eastern and western fronts surrendering to the Qi Kingdom was clear evidence. The eastern front had even almost used the surrendered army of Xia as the main force for the invasion of Xia!

Today’s Xia Kingdom urgently needed news of the Kingdom of Jing’s great victory and the impending arrival of the Jing Kingdom’s army in the south to boost military morale.

Thus, Si Jiao would, of course, not publicly declare that the Kingdom of Jing might not come south.

So, he would, of course, project an air of complete confidence, rejoicing with all the assembled nobles.

The Kingdom of Jing’s victory in the Jing-Mu war was, of course, absolutely good news for the Kingdom of Xia.

But to what extent was it good?

The regrettable truth was… it was not decided by the Kingdom of Xia itself.

It still depended on the resolve of the Qi and Jing Kingdoms, on the attitudes of these two great hegemonic powers.

From the perspective of the Kingdom of Jing, the most optimal outcome in the current situation was that the news of their great victory over the Mu Kingdom would spread, and the Qi Kingdom would be forced to withdraw its army to the eastern domain.

Thus, they would forcefully defeat the Mu Kingdom, win against the Qi Kingdom through momentum, and without paying any additional cost, they could easily secure everything on the Qi-Xia battlefield.

The next most optimal outcome was that the Qi Kingdom was determined to destroy Xia, and the Xia Kingdom would resist to the death, holding out until the great army of the Kingdom of Jing arrived in the south. At that time, with a pincer attack from inside and out, they would utterly defeat the Qi army.

Then, the Kingdom of Jing would first defeat the Mu Kingdom, and then defeat the Qi Kingdom. Although they would inevitably suffer significant losses themselves, they would still be an unparalleled hegemon in the world, the greatest empire in the present era.

The worst-case scenario was that the Xia Kingdom could not hold out, and even if the Kingdom of Jing came south, they would not be able to defeat the Qi army. At that time, everything the Kingdom of Jing had gained on the Sheng Kingdom battlefield might have to be surrendered!

Because with the current position of the Kingdom of Jing, which power in the world did not covet it? With the Kingdom of Jing’s history of dominating the world with military might, which power in the world did not secretly gnash its teeth? Once the myth of unparalleled dominance was broken, those powerful lords who had eyed the central domain for many years would surely find it difficult to restrain their blades.

In contending with world hegemons, the Kingdom of Jing could not afford to lose a single battle.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Jing absolutely did not wish to engage in war with the Qi Kingdom again in the current situation. Their willingness to aid Xia thus had a very large space for consideration…

This was all related to the performance of both the Qi Kingdom and the Xia Kingdom.

Now, let’s consider it from the perspective of the Qi Kingdom.

The Qi Kingdom was also absolutely unwilling to engage in war with the Kingdom of Jing in the current situation, otherwise, they would not have initially gone through such elaborate lengths, sending Cao Quan to Li Yuan City. They had exhausted every possible method, all to ensure that the people of the Kingdom of Jing had no time to look south.

The battle on the Star Moon Plain was the result of mutual apprehension and compromise between the Qi and Jing Kingdoms.

Ultimately, the Qi Kingdom gained the opportunity to invade Xia, and the Kingdom of Jing decided to concentrate its forces to confront the Mu Kingdom.

Now, the Kingdom of Jing had ended its war first. The Qi Kingdom, of course, faced a more difficult choice.

For the Qi Kingdom, the best outcome of this war was to completely flatten the Xia Kingdom before the Kingdom of Jing could free its hands. However, this was now clearly impossible. The defense line of the central city was at least solid as a golden soup for the moment. It was believed that holding out for another ten days or half a month would not be a problem, and the Kingdom of Jing clearing out the remnants of the Mu Kingdom within the Sheng Kingdom’s borders might not even take ten days.

To retreat just like this, to reenact the story of thirty-three years ago, were the people of Qi willing?

But if they did not retreat. Was the Qi Kingdom truly prepared to fight the Kingdom of Jing?

By the time the great army of the Kingdom of Jing arrived in the south, the fate of the hundred thousand strong army of the Qi Kingdom in this expedition to Great Xia might be uncertain.

The tragedy of today’s Xia Kingdom lay in this—even after resisting to the death, after holding out until now, until the world situation changed, they still had to await the will of other countries!

What should the Xia Kingdom do?

Xi Meng Fu pondered—

No matter how the Kingdom of Jing or the Qi Kingdom thought, the Xia Kingdom still needed to demonstrate its strength. It needed to let the Kingdom of Jing know that the arrival of the great army of the Kingdom of Jing in the south could achieve victory with less cost. It needed to let the Qi Kingdom know that if the Qi Kingdom wanted to destroy the Xia Kingdom, it would have to pay a higher price, and there was already greater uncertainty, bearing more risk.

In the strategic balance between the Qi and Jing Kingdoms, they must add their own weight. Making the former balance tilt towards “retreat,” and the latter balance tilt towards “south.”

This was what the Xia Kingdom should do.

And at least on this point, he and the Wu Wang should be in agreement.

Xi Meng Fu silently pondered all of this in his heart, then remained silent.

Si Jiao thus knew that he truly understood his meaning. He casually picked up a cup of wine, offered it to this Grand Preceptor, indicating that he should drink it down, indicating joy.

“Your Highness, the situation has changed. Should the various strong forces that have already set out for the northern front be recalled?” A minister beneath the platform asked at this time.

It was too late. Xi Meng Fu thought to himself.

“The arrow has left the string, how can it be retrieved?” Si Jiao said. “Furthermore, although the Kingdom of Jing is now free, the Qi army is completely like grasshoppers after autumn, they won’t last long. But our Great Xia has stood for a thousand years, how can everything rely on the strong Jing? Why can we maintain an independent legal system, unlike the Sheng Kingdom, where even the Son of Heaven ascending the throne needs to go to Da Luo Mountain to receive a seal… Isn’t it precisely the result of our bloody battles?”

He waved his large sleeve, stood up directly, and said: “The Kingdom of Jing will, of course, come. But no matter when the Kingdom of Jing comes, it will not affect our determination to give the Qi people a profound lesson! Colleagues, prepare for war!”

Xi Meng Fu and the Min Wang originally had no intersection, but this time, as if by a ghostly hand, he walked past.

“Does Your Highness have something on your mind?” he asked.

Yu Li Yang lifted his eyes, looking at him with a faint light. Towards the Xi Meng Fu whom everyone was avoiding, he surprisingly showed no special expression. He only said: “Like the Grand Preceptor, I am concerned for the country.”

He was indeed a handsome figure with rosy lips and white teeth, reflecting the half-open lotus flowers around him, an image straight out of a painting.

Xi Meng Fu slowly walked onto the stone bridge: “The Kingdom of Jing will soon be free. Your Highness can slightly ease your worries.”

Yu Li Yang looked at him: “Then why is the Grand Preceptor still uneasy?”

Xi Meng Fu then stopped in the middle section of the stone bridge, no longer walking towards the pavilion. He quietly looked at the reflection in the water for a while, and asked: “Your Highness, how do you think the Son of Heaven of Qi will choose? Will he let Cao Quan withdraw his army?”

Yu Li Yang looked worried, but not overly worried, and said: “He will, I think. The defeat of the Mu Kingdom is imminent. How much stronger is the Qi Kingdom compared to the Mu Kingdom? By what means can he fight on two fronts and challenge the Kingdom of Jing?”

“I hope so.” Xi Meng Fu said.

He paused, then added: “Your Highness’s character, truly, there is no need to mind some rumors.”

Yu Li Yang was slightly startled, looked at the green lotus leaves and red lotus flowers beside him, and smiled: “My life has been one of wandering, what is there to mind?”

He Yu Li Yang might not mind, but there were people who did.

There were people who sought only to follow their heart’s desires in their lifetime, and people who lived only for a single name.

He did not care about his own reputation, but he could not help but care about the reputation of that person.

Xi Meng Fu was silent for a long time this time.

Then he said: “The lotus flower does not bloom in spring. I once regretted this, but after leaving the boat, I no longer minded such things. Your Highness can change the flowering period, change the season, and possess power close to heaven, yet still not avoid regret. Thus I know that mountains and rivers are easy to change, but the human heart is hard to move.”

“Please treasure this, Your Highness.”

He only said this one sentence in the end, then turned and left this place.

Looking at the gradually receding figure of Xi Meng Fu on the stone bridge, Yu Li Yang detected a hint of the taste of settling matters.

He knew clearly what decision Xi Meng Fu had made, and what burden he bore.

Naturally, he also knew what kind of path Xi Meng Fu had chosen for himself.

Although they had not been familiar before, had no intersection.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel it.

Understanding Xi Meng Fu in this early spring, could truly be considered a regret.

But the regrettable things in life were not only in the lotus flower.

Not only in red.