Chapter 260: For a thousand years, mortal affairs rise and fall—the heart that seeks fame across the realm!

Tuoba Hongyan hurried to follow them.

You stepped out of the camp, and all the generals came to see you off.

Two fine horses were selected!

Three riders left the camp, Lu Yu riding beside you.

Tuoba Hongyan followed you two in dazed silence, feeling as if in a dream—he was actually traveling alongside Lu Chen!

This man, the Mo Luo of the people of Beifeng, walked calmly ahead of him.

Tuoba Hongyan did not know why, but gazing at your back, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

You flicked your whip lightly; the horses neighed and stamped.

You spurred your steed toward Yuezhou!

Inside the camp, Feng Haichao and the others stared without moving until the three riders shrank into a distant speck, then finally lowered their gazes.

Dou Gu stood calmly in the camp, hands tucked gently into his sleeves, expression serene.

Feng Haiping, seeing this, grew puzzled and asked: "Dou Gu, are you truly not worried about this journey?"

Dou Gu smiled faintly: "With the Young Marshal beside us, there's no cause for concern."

Upon hearing this, Feng Haiping and the others all nodded in agreement: "That's the truth!"

Know this!

This elite force of Yanbei Army had all its spear, staff, and lance techniques taught personally by Lu Yu—the overall instructor of forty thousand Lu Family troops!

A warrior who could stand against ten thousand on the battlefield!

At this moment, Feng Haiping, watching Dou Gu's confident demeanor, could not help speaking again:

"Then what do you think the situation in Beifeng will become?"

Dou Gu smiled: "I cannot guess the Yan King's thoughts, but I know Beifeng does not want to fight."

"The realm divides after long unity, unites after long division—there are no eternal enemies, nor eternal allies."

"After this, Yan territory will grow busy indeed."

Dou Gu pulled a booklet from his sleeve: "Essentials of Governing Beifeng." He had carried it constantly of late—it was now the highest secret within the Yanbei Army.

Dou Gu silently marveled: these policies were as exquisite as a celestial strategist's chessboard—each move held profound meaning, each step deliberate, all aimed squarely at the eternal stability of the northern lands.

"Truly, a mountain to be admired, a path to be followed!"

Dou Gu could not help imagining: "Could there truly be a fairy realm, and could the Young Protector have debated the Dao with sages there for a thousand years, thus composing such strategies for governing the realm?"

Dou Gu quickly shook his head with a wry smile, casting aside this absurd thought.

If immortals truly existed in this world, wouldn't they have been watching humanity all along?

Caressing the pale moon, a thousand years have passed in mortal affairs.

…………

…………

Yuezhou of Beifeng, its terrain forbidding as a heavenly chasm, mountains coiled like dragons, dense forests deep and dark.

As if crafted by heaven's own hand as a barrier!

An ancient city built encircling water, backed by a great mountain range.

Like a celestial sword plunged into the earth!

To travel from Hulao Pass to Huanglong Mansion, one must pass through Yuancheng.

Its strategic advantage made it easy to defend and hard to attack—a place contested by generals since ancient times.

Now!

Beifeng has stationed heavy forces here: forty thousand troops split into two wings, watching with bated breath.

Twenty thousand elite soldiers hold the city in firm defense; the other twenty thousand lie in ambush, hidden on the slopes to either side, forming a vast "pouch formation."

Waiting for the rabbit to come to the tree stump!

The Yellow River and Zhi River encircle the city—only direct assault remains.

Beifeng's hidden contingency.

Breaching the dam upstream on the Zhi River.

Should battle turn dire and beacon smoke rise, they would immediately act—open the dam, unleashing the Zhi River in a roaring torrent for a thousand li.

The Zhi River, Beifeng's greatest waterway, nourishes millions of acres of farmland along its banks—but also brings floods.

Managing water disasters!

Has become a key criterion for evaluating officials in the three southern prefectures.

Once breached!

This move would harm no Beifeng troops stationed on the high ground of Yuancheng—but beneath the Zhi River lie the homes of innocent civilians across three prefectures. Once the dam breaks, there will be no time to evacuate them; the flood will rage unchecked, causing unimaginable disaster.

It will drown homes, fields, cattle, and sheep—Beifeng itself hesitates to use this tactic; it is a scorched-earth strategy, never lightly deployed unless in utter desperation.

To sacrifice three prefectures and block Yanbei Army's northward advance!

At this moment!

The Beifeng War Council in Yuancheng.

Only a handful of men filled the room.

Two northern Grand Generals sat within.

Beside them stood!

A high-ranking advisor wrapped in a thick, heavy cloak, silent on the side.

At the head of the hall, a tall, white-haired elder sat with focused expression—he was the current ruler of Beifeng.

Tuoba Shuyi!

These four formed the core; no others were present.

"Any news?"

"Good, dismissed!"

The voice in the hall carried urgency—it was Tuoba Yuan.

A middle-aged man resembling Tuoba Shuyi, clad in armor.

Tuoba Yuan was not only the backbone of Beifeng's military might, its foremost pillar.

He was also Tuoba Shuyi's younger half-brother, fifteenth in birth order.

Though ten years younger, Tuoba Yuan, having lost his mother early, faced exclusion in the palace.

From childhood, he was raised by Tuoba Shuyi, taught to read and write, and accompanied him in warfare.

Truly, deep brotherly affection.

During Tuoba Shuyi's arduous rise to power, Tuoba Yuan's unwavering support proved decisive.

It paved the way for Tuoba Shuyi's ascent to the throne of Beifeng.

Among them was yet another!

A young general, tall and straight, clad in gleaming silver armor, strikingly radiant.

His face was like a jade mask, skin pale, lips thin and tightly pressed, eyes radiating an indescribable confidence and calm.

Gao Wenxiao!

He was the rising star of Beifeng's military.

Among this generation of commanders, he was renowned, having repeatedly led and successfully quelled rebellions among multiple tribes, with outstanding battle records.

Skilled at defeating larger forces with fewer troops!

Twice within Beifeng's borders, he ended warfare—each time displaying extraordinary military genius.

Once, he even subdued the enemy without fighting, causing them to surrender at the mere sight of his banner.

Moreover!

Gao Wenxiao authored military treatises, widely circulated among the people.

Some even regarded him as the reincarnation of Beifeng's "Great God of Eternal Heaven's Bow," endowing him with a layer of mystic reverence.

Added to this!

Gao Wenxiao enjoyed the backing of Beifeng's great clans—thus, at just twenty-six, he was appointed General of the Piaoqi, becoming the left-wing commander of this northern campaign.

He brimmed with confidence!

When others praised Lu Chen from fifteen years ago, Gao Wenxiao never contradicted them—but deep inside, he felt a trace of disdain.

He believed that had he been born then, Lu Chen's fame might never have reached such heights.

Now!

Yanbei Army's northward advance was, for Gao Wenxiao, a divine opportunity.

He longed to prove his strength and wisdom in this battle.

The world knew "Lu Chen," but not Beifeng's "Gao Wenxiao."

His gaze was calm, yet within burned a searing fire.

The young man harbored a heart that sought fame across the realm!

Among the four men, Gao Wenxiao, the young general, appeared the most composed.

The four in the hall remained silent.

Tuoba Yuan paced restlessly, unable to contain his anxiety.

"Any news?"

"Good, dismissed."

Tuoba Yuan dismissed the scouts outside the city gate.

Inside the hall!

Gu Yi coughed occasionally.

(End of Chapter)