Chapter 398: The Great War Breaks Out!

The Fifth Divine General of the Realm, Yuwen Lie, appeared in Xiyicheng; Xiyicheng had gathered the full strategic reserves of all western frontier cities, mobilizing troops that now totaled two hundred thousand men.

Although He Ruo Qinhu had previously suffered a crushing defeat with his own troops.

But Li Duke, moves like the wind.

He fled without hesitation.

Retreat!

Despite losing the territories previously conquered by Yuwen Lie after his campaign against the Tuyuhun, he preserved the greatest possible strength of Ying's western forces.

But this time, there was no room for retreat—he was forced onto the roaring gambling table of the realm; the Yuwen family had already expanded beyond its borders, and thus, the three guest generals within Anxi City—Yuwen Hua, Yuwen Tianxian, and Li Zhaowen—could not suppress their shifting moods, their resolve sinking.

Although according to the rules of generals and their own moral codes, they would never betray Anxi City at this moment.

Yet under this overwhelming tide of national crisis, being allowed to lead troops and fight on behalf of Anxi City felt cruelly heartless; these three generals could only temporarily remain within Anxi City to recuperate.

Yuwen Lie, in this era, had long been a divine general with imperial-destroying victories—arrogant, cold, yet solemnly majestic; he stood at the Ninth Heaven Realm, his White Tiger Manifestation, and commanded eight thousand Tiger Barbarian Cavalry—the three elite cavalry corps.

Yuwen Lie, with only his Tiger Barbarian Cavalry, possessed the means to confront legendary martial heroes.

The Green Robe Immortal had already proven the threat of this fierce tiger with his own life.

Facing such an opponent, Yu Langwang was even more cautious than he had been against He Ruo Qinhu.

He Ruo Qinhu, an old general, though renowned and experienced, lacked vital vigor and martial ferocity; Yu Langwang was cunning, and facing a divine general whose martial arts, strategy, and physical prowess were all at the peak of his career—just like Li Guanyi—he could not afford the slightest underestimation.

The situation had reached this point.

Strategy and cunning had been pushed to their limits.

Both sides' objectives were now brutally clear!

Then, let the slaughter begin!

Yu Langwang divided his army into three columns and simultaneously summoned twenty-seven enfeoffed Tian Kehan, promising them rewards after the fall of Xiyicheng, and warning them that if Yuwen Lie won.

That cold, arrogant White Tiger would show no mercy to the western barbarians—he had seized his chance, marched relentlessly, and annihilated the Tuyuhun in one breath; all Tuyuhun nobles had been slain by Yuwen Lie.

It is only a pity that the Tuyuhun Imperial Seal did not fall into his hands.

Thus, Yuwen Lie harbored a hidden fury toward the western lands.

Being sent to the central plains battlefield was one thing—but now that he had come to the west, he would show no mercy.

So, many Tian Kehan, either coerced or lured by profit, made their choices, raising their banners as raiding forces under Yu Langwang's command; Yu Langwang's forces had brutally crushed He Ruo Qinhu, suffering over seventy thousand casualties, then campaigned everywhere—now his combat troops numbered no more than one hundred thousand, with another one hundred thousand in logistics, and he held no advantage against Yuwen Lie.

This would be an absolute slaughter.

"This is the battle between a single divine general and a nation."

Po Jun's tone was somber: "Even a formidable divine general like Yu Langwang, who wins every battle and captures every stronghold, still suffers losses and depletion; lately, though he appears invincible and dominant, he is actually on a downward slope."

"Men grow fewer with every fight."

"But Ying, occupying the central plains, thousands of miles wide, can still endure—even if it cuts off its own flesh and drains its blood; when a general like He Ruo Qinhu falls, it instantly produces another Yuwen Lie, and still has countless troops to spare."

"This is what is called a 【National War】."

"In a National War, the nation's total strength is the foundation of victory or defeat."

"Yu Langwang..."

Po Jun fell silent; he did not wish to speak of this outcome, yet it was obvious: whether Yu Langwang won or lost, his final fate was the same—he would die. Li Duke, calm and restrained, moved like the wind—he had simply retreated into his fortress.

He intended to simply outlast Yu Langwang to death.

But Yuwen Lie was different.

Such a valiant, solemn, renowned general would surely choose to clash head-on with Yu Langwang—to devour the wolf with a tiger's might, seeking a glorious, undeniable, unassailable victory.

Li Guanyi said: "... If Yu Langwang falls, we too will have no hope in the west; Yuwen Lie will surely come to fight us."

"Mr. Po Jun, prepare to mobilize troops and reinforce Yu Langwang."

Po Jun rose, bowed: "Yes."

The Tiance Prefecture began to operate.

Master Yan Daiqing handled logistics, Po Jun oversaw overall coordination, Yuan Zhi commanded the frontline formations, and Wen He was tasked with allying with Lu Youxian.

Regarding this last point, Li Guanyi deeply doubted it.

Mr. Wen He claimed that Lan Wendu still owed them fifty taels of silver.

Thus, Qin Wu Hou readily agreed.

He gazed at the sky, sword in hand; spring had arrived, and the western skies were beautiful. Li Guanyi gripped the blade of Chixiao Sword with one hand and drew the divine weapon—the blade shimmered with brilliant gold-red light, reflecting in his pupils.

Yuwen Lie...

Li Guanyi thought.

He was the first supreme divine general Li Guanyi had ever encountered.

Back then, in Jiangzhou City, he had been only a Second Heaven Jinwu Guard; Yuwen Lie had already destroyed the Tuyuhun and, at thirty, become the Fifth Divine General of the Realm, his aura magnificent.

Back then, Yuwen Lie had held absolute murderous intent toward him—Jiang Gao had intervened—but looking back now, that past felt hazy.

In the end, they must settle it in full battle.

Yet, by common logic, this Yuwen Lie was surely the true Bai Hu Da Zong? Deep within, he felt a faint resonance—Yuwen Lie's instant, absolute murderous intent upon meeting him was only natural.

Li Guanyi thought.

Suddenly, he sensed a sound, turned his head—and there, before the main house of the Anxi City governor's courtyard, in the springtime west, a girl sat quietly, silver hair cascading, a scroll resting on her knees, reading in stillness.

The entire Anxi Army—or rather, the core of the Fire Qilin troops integrated into Anxi Army—

Had already received the Yaoguang compilation's handbook.

They now possessed basic abilities to observe celestial phenomena, star patterns, hydrology, and use such natural data to guide military maneuvers; the entire army had transformed. Beside the silver-haired girl, the Fire Qilin lay curled like a cat, basking in the breeze.

Yao Guang looked up at Li Guanyi: "Huh???"

"Nothing."

Li Guanyi smiled: "It's quite good."

The silver-haired girl looked at him, then shifted slightly, placing the scroll on her knees, extending her hand to pat the stone bench beside her, her face expressionless.

Pat. Pat.

She paused, then patted again.

Like luring a stray cat by the roadside.

Li Guanyi smiled, understanding Yao Guang's intent, and walked over to sit on the stone bench, holding his sword, leaning against the rear corridor. The spring wind of the Western Regions brushed past; his black temple hairs fell softly, beside him the quiet silver-haired girl read.

The content was stargazing techniques; Yao Guang had spent this period collecting legends from every tribe across the Western Regions, compiling a comprehensive stargazing text to inherit, integrate, and systematically pass down the knowledge accumulated over the past centuries.

She was fusing the knowledge of the Western Regions, the Central Plains, the Scholar's Palace, and the Shiwaisan Sect.

And making it utterly systematic.

The world was in chaos; unrest surged across the Western Regions.

Yet Li Guanyi still felt a quiet peace.

Yao Guang pondered, then lifted the scroll.

Deep in thought.

Li Guanyi was lost in thought when the silver-haired girl suddenly stood up.

Li Guanyi turned back with a smile and said, "Yao Guang, are you—"

Li Guanyi froze. A cool, pale hand reached out, pressing against his eye sockets, then gently pushing backward. He did not resist, fearing his struggle might injure Yao Guang, and collapsed entirely downward.

He felt his body tilting back; through the narrow gap between her fingers, the world inverted, wind brushing past.

The back of Li Guanyi's head touched a warm, slightly resilient surface; he froze slightly.

That hand quietly withdrew.

Li Guanyi looked upward, his gaze meeting the vast, tranquil sky of the Western Regions, his occiput resting on the girl's thighs. The silver-haired girl extended her left hand to rest quietly on his forehead, her right hand holding the scroll, two fingers flipping its pages.

The spring wind stirred; Yao Guang's silver temple hairs fell.

Her soft left hand stroked quietly.

The girl's face held no expression, her tone devoid of ripples, her voice serene:

"The book says this will help you relax."

"The book?"

Li Guanyi froze. Looking up, he saw the girl had stacked two scrolls together: the upper one was her compiled collection of Western Regions stargazing techniques; beneath it lay another volume.

The First-Generation Yao Guang Manual

Li Guanyi couldn't help laughing aloud.

It's not bad…

He thought.

Li Guanyi's eyes gazed at the distant sky.

Though this had placed him in immediate opposition to Yuwen Lie from the start.

Yet he did not regret meeting Yao Guang.

The Bai Hu Da Zong?

Today, having come this far, he slightly lowered his gaze and fell into quiet sleep. The situation was complex; he could not afford to be anything less than fully alert.

He had not closed his eyes for four or five days.

I will not relinquish this title again.

For the first time in a long while, Li Guanyi slept soundly. When he woke, drowsy, it was evening. He slowly opened his eyes to see the distant horizon glowing with twilight clouds, froze, and heard a serene voice beside him:

"You've awakened."

Li Guanyi lifted his gaze and saw the silver-haired girl still waiting beside him, her silver hair shimmering with the glow of the sunset, just as she had promised—no matter the time, no matter how fierce or bloody the battlefield ahead.

Whenever Li Guanyi turned back, Yao Guang would be there.

"Mm. It's rare to feel this at ease for so long."

He rolled over and sat up, stretched, exhaled, and from afar came the arguing voices of Yuan Zhi and Po Jun. Li Guanyi picked up his sword, bid farewell to Yao Guang, and strode forward once more toward battle and slaughter.

The silver-haired girl watched him depart in silence, deep in thought.

"This time, it feels like what the First-Generation Yao Guang Manual recorded."

Fire Qilin: "………？？？"

The silver-haired girl carefully recorded, saying:

"The tingling sensation emanating from him."

"It makes you want to run away, yet also to draw near, unable to refuse."

"So that's it, Fire Qilin—do you understand?"

Fire Qilin, eating a ripe fruit: "Huh???"

"Me?!!"

The silver-haired girl gazed into the distance, then closed the scroll and stood, walking outward.

And then—

Thud.

She collapsed onto the ground.

The silver-haired girl pushed herself up with her hands, stared at her left leg, her eyes devoid of ripples. Fire Qilin burst into laughter, mocking: "Hahahaha! I know, I know! It's because you sat too long—your leg went numb!"

"I understand! You could've just pushed him off when your leg went numb!"

The silver-haired girl sat up, shook her head, and silver hairs swayed, leaves falling from them.

A few stray strands clung to her lips.

Her clear eyes fixed on Fire Qilin.

Stare—

The Fire Qilin's mocking laughter gradually faded, grew weaker.

Yao Guang reached out and squeezed the Fire Qilin's catlike head.

Then she took two fine fruits from the Fire Qilin's arms.

"Goodbye."

The silver-haired girl tucked the scroll under her arm and hopped lightly back the way she came.

Fire Qilin: "???"

"Huh???"

The tide of fate surged forward; to advance was life, to retreat was death—there was no room for even a shred of cowardice.

That day, the Xiyicheng army marched out; Yuwen Lie personally led the troops, accompanied by Yuwen family's famed generals, reclaiming the territories and cities previously seized by the Yu Langwang, then surged forward like a tiger, slashing and fighting with ferocity.

The Yu Langwang divided his forces into three armies: the center army advanced ahead, while the left and right wings swept back and forth, clashing with Yuwen Lie's forces, each side gaining temporary advantages.

The Anxi army left over one hundred thousand troops to guard its seventy-plus cities.

Most of these defenders were fierce westerners; their combat readiness was utterly inadequate for a battlefield of this scale—entering it would be nothing short of suicide. Li Guanyi led only fifty thousand elite soldiers into battle, as the fighting occurred near his own territory.

The logistical burden was lighter.

The accompanying forces consisted of ten thousand: Qi Bi Li's Golden Crescent Blade Cavalry and Wang Shunchen's Assault Hundred-Protect Camp.

And seven thousand Qilin Guards under deputy commanders Fan Qing, Ye Buyi, and Zhou Liu.

Five thousand Great Halberd Soldiers under General Yue Qianfeng as commander and Gong Zhenyong as deputy.

And thirty thousand Azure Wolf Guards under Chen Wenmian as commander and Xu Huiyang as deputy.

Yuan Zhi served as the campaign strategist, Ximen Hengrong as bodyguard, and Li Kedi, Yu Chi Xiong, and others fought fiercely alongside.

Together, over fifty thousand elite troops struck the Yiguo army from the southwest of Xiyicheng as Yuwen Lie's main force clashed with the Yu Langwang's center. Simultaneously, Lu Youxian led another fifty thousand elite troops and plunged directly into the battlefield from another direction.

The divine general known as Old Turtle no longer concealed himself.

He set aside his long spear and charged onto the battlefield wielding a massive hammer.

Size is power, weight is might!

Opponents who faced him—even those clad in precious armor—were utterly ineffective; they were often crushed, their armor dented, flesh beneath mangled, internal organs shattered, spitting three sheng of blood before dying.

As they advanced the frontline, they constructed defensive works and erected fortresses.

This allowed Chen's logistics to operate at high speed with near-total immunity to disruption, keeping troop morale and combat effectiveness at a peak state. As this great war unfolded, within days the fighting grew even more brutal.

Li Guanyi had no time to think of anything else; this battle held no deception—it was pure, brutal collision. Every inch of frontline advance meant death and terrifying logistical consumption.

The army led by Yuwen Lie displayed the pinnacle of Yiguo's elite strength; though Li Guanyi and Lu Youxian's lines pressed forward and gained advantage, they could not achieve rapid breakthroughs.

Whether Li Guanyi's strategy—centered on himself as commander, with fierce generals, brilliant strategists, and elite troops—or Lu Youxian's steady, methodical advance, both were held in check.

Yiguo's troops retreated but did not break.

They showed not the slightest sign of defeat.

Yuwen Lie's terrifying prowess was evident here.

"This is a delay tactic…"

"From the start, they never intended to win with these two flanks; their sole aim was to stall reinforcements—to stand like two shields, holding back us, Lu Youxian, and the khans of the western territories."

"Then, Yuwen Lie will strike with full force, smashing straight through the Yu Langwang."

Li Guanyi had seen through Yiguo's battle strategy.

Yuwen Lie, this famed general, displayed his ruthless, heroic might in full—consistent with his usual disdain for fools—he embodied the highest ideal of a commander in military doctrine.

He did not wage wars without meaning or necessity.

War was merely a means; the grand tide of fate was the goal.

War served the grand tide of fate—not the other way around.

Yuwen Lie precisely knew the primary strategic objective of this war, and had no intention of wasting time on Li Guanyi and others—he seemed determined to eliminate the Yu Langwang first.

Then, depending on his troop strength, he would either confront Li Guanyi or retreat and consolidate within Xiyicheng.

All interests, divisions, conspiracies—

Were meaningless against a general who fixed his gaze on but one point.

Utterly meaningless.

Yuwen Lie was completely unmoved.

He locked onto his target and ignored everything else.

He was immune to all stratagems.

Solemn, arrogant, cold, yet supremely restrained and efficient.

A completely different style from He Ruo Qinhu.

On the northern battlefield, Chen Dingye learned that Yuwen Lie had arrived in the western lands while Jiang Su remained here; his expression grew complex. Even though this was precisely what he had hoped for, actually risking his own life on this gamble filled him with inner turmoil.

Fear, of course, he feared.

He had once witnessed the era when Tai Ping Gong and the Wu Wang confronted the world's greatest divine general.

"Hmph… it seems the Emperor of Chen's head still holds value."

"Jiang Su!"

A flicker of complex emotion passed through Chen Dingye's eyes; the chilling wind made his armor feel cold. Ye Chongdao beside him said: "Your Majesty, since the strategy has succeeded, your imperial body must not risk further exposure here. If Jiang Su's forces advance… you…"

Chen Dingye smiled lightly: "Return?"

"You do not understand—I cannot turn back now."

He paused for a long while, then suddenly spoke:

"If I die for my nation, how will the world judge me?"

"How will my descendants speak of me?"

He spoke these words softly.

Ye Chong said, Zhou Xianping did not know how to answer.

This monarch, cold and cunning as a venomous dragon, at this moment revealed a ferocity unlike his past self—as if the ruthless cruelty of suppressing dissent and seizing power merged with the unyielding resolve to die for the nation.

Two utterly contradictory sides converged in one man.

Chen Dingye laughed: "Let us march toward our destined end."

"At the end of this path, will you, brave and fierce, walk with me?"

Ye Chong said, Zhou Xianping knelt on one knee, his expression solemn.

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty."

Chen Dingye laughed loudly: "Then let your children leave their families."

"We elders must end our reigns—no longer should we bind them. Your sons are under Qin Wu Hou, and so is Chen Wenmian. In the end, who they follow will be decided by the future."

"I know what you've said behind my back—and you're right."

"I am not a man of loyalty and filial piety."

"Why bind the children of my ministers with loyalty and filial piety?"

Ye Chong said, Zhou Xianping was terrified, speechless.

Chen Dingye looked at them, his gaze condescending, cold, and filled with killing intent—but finally dissolved into a sigh and an indescribable grandeur as he burst into laughter: "Even so, your final journey will be beside a man like me."

"Let this be your punishment!"

Chen Dingye again led his troops forward, charging headlong even before the First Divine General; the fear of Chen's army toward the First Divine General vanished when the Son of Heaven personally led the charge.

Am I not your sovereign?

Even so.

Then die for the nation—fall on the battlefield.

"Great Chen, ten thousand victories!!!"

…………

The Chen, Ying, and Central Plains battlefields briefly paused.

Yuwen Lie was reassigned.

Jiang Yuan could no longer gain military merit under this valiant Divine General, yet he sighed in relief: "On the western frontier, there is Yu Langwang, Li Guanyi, and Tian Kehan—ha, even He Ruo Qinhu was defeated. What of Yuwen Lie?"

"Ha, it's pointless to send him there!"

Jiang Yuan himself was torn: as Imperial Prince of Ying, he certainly did not wish the empire to lose Xiyicheng and vast western territories; yet as the second prince, he longed for Yuwen Lie to perish on the battlefield!

Yuwen Lie was born into the Yuwen clan, of the highest status, refined and noble since youth, his Wu Gong and tactics both exceptional; by his teens, he was the Yuwen clan's handsome noble youth, lance in hand, jade crown, dragon steed, famed throughout Ducheng.

Cold and haughty, with lofty standards—he drank only the finest wine, rode only the most valiant divine steeds.

Because of this cold, haughty nature, Yuwen Lie looked down upon Jiang Yuan, who was neither eldest nor capable—even though Jiang Yuan had changed almost beyond recognition in the past year and earned a reputation for virtue in Ying.

Yet Yuwen Lie still gazed at him as if he were garbage.

Every bow made Jiang Yuan feel: "Had your father not been the Son of Heaven, such a thing as you would have no right to stand before me."

This haughty Divine General didn't even bother pretending.

Jiang Yuan outwardly feigned kindness, but after returning, his face twisted in bitter hatred—he had cursed the brute countless times. Though nominally his military supervisor, Yuwen Lie rode the battlefield and never listened to him.

Yet because he ignored him, he often won great victories.

This made Jiang Yuan's psyche even more unbalanced; thus, he harbored deep resentment toward this top-tier Divine General, yet was torn by the state of the realm, ending only in silent fury and a long sigh: "Furious! Furious!"

"Why must you exist in this world?"

"If you were gone, wouldn't such a Divine General be under my command?"

"You say we are brothers, bound by deep affection."

"Why… won't you just die?"

And under the gaze of the world, this grand and furious war finally erupted into decisive battle when Li Guanyi and Lu Youxian pushed the front line halfway to its original position.

Yuwen Lie's central army directly charged Yu Langwang's central army.

The Tiger Battle Standard flared fiercely.

The Divine General clad in black armor led the charge!

The Fourth in the World—versus—The Fifth in the World!

?? Please vote for monthly tickets, everyone~