[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-567":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Peace Decree",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328742,4553,"Chapter 567: The Moment of Decision!","the-peace-decree-chapter-567",567,"\u003Cp>When the Taiping Army arrived at the Eastern Capital, their war generals saw the city locked in absolute, unyielding defense. Yuan Shitong surveyed the fortress, his expression grim, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Art of War states: if you outnumber the enemy tenfold, surround them. With thirty thousand elite troops guarding this mighty capital, to breach it in a short time, you’d need at least three hundred thousand soldiers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu gazed at the entrenched city, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strategist who plotted the fate of all under heaven finally nodded and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun said: “This city will fall within thirty days—but to breach such a mighty capital without tenfold force will take no less than thirty days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re trading pieces this way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortify their camps, fight slow, stubborn battles. Knowing they’re no match for us, they’ve abandoned strategy and tactics entirely, relying instead on this ancient fortress—built on three centuries of Ying state fortune—to wage a war of attrition against us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fascinating...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At last, some imperial resolve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such an opponent is worthy of respect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Tianxing’s expression turned solemn. He whispered: “The emperor fears not death—willing to sacrifice the city’s fall in thirty days just to buy thirty days of time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Military Advisor, what shall we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu’s face bore a hint of admiration. He said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Eastern Capital was never breached quickly, even by the Wolf King. Back then, though Jiang Su’s reinforcements from behind helped, the city’s strength was still evident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What can I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun said: “They’ve sealed themselves in, sacrificing time for the realm’s sake—bold, resolute, fierce with righteous spirit. But what do you think, Master Wen Qingyu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu thought a moment, then said: “If I must judge, only four words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun asked: “Which words?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Courage commendable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun asked: “Any strategy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu nodded, sweeping his sleeve: “General Yuan Shitong, encircle the Eastern Capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spread the word: I, Yan Daqing of the Western Regions, am here—and I will—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was calm, his eyes reflecting roaring flames:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burn the city down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any ordinary war general had said this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>most would’ve dismissed it as empty bluster. But when spoken by Yan Daqing of the Western Regions—the man who once set fire to the Tangxiang royal city, whose flames still seem to burn today—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu’s rumor spread. Even second-tier units under Jiang Gao’s orders not to retreat were thrown into panic and pulled back part of their forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second-tier units were second-tier not because their armor was weak or their training lax, but because their officers lacked resolve, their soldiers lacked fighting spirit—just a little lacking here, a little lacking there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final clash, they paled beside first-tier troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the second-tier units retreated and clashed with the Taiping Army,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shitong, Xue Tianxing, and Yan Xuanji charged head-on against enemy generals, while the Divine Archer General Wang Shunchen struck from the flank, slaying the enemy commander with a single shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the Taiping Army surged forward, cutting through the swirling battle, slaughtering or capturing the second-tier troops rushing to reinforce the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu’s sleeves fluttered, his expression serene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This clash: Jiang Gao had resolve—he held the capital to avoid direct strategy with Wen Qingyu. But Wen Qingyu didn’t follow Jiang Gao’s choice. He turned Jiang Gao and the Eastern Capital into a single move in his scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten thousand troops couldn’t take this city, personally guarded by the emperor, in less than two months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we don’t need to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who said we must take it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world today is one vast, shifting battlefield!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On every local front, generals, soldiers, strategists, and heroes ride, risking their courage. Jiang Gao has his own spirit, his own will, his own bravery—but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality is cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His talent can sway one battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when judging the grand tide of the realm—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is no match for Jiang Wanxiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap remains vast compared to Pojun, Wen Qingyu, and the Qin Emperor, forged in countless battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gap could be bridged by time—but the chaotic tide of the world leaves no time for anyone to train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén stood on the city wall, watching the enemy camp’s banners flare—Wen Qingyu had turned the Eastern Capital, the most sacred city in Ying’s three-century history, into bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lured reinforcements, then personally shot them down with the Divine Archer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He piled enemy helmets at the Eastern Capital’s gate, creating a “Jingguan,” while dozens of powerful foreign martial artists shouted: “Your Majesty of Ying, another army comes to aid you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at them! Look at them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crushing the morale of the entire Eastern Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shitong, the burly brute, twitched his brow, inhaling sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And breaking their spirit too?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gentle, reliable, utterly sincere Master Wen Qingyu—was this a monster?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu said: “Call me Yan Daqing of the Northern Frontier now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén stared into the enemy camp, seeing a scholar on a great stone, clad in a plain blue robe, hair bound with a wooden pin, his aura drifting. Wei Yiwén’s eyes held awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the famed Yan Daqing of the Northern Frontier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest poison strategist of this age—you are its apex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Western Regions, no one imagined anyone would burn the Tangxiang royal city. Yet he did—shattering the Wolf King’s dream and severing Chen’s plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, when all believed Yan Daqing would burn the city, causing many second-tier units to retreat, he picked them off one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He built upon Western Region tactics, extending them into a flawless scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chain of stratagems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To conceive such a chain—how astonishing. But what terrified Wei Yiwén most was that this strategist, who could seemingly calculate every human heart, ranked among the top ten strategists of all time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—he’s only assigned to a local front?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If such genius handles only a local front,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then who commands the grand, global battlefield?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be the one who might rival the title of Greatest Strategist in history?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Emperor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the Qin Emperor leads the army, he’s tied down by the Grand Preceptor and Gao Xiang—he cannot focus fully. Someone must assist him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who is it? What power? What divine foresight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t dare think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Emperor’s Qilin Army, the Tiance Prefecture—they’re like icebergs beneath the water. The closer you get, the more you understand, the more terrifying the hidden part becomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén pulled out an arrow, gently tracing its surface. This arrow was given to him by Gao Xiang, the world’s greatest archer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we depart and all seems lost, use this arrow to break the enemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow carried a trace of Gao Xiang’s legendary aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Gao Xiang never reached the Legendary Martial Realm, he stood on the threshold, like the Great Khan. Wei Yiwén watched the scholar in the enemy camp, hands behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fate of the nation rests here. The destiny of the state hangs here—I have no choice but to be dishonorable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén drew his battle bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nocked the arrow, exhausting every ounce of his literary qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aged, bloodshot eyes locked onto the blue-robed scholar. With a roar of fury and despair, his bowstring trembled like thunder, cutting deep gashes into his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow pierced the vast distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying Wei Yiwén’s longing, the last flame of the Ying state, its dying defiance—it pierced the scholar as the Divine Archer Xue Shen once did, piercing him through as Wei Yiwén’s heart pounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Gao Xiang’s legendary aura was too potent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the scholar’s martial skill was too weak to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow exploded through his skull!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piercing clean through—Wei Yiwén’s heart hammered. He nearly reeled, fingers gripping the wall, gasping—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Daqing of the Western Regions—this man—finally—dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the scholar collapsed forward—and as he fell, he slowly dissolved. Wei Yiwén’s smile froze. He saw straw scattering into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Military Advisor, an arrow did strike!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shitong brought over the remnants of the exploded arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu, sheltered from the summer sun, waved his hand idly, continuing his game. He asked Pang Shuiyun: “Pang Lao, which strategist ever appears in public without seventeen or eighteen decoys?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun sighed, gazing at this genius who outmaneuvered even himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu played calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone piece landed with a crisp chime. On the board, black and white stones clashed fiercely—the battle vast and intense. Wen Qingyu held white; his great dragon was about to break free, seizing the upper hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu picked up a go stone and said casually, “Hang up what I prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shitong laughed heartily: “Good! Whatever the strategist says, it shall be done!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been utterly, thoroughly, inside and out, convinced by Wen Qingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a massive banner was raised, rolling and snapping in the wind, bearing one enormous character—its strokes bold, swift, and fiercely lethal—Wei Yiwén suppressed his inner resentment and daze, gazing from afar as the banner flared, emblazoned with a single word:—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“【Cai】!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contemporary Gazette of Chaozhou State records that in goose-fighting, a goose unfit for combat is called a “cai goose”—this character means, apart from being fit for the pot, it is utterly useless trash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén was from Chaozhou State; this character struck him with devastating force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face flushed crimson, his expression turbulent—these past weeks, the shame of having aided Jiang Yuan, the exhaustion of over ten days of overwork, scant food, and little sleep, and the frustration of having wasted Gao Xiang’s arrows to no effect—all of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it was ignited by this one word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yiwén extended a trembling finger toward the distance, opened his mouth—but his face, pale from mental depletion, suddenly flushed with a faint red tide; the next moment, a trickle of blood seeped from his lips, his chest swelled with pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to soothe the stifling pressure in his chest, but could not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suffocating pressure seized his chest—he spat out a gush of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That blood seemed to finally release the last breath he had clung to; he toppled backward, head flung skyward, triggering chaos among those nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun, playing go, said: “A psychological strike? Wei Yiwén has always been fiercely proud—was this intentional?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu replied: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun raised an eyebrow: “Then how?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu said: “It was deliberate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Shuiyun sighed helplessly. Wen Qingyu calmly placed a stone—the white stone cut off the enemy’s vital air, yielding little immediate gain, yet successfully linked the vital threads of other white stones—thus, the great dragon escaped!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu outmaneuvered Jiang Gao by one move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s resolve and courage could not match Wen Qingyu’s mastery of self-strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, had Jiang Wanxiang still lived, Jiang Gao might have trained more under his shadow, honed his claws and fangs—but now, Jiang Gao was like a young dragon, facing the seasoned Tiance Prefecture veterans who had roamed the chaos for over a decade; beneath his boldness lay too much youthfulness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s plan: exchange the Taiping Army for peace in the Eastern Capital—succeeded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Qingyu turned the plan against him—a chain of stratagems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taiping Army reversed their pressure, pinning down the main second-line forces of the Ying state—succeeded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, a cascade of reactions swept across the realm—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Bo of Qi Commandery broke through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Rang broke through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Fangyu of Beihai and Zhang Jincheng of Qinghe broke through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou De and Shan Xiong’s forces pierced the blockade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hooves thundered like lightning; Dou De’s tiger-like eyes blazed—he saw the leaden clouds churning above, saw the dragon-patterned battle banners, saw He Ruo’s “Capture the Tiger” army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one of the top ten divine generals’ armies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This charge would demand a terrible cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they had come this far—how could a true man turn back?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou De drew a deep breath, then roared: “Brothers! Charge with me! A man’s heart, a hero’s will—now!” He led his ten-thousand-strong rebel force, lacking military formations, lacking any elite tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in this instant of charge, their resolve reached its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did this resolve, this power, come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the father whose legs were crawling with maggots. From the brother who died far from home. From the son buried alive. From the bottomless bitterness in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew they were the lowest of the low—forced to kneel before nobles, like weeds, trampled under countless feet, crushed into the mud, then forced to smile humbly: “Forgive me, sir, I didn’t soil your shoes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even they!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those as low as dust and weeds could rage. Could roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No orders, no agreements—only furious charges. Dou De’s forces pierced through He Ruo’s rear, smashing violently into the general’s battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These peasants. These rebels. These righteous men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant of charge, they were torn apart and slaughtered by professional soldiers—the son chasing his father died under swords; the brother seeking vengeance was pierced by spears, blood spraying instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood fell upon the earth—a mournful aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like moths chasing flame, burning for but a fleeting flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They swung their weapons, gritted their teeth, widened their eyes, and smashed down with all their might upon the enemy’s heads, necks—blood in their throats, hoarse and guttural roars:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me back my father’s life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first wave was weak—they were slaughtered by He Ruo’s elite troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the second, the third—unrelenting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fierce. Mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ying army’s captains trembled, cursed: “Aren’t you afraid of death?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His spear pierced a young man’s abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youth spat blood—but lifted his head, eyes filled with tears of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His elder brother died on the battlefield. His father drowned in the canal. His mother, heartbroken, fell ill and lay on her bed. His sister-in-law and younger brother went to beg for food. Those who ate became rebels. Then his sister-in-law and brother were buried alive. His mother wailed for three days and hanged herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only I remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is there to live for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why aren’t you afraid of death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youth’s eyes burned red—he charged forward, letting the spear pierce his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out, seized the captain’s throat, and squeezed with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of roaring fury shattered the hero’s army; He Ruo’s rear faltered. Dou De, riddled with arrows and spears, pressed forward, gripping a spear aloft—its banner bore the qilin pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou De roared: “Yue Pengwu!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Dou De of the Central Plains, come to aid you! These people’s lives burn like fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will you join us in facing death?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will you face death with us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-winged roc’s cry pierced the sky—Yue Pengwu’s answer. Other generals might have ignored these rebels, even sacrificed them—but here, it was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only because of one reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These rebels were peasants starving to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this commander?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was named Yue Pengwu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The divine spear Lì Quán screamed as Yue Pengwu charged into battle. He matched He Ruo’s strength, but now, Dou De’s rebels became the tipping point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Pengwu seized that sliver of opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Ruo was riddled with wounds—he had held off Yue Pengwu for twenty days, clashed repeatedly, already bleeding from countless injuries; now, in this final battle, he fought with desperate strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, voices rang out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Yue! Prince Bo of Qi Commandery arrives unsummoned!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meng Rang stands ready as your spearhead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beihai’s Guo Fangyu…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qinghe’s Zhang Jincheng…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One voice after another—thousands-strong rebel bands entered the battlefield. They could not match divine generals, but they became the final force, slowly tearing apart the Ying army’s formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Pengwu broke through the stalemate. He Ruo summoned his last strength; they clashed fiercely, trading blows in brutal, bloody combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colossal serpent’s roar shook wind and clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed—then suddenly, light flooded his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-winged roc’s spirit form dove downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its wings snapped shut; its talons became twin daggers, driving straight into the serpent’s vital point—then it let out a piercing cry, soaring upward. The giant serpent spirit stiffened, then collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it fell, cracks spread outward from the point where the roc’s talons had torn through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Ruo slowly lowered his gaze to the Lì Quán divine spear embedded in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson blood poured from his wounds; his vision blurred. Then he heard a great crash behind him—he saw Dou De and others storming the command banner’s position; someone had done it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark-blue, dragon-patterned command banner rolled downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the rebels, eyes red, raised swords and spears, thrusting upward—blades and lances pierced the vast, cloud-like banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the dragon-patterned banner of the Great Ying State tore apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Ruo opened his mouth—Dou De, Shan Xiong, and countless others drove their spears into him. He Ruo saw among them many peasants, eyes blazing red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his weapon, gathering his last strength to kill them all—but then he remembered Jiang Yuan’s order to crush the rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had wanted to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, for his daughter and grandson, he had agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his strategy, the Ying army crushed the rebels—then slaughtered thirty thousand. He Ruo stared at the peasants’ faces; the divine general’s grip on his weapon slowly lost its strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his horse spear tightly—did not kill the common folk—only hurled it far away. The spear flew across the battlefield, landing firmly on the earth, humming with a solemn, deadly resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born on the battlefield. Died by the hands of peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Ruo laughed aloud—his laughter mournful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laughter ceased abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This divine general, who had fought across the realm for sixty years, fell dead. His body crashed backward—yet his eyes remained open, staring at the sky, stripped of their former unyielding will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Pengwu, has shattered He Ruo’s Tiger Capture!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifteen-thousand-strong army of Zhenbeixiongcheng, under supreme general Yue Pengwu, now holds full autonomy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meet the enemy head-on, win with the unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surprise force has arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment of decision—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has come!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And almost simultaneously, at the very heart and forefront of this massive army confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Wu and Jiang Su had faced off for over twenty days, and the final clash between Wen Qingyan and Jiang Gao’s rear battlefield—the last of the Taiping Army versus the reigning Ying Emperor—finally forced this front into the vortex of total war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It ultimately escalated the most critical point of this million-strong force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Su and Qin Wu clashed, their divine weapons colliding and shaking the four directions, yet they remained evenly matched as ever; according to past patterns, this was the moment both sides should have withdrawn to regroup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Su suddenly changed his technique—his divine spear, Jìmie, did not retreat but pressed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spent the past twenty-plus days weaving a “lie” and a “habit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All those prior retreats were merely to create this single instant of suppression; as Jiang Su’s divine spear Jìmie locked down, silently, even without a sound of parting air, a beam of light pierced toward Qin Wu’s occiput.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This arrow was too fast, too swift, too ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even sound could not catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest archer in the world—Gao Xiang’s Shadow Arrow—unleashed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Khan had met his end precisely this way, in his final desperate moment—this strike severed the connection between his Dharma Form and his destiny; this was the legendary trait of General Gao Xiang. But as the arrow neared Li Guanyi’s Dharma Form—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of ripples suddenly spread from Qin Wu’s occiput.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Layer upon layer unfolded into silver ripples of light, interlinking and colliding—Yuan, Liangyi, Sancai, Sixiang, Wuxing, Liudao, Qixing, Bagua, Jiugong, Shifang—each layer unfolding in sequence, and the arrow slowly sank into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The supreme general’s hidden, decisive arrow had been swallowed whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Wu spoke softly: “My army has stood in formation for over twenty days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was waiting for the Array Master elder’s array to cool down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you waiting for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Su had felt nothing amiss—until he sensed a sharp aura approaching from his left, his pupils contracting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wooden sword—Long Tu—appeared at his left side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Su’s reaction speed was a heartbeat slower than what a martial legend should possess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his left eye had been shattered by Langwang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a martial legend should not suffer such a lapse—but he had spent three hundred years with both eyes intact, and though blind for only a few years, the damage still lingered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just an instant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely a flicker of thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the clash of martial legends, that instant was enough to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reinforced by the battle array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword qi screamed, rising to the heavens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Wu’s voice was calm, composed—as if to restore peace to this three-hundred-year chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?? Please vote for monthly tickets, friends~\u003C\u002Fp>",3451,"2026-06-20T19:20:36.387Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","db7a8e866610665ed434375d0fd65c6b81ae80311cb4e1ab2f29dd6f9621c370","the-peace-decree-chapter-568","the-peace-decree-chapter-566",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]