[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling":3,"chapter-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-321":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Top Scholar of Da Ling",{"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},2289156,4475,"Chapter 321","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-321",321,"\u003Cp>The army had been marching here for over half a month, and the flying yellow sand nearly buried their knees. Occasional layers of dried blood and severed limbs silently testified to the brutal battles that had once taken place. The heavens and earth were desolate, the horizon’s edge seemingly forever out of reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu rode to inspect the troops, occasionally checking the map beside him, fearful the column might lose its way. So far, all his scouts had returned, and their reports were strikingly consistent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, we have surveyed hundreds of li around and found no inhabitants except for a few isolated villages. The Western Xia people live in deep seclusion; aside from slightly stronger border defenses, their city garrisons are lax.” The scout bowed respectfully and withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu paused briefly, then turned to Tukesiluo and asked: “Given this situation, is it good or bad for our great cause? Do the Western Xia harbor deception? What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tukesiluo pondered a moment, then replied: “This is a divine opportunity for our army! The Western Xia are suffering from famine and cold—perfect timing for us to strike hard and seize their cities! We have found no signs of trickery; all is under our control!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu nodded and asked his deputy general, Fang Hang: “Fang Hang, do you agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Hang hurriedly chimed in: “Exactly! Winter has struck, and the Western Xia troops and civilians are reeling. This is the perfect moment for us to seize the southern cities! Your wise decision to launch this campaign has caught the enemy off guard! All we need now is steady progress and we shall surely triumph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha!” The generals burst into laughter, their faces glowing with joy and triumph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the golden and splendid main hall of the Western Xia imperial palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Jiqian sat uneasily on the dragon throne, gently tapping a feather fan against his knee. This young ruler of the Western Xia Empire was handsome and imposing—broad-shouldered, with a square face and strong features, the very image of a mighty warrior. Yet now deep furrows lined his forehead. The entire hall was silent; even his attendants held their breath, afraid to disturb his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fan slipped from his hand with a soft *thud*. Tuoba Jiqian leapt to his feet and kicked the attendant on his right, whose face was twisted in sorrow: “Worthless piece of trash! Day after day of gloomy rain, and now we’ve had a few sunny days—yet you still wear that funeral face? You deserve to starve! Go tell the grain officer—if I don’t see military rations arrive at the camp, I’ll flay him alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendant clutched his stomach, muttering assent, and crawled out of the hall. Tuoba Jiqian sank back onto the throne and sighed heavily. The war had dragged on too long. The rain clouds never broke; the downpour stretched supply lines thin, making already scarce grain transport even harder. The normally fierce and cruel Western Xia troops shivered and starved, their morale crumbling. Worse still, the enemy before them—Jiang Mingyu’s band of slippery rats—seemed energized, relentlessly charging forward like rabid dogs. How much longer could they hold out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar step approached. A young woman entered, carrying a steaming cup of mutton milk tea. She wore a dazzling Western Xia satin robe over her upper body, but beneath it, a practical Mongolian trouser revealed her long, slender legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such heavy rain, and you still don’t take care of yourself,” Tuoba Jiqian’s gaze softened. “Even I’ve caught a chill—do you want to wear out my little treasure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman met his gaze, her clear eyes glinting with amusement: “You still have the heart to joke? Haven’t you heard enough reports about Jiang Mingyu? Never mind—drink your tea first.” She placed the steaming cup before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Jiqian drained it in one gulp, then exhaled deeply and recounted the desperate war situation to her in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman listened silently, her brow furrowing: “As I suspected—Jiang Mingyu moves swiftly, excels at ambushes, and employs ghostly tactics. Our troops are demoralized and short on food and clothing—we’re headed for disaster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Mingyu’s next target is surely Tanzhou,” she said, pulling a silk scroll from her side and unrolling it on the table—it was a newly drawn map of Western Xia. “If he pushes deeper inland, his supply lines will grow too long and logistics impossible. But if he seizes Tanzhou—or Meng Pu, a coastal stronghold in the southeast—he can use sea routes to continuously supply his army.” Her finger tapped the location of Tanzhou city. “If I’m right, this is his first target.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tanzhou...” Tuoba Jiqian’s mind drifted into memory—he had met this woman in Tanzhou. He remembered how, during a flash flood while leading a campaign against bandits, she had laughed joyfully as she leapt from the raging stream, like a mermaid. Though they had parted on bad terms, fate had brought them together again here. He looked at her and suddenly said: “If they take Tanzhou, our people will die in great numbers—especially the elderly, women, and children. If Jiang Mingyu insists on it, he’ll massacre the city. I cannot allow that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s gaze turned sharp, as if flames ignited in her heart: “That arrogant fool—if he ever dominates Western Xia, he’ll bring ruin to countless lives! To ignore this ungrateful traitor is to raise a tiger that will turn on you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough—this... this may not be true...” Tuoba Jiqian coughed awkwardly, unable to argue further—he knew she spoke the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So now you suddenly remember mercy?” she sneered. “Months ago, during your coup, didn’t you order the slaughter of civilians? Now, because you want to save the people of Tanzhou, you suddenly refuse to kill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Jiqian fell silent for a long while, then said: “It’s a change of heart. I once believed my mighty Western Xia could rule all four corners. But the coup drained our people and soldiers, and the horrors of war finally shook me. Too much blood. Too many innocent lives lost. I won’t repeat it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. Just admit you’re afraid,” the woman said, then turned and walked away with graceful steps, vanishing beyond the hall. Tuoba Jiqian remained standing, staring fixedly at her retreating figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her resolute back, Tuoba Jiqian felt a storm of emotions. He did not know whether her instinctive prediction was accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Order...” he said to the trembling attendant beside him, “send another fifty thousand troops to Tanzhou. We must annihilate Jiang Mingyu’s army beneath its walls!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendant looked uneasy and whispered carefully: “Your Highness, our troops are short on food and clothing—launching another campaign now may be unsustainable...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Irrelevant!” Tuoba Jiqian snapped. “Didn’t we expand into the Western Regions to secure more land and resources? My resolve is firm—go, issue the order! Can the ambition of the Western Xia Empire be restrained by mere grain supplies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendant bowed and withdrew, muttering obedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the heavy, overcast sky, Tuoba Jiqian murmured softly: “I have never feared hardship in my life. If this is what you want, how could I stand aside? Even if I must fight alone, even if I must bleed to death—I will not retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes hardened, as if he had made a momentous decision. Only Tuoba Jiqian himself knew who he meant by “you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu nodded, signaling the scout to continue. The scout shook the snow from his body and reported: “Your Majesty, General Li has captured all four commanderies of Meng Pu. As I passed through, I saw the entire city flying the Great Jiang banners, and Western Xia soldiers who defected are being registered and reorganized.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu flew into a rage, his brow knotted: “That dog—doesn’t he fear Tuoba Jiqian’s counterattack? He doesn’t even reorganize his troops, just registers the traitors?! Go back immediately—order Li Goudan to assemble his forces and stand ready for a Western Xia counteroffensive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout hurriedly bowed and left. Jiang Mingyu stormed into his tent and roared at Fang Hang: “What are you standing there for? Order the army to advance toward Tanzhou immediately! Even if that fool is slow, we must prepare our positions and be ready!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Hang bowed deeply and rushed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army marched another fifty li through the freezing wind and finally set up camp outside Tanzhou city. Jiang Mingyu immediately ordered his court artist to sketch a map of Tanzhou based on the scout’s report. Gazing at the fifty-zhang-high walls, he sneered: “Tanzhou city? Pathetic. When the time comes, I’ll have the troops circle the city—I want to see how bold their defenders really are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the scout cautiously entered the tent again and reported on the garrison and commanders of Tanzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu sized him up before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the situation in Tanzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout, ignoring his exhaustion, replied at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, I’ve learned Tanzhou originally had 150,000 troops: 120,000 infantry and 30,000 cavalry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But for reasons unknown, Tuoba Jiqian recently reinforced Tanzhou with another 50,000 troops—now the enemy has 200,000.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The commander of Tanzhou is Situ Hesong, a renowned warrior of Western Xia, deeply trusted by Tuoba Jiqian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu waved his hand: “Understood. I’ll see what this Situ Hesong is made of... rest now. You’ve done well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the scout withdrew, Jiang Mingyu whispered to his close aide: “Two hundred thousand troops... Tuoba Jiqian went to great lengths... but enough. A true man remains calm amid chaos. Our Great Jiang army can easily take Tanzhou—even if they charge head-on, we won’t flinch.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1592,"2026-06-20T03:28:18.279Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ae08edf754cfdd62a5899f6c175d0b0ab1573e1b1bbbc5e0c37c78f346320c9a","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-322","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-320",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]