Chapter 407: The Only Defeat

The moonlight is like water.

The sea surface is sparkling, with silver light flickering.

On the massive storied ship, someone stands at the bow facing the wind; their pristine white robes and long ink-colored hair are all fluttering in the sea breeze.

Zhou Yanli closes his eyes, feeling the sea breeze blowing against his face.

Under the faint moonlight, his features appear even more cold and detached, like an immortal untainted by the dust of the world.

However, his brows are tightly furrowed, and there is a thin layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

A young attendant hurries over, holding a tray.

"Great Diviner, your medicine has arrived."

Zhou Yanli slowly opens his eyes, picks up the pill from the tray, and puts it into his mouth.

At this moment, Li Zongguang's voice comes from behind him.

"Yanli, you lied to Xiao Wei, saying your illness was cured; why not tell her the truth?"

Zhou Yanli turns around, his gaze indifferent.

"Master, my illness is incurable; there is no need to make the Goddess worry."

Li Zongguang glances at the empty tray.

"The painkillers you are taking have already exceeded the dosage; if your condition worsens further, even the painkillers won't be able to help you."

"It doesn't matter," Zhou Yanli smiles faintly. "As long as I find Shi Yao and clear the sect's name before then, that is enough. The trajectory of history has been tampered with, but I cannot let Fusang continue to grow strong; even after another thousand or a hundred years, those who rule Shenzhou should be of Huaxia bloodline."

Li Zongguang nods slightly. "Indeed. This erroneous history began because of you and me, and it should be ended by us as well. After finding Shi Yao, what do you intend to do?"

"Naturally, kill her," Zhou Yanli says. "She is my junior sister, but she has committed too many evils and should not remain alive."

As he speaks, he turns his head to gaze at the vast sea under the night.

"At this time, Xiao Moting should have already returned to Beijiang..."

Wind stirs the yellow sand.

Horse hooves thunder, kicking up clouds of dust.

On the wilderness, a column of cavalry charges out from the dust, galloping forward.

Xiao Moting pulls hard on the reins, and the steed beneath him lets out a long neigh, rearing its front hooves high.

After days of traveling, his handsome, firm face remains sharp and clean, with a circle of stubble grown on his chin.

He raises his blade and points forward.

"Is that Shizi Ridge ahead?"

A lean rider behind him immediately bows his hands to report.

"Reporting to the Prince, it is indeed Shizi Ridge!"

Qin Zhan spurs his horse forward.

"Prince, Feng City has been taken by the Imperial Court Army. Ahead is Shizi Ridge in Heyuan County; this place is a vital passage to the Northern Frontier Camp. The Old General and his daughter have already arrived at Shizi Ridge with their troops and are in a standoff with the Imperial Court Army."

As he finishes speaking, the lean rider beside him jumps off his horse and drops to his knees with a thud before Xiao Moting's horse.

"This subordinate is incompetent and failed to hold Feng City; please punish me, Prince..."

Xiao Moting waves his hand.

"No need to blame yourself, Wang Sheng."

"Feng City only had six thousand garrison troops; they were no match for the Imperial Court's army of over four hundred thousand. The Old General sent an urgent Military Order for you to retreat with the remnants to preserve the remaining Northern Frontier Army, so you wouldn't die in vain."

This lean rider kneeling on the ground is none other than Wang Sheng, the son of Wang Ziyi.

After his wounds healed at the Northern Frontier Camp, the Old General ordered him to lead troops to Feng City in Beijiang to garrison the location.

Feng City is a small town on the edge of Beijiang; when the Imperial Court sent troops north, the first place they attacked was Feng City.

Wang Sheng led six thousand garrison troops to hold Feng City to the death, fighting the Imperial Court Army for a day and a night, but ultimately, being outmatched, he had to retreat.

This battle was extremely tragic.

The six thousand Northern Frontier Army soldiers defending the city were like eggs hitting a rock against the two massive armies of Yang and Yuan, totaling over four hundred thousand. Almost all the Northern Frontier Army soldiers defending the city were killed in action; only a little over a hundred people managed to escape the city.

Xiao Moting's expression is cold, his pupils bottomless.

This is the first defeat since the rise of Beijiang.

Every Northern Frontier Army soldier who died was sent out from the Northern Frontier Camp; they were brothers who ate, slept, and trained with him.

"Damn Imperial Court!" Qin Zhan grinds his teeth, spitting out an angry curse from between them. "The Northern Frontier has guarded the borders for decades, and the soldiers have built a Great Wall with their blood to protect Daliang. We didn't receive a single word of praise from the Imperial Court, and in the end, they want to annihilate us. How can anyone be reconciled to this?"

The thousands of Northern Frontier Army soldiers behind them all wear expressions of grief and anger.

Compared to the soldiers' anger, Xiao Moting remains very calm.

"The Imperial Court's army arrived before us and has already surrounded Shizi Ridge. The Old General brought fifty thousand troops to hold Shizi Ridge; they have been besieged by the Imperial Court Army for seven days, and they have cut off the water supply, and no grain or fodder can be transported in."

"The Old General marched in haste to meet the battle, and the army did not carry many supplies; I fear they are already out of water and food by now."

"We must find a way to rendezvous with them, otherwise these fifty thousand troops will have nothing to eat or drink, and the wounded will have no medicinal herbs, and they will all perish here."

Qin Zhan scratches his head. "But with the Imperial Court Army guarding the outside, how do we get in?"

"I have memorized the topographical maps of the several strongholds in Beijiang." Xiao Moting looks up at the mountain ridge not far away. "There are small paths on the mountain that we can use to bypass them."

After speaking, he pulls the reins and turns his horse toward the mountain ridge.

The thousands of Northern Frontier Army soldiers behind him follow one after another.

They have traveled for several days and finally returned to Beijiang.

Along this journey, Bai Wei has been constantly sending them things: food, water, fodder, warm clothing...

So although they were tired, they were neither frozen nor hungry.

But the Old General and his daughter, trapped at Shizi Ridge, do not have such good fortune.

The supplies carried by the forced march were limited, and rations were scarce.

The Imperial Court captured Feng City, quickly surrounded the area, and even cut off the water supply and severed food lines, all to trap the fifty thousand Northern Frontier Army soldiers to death and diminish the strength of Beijiang.

……

Qingshan Village.

Bai Wei was also holding her phone, continuously contacting major manufacturers.

"Boss, the one hundred tons of rice and white flour I ordered, send them all to Qingshan Village Farm and move them into the Warehouse."

"Fifty tons of military canned food, send them to the Farm."

"As for the Antibiotic used for inflammation, I want as much as you have, and also alcohol and Absorbent Cotton, send them all to the Farm for me."

"And also..."

She placed orders everywhere, filling the five-story Warehouse to the brim.

Any supplies that could not fit were all stockpiled in the courtyard of the Farm.

Zhou Yuchuan also came to help; he found a construction company to perform emergency work, erecting simple prefabricated rooms in the courtyard to serve as temporary warehouses for storing supplies.

"Bai Wei, the Prince of Northern Suppression and the others have already arrived in Beijiang, right?"

Bai Wei put down her phone and turned back to speak to him.

"They have already arrived; I sent them sufficient supplies."

"That's good." Zhou Yuchuan nodded, "If there is anything you need my help with, just say the word."

"No problem." Bai Wei made an "OK" gesture at him, a wave of warmth welling up in her heart.

In the past, she had always prepared the supplies alone, rushing everywhere to contact manufacturers; although she was not short on money, running around like this was still exhausting.

But now, Zhou Yuchuan had joined in, helping her contact manufacturers and find useful supplies.

As the second young master of an auction company, Zhou Yuchuan's connections were far broader than hers; not only did he know people in academic circles, but he also had dealings with many well-known manufacturers across the country.

Through Zhou Yuchuan's connections, Bai Wei obtained many supplies she could not buy before, including alcohol, gasoline... and other restricted items.

At the same time, Zhou Yuchuan also helped her sell a portion of the antiques she had on hand, selling them all to collectors in the circle and various museums.

When everything was tallied up, the balance on Bai Wei's bank card suddenly surged by over seven billion.