(Day three from the end...)

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Rain fell in Nan Qing’s capital, Kyoto, while snow fell in Northern Qi's southern capital, Nanjing. The snowflakes drifted gracefully and slowly, filling the air with a chilling cold, yet still managing to lower the temperature to a level thoroughly detested by humans.

On the imposing city walls of Nanjing, General Shangshan Po, commander of the Nanjing garrison responsible for Northern Qi's southern defenses, gazed impassively at the plains to the southwest. The land was free of snow, and the black, fertile soil preparing for winter dormancy was still visible. His gaze pierced through the layers of wind and snow, landing upon the solemn Nan Qing military camps, stretching endlessly for decades.

There, flags fluttered wildly, the encampments sprawling, a boundless expanse of black, silently stationed in the wind and snow, like a beast taking a momentary rest, ready to pounce upon Nanjing at any moment!

The Yan Jing and Bei Da camps, Nan Qing’s two great border armies, had launched a full-scale offensive, breaking through three lines of defense erected by the Northern Qi army in recent days, advancing northward with a sweeping momentum, slaughtering countless Northern Qi soldiers along the way. Now, they had reached twenty *li* from the Nanjing defense line, pausing for a brief respite.

It seemed the bloodiest and most brutal siege warfare between the two great powers was about to erupt beneath the walls of Nanjing. Shangshan Po couldn't help but narrow his eyes, gently stroking the scabbard of his saber. Watching his subordinates scurry about like ants, preparing defensive armaments in the freezing weather, and sensing the tense, panicked atmosphere permeating the city, he couldn't help but sigh.

Over a hundred thousand Qing cavalrymen had pressed forward; how long could this first important town of Da Qi's south withstand them?

Shangshan Po shook his head, issuing several military orders to the subordinate officers, then turned and descended the city walls, arriving at the makeshift forward camp beneath.

The camp was secluded and quiet, guarded personally by his personal soldiers, ensuring no one could approach. Upon entering the camp, Shangshan Po saw a man dressed in commoner's clothing, yet exuding an imposing presence. He knelt on one knee with utmost decisiveness, saying in a deep voice, "Father, it seems Wang Zhikun has lost his nerve after the ambushes of the past few days. He shouldn't launch a siege within three days."

The world at large believed Shangshan Hu, the pillar of Northern Qi's military and most feared by Nan Qing, was still holding soldiers in Song State, the city between the Qing army's flank and waist, yet who would have thought that at this moment, with the battle of Nanjing imminent, this heroic general had secretly arrived in Nanjing alone!

Shangshan Hu's dark silkworm eyebrows twitched slightly. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "While Wang Zhikun's troop movements are somewhat conservative, he is by no means a coward. Otherwise, how could the Qing Emperor have entrusted him with the Yan Jing army for over a decade... These days of harassment may seem to have benefited our army, but in reality, this man is like a turtle, and you haven't managed to lure out any significant forces."

Shangshan Po listened to his father's booming voice echoing in the camp. Looking at his father, a natural admiration arose in his heart. His father had secretly returned to Nanjing some time ago, naturally to prepare for the imminent great battle. If it weren't for his father's masterful troop deployments in secret, using the three lines of defense to cut and divide the enemy's forces, the Nan Qing cavalry would not have only arrived beneath Nanjing today.

"Wang Zhikun is truly shameless to the extreme. Clearly, they have the advantage in troop strength and momentum... yet they insist on maintaining a defensive posture on the plains," Shangshan Po couldn't help but curse aloud.

"Seeking no merit but avoiding mistakes, that is where Wang Zhikun's strength lies... Nan Qing," Shangshan Hu suddenly withdrew his gaze from the map, looking beyond the camp and sighing, "Their abundant soldiers and capable generals are indeed a formidable threat."

A trace of fatigue suddenly appeared on the face of this Northern Qi renowned general. He had returned to Nanjing from Song State because he was truly worried about the defense here. If the Qing iron cavalry really broke through the Nanjing defense line, the central abdomen of the Northern Qi court would directly face the flames of war from the south, and the court would inevitably fall into chaos.

Shangshan Hu was using a double strategy. The Nan Qing cavalry still believed he was remaining in Song State, fearing him immensely. However, he was secretly overseeing this defensive line in Nanjing. Only one Shangshan Hu, yet using this method, he was able to exert the strength of more than one Shangshan Hu.

However, facing the disciplined, well-equipped, and exceptionally powerful army of over a hundred thousand Qing soldiers, Shangshan Hu couldn't possibly feel relaxed, no matter how skillful he was in deploying troops. Especially since this wasn't a field battle, but a head-on collision between two great powers on the Nanjing defense line. In the end, it still came down to national strength and morale.

Shangshan Hu wasn't afraid of Wang Zhikun; he knew this southern counterpart of his too well, so he wasn't afraid. In these years overseeing Northern Qi's southern military, he had always focused his gaze on the distant imperial palace in the southern capital, Kyoto. He had always believed he understood the Qing Emperor's military thinking. If Nan Qing truly wanted to launch a northern expedition, theoretically, they should gather all the nation's strength and momentum to attack the north, at least assembling three border armies and advancing with irresistible force.

However, there were only two border armies outside Nanjing. The Qing Emperor's boldness seemed less powerful than he had imagined. Shangshan Hu narrowed his eyes, worried, wondering what the sovereign in the south was thinking. Was there some trick he hadn't seen? Could he still defend this nation?

For a general, confidence was paramount, but facing the mighty military strength of Nan Qing, Shangshan Hu didn't have the confidence to win the battle. He believed he could stop the other side's northern expedition for a while, but for how long?

A sense of fatigue occupied Shangshan Hu's heart. He suddenly thought of the secret edict the Emperor had sent him a few days ago. He heard that Fan Xian of Qing Yu Nian had returned from the Temple and should have arrived in Kyoto by now. Could the fate of Da Qi be entrusted to the Qing Emperor's illegitimate son? Would Fan Xian kill the Qing Emperor? Could he kill the Qing Emperor?

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While Shangshan Hu was watching the Qing army camps tens of *li* away from Nanjing, General Wang Zhikun, the commander of the Qing army, was also looking at the distant great city with a cold gaze within the Qing army encampment stretching for over ten *li* in the snow. As long as they broke through that city, the most powerful Qing cavalry could enter the vital center of Northern Qi. At that time, like a whirlwind, they could face the two defensive lines before the capital, Shangjing, which would presumably be easier to fight than now.

Especially now, attacking Nanjing but having to guard against Shangshan Hu in Song State behind them, the Qing army's offensive, although stable, lacked the heroic momentum of opening borders and expanding territory in the past.

"When will Shi Fei arrive?" Wang Zhikun asked. The lieutenant next to him replied without hesitation, "The Grand General should arrive in four days."

Wang Zhikun nodded with some satisfaction. At the beginning of this northern expedition, His Majesty had already prepared all the strategies. Although, like Shangshan Hu in Nanjing, Wang Zhikun sometimes felt that His Majesty's boldness this time was not as great as in the past, his confidence in His Majesty had never diminished.

His Majesty sending Shi Fei to take over the wild army aspect of Bei Da's camp did not give Wang Zhikun any negative feelings. He didn't care about letting others steal credit, nor did he think His Majesty didn't trust him, because Shi Fei had originally been his lieutenant.

Moreover, the current Northern Expedition was a war to unify the world. No general dared to hope that they could complete such a great achievement with their own strength alone.

Wang Zhikun occasionally thought that at least he was better than Marshal Ye. Marshal Ye's current status was too noble. He could only issue orders from the Privy Council in Kyoto and could not personally lead troops like himself.

How many years had he prepared? Wang Zhikun stood at the entrance of the camp, letting snowflakes fall on his armor, squinting and looking at the distant great city of Nanjing, thinking that his feet were actually standing on the territory of Northern Qi, and an infinite sense of heroism suddenly rose in his heart.

He had been stationed in Yan Jing for His Majesty for more than ten years, all for today. The magnificent scroll was before his eyes. What regrets could he have in life?

Suddenly, a trace of coldness flashed in Wang Zhikun's eyes, and his body trembled slightly. Although it was freezing cold, the Qing army's logistical support was not a problem, and neither was their morale, but he had always had an extremely strong sense of unease in his heart. Lord Fan Xian had returned to Kyoto. Could His Majesty be safe?

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The Northern Qi imperial palace was built against a mountain. There was a mountain stream on the mountain, flowing down the mountain path to the bottom and converging into a clear pool. Green stones were laid around the pool, and the clear water in the pool flowed out of the palace through a deliberately opened gap.

The Northern Qi Emperor wore a cloak over his dragon robe, his eyebrows slightly raised like swords, and his lips were tightly pursed. He sat silently by the gap in the pool for a long time, without saying a word.

Haitang stood beside him with her back to him, looking along the clear water flowing from the pool, towards the beautiful outside of the imperial palace, towards the river slowly flowing through the capital of Northern Qi in winter.

Before the Great Dong Mountain incident, Grandmaster Ku He had a conversation with the Empress Dowager in this pool, decided on some things, left飘然而去, and finally returned颓然而回, dying of old age. He had lost to the Qing Emperor.

Now the Northern Qi court was facing the threat of the powerful monarch in the south again, but this time the threat was more real and more direct. Countless Qing iron cavalry had embarked on the road to invade the north, and he didn't know when they would kill this ancient capital, igniting this beautiful black and blue imperial palace.

"I can't place all my hopes on him," the Northern Qi Emperor said slowly, his sword eyebrows slightly lowered and his face slightly pale. "Although I believe there is an irreconcilable hatred between him and the Qing Emperor, the Qing Emperor is, after all, his biological father. Regarding Fan Xian's changeable and naive thoughts, I probably understand them better than many people."

"And most importantly, according to Junior Aunt, that blind grandmaster has already become an idiot." The Northern Qi Emperor lowered his head, looking at his somewhat distorted face in the water, suddenly feeling that the coldness between heaven and earth had turned into an unprecedented burden, crushing him until he could hardly breathe, and said with a hint of disappointment, "If that's the case, who can kill that monarch in the Nan Qing imperial palace?"

"Everyone knows the ambition of the Qing people. I have prepared for it for so many years, but once the war started, I realized that I still underestimated the strength of the Qing army." The Northern Qi Emperor raised his face, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes. "With only two border armies, they can kill to the city of Nanjing. If the Qing Emperor really invades with the whole country, even Shangshan Hu will probably not be able to support it for too long."

"If General Shangshan can't hold on, what does Your Majesty plan to do?" Haitang turned around slowly at this time, asking calmly.

"Use the strength of the whole country to fight them," the Northern Qi Emperor smiled slightly, answering without thinking. "This world is ultimately mine. Even if it is destroyed, it must be destroyed in my hands. I have never had the thought of admitting defeat."

Haitang didn't speak again, just quietly looking outside the palace, looking south, her hands gently clasped together.

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The land controlled by Dongyi City, at the junction of Song State and Xiaoliang State, the land caressed by the sea breeze had a warmer and more humid climate than Shangjing and Kyoto. The trees in the mountains still retained a rare green color. Who knew that crossing the mountain ridge in front of them, passing through the land of Song State, and crossing that smaller state city, would lead to a desolate and snowy place?

That desolate and snowy place was the origin of Nan Qing's dispatch of troops, the place where Northern Qi retreated and defended, and the place where countless people fought and died.

The Qing Kingdom's Great Prince, who had defected from the Nan Qing court and remained silent in the world for more than a year, was now in the spring-like mountains, looking straight at the sky, imagining the desolate wind and snow.

Behind him were more than ten thousand loyal subordinates. There was a black line in the mountains, which was the four thousand Black Riders that Fan Xian had given him, but Jing Ge, who led these Black Riders, didn't seem to be very willing to listen to him.

If it weren't for Wang Shisanlang returning to Dongyi City and bringing Fan Xian's personal military order to Jing Ge.

The Great Prince withdrew his gaze and glanced at Wang Shisanlang beside him, his heroic face without any emotional reaction. Although the number of troops he commanded at this time was not large, it was the most powerful force that Dongyi City relied on. If they joined the current battlefield between the two countries, especially if they killed out of Song State, which Shangshan Hu had skillfully captured last year, it would probably bring world-shattering results.

However, Fan Xian did not ask or request him to do so. Fan Xian just handed over all his power to his eldest brother, and then, through Wang Shisanlang's mouth, told him his judgment and analysis of the situation in the world, and then there was no more talk.

The Great Prince gently kicked the horse's belly and led more than ten thousand elite soldiers towards the northwest in silence. A few breaths later, the four thousand Black Riders above the mountains also began to move, carrying their permanent unchanging murderous aura.

He, who was silent on horseback, knew very well why Fan Xian didn't give him any specific words, because like Fan Xian, although they both had the blood of Dongyi City, they were, after all, Qing people, and most of these fourteen thousand powerful elite forces were also Qing people.

If Nan Qing was launching a northern expedition, would these Qing people betray the court and turn against them? I'm afraid no one could do such a thing, although these people were all exiles and had no loyalty to the Emperor, betraying the monarch and rebelling against the country were, after all, two different concepts.

However, Dongyi City could not sit idly by and watch the Qing Emperor scatter Northern Qi in one breath, because if that were the case, Dongyi City would naturally be the second target of the powerful Qing army. Today's Dongyi City nominally belonged to Da Qing, but under the strength of Fan Xian and the Great Prince, the Nan Qing court could not control it at all. Once there was an opportunity to send troops to truly conquer it, the Qing court would not let go of the opportunity.

If that time came, Dongyi City would naturally be destroyed, and the Great Prince would only have a dead end. From the moment Chen Pingping died, the Great Prince had made such ideological preparations, but now that he knew what Fan Xian was preparing to do in Kyoto, the Great Prince's heart was still filled with some gloom.

Regardless of whether Fan Xian wins or loses, his mood would be gloomy, because that person was his father, his mother was still in the Qing Kingdom's imperial palace, and his wives and concubines were still in Kyoto.

The Great Prince slowly raised his head, looking in the direction of Kyoto, sighing for a moment, squinting slightly, and remaining silent for a long time without saying a word.

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The world war had begun, the killing field had already been laid out, bones were buried on the road, flesh and blood splashed in the wilderness, crows screamed strangely in the wind and snow in the sky, endless desolation and danger shrouded the entire world, like a lingering shadow, covering the sky above the heads of all the people.

Even in this extremely tense situation, many people's gazes, including those fierce generals on the battlefield, the supreme emperor, and the rebellious son in isolation, were actually focused on Kyoto, because they knew that the real victory or defeat, the trend of the world, was still in Nan Qing's Kyoto, between that pair of father and son who were exceptionally cruel and ruthless to both themselves and others.

Just as the Qing Emperor had once said to Ye Wan, the life and death of him and Fan Xian was the real endgame. It was not the result of human design, but the situation formed by the cause and effect of decades, and in this process of凝结, the Emperor himself, the dead woman, Chen Pingping in the autumn rain, and even Fan Xian himself, had all played a role in fueling the flames, so that this endgame had become unsolvable and became a dead end.

Only a sword can cut through knots, and only life and death can bring liberation.

In Kyoto City, watched by countless pairs of eyes, the people did not feel too much of the bloody taste of the front line, and were not even aware of the shocking events that were happening in the forbidden palace at this time. They lived their lives in a stable mood, as usual, except for those people at the Tianhe Dao crossing, who were constantly crying.

Academician Hu of the Imperial Academy could not hear these cries, but he knew what had happened in the imperial palace in the first time. It was not the day of the Grand Assembly, but he still had enough informants and levels, so he was immediately stunned.

A year ago, all the officials of the He faction were killed by Fan Xian and the Supervisory Council. In this year, Academician Hu led the Zhongshu, the three temples, the three courts, and the six ministries, managing the Qing court in an orderly manner. Even when His Majesty was seriously injured and unable to attend to affairs, this academician remained calm and indifferent, unperturbed by the collapse of Mount Tai in front of him, and effectively maintained the peace of Qing Kingdom.

However, when he learned the news today, all of Academician Hu's composure and calmness collapsed immediately. He did not apply face cream today, so the wrinkles on his face looked particularly deep. He stood blankly in the garden of the Imperial Academy, looking particularly old, praying that God would not bring any misfortune to Da Qing.

In another poor neighborhood in Kyoto, in a simple house, the former governor of Kyoto, Sun Jingxiu, who had been released from prison for a long time, was being supported by his daughter, Miss Sun, coughing and drinking medicine. He was almost killed in prison. If it had not been for the secret care of several ladies in the Fan residence, he would have died long ago. However, the Sun family had already fallen, and except for a family of three generations, all the servants had been removed, and the concubines had also fled. Their life was really unbearable.

Sun Pin'er comforted her father in a gentle voice, but she was thinking that she would have to thank the Princess Consort in the Fan residence for the medicine she had given. However, she had no clothes to wear, and she also thought about whether Lord Fan was alive or dead. For a moment, she couldn't help but be a little silly.

At this time, in the Fan residence, Lin Wan'er was sitting in the flower hall with a solemn expression, with Sisi sitting behind her, each holding a child. She said to Mrs. Tengda in front of her, "There is no need to escape, but the servants in the residence should be dismissed as much as possible."

Mrs. Tengda vaguely guessed something, but she was unwilling to leave. Lin Wan'er would not force her, because these family members of the Fan clan could not be completely dispersed even if they wanted to. She just stared blankly at Fan Liang in her arms.

Fan Ruoruo was urgently summoned into the palace last night, and there was no news of His Majesty's ill health recently, so Lin Wan'er immediately guessed something. Especially the strange atmosphere that had been permeating Kyoto since last night, which made her firm in her belief.

You are still alive, why don't you come home to see first? Even if your uncle wants to kill you, and you want to kill your uncle, but... but... before that, wouldn't you let me see you one last time?

At the thought of this, sadness came from within, and a few tears fell from her eyes, dripping on Fan Liang's innocent face full of incomprehension.

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While Lin Wan'er was helplessly and sadly worried about Fan Xian's life and death, Fan Ruoruo, who had been summoned into the palace last night, had already successfully escaped the supervision of the inner court experts and disappeared into the deep palace. The current imperial palace was already in chaos, and it was impossible to find her whereabouts for a while. It seemed that this young lady not only had learned well in Qingshan, but also that Wu Zhu's training of her in the snow night of Cangshan was much more successful than his guidance of Fan Xian.

At this time, she was wearing a palace maid's clothes, but she wore them with an extremely moving feeling. The clothes fluttered slowly in the light rain. Following the passageway of the palace wall, she walked slowly towards the direction of the Taiji Hall. Along the way, she only saw the eunuchs and palace maids, who were terrified by the sounds of fighting, secretly running towards the harem. Who would care who she was, and what she was doing?

Then, at a secluded palace gate that was about to turn to the Taiji Hall, she saw the eunuch Hong Zhu, who seemed to have been waiting for her here for a long time. The two looked at each other calmly.

Fan Ruoruo looked at Hong Zhu calmly, but countless thoughts were turning in her heart, because she did not know why, a few months ago, this popular chief eunuch had suddenly contacted her secretly.

Hong Zhu left the palace gate with a hunched body. He did not explain anything, because he had thought that Little Lord Fan had died. After thinking about it for a long time, the things that were hidden in his bones finally made him find Miss Fan and tell her about his relationship with Fan Xian. Perhaps... this eunuch was unwilling to keep the secret between himself and Fan Xian, and guard it alone in the deep palace.

Fan Ruoruo knew that her brother was still alive and had infiltrated the imperial palace with the help of this eunuch. This fact made her very happy, but then the joy turned into deep worry, because she knew what her brother had come to the palace to do.

She walked to the palace gate, to a large copper tank filled with water, listening to the frightening sound on the imperial city not far away through the palace gate, the sound of iron spikes piercing armor and piercing bones. The worry between her eyebrows became heavier, knowing that even her master had come today.

Then, through the gap in the palace gate, she looked at the bright yellow figure in front of the Taiji Hall in the distance, pursed her lips slightly, and after remaining silent for an unknown amount of time, she finally made up her mind.

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Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his hands slightly gripping the white silk in his sleeves. Only he knew that the white silk was stained with blood, like dots of peach blossoms. He coughed up blood. Was he really dying?

Eunuch Yao had been driven away by him. At this time, there was no guard around him. Standing in front of the rain curtain, he looked so lonely.

And in the light rain in front of him, an even lonelier figure walked over slowly.

Wu Zhu had finally come.

The light rain was still dripping on the black cloth on his face. The iron skewer he was holding tightly was still dripping with blood. A bloody aura exuding filled the air, and it permeated the wet clothes.

After killing an unknown number of imperial guards, Wu Zhu had finally walked here step by step from the direction of the imperial city. The iron skewer in his hand, which usually seemed indestructible, had been ground into a flat end after piercing countless hard armors and countless throats, and the skewer body was bent!

Wu Zhu was not a human, but he was not a god. Facing the unrelenting and desperate attacks of the elite human combat power, he was still injured, especially on the road from the imperial city, the imperial guards wearing heavy armor used their bodies as huge rocks to stop him, successfully delaying his steps and hurting his body.

The interception of the imperial guards could not be said to be not heroic, but Wu Zhu still killed his way out!

It was just that the iron skewer in his hand was broken, his tightly bound black hair was disheveled, his cloth shirt had countless holes, and one of his sleeves was burned into a remnant piece for some reason.

The most alarming thing was that in the chaotic battle, the blind boy's leg seemed to have been broken by some heavy weapon, twisting towards the side and rear at an angle that completely defied common sense. It looked like the bone had been twisted into an abnormal shape and could not be walked on at all!

But Wu Zhu was still walking, staring at the Qing Emperor under the hall through the layer of black cloth that was about to fall off, using the deformed iron skewer in his hand as a crutch, dragging his crippled left leg, walking hard and stubbornly in the rain, wanting to walk to the front of the Qing Emperor.

The rain had already become lighter, drizzling down, but water was still accumulating on the bluestone slabs in front of the Taiji Hall. Wu Zhu's twisted left leg was dragging in the rain, making an extremely terrible sound.

Each friction would cause the corners of Wu Zhu's thin lips to twitch slightly. He must have felt pain, but he had forgotten the pain. He was just walking towards the Qing Emperor in front of the hall step by step.

Qing Emperor quietly looked at Wu Zhu getting closer and closer, and suddenly said, "I finally confirm that you are not a dead object... If you were a dead object, where would you get such a strong love and hate?"

At this moment, the palace gate that had been tightly closed suddenly opened wide, and Ye Zhong, covered in sewage, rode on horseback, leading the remaining imperial guard soldiers and the cavalry of his relatives, rushing towards the Taiji Hall. The sound of hooves was like thunder, shaking the rainwater on the ground.

In just a blink of an eye, hundreds of elite Qing soldiers once again surrounded Wu Zhu, but when they looked at Wu Zhu who was surrounded by them, looking at the person who was still standing stubbornly with a twisted leg, they did not have the slightest joy in their hearts.

Especially the more than ten Qing Temple ascetics who suddenly appeared beside His Majesty, those ascetics wearing bamboo hats and possessing great strength, when they saw Wu Zhu, especially after seeing the color of the liquid flowing from the wound on Wu Zhu's body, their faces turned pale and their bodies trembled.

The blood flowing from Wu Zhu's body was also hot and red, but it was golden red, gradually fading in the light rain. Not many people could notice it, but these ascetics wearing bamboo hats noticed it.

All the ascetics were struck by lightning at this moment and knelt down in the rain, kneeling down in front of Wu Zhu. They were originally the Qing Emperor's most powerful personal defense force, but at this moment, they had to submit to the limping blind man.

The envoy descended upon the world in person, how dare mortals disrespect? Was this God's punishment for Da Qing?