Father and Eldest Brother, I Invite You to Ascend to Heaven

Wang Ming truly hadn't expected this. Occupying Shanhe City was already a monumental achievement, yet there were still barbarians for him to slaughter!

How could he possibly let this opportunity slip by?

He had over ten thousand soldiers under his command, most of whom were equipped with bows and arrows.

Furthermore, Shanhe City was the premier stronghold of the Northern Frontier, heavily stocked with an abundance of city defense equipment.

Seeing the barbarians clamoring at the city gates, how could he not teach them a harsh lesson?

Consequently, all sorts of defensive projectiles rained down from the walls of Shanhe City.

Even the most precious boiling nightsoil was poured down without the slightest hesitation.

When Tuoba Ashina and the First Prince saw this, their already half-chilled hearts plummeted straight to the icy depths of a lake.

"Shanhe City has fallen?"

"That useless trash, Tuoba Xiangtai! It has barely been any time at all, and Shanhe City has already fallen. Where are our barbarian people supposed to go now?"

Whether it was Tuoba Ashina or the First Prince, their faces were etched with absolute despair.

Ahead of them, Shanhe City blocked their path; behind them, a massive army was in relentless pursuit.

They were trapped, with no way to fly to the heavens and no door to escape into the earth!

"Report!"

A light cavalry scout galloped over swiftly. "Great King, the Third Prince has set up camp in the nearby Hunting Village and has established a defensive line. He requests that the Great King proceed there immediately!"

Hunting Village!

Just hearing the name, one knew it was merely a small settlement.

It was absolutely a village devoid of any natural geographical defenses.

Moreover, Tuoba Ashina knew that small bands of barbarian troops frequently bypassed the main roads to invade the Northern Frontier, meaning they possessed a considerable understanding of the terrain near their grasslands.

But how could such a tiny village possibly hold off a massive army for them?

Even with the strictest and most elaborate defensive preparations, what good would it do?

The most crucial point was...

How did Tuoba Xiangtai dare to abandon Shanhe City and flee to some Hunting Village?

Tuoba Ashina's state of mind was on the verge of total collapse, but right now there was simply no other way out. He immediately commanded, "Lead the way! Lead the way!"

The group wheeled their horses around and sped toward the direction of the Hunting Village.

At this time, Ren Tianye had also led his men in pursuit to the foot of Shanhe City. Stepping over the ground littered with the corpses of barbarians, his gaze followed the direction in which the barbarians had fled.

"Great General, I will go and fetch Tuoba Ashina's head right now."

Zhang Shi, who had charged to his side, immediately requested orders.

Throughout this pursuit, he had been more ferocious than anyone else, completely transforming into a god of slaughter. His horse was already strung with the severed heads of barbarians, looking as though he wished he could harvest every single barbarian head in existence.

Truly, this opportunity did not come easily.

If he didn't put on a more outstanding performance, not only would he have to kneel and pay his respects to Wang Ming upon their return, but he would also be mocked by Sun Xiang and the other guerrilla generals.

They had both marched out on the same campaign. Wang Ming was just a deputy general who had never even led troops before, yet he had repeatedly achieved great merits. Meanwhile, Zhang Shi, following the Great General and serving as the main vanguard, had not achieved a single merit?!

Ren Tianye did not agree to his request.

Instead, he waved his hand and ordered, "Pass down the command: halt the pursuit, clear the battlefield, and retreat into Shanhe City!"

"Great General, no..." Zhang Shi grew anxious; he hadn't killed enough yet.

"Execute the order!"

"Yes, yes, Great General!" Zhang Shi was extremely unwilling, but military orders could not be defied, especially those of the Great General. He had no choice but to sound the gong to recall the troops.

And Ren Tianye also entered Shanhe City.

At present, Shanhe City had fallen into his hands, and it formed a mutually supporting horn formation with Yunji City. It could be said that the barbarians' route of retreat had been completely severed.

Right now, they were like pawns that had crossed the river on a chessboard!

They could only move forward and could never retreat!

Standing on the walls of Shanhe City, Ren Tianye gazed far to the south.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless mountain ranges, seeing the resplendent and magnificent capital city. It had been too peaceful there for too long, nurturing an emperor like the Empress Xiao Mingzhao.

And Xiao Mingzhao had taken the lead in nurturing this absurd and outrageous Great Yu Dynasty!

The decaying Great Yu Dynasty!

After eight hundred years, it was time for it to come crashing down.

Let this final blow be delivered by the barbarians!

The seeds Xiao Mingzhao had sown must be reaped by her alone!

...

"Why are there two mountains here?"

As Tuoba Ashina and his entourage rapidly approached the Hunting Village, their expressions changed drastically. The terrain within the Hunting Village was mountainous and rugged, making travel exceedingly difficult. Not to mention its treacherous geographical location, why were there two mountains right at the entrance of the village?

The experience at the Left and Right Peaks was still vivid in his mind.

He couldn't help but feel alarmed.

"Great King, this is an ambush set up by the Third Prince to prevent anyone from pursuing us."

"I see, that's good then." Tuoba Ashina breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately after, a burning rage surged within him.

To be able to set up an ambush in this tiny Hunting Village proved that he had tactical acumen. So why couldn't he hold Shanhe City?

Shanhe City was so easy to defend and hard to attack, and he had left Tuoba Xiangtai with twenty thousand men!

That was twenty thousand men!

Not twenty thousand pigs!

Besides, even if it were twenty thousand pigs, they couldn't be so easily taken away by the enemy!

Tuoba Ashina's heart was bleeding.

Beside him, the dirt-covered First Prince was equally furious and fanned the flames, "Royal Father, Third Brother has truly gone too far."

"To actually lose Shanhe City."

"Such a grave crime absolutely cannot be lightly forgiven."

"He must be strictly punished."

"Otherwise, how will we convince the army? How will we convince the heroes of our grasslands?"

Tuoba Ashina said not a word, his face as cold as frost.

His attitude explained everything.

Following the cavalryman, he led a dozen heavily wounded personal guards and strode into the Hunting Village, where he spotted the main tent.

He marched right in, and the moment he lifted the tent flap, he began to curse loudly, "Third Brother, get your ass over here."

"When I left, what were my instructions to you?"

"You piece of trash, greedy for life and afraid of death, you actually dared to lose Shanhe City?"

The First Prince added fuel to the fire, shouting angrily, "Our grasslands never raise useless trash. It is in vain that you are a prince; for such actions, you ought to be beheaded!"

The two of them threw a wild tantrum, only to realize that there was no sign of the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, inside the tent. They couldn't help but freeze.

Then they saw the tent flap being lifted once more.

The Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, dressed in plain clothes as white as snow, appeared leisurely, looking like a graceful and elegant young nobleman in a chaotic world.

He still wore his usual calm smile, unfazed by favor or disgrace. In his hand, much like a person from the Central Plains, he held a folding fan. As the fan opened and closed slightly, it revealed a painting and calligraphy on it.

The painting depicted a cold moon over a border pass, a slanted ancient pine tree, its branches holding up a half crescent moon, and in the distance, beacon towers stretching out along a city wall.

The accompanying calligraphy read: Wielding a fan to calm the storm, sharing the mountains and rivers with you!

After entering, he didn't greet Tuoba Ashina or the First Prince. He walked straight to the innermost part of the main tent, where a tiger chair had already been placed.

He sat down leisurely.

"Royal Father, Eldest Brother, you have finally arrived."

Tuoba Xiangtai's voice remained soft and gentle. "I have been waiting for you, waiting for a very long time!"

Tuoba Ashina and the First Prince instantly quieted down, both of their hearts skipping a heavy beat.

They already sensed that something was very wrong.

It wasn't just Tuoba Xiangtai's posture, but also the tiger chair he was sitting on.

If they were not mistaken, this was the tiger chair from the General of the North's mansion in Shanhe City, the very chair once sat upon by Lin Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Red Beacon Army.

"Third Brother..."

Tuoba Ashina said in a deep voice, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing much." Tuoba Xiangtai casually fanned himself with his folding fan and said indifferently, "I merely wish to invite Royal Father and Eldest Brother..."

"To ascend to heaven!"

...