You Shed a Tear, I Raze a City

Ren Tianye immediately issued several orders to the messenger.

"Tell Sun Xiang to dispatch five thousand sets of imperial guard armor from Yunji City, including equipment for one thousand five hundred heavy cavalry and one thousand five hundred light cavalry."

"Have Zhang Shi hand over the transportation of rations and forage to Sun Xiang, and order him to lead all his men and rush here at top speed."

"Also, call Wang Ming back. Tell him that Su Xiu's location has been confirmed, and he needs to return immediately."

With these orders issued, Ren Tianye felt slightly more at ease, but he knew his forces were still insufficient.

What he was doing now was a rather risky maneuver.

He had to immediately utilize the three thousand men from Qiniu Town, plus the three thousand eight hundred men he had brought with him, totaling six thousand eight hundred troops.

Against the nearly twenty thousand strong soldiers garrisoning Sifang City, this was a drop in the bucket.

Wang Hai saw through Ren Tianye's intentions and immediately said, "General Ren, we have brought four thousand able-bodied men. They were all handpicked by us. Although they have not yet slain enemies on the battlefield, they are all top-notch men."

"If you need them, General, they are yours to command."

Ren Tianye had this intention all along; otherwise, why would he issue orders right in front of Wang Hai and the others?

His face full of excitement, he said, "That is truly wonderful! On behalf of Duke Ren's Mansion, I express my deepest gratitude to you all. When our great cause is accomplished in the future, I will surely sing your praises before my father's grave."

Having reassured the men, Ren Tianye began calculating in his mind.

With these additional four thousand men, he would have a force of ten thousand eight hundred.

Their combat prowess would naturally be uneven.

However, having requisitioned so much armor and equipment, their strength should improve significantly. With his troops from Yunji City holding the line, he did not worry about any unrest arising among these new recruits.

It should be enough to wage a battle against Sifang City!

Even if the difficulty was immense, this battle had to be launched!

He had to thoroughly eliminate Ye Fan!

"Oh, right, General Ren, there is one more extremely important matter..." Wang Hai and his group were just about to be sent off by Ren Tianye to take refuge in Yunji City. They had already reached the door when Wang Hai suddenly seemed to remember something, his expression changing. "Ye Fan has another source of support!"

"Before Ye Fan rose to power, he became sworn brothers with someone. The man is named Song Wan. Previously, he seemed to be an obscure military officer from a humble background in the Northern Frontier of Great Yu, never highly regarded."

"But that man possesses extraordinary talent. After Ye Fan's rise, he was arranged by Ye Fan to independently lead an army and sweep across the Northern Frontier."

"Fighting and slaughtering along the way, his forces have rapidly expanded!"

"We currently do not know his whereabouts or the exact number of his troops, but I fear they are formidable."

"It is highly likely that he will suddenly return to attack while you, General Ren, are assaulting Sifang City. You must be careful."

Ren Tianye frowned.

Song Wan?!

Sweeping across the Northern Frontier?

Had someone already built up such significant momentum in the Northern Frontier?

He had always kept an eye on developments in the Northern Frontier and maintained contact with scattered border troops who intended to pledge allegiance to him. He only knew that the borderlands had descended into utter chaos, but he had no idea that someone named Song Wan had gradually become an unstoppable force!

"Moreover, this Song Wan is extremely cruel and bloodthirsty!"

Remembering something else, Wang Hai hurriedly added, "It is said that Song Wan looks like a handsome youth. He is usually unsmiling and speaks coldly, but he is utterly merciless when he strikes."

"As far as we know, he has already massacred Shuofeng City, Canglan City, Luoyan City, Shaji Town, Duchuan Town, Qingmeng Town, and several other cities and towns of various sizes."

"He truly shows no mercy!"

"He leaves no living creature behind in the entire city, and the corpses pile up like mountains!"

Ren Tianye's frown deepened.

Ye Fan actually had such support?!

That made him even harder to deal with. He was indeed a figure with the bearing of a protagonist.

But he had to take Sifang City!

Ye Fan must be killed!

Let alone one Song Wan, even if there were a hundred Song Wans helping him, he was determined to slay Ye Fan!

It was just that...

A hint of doubt appeared in Ren Tianye's eyes.

He had a lingering feeling that he had heard the name "Song Wan" somewhere before.

But after pondering for a long time, he couldn't recall.

He simply stopped thinking about it and began considering the best way to attack Sifang City.

...

Canglan City!

This town, which had been thriving and prosperous just a few months ago, was now reduced to ruins. Inside the city, corpses piled up like mountains, blood flowed like rivers, and a nauseating stench of filth permeated the air.

Wang Ming and Su Jin, leading their personal guards to search for traces of Su Xiu, had traveled all the way here. Even Wang Ming, who had spent a long time in the border army and was accustomed to scenes of bloody slaughter, could not help but want to retch.

"It is truly better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos!"

"What heartless bastard actually massacred Canglan City? It truly incites the wrath of both men and gods."

He cursed angrily in a low voice. When he looked up, he saw Su Jin sitting on her horse, staring blankly at the ruined "Canglan City" plaque, which was already missing a corner.

"Su Jin, what's wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing, just..." Su Jin said, "Just remembering some things."

Her thoughts were tightly gripped by the rope of fate. The feelings suppressed deep in her heart, upon seeing the words "Canglan City," suddenly surged like a tempestuous sea without warning.

She could no longer clearly remember the appearance of that youth.

She only remembered his expression.

Stubborn, determined.

She remembered even more his resolve to sacrifice everything for her.

But she had already chosen Zhang Wei.

That military advisor with heaven-reaching connections, who was also easy to manipulate!

The youth's endless affection could only be an illusory bubble to her!

All she could give was to accompany the youth on a trip to the Northern Frontier before her marriage, to take a look at the vast rivers and mountains of Great Yu, and to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the north.

As she traveled, he followed all the way.

His face always bore an unsmiling demeanor, but whenever he met her eyes, the youth's face would soften, and his gaze would instantly brighten.

Such pure sincerity made her reluctant to let go and caused her heartache.

But she had no choice but to give up.

She found many excuses, but none could sever this fateful connection. Her tears fell time and time again, and time and time again he caught her crying, leaving her panicked and at a loss.

She lied and claimed she was being bullied, and the youth said, "When I become a great general, I will definitely avenge you."

"For every tear you shed, I will slaughter a city."

Such a jest was truly ridiculous.

But when the youth said it, his body was tense, his face stern, and his eyes held their usual unwavering seriousness.

That image became a memory she could never erase.

But now...

Times had changed. Zhang Wei was dead, and she was no longer the lady who could act recklessly according to her whims. Now, she lived under another's roof, merely dragging out an ignoble existence.

All she could do was remain constantly vigilant.

All she could seek was to forge ahead bravely on the path of her career.

The past was like smoke, and memories were like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, vanishing in an instant. In this time when the world was on the verge of great chaos, surviving was perhaps more important than anything else.

"Su Jin, are you alright?"

Seeing that Su Jin's expression was off, Wang Ming asked.

Su Jin immediately blinked imperceptibly, letting the tears in her eyes vanish. Her delicate and beautiful face once again showed the calmness she had maintained recently. "I'm fine."

"We should hurry up and find my second sister. Let's not let her stir up any more trouble."

Wang Ming nodded. Just as he was about to lead the group away, he saw a messenger from Yunji City running swiftly toward them.

"General Wang Ming, orders from the Commander-in-Chief! You are to return to camp immediately without fail!"

...