"Understood."

...

Fengzhou border.

In the mountain forest.

A vine armor army of over ten thousand troops had been assembled here for many days.

In the summer heat, even though they hid in the shade, it was unbearably hot. Sweat ran from their cheeks to their chins, gathering into "beads" that fell onto the hands gripping their weapons.

Though they voiced no complaints, in their hearts, they cursed those who had given the order to "hide here" countless times.

"General, how long do we have to stay hidden here? Many soldiers have already collapsed from heatstroke." The deputy general's words carried a hint of grievance.

In this oppressive weather, surrounded by woods, it was unbearable not only for regular soldiers but even for martial artists.

Inside a cool cave.

This cave was once a tiger's lair. After the vine armor army arrived, the tiger not only became their feast, but its lair also turned into a temporary command post.

Jiang Li looked at the map in front of him and paid no mind to the deputy general's words, saying, "Sir has given a death order, not a single step should be taken away from here until the battle in Huai State has been decided; violators will be beheaded! This is a military order."

A chill ran down the deputy general's back just as he was about to offer his own defense.

A Armored Warrior entered holding a carrier pigeon, respectfully saying, "General, a message from Huai State has arrived."

"Bring it here quickly." Jiang Li abruptly stood up, closing the distance to the Armored Warrior in two strides, snatching the pigeon and untying the message from its leg.

After reading its contents, Jiang Li's expression subtly changed, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The deputy general, witnessing this, was about to curiously inquire when Jiang Li's expression turned solemn: "Send orders to my commanders, dispatch troops to Fengzhou to punish the traitor... Chu Yi."

The deputy general trembled all over.

Did Duke An achieve victory in the battle in Huai State?

...

Before Jiang Li received the news.

Fengzhou, Jing County.

The city was at peace, with two of its four gates wide open, and supplies being transported from the rear. These were, of course, all the spoils gathered by Prince Huai in Fengzhou from the Chen Army. Furthermore, they were actively recruiting soldiers, either through coercion or inducement, almost to the point of forcibly enlisting able-bodied men.

Atop the city walls, the Huai Army conducted routine patrols, with logs, stones, and boiling oil all fully prepared.

Learning from past lessons, Prince Huai wisely refrained from hastily attacking Yi County. Instead, he first stabilized the nearby towns around Jing County to prevent any enemy forces from sneaking in from behind or approaching secretly, strengthening the defenses of Jing County methodically.

Finally, scouts were dispatched to investigate the Chen Army's defenses at Yi County, checking manpower and identifying the commanding general.

With the preparations completed, Prince Huai began formulating a plan to attack Yi County.

Inside the central commander's tent in the city.

Prince Huai pointed to a spot on the northern corner of the map before saying, "The best strategy is to wait for King Chong and Lu Sheng's alliance army to achieve a great victory in Huai State, then spread the news to Yi County to demoralize the Chen Army, creating the perfect opportunity for an assault on the city..."

"Report—Report—"

Just as Prince Huai finished speaking, urgent shouts erupted from outside the tent.

The generals and staff officers inside the tent, hearing this hurried voice, all had a change in their expressions, wondering if Yue Ruyan had launched an attack on Jing County. They rushed to look outside the tent.

Prince Huai's eyelid twitched suddenly, a familiar sense of déjà vu rising in his mind, prompting a strong suspicion that a major variable might have occurred.

The reporting personal soldier half stumbled, half crawled into the tent, urgently saying, "Your... your Highness, it's bad. Mr. Diwu has sent a message saying... saying..."

"Saying what?" Seeing the personal soldier hesitating and stammering, Prince Huai's expression darkened as he hurriedly urged him on.

"Mr. Diwu sent a message saying that King Chong's alliance army lost the battle against the Chen Army at Song Family Slope. Luo Family's patriarch Luo Qingyang and King Chong's grand general Gongsun Yan both perished under Chen Mo's arrows.

Mr. Diwu also advised that upon receiving the message, Your Highness should quickly withdraw from Fengzhou, as it might soon be too late..."

The reminder from Mr. Diwu, as relayed by the personal soldier, failed to penetrate Prince Huai's mind because upon hearing that the alliance lost to the Chen Army at Song Family Slope, his head was buzzing and swirling.

At that moment, he felt the world spinning, lost in confusion over his identity.

His heart filled with cold dread, an inexplicable sense of panic quickly spreading throughout his whole body.

He appeared somewhat manic: "How could we lose? How could we be defeated? What happened to King Chong? Lu Sheng? Where are they, and what were they doing? Useless wastrels..."

Prince Huai roared in anger.

The generals and staff members in the tent fell silent, frightened into submission.

Especially the personal soldier reporting, who felt as if one foot was on death's doorstep.

But it wasn't over yet.

Just as the tent fell into a dead silence, another anxious voice screamed from outside, shattering the calm.

This time, it wasn't a personal soldier of Prince Huai who came in, but a scout sent by Prince Huai to investigate the North Bank of Fengzhou, concerned that Qingzhou might dispatch forces over the river.

Keeping an eye on it could ensure early precautions.

"Report—, Your Highness, a large number of warships suddenly appeared on the North Bank of Fengzhou, carrying Chen Army armor. From the ships, a significant number of troops disembarked, their specific numbers are not yet clear. Your subordinate suspects they're targeting Your Highness." After finishing, the scout noticed the uneasy atmosphere in the tent, swallowing hard.

"What?"

"On the North Bank of Fengzhou, weren't all of Qingzhou's troops deployed northwards, so where did these people come from?"

"It's over, it's over."

Moments after the scout's words, the commander's tent erupted into chaos.

If it hadn't been for the prior report from Huai State, the scout's news wouldn't have been particularly alarming, given they were somewhat prepared.

Yet now, with the arrival of dual unfortunate reports, the situation had reached an extreme crisis.

Some generals, risking Prince Huai's wrath, stepped forward, bowing respectfully: "Your Highness, let's retreat. If we delay until the Chen Army burrows into our rear from the North Bank, it would be too late to retreat."

"Yes, Your Highness, please withdraw." Once one person spoke up, other generals and staff quickly echoed in agreement.

But Prince Huai, deeply stunned and yet to recover his composure, barely acknowledged their petitions.

Supporting himself on the table with both hands, he struggled to manage his inner turmoil, trying not to lose his composure as before.

However, bad news seemed relentless.

This time, it was the city defense general at Jing County, urgently saying, "Your Highness, it's dire. A large Chen Army force was spotted twenty miles outside the city, rapidly approaching Jing County, led by a woman, which should be Yue Ruyan."

Once again, chaos ensued within the command tent, resembling ants on a hot pan. Without instruction from Prince Huai, several generals immediately set out to oversee defensive preparations.

Clearly, the Chen Army at Yi County had also learned about the events at Song Family Slope and were moving to hold them, preventing their escape so that the forces from the North Bank could strike from both sides. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

After hearing these words, Prince Huai suffered another severe blow, his body trembling violently, his hands clutching the table trembling slightly, his complexion turning deathly pale as though drained of blood in an instant.

With an almost collapsing mind, he issued his orders: "First and Second Battalions, hold Jing County to delay the Chen Army from Yi County; the rest, withdraw."

As he spoke, Prince Huai staggered out of the command tent, the glaring sun outside causing him to raise his hand to shield his eyes as he adapted, eventually looking up at the blazing sun, unable to shake the sense of unreality from the reports he had just received.

Seeing Prince Huai in such a state, his personal soldier hurried forward to support him, only to be pushed away.

"Quick, bring His Highness's horse." One of the generals following Prince Huai instructed the personal soldier.

The personal soldier quickly went to fetch the horse.

"Your Highness, the horse is ready." Soon, the personal soldier returned with the horse.

Seeing the prince immobile, the soldier stepped forward to help Prince Huai onto the horse.

"Report—"

At that moment, a fast horse charged into the camp, stopping about ten meters from the command tent, with the rider quickly dismounting, shouting urgently: "Your Highness, it's bad! The vine armor soldiers from Shu Residence have entered Fengzhou, claiming they're here to punish you."

"Pfft..."

As those words fell, Prince Huai spewed a mouthful of blood, and the next moment, his vision went black as he toppled off his horse.