The smoke of gunpowder once again engulfed the skies of the Great Song Dynasty.

...

Compared to other regions embroiled in war.

Nanyang County was a place of tranquility. Under Chen Mo’s administration, Nanyang County gradually regained its vitality, and due to the chaos of war, its peace became an idyllic sanctuary in the eyes of people from other regions. Countless civilians, even wealthy merchants and officials, all flocked to Nanyang County.

...

Nanyang City.

After more than a month of repairs, Nanyang County finally restored the grandeur of its past as the largest city in Nanyang County.

Of course, the prosperity and hustle and bustle couldn’t compare to how it was before.

State Governor’s Mansion.

"Master, there’s a letter from the Capital."

In the study, Chun Lan walked in holding three secret letters.

After Nanyang City was repaired, Chen Mo and the others moved from Celestial River Prefecture to Nanyang City.

At that moment, Chen Mo was formulating a training plan for the army. Upon hearing Chun Lan’s words, he looked up, thinking a letter from Yunxi had arrived.

But unexpectedly, there were two.

Chen Mo didn’t avoid Chun Lan, and opened them in front of her.

One was from Xiao Yunqi, commanding him to lead the army to suppress Zhao Jiang.

Another was from Huangfu Hao, urging him to prioritize the country and drive out foreign invaders first.

And there was one from Xiao Yunxi, also urging him to prioritize the nation and not to be swayed by her father’s threats, and to resist the invasion of the Desolate Kingdom first.

"Has the day finally come..."

Chen Mo stood up and opened the window, letting the piercing cold wind blow against him.

This cold wind also cleared his mind considerably.

"Chun Lan, have someone call General Li, General Zhang, General Dai, and General Bai for me," said Chen Mo.

Chun Lan nodded and withdrew.

Just as she reached the door, she bumped into Gao Zheng.

"General Gao."

"Madam." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The two greeted each other, and Gao Zheng entered the study, casually brushing off the snowflakes on his shoulder: "Subordinate greets you, Sir."

"At ease," Chen Mo turned to look at him, "What brings you here?"

Gao Zheng didn’t answer immediately, but stepped forward.

Chen Mo realized what it was, and with a wave of his hand, the doors and windows were instantly shut. Gao Zheng whispered into his ear, "Sir, a message came from the Gunpowder Workshop. They said the Red Barbarians Cannon is ready."

"How many?" Chen Mo’s eyes lit up.

"Three," Gao Zheng replied.

"Three?" Chen Mo slightly frowned. "Just three won’t be enough. You need to go personally, even if it means working through the night. You must produce two more within ten days."

"Yes, Sir."

"By the way, how’s the Tomb Raider Captain’s side progressing?" Recently, the Tomb Raider Captain had looted quite a few tombs, easing Nanyang’s finances, but these were all small tombs, and Chen Mo wanted the big ones.

"I heard that in Nan County, a large tomb has been discovered which might be Si Hun’s tomb," Gao Zheng said.

"Si Hun?" Chen Mo was taken aback, hearing the name for the first time.

"Sir, Si Hun was the richest man in Nan County two hundred years ago. It’s said he committed countless vile deeds and was cursed by the heavens, remaining childless all his life. Hence, he commissioned a mausoleum comparable to a palace in advance. He transferred all his life’s wealth into this mausoleum and then executed everyone privy to its secrets.

When he felt death approaching, he took residence in this mausoleum," Gao Zheng explained slowly.

"..."

Several black lines appeared on Chen Mo’s forehead: "Since all the knowledgeable are dead, how do you know about it?"

"That’s why it’s said to be so?" Gao Zheng scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Originally, I planned to confirm it before reporting to you, Sir. But I can confirm one thing: the tomb in Nan County is indeed a large one."

"Hmm." Chen Mo nodded, "Proceed with caution."

"Understood."

...

Soon after discussing with Gao Zheng, Li Weiqiu, Dai Xishan, Bai Yongtao, and Zhang Lie arrived at the study.

"Sir, you summoned us." They spoke in unison.

"Is it time to go to war?" Li Weiqiu seemed a bit excited.

Chen Mo nodded.

"Great, finally a chance to stretch these muscles. After over two months, I’ve grown rusty," Li Weiqiu said excitedly.

Zhang Lie, Dai Xishan, and the others were also a bit delighted.

The time to achieve glory had arrived.

"Sir, is it to fight those Desolate Kingdom savages?" Bai Yongtao asked.

Chen Mo didn’t answer but instead pushed the letter Xiao Yunqi gave him towards them, saying, "This is a letter from An Yang Gong."

Li Weiqiu and the others were taken aback.

Bai Yongtao picked it up to read, his brows furrowing.

"What’s wrong?" Li Weiqiu asked curiously.

Bai Yongtao passed the letter to Li Weiqiu.

After reading it, Li Weiqiu’s face turned somber: "To attack King Yan?"

"What?" Zhang Lie and Dai Xishan were visibly shocked.

The Desolate Kingdom had crossed the Yao River, yet instead of resisting them, they were to attack King Yan—this...

For a moment, they didn’t know what to say.

But Chen Mo understood Xiao Yunqi’s thinking: if Zhao Jiang attacked, not only would all his efforts be in vain, but his very life would be threatened.

The Desolate Kingdom side could still be negotiated with.

What was that saying again?

Settle internal affairs before resisting external aggressors.

"What does Sir intend to do?" Li Weiqiu looked at Chen Mo, knowing he must have a different thought.

"I believe the country’s interests come first. We must drive out the invaders before dealing with internal affairs," Chen Mo stood and spoke slowly.

The four were taken aback. If Chen Mo acted thus, it would mean going against Xiao Yunqi’s orders.

That would be treason.

"Therefore, I plan to return to the Capital," Chen Mo murmured, "return with troops."

The four were once again shocked, Dai Xishan’s eyes widened: "Sir, you intend to..."

"Stage a coup," Chen Mo concluded for Dai Xishan.

The four were startled.

"Brother Chen... you’re joking... right?" Li Weiqiu’s breathing became rapid.

Chen Mo shook his head.

"The Imperial Guard in the Capital number at least three hundred thousand, combined with General Huangfu’s, totaling four hundred thousand, and we have only eighty thousand, with less than twenty thousand truly capable of fighting. How can we stage a coup?" Zhang Lie felt Chen Mo was somewhat crazy.

"Staging a coup isn’t about numbers. Besides, on this trip to the Capital, we’ll only take twenty thousand," Chen Mo replied.

"Are you mad?" Li Weiqiu’s voice grew hoarse.

Chen Mo shook his head: "Precisely because there are fewer numbers, they won’t take us seriously. Furthermore, staging a coup isn’t about numbers. Besides, they don’t know I’m returning to the Capital to stage a coup."

"But it’s far too risky."

"I’m seventy percent confident," Chen Mo murmured.

Li Weiqiu and the others exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and made their decision: "Let’s do it."

...

The reason Chen Mo claimed he was seventy percent confident was because he had simulated the scenario before Li Weiqiu and the others arrived.

Should there not be any mishaps, upon reaching the Capital, Wu Lu would personally come to negotiate.

...

At the same time.

Ye City.

The Princess and her entourage were stationed in Ye City.

They had been fleeing, with the Desolate Kingdom’s army in relentless pursuit.

Quickly, their retreat was cut off by Ling Zhi’s forces, trapping them within Ye City.

However, due to peace talks, the Desolate Kingdom hadn’t launched an attack yet.

On the city walls of Ye City, with roads blocked by enemy forces, Zhao Qianyi and her companions weren’t aware of the Imperial Court’s negotiations with the Desolate Kingdom.

"Did we not escape after all?" Wei Ying looked at the distant firelight, the camp of the Desolate Kingdom’s army, with a trace of sadness. She wanted the Princess to survive, but ultimately failed to do so.

Had she known...

"Princess, I apologize," Wei Ying said with her head lowered to Zhao Qianyi.

Zhao Qianyi cast a cold gaze at her, then sighed: "What’s the use of apologizing now? We should think of a way to cope."

"Princess, I believe we should lead the troops out under the cover of night, to seize a slim chance of survival."

Ye City wasn’t a fortified city and difficult to defend. Only by breaking out and fighting might they have a chance of survival.

"In the bitter cold, with our men and horses exhausted, how could we possibly match them? Breaking out to fight would be nothing more than throwing our lives away."

```