Wei Junzhuo twitched the corners of his mouth, watching this scene with a blank expression: "Oh, you’re even putting on a show for me."

Wei Chengyuan wiping his tears: "Then let me just run into your blade and die right here."

Rong Heng disdainfully withdrew his hand, distancing himself from Wei Chengyuan: "Suit yourself, just don’t use my knife."

Wei Junzhuo was silent for a long time, and eventually, he gave a bitter smile, then turned around to look at Qingzhou City behind him.

On the city walls, not only were there the ten thousand surrendered Qi Country soldiers, but also countless citizens of Qingzhou. They had come out of their houses with lanterns, eyes wide open in the darkness, waiting for the final fate of this city.

"Rong Baoyi not only persuaded the ten thousand surrendered Qi Country soldiers but also the citizens of Qingzhou," Rong Heng started to add fuel to the fire, "You’ve quickly taken over most of Qi Country, thanks to Xu Ding’s foolishness and his initiative to welcome the hundred thousand troops of Wei Country with open arms. But, can you capture the cities of Qi Country, can you win the hearts of the people?"

Wei Junzhuo, today it’s true that there’s no clear victory or defeat between us, but if Wei Country really wishes to decide it now, I am ready to accompany you at any time."

"Protect the Prince!"

Jiu quickly summoned Rong Heng’s personal soldiers to stand in front of Wei Junzhuo, and the atmosphere between both sides grew tense once again.

Wei Junzhuo said, "Rong Heng, aren’t you afraid that I might take action against you right now?"

Rong Heng had a tiny, sharp dart hidden in his sleeve, he looked at Wei Junzhuo calmly and said, "Should the General wish to try?"

As both sides were at a standoff, accompanied by a rumbling sound, Qingzhou City’s gates suddenly began to open slowly.

Dressed in red armor, Rong Baoyi walked out. Following her was a middle-aged man with a handsome appearance, and beside the man was a boy of fourteen or fifteen.

Jiu quickly stepped forward and carefully observed Baoyi: "Commandery Princess, are you well?"

"I am well," Baoyi smiled slightly at him, then saluted Rong Heng and said, "Prince, this is Uncle Qingyuan’s Third Young Master, Xu Shu."

The middle-aged man was the former Monarch of Qi Country, now Dayan’s Uncle Qingyuan, Xu Ding. Beside him was his youngest son, Xu Shu.

"I have seen the Prince," Uncle Qingyuan and his son both saluted Rong Heng.

Xu Ding had three sons in total, with the eldest being the Crown Prince of Qi Country.

When Xu Ding fled, the Crown Prince and the second son submitted to Wei Country, with the Crown Prince being the first to send people to hunt down his father. Only the youngest son, Xu Shu, remained missing.

Xu Ding thought Xu Shu had died in the chaos of war, but unexpectedly, following Rong Heng’s orders, Rong Baoyi took him into Qingzhou City, and he accidentally found Xu Shu.

Xu Shu inherited his father’s handsome looks, with a gentle and refined demeanor, dressed only in a simple, light-colored long robe.

Baoyi said, "When Qingzhou City fell, Xu Shu was trapped here because he secretly left the palace to visit his maternal grandmother in Qingzhou. Later, Yuan Lang’s men discovered him and have been protecting him in secret. Just now, with both him and Uncle Qingyuan here, I was able to persuade the surrendered soldiers so quickly, and the hearts of Qi’s people lean towards their Monarch."

Behind her, the Qi Country’s surrendered soldiers also came up, the city’s citizens poking their heads out to watch from behind them.

As the sun completely set, the silent snow stopped falling, and the soldiers from both sides lit torches, illuminating each other’s faces.

Wei Junzhuo also heard Baoyi’s words, and lowering his eyes, he spoke to himself: "Yuan Lang indeed had such thoughts... seems I underestimated him."

Xu Ding’s expression was compassionate, his face pale yet resolute in the firelight.

He rubbed his sore eyes, and in front of Qi’s citizens and countless soldiers, placing his hand on his son’s shoulder, the father and son both knelt down before Rong Heng.

Xu Ding’s voice was heavy and clear:

"Monarch of Qi Country, Xu Ding, willing to abdicate my position, on behalf of Qingzhou’s entire military and civilians, I submit to Dayan Country, and hereby swear, willing to serve as Dayan’s vanguard, my descendants shall never dare betray this oath. If violated, let heaven abandon the Xu family, heaven’s punishment upon us."

Watching the former Monarch kneel beneath a foreign foot, within Qingzhou City, the sound of citizens quietly sobbing emerged, and cries arose among the surrendered soldiers of Qi Country.

On the deathly silent battlefield, the firelight reflected off the cold armor, the north wind wailing, corpses scattered everywhere, unbearable to witness.

Rong Heng helped Xu Ding up: "Please rise, Uncle Qingyuan."

Xu Shu lifted his head to look at Rong Heng and Wei Junzhuo, his eyes red, and said:

"Prince, General, Qi Country was just a small country, now the capital has fallen, the mountains and rivers shattered, Father, Father has also become a citizen of Dayan, with half the country now in the hands of the General. It is the Xu family’s incompetence, unable to fulfill our duty, failing to protect a country’s peace, my father and I are willing to offer our family to pacify your thunderous wrath."