Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows and kicked the horse’s stomach lightly. His army split into two sides to create a pathway for him to pass through. The man rode on his horse, dressed in green, with the giant mountain peaks behind him. The wind blew from afar and brushed against a few strands of hair on his temple, as he stared deeply into the distance.

  He rode forward and frowned slightly. The war had only just begun. What exactly could have caused the savage Quanrong people to panic to this extent?

  “Your Majesty! There is a massive army from Yan Bei approaching from the direction west of Luori Mountains,” the scout sprinted towards Zhuge Yue, knelt down on the icy ground, and reported loudly.

  Zhuge Yue frowned and thought for a little while before replying, “How many people do they have? Who is leading them?”


  “We don’t know yet.”


  “Continue to find out more.”


  “Yes.”


  Two scouts rode off on their horse, with letters that had the seal of Qinghai imprinted on them. The pale red sun hung over the skies towards the west, painting the landscape red. Sounds of war could be heard everywhere; after eight days of continuous fighting, today was the day of the last battle.

  People from Yan Bei? Who exactly were they? Did the battle at Shangshen finish already?

  Zhuge Yue turned back and walked towards his tent, spreading out his map to strategize. Evening had arrived; as the lighting was too dim, he lit two candles and sat in front of his study.

  The Quanrong people had carried out a brutal rampage since they breached the pass. Luckily for the people of Yan Bei, Yan Xun had reacted fast enough to transfer them away. However, the people at Meilin Pass were not able to escape misfortune. The people that lived along the three territories of Wuting, Guiyu, and Dangrong were all massacred, including any newborn infants. A scout, who had sneaked deep into the enemy’s territory, reported that there were no traces of human beings in the 28 cities near Meilin Pass. The people in Jiaxi City had all been hung to death by the Quanrong people, in forests located within ten kilometers of the city.

  The generals from Qinghai were present when they heard these words. Despite being seasoned war veterans themselves, they were rendered speechless as their faces turned pale. Du Pingan, who had been by Zhuge Yue’s side for a long time, added, “Are those people still human?”


  Of course they were human. They were going to appear in front of them soon, waving their swords.

  Zhuge Yue suddenly thought of Chu Qiao’s words before he left Qinghai. She had said that this was not a normal war between the Quanrong people and Yan Bei. This was a war between the barbaric and the civilized, a battle between different cultures. No one stood to gain from this. Once the Quanrong people had obtained the upper hand, they would have paid a much heavier price than expected, even if they managed to obtain some land and benefits from Yan Bei. That instant, he finally understood what she meant.

  When calamity descended, any internal conflict would not help the situation. Faced with the ferocious troops from Quanrong, no one would be able to take all the credit, nor enjoy any benefits by just sitting back. They had unexpectedly obtained victory at the battle of Beishuo through Chu Qiao’s fire cannons that were invented when she defended Chidu City that year.

  After half a month, the Quanrong people had suffered heavy casualties. The Heishui Army was the first to fall; their leader, Xiao Da, fled with all of his troops, exposing the entire left side of their formation to the unified army. Chu Qiao seized the chance to disrupt their formation, breaching the entire defensive line on the left side and separating them from the central army, leaving them essentially paralyzed. After another half a month, the Quanrong people were utterly defeated. The remaining 700,000 troops fled in different directions, under the leadership of their respective commanders.

  Chu Qiao issued another set of orders for the unified army to split into seven sections, led by Qinghai, Tang, Zhao Che, Zhao Yang, Song, Yan Bei, and the provincial troops of Yan Bei respectively. Their task was to pursue and eliminate the Quanrong troops who had fled.

  The area which Zhuge Yue was assigned to was the Luori Mountains, which was one of the vital territories belonging to the highlands of Yan Bei.

  “Reporting!” A scout jumped off from his horse, holding an object in his hand. Loudly, he recited, “Your Majesty, the battle at Shangshen has not ended. There are only 3,000 troops from Yan Bei. Their leader is the emperor of Yan Bei.”


  “Yan Xun?” Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows and looked down, where he saw Yan Xun’s golden arrow in the scout’s hands. He looked at the arrow and frowned slightly, not saying a further word.

  “Order General Yue Qi to deploy another two detachments of cavalry troops to attack the central tent of Quanrong. No matter what, we must find out the overall commander of the Quanrong army this time.”


  “Yes!”


  As the sky darkened, marking the arrival of nighttime, the moon rose high up in the sky. For an entire night, Zhuge Yue sat in his tent, not resting for a single minute. Before dawn broke, Yue Qi’s war intel reached his ears. The overall commander sitting in the central tent of Quanrong was indeed its current Khan.

  Zhuge Yue smiled slyly. He thought to himself: The Khan himself is here. No wonder Yan Xun wants to attack personally.

  “Prepare the armor!” Zhuge Yue stood up as his aides dressed him in his body armor.

  The king of Qinghai mounted his warhorse as he held his sword in his hands. He was dressed in green, with a steely-grey cloak draped over his back. As the war sirens sounded, Pingan dashed out from his tent and restrained the reins of Zhuge Yue’s horse, shouting, “Your Majesty, don’t do anything silly! Sister has instructed me not to let you fight at the frontline!”


  Zhuge Yue looked at him helplessly as he gestured to the people beside him. In no time, they dragged Pingan away and back towards the big tent.

  “Your Majesty, you broke your promise! Sister will scold me to death!” Pingan shouted in a panicked and frantic manner, stunning even the soldiers who were fighting on the battlefield.

  Zhuge Yue turned and looked at the battlefield in front of him. With a low voice, he ordered, “Let’s set off.”


  The massive army set off on their tracks. Simultaneously, not far out, someone dashed to Yan Xun’s side and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the king of Qinghai is approaching with his army.”


  “Is that so?” Yan Xun raised his eyebrows and answered plainly. With a competitive instinct that resembled a teenager, he ordered with determination, “We must capture the Khan of Quanrong before the Qinghai army does.”


  “Yes, Sir!”


  The massive army set off on its tracks, leaving behind a large trail of dust.

  I love you, forever and ever.

  “Is the king of Qinghai in front?” AhJing rode on his horse and probed, but did not get a response. All he saw was a man dressed in green, hacking wildly at the formation of the Quanrong people. As he was too far away, he could not get a good look at the man’s face. However, he noticed that the man’s swordsmanship was exquisite, while his martial arts prowess stood out from the crowd as he shredded his way through the Quanrong army.

  “Your Majesty, Zhuge Yue’s army might be opposite us.”


  Yan Xun raised his eyebrows as he looked at the man who he had been butting heads with all his life. A sense of pride started to brew from within him as he laughed loudly. He rode forward on his horse and declared loudly, “Let’s meet him then.”


  The battlefield was a picture of pandemonium by now. The Quanrong people, having been driven to desperation, behaved like lunatics as they fought in a disorganized manner. The generals of Qinghai and Yan Bei, witnessing their respective rulers dashing forward, were stunned, as they stood rooted to the spot on their horses.

  What……what……what exactly was going on?

  Your Majesty has not behaved like this before! Disregarding their safety, the big picture, and attacking so recklessly…… These people could no longer think of anything else as they followed behind the both of them, unable to catch up.

  The both of them were arrogant martial arts exponents who thought that they were invincible. Having pitted themselves against each other all their lives, they could not afford to lose to the other party at this time.

  Corpses and blood continued to litter the battlefield, staining the grassland red. Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun rampaged their way through, leaving a mess behind wherever they went. The Quanrong people were scared out of their wits by the sight of them. Initially, they laughed at the idea of these two people courting their own death, but they slowly came to realize the sight that was unfolding in front of them. Gradually, thousands of Quanrong troops could be seen running away from the two figures.

  As time continued to pass, the reinforcement troops surrounded the Quanrong army, causing them to flee towards the north. Upon seeing this, Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun continued to ride forward on their horses, neither of them willing to pass up on this opportunity to capture the Khan of Quanrong.

  The battle continued all the way for an entire day. The two men continued to pursue the Quanrong troops, without any sign of retreating. Finally, the Quanrong people were trapped in a narrow mountain slope. There were less than 20 people by Yan Xun’s side, with the rest of his army having followed Zhuge Yue’s to surround the mountain slope. Yan Xun, having fought for an entire day, had suffered many injuries to his arms and legs, and was bleeding profusely. He had no choice but to take a rest.

  Zhuge Yue was no better off. However, he was extremely stubborn and refused to seek treatment, choosing to remain on his horse as he panted heavily.

  After a short while, Yan Xun’s face appeared in front of him.

  Zhuge Yue looked at him from the side of his eye. Then, he unfastened the jar of wine hanging by his waist and handed it over to him.

  Yan Xun frowned slightly without receiving the jar of wine. He looked at Zhuge Yue, not saying a single word.

  Zhuge Yue laughed coldly and asked, “What’s the matter? Afraid that I’ll poison you?”


  Yan Xun nodded honestly and replied, “Yes.”


  “Hmph.” Zhuge Yue sneered in reply as he prepared to take a mouthful from the jar. However, Yan Xun snatched the jar over from him, removed the wooden cork and took a mouthful of wine from the jar. He wiped his mouth and made a few mocking remarks in disdain, “Qinghai is a poor town indeed. Even the wine tastes horrible.”


  Zhuge Yue retorted, “Do you know how to taste wine? To you, the best wine is probably the wine from Yan Bei too.”


  With this, the two most powerful men in the world started to bicker like little children. The both of them looked at each other, finding each and every aspect of each other an eyesore.