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“These cowards have finally come out!”

“Pass on my order—prepare for battle!”

“Yes, sir,” the soldiers responded, their bodies trembling with anticipation.

One joss stick later, the Qing soldiers, mentally strained and weary from handling the plague-ridden corpses, rushed out of the city. Waiting for them were the fierce and ready Great Zhou soldiers.

These Great Zhou soldiers had been holding back for too long. While the Qing troops hid within the city walls, the Zhou soldiers endured the torment of the plague hanging over them. Now, seeing the Qing soldiers, rage burned in their eyes.

“Kill!”

The Great Zhou soldiers charged, each one fueled by fury. Leading the charge was Li Cunxiao, his long spear cutting down enemies with deadly precision. In the blink of an eye, he had slain more than a dozen foes, leaving rivers of blood in his wake.

The Qing soldiers, having enjoyed relative comfort in the days prior, were sluggish and unprepared for this sudden onslaught. The psychological toll of the plague-infected corpses only added to their disarray. Facing the relentless and enraged Great Zhou soldiers, their morale began to crumble.

From a distance, Heichi Changzhi’s expression remained serious, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. With a swift wave of his hand, he commanded,

“Have the cavalry flank them from both sides. Attack from the front and the back, and cut off their retreat!”

“Yes, sir,” his deputy generals responded in unison.

Moments later, the cavalry charged out like a blade slicing through the enemy’s flanks. The Qing army’s formation collapsed almost instantly.

Within half an hour, Yucheng had fallen.

…

Three days later, in the Golden Throne Hall…

“Your Majesty, are you more comfortable now?”

Empress Xiaoxianchun, dressed in a red and gold phoenix robe, smiled as she gently massaged the man’s head in front of her.

Qianlong, his eyes half-closed in relaxation, murmured, “Not bad… your skills have improved greatly.”

Fu Cha Shi’s eyes gleamed with pride, and just as she was about to respond, hurried footsteps interrupted.

“Your Majesty…”

Fu Cha Fu Heng appeared before them, his expression urgent.

Fu Cha Shi’s brow furrowed in annoyance, though she feigned displeasure.

“Fu Heng, for rushing in and disturbing His Majesty, what punishment do you think you deserve?”

Fu Cha Fu Heng, unafraid, knew his sister was only trying to soften Qianlong’s irritation. Typically, he would have played along and pleaded guilty. But this time, the situation was too grave.

Without hesitation, he turned directly to Qianlong.

“Your Majesty, there’s trouble at the front.”

“What?!”

Qianlong’s eyes, which had just closed in relaxation, snapped open. He glanced at Fu Cha Shi, who was equally startled and had stopped her massage.

Qianlong’s face darkened, a deep frown forming as the weight of Fu Heng’s words settled in.

“What’s going on?”

Fu Cha Fu Heng took a deep breath, his expression grim, and spoke bitterly.

“Nianqi was defeated, and the Zhou soldiers captured Yucheng in one fell swoop.”

“What?!”

Qianlong’s eyes narrowed, his face darkening like a thunder cloud.

His fists clenched tightly as he fumed, “How is that possible? I gave Nianqi enough troops, and he had the fortifications of Yucheng. How could he be defeated?”

Fu Cha Fu Heng sighed, then began to recount the details of the report.

“The Zhou soldiers used plague-infected corpses, throwing them into the city. Nianqi had no choice but to march out and engage them, only to be ambushed by the Zhou army. They quickly overran the city, and he was captured.”

The hall fell into a deep, suffocating silence.

Qianlong’s grip on his chair tightened, the veins in his hands bulging, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

“Throwing plague-infected corpses into the city?” he muttered, the words bitter and sharp.

“Such ruthlessness?”

A cold shiver ran from the base of his spine to his heart, raising goosebumps all over his body.

“Is this something a human could do?”

Beside him, Fu Cha Shi’s face turned pale. As a woman who lived her life within the safety of the palace, she had never heard of such cruel and vicious tactics.

This was beyond ruthless.

Fu Cha Fu Heng, too, felt a sense of helplessness. The enemy’s strategy had been utterly treacherous and inhumane. He smiled bitterly.

“I heard this strategy was devised by Yang Yi…”

“Him again? That bastard is truly cunning and treacherous!”

Qianlong’s voice thundered with fury, his pale complexion growing even more ashen as rage seized him. His fists clenched tighter, and his whole body trembled with barely-contained anger.

He already despised Yang Yi to his very core, yearning to tear him apart with his bare hands. Yang Yi’s previous schemes had robbed Qianlong of sleep for days on end, and now, hearing that Yang Yi had once again outwitted him, Qianlong was on the verge of spitting blood from sheer frustration. His vision dimmed with rage.

Was Yang Yi his nemesis?

This man had ruined several of his carefully laid plans!

No wonder the strategy was so cruel—it made perfect sense if it came from Yang Yi. That man never did anything humane!

Fu Cha Fu Heng, choosing his words carefully, asked, “Your Majesty, it seems the enemy intends to advance further. What are your orders?”

Qianlong’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice dripping with venom as he declared, “Of course, we will continue to fight!”

“I doubt Yang Yi can use that strategy a second time.”

His gaze hardened as he spat, “Where is Agui? Summon him immediately.”

His lips curled into a snarl, “One day, I will catch Yang Yi and skin him alive.