He had always known that Situ Jingyan was confident and arrogant. However, Situ Jingyan had always been cautious and careful in his dealings with him. Now, his sudden overconfidence was baffling; what leverage did he have? According to his scouts, Situ Jingyan had left some troops to guard the southern border. He had only brought back an army of 1.5 million, and only 100,000 troops had gone ahead.
What gives Situ Jingyan such confidence?! Hmph! Is he trying to use this to deceive us and buy time?! How could Yan Xiuling possibly give Situ Jingyan such an opportunity? He knows that waiting a little longer means that Tianmo has a better chance of winning, and Linwei has a better chance of losing.
"Whether it's possible or not, we'll find out soon enough." Yan Xiuling curled the corners of her lips, her light-colored eyes fixed on Situ Jingyan without yielding an inch, and slowly raised her hand, making a gesture as if to attack a city.
"Isn't Xiu Ling worried about the capital of Linwei?!" Situ Jingyan's lips curled into a wicked smile, his dark eyes filled with certainty.
Yan Xiuling's expression changed slightly. The capital of Linwei?! What did Situ Jingyan mean by that?! In order to conquer Tianmo as quickly as possible, he took almost all of Linwei's troops with him. The Linwei he left behind was practically an empty city without any defenses.
However, he was not unaware that Situ Jingyan might launch a sneak attack. He had already investigated and found that Situ Jingyan had taken all his troops, except for 100,000 soldiers left in the capital of Tianmo Kingdom and some necessary troops, to the southern border in preparation for attacking it.
Southern Xinjiang lies south of Tianmo, while Linwei lies north of Tianmo. One is in the south, the other in the north; Situ Jingyan could not possibly send troops to Linwei's territory. This is why he wasn't worried about Linwei's security at all. But now, Situ Jingyan's words clearly had a hidden meaning—what was going on?!
"Qiyue's capital is quite close to Linwei." Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a faint smile, and a glint of light flashed in her dark eyes.
She initially left Qi Yue's capital city intact to save its inhabitants. However, when she decided to help Situ Jingyan contend for the throne, she realized that Qi Yue's capital city held immense importance.
Therefore, she and Situ Jingyan secretly moved 100,000 troops to Qiyue's capital. Of course, this was done little by little in secret.
Yan Xiuling had been paying close attention to Tianmo's movements, which made him less vigilant towards Qi Yue, allowing Situ Jingyan and Shen Qianmo to take advantage of the situation.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Yan Xiuling's expression changed. Damn it! He had actually forgotten about Qi Yue's capital city. At that time, he had always thought that Situ Jingyan had only spared that city because of his affection for Shen Qianmo; he even thought Situ Jingyan's act of leaving behind a future threat out of love was extremely foolish. He never imagined that what he considered an extremely foolish act would become Tianmo's last trump card.
Qi Yue's capital is indeed very close to Linwei. However, Qi Yue's capital cannot hide a large number of troops. At most, it can only hold 100,000 troops. And 100,000 troops are nothing to Linwei under normal circumstances, but now, these 100,000 troops are a fatal turning point.
"Jingyan is indeed a master strategist." Yan Xiuling's expression changed slightly before she quickly regained it. In a contest between experts, any emotional fluctuation that is detected by the opponent could be fatal. Yan Xiuling lowered her eyes and said nonchalantly, "However, so what?!"
Even so, so what?! Yes. If he could capture Tianmo's capital now, it would be equivalent to possessing half of Tianmo's territory. Then, he could send the nearest troops to Linwei to provide rapid relief, and it would definitely be in time.
Situ Jingyan only transferred 100,000 troops to Qiyue's capital. Although Linwei is currently short-handed, its total strength still amounts to 50,000. 50,000 against 100,000, while not a match, should be able to hold out for a while.
Moreover, the defenses of Linwei, the capital city, were extremely tight. The city gates were forged from fine steel. It was simply impossible for them to be breached so easily.
Situ Jingyan watched the changing expressions in Yan Xiuling's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged, still bearing only a wicked smile. He continued in a calm tone, "Xiuling, do you think you can arrive in time to rescue us?! Now that I've laid this plan, how can I allow you to break it?! You're not afraid of 100,000 troops, but what about 100,000 troops with weapons that can cut through iron like mud?!"
Yan Xiuling's eyes darkened again upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words. One hundred thousand weapons capable of cutting through iron like mud?! He knew a little about the relationship between Xuanlou, Situ Jingyan, and Shen Qianmo. Others might not be able to do it, but for the Seven Absolutes Manor, obtaining one hundred thousand weapons capable of cutting through iron like mud didn't seem impossible.
If that's really the case, with 100,000 weapons that can cut through iron like mud, then the strength of an army of 100,000 would be comparable to that of an army of 200,000. In that case, the 50,000 troops defending the city probably wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
As for Tianmo's capital, although he has an absolute advantage in military strength, Situ Jingyan has the advantage of terrain and popular support. With 200,000 against 1 million, he can still hold out for a while. Once the reinforcements arrive, Linwei's chances of winning will be even smaller.
The best course of action now is to quickly return to the capital, annihilate the 100,000 Qi Yue troops, and consolidate the half of the territory already conquered. However, doing so would give Situ Jingyan a chance to regroup, and once Situ Jingyan has a chance to regroup, that would be a very dangerous situation.
If he were to return now, Linwei's power would be slightly inferior to Tianmo's. Once Situ Jingyan had everything in place and then attacked Linwei, they would still lose.
"Xiu Ling, don't you understand yet? From the moment I appeared here, you had already lost." Situ Jingyan saw the struggle in Yan Xiu Ling's eyes, a domineering smile on his lips, and said each word clearly.
Yan Xiuling's eyes flickered slightly. She gently bit her lip, a mixture of resentment and understanding in her expression.
Situ Jingyan was right. From the moment Situ Jingyan returned with the Southern Frontier army, he had already lost. Continuing the fight would only result in mutual destruction.
He would fight again. Situ Jingyan would definitely win, but given his strength, even if he won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. Then the world would truly be a place of misery and suffering. He did indeed want the world, but he didn't want a world where the people were destitute.
If the people are suffering, what use is this world?! He Yan Xiuling is definitely not someone who can't accept defeat. Since he has already lost, he will admit it openly and honestly, rather than in a way that destroys himself and others. He has always been able to afford to lose.
In conquering the world, the most important thing is not the supreme power, but the encounter with an opponent and the process of fighting against that opponent. To have met an opponent like Situ Jingyan and to have been able to engage in such a thrilling and exhilarating struggle for the world, he had no regrets in this life.
A long silence followed. The entire battlefield was quiet except for the sound of the wind. The soldiers wanted to move, but remained still. They only saw their emperor, silently gazing at them. His robes were as red as blood, his armor as black as night. Just when everyone thought this staring contest would continue indefinitely, Yan Xiuling slowly spoke.
"I lost." Just three words, yet they carried immense weight.
The sound wasn't loud, yet each word reached everyone's ears.
The soldiers of Tianmo erupted in jubilation. Their faces lit up with unbelievable joy. The Emperor of Linwei actually said he had lost?! But it was clearly Linwei's million-strong army pressing in!
The soldiers of Linwei looked puzzled and resentful. They had heard what Situ Jingyan had said, but they felt they at least had the ability to fight!
"Your Majesty! We are not cowards who fear death. As warriors, we should die on the battlefield! Please allow us to fight the Tianmo army to the death!" General Han Yang of Linwei knelt before Yan Xiuling, pleading for permission.
Yan Xiuling looked up at Han Yang. Han Yang had been by his side for a long time. He was a stubborn person. He understood Han Yang's thoughts all too well.
He wasn't afraid, nor was he unwilling to fight. He simply knew that if this war were fought, it would only be the common people who would suffer. He was an emperor, and all the people under heaven were his subjects. He could not allow the common people to suffer for his own selfish desires.
If a war were to break out between Linwei and Tianmo, it would be a clash between two great powers, inevitably a devastating war. Moreover, he had no confidence in winning this war.
"Withdraw the troops!" Yan Xiuling didn't explain. After all, not everyone could understand such magnanimity. He simply issued the order coldly.
Although the army in Linwei was unwilling, no one dared to disobey Yan Xiuling's orders.
"Xiu Ling. I didn't misjudge you." Situ Jingyan looked at Yan Xiu Ling, his admiration undisguised. He truly was his opponent; he hadn't misjudged Yan Xiu Ling. To win gracefully and to lose gracefully—that's how the struggle for power should be.
Yan Xiuling shrugged nonchalantly and laughed, "I never said I would give you the world."
A few emotions flashed quickly in Situ Jingyan's dark eyes, too fast for anyone to catch. Finally, it turned into a bitter smile, "I've been tricked by you too."
The soldiers around them who overheard their conversation didn't understand what Situ Jingyan and Yan Xiuling meant. However, a smile appeared on Shen Qianmo's lips.
Others might not understand Situ Jingyan and Yan Xiuling's meaning, but she did. Yan Xiuling meant that although he had chosen to withdraw his troops and avoid a direct confrontation with Situ Jingyan, he wasn't saying he would hand over Linwei. If Situ Jingyan wanted the world, then let him attack Linwei.
However, since Yan Xiuling did not want the people to suffer and did not want to fight this war, how could Situ Jingyan possibly be willing to start this war?
Although Yan Xiuling said he lost, Situ Jingyan didn't win either. Because the world was still divided in two. Even though Tianmo was stronger, Situ Jingyan couldn't launch a war under such circumstances. There can be no victory without the world not being entirely under one person's control.
“If it were before, I would have taken Linwei without hesitation. But now, the world is nothing to me.” Situ Jingyan said to Yan Xiuling with a wicked smile, his doting gaze falling on Shen Qianmo.
The unification of the world has always been his long-cherished wish. If it were in the past, he would not have given up so easily, but would have used every means to achieve the unification of the world. But now, he already has Shen Qianmo, so why does he need the world anymore?
Yan Xiuling looked deeply at Situ Jingyan and Shen Qianmo. Situ Jingyan actually didn't care about the world anymore for this love?! He could tell that Situ Jingyan truly meant what he said. In his eyes, the intense possessiveness and domineering aura of the past were gone. A touch of vulnerability had taken root in his heart; perhaps the world truly no longer held such great meaning for him.