Even in his dreams, Xie's deceased relatives lined up to weep, mourning the Xie family's past glory and tragic fate.
Xie Lanzhi noticed that her men were filled with anxiety because they had all had dreams of their deceased relatives before she even reached the Yue Kingdom. She believed this was not unfounded!
The capital of the northern Xiongnu was Baiweng Palace.
Since fleeing back to his homeland, Anshan King has been living in the palace, longing to see his elder brother, the king, whom he has not seen for a year.
The king was also puzzled; aside from the state shaman, he wouldn't see anyone, leading him to suspect that the shaman was controlling him. Had the shaman not suddenly left, he would have rushed into the palace to confirm it.
Today, he thought he would not be able to see his brother again and would have to go back.
Soon, Artur's brother, Arna, invited him in.
After Anshan stepped into his brother's bedchamber, he still did not see Aqina. Aqina seemed to be used to having a beaded curtain in front of him. He sat alone in the back, his figure blending into the darkness.
"A major battle is about to take place in Xi Kingdom. At the beginning of the month, I sent a hundred firearmsmen and fifty thousand cavalrymen from Yue Kingdom to Xi Kingdom."
Lord Anshan asked in surprise, "Brother, who on earth has the audacity to attack the Kingdom of Xi?"
“The Xie clan,” Aqina said, “will suffer heavy casualties in this battle, and their clan’s fortune will plummet, leaving them with no hope of revival.”
"The fact that Xie Ying is still alive is beyond my expectations."
Anshan Jun couldn't understand, but whatever his elder brother said was law. His elder brother had been mysterious for the past twenty years. If it weren't for his poor health, he wouldn't have had to wait until his father died before ascending the throne. His elder brother had kept his poor health a secret, so apart from his closest relatives, no one knew anything about his condition.
"The Kingdom of Xi will not perish."
Aqina said, "You just need to go to Yue and find Anshan."
Anshan Jun said, "Anshan may already be dead."
“No,” Aqina said. “As my double, he will not die unless I take action myself.”
Anshan Jun didn't ask any more questions, but wondered where Anshan had gone? Was he deliberately hiding?
Soon after Lord Anshan left the palace, he received a report from his messenger about military affairs: Xie Guang, the Grand General of the Xie clan, was attacking the State of Xi and had gone directly from the State of Lu to the border of Xi into the Turu Valley.
Anshan found it amazing after hearing this.
The main force that Brother Wang arranged is in Turu Valley. Xie Guang is going there to his death!
Xie Guang led 30,000 troops, their morale soaring as they broke through three cities and entered Turu Valley. Before he could even shout for a charge, a sudden bang rang out as a spear struck him in the chest, causing him to fall off his horse.
The 30,000 Xie soldiers immediately went on alert, but fire from the woods in all directions made it impossible to discern the main force's location, and Xie Guang was shot down again. The junior officers below charged forward, managing to break through, but were soon ambushed by rocks. People on the mountaintop kept pushing rocks down, crushing the cavalry to death.
The leader was killed by firearms the moment he showed his face. The remaining stragglers didn't know whether to advance or retreat, and they couldn't even get close to the enemy, so they were just passively attacked.
Until the third wave, 50,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen surrounded them from all sides like ants, slaughtering 30,000 Xie soldiers.
The slaughter left only screams echoing through Turu Valley, a scene resembling a living hell.
When Xie Lanzhi and her men arrived at Turu Valley after half a day's journey from Yue, the Xiongnu cavalry had just withdrawn. The ground was littered with the corpses of Xie's soldiers—30,000 men...all sacrificed. The bodies were piled up densely, forming a wall of flesh to block the entrance to the valley. Blood stained the ground crimson, and the air was thick with a pungent, fishy stench, as if proclaiming that they were living beings, that they had once lived.
Xie Lanzhi tried hard to suppress her trembling and ordered someone to find Xie Guang.
Xie Guang has disappeared without a trace; he must have been captured.
Xie Lanzhi could not simply step over the corpses of her people and continue pursuing the Xiongnu cavalry.
Not only her, but almost without her orders, the three thousand Xie soldiers she brought stayed put and dared not move. Many of them dug out their relatives from the pile of corpses and cried their hearts out while holding the bodies.
When Xie Shangguang saw that his distant cousin's head had been chopped off, he knelt on the ground, his eyes glazed over, searching everywhere for his cousin's head. But he couldn't find it anywhere.
That night, everyone withdrew from Turu Valley, their hearts heavy. A heavy rain began to fall again. Meanwhile, the King of Xi and his iron cavalry held a celebration, fireworks resounding across the Xi Kingdom, flaunting their victory.
While sleeping that night, Xie Lanzhi dreamed that Xie Guang knelt in front of her, shouting that she was a sinner and that he had led 30,000 men to their deaths.
Xie Lanzhi watched him cry silently until he finished, and then she committed suicide in front of him, splattering blood all over her face. This happened repeatedly, like a nightmare. That night, Xie Lanzhi suddenly developed a fever.
Xie Shangguang, disregarding his grief, could only rush to the State of Lu overnight and order his minister to find a royal physician to help treat his illness.
When the news of Xie Lanzhi being sent to the State of Lu reached Si Xitong's ears, he also heard that Xie Guang's fate was unknown and that all 30,000 soldiers he had brought with him had been killed in battle.
Si Xitong, Xuan Ma, and Hong entered the palace.
At noon that day, Ma Hong led his newly recruited 50,000 troops to officially attack the Kingdom of Xi.
The newly recruited army of 50,000 re-entered the Turu Valley and encountered the same attack again. However, this time, the new army used the Type 94 cannons sent by Xie Lanzhi and used twenty rounds to directly attack Xiguo. They annihilated 30,000 Hu Xiongnu cavalry, and the remaining 20,000 fled to Yueguo and then headed north.
Xie Guang was found in a prison in Xiguo. When he was found, he still had a high fever and almost lost his life.
In just five days, the Kingdom of Xi fell, and 30,000 soldiers sacrificed their lives. It may seem like a cold number, but it represents the shattering of 30,000 families.
Everything was preordained. And then, a miracle occurred.
After Xie Lanzhi was secretly sent back to Tianjing, she was officially kept at Zhaixing Tower the next day to begin treatment.
Si Xitong sat on the edge of the bed, holding her icy hands, as if only by warming them could he get them warm.
Eight priests around her continued their rituals, the noisy bells, the ancient incantations, but she remained unmoved, as if isolated in a silent world, simply staring quietly at Xie Lanzhi.
As soon as Lu Qing and her daughter arrived, even Qianqian couldn't help but cover her ears and get close to Si Xitong.
When Si Xitong saw her, she beckoned the priests to stop and then shooed them away. The priests left looking embarrassed.
Lu Qing said, "Your Highness, the priests' soul-summoning ritual might not be a bad solution."
"I don't believe them." Si Xitong gently rubbed Qianqian's skin. "Tell me, is Lanzhi still alive?"
Her words were calm, without the slightest ripple. But the calmer she appeared, the more frenzied the emotions brewing within her became. Looking at the prince, as still and unwavering as a mountain, Lu Qing felt a chill creep into her heart.
Because she had just heard that after the Kingdom of Xi was destroyed, its ruler was sacrificed in the Turu Valley to appease the vengeful spirits of the 30,000 Xie soldiers.
Lu Qing had to say something fair: Xie Guang's recklessness was what caused Xie Bing's death, but no one expected the Xie family to be so unlucky as to run into the Hun cavalry.
Why would the peaceful Kingdom of Xi suddenly send 50,000 iron cavalry to occupy the territory? This was something Lu Qing couldn't understand. The Kingdom of Xi was, after all, a sovereign state; how could it allow troops to be stationed there so easily? It was clearly premeditated by both sides.
The Kingdom of Xi broke the rules among the states of the Southern Central Plains by inviting other states to settle there, disrupting the balance and ultimately leading to its demise.
Thus, the king of Xi was not innocent in being sacrificed to the mountain. Xie Guang also paid the price for his unjust acts of war.
The entire Xie clan is now condemning Xie Guang for his recklessness and impulsiveness, which led to the marshal being infected by the cold while providing support and now being unconscious for seven days. Wang Shi and Xie Ying are trying to appease the clan under pressure, but the clan is completely unmoved.
The deaths of 30,000 cannot be erased with a mere apology. Most importantly, since the marshal's fall, the morale of the remaining 120,000 Xie soldiers has completely collapsed, and some have begun secretly returning to the Southern Region. They no longer wish to remain in Tianjing.
Ma Hong led 50,000 men to annihilate the Xi Kingdom and the Xiongnu's 30,000 iron cavalry, proving the strength of the newly formed army. This allowed them to begin taking control of the Xie clan's defenses at the east, north, and west gates, a decision that was met with unanimous agreement from the Xie clan this time.
They had lost all interest in vying for power and faced a bleak future. No one knew what to do next.
No one in the Xie family was willing to submit to anyone else, and they only maintained a delicate balance because Xie Lanzhi was still alive.
Inside the main building of Zhaixing Tower, Xie Lanzhi was still unconscious. She was frowning, having a nightmare.
Qianqian reached out her little hand and touched her forehead, feeling it was very hot. Looking at Xie Lanzhi's distressed appearance, she couldn't bear it and said, "Sister is still sister, but she's so pitiful."
"This place seems to dislike you, sister. You can't even stay if you want to."
After listening to this, Lu Qing couldn't help but hug her daughter. She didn't want her daughter to have any more contact with someone who was destined to leave.
Si Xitong's eyes narrowed, but she quickly recovered and calmly said to her, "The Taoist priest in the deep mountains has changed her fate and recognized her relatives, so she is now a member of the Xie family who has adapted to local customs. She is no longer a stranger in a foreign land."
Seeing her mistress's insistence, Lu Qing couldn't bear it and said, "Your Highness, have you ever considered that perhaps her sins are too grave, so grave that even changing one's fate cannot reverse her destiny?"
Si Xitong's gaze immediately turned cold, and he stared directly at her.
Lu Qing, feeling the pressure of the gaze, forced herself to say, "To put it bluntly, Xie Guang was waging an inhumane war. He was the one who started the trouble, and because he was not tolerated by heaven and earth, he took away those 30,000 innocent souls."
"Your army went and directly destroyed the Iron Cavalry and the Kingdom of Xi. No matter how you look at it, it was in accordance with the will of Heaven."
Her meaning was clear. Heaven's will was on His Highness's side.
Si Xitong remained silent, then turned her gaze away and continued to warm Xie Lanzhi's hands.
Lu Qing's eyes showed a hint of pity: "Perhaps you shouldn't have forced her to stay."
These words were spoken.
The scabbard clicked, and the blade pressed directly against Lu Qing's neck. A secret agent stood coldly behind Lu Qing, making her scalp tingle with fear.
She stammered, "Even if you're angry, I have to speak."
"No matter how you look at it now, it's you who's forcing her to stay here. You've been trying to send her back every day."
"What if she's still alive in her hometown, and still has unfulfilled wishes, Your Highness?"
Si Xitong held Xie Lanzhi's hand the whole time. Looking at her sleeping face, she murmured to herself, "Lanzhi said she had no regrets."
“Perhaps there is, but she just hasn’t said it,” Lu Qing said. “Even if it’s just a small regret, it could become a reason for Heaven to send her back.”
"As long as her ties to that world are not severed, Heaven will not tolerate her."
Trapped in a nightmare, Xie Lanzhi has become numb, watching Xie Guang repeatedly attempt suicide. Even so, she remains unable to awaken.
Afterwards, Xie Guang disappeared, replaced by a grassland. She saw the ancestors of the Hun people rise up, enter the Central Plains, occupy the north, and establish the Hun Kingdom. She also saw the prosperity of the Hun Kingdom.
She didn't understand why she was seeing these things.
It wasn't until she saw someone call a man "Brother Aqina" in her dream that she finally saw the only man without a beard, who looked a lot like Aimin's father, but she knew that he was not Aimin's father.
Ai's father was a teacher who had spent ten years teaching in a mountain village. He was popular with the children and was even recognized as an outstanding teacher by the city. How could someone so beloved by his students be an executioner?
She watched helplessly as Aqina climbed from humble beginnings to the throne, then the scene abruptly shifted to the modern era, but it wasn't the modern era she knew.
This modern world is ravaged by war, with foreign armies roaming the land. Aqina is one such warlord whose army slaughters civilians for food, implementing a scorched-earth policy wherever they go. He is incredibly powerful, commanding an army of 100,000, and has established his base in a place called Haixiong Province.
This place seems to be the site of the former Hun Kingdom.
Then she heard another thud, and Aqina fell into a pool of blood. Opposite him, a fourteen-year-old boy, consumed by hatred and rage, killed Aqina with a dagger. After Aqina's death, his army disintegrated within a month, defeated piecemeal. Then, Haixiong Province was recaptured by a new group of regular troops.
The dream played out Aqina's life like a revolving lantern. Until Aqina traveled to the Hunnic Kingdom.
At this time, Aqina was a sixteen-year-old boy. Intelligent by nature, to avoid forgetting his past life, he recorded the present history: "I have returned to the Western Jin Dynasty, three hundred years ago. It was still a time of war, thirty years before the establishment of the Western Jin. The current Empress is still an infant in swaddling clothes. Nothing to fear."
As soon as he finished writing, a bolt of lightning struck the sky, seemingly rebuking his actions. This strike caused Aqina's body to weaken, and whenever he was ambitious, his physical exhaustion would warn him. It was so that it took him twenty years of preparation before he finally ascended to the position of King of the Huns.
It was only then that Xie Lanzhi realized what was happening.
The memories flashing before her eyes were not Xie Lanzhi's, but Aqina's.
He is a person from three hundred years in the future.
After reading about Aqina's life, Xie Lanzhi became curious about the history he wrote about three hundred years ago. Soon, other scenes appeared in Aqina's dream. For example, he used the "Carefree Pill" to collect a large amount of military funds, and then invested all the military funds in the research and development of firearms. She also heard him repeatedly mutter a sentence: "Twenty years later, the sea monsters will invade, massacre the coastal people, collude with the local dark forces, form an army of 500,000, and conquer three states."
"The Empress began to invest heavily in inventing firearms to defeat the sea monsters. However, the coastal people suffered heavy losses, and the three states were trampled into a living hell, becoming the only incompetent stain in the Empress's history." She was criticized by later generations and even smeared for three hundred years until her descendants who unified the country vindicated her.
However, due to outdated weaponry and technology, the military was weak, and the homeland was trampled by foreign tribes. Si Xitong has always been considered by many as a historical example of a woman who is indecisive and should not be in power.
Therefore, her title as one of the greatest emperors in history is often criticized. Every year, a group of historians even clamor to have her illustrious historical status revoked.