The Qilin Army spent days searching the ice cave, their tens of thousands of soldiers meticulously excavating every inch of the ice surface.
Hundreds of warships sailed on the sea in the dark and eerie ice cave, their cold, sharp glints piercing the sky.
Yet, despite deploying such a large military force and manpower, they found nothing.
Xiao Chi Zhan had not slept for several nights, remaining at the ice cave to supervise.
That day, when Li Qiong Yu emerged from the ship's cabin, she nearly fell into the ice cave upon seeing him, terrifying her. She immediately insisted he rest.
But Xiao Chi Zhan could not sleep.
He stood at the bow of the ship, clad in a black robe, gazing at the vast, deep sea, his eyes filled with a deathly, cold stillness.
Upon hearing the news, Tan Tai Ye rushed back from the military camp.
As his grand ship arrived at the ice cave, he witnessed such a chaotic scene.
This ice cave was bottomless. How could Ye Luan possibly still be alive? It was sheer madness, a waste of military resources.
He frowned, leaped onto the largest warship, and, seeing the man standing against the wind, directly approached him and spoke in a deep voice.
"Xiao Chi Zhan, Xiliang is retreating steadily, and the Northern Qi’s troops from the Nine Prefectures have all attacked. The situation is urgent. How long do you intend to wallow in despair here? Are you no longer concerned about Daliang?"
The person before him remained utterly still, not uttering a single word.
Tan Tai Ye furrowed his brow, walked over to stand beside him, and his frown deepened further upon seeing the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
"What are you trying to achieve by acting like this?"
Xiao Chi Zhan remained silent, his chilling eyes calmly surveying the scenes unfolding on the ice cave, lost in thought, emanating a peculiar, profound coldness.
The cold wind was biting, feeling like knives scraping against the skin.
Tan Tai Ye was silent for a moment. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly turned his head and saw a large pool of blood seeping from Xiao Chi Zhan's lips. Blood gushed out with a whoosh.
He suddenly stumbled backward and fainted.
Tan Tai Ye, startled, immediately crouched down to support him.
The blood spread across the black robe, the volume of which was horrifyingly shocking.
"Someone, someone!"
"Find a physician."
Under the pitch-black night sky, the cool moonlight illuminated the small courtyard, with the sounds of insects chirping.
The ice had melted these past few days, and a faint cool breeze permeated the entire courtyard, but it was much warmer than before.
Late at night, the small courtyard was brightly lit, with doctors coming and going in waves.
However, by dawn, the King of Dingbei still had not woken up.
Seeing him in this state, Tan Tai Ye dispatched tens of thousands more soldiers to search along the ice cave downstream. Yet, for several days, no news came back.
Deep down, they all understood that Ye Luan was likely dead, with little hope left.
"If this continues, his life will be worn away."
Li Qiong Yu, holding a wine jar, sat lazily on a chair, a faint coldness glinting in her peach blossom eyes.
"To think that Ye Luan’s survival is a fantasy. Even moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers to flatten this ice cave wouldn't find her."
Hearing this, Tan Tai Ye knitted his brows and silently drank his wine.
In the middle of the night, Xiao Chi Zhan suddenly woke up.
The two men who were drinking outside heard the commotion from within and immediately stood up, pushing the door open.
"You're awake? How are you feeling?"
The man, draped in a black cloak, stood by the window, his tall, straight back exuding a chilling aura.
Hearing their movements, Xiao Chi Zhan slowly turned around. As his crimson eyes met theirs, he slightly lifted his eyelids.
"How long have I slept?"
Tan Tai Ye licked his lips, "Seven days."
"Any news?"
"-----"
Xiao Chi Zhan faintly curled his lips. "Still none. Tens of thousands of soldiers can't find a single person. What use do I have for them? It'd be better to kill them all and fill the sea."
Tan Tai Ye was silent for a moment, then looking at his dead, chilling eyes, he spoke.
"She might still be alive. If you die, and she marries someone else, will you be content?"
Hearing this, a peculiar expression flickered in Xiao Chi Zhan's dark crimson eyes. He did not respond, but calmly sat down on a nearby chair, touching the twin rings on his hand.
"Has Hongzhou been breached?"
Seeing that he finally cared about Daliang's affairs.
Tan Tai Ye stated directly, "Yang Zhong is stationed in Hongzhou, and Northern Qi's troops cannot breach it. However, in the battle of Yuehan Pass this time, we were ambushed and suffered heavy losses. But since Northern Qi deployed troops to Hongzhou, the border defenses of the other Nine Prefectures were left vulnerable and were captured. They are already showing signs of seeking peace."
"Issue an order on behalf of this king for Li Nie to lead troops to Northern Qi's Xiongwu Pass. Within ten days, break through Guanchi."
Li Qiong Yu said warily, "What do you intend to do?"
Currently, Northern Qi and Daliang were at war, and the enemy had shown intent to seek peace. What was he planning to do?
Xiao Chi Zhan stroked the rings on his hand, his voice deep and laced with a touch of pathological madness. The residual killing intent in his eyes resembled a soul-reaping asura from hell.
"This king simply wishes to see what true hell on earth looks like."
"----"
"Go write a letter to the King of Xiliang. Since Feng Yang is dead, let Zhu Long personally lead the troops. If they still fail to capture Wu Lao Pass this time, they should end it themselves."
Tan Tai Ye raised an eyebrow. "Alright."
Daliang's army retreated all the way from Yuehan Pass and pulled back to Hongzhou. As Northern Qi's hundreds of thousands of troops attacked, they were blocked in Hangu Valley, fighting like cornered beasts for several days.
Upon this development, Northern Qi's General Yelü was furious and, in conjunction with Mobei, surrounded Hongzhou from all directions.
Hongzhou was a border city, located just outside Yuehan Pass. Years ago, during the conflict between Northern Qi and Daliang, Northern Qi was defeated, and Hongzhou became Daliang's possession.
Hongzhou was backed by Daliang, bordered the Central Plains to the north, and to the west lay the Northern Qi border, making it a crucial strategic military base.
Northern Qi had long coveted it. During the recent turmoil and conflict across the Nine Prefectures, they had attacked Hongzhou multiple times but had failed to capture it. They had been fighting for a full month, with nearly one hundred thousand casualties, yet could not take it.
Mobei's ten thousand cavalry had clashed with them repeatedly, gaining almost no advantage. Such a large-scale war consumed vast amounts of grain and fodder. To capture Hongzhou, Northern Qi had gathered its forces, transferred troops from various regions, and amassed provisions to transport to the front lines.
The deployment of such a massive military force to attack a small city like Hongzhou was unexpected by anyone.
Furthermore, it was rumored that the attack on Hongzhou was personally ordered by Northern Qi's Crown Prince, Xie Beihan, commanding that Hongzhou must be captured within three months. His deeper intentions were unknown.
However, Daliang's sudden deployment of troops to Guanchi and the fall of Northern Qi's other Nine Prefectures left them in a precarious state.
This battle was fierce and aggressive.
"Liangzhou has been breached."
Inside Hongzhou city, in the study, Tan Tai Ye looked at the table covered with battle reports, his expression grim.
The dozen or so generals sitting on chairs to his left and right immediately stood up upon hearing the news and replied.
"Northern Qi's attack this time is incredibly fierce, as if they are determined to take Liangzhou at any cost. I suspect it's a diversion to draw our troops to reinforce Liangzhou."
"With the Nine Prefectures of Northern Qi in dire straits, why would they deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to attack a small Liangzhou?"
"Once Liangzhou falls and is occupied by Northern Qi, Yelü Hong's forces will inevitably advance along Linhe and outflank us from the rear. The grain and fodder within the city are enough for them to fight for more than half a year."
Listening to everyone's words, Tan Tai Ye slightly knitted his brows, then he asked, "Where has the Prince gone?"