For the Emperor, the momentum is created by man;

For the General, success is achieved by man;

First build the momentum, then act upon it, and you will be invincible. This holds true for both the imperial court and the battlefield.

Before the Yan Emperor's death, he painstakingly built up momentum, even incorporating the date of his own demise, all to lull the neighboring Barbarian King into a false sense of security, adding fuel to the fire for the impending strike.

Under this premise, the two most capable princes of Great Yan, together with the fiercest iron cavalry in the desert, joined forces and ultimately succeeded.

Both were indispensable.

To be precise, in the current situation of Great Yan, these three were also indispensable.

Perhaps,

This raid on the Barbarian royal court was the last thing the iron triangle did together, and it was also the last thing they could do for Great Yan, for the people of Yan, and even, arguably, for all of Xia.

The royal court was destroyed.

The old Barbarian King ended his life in such a simple yet helpless way,

It was truly worth it.

If, under such circumstances,

The old Barbarian King could still turn the tide, react in time to plunge the Yan army into a fierce battle, find other ways to ease or hinder the assault, or even step back to a broader horizon…

That would truly be unreasonable.

…

Yesterday, the Barbarian royal court was bustling with activity, but today, it had become a living hell.

Corpses, blood, and slaughter had been the sole theme since last night.

The Barbarian soldiers on the periphery, who had been routed early on, either scattered or gathered in the distance, but none dared to charge into their royal court to reclaim their tribe's sacred land.

Something within their hearts had shattered.

Perhaps, just gathering and watching from afar had exhausted all their courage.

In contrast, within the royal city, the Northern Garrison soldiers followed their prince's orders: no prisoners, no sheathing of swords; any living Barbarian within the city must die.

The armored soldiers walked among the ruins and tents, searching for every Barbarian who had survived in the corners. They even instinctively added a slash to those corpses lying in disarray, to prevent them from feigning death.

It was a cruel scene.

Sitting on a small platform built against the city wall,

Looking down,

You could clearly sense that the very flesh and blood of the Barbarian race was being cut away, piece by piece, and discarded.

It was like performing surgery on the heart of a tribe, not hysterically, but calmly. Yet this calmness was a kind of great terror.

The Barbarians were a race that had stood against the two great civilizations of the East and West with their own strength. Everyone knew that the decline of the Barbarians was merely the decline of the royal court.

The royal court could mobilize hundreds of thousands of cavalry, but if it could rebuild its authority and gather the major tribes under its banner, it could easily muster hundreds of thousands of nomadic knights. Perhaps only the 300,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Marquisate at its peak could fight them.

But the problem was that the desert was boundless, and the Barbarians it nurtured were nearly inexhaustible.

But that was a scenario that might have occurred yesterday.

From today on,

Everything would cease to exist.

Igu Xie had already fainted, while Igu Nao sat beside Li Fei in a daze, her eyes closed. She had been crying for a long time.

Li Fei, on the other hand, was quietly watching with his eyes, silently sighing in his heart.

The old Confucian scholar had said that no matter how many books you read, it's better to go out and see for yourself.

Li Fei felt that the scene before him was something the old Confucian scholar would never be able to see in his lifetime.

He had seen it, but to see this scene, he had almost lost his life.

Around Li Fei, there were Northern Garrison soldiers guarding him. He was the heir, and when he needed to be sent, he would be sent; when he needed to be protected, he would definitely be protected.

Li Fei turned his head to look behind him, which was actually outside the city.

The city wall of the royal city wasn't high, and neither was the platform he was on.

But he could still see many Barbarians gathering outside the city.

But the Northern Garrison knights around him and outside the city continued to maintain a leisurely attitude.

The Yan army inside the city continued to finish off the wounded, striving not to let a single chicken in the royal court escape.

The Yan army outside the city was washing their warhorses and feeding them fodder. Many wounded soldiers were sitting there openly, having their wounds treated.

Yes, they were treating their wounds outside the city in the cold wind.

These wounded soldiers were facing the outside of the city, their swords and bows placed beside them, ready to mount their horses and rejoin the battle if there was any movement on the periphery.

For the elite troops who had fought hundreds of battles, any injury that didn't prevent them from mounting their horses for the next round of attack was just a minor wound.

Li Fei hadn't been back to the Marquisate for very long, and his understanding of the Northern Garrison wasn't very deep, but today, in this scene, he admitted that he was shocked.

The old Confucian scholar had said that he didn't understand military strategy, but he had still taught them military books, especially the *Zheng Zi’s Military Tactics*, written by Marquis Pingxi, which he had tried to buy from the bookstore in town.

The old Confucian scholar had studied that book carefully, praised it enthusiastically, and explained it to Chen Xianba. Li Fei had also listened from the side.

Chen Xianba had always been extremely resistant to reading. If he hadn't respected the old Confucian scholar, he would never have sat down to read. But he was extremely fascinated by *Zheng Zi’s Military Tactics*, because he admired Marquis Pingxi so much.

But today, after experiencing last night,

Li Fei suddenly felt that war was not as simple as described in Marquis Zheng's *Zheng Zi’s Military Tactics*.

Perhaps it was because the army under the Northern Marquisate was too extraordinary, or perhaps Marquis Pingxi had only casually written down some simple military tactics, enough to make people like the old Confucian scholar feel like they had found a treasure.

War was a very complex thing.

Li Fei reached out and rubbed his head. He had always avoided thinking too much about the future. A mountain village boy had become an heir, and in the future, he would become the Prince of Northern, governing the territory and commanding the army.

Alas,

Headache.

He also felt that he wasn't worthy.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness."

Li Fei raised his head and looked forward. He saw his father riding a Pixiu slowly approaching.

Rumor had it that the Prince of Northern was a master, whose martial prowess was no less than that of the Prince of Southern, and whose ability to lead troops was also on par. It was just that he needed to guard the desert all the time, so he missed the subsequent battles to the east, which allowed Prince Jingnan to become the true God of War of Great Yan.

Li Fei felt that his old man shouldn't be bad at leading troops in battle.

But the former, in terms of martial prowess…

Li Liangting rode the Pixiu over,

Looking at his son sitting on the platform,

He said:

"Beast, still alive."

Some things can be learned;

But some things are difficult to learn, such as how to get along with one's own son, because for more than ten years, Li Liangting knew that he had a son, but he didn't know where his wife had hidden him.

He hadn't learned it, hadn't experienced it.

When his son left, he was so small, but when he came back, he was so big. This leap was too great, like suddenly becoming a father out of nowhere.

Of course, over the years, there had been many "sons" who used the name of the young Marquis of Northern, or pretended to be gods, or harbored evil intentions, but they couldn't really dare to come to Li Liangting and call him "Dad."

Earlier, he had sent his son in to reassure the old Barbarian King, and he already felt guilty for having tricked his son. But in front of everyone, as a father, he couldn't possibly soften his stance.

In fact, there were many fathers and sons like this in the world. No matter how much they cared for their sons in their hearts, they always had to deliberately maintain a stern face. Therefore, compared to that, it was much more comfortable to get along with his own daughter, spoiling her to the death.

Li Fei knelt down,

And said:

"Father is well."

At this time,

Li Liangting's gaze fell on Igu Nao beside Li Fei.

The aura of the Prince of Northern wasn't something anyone could withstand. Igu Nao's gaze slowly focused, looking at the Prince of Northern with some confusion and helplessness.

"Hehe."

Li Liangting smiled,

Pointed to Igu Xie, who was still unconscious,

And said:

"Someone, kill this little brat!"

"Yes, sir!"

"No, no, Your Highness, no, please spare my brother, spare my brother."

Igu Nao finally woke up and began to kowtow to Li Liangting.

"What did you call me?"

"Your… Your Highness…"

"Kill that little brat!"

"Your…"

Li Fei reminded from the side, "Call him Dad."

"Dad, Dad, please spare my brother, spare my brother."

"Stop."

Li Liangting nodded,

Looked at his son,

And said:

"Have you slept with her?"

Li Fei replied, "Yes, I have."

"Okay, then she's one of the Li family. Son, don't be like your father, who only had your mother in his life. A man, in this life, has to be a little unrestrained, right?"

"Your son will keep your teachings in mind."

Li Liangting looked at Igu Nao again,

And said:

"This Prince understands your Barbarian customs, which are actually not that different from the customs of Great Yan. A daughter who is married off is like water that has been spilled. Just ask your aunt, the First Prince's Consort, and ask her whose side she is on now, and whose family her son belongs to.

"The new bride is entering the house, and this Prince doesn't have any gifts prepared. Anyway, there are two women in the family, so you can't cause any trouble."

How capable his wife was,

How capable his daughter was,

Others didn't know,

How could Li Liangting, as a husband and father, not know?

He wasn't worried that this Barbarian woman would cause any trouble after entering the Li family. She had to have the ability to do so, right?

"Give me a grandson soon, so you can consolidate your position."

At this time,

From the other side,

A person also rode a Pixiu slowly approaching.

The armor on that person's body was damaged in many places. The original head of white hair couldn't be seen at all, and there were traces of blood around the eye sockets.

The injuries on his body must not be light.

But even so, when he approached, the soldiers around him subconsciously lowered their heads.

Last night,

The Prince of Southern was like a demon god.

What was the number one in the martial world, what was invincible in the world, everyone had truly witnessed it.

"How are your injuries?"

Li Liangting asked Tian Wujing.

Tian Wujing couldn't open his left eye yet. His right eye swept over Li Liangting and said,

"I won't die."

Li Liangting nodded and said,

"That's more like it. If you're going to die, you can't die before me."

Li Liangting's vitality was now strong, but in reality, it was just a brief resurgence. Once this false fire subsided, there wouldn't be many days left.

This was also thanks to the fact that he hadn't been seriously injured last night. If he had been injured a little more, he would probably be on his deathbed now.

"You have to hold on to this breath," Tian Wujing said.

"Yes, I know. This is a great victory. Trampling on the royal court is much more satisfying than trampling on the aristocratic families, hahaha. I have to hold on now. If I'm going to die, I have to wait until I return in triumph, submit the memorial, submit the commendation letter, and then hold a banquet, and then die.

"At least, I can't let the world think that Great Yan lost a prince just to conquer a Barbarian royal court. History books would also think that this isn't very beautiful."

A great victory had to be made to the greatest extreme.

Not just killing, not just military exploits, but also making it glorious enough.

Although the Yan Emperor didn't say it explicitly,

This strategically significant victory was bound to be the best gift for the new emperor, which could help the new emperor establish his prestige as quickly as possible, take over the Yan Emperor's glory, and continue to be the supreme ruler.

"What about the Little Prince?" Li Liangting asked.

"He ran away," Tian Wujing replied calmly.

"Alas, the one who shouldn't have run away was him."

The old Barbarian King was old and just a totem. The Little Prince, on the other hand, was in his prime.

Of course, even if the Little Prince ran away, the royal court was finished.

These Barbarian nobles, the various officials and systems of the royal court, had all died here. The best thing for a Little Prince to do was to gather the old troops and form a new tribe, but it was impossible to become the royal court again, and there would be no more appeal.

The real purpose of this battle was to make the desert a mess in the next hundred years, without the ability to mobilize and gather. In fact, the goal had already been achieved.

"In order to save your son, I didn't look for him right away," Tian Wujing said.

When Li Liangting heard this, he immediately pointed at Li Fei,

And said:

"Just for this little beast?"

"……" Li Fei.

Li Fei was a little dazed. I'm a beast, then what are you?

Li Liangting was so angry that he slapped the head of the Pixiu under his crotch,

And cursed:

"It would have been better to let this little beast die clean last night. He even let the Little Prince escape for this."

Li Fei was a little hesitant, wondering if he should find a knife and slit his own throat now?

Tian Wujing shook his head,

And said:

"Let him run. He can't run far anyway. I'll go after him."

"Wujing, are you going to chase him?"

"Yes, wherever he runs, I will chase."

"That brat is probably scared out of his wits now. Other tribes probably wouldn't dare to take him in. If you go after him, he'll probably run all the way to the west."

"Then I will chase all the way west."

Li Liangting licked his lips,

Smiled,

And said:

"Then I'm looking forward to him running as far as possible."

Tian Wujing reached out and untied his tattered armor. In some places, the broken armor was still fused with flesh and blood, but Tian Wujing directly tore it open and threw it on the ground.

Prince Jingnan pointed to the armor on the Prince of Northern,

And said;

"My armor is broken, but your armor is intact. Anyway, you're going to die, take it off and give it to me."

"Hahahaha."

Li Liangting nodded,

And said:

"Then I can be considered to be borrowing your light. Someone, take off this Prince's armor!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Prince of Northern turned over and got off the Pixiu, opened his arms, and the armored soldiers on both sides helped him take off his armor.

Li Liangting knew what Tian Wujing meant by chasing all the way down,

Because,

The Prince Jingnan of Great Yan,

There was no turning back.

With the armor removed, Li Liangting pointed to his son and said:

"Come down and help your Uncle Tian put on his armor."

Li Fei immediately walked over and began to help Tian Wujing put on his armor.

Looking at the wounds on Tian Wujing's body, some places even showed bone spurs sticking out of the flesh, but they were blocked by muscles and vitality, so that no blood would spill out;

This kind of injury made Li Fei's scalp tingle. If it were anyone else, they would probably have fallen to the ground and wailed long ago. No, they might not even be able to wail.

But the Prince of Southern of Great Yan still had a calm expression, as if he didn't take these injuries seriously at all.

When putting on the armor, the armor touched the wound, but the Prince of Southern didn't even frown.

"Thank you, Uncle Wujing, for saving my life last night," Li Fei whispered.

Tian Wujing ignored him.

Li Liangting, who was wearing a fur coat that he didn't know which dead Barbarian noble he had snatched from, stepped forward and kicked his son's butt,

And cursed:

"Is a light thank you enough? Does your Uncle Wujing care about your thank you? Does your Uncle Wujing want you to be grateful to him?"

"Yes, son knows he was wrong, son was abrupt."

Tian Wujing looked at Li Liangting at this time,

And said:

"Why can't he be?"

"Uh…" Li Liangting.

Tian Wujing reached out and patted Li Fei's head. Li Fei's whole body straightened up, knowing that last night, many Barbarian masters had had their heads crushed by the Prince of Southern of Great Yan like this.

"Li Liangting," Tian Wujing called out.

"What's up?"

"You have a good life."

"Damn it, I'd rather he die, so I'd feel better. Who knew he wouldn't die, making me feel so unhappy now, and I was scolded as an old beast by your sister-in-law all the way, damn it!"

These words weren't pretentious.

"You don't have any other illegitimate sons, do you?" Tian Wujing asked.

"Bullshit, would I dare? Your sister-in-law is such a capable person!"

"Then he…"

Tian Wujing pointed to Li Fei's face,

"Is the next Prince of Northern."

"What? You want him to owe you a favor? You want the next Prince of Northern to owe you a favor?

"I say,

"Wujing,

"What's the use of you wanting these things now?"

"I don't have any use,

"But,

"My brother has use."

"Your brother? Which one? Don't tell me it's that Zheng, the Marquis Pingxi you promoted?

"I say, Wujing, don't you understand the meaning of favors for people like us?

"When you sit higher and have more people under you, you become less and less like a person, and you live more and more like a beast.

"Favors and stuff like that,

"Are very vain."

"Wanna bet?" Tian Wujing said.

"Bet on what?"

"Bet that you will receive a message after you go back."

"What message?"

The Prince of Southern of Great Yan, who was as terrifying as a ghost in the night of fighting,

At this time,

Showed a smile,

And said firmly:

"Zhao Jiulang is dead."