I stand on the high tower of Ye City, dressed in red, with a long skirt and golden phoenix embroidered on it, fluttering its wings as if about to fly.

  Dong Di stood beside me, gazing afar with me, where the vast expanse of snow merged into a single line on the horizon.

  The howling sound of wind and snow echoed in my ears, time was eternal and long, we didn't say a word, silently gazing into the distance, until countless black dots gradually appeared on the originally vast and endless horizon, rushing towards Ye City.

  Dong Di's eyes sank, and he took a step forward, stretching out his hand to grasp the city wall firmly. In a low, solemn tone, he said, "It has finally come."

  He slowly turned his head to look at me, his eyes complex and unpredictable. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by a guard rushing up the city wall: "Lord Dong! We just received news that the vanguard army led by the Third Prince is not five hundred strong, but three thousand! Lord Dong, what should we do now?!"

  Dong Di's expression changed, and he hastily asked: "How many troops are there in total in Ye City?"

  "Less than... less than two thousand..." The messenger was a young man, whose voice trembled with despair at this moment.

  Dong Di shouted loudly, interrupting him: "What's there to be afraid of! We have the strategic location of this city, and we also have the three princesses in our hands. I don't believe we can't defeat Nan Chengyao!"

  He said as he suddenly turned his head to look at me, with a fierce gaze, I calmly looked back at him, without saying a word, nor did I dodge or yield.

  He stared at me fiercely for a long time, but then burst out laughing, with a mix of sadness and ruthlessness: "The triumphant general doesn't follow the rules, leading 5,000 people into the city instead of just 500. Is this a victorious return or an attack on the city? The three princesses were right, the third prince is indeed a man of his word! Today, I, Dong, have learned my lesson! With the city sealed off, not even a fly can escape, and yet he can still grasp everything that happens here from afar. His ability to predict things like a god makes it hard for people to accept! But who knows if the princess is willing to sacrifice herself as bait to lure me in, or if she's also just another abandoned person?"

  I still quietly watched him, with a calm and peaceful tone: "At this point, the overall situation has been settled, no matter what role Murong Qing played in it, it's already not important."

  He suppressed his smile, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes, typical of those who roamed the jianghu: "The overall situation is already settled? I'm afraid not! If His Third Highness wants to take this Ye City from Dong's hands, it won't be that easy!"

  My heart sank, just as I was about to say something, he turned around without hesitation and gave a cold order to his subordinates: "Immediately bring people into the city, tie up all the wives and children of the soldiers who participated in the war and bring them here. Don't hurt anyone, but don't let one go!"

  "Master Dong?!" Even though they had followed him through thick and thin for many years, his sworn brothers couldn't help but exclaim in shock at his words.

  He didn't say a word, and with a decisive swing of his sword, in the flash of flint sparks, the giant flag on the city wall that was waving in the wind had fallen to the ground.

  He sheathed his sword and turned around, his eyes gleaming with a fierce and cold intensity as he glared at the crowd of subordinates. He spoke in a low, measured tone, enunciating each word clearly: "If you disobey this order, there will be such a flag!"

  His body had a strong and fierce oppressive force, his eyes were heavy and pressing in, those under him could not withstand such intimidation, one by one they fell silent and descended from the city wall.

  I gazed at his broad and resolute back, feeling a faint anxiety in my heart, but with an expressionless face, I calmly opened my mouth: "Dong Ye, although our paths are different, in Mu Rong Qing's eyes, you have always been a respectable figure. But now, for the sake of personal gain, you're actually going to drag all these innocent women and children into this? Their husbands, fathers, and brothers shed blood on the battlefield to protect the peace of Mo Bei, they waited, and finally reunited on this day, how can you bear to do this?"

  Dong Di looked up at the sky and laughed, his laughter was thick and sorrowful, lasting for a long time without stopping.

  He didn't look at me, gazing into the distance where the army was slowly approaching and becoming increasingly visible, he slowly opened his mouth and said: "Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to achieve simultaneously. Loyalty and righteousness are also of the same principle. If it weren't for Your Highness's great kindness, there wouldn't be a Dong Mou like me today. Even if I were to betray everyone in the world, I would never betray Your Highness's deep kindness! Even if I couldn't save my life in the north, I would still fight to the death to eliminate the greatest obstacle for His Highness on his path to the throne! Since Your Highness wants me to bear the infamous name of abandoning my wife and child, Dong Mou will take it to the extreme and bring all the women and children of the city here. Let's see how you choose between loyalty and righteousness. If I can't have both, then I'll give up one for the other. It's not like I've lived in vain!"

  I coldly looked at him: "For your foolish loyalty, you'd sacrifice thousands of innocent women and children to be buried with him. Even if it means being cursed for eternity, you wouldn't mind?"

  He burst out laughing and replied: "Dong certain only seeks pleasure today, asking his heart without shame, what's the use of these empty names?"

  As soon as the words fell, his subordinates had already escorted a group of women and children onto the city gate tower. Compared to the men's silence, those women were all sobbing and wailing, and the entire Ye City gate tower was suddenly filled with a desolate and miserable scene.

  "Now that things have come to this point, can you still say the four words 'conscience is clear'?"

  His tall and sturdy body suddenly shook, but he only said in a hard voice: "After today, Dong Mou will apologize to the upper and lower reaches of Mobei with his life, that's all."

  I let out a deep sigh in my heart, knowing that his views were already deeply rooted and it would be futile to continue talking. I fell silent, redirecting my gaze towards the horizon, and unwittingly, a hint of an unknown sorrow crept onto the corner of my lips.

  Three thousand elite soldiers, he had already anticipated all of this.

  I should have thought of it earlier, when he asked me to stay in Mo Bei, when he asked me to dress up and persuade him to drink farewell wine, when he held my hand and told me to wait for his return.

  In this war between the Nan brothers, I was a perfect pawn, being manipulated by them to attack each other.

  Suddenly I thought of a sentence my mother once said, she said that being able to live a peaceful and calm life is the greatest blessing in this world, but in our family, no one can think of it.

  A faint self-mocking smile on my lips involuntarily expanded a little more.

  Iron cavalry flew swiftly, in just a short time it took to drink a cup of tea, Nan Chongyao and his three thousand soldiers had already arrived at the city gate.

  Dong Di Li stood on the city wall and shouted: "Your Majesty, it's Dong Di below. I ask Your Majesty to send one person into the city!"

  He wore a white feathered armor, standing "Thieving Lü Jing" under the city, with an elegant and natural demeanor, the majestic aura of a king was evident. He looked at Dong Di from afar and opened his mouth to say: "Who sent you to wait for me outside the city?"

  Dong Di's expression turned stern, and he said in a firm tone: "There is no one else around, so it is I, Dong, who wishes to invite Your Highness for a gathering!"

  Nan Chengyao still looked at him with a faint gaze, but his eyes couldn't hide the slight disdain: "Since you have no superior orders, you lead your troops to rebel against me, block my great army's return, aren't you just a rebellious son? And yet you still dare to think of meeting with this king?"

  Dong Di's face stiffened, and he suddenly pushed me forward: "Third Prince, are you saying that you want to abandon your wife and the hundreds of thousands of women and children in Ye City?"

  Nan Chengyao didn't even glance at me, his gaze slowly sweeping over the women and children wailing on the city wall, but stopped just short of my position.

  Then his voice rang out in the wind and snow, word by word, calm and firm, with an inexplicable, mesmerizing power of comfort.

  "All you sisters and relatives, your husbands, fathers and brothers are all behind me now. They think of you day and night and will not abandon your lives to danger! I, Nan Chongyao, take an oath here that even if it means sacrificing my life, I must capture this city of Ye and ensure the reunion of your families!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, more than half of the women and children on the city tower of Ye City temporarily stopped crying, and anxiously and expectantly searched for their relatives among the three thousand soldiers behind him.

  Even in the vast sea of people, where it's impossible to find anyone, they still want to believe that their husbands and fathers are among them, just like every desperate person would, tightly grasping onto the sudden sunlight and hope.

  "Qiangzi's dad, I'm here! Can you see me? I'm here! I'll be waiting for you, you must come..."

  It was unclear who it was, but someone suddenly shouted out loud, and in an instant, a stone stirred up a thousand layers of waves.

  The women and children of the city all shouted towards the soldiers under the city tower, their faces indistinguishable from one another, with hoarse voices. Although Nan Xianyao's military discipline was strict, not a single person responded, but this did not hinder the outpouring of their emotions.

  Those voices full of longing and expectation echoed in the sky above Ye City, amidst the fluttering snowflakes, lingering on for a long time.

  Dong Di saw the situation suddenly turn around and quickly grabbed the knife from the guard behind me, placing it on my neck. In his haste, he naturally forgot to control his strength, and the sharp blade left a long gash on my neck.

  Actually, I'm not hurt.

  Standing in the wind and snow for so long, even the hand warmer in my sleeve had gone cold. My body was numb and frozen to the point where I couldn't feel any pain at all.

  It was only when I suddenly heard the sound of my own voice that I subconsciously lowered my head to look, and found that a steady stream of fresh blood had already flowed down the blade in Dong Ye's hand, dripping onto the snowy ground below the city wall of Ye Cheng, dot by dot, red and white contrasting with each other, like new plum blossoms proudly standing out against the snow, breathtakingly beautiful.

  Dong Di probably didn't expect to hurt me, slightly startled, loosened the force in his hand, but that knife, in the eyes of outsiders, still steadily pressed against my neck.

  "Second sister - wait for me - "

  One side was shouting at me miserably, while the other was about to rush forward like a madman on horseback, but was firmly restrained by Qin Zhao, who had seized the opportunity with a calm and steady hand.

  I closed my eyes slightly, just about to say something, but then I heard Nan Chengyao's voice ring out a step ahead.

  He still didn't look at me, but stared intently at Dong Di, his voice devoid of its usual carelessness, instead filled with an unprecedented chill and killing intent that was even colder than the icy weather: "If you dare to hurt her again, I will make sure the entire Dong family is exterminated!"

  The last four words, his voice was as light as a feather, yet it carried endless coldness and strong oppression, extending the fear of devouring bones and despair to people's hearts.

  Every word is worth a thousand pieces of gold.

  On the city tower of Ye, from top to bottom, including Dong Di, everyone's face changed involuntarily, and no one doubted the credibility of his words.

  The three princes of the Southern Dynasty have always been like this: whatever they say must be done!

  Before Dong Ye could react, he had already resolutely drawn his sword and mounted his horse, turning his back on the crowd of officers behind him. With an unyielding majesty, he issued a military order: "The first to enter Ye City will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold and enfeoffed as a lord of a thousand households! Anyone who shoots arrows recklessly will be beheaded!"

  He slowly drew the "Zhuangui" sword from its scabbard, its blade shining like lightning, dazzling and radiant. In an instant, it pointed directly at Dong Di: "The three armies listen to orders, attack!"

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