We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The young king's voice trembled, not with fear, but with excitement.

Zhuoma was in pain from his grip and was even more shocked by what he said.

"The Great Lord has been defeated? Will the Qing army attack? Lhasa..."

"They can't win!"

The king seemed to have heard a joke. He released his grip on Droma's arm and pointed eastward with a flick of his sleeve: "Lhasa is in the sky. Although the Qing people are powerful, they can't climb up here!"

"But Lu Dongzan was defeated, and that's the key!"

He lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress the ruthlessness and excitement: "His invincible status has been broken! His prestige has collapsed! The people he took to fight were all his men, his cronies."

"Now these people have returned defeated and dejected... Zhuoma, do you understand? My chance has come!"

Zhuoma looked at the almost fanatical light in her brother's eyes and felt a sudden chill in her heart.

She suddenly felt that her brother was a stranger today.

"Brother Wang... what do you want to do?"

"What are we doing?" The Zanpu clenched his fists, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. "Purge! Seize power! Take back what rightfully belongs to the Zanpu!"

“Chisang Yangdun has already taken action. All the troops in the city who are loyal to the royal family have been assembled, and they are willing to fight for me.”

"Lu Dongzan's mansion in the city and the residences of his henchmen have been seized. I will take advantage of the fact that their main force has not yet returned to completely seize control of Lhasa!"

"I want everyone to know who the true king of Tibet is!"

"Now?!" Zhuoma exclaimed, "The soldiers at the front are still fighting a bitter retreat, and you, my brother, are seizing power from behind the scenes. This will dishearten them!"

Upon hearing his sister's words, the king's face instantly turned cold: "When they followed Gar Tongtsen to seize territory and merit, treating me like a clay idol, did they ever consider that I would feel disheartened?"

"They only care about grand theories, never about me, the king. How can I not be disheartened?!"

"Now that they have been defeated, they are in a weakened state. If I do not reclaim the power that belongs to me now, am I supposed to wait for Lu Dongzan to clean up the mess and come back to continue to sideline me?"

Seeing that the king had lost his mind, Droma quickly tried to persuade him: "At least... at least wait for the army to return, investigate the situation, and then take action. That would be more justifiable."

She felt very uneasy; how was her brother's behavior any different from taking advantage of someone's misfortune?

She was very intelligent and had read a lot of books about the Central Plains since childhood, so she knew the cruelty of political struggles.

But no matter how much the Central Plains dynasties fought, even the most ruthless and cunning rulers would always hold the greater good in their hands.

Those who plot and scheme behind people's backs and kick them when they're down will never gain support.

The king scoffed, "What are we waiting for him to come back for? To regroup and seize power again?!"

"No! Droma, you're too naive! There's no room for gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, or humility in the arena of power. Opportunities are fleeting; if you don't act now, when will you?"

"I've been holding back for so long, and this is the day I've been waiting for!"

He looked at his sister's pale face, his tone softening slightly, but becoming even more resolute: "Don't worry, I won't kill him, at least not now."

"But he must relinquish power, his cronies must be purged, and Tibet needs a new beginning, an era led by the Zanpu!"

Zhuoma opened her mouth, but found herself speechless.

The older brother before her was no longer the boy who would confide his troubles to her and look longingly at the benevolent rule of emperors described in ancient books.

He was like a gambler who had been suppressed by power for a long time and finally saw an opportunity, his eyes filled with a desperate madness.

She finally lowered her eyes and said softly, "Brother Wang... please be sure to prioritize the stability of Tibet. The emperor of Daqing is still outside."

The Zanpu waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, once I've dealt with him, I'll find a way to talk to the Emperor of Daqing."

"Daqing's troops can't reach Lhasa. As for the land outside the plateau, let them take it. I will find a way to get it back later."

Zhuoma remained silent, but her heart was ice-cold.

Can a monarch who exchanges the country's land for his own power be called a wise king in the Central Plains' value system?

The king ignored his sister's silence and turned back to face the map, looking at the area that had been erased with cinnabar.

The defeat ahead is a disaster for others, but it is his chance to break free from his cage!

It was only half of the country; without this defeat, he wouldn't have been able to control even an inch of it.

On this day, the night in the city of Lhasa seemed exceptionally long because of the quiet change of power.

Lu Dongzan, hundreds of miles away, could never have imagined that he would lose not only land and troops, but also the foundation of the court he had cultivated over many years.

. . . . . .

After the Qing army reached the high-altitude area, its advance encountered resistance.

Although the Lhasa River Valley Plain where Lhasa is located is relatively prosperous, its outer barriers are already the true heartland of the plateau.

The air here is becoming increasingly thin and dry; the sun is scorching during the day and the air is bitterly cold at night.

Many Qing soldiers from the Central Plains began to experience severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing; in severe cases, their lips and nails turned purple.

Even worse, some people are so short of breath that they cannot get up in their sleep.

The military medical officer knew that there was no effective cure for mountain sickness, and could only advise the patient to rest more and gradually adapt.

Casualty reports arrived at Li Che's desk daily, and the number of non-combat casualties began to be alarming.

"Your Majesty, seventeen more people have fallen seriously ill today, and over a hundred have milder cases." Wang Sanchun's expression was grave. "The defeated Tibetan army is just ahead at the mountain pass, but we can't move forward. It's not that our brothers aren't trying their best, it's just that..."

Li Che stood outside the camp, gazing at the snow-capped, rolling peaks in the distance.

The cold wind was like a knife, stinging my face.

"Issue the order," Li Che said. "The entire army shall halt its advance and set up camp in a sheltered, sunny location here."

"All soldiers showing signs of 'dizziness' should be gathered in the warmest and most ventilated tents, and given priority access to hot water and ginger soup."

"It is strictly forbidden for anyone to take a bath or wash their hair with cold water, and it is strictly forbidden for anyone to engage in strenuous exercise. Those who violate this order will be severely punished."

Wang Sanchun noted it down, then asked, "What about the pursuit...?"

Li Che turned around, his gaze calm: "I won't chase after them."

Wang Sanchun was taken aback. Although he had expected His Majesty to slow down the pursuit, he did not expect him to stop it directly.

"The road ahead is higher and more dangerous. Even if we catch up, we won't be able to stand firm. We can't risk the lives of our soldiers."

Li Che walked back into the tent and pointed to the shaded area on the map that marked extremely high altitude: "To covet more after gaining something is a great taboo for military strategists."

"Having gained Long, one desires Shu?" Wang Sanchun didn't understand the allusion, but he grasped the meaning. "Your Majesty means we should stop while we're ahead, and then we should retreat?"

“We won’t leave,” Li Che shook his head and said, “We’ll settle down here.”

"Strengthen the fortifications, build granaries, and clear the road we came by. Move the artillery forward and set up permanent outposts and beacon towers at the strategic pass."

"This place marks the new frontier."

He paused, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes: "We've stopped. That king should send someone to have a proper talk with me."

. . . . . .

When the Qing army stopped its pursuit, Lu Dongzan had already led his remaining troops to the last outer mountain pass of Lhasa.

Looking back, there was no sign of pursuing troops.

Lu Dongzan felt a sense of relief, but then a mix of emotions welled up inside him.

Fortunately, he finally saw the familiar outline of the city walls of Lhasa, at least he had brought these Tibetan warriors back alive.

As long as these warriors are not all dead, Tibet still has hope.

When Lu Dongzan rode his horse to the city, he found the city gates tightly closed, the flags still flying on the city walls, and the soldiers guarding the city in neat formation, far exceeding the usual number.

If that were all there was to it, Lu Dongzan wouldn't be surprised.

After all, Tibet had just suffered a defeat, so it was only natural that Lhasa was heavily guarded.

But he soon discovered that most of the soldiers guarding the city were unfamiliar faces, and their gazes toward them were distant.

An ominous premonition swept over me.

The trusted general sent to knock on the gate returned quickly, his face ashen: "Great Lord! The defending general is Chisang Yangdun!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

This person has always been at odds with them.

Sure enough, the general continued, "He said that by the strict orders of the king, in order to prevent spies from infiltrating, the chief minister is requested to enter the city alone, and the army must camp outside the city and not approach the city walls!"

"what?!"

The remaining nobles and generals around them were even more astonished.

They had considered the possibility of losing power or even being stripped of some authority due to defeat.

But to everyone's surprise, they were humiliated so blatantly before they even entered the city!

"How could the Tzangpu do this!"

"Is this an attempt to seize power?!"

"While we're still fighting desperately outside, he's right behind us..."

"Great Lord! We cannot enter the city; this is clearly a trap!" a general exclaimed urgently. "The king is surely taking advantage of your recent defeat to plot against you!"

"Why don't we turn around and go to the main camp in the west, or to the subordinate units in the south to gather our troops, and then make a plan?"

"Yes! We can't leave our fate in the hands of others!"

The crowd was outraged. They felt a blatant betrayal, and even the dejection caused by the defeat was turned into anger.

Lu Dongzan raised his hand, stopping the commotion.

He looked at the unfamiliar faces on the city wall, and a weary smile of relief appeared on his face.

The head, white-haired overnight, swayed slightly in the cold wind.

Has that young Puzan finally made his move?

After a long pause, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Our families are all in the city."

Just one sentence silenced everyone, and the color drained from their faces.

Yes, my parents, wife, and children are almost all in Lhasa.

To raise an army against the Zanpu would be to put the lives of one's entire family on the line.

Even if they don't care about the lives of their families, what about their soldiers? Don't they care either?

Lu Dongzan slowly exhaled a breath of white air and straightened his tattered brocade robe.

He then said to his trusted general, "Tell them that I will enter the city shortly."