General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Even though they had used tactics to reduce the enemy's fighting strength, it was still very difficult to actually fight.

Twelve and Thirteen were covered in blood splattered on their faces and bodies. Each of them took on an enemy with a knife, and between swings of their blades, they would look up into the depths of the cave.

The battle lasted for an hour, leaving the cave littered with corpses; everyone was bloodthirsty.

As the number of people on the imperial side dwindled and they even began to suffer repeated defeats, the situation became increasingly dire.

Shi Hui became excited: "Brothers, they can't hold on any longer! We're going to win! Charge!"

"Kill! Avenge our dead family members!"

"All the officials of the imperial court deserve to die!"

Shi Hui's words were like a shot of adrenaline for them, and the morale of the rebel army immediately soared!

The people, who had been looking tired, perked up and rushed forward again.

Thirteen looked around and said to Twelve, "We only have a little over a thousand people left on our side."

They were both almost exhausted.

Both sides have been fighting this far only because of their willpower. Now the other side is clearly regaining its fighting spirit, while the soldiers on this side are showing signs of retreating.

Twelve frowned, then decisively leaped two steps to a higher position, his sharp gaze sweeping over the entire area.

"You bunch of traitors, you still dare to talk back even when you're about to die! Today I'll show you that if you dare to oppose the imperial court, you'll only end up dead."

He shouted, "All soldiers! Those who fight alongside us today to punish the rebels will be rewarded according to their merits upon returning to the capital. On the contrary, those who dare to retreat will be killed without mercy!"

"Push it to me!"

Ultimately, it was Twelve's imposing presence that intimidated them.

With the military order given and everyone seeing no way out, their eyes hardened with resolve.

Retreat means certain death, while killing offers a chance of survival.

"Charge! Kill the traitors!"

"Come on!"

The two groups charged forward and clashed again in an instant.

Despite the high morale of both sides, the numerical disadvantage gradually became apparent.

The rebels pressed forward relentlessly, while the imperial forces retreated faster and faster.

"Shouldn't it be here by now?" Twelve knew this was the limit, and he asked Thirteen somewhat anxiously.

Thirteen killed an enemy with a single slash, and before he could even open his mouth to speak, he turned around.

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from behind the cave—

"kill!!!".

Just moments ago, Shi Hui, who was feeling smug because he had the upper hand, turned his head blankly and looked behind him.

"What's going on? Shouldn't General Feng and his men be guarding the back pass? Why have they broken in? We're about to win!"

Luo Xingyuan was also a little puzzled.

But when those people rushed in, he quickly realized something was wrong.

"These aren't people from the Third Team! They're people from the Imperial Court!"

Their clothes were completely different from their brothers'.

The force that rushed in was led by the eldest prince, Chen Chengjin, and the sixteenth and nineteenth princes.

After receiving the letter, Chen Chengjin led a thousand elite soldiers to sneak over. Because he entered from the west side of the mountain, even Shi Hui and his men did not notice him.

He and Shen Luo arrived at almost the same time, and for the past few days they have been sending people to find the exit behind the rebels.

Such a large organization couldn't possibly have only one entrance and exit: "Manzhen".

After several sleepless nights, they finally found the back entrance of the mountain last night, and immediately sent someone to deliver a message to Shen Luo.

That's why we have the scene where Shen Luo single-handedly dispatched 500 elite soldiers, led by Sixteen and Nineteen, to join forces with the First Prince's troops and attack from the back mountain together.

Upon seeing the arrival of reinforcements, everyone in the imperial court was greatly encouraged.

"Our reinforcements have arrived!"

"Kill the traitor, and you'll be promoted and ennobled!"

This time, the imperial court's side fought with increasing ferocity, while the rebels suffered repeated defeats under their combined attack from both sides.

In the end, only a thousand people remained, and they were surrounded in a circle.

Sixteen glanced around; despite the thousands of people present, he immediately spotted the two people in the middle.

There was no other reason than that the faces of those people were either dejected or resentful, while only the two of them, though unwilling, had a calm expression, as if they had long anticipated all of this.

Indeed, when they first discovered that the reinforcements from the other side were coming out from the back mountain pass, Shi Hui and Luo Xingyuan were both momentarily panicked, but they quickly calmed down.

"If you can't win, run; if you can't run, fight," Shi Hui said.

"When a person dies, their eggs face the sky; if they don't die, they live for ten thousand years!" Luo Xingyuan said.

"You intellectuals just love to say things that others can't understand," Shi Hui laughed at him.

The two men exchanged a smile, then, knife in hand, charged back into the crowd.

……

"Tie them up," the order was given.

Faced with absolute suppression, the rebels were unwilling but helpless, and could only obediently raise their hands before being escorted away.

Only Shi Hui and Luo Xingyuan remained.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain." Luo Xingyuan wiped the blood from his face.

He was a scholar, and today was the first time he had ever picked up a knife, which he found quite enjoyable.

"A head lost leaves a scar the size of a bowl." Facing a large number of enemies, Shi Hui showed no fear, and even smiled.

"As expected of the General Who Protects the Nation, today, I, Shi Hui, humbly admit defeat."

They knew the consequences of rebellion; being captured as the leader meant certain death.

In that case, it would be better to die with dignity.

Luo Xingyuan also raised his knife, mimicking his gesture: "Shi Hui!"

he shouted.

Shi Hui turned his head to look at him.

He was looking at him too.

"We will fight to the very end."

Despite the scene being one of utter despair, he burst out laughing: "Luo Xingyuan, you do have some guts!"

"What a joke! I'm a real man!"

"Charge!" Luo Xingyuan shouted.

The two men, one to the east and one to the west, charged out with knives in hand, their eyes filled with excitement and relief, but not with fear.

……

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Is it over?" Chen Chengjin asked.

Sixteen respectfully replied from the side, "It's over, Your Highness. Thirteen is counting the prisoners, and Nineteen is leading men to search the mountain caves to see if there are any escapees."

"Mm." Chen Chengjin nodded.

"How's Xiao Luo doing lately?"

Sixteen replied, "Master is still the same; he hasn't found a way to cure the poison."

Chen Chengjin was mentally prepared, but upon hearing this, he still felt a sense of emptiness and unconsciously gritted his teeth.

"I heard that Father Emperor has arranged a marriage for him?"

"Yes."

“That’s fine,” Chen Chengjin murmured. “Perhaps having someone to care about will give him the will to live.”

It was as if he was speaking to Sixteen, or perhaps to himself.

“Your Highness,” said the thousands of guards behind him, “there’s unusual activity at the front; we should head back.”

"Okay, take good care of your master." Still worried, Chen Chengjin gave one more instruction before turning to leave.

"Farewell to Your Highness."

Sixteen watched the Crown Prince's departing figure until they completely disappeared into the darkness.

He turned his head and looked down at the two people lying in a pool of blood, but still smiling.

"Someone, come and carry these two people out, and find a place with a wide view to bury them together."

"Yes."