The protagonist committed numerous evil deeds.

Xie Wanzhou frowned slightly as he listened.

The general present spoke again: "Enough, Liang Qi! We've wasted two years on this wretched land of Danli, and so many people have died. I've had enough. If you want to defend it, you defend it yourself."

"General Liang, two years ago when the Flower Rain appeared in Guigu, you neither guarded Tianqu nor did you inexplicably appear in Guigu. We didn't hold you accountable, but you've been making a fuss every day!"

Liang Qi: "I've already explained this before. I was tricked by demons."

"Who knows if it was a design or a covert conspiracy? There are rumors outside that General Liang, you deliberately let the demons in. Didn't the people who guarded the city say that you left the city yourself? A design? Who would believe that?"

The female deputy general next to Liang Tian kicked the man, yelling, "You're talking nonsense!"

"Nonsense! What benefit could our general possibly gain from doing this!"

The man, still lying on the ground, continued, "Hmph, who knows what benefits that demon promised her? Your Danli wasn't even part of our Great Jin a hundred years ago; you merely sought refuge with us. I bet your Liang family has long wanted to be the King of Danli again..."

Before Liang Qi could react, the person next to her had already drawn their sword.

"I'm going to rip your tongue out! So you can stop talking nonsense!"

The tension between the two sides was about to escalate from verbal sparring to physical violence.

Xie Wanzhou, who had been silent all along, shouted angrily, "Enough!"

"Stop making a racket! You're soldiers, not thugs. If you're going to make a scene, get out of here."

The atmosphere became somber, and everyone in the tent fell silent, bowing their heads and quietly sheathing their swords.

Xie Wanzhou turned to her and said earnestly, "Liang Qi, I understand everything you've said. The problem is, we can't hold on! Behind us are Yunzhong, Qingzhou, the thirteen tribes of Mobei... and countless citizens of the Great Jin!"

"The terrain in the clouds is uneven, and the cities there are easy to defend but difficult to attack. As you said, even retreating is difficult in Danli. Staying here is like building an iron cage for ourselves!"

"Besides, I've already given you time, but have you come up with a way to protect Danli?"

"I..." Liang Qi wanted to say something, but Xie Wanzhou interrupted him.

"We don't have time."

Xie Wanzhou looked at the people present, pointed to the crescent moon on the map, and ordered, "Prepare to abandon the city tomorrow. We'll retreat to the crescent moon first. Liang Qi, you'll cover the rear. If you want to hold out, you can stay here."

Back down? If you back down, can you come back?

She will never back down.

Liang Tian's face turned ugly. Suddenly, she grabbed the sword from the person next to her and cleaved the table in two, the map falling to the ground in two pieces.

"Lord Xie, I respect you greatly, but the way you say such things suggests you are indeed getting on in years. If His Highness were here, he would certainly not have abandoned the city."

"let's go."

Liang Tian met Xie Wanzhou's gaze, then turned and left with her entourage.

Xie Xiao watched her retreating figure with concern, and only after everyone had left did he speak, "My lord, Liang Qi will not leave Danli."

"I know."

Xie Wanzhou calmly picked up the map from the ground. The map was cut in half at Danli, cutting off a small piece of the Great Jin's territory.

“Someone just said something that struck a nerve with her. Xie Xiao, if it weren’t for the chaos caused by the demons in Ghost Valley, the Liang family wouldn’t have submitted willingly. And since we can’t help her protect Danli, she naturally wouldn’t want to submit.”

"You mean she will..."

Xie Wanzhou threw the two maps on the ground. "So what? If the Liang family can hold Danli, I don't care if she's a general or a king. The most important thing now is those ambitious demons. We'll talk about unifying the world after we deal with them."

An unease welled up in Xie Xiao's eyes; he disapproved of this approach.

"My lord, the Liang family of Danli is the alchemy furnace of the Great Jin Dynasty. Without them, we are like birds with broken wings. Moreover, if there is one disaster, there may be two. Dividing us up is not an option! If disagreements arise again in the future..."

“They wouldn’t dare! Liang Qi is quite capable, but the others… You don’t need to worry about the pills; I have a way to get them to send us a steady stream.”

Xie Wanzhou looked at Xie Xiao and asked, "Si'er, is there any news from over there?"

"There's news that it might be over in the snowy mountains."

"Is that correct?"

Xie Xiao shook his head.

“You personally lead a group to go there again. It’s been two years; they’ve had their fill of fun.”

Xie Xiao bowed and turned around, then turned back again. "I heard that there is a famine in the Fengyin and Xueling areas. Should I escort some relief grain over there?"

At this point, Xie Wanzhou's head started to ache again.

“Transport some over from here? Do you think we have enough to eat? Not just in that area, but throughout the whole country, where is there any surplus grain? Look at the pile of documents on my desk. It’s one thing for demons to be here, but even the heavens don’t seem to be letting us off the hook.”

"Demons have occupied Manzhou, and the people of Qingzhou are frequently harassed by them. They dare not even leave their homes, let alone farm. There were already so few people who dared to farm, and now, even the heavens have stopped raining."

"The soldiers are fighting on the front lines and they must be well-fed. This food cannot be transported from us."

Xie Xiao hesitated before asking, "Then where will it be transported from?"

Xie Wanzhou waved his hand, "Never mind that for now, wait, wait for Si'er to come back and take care of things. If he doesn't come back soon, everyone will die. He has to get back here!"

"Yes."

Xie Xiao turned and left, his brows furrowed with worry. Would Fourth Brother ever come back?

After leaving the camp, Liang Qi went directly to the military camp to call back the Liang family members.

The generals of the Liang family army were easily identifiable within the Feather Spirit Army. Most of the women in the Feather Spirit Army were from the Liang family. They had a herbal scent and spent their days in the alchemy room, except when practicing swordsmanship and fighting. Even when wearing armor, their hairstyles were always adorned with alchemical ornaments.

As soon as the Liang family left, the soldiers who were still practicing swordsmanship all turned their heads to look.

"What's going on here?"

"I heard that General Liang and Lord Xie had a fight."

"Then why did they all leave?"

Liang Qi led a large group of people back to the Liang family's residence in Shaling.

In the Liang family's secret room, she sat in the main seat, with her trusted confidants on either side.

To be honest, she was fed up with having to tuck her tail between her legs and act like a dog in front of others.

Xie Wanzhou, Wen Zhien... they're all utter bullshit.

"Master, what should we do next?"

Liang Tian thought for a moment and asked the guard, "How are the arrangements for Yueban going?"

The female guard said, "Previously, Chaoyan led people to guard that place, making it difficult for us to insert people. However, a few days ago, Lord Xie sent her to the front line of Manzhou. Now, Yueban's guard is not so strict, and our people can smoothly infiltrate with the Yuling Army."

Xie Wanzhou?

Liang Tian thought about the exclusion her family had faced in the army these past few days, and then about Xie Wanzhou's actions today.

You want me to be last?

Liang Tian thought about it and felt so angry she almost laughed. The others asked, "What's wrong with the patriarch?"

"I'm laughing because they're cowards. If the demons were to seize Danli, they would have to stay quiet for a while. They've long harbored the intention to abandon Danli, but they can't bear to part with the medicine from my Liang family."

"Xie Wanzhou doesn't want to offend us, he even wants to curry favor with us. The person who is most angry about us taking back Yueban is Pei Kuang, and Pei Kuang hates us. Xie Wanzhou, on the other hand, is getting the best of both worlds."

"Then, Master, we should..."

"Of course we should. If we're going to be bad guys, we should go all the way."

Deputy General Liang Qichao beckoned to her and whispered in her ear...