Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"Issue my order: tonight we shall rest and recuperate, and at dawn tomorrow we shall attack cities, seize territories, and capture or kill Liu Xiu!"

After several rounds of drinks, Wang Yi's face was flushed with drunkenness, and he was somewhat disoriented.

Half an hour ago, a scout from the army reported that Kunyang City was completely silent, with only a few sentries on the city walls.

In Wang Yi's view, Liu Xiu most likely abandoned the city and fled, or was completely disheartened.

He squinted at the endless rows of military camps stretching outwards, already imagining the scene at dawn tomorrow, when the army would move unimpeded and 100,000 iron cavalry would trample over the walls of Kunyang.

And Liu Xiu, the Green Forest Army general who defeated the Xin army in Bishui and Yuyang this January and killed Xin generals such as Zhen Fu and Liang Qiuci, will also personally cut off their heads...

Wang Yi strolled around in front of the central command tent for a while with satisfaction before slowly walking to the side of the tent and relieving himself on the straw pile on the ground.

At this moment, some slight confusion was heard at the front lines:

"General!"

Liu Xiu led over two thousand men across the Kun River and has now reached our lines!

A report from one of his generals sent a shiver down Wang Yi’s spine, who had just been halfway through his release.

He hurriedly pulled up his pants, and after figuring out the situation at the front, he said, slightly drunk:

"Has Liu Xiu, that brat, come here to die?"

As the Grand Minister of Works, Wang Yi was not oblivious; he saw through Liu Xiu's intentions:

"Issue my order: each camp must keep its soldiers in check and not send out troops without authorization. I will personally lead ten thousand men with the Grand Minister of Works to capture and kill Liu Xiu."

In his view, Liu Xiu's move was merely an attempt to disrupt the army and coordinate with the garrison in Kunyang to encircle them from both sides, leaving them vulnerable to attack from both sides.

Wang Yi shook his head, looking at the rapidly assembling army of ten thousand men...

Is 10,000 enough to pay 2,000 or 3,000?

He said to Wang Xun beside him, "Lord Zhichun, it seems that this brat Liu Xiu has mistaken you and me for Zhen Fu and Liangqiu Ci, haha."

Wang Xun silently praised them, and the two then went into battle, quickly clashing with Liu Xiu's raiding army.

In Liu Xiu's army, he personally led more than a thousand elite troops as the vanguard, repeatedly charging into the enemy's ranks and killing dozens of the new soldiers.

The commander-in-chief's leading by example naturally boosted the morale of the Han army, and this surprise attack under the cover of night actually turned the camp of tens of thousands of new soldiers upside down.

Afterwards, the two commanders met, and Liu Xiu, on horseback, gazed intently at Wang Yi and Wang Xun:

"kill!"

The Han army's battle cries shook the heavens. Their most elite cavalry unit was Kunyang City's last trump card, and they knew there was no way to retreat.

The entire Han army transformed into ruthless, bloodthirsty warriors. They seemed to have forgotten everything, focusing only on wielding their blades, urging their horses onward, and charging into battle with all their might!

The new army was thrown into chaos, and Wang Yi was so frightened that he sobered up a bit.

"Pass on the order! Pass on the order!"

Send orders to the surrounding camps...

The old and hunched Wang Xun was now on his warhorse, his eyes darting around anxiously, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

The next second, he was beheaded by a Han soldier who broke through the encirclement!

Wang Xun's troops were thrown into chaos. Several of his generals surrounded the soldier, only to see him proudly raise Wang Xun's head amidst the crowd.

"Haha! Enemy general Wang Xun is dead, slain by me!"

His youthful face was etched with a fiery gaze, and he showed no fear in the face of the enemy's encirclement until his death.

Taking advantage of the fact that Wang Xun was dead and the surrounding camps dared not send reinforcements, Liu Xiu and his men once again charged forward, pursuing the fleeing Wang Yi.

Looking behind, the defenders inside Kunyang City, seeing the Han army's victory outside the city, launched a counterattack.

The new army camp was now leaderless and in complete chaos. Generals and soldiers alike fled for their lives, trampling each other, leaving the ground littered with corpses.

Wang Yi led his remaining three or four thousand men, fleeing along the banks of the Zhi River. Behind them, they saw heads rolling and their cries piercing the sky.

"How could this be! Our army has the advantage over these bandit rebels!"

Wang Yi was no longer drunk, and the cool summer night wind blowing on his face added a touch of desolation.

He and Wang Xunqin led an army of over 100,000 to the gates of Kunyang, having made a solemn pledge to His Majesty.

If Kunyang is not captured and Liu Xiu is not killed, Yi will commit suicide and die!

But did Wang Yi have the courage to commit suicide? He hesitated for a long time, but ultimately lacked the resolve.

Now, his remaining troops are caught in a dilemma: to flee or not to flee.

He hesitated for only a moment, and Liu Xiu's pursuing army was already right behind him!

Wang Yi reined in his horse, drew his sword, and shouted:

"All troops, listen to my command! Fight alongside me! If we do not kill Liu Xiu, our army will have no face to face His Majesty."

In his final moments, Wang Yi chose a dignified death, fighting to the death with the Han army, sacrificing himself for his country...

Just as the two armies were about to engage in battle, a sudden gust of wind arose, whipping up debris and flying stones and rocks.

Then torrential rain poured down, and the Zhi River suddenly swelled, with the rising water level quickly covering the horses' ankles and knees.

The new army camp, located in a low-lying area, was immediately submerged by the rising Zhi River.

Seeing this, Liu Xiu quickly retreated, leaving Wang Yi and the others bewildered in the wind and rain...

Kunyang had just experienced a prolonged rainy season a few days ago, so there shouldn't have been such a violent downpour.

Liu Xiu's night raid was a great success, and he and the city's defenders wiped out the entire new army. If it weren't for the heavy rain, the process would not have been so smooth.

So the news spread throughout the army:

"The general is aided by Heaven, and timely rain protects our army!"

Liu Xiu was aided by Heaven, and timely rain protected the Han army...

This news quickly reached Wang Mang's ears through the defeated army that had fled back to Chang'an.

Inside the grand Weiyang Palace, the waning Wang Mang sat on the throne, facing his officials and the defeated generals who had returned, and flew into a rage:

"A bunch of good-for-nothing bastards!"

How can you boost the morale of the rebels and diminish your own prestige?

He was so angry that he almost lost his temper, and the morning court session ended hastily as usual.

Back in his palace, Wang Mang, after drinking the medicinal soup, paced back and forth in front of his bed.

He was filled with unease. Liu Xiu had the help of Heaven, but what was Heaven?

Wang Mang knew perfectly well that he had seized the throne by fabricating the Mandate of Heaven.

Whether or not there is a Heavenly Way in this world, Wang Mang knew best in his heart.

Unable to suppress his unease, he went alone to the ancestral hall of the Han Dynasty.

After Wang Mang ascended the throne, he did not issue an edict to destroy the Han Dynasty ancestral hall that had stood for hundreds of years. He had no interest in it and simply built a more luxurious Wang family ancestral hall next to it.

"Legend has it that Emperor Gaozu of Han was the reincarnation of the son of the Red Emperor?"

Wang Mang was studious from a young age, and it was even more ridiculous that he did not believe in any immortals, gods, ghosts, or the Way of Heaven.

He snorted disdainfully at the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall, a self-deprecating sneer appearing on his face.

More than ten years have passed since the founding of the new dynasty. Looking at his aged body when he ascended the throne, he is now even older and can't help but sigh, lamenting that he is getting senile.

Even now, despite recognizing the Dao as an ethereal and unpredictable thing, Wang Mang remains deeply worried.

During the more than ten years since he ascended the throne, how could he not know that the people of the world often complained and cursed him? He reflected on whether he had acted too hastily.

But now it seems too late...

The Battle of Kunyang severed his left and right arms and caused the loss of 100,000 troops in the court.

He gazed at the newly built Wang Clan Ancestral Hall and vaguely realized that the dynasty he had established seemed to be heading towards its demise.

Or rather, Wang Mang's aim was to disrupt Liu Xiu's path, suggesting that Liu Xiu might possess the true will of Heaven, while he himself, the usurper bearing a false imperial mandate, was destined for ruin.