Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

The Longshan area.

Lord Pingliang rallied his defeated troops and retreated hastily towards Longyou.

He was covered in blood and his hair was disheveled.

Where is that former high spirit?

Just a month ago, he was still full of passion and fervor, leading his 100,000 Xiliang cavalry like an iron torrent, looking down from a high vantage point.

It seemed poised to overwhelm the entire Guanzhong Plain.

Now, however, they have suffered a crushing defeat.

The 100,000-strong cavalry fell apart, and more than half of the 10,000 elite troops were killed or wounded.

This was an unprecedented and devastating defeat.

"I, Luo Xiao, have been conquering Liang for many years, winning battle after battle and expanding my territory by thousands of miles. I thought Guanzhong was nothing more than a piece of cake, but in the end, I was defeated in this Chencang land."

Lord Pingliang looked up to the sky and sighed, as if he wanted to draw his sword and commit suicide.

This defeat was truly humiliating.

They fought their way into Guanzhong with all their might, only to be ruthlessly driven back at the western gate.

If it were the elite Liang soldiers led by General Xuanluo, that would be one thing.

Unfortunately, their opponent was an unknown nobody.

Pingliang Jun was starting to question the meaning of life.

"Perhaps I'm only showing off in remote places, and underestimating the mediocre people of the world!"

"What do you mean by that, my lord?"

His advisors quickly offered their advice.

"Our Xiliang cavalry has won every battle, which led to our arrogance and defeat. On the other hand, the enemy, seeing our strength, held firm and refused to engage, their spirits broken, which led to our victory. This is absolutely not the general's fault!"

"Wenru, you don't understand. As Sun Tzu said, 'The skillful strategist wins without seeking fame or glory. He may appear mediocre and inactive, but this is the strategy for achieving lasting victory.'"

Pingliang Jun shook his head.

He had a very strong memory of the person who had defeated him.

"Hanyang Army, Bai Jian."

If Xuanluo gave him a feeling of unstoppable terror, then Xuanluo was the most striking feature.

So what Bai Jian gave him was an invincible despair.

From the very beginning, Bai Jian used the advantageous terrain of Chencang to fortify and defend the city.

Like an ultimate tortoise shell, it has no flaws and remains as immovable as a mountain.

At the same time, with the help of the Mo family's mechanical techniques, a huge amount of manpower and resources were saved, making the entire defense watertight.

If you can't break through, you can't get around it.

Lord Pingliang attempted to attack the city several times, but suffered heavy losses as a result.

Instead, they resorted to various schemes to lure the enemy out of battle.

But it was still to no avail; Bai Jian remained unchanged in the face of all changes.

He was driven to the point of having no temper left.

This is Yang Conspiracy.

This was clearly a message to Lord Pingliang.

The other party has plenty of time and resources to wear him down.

Until recently, news came from Longyou that cavalry were harassing the supply lines, and also that the Lord of Hanyang had taken over Xianyang.

Lord Pingliang immediately realized that he had missed his chance and that the tide had turned.

Therefore, they had no choice but to feign an attack while actually dividing their forces and retreating.

As a result, that damned Bai Jian seized this momentary opening and launched a full-scale attack on the Xiliang army.

In haste, Lord Pingliang led his troops to meet the enemy.

The Hanyang army held Chencang for many days, and their morale not only did not decline but increased.

In contrast, the Xiliang army had been besieging Chencang for a long time without success, and their supply lines were also disrupted, causing their morale to plummet.

Ultimately, the Xiliang army collapsed at the first encounter.

They suffered a crushing defeat.

"Where did Lord Hanyang find such a steadfast and capable general?"

Pingliang Jun couldn't help but sigh.

"My lord, there is no need to be discouraged. Although we have suffered this defeat, we will win next time."

The strategist was still trying to persuade them.

Pingliang Jun smiled upon hearing this and said nothing more.

He could only lament in his heart.

"Will there be a next time?"

……

Meanwhile, outside Chencang City, Bai Jian was directing his soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

The Xiliang cavalry truly deserves to be called the strongest cavalry force in the Liang Kingdom.

Pingliang Jun's strength should not be underestimated.

Despite leading the Hanyang army, Bai Jian inflicted tens of thousands of casualties and escapes on the enemy in this battle.

However, the Hanyang army also suffered thousands of casualties.

The losses are not small.

"General Bai Jian is truly a master strategist, a true inheritor of the wisdom of Sun Tzu!"

The Mohist Sui Qin stepped forward and praised him generously.

"Although I am a follower of the Mohist school, I have heard that those skilled in warfare in the past first made themselves invincible, and then waited for the enemy to become vulnerable. This must be referring to generals."

This period was his first experience of war, and it certainly broadened his horizons.

He watched as Bai Jian calmly deployed his defenses, thwarting the fierce offensive of the Xiliang army.

First, secure an invincible position, then seek an opportunity to defeat the enemy.

Victory in the final battle.

"Without the help of the Mohist mechanical arts, we would have had difficulty holding Chencang."

Bai Jian did not take credit for himself, but politely shared the defensive credit with Sui Qin.

To be honest, there was no such thing as Sui Qin's ingenuity.

The casualties of the Hanyang army will likely double.

"Besides, I'm not the truly superior one."

Bai Jian said earnestly.

"He is a gentleman."

"A gentleman?"

Sui Qin was surprised.

Bai Jian nodded and explained to Sui Qin.

"The outcome of this battle does not depend on the Chencang battlefield, but on the imperial court in Xianyang."

"The Lord of Pingliang's attack on Guanzhong is nothing more than an attempt to seize the throne of the King of Liang while Xianyang is in chaos. My holding Chencang is to wait for the gentleman to quell the rebellion."

"Just as a virtuous person trusts and employs me, I also believe that a virtuous person can enter the court of Xianyang."

"Once the virtuous ruler enters Xianyang and stabilizes the situation, the Lord of Pingliang will have no choice but to withdraw his troops and defend himself."

"At that time, it will be our best chance to win."

"this……"

Sui Qin opened his mouth wide, only then realizing how shallow his knowledge was.

So the real battlefield is in the imperial court in Xianyang?

"The gentleman also understood this point, which is why he quickly took Xianyang with three thousand elite cavalry, seized power, and then had General Yang Zheng help me defeat the enemy."

Bai Jian continued.

He had previously met with Yang Zheng, who had returned to provide assistance.

After a brief discussion, the two immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Yang Zheng's visit to the Gentleman's Sect.

They must have known Bai Jian's plans, so they stepped in to refine them.

Yang Zheng was ordered to lead cavalry to harass the enemy's supply lines, while simultaneously spreading news that the unrest in the imperial court had subsided.

This threw the Xiliang army into disarray, exposing their weaknesses.

To create an opportunity for Bai Jian to fight.

"That's why I said that the gentleman is truly wise. He knew this day would come from the moment he entered Hanzhong three years ago."

The more Bai Jian thought about it, the more awe he felt for Luo Zheng.

"A wise person has a broad vision, knows how to appoint the right people to the right positions, and is able to predict events with uncanny accuracy."

"We are all just pieces on a gentleman's chessboard!"

Encountering a wise and virtuous ruler like Junzi is a general's good fortune.

This is a great fortune for the Liang Kingdom and even the whole world.

……

"It is truly a blessing for our Liang Kingdom that the Prince of Hanyang has been chosen as the Crown Prince to inherit the throne of Liang..."

Inside the imperial court in Xianyang, the officials kept flattering Luo Zheng.

The news of Bai Jian's great victory over Pingliang Jun spread quickly.

Luo Zheng's prestige reached its peak.

Lord Pingliang was renowned for his military prowess and was the most capable warrior among the Liang royal family.

Such a formidable figure was actually defeated by an unknown general under Luo Zheng's command.

Naro Zheng is naturally the strongest.

With such great achievements, his ascension to the throne is almost a certainty.

Of course, we should curry favor with him now to prevent the future King Liang from making things difficult for us.

Luo Zheng's lips twitched slightly as he listened to the congratulations from the crowd.

It really was an unexpected stroke of luck.

I thought Bai Jian was just a coward.

Unexpectedly, the other party turned out to be a real grandson.

"Now that the war in the west is over, only the war in the east remains, right?"

Empress Dowager Xuan, who was ruling from behind the curtain, returned to the main topic in a bad mood.

Seeing that Luo Zheng had completely secured his position as crown prince.

It would be a miracle if she were in a good mood.

"General Xuanluo has led 100,000 elite troops to Hangu Pass to intercept the Wei-Zheng allied forces. It should be some time before battle reports come back."

The Marquis of Xiang followed the Empress Dowager Xuan's words.

In fact, just a few days later, battle reports came back from the east.

"The Wei-Zheng allied forces each harbored their own ambitions. When General Xuanluo arrived with his army, the allied forces hesitated to advance. So General Xuanluo ordered his men to beat gongs and drums, feigning a major attack. The allied forces, intimidated by the might of the elite troops, retreated without a fight."

"As expected of General Xuanluo, he scared away the Wei-Zheng allied forces and recovered Hangu Pass without losing a single soldier."

Marquis Xiang smiled and nodded, feeling a sense of relief.

Xuanluo had intimidated the allied forces.

At least it can put some pressure on Lord Hanyang.

Otherwise, this young man might be too impetuous.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than the Left Chancellor Zhao Wei spoke up leisurely.

"In that case, the crisis in Guanzhong has been resolved, and the ceremony that was previously postponed due to this matter should proceed as planned..."

Hot topics.

Because it was beset by both internal and external troubles.

King Chu of Liang has been buried, but the funeral ceremony has not yet been held.

"For the sake of stability in the court, I urge the Empress Dowager to hold a funeral for the late king as soon as possible and prepare for the enthronement ceremony for the new king."

Right Chancellor Fan Ze stepped forward first to ask Empress Dowager Xuan for instructions.

Zhao Wei was furious when he heard this.

Fan Ze had initially opposed making Prince Zheng the crown prince.

Now that they see the tide has turned against them, they're jumping out to claim credit and reap the benefits.

Outrageous!

Upon hearing this, the other officials also spoke up in agreement.

They were afraid of missing out on the credit for their support.

Empress Dowager Xuan was also greatly troubled by this situation and could only look to Marquis Xiang.

Marquis Xiang was also considering whether to delay further.

Just then.

A voice rang out.

"Wait a minute!"

Everyone looked over at the sound, wondering who would dare to stop them.

Only then did they realize that the person speaking was Luo Zheng.

"Although Lord Pingliang has been defeated, he still occupies Western Liang. How can we let a tiger return to the mountains?"

Luo Zheng took a step forward and looked around at everyone.

He was truly exasperated by this makeshift team.

Having finally defeated Pingliang Jun, we should press our advantage and eliminate him completely.

Luo Zheng suddenly bowed to Empress Dowager Xuan and spoke eloquently.

"Please, Your Majesty, postpone your enthronement ceremony and order Xuanluo to lead the army westward, advancing in two directions alongside Baijian, to completely quell the threat from Western Liang."

To enthrone?

nonexistent.

He wanted to use his great achievements in Pingliang to subdue the people.

Ascend to the throne and become king!