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

Rumble...

Thunder rumbled, and summer rain pattered down.

Luo Zheng, in the central command tent, skillfully handled the miscellaneous affairs of the military camp.

Previously, he had only led a few hundred cavalrymen in raids; this was the first time he had commanded tens of thousands of soldiers.

But even though I've never eaten pork, I've seen pigs run.

After these days of practice, he quickly mastered the knack of commanding troops through diligent study and imitation.

With his prestige in the Song army, Lanling Jun won the hearts and minds of all the soldiers.

"When will this ever end...?"

Luo Zheng put down his pen and went outside the tent to watch the rain.

Through his talent of "Heaven and Man in Response," he could clearly sense that the fortunes of heaven and earth were exceptionally oppressive.

This has nothing to do with Luo Zheng's personal will; it is a manifestation of the will of heaven and earth itself.

It seemed to be being corrupted by evil spirits.

Unfortunately, Luo Zheng is currently being held back in Wei territory by Yan Yu.

Unable to quickly resolve the impasse.

Yan Yu truly lived up to his destiny as a renowned general who, relying on a corner of Liaodong, managed to hold back the overconfident and reckless Yang Zheng.

In this battle, she didn't confront Luo Zheng head-on, but instead used the terrain to her advantage and played guerrilla warfare.

Under these circumstances, Luo Zheng could only proceed slowly.

Song Wan, who was at the rear, kept urging them on, saying that the Song state was weak and could not fight a protracted war.

So Luo Zheng used a provocation tactic, sending Yan Yu a letter along with a blue skirt.

"General, you dare not fight; you are more cowardly than a woman. You would be better off returning home to be a wife and mother."

The next day, Yan Yu put on a skirt and deliberately appeared in front of Luo Zheng, surrounded by female guards.

She even spun around a few times to express her gratitude for Luo Zheng's gift.

She then returned the skirt and wrote back.

"I am a woman, but I have been deeply favored by Lord Lanling. I have heard that you are not a woman, but rather surpass women in virtue. If you were to wear this dress, I would feel ashamed and retreat with my face covered."

"..."

Thank you for the generous gift.

Luo Zheng noted this down in his notebook and continued his standoff with the other side.

Looking back now, I still can't help but complain.

"What a persistent woman."

……

"What an exceptionally intelligent man."

At the same moment, under the same sky, Yan Yu also looked at the rain and sighed.

She both admired and revered Lanling Jun.

Initially, the enemy relied solely on their personal charisma to lead the elite Song army into battle as a brave and valiant vanguard.

Later, she slowed them down by breaking them down into smaller units, and they quickly learned to manage tens of thousands of troops, advancing steadily and surely.

Such a rapid growth rate.

Unbelievable.

"In all warfare, one engages with the orthodox and wins with the unorthodox. Lord Lanling has grasped the art of combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics so quickly; even I can only admit defeat."

Yan Yu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

She considered herself to be born into a military family and had studied under Yue Yi, making her the first young general in the Yan Kingdom despite being a woman.

However, compared to the Lord Lanling before him, he paled in comparison.

Recalling the heroic figure of Lord Lanling on the battlefield.

Although the other party was wearing a ghost mask, Yan Yu could still tell that he was quite young.

He might be a few years younger than her.

In particular, the wording of the other party's letter was not stale or outdated.

It's hard to believe that such a talented man would willingly become the male favorite of the Queen of Song.

"I wonder if Lord Lanling will actually dress as a woman after receiving the reply."

While I was pondering this, a messenger came to report in the rain.

Yan Yu took the document and looked at it.

His expression changed slightly.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"It seems there will be no chance to see Lord Lanling's true face..."

Without much hesitation, she immediately created a diversion and directed her troops to quietly retreat.

The unusual movements of the Yan army naturally did not escape Luo Zheng's notice.

However, Luo Zheng was cautious by nature, and upon discovering that Yan Yu had withdrawn his troops, he immediately suspected that the other party was setting a trap for him.

Not long after, he also received the message.

"Is the Battle of Shangdang over?"

Surprised, Luo Zheng began to examine the detailed battle report.

As expected, the Liang Kingdom achieved final victory according to the original historical record.

To Luo Zheng's horror, history remained completely unchanged.

Xuanluo still managed to annihilate 450,000 Tang troops.

His power and prestige shook the world.

Click!

Amidst the dark clouds.

A blinding bolt of lightning ripped through the void.

It was as if the entire sky had been torn apart.

Luo Zheng looked up.

The fortunes of heaven and earth were in turmoil and in constant flux.

An invisible, malevolent aura is rapidly growing and devouring everything around it.

The balance of the universe is gradually collapsing.

……

Shangdang, Yanping.

Torrential rains caused the Dan River to swell rapidly, and the turbulent river flooded the low-lying areas on both banks.

However, they could not bury the hundreds of thousands of corpses of the Tang and Liang armies that blocked the valley.

On Mount Xilei, Xuanlu looked down at the devastation in the valley.

At this moment, he was severely injured and shrouded in countless murderous and demonic energies. After the battle, his hair turned white.

His entire being was weak and listless, looking like a person on the verge of death.

"The king commands me to reduce the killing, but for the sake of the world, I have no choice but to comply..."

Xuanluo looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

In the early stages of the war, he launched a sudden and fierce attack, forcing the Tang army led by Lian Jing to retreat to the Danshui defense line.

The two sides faced off for a long time, during which both sides continuously reinforced their troops. The Tang state even committed almost all of its able-bodied men and changed generals on the eve of battle.

However, it was Yang Zheng who led the Longyou cavalry to attack Jinyang, forcing the Tang state to recall the experienced and prudent Lord Xin'an, Lian Jing.

They replaced him with the spirited Ma Fujun and Tang Tong.

Xuan Luo did not underestimate his opponent.

Because at the beginning of the war, the king widely announced that Tang Tong had the potential to be a great general and was more dangerous than the likes of Lian Jing.

If the Tang state uses it, then the Liang state will be in danger.

As expected, after some probing, Xuan Luo discovered that Tang Tong was indeed no ordinary person.

The other person inherited his father's courage, but lacked the arrogance of a young person. It was as if he had experienced countless setbacks and failures, and his character had been tempered to a very mature state.

During the middle of the war, Xuanlu defeated him multiple times or lured him into battle.

The other party continued to struggle tenaciously, responding calmly.

Unfortunately, I still lack experience.

Xuanluo used his reputation as bait to make them focus on the battlefield at hand and ignore the dangers in the distance.

Later in the war, Yang Zheng, who had feigned an attack on Jinyang, turned around and launched a surprise attack on the northern passes.

Bai Jian of Hanoi also took the opportunity to lead Hanoi's troops northward.

Complete the strategic encirclement of the Tang army.

If this is all the Tang army has to do, with nowhere else to escape, surrendering is only a matter of time.

Xuanlu obeyed orders and refrained from killing, sending people to persuade the Tang army to surrender.

That very night, the Tang army mutinied.

Ma Fujun Tang Tong, dragging his dying body, rode alone to the Liang army camp, pleading with the Liang army to exterminate the evil spirits and avert disaster.

But what's done is done, and it's too late.

A sorcerer spread false rumors, causing 400,000 desperate Tang soldiers to commit suicide.

Transformed into a resentful corpse puppet, it frantically attacked Liang's army camp, intending to spread calamity throughout the world.

Xuanluo knew he couldn't let the corpse puppets break out of the valley.

He resolutely commanded his army to slaughter the corpse puppets.

As for the cost.

Liang's army suffered heavy casualties.

Xuanluo himself bore the brunt of the curses.

"I have no regrets about this."

Xuan Luo's eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulged, and he suddenly vomited black blood.

"My only regret is that I fear I will not live to see the day when Your Majesty sweeps across the nine kingdoms and unifies the world..."

……

When Luo Zheng disbanded the Song army, he returned to Hanoi alone.

What I heard was the news that Xuanluo was critically ill.

This plunged him into a long silence.

Xuanluo has been sent back to Guanzhong, and the Liang army in Shangdang has been temporarily taken over by Bai Jian.

Feng Lu, Yang Zheng, and Bai Jian are currently reporting the situation to Luo Zheng.

Despite losing the renowned general Xuan Luo, the Liang army suffered nearly half its casualties.

But Liang ultimately won.

Even if it's a Pyrrhic victory.

"Your Majesty ordered me to lead the Longyou army to launch a surprise attack on Jinyang. At first, I was foolish and failed to understand Your Majesty's profound meaning. It was not until the Tang Kingdom changed generals at the last minute that I realized Your Majesty had ordered me to use a feint attack on the east while attacking the west."

The youngest, Yang Zheng, bowed to Luo Zheng with utmost respect.

"Just then, General Teng Mian arrived to provide reinforcements, so I asked General Teng Mian to launch a feigned attack on my behalf, while I led the Longyou cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the northern passes of Shangdang."

"Your Majesty's far-sighted plans are beyond our reach."

Bai Jian followed closely behind, sighing with emotion.

"I was focused on military affairs in Hanoi, but Your Majesty had already set your sights on the world. It was only thanks to the Song army's westward advance on Wei that the Wei-Zheng allied forces hesitated to advance, which gave me the opportunity to lead the Hanoi army northward to encircle the Tang army."

"Your Majesty's strategic planning and decisive victories are truly remarkable!"

Feng Lu was so excited that he bowed deeply to Luo Zheng.

"First, you lured the Tang state to change its general by spreading rumors, and then you used your prestige to persuade the Song state to send troops. You conquered the Northern Tang, repelled the Southern Chu, resisted Wei and Zheng, made peace with Qi and Song, pushed back Chen and Wu, and intimidated the Northern Yan. The alliance of the nine states collapsed in an instant, all thanks to Your Majesty!"

"..."

It's been a while since I last saw him, and this treacherous minister's skills have improved considerably!

Luo Zheng listened to the three men's mindless flattery.

I felt a little embarrassed.

This wave has gone from an easy win to a complete victory.

Before I knew it, I was being mistaken for Zhang Liang.

Only Luo Zheng has a thick skin.

Otherwise, it would be truly embarrassing to have accidentally cut out the "Map of the Land and its People".

"Alright, Xuanluo has returned to Guanzhong due to illness, but the war is not over yet."

Luo Zheng waved his hand, his face solemn.

"Teng Mian is still leading his troops to besiege Jinyang. I intend to press on and send reinforcements to Jinyang, striving to take it in one battle!"

The appearance of the Yin-Yang School made Luo Zheng sense an unusual aura.

Currently, the balance of Yin and Yang in the universe is disrupted, and evil spirits and demons are rampant.

Logically speaking, a truce and an end to the fighting should have been the solution.

But that's a useless way of thinking.

The way to become a hegemon is to end the chaos as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the more this sense of imbalance will intensify under the machinations of those with ulterior motives.

However, no sooner had Luo Zheng finished speaking than a messenger brought an urgent report.

"Your Majesty, the situation at Jinyang is critical!"

The messenger urgently reports.

"General Teng Mian led his army to besiege Jinyang, where they encountered a fierce counterattack from Li Qi, the Prince of Wujing of Tang."

"In addition, Lord Xinling of Wei, Wei Wuji, led the Wei army to take a detour and launch a surprise attack."

"Attacked from both sides."

"Our army... suffered a crushing defeat!"

"..."

The room was completely silent.

Luo Zheng suddenly felt a toothache.

Before they knew it, Wei Wuji had managed to steal the tally and rescue Zhao.

[Goal achieved!]

[You launched the Shangdang War with brazen courage. Facing a united front of multiple nations, you personally intervened, disrupted the alliance, and ultimately achieved victory, seemingly inadvertently uncovering a truth about the world.]

[The evaluation of "Sweeping across nine kingdoms and establishing dominance over the world" has been greatly improved.]

[The rating for "Collecting Beauties and Treasures from Ten Kingdoms" has been improved.]

The nine kingdoms are exhausted and unable to withstand the Liang Kingdom's offensive; it is time to establish dominance over the world.

As you conquer the nine kingdoms, your personality and talents will undergo a transformation...