My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Early morning, at the rebel camp.

The bugle sounded, low and hoarse, like the mournful bellow of a dying old ox.

Yang Xuangan led his remaining troops to form a battle array outside the north city wall, with banners askew and the ranks uneven.

One hundred thousand people—no, less than fifty thousand. Another batch fled yesterday, another batch starved to death, and only slightly more than fifty thousand are still standing.

The soldiers were pale and emaciated, their hands trembling as they gripped their knives. Some could barely stand and had to lean on the people next to them to stay upright.

But Yang Xuangan paid no heed to any of that. Mounted on his horse, draped in his dust-covered crimson cloak, he pointed his sword at Luoyang and roared, "Attack the city!"

The war drums sounded, but only sporadically and weakly.

The rebels moved slowly toward the city walls like a pack of zombies. Some collapsed to the ground and never rose again. Others crawled halfway, threw down their knives, and slumped to the ground, refusing to take another step.

Standing atop the city wall, Li Ju looked at the crumbling fortress and gently shook his head.

"Release the arrows."

Bowstrings twanged in unison, and arrows rained down like a storm. The rebels at the front fell, riddled with arrows, while those behind turned and fled. The supervising officers chopped off more than a dozen heads, but they couldn't stop the retreating tide.

Just then, dust billowed at the end of the official road.

Yuwen Shu's army attacked from the flank, and the iron cavalry swept in like a torrent, the earth trembling under their hooves.

The rebel rear guard was instantly overwhelmed, and the soldiers scattered and fled, leaving their weapons lying on the ground.

Yang Xuangan turned around abruptly, his face deathly pale.

"Yuwen Shu... arrived so quickly..."

Li Mi rode up from the rear of the formation, his face ashen, and shouted sternly, "Duke of Chu! Go! Go west! Enter Guanzhong! If you don't leave now, you'll have no other chance!"

Yang Xuangan stared at him, his eyes bloodshot.

"Go? Where to go?"

"Tongguan! Yongfengcang! Guanzhong!" Li Mi practically roared.

Yang Xuangan gritted his teeth and abruptly turned his horse around.

"Retreat! Retreat westward!"

Thousands of elite troops followed him as he fled west. Yang Xuangan led the way, without even turning his head.

Behind them, the routed soldiers were slaughtered by Yuwen Shu's army like cutting melons and vegetables, their screams filling the air.

Li Mi did not follow.

He reined in his horse, watched Yang Xuangan's figure disappear into the dust, glanced at the rout of the army behind him, and slowly turned his horse around, heading southeast.

A trusted aide followed behind, whispering, "Lord Pushan, we—"

"Let's go." Li Mi's voice was calm as still water, offering no further explanation.

Li Zixiong did not escape.

It's not that I don't want to escape, it's that I can't escape.

He led the last few hundred men to cover the retreat, but was surrounded by Wei Feng's army on the banks of the Yongji Canal. There was no way forward, pursuers behind, and the raging river behind them.

Wei Feng stood on horseback at the front of the formation, his long sword resting on the saddle. He looked at Li Zixiong with a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth.

"General Li, how have you been?"

Li Zixiong gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"When my cousin refused the marriage proposal, you said something—'The Wei family doesn't know what's good for them.'" Wei Feng slowly drew his long sword. "Today, will you say it again?"

Li Zixiong's face turned ashen. He suddenly drew his sword and charged towards Wei Feng.

Wei Feng rode forward to meet him, the two horses crossed paths, and a flash of sword light appeared.

Li Zixiong's sword flew out, and he fell from his horse. He was pinned to the ground and bound hand and foot by Wei Feng's cavalry.

"Take him back to Luoyang." Wei Feng sheathed his sword. "Hand him over to the Attendant for judgment."

Dong Duyuan.

Yang Xuangan led several thousand elite troops westward, exhausted and weary, with the pursuers closing in. Yuwen Shu's iron cavalry, like a pack of hungry wolves, relentlessly pursued them.

Upon reaching Dongduyuan, Yuwen Shu's army finally caught up with them.

They charged straight ahead without forming ranks or giving any orders.

The iron cavalry swept into the rebel ranks like a knife through tofu. The rebels crumbled at the first touch, with dead and wounded strewn everywhere. Yang Xuangan was left with only a dozen or so men, covered in blood, their armor shattered, surrounded by them.

He gazed in the direction of Luoyang, his eyes filled with resentment.

Yuwen Shu's cavalry lined up a hundred paces away, archers with bows drawn and arrows nocked, waiting for the order to fire.

Yang Xuangan suddenly drew his sword and handed it to his younger brother, Yang Jishan.

"I am the Duke of Chu of the Great Sui Dynasty, how can I die at the hands of government troops! Kill me to preserve my honor!"

Yang Jishan took the sword, his hands trembling, tears streaming down his face.

"Brother——"

"Let's do it!"

Yang Jishan closed his eyes and swung his sword down.

The sword fell, and a head rolled to the ground. Yang Xuangan's body crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Yang Jishan held the sword to his neck and pulled hard, blood splattering everywhere. But he did not die; he was only seriously injured and fell to the ground, where he was captured alive by the government troops who rushed up.

Yuwen Shu rode forward, looked down at Yang Xuangan's head, and remained silent for a moment.

"Withdraw the troops. Send the heads to Luoyang."

The walls of Luoyang.

Li Ju stood before the battlements, gazing at the western sky. Dusk was falling, and the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon.

In the distance, a rider galloped in, raising a command flag and shouting, "Good news! A great victory at Dongduyuan! Yang Xuangan has been executed!"

The defenders on the city wall immediately cheered, brandishing their swords and spears, their shouts echoing through the sky.

Wei Feng stood beside Li Ju and whispered, "It's over."

Li Ju shook his head.

"Not yet." He looked westward. "Li Mi has fled."

Wei Feng was taken aback: "Li Mi?"

"He will come back." Li Ju turned and walked down the city wall, "but not now."

The next day, outside the city gates of Luoyang.

Yuwen Shu's army entered the city, their banners obscuring the sun, their armor gleaming. Fan Zigai and Prince Yang Tong of Yue personally went to the city gate to welcome them.

Yuwen Shu dismounted, strode up to Li Ju, grasped his hand, and laughed loudly, "Lord Li, if it weren't for you cutting off the enemy's supply lines and defending Luoyang to the death, Luoyang would have fallen long ago! Your contribution is comparable to that of the entire nation!"

Li Ju cupped his hands in greeting: "General Yuwen, you flatter me. I feel ashamed."

Yang Tong stood on the steps, unfurled the imperial edict, and read it aloud to the crowd. Though his voice was still somewhat immature, each word was deliberate, solemn, and powerful:

"Li Ju, the Riverbank Attendant, was unparalleled in loyalty and bravery. He cleverly thwarted a treasonous plot and defended Luoyang to the death, rendering meritorious service to the nation. He is promoted to Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Waterways, granted the title of Marquis of Wu'an County, and given a fief of five hundred households! The entire Wei family is also promoted one rank!"

Li Ju knelt on one knee and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness and grace!"

He rose, his gaze sweeping over Li Zixiong and Yang Jishan, who were being escorted below the city walls. Li Zixiong kept his head down, his face ashen, and dared not look at him. Yang Jishan's neck was wrapped in bandages, stained with blood, and his eyes were vacant.

Li Ju withdrew his gaze, his heart calm and undisturbed.

Yang Xuangan was dead, Li Mi had fled, and Luoyang was safe.

But his era has only just begun.

Southeast, a mountain path.

Li Mi, accompanied by a dozen or so trusted men, trekked through the dense forest on foot. They had no horses—they had long since scattered during their escape. They also had no provisions—they could only subsist on wild fruits and tree bark along the way.

His trusted aide followed behind him and whispered, "Lord Pushan, where are we going?"

"Wagang." Li Mi said without turning his head.

"Wagang? That's—"

"It's the territory of a bunch of bandits," Li Mi said calmly, "but even bandits can achieve great things."

He stopped and glanced back towards the northwest.

Dusk had fallen, and he could see nothing. But he knew that direction led to Luoyang. It led to Li Ju.

"Li Ju..." he murmured the name, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "The next time we meet, we'll be rivals."