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

Lingqiu was the main base of the Turks.

The large tent was brightly lit, and the aroma of roasted meat mixed with the pungent sourness of mare's milk wine made people dizzy.

Ashina Chiji leaned against the tiger-skin shop, with cups and plates scattered on the low table in front of him.

Wei Dao'er entered from outside the tent, followed by several Han Chinese women.

"Special Agent! While on patrol today, I found a few beauties in a village to the south, and I've come to offer them to you as a drink."

"Alright! Let them perform a Central Plains dance! If they dance well, there will be a reward!"

Wei Dao'er glared at the women: "What are you standing there for? Jump! If you jump well, the special operations team will be rewarded; if you don't—"

He made a gesture around his neck.

The women, their hands trembling, removed their outer garments and, to the rhythm of the drums and music inside the tent, began to dance timidly.

The Turkic leaders inside the tent laughed heartily. Some slammed their fists on the table and started making a ruckus, throwing bones at them. The women dared not dodge, but tears welled up in their eyes.

Chiji took a big gulp of mare's milk wine, and as the alcohol took effect, his gaze swept over everyone in the tent.

"The Khan personally led 40,000 iron cavalry into Hebei, sweeping all before them. Even if Li Ju has some ability, he is trapped in Junziguan this time and will be defeated sooner or later."

"The Central Plains are now ruled by the Turks! Whoever the Turks choose as king will be able to establish their own territory."

"Teqin is absolutely right! The Turkic cavalry is invincible; this battle will surely secure the Central Plains!"

"Dao'er wholeheartedly follows the Khan and Tegin, hoping that one day he will achieve great things and that Tegin will speak well of him before the Khan, granting him warhorses, armor, and weapons, and dividing up more prefectures and counties. Dao'er is willing to be the eternal bulwark of the Turks!"

Chiji, thoroughly pleased by his flattery, slapped the table and said, "Don't worry! Once we capture Li Ju, I'll plead for your reward before the Khan—horses, weapons, territory, you'll be rewarded!"

"Thank you, Special Operations Team! Thank you, Special Operations Team!"

Chiji took another swig of wine, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, what's Li Jing up to at Feihu Pass?"

Wei Dao'er scoffed, her face full of disdain.

"Li Jing? Seeing that Junziguan is in dire straits and he can't even take care of himself, the best thing he should do is to retreat south to provide reinforcements—if he goes too late, he'll lose his home! How could he possibly have the guts to leave the pass and come looking for trouble with us?"

Upon hearing this, all the Turkic leaders inside the tent burst into laughter.

"That's right! He wouldn't dare come!"

"By the time he rushed to Hebei, the Khan had already razed Junziguan to the ground!"

"If Li Jing really dares to come, I'll give my head to him as a chamber pot!"

Another burst of laughter followed.

Chiji laughed too, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"Good! Let's have a good time tonight! Tomorrow we'll send someone to Hebei to scout out how many more days that brat Li Ju can hold out—"

The drums and music started again, and inside the tent, wine cups were clinked and songs and dances continued.

-

The adjacent rear tent was so quiet it felt like another world.

Princess Yicheng sat on a felt rug with several intelligence reports spread out in front of her.

There was only one oil lamp lit in the tent, and the dim light cast an uncertain glow on her face.

A personal maid entered from outside the tent.

"Khwarazm, there's been another disturbance up ahead. I heard... I heard Wei Dao'er offered up several Han women and forced them to dance..."

Princess Yicheng pressed her hand on the scout report.

What did the scout report say? The Turkic army was foraging for food in Hebei, looting and slaughtering, leaving nine out of ten villages empty and the people displaced and dying tragically.

"understood."

"Khatun, aren't you going to do anything about it? You are a princess of the Sui Dynasty, what about those Han people..."

"Control?" Princess Yicheng gave a bitter smile. "What can I use to control him? Chiji is the Khan's own brother, and his troops have always been plundering and killing at will."

"I am but a princess of the Sui Dynasty who has been married off to this place. What am I in the eyes of the Turkic tribes? To put it bluntly, the Khan cherishes a fine horse more than he treats me."

The maid lowered her head and said nothing more.

"How could I not know the suffering of the people? But if the Yang family's empire were to collapse, the disaster would be even greater."

"Without a legitimate dynasty, all sorts of powerful figures will fight each other, and the Turkic cavalry will march south every year. That would be utterly hopeless."

"I only hope that the war in Hebei will be resolved quickly, so as to preserve the Sui Dynasty. After the country is at peace, taxes can be reduced to gradually heal the wounds in Hebei..."

-

The northeastern highlands of Daying were shrouded in darkness.

Su Dingfang lay prone in the withered grass at the top of the slope, with three hundred riders lying on the ground behind him. Their horses' hooves were wrapped in hemp cloth, and each rider had gags in their mouths and their swords drawn.

The sentries and spies that Wei Dao'er had set up along the way had all been silently eliminated by them.

Su Dingfang peeked down the slope and saw that the area was brightly lit, with tents stretching out in rows, and only a few sentries patrolling. Most of the tents were filled with people drinking and singing, and even the sentries on the outer perimeter had gathered around the fire to warm themselves.

He waved behind him, and the messenger crouched down and slipped over.

"Reporting to General Li—the camp is unprepared; we can attack."

The messenger turned and ran back down the slope.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound of hooves rolling like muffled thunder came from behind the slope, and Li Jing arrived with his main force of three thousand iron cavalry.

Li Jing rode forward, glanced down, and slightly curled the corner of his mouth.

"Dingfang, you lead three hundred vanguards to charge first. Remember—don't aim to wipe them out, set fires, shout, and make the scene as chaotic as possible. Once the fires are lit, I will lead the main force to press in across the entire front."

"Yes, sir!"

Su Dingfang mounted his horse, and three hundred cavalrymen swooped down from the high ground like a silent flood, pouring straight into the Turkic camp.

The Turkic soldiers patrolling the camp gate only realized something was amiss when the dark figure drew near.

Just as he was about to blow the alarm whistle, he was cut down by a cavalryman who rushed past.

Three hundred cavalrymen charged straight into the Turkic camp, then dispersed to both sides, setting fire to every tent they encountered and brandishing their swords at any enemy they met.

Torches and oil sacks were thrown at the felt tents and haystacks, and within moments, seven or eight fire dragons rose up in various parts of the camp.

"The Sui army is raiding the camp! The Sui army is raiding the camp—"

The sounds of horns, screams, and neighing horses erupted into a deafening roar.

The felt tents crackled and popped as they burned, and the Turkic soldiers who ran out of them were cut down before they could even touch their swords.

Su Dingfang's three hundred cavalrymen weaved back and forth through the sea of ​​fire, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth; no one knew how many men had come.

Li Jing, who was behind, saw the fire breaking out in the Turkic camp and shouted urgently.

"Su Dingfang and his men have succeeded! Horizontal Attack Battalion, attack!"

Three thousand iron cavalrymen rushed towards the Turkic camp like thunder.

On the main tent, Chiji was embracing the Han woman and pouring her wine when suddenly a great battle cry erupted outside the tent, and the firelight illuminated the tent curtains red.

His hand trembled, and the wine bag fell to the ground with a thud.

The guards scrambled in, shouting, "Special Operations! The Sui army has raided the camp! The entire camp is on fire—"

Chiji shoved the woman in his arms away, his knees buckling as he stood up, staggering a couple of steps: "How many people?"

"I can't see clearly! They're everywhere! Covering the mountains and fields—"

Chiji, his drunkenness completely gone, grabbed a knife and rushed out.

As soon as I stepped out of the tent, a wave of heat hit me. Many of the surrounding felt tents had already collapsed from the heat, with flames leaping two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high.

Everywhere, figures were darting about in the fire, making it impossible to distinguish between Sui soldiers and their own men.

Wei Dao'er also ran out of the tent, not even properly dressed, and stumbled after him.

"Special Agents! Special Agents, take me with you—"

Chiji ignored him completely, mounted his horse surrounded by his guards, and rode westward.

Wei Dao'er grabbed the horse's tail, was dragged a couple of steps, then let go and fell to the ground. She got up and continued chasing, shouting as she went.

"Special Operations! I didn't get on the horse! I didn't get on the horse!"

The commanders of a thousand cavalry and tribal leaders in the main tent were not so lucky.

Having drunk too much, his limbs were weak, and before he could even get up and escape, Su Dingfang's vanguard cavalry had already rushed into the tent.

As the blade flashed and fell, the cries of agony were instantly swallowed up by the sea of ​​fire.

Chiji ran westward at breakneck speed, with defeated soldiers constantly joining him along the way. As he ran, a hundred or so people gathered behind him.

Suddenly, one of the guards reined in his horse and turned back, shouting urgently, "Special Agent! The Khatun is still in the camp! Should we turn back to rescue him?"

Chiji suddenly pulled on the reins, and the horse spun around.

Looking back into the camp, I could vaguely see that the rear tents were also on fire, amidst the flames, with cries and the neighing of horses mingling together.

He gritted his teeth and puffed out his cheeks a few times.

"Never mind that!" He jerked the horse's rump. "Go! Head west! We'll talk about it once we're out of the camp!"

Wei Dao'er finally caught up with the group, panting like a bellows: "Special Operations! Me, me too! Don't leave me behind!"

Chiji ignored him and kept running west.

Just then, one of his cavalrymen rode by on horseback, and Wei Dao'er stepped forward to stop him.

The cavalryman hurriedly reined in his horse, and upon recognizing Wei Dao'er, he was about to bow when Wei Dao'er pulled him off his horse.

"Go to hell! You dare ride my horse?"

He kicked the cavalryman aside and mounted his horse.

"Special Agent! Wait for me, wait for me!"

He finally caught up with Chiji when suddenly the sound of horses' hooves arose ahead.

A troop of cavalry, carrying torches, suddenly appeared from the side, forming a cavalry formation and completely blocking their path.

The leading general, clad in black helmet and armor, stood with his spear at the ready; it was none other than Zhen Zhai'er.

Chiji suddenly reined in his horse, his pupils shrinking.

Wei Dao'er peeked out from his horse and froze.

"Zhen...Zhen Zhai'er? What are you doing here?"

"Your Majesty, how have you been?"