Zhuiri and Moon Stepping were already waiting at the gate.
Zhuiri was Xiao Changyi’s warhorse that had accompanied him through the flas of battle. As soon as it saw Xiao Changyi donning his battle armor, a sight it knew all too well, it instantly understood what was about to happen. Its blood began to boil as it fervently raised its front legs and let out a piercing neigh to the sky.
The neigh rang loudly, surging into the heavens, proud and defiant beyond asure.
Moon Stepping, once a wild horse tad by An Jing, caught Zhuiri’s fiery display and raised its own front legs, neighing skyward with untad vigor, as if challenging Zhuiri to see who was the fiercest.
An Jing mounted Moon Stepping, while Xiao Changyi mounted Zhuiri. As they climbed onto their steeds, their eyes t briefly before they both spurred their horses and galloped toward the gates of the Imperial Capital.
Xiao Changyi’s battle robe was black, An Jing’s was red. As their horses raced at full speed, keeping pace with each other, the robes fluttered vividly in the wind. Their movents were strikingly synchronized, and they appeared as two War Gods, exuding a natural and awe-inspiring authority. The townsfolk lining the streets on either side could not help but bow their heads in solemn respect.
Today was the army’s day of departure. The citizens of the Imperial Capital had risen unusually early, stepping out of their hos to line the streets. All for this mont—to catch a glimpse of their Prince Yi as he embarked to avenge the Retired Emperor and reclaim the honor of Xiyun.
In this way, they were bidding farewell to Prince Yi and the armies.
By the ti An Jing and Xiao Changyi arrived at the southern gate of the Imperial Capital, it was precisely the fourth quarter of Chen hour. While Su Chengyu and the civil and military officials had not yet arrived, the fifteen-thousand-strong army positioned near the gate was already assembled.
Led by Ye Zhi, ten female soldiers had also gathered, their appearances equally spirited and commanding. Their pride and vitality made it impossible for anyone to dismiss them.
From atop the city walls, looking down revealed a sea of heads, dense and countless.
An Jing, who had never witnessed such a grand spectacle before, felt at once an overwhelming sense of majesty and sorrow.
In her heart, she silently recited: "Laugh not at , drunkenly falling in the battlefield; how many have returned from such wars, since ancient tis?"
Xiyun wished for peace, not war, but Chilin had pressured them into a corner where war was inevitable. This ti, no matter how many would return, this battle must be fought.
For fathers.
For country.
For the people.
For generations to co.
Whoever dares to humiliate Xiyun—no matter how far—shall be eradicated!
The generals of each camp saw Xiao Changyi’s arrival and quickly stepped forward to report the conditions of their respective camps.
The situation in each camp was normal, all personnel had arrived, and all supplies and equipnt were in place. Xiao Changyi said nothing further, simply nodding and directing the generals to return to their positions.
The imperial chariot arrived promptly at Si hour. As soon as it stopped, a eunuch loudly announced, "The Emperor has arrived!"
Every one of them—An Jing, Xiao Changyi, the Imperial Capital’s citizens, and the fifteen-thousand-strong army gathered at the gates—knelt to the ground and cried out in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live, long live!"
The reverberating cries shook the heavens and the earth.
The civil and military officials followed in procession behind the imperial chariot.
When the chariot ca to a halt, Su Chengyu was supported by two attendants as he alighted from the vehicle. The first thing he did upon stepping down was to raise Xiao Changyi and An Jing from their single-knee kneeling position at the forefront.
Then, Su Chengyu ascended to the city wall.
Xiao Changyi and An Jing followed closely behind him.
Standing atop the city wall, Su Chengyu gazed down at the fifteen-thousand-strong army kneeling below the gates, a dense mass of humanity stretching far and wide. His piercing gaze and stern deanor sent chills through the air as he opened his lips and roared, "Rise!"
The fifteen-thousand-strong army and the gathered individuals below dared to rise only after hearing his command.
Once the crowd had stood, Su Chengyu spoke with grave determination: "The debt of a murdered father cannot go unavenged—what kind of a son would that make ? A nation’s humiliation unredeed—what kind of a monarch would that make ? Chilin’s cruel intentions and relentless provocation at the border, culminating in the murder of the Retired Emperor—how can I, as a son and as a ruler of Xiyun, not seek vengeance for my father? How can I not strive to wash away this sha from our nation?"
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