Beneath blue skies and white clouds, the summer wind grew hotter. Herds of cattle and sheep grazed in the distance, and the Zhuanglang River flowed slowly through the sunlight like a ribbon of jade.
In the Great Chen Empire's Northwest Camp, round tents resembling yurts stretched on without end. Banners fluttered, and the soldiers on guard stood straight as spears, their bearing imposing.
Inside the camp, Fang Yizhi, who had escaped through the secret passage, lay asleep on his cot, his grievous wounds still unhealed. Suddenly, hoofbeats pattered outside like a sudden downpour. Before long, waves of cheering rose.
Startled awake by the noise, Fang Yizhi struggled to sit up. The soldier assigned to attend to his daily needs came in and delivered news that filled him with excitement: "His Majesty has personally led a hundred thousand elite troops out of Luoyang to campaign against Western Liang. The army has now reached Lanzhou."
What delighted Fang Yizhi even more was that He An had returned.
At this news, he could no longer sit still. He struggled off his cot and walked outside with the soldier supporting him.
Voices seethed outside the tent. Fang Yizhi searched the crowd until he finally spotted Gu Qingzhou with tears shimmering in his eyes, and Fan Dazhi, who was hugging He An and sobbing aloud.
Travel-worn and haggard, He An ran toward Fang Yizhi, his eyes brimming with affection and joy.
Clasping He An's warm hand, even Fang Yizhi, whose heart had long since hardened into iron and stone, could not keep the tears from welling in his eyes.
On the walls of Yongdeng City, the Western Liang commander Tu Wugu gazed out beyond the city, deathly pale and silent. The soldiers defending the walls were all stunned, too frightened to speak.
On the