At daybreak the next day, the tenth day of the first lunar month, a light spring rain fell on both banks of the Great River.
Last night's battle had blazed with dazzling splendor and caused quite a stir, so naturally rumors circulated inside Songzi City across the river. In fact, precisely because the spectacle had been so brilliant, no one in the Western Pass Army, from top to bottom, had yet determined Wei Shengji's whereabouts. Even some experts who had witnessed the final scene and guessed their side had lost still assumed Marshal Wei was recuperating inside the city. They dared not imagine the final possibility.
And so, the Western Pass Army actually ate breakfast in good order.
On the other side, Bai Yousi had, of course, informed her senior officers, but the rank and file thought much as their counterparts did: perhaps there had been a victory or defeat, but they never dared imagine that victory and defeat were settled, life and death decided... Otherwise, why had there been no progress for nearly half a year?
Considering that the main Huaiyou Alliance fleet would not arrive until the afternoon, Bai Yousi simply ordered everything to proceed as usual throughout the camp, waiting to launch a joint advance with the reinforcements, and drew up a simple plan for after their arrival.
Throughout the morning, the two sides actually remained at peace, as though nothing had happened the night before.
Then, later that morning, an unexpected visitor disrupted every predetermined plan-Bai Liben arrived.
After receiving the White Emperor's orders that day to seek out Bai Yousi, this general of the Bai Clan had boldly chosen a southern route. He had entered the Han River corridor through western Nanyang, then still controlled by the Western Pass Army, avoided the Nanyang-Xiangyang cluster of