At the city gate, the mountain of corpses silently told the story of what had happened.Streams of blood flowed together, and the thick smell of blood mixed with the stench of death filled every corner of Cangzhou City.Even after the barbarian troops retreated, the defenders dared not relax. No one could be sure if the retreat was real or just another trap.The city gate had been blasted open by barbarian explosives, and the damage was severe.Zhan Xingchang immediately organized slaves to begin repairs. Meanwhile, other soldiers stacked the corpses of barbarian soldiers to block the gap in the gate.“This one’s still alive!”A voice would occasionally shout, followed by the final scream of a dying enemy.After ten days and nights of brutal fighting, the Qingzhou Army had become calm and composed. When they saw barbarian soldiers, there was no fear—only the steady swing of their blades.No prisoners.That was Xiao Ming’s order.The barbarians had long used terror tactics—slaughtering

a way to support the translator. In addition to reading on Gravity Tales, you can also support me by subscribing at /caleredhair. Currently, the translated chapters are already 195 chapters ahead.Zhu Sansi and his companions were dragging the bodies of dead warhorses out from the pile at the city gate.Aside from the 20,000 elite Qingzhou soldiers, over 30,000 auxiliary troops had supported the defense of Cangzhou. To Zhu and others, those soldiers had fought just as hard—and deserved to enjoy the victory too.But there were too many people and not enough meat. Even after searching all of Cangzhou, the chickens, ducks, cattle, and geese brought in by Niu Ben were far from enough.So, they began digging through the corpses, looking for usable horse meat.Someone had heard that Captain Lu said horse meat tasted really good.Since sunrise, when they received news that the barbarians had retreated, Cangzhou had been filled with an electric sense of celebration.Zhu Sansi felt the same ex

“They’re here! They’re here!”A young woman’s voice rang out from the main road leading into Qingzhou City.Everyone turned northward. The Qingzhou Army was marching back in neat formation.Among the crowd waiting were men, women, elders, and children. Even many young women had come. While noblewomen of the Great Yu Empire rarely appeared in public, common folk didn’t follow such strict rules—especially on a day of celebration like this.As the soldiers saw how many citizens had come out to greet them, they immediately straightened up, walking with pride and purpose.But beneath their serious expressions, their eyes flicked toward the young women in the crowd. Some girls accidentally met a soldier’s gaze—then quickly blushed and looked away.As the Qingzhou Army entered, the citizens rushed forward, handing out buns, fruit, and food from their baskets, stuffing them into the soldiers’ hands.In the center of the formation, Xiao Ming rode on horseback, surrounded and guarded by soldier

Late August, under the blazing sun, Chang’an felt hotter than ever.But the news of the Great Victory at Cangzhou made the heat even more intense. In every alley and courtyard, from markets to manors, everyone was talking about it. The common people were ecstatic. The hawkish ministers—the ones who always advocated for war—were overjoyed, rushing to the palace to offer their congratulations to Emperor Xiao Wenxuan. Their long-held stance had finally been proven right.Of course, while some celebrated, others were miserable. The peace-favoring officials, upon hearing the news, looked as if they were attending a funeral. Still, a victory was a victory for Great Yu, and even they had no choice but to enter the palace and offer their congratulations to the Emperor.“Congratulations, Your Majesty! The victory at Cangzhou is a tremendous achievement. Prince Qi has humbled the barbarians. Their envoys’ ridiculous demands can now be completely ignored,” General Luo Quan declared loudly in the

“Hehe, I’m not making this up—it’s what the master said!” Xiao Huan dodged Fei Yue’er’s pinching fingers.“You wretched girl! Stop it!”Fei Yue’er’s face turned even redder, burning with embarrassment. Matters between men and women had always been too shameful for her to discuss.Xiao Huan teased, “Miss, I’m not joking. You and Prince Qi are the same age—you should have been married long ago. It’s only because the master pampers you and worries about your health that he hasn’t arranged anything. But now that the Emperor himself is proposing the match, how can the master refuse? Besides, all of Chang’an is praising Prince Qi’s achievements. Dreamy young girls call him a hero, and since he’s still unmarried, many ministers’ wives are rushing to visit Consort Zhen, hoping to marry their daughters to him!”News of Cangzhou’s victory had spread widely in Chang’an, and Fei Yue’er was well aware of it.Then she remembered the poem Prince Qi had once written. Now, with Cangzhou’s triumph and