Before reinforcements arrived, they had been soundly beaten. Even after reinforcements came, they were still forced to hunker down within the city, enduring the enemy's daily barrage of insults and taunts. That simmering humiliation had built up day by day, and now, at last, it erupted like a dam breaking.
The Ningzhou army grew fiercer with each passing moment. Their eyes were bloodshot, and every man among them was fighting like a demon unleashed.
At first, Dao Tuo still attempted to salvage the battle, trying to rally his troops and stem the tide.
But the morale of the Pugan soldiers had already collapsed. Fear of the unknown lingered heavily in their hearts like an oppressive fog.
No matter how Dao Tuo commanded, the once-formidable Pugan army now crumbled like a collapsing mountain.
Realizing that defeat was inevitable, Dao Tuo, though filled with unwillingness, could do nothing but retreat with the tattered remnants of his forces.
Yet the Ningzhou troops, now emboldened and wild with victory, were not about to let them go.
They pursued ruthlessly, cutting down retreating soldiers for more than ten li. From the original sixty thousand remaining troops, only fifty thousand were left alive by the time the chase slowed.
Dao Tuo's eyes were bloodshot with fury, but he could not lead these fifty thousand—men whose courage had already shattered—into one final, futile stand.
The gates of the city loomed close. Dao Tuo finally allowed himself a breath of relief—
Boom!
"General!"
Before their very eyes, their general was swallowed by a massive plume of black smoke—his third and final death, as it were. Some of the Pugan troops, a step behind, narrowly escaped the blast but saw everything unfold. Their despairing cries tore through the battlefield.
In contrast, the Ningzhou soldiers erupted with joyous cheers behind them.
"The Pugan commander is dead! Surrender now, while you still can!"
...
Tian Sheng had developed a new type of terrifying firearm, capable of instantly killing over three thousand men.
With Pugan's border city fallen, their commander Dao Tuo dead, and tens of thousands of troops surrendering, the news was swiftly dispatched to the royal capital of Pugan.
At that moment, the King of Pugan was still immersed in previous battle reports, dreaming grandly of a glorious Pugan victory over Ningzhou.
When the devastating news from the frontlines arrived, he flew into a rage.
"Utter nonsense! How could such a fearsome weapon exist in this world?
If Tian Sheng truly possessed such power, they would have conquered the realm already. Why would they have spent so long hiding behind their city walls like cowards?"
"Please calm yourself, Your Majesty."
Unlike the enraged and incredulous king, unwilling to accept reality, the Guoshi at his side remained composed.
"If we think back carefully—before Tian Sheng's reinforcements even arrived, the Ningzhou forces had already managed to hold their line against our offensive. Logically speaking, once their reinforcements came, it would have been time for them to counterattack.
But instead, they chose to remain on the defensive. In this humble Daoist's view, they were likely biding time, waiting for the weapon to be completed."
He gently stroked his beard and sighed.
"This humble Daoist has long heard tales of Tian Sheng's Crown Princess, said to be a gift from the heavens themselves, a peerless genius.
If it was her who created this weapon, then it is not so surprising after all."
"Then the heavens are unjust!"
The King of Pugan could no longer contain himself.
"Tian Sheng is already strong enough—why did Heaven have to bless them with such a remarkable Crown Princess as well?
Why is it that We could not sire a child like her?"
The Guoshi remained silent for a long moment. Then, in a voice tinged with melancholy, the elderly sage replied,
"In the vast workings of fate, all is preordained. Perhaps, this is what is meant by destiny."
"Destiny?"
The King of Pugan sank into his chair, utterly defeated.
"Then in the eyes of the Guoshi, do We have no choice but to surrender?
How absurd. Only days ago We were still mocking Annan, and now Pugan is about to follow the same path?"
"If Your Majesty is unwilling to submit to Tian Sheng, then perhaps..."
The Guoshi hesitated briefly before continuing.
"There may yet be another path."
"What path?"
The King of Pugan perked up slightly. At the mention of an alternative, he looked up, hope flickering in his gaze.
"So long as We can preserve Our ancestors' legacy, and avoid becoming a king who loses his nation, then no matter how difficult the road ahead, We are willing to attempt it!"
"Whether or not it succeeds is another matter. But the path itself... is not so difficult."
The Guoshi paused awkwardly. Perhaps he, too, felt that what he was about to propose did not befit a man of his station.
Then he said,
"It is said that the Crown Princess of Tian Sheng has already turned seventeen this year, and yet remains unmarried.
If the Crown Prince were to go... perhaps..."
He did not finish the sentence, but the implication was more than clear.
The hopeful expression on the King of Pugan's face immediately froze.
That was the Crown Princess of Tian Sheng they were talking about.
Anyone with half a mind could see that Tian Sheng would never allow their Crown Princess to marry into Pugan.
Which meant only one possibility—the Crown Prince would have to marry into Tian Sheng.
But among all his children, the Crown Prince was the most outstanding, the one he had painstakingly groomed to inherit the throne.
If he gave the Crown Prince away, who would succeed the royal line?
Moreover... having been raised as the future King of Pugan, the Crown Prince had always carried himself with pride and dignity. Could he truly endure the humiliation of marrying into another royal family?
The King of Pugan hesitated.
"Aside from the Crown Prince, We have several other sons..."
"Your Majesty."
The Guoshi, ever forthright, asked a question that struck straight to the heart.
"Do you truly believe any of the others are worthy of Tian Sheng's Crown Princess?"
The King of Pugan fell silent.
There was no use pretending.
Even in all honesty, he felt the Crown Prince might not be worthy either, not of that legendary Crown Princess.
Still, sending the Crown Prince would show the most sincerity.
In terms of appearance alone, the Crown Prince was the most handsome, having taken after his mother.
There was no time to waste.
After pacing back and forth across the hall more than a dozen times, the King of Pugan finally sighed and gave the order to summon the Crown Prince.
Thus, on the third day after Pugan's border city fell, while studying a world map inside her command tent, Yun Shu was interrupted by a guard's report.
"The Crown Prince of Pugan has arrived, bearing a peace treaty personally written by the King of Pugan."
"A peace treaty?"
Yun Shu raised a brow.
At this stage, what gave the King of Pugan the gall to think he could still negotiate peace?
She rolled up the map and looked up, an amused glint in her eye.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The guard bowed and withdrew.
Moments later, the tent's entrance was lifted once more.
Yun Shu looked up—and was immediately blinded by a dazzling flash of gold.
She instinctively turned her eyes away, only to hear that golden mass speak in a slow, deliberate voice.
"This humble Crown Prince of Pugan, Ye Nai, greets Your Highness, the Crown Princess."
Crown Prince of Pugan?
Yun Shu blinked and looked again.
Sure enough, the creature in front of her, dressed like a walking golden ingot, was in fact a youth who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen.
Every piece of jewelry he wore—from hairpins to clasps—was crafted of pure gold. There was no mistaking it: he was rich.
And rich was good.
She liked the rich.
Yun Shu nodded slightly, then spoke with a solemn tone.
"I have heard you come bearing your royal father's letter of surrender?"
"Indeed."
The walking gold ingot—no, Ye Nai—stepped forward and respectfully presented the treaty he carried.
===
The term "National Teacher" (often translated from 国师, Guóshī) historically refers to a highly respected religious or philosophical figure who serves as an advisor to the emperor or the imperial court.
In ancient China and other East Asian monarchies, a National Teacher was often: A monk, Daoist master, or Confucian scholar of great prestige; Given official rank and privileges; Tasked with advising the emperor on spiritual matters, national rituals, omens, astrology, or moral governance; Sometimes believed to possess divine insight or supernatural wisdom.