Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

At this moment, the voices of the surrender faction once again drowned out those who advocated fighting to the death.

They believed it wasn’t too late to surrender.

If they waited any longer, until the Northern Wilderness Army reached the Imperial City, all bets would be off.

The Sovereign of Wei felt the same.

Previously, the Sovereign of Wei had only surrendered after being pushed back to his Imperial City, yet he was still allowed to live out his days as a wealthy man. A major reason for this was that the Wei Kingdom was a small country, so the Qin army faced little pressure and conquered it with ease.

By accepting the Wei Kingdom’s surrender, the Sovereign of Qin could also make a statement.

The problem was, the Wei Kingdom and the Qin Kingdom were now locked in a fight to the death, with immense casualties. ’If I surrender now, there might still be a chance for negotiation,’ he thought. ’But if I wait any longer, even if I want to surrender, and even if Xiao Shi agrees, the soldiers of Qin never will.’

And yet...

The Sovereign of Wei gazed at his throne, a pang of reluctance in his heart...

’Even if I can live as a wealthy man, how can that compare to the comfort of being an Emperor?’

And as the Sovereign of Wei hesitated, a ceaseless stream of battle reports from the front lines, all announcing defeats, landed before him.

Seventy percent of these reports were about Xiao Mo!

Although Xiao Mo’s front was the farthest from the Wei Kingdom City and the most winding, his reputation had reached its zenith ever since he conquered Fengshang City and crushed the old general, Du Beiwang.

Within the Wei Kingdom, many generals had come to believe that the sight of the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry wasn’t the most terrifying thing.

The most terrifying thing was the sight of those cavalrymen with Asura masks covering their faces!

The Wei Kingdom did have a few staunchly loyal generals who would die before surrendering, but most were spineless cowards who had risen through the ranks on connections alone.

The moment these city-defending generals saw the Asura-masked Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry, their legs would turn to jelly, and they could barely stop themselves from scrambling out of the city to surrender.

Consequently, Xiao Mo conquered most cities as if strolling through unmanned territory, facing almost no resistance.

In the three months the Sovereign of Wei spent hesitating, Xiao Mo had already cut his way to the midpoint of the battlefront.

At this rate, barring any surprises, Xiao Mo would likely be the first to reach the Wei Kingdom City—and in less than half a year!

Finally, the Sovereign of Wei couldn’t take it anymore. He decided to surrender.

However, at the suggestion of his court officials, the Sovereign of Wei hatched a little scheme: he sent the letter of surrender to Xiao Mo’s camp, not to Prince Zhenbei’s army, and certainly not to the Imperial City of Qin.

Upon seeing the Sovereign of Wei’s letter, Xiao Mo simply smiled. ’Interesting.’ He knew exactly what the Wei Imperial Court was plotting.

But how could such a petty attempt to sow discord possibly work against the overwhelming might of the Northern Wilderness Army?

Xiao Mo sent the Sovereign of Wei’s letter directly to Xiao Shi’s camp.

Xiao Shi also laughed, forwarding it to the Imperial City of Qin without a moment’s hesitation.

The Sovereign of Qin flatly rejected the Sovereign of Wei’s offer to surrender.

Although accepting the surrender now could prevent further casualties, the Wei Kingdom was not the only nation left in the world.

There were still six great nations, including the Chu, Yan, and Jin Kingdoms, as well as the most powerful Qi Kingdom.

If every Sovereign could fight to the bitter end, surrender only when all hope was lost, and still be rewarded with a life of luxury and a nominal title as a Prince...

...what message would that send to the sovereigns of the other smaller nations, let alone the great ones?

The Sovereign of Qin ordered his armies to continue the assault and break through to the Wei Kingdom City.

In truth, Xiao Mo didn’t need the Sovereign of Qin to say a word; he had already guessed what the order would be.

So, in the time it took for the Sovereign of Qin’s reply to arrive, Xiao Mo hadn’t paused for a moment, conquering another three cities in succession.

Conversely, news of the Sovereign of Wei’s attempted surrender spread, dealing a massive blow to the morale of the Wei soldiers.

Xiahou Nan, however, was doing everything in his power to compensate.

But in the end, Xiahou Nan was a single pillar trying to hold up a collapsing house.

Xiao Shi didn’t even need to make progress; as long as he kept Xiahou Nan locked in a stalemate, the other columns of the Northern Wilderness Army would be able to take the Wei Kingdom City.

「Another half-month passed.」

Xiao Shi finally broke through Mingyue City. Xiahou Nan seized the opportunity to fall back, even abandoning two cities in order to shrink his defensive line and regroup.

At the same time, the eldest son of the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Yichuan, arrived at the front.

Xiao Shi appointed Xiao Yichuan as Former General to lead the vanguard, and Xiao Yichuan did not disappoint his father.

The moment the eldest son of the Xiao Mansion took the field, he transformed into a towering, mountain-sized giant, a truly shocking sight as he rampaged across the battlefield.

With his elder brother’s arrival, Xiao Yishen’s spirits soared. ’My brother is far superior to Xiao Mo,’ he thought.

Xiao Shi was also extremely satisfied with his eldest son’s cultivation.

After entering Lu Pass, Xiao Shi saw through Xiahou Nan’s plan and decided to dispatch troops to garrison Huating.

Holding Huating would block the Wei reinforcements from Guanzhong from advancing west to Lu You. This would buy Xiao Shi time to pacify Lu Xi, sever the Wei Kingdom’s connection to Zizhou, and allow them to gradually devour Wei’s territory.

Huating was the barrier on the eastern flank of the Lu Xi defensive line; if it fell, the gateway to Lu Xi would be thrown wide open.

Seeing an opportunity to earn glory, and especially with his elder brother now present, Xiao Yishen’s confidence surged. He felt he was more than capable again and volunteered for the mission to garrison Huating.

Truthfully, Xiao Shi was incredibly disappointed in his second son. He had even been thinking that after returning to the capital, he would find him a wife from a good family and let him live out his days in idle leisure.

But as a father, he naturally wanted all his sons to make something of themselves, to at least not live a life of mediocrity.

After much deliberation, Xiao Shi decided to give Xiao Yishen one last chance: he would be the one to garrison Huating.

After all, Huating was easy to defend and difficult to attack, situated on a natural stronghold. All he had to do was stay put and not leave his post!

Moreover, Xiao Shi specifically assigned elite troops to him.

Before Xiao Yishen departed, Xiao Shi repeatedly warned him: his only task was to hold the position. He was not to consider anything else!

Xiao Yishen affirmed that he understood.

But upon arriving at Huating, Xiao Yishen ignored Xiao Shi’s orders to block the pass and build fortifications. Instead, he abandoned the main road and its water source, leading his troops up a mountain to make camp.

Wang Ping pleaded with him multiple times, but Xiao Yishen rejected his counsel, claiming, ”From this high ground, our attack will be unstoppable.” He gave Wang Ping only a small force to provide support at the base of the mountain.

When the Wei general Zhang Hu arrived, he immediately cut off the Northern Wilderness Army’s water supply and surrounded the mountain. Lacking water, Xiao Yishen’s army fell into disarray, and their multiple attempts to break out failed.

Zhang Hu seized the opportunity to launch a ferocious assault. Xiao Yishen’s unit disintegrated, its soldiers scattering and fleeing for their lives.

Wang Ping, leading his thousand-odd soldiers, beat his drums and held his ground. Suspecting an ambush, Zhang Hu did not give chase, which allowed Wang Ping to gather the retreating remnants and withdraw.

With Huating lost, Xiahou Nan ordered Zhang Hu to march his army straight into Lu Xi. Xiao Shi’s flank was now exposed, placing him in a precarious position.

Left with no choice, Xiao Shi was forced to abandon the three commanderies he had already taken and fall back to Wandeng City.

The Wei Army, having caught its breath, once again pressured Xiao Shi’s flanking forces. For a time, with the exception of Xiao Mo’s and Liu Xing’s columns, the advance of the other three armies was completely stalled!

Even worse, this victory enormously boosted the Wei Army’s morale.

Xiao Yishen knew he had committed a capital offense. Upon returning to camp, he would face execution under military law. Knowing his father’s iron-fisted approach to discipline, there was no way he would be spared.

Therefore, Xiao Yishen led his remaining troops and attempted to cut across the battlefield to flee to the Chu Kingdom.

Though his defeated soldiers were disgruntled, Xiao Yishen claimed he was acting on ”secret orders,” leaving them no choice but to obey.

But as luck would have it, he ran right into Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo captured him with ease and had him escorted to Xiao Shi’s main camp.

Looking at his son, Xiao Shi let out a heavy sigh and ordered him to be beheaded.

Xiao Yichuan’s pleas were in vain.

The night Xiao Yishen died, Xiao Shi sat alone in his tent for a long, long time. No one knew what was on his mind.

The next day, Xiao Shi ordered his main army to pin down Xiahou Nan, doing everything possible to relieve the pressure on the other fronts. Simultaneously, he dispatched reinforcements to Xiao Mo and granted him complete autonomy—any decision Xiao Mo made, even an order to assault the Wei Kingdom City, no longer required a report to Xiao Shi.

Furthermore, all battle reports from every army were now to be sent to Xiao Mo’s camp.

Though technically a flanking force, Xiao Mo was now effectively the main thrust of the invasion.

「Two more months passed.」

Xiao Mo’s army was the first to arrive before the walls of the Imperial Capital City of Wei!

Xiao Mo deliberately chose not to deploy a flight-restricting formation, allowing the Sovereign of Wei to send a message to Xiahou Nan.

And just as expected, the Sovereign of Wei ordered Xiahou Nan to return to the capital and defend it at once, on pain of being branded a traitor.

After reading the letter, Xiahou Nan threw his head back and let out a long sigh. Overnight, his black hair turned completely white.

The next day, Xiahou Nan abandoned his city and led his troops back toward the Imperial City.

Xiao Mo had long been prepared for Xiahou Nan to attempt a pincer attack.

He had not expected, however, that Xiahou Nan would send an envoy instead of launching an attack.

”For what purpose has General Xiahou sent an envoy?” Xiao Mo asked as he received the messenger.

The envoy, Zhang Qiu, sighed deeply and said:

”General Xiahou and King Xiangshuang request to surrender!”

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