Episode Summary
This episode saw Bei Qi launch a massive two-pronged attack, besieging Fengling City while pinning down the army at Qingzhou. Wei Yun leaves to assassinate the Bei Qi King, leading to Qingzhou's fall, while Chu Yu decides to investigate a nearby villa as her last hope.
Spoiler Alert
The Siege of Fengling City
Bei Qi's Surprise Attack
Just as Chu Yu gets a new lead, everything goes sideways. Lu Qiba found a hot spring villa near Fengling City. He’s pretty sure a person of interest, Xue Hanmei, is hiding out there. Chu Yu is all set to go investigate. But the Bei Qi army suddenly starts gathering. They march right up to Fengling City.
The enemy soldiers look like a swarm of ants. Chu Linyang is in command. He orders his crossbowmen to get ready. He waits until the Bei Qi troops are in range. Then he gives the signal. The arrows fly. The army's Eight-sided Crossbows are devastating. They take out a huge number of enemy soldiers. The first wave of the Bei Qi army actually retreats.
The Tables Turn
Lu Qiba gets a little too cocky about the win. It doesn't last long. The Bei Qi army comes right back. And this time, they have their own Eight-sided Crossbows mounted on siege carts. This is bad.
Chu Yu stays on the wall to command the defense. Chu Linyang goes down to manage the troops on the ground. Song Qingping is also there. She completely refuses to leave. She wants to stay and help the wounded soldiers and the city's people. Chu Linyang can't make her go. He just tells her to be careful.
The Bei Qi soldiers are relentless. They scale the city walls. The fight turns into a brutal, close-quarters brawl. Chu Linyang and Chu Yu fight side-by-side. They are ready to die to protect the city, just like their father would have.
Wei Yun's Desperate Gamble
Figuring Out the Feint
Over in Qingzhou, things are weirdly quiet. The Bei Qi army is just sitting outside the city. They aren't attacking. Song Shilan can't figure out their game plan. But Wei Yun puts the pieces together. He guesses that Qingzhou isn't the real target.
A messenger arrives with urgent news. Fengling City is under heavy attack. That’s when they understand the truth. The Bei Qi army at Qingzhou is just a holding force. They are there to pin down Wei Yun's army. This prevents him from sending reinforcements to Fengling. If the Qingzhou army leaves, Bei Qi will attack and likely take both cities. Wei Yun immediately sends a rider to the capital, Huajing, begging for backup for Fengling.
A Plan to Kill a King
Wei Yun knows he can't just sit there. He thinks about the Bei Qi army being far from their home. This means their own territory is vulnerable. He decides to turn their strategy against them.
His plan is insane. He's going to leave Qingzhou. He will take a small force, sneak into Bei Qi, and assassinate the Bei Qi King. He asks Gu Chusheng to hold Qingzhou for just four days. That's all the time he thinks he needs.
Chu Jin overhears all of this. She is terrified for Chu Yu. She tries to climb a wall to sneak out of the estate. Wanyue catches her and stops her from getting hurt. Chu Yu had ordered Wanyue to stay and protect the family, so she won't let Chu Jin run off to a warzone.
The Aftermath and the Next Move
Qingzhou's Last Stand
The Bei Qi King, Su Can, gets word that a Da Sui force has infiltrated his lands. He gets paranoid. He worries about losing his own throne while trying to conquer another kingdom. He orders half of the army at Qingzhou to pull back and return home.
But the damage is already done. Back at Qingzhou, Shen You figures out Wei Yun is gone. He realizes Song Wenchang is just posing as the general. With no real commander defending the city, Shen You launches a full-scale assault. He breaks through the city gates.
Gu Chusheng is a scholar, not a fighter. He feels helpless. But he knows Wei Yun is on a critical mission for their country. So Gu Chusheng decides to sacrifice himself. He will do whatever it takes to delay the enemy and buy Wei Yun more time. He accepts that history might remember him as a failure, but he doesn't care.
A New Lead for Chu Yu
The battle at Fengling City is a bloodbath. Chu Linyang gets his leg badly injured while saving one of his men, Chu Shan. He has no choice. He orders all his troops to retreat behind the inner defenses.
Chu Yu suspects the Bei Qi siege weapons were built somewhere close. Chu Linyang adds a clue. He says he could smell sulfur on the enemy's carts. This clicks with the earlier report about the hot spring villa. To find some way, any way, to win, Chu Yu decides she has to go investigate that villa herself.
