"Your Majesty, we received news from our forward scouting parties! The enemy forces are camped at the Plains of Trigo. Our advisors believe that the enemy is planning to fight a decisive battle against us over there." An aide hurriedly arrived and informed Alexandros of the situation.

"And what of General Matthias' opinion? What does he think?" asked the young emperor.

"Lord Commander Matthias believes that this is a good thing; a good opportunity to stamp out the foreigners and traitors that seek to ruin our motherland."

"I am of the same opinion," said Alexandros, a determined light appearing within his eyes. "I've had enough of running around like a fool. Let this be the final battle wherein we crush them!"

"Understood, Your Majesty! I shall relay your words."

With the opinions of all the higher-ups in tune, the armies of the South Aislan Empire set course to the Plains of Trigo.

---

"How… much… longer?" A weak-sounding Wuzhi hoarsely asked as he used his four limbs to crawl his body upward.

"Just a few more meters. We are almost at the top," replied Baixue, droplets of crystal-like sweat sliding down her face, glistening in the sunlight. She then stopped for a minute to allow the young scholar to catch up before saying, "You are the one who chose this spot, you know?"

"I know… and… I… regret… it… so… much!" replied Wuzhi. Crawling up to Baixue's spot, he turned over and lay on his back. His chest heaved heavily as he greedily gasped for air.

After a few minutes, he once again asked, "Please carry me."

"No," said Baixue, sternly. She then gave him a scathing glare and mandated, "This is your punishment for not telling me the truth."

"Oh, come on! I can't tell you the whole truth because it involves some of my secrets," complained Wuzhi.

"Then, this is revenge for making me worried for the past few weeks," Baixue instantly rebutted, seemingly having waited for this moment.

Wildly flailing his hands like a baby, he grumbled, "This is abuse! This is harassment! I am being harassed!"

Baixue pinched her fingers and condensed a small ball of crystal ice which she then flicked towards Wuzhi's head. The crystal ball struck the scholar squarely on his forehead, causing him to yelp at the sudden stinging chillness. "Help! Help! I'm even being assaulted now!"

"Oh, shut up!" barked Baixue. She then sighed before walking over and lifting him by his arms. She then carried him on her shoulder; much akin to how one would carry a heavy bag of rice. "Hold tight," she said, before gathering power at her legs and leaping into the air.

"WAAAAAAIIIIITTT!!" A shrill scream echoed across the silent mountain forests.

-

Resting against a mountain rock, Wuzhi gasped heavily for breath. He then shot the nearby, 'innocently smiling' Baixue a hateful glare and said, "You are a very evil woman."

At his accusations, Baixue smiled sweetly and replied, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

A bellyful of curses and complaints rose to Wuzhi's throat. However, seeing the sweet smile on Baixue's face, and more importantly, the silver icicle that she was forming in her hands, he chose the wiseman's path and promptly gave up.

"In the chapter titled 'War' in 'Schemes and Strategies,' the thirty-sixth lesson states, 'Run away when unfavourable,'" Wuzhi quietly recited under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Baixue, not quite hearing his words.

Immediately sporting a bright smile, Wuzhi cheerfully pandered, "I was just praising Fairy for her justness, fairness, beauty, strength, and wisdom--!"

"Shut up, shut up!" As a person, Baixue's skin was quite thin. She was nowhere near as shameless and two-faced as Wuzhi and could thus not remain unabashed when facing such blatant flattery and bootlicking.

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Unwilling to engage him any further, Baixue let out a snort and threw at him a leather pouch containing water. Wuzhi received the water pouch and sincerely thanked her.

When their antics ceased, the two of them rested on the spot for some time.

"Why are we climbing this mountain, anyway?" asked Baixue; finally finding the chance to voice her doubt.

At her question, Wuzhi flashed a smile and explained, "My teacher always used to say that scheming and plotting isn't half as fun if you do not get to personally witness the fruits of your labour."

He then pointed at the peak and continued. "The final battle will take place in the Plains of Trigo. This peak here is the best viewing point to watch everything unfold."

At this moment, Wuzhi suddenly straightened his back and fell into a daze for a few seconds. He then recovered after a few seconds, saying, "We must hurry. The promised time isn't too far off."

Struggling up to his feet, he fixed his eyes on the nearby peak and began heading in that direction without any further complaints.

Baixue quietly followed behind him.

After another half hour of effort, the duo finally arrived at their destination; a bald-faced mountain peak with a clear, unhindered view of the verdant, bowl-shaped flatland named the 'Plains of Trigo.'

"Oh? Looks like we are right on time," smiled Wuzhi.

On the two distinctly portioned halves of the plains, Wuzhi noticed two massive armies camped on opposite ends.

After viewing this scene for a few seconds, the smile on Wuzhi's face grew more brilliant as he said, "It appears that my scheme for the Scarlet Demon Army faction and the Mu Household faction succeeded without any hitches."

The Scarlet Demon Army was wiped from the face of the continent and the Mu Household faction army only possessed a tenth of their starting number. The Heavenly Spirit Empire faction wasn't too severely impacted as Wuzhi never came across the opportunity to cripple them.

The South Aislan Empire's armies stood tall and majestic. Their empire had been united under one rule and their emperor had personally joined them in the field to accompany them for the final battle.

"Baixue, carry this letter and hand it over to the South Aislan Empire's emperor," instructed Wuzhi.

Receiving the letter and the sudden instruction, Baixue confusedly asked, "Am I not going to watch the battle with you?"

"Didn't you want an opportunity to make yourself well-known? Well, here is your opportunity. Make good use of it. I wish you luck."

---

Within the camp of the South Aislan Empire.

The inside of the general's tent was filled with hustle and bustle. Alexandros, Matthias, and other officers and advisors sat around a military sand table, engaging in a serious discussion.

"The Plains of Trigo is a bowl-shaped crater, thirty kilometres in diameter. It is mostly flatland with no discernable land feature that we can exploit. It will be as fair a battle as can be."

"With the cavalry leading the charge and cannons firing on both sides, the battle will be beyond gruesome. To counter this, I propose a change in our standard tactics; we need to divide the various companies into even smaller divisions. While I understand that this increases the pressure on the officer class, it yields us greater mobility and flexibility, while also scattering the concentrated impact of cannon fire."

"I agree with this rationale. However, should the enemy use explosive shells, as we've seen with the Siege of New Hope Port City, what then?"

"It is the middle of winter. The land is barren. Therefore, even if they use explosive shells, there wouldn't be much impact on the battlefield."

"Do not forget, both of our rear lines are positioned so that both are out of each other's ranges. Unless they also want their cavalry to burn, they will not be using explosive shells. It is the same for us."

"Haven't you read the report from Dawn Mountain? That woman, Tianfei, was it? She is positively mad enough to order a thorough bombardment when her allies were still within range! We cannot use the common sense of a normal person to judge people like her."

"Even if she is crazy, it doesn't mean that the men under her are too, right? Surely, they wouldn't dare fire into their own people?"

"As I said, we cannot use the common sense of a normal person to judge such situations. It is better to be prepared for all eventualities. I propose that the cavalry be split, and only half of it is used during the initial charge."

"Are you mad!? If we only use half, they will be slaughtered by the enemy in no time! What sort of dogsh*t proposal is this!? Don't tell me that you are a spy for the enemy!!"

"Shut up! You dare accuse me of being a spy!? I was only looking out for our best interests!"

"Our best interests? Don't you mean yours!!"

"This son of a b*tch! I'm going to slay you right here!"

Just as the situation was about to dissolve into full-blown chaos, Alexandros powerfully thundered. "Enough!"

Everyone within the tent was instantly silenced. The young emperor gazed around menacingly, no one daring to meet eyes with him. After cowing them with his powerful aura and gaze, he barked, "Are you, adult men or children!? Do you not understand what sort of situation we are currently in? Our empire is on the verge of annihilation and you see it fit to bicker amongst yourselves!?"

Taking a deep breath to calm his rage, Alexandros threatened, "I swear, if I hear a single word of conflict amongst yourselves before this battle is over, I will have both persons involved cut down on the very spot that they stand!"

"Understood!?" he roared. The others quickly nodded their heads.

It was then that the flap to the tent was flipped open once more and a messenger entered. He sported a nervous expression on his face as he handed a parchment to Alexandros. "Venerable Emperor, the enemy has sent over a formal letter of challenge."

Receiving the parchment from his hand, the young emperor scanned its contents. Reading through, the look on his face quickly hardened.