By the time Wu An reached the plains of Beiliang—
The city was already burning.
Smoke curled above the inner districts.
Not total destruction.
Not yet.
But enough.
Zhao banners—
Inside the walls.
Wu An did not slow.
But for the first time—
He did not immediately give an order.
"They're inside," Liao Yun said.
Wu An nodded.
Sun Ke—missing.
Han Liang—missing.
No reports.
No confirmation.
No bodies.
That uncertainty—
Was worse than defeat.
Because it meant one thing.
Wu An no longer controlled the battlefield.
Inside Beiliang—
Zhao cavalry moved like fire.
They did not hold.
They did not defend.
They did not consolidate.
They burned.
Supply depots.
Barracks.
Command posts.
Anything that could sustain a prolonged war—
Destroyed.
Civilians fled in terror.
Some hid.
Some died.
Zhao did not care.
Because they were not here to rule.
They were here to break Wu An.
At the eastern front—
Wei advanced.
Methodical.
Unstoppable.
A key city fell within days.
No grand siege.
No heroic stand.
Just pressure.
Exhaustion.
Collapse.
Wei banners rose.
Grain secured.
Supply lines extended.
Control established.
Unlike Zhao—
Wei was not destroying Zhou.
They were taking it.
In Yan—
The Merchant-King finally moved.
"The time has come."
Gold flowed.
Mercenaries gathered.
Supply chains shifted.
Yan did not want war.
But they wanted to survive more.
Even in the west—
The remnants of Western Zhou stirred.
"We reclaim the Mandate," they said.
Not strong.
Not unified.
But moving.
Because Wu An—
Was bleeding.
Far to the south—
At Yunhai Port—
Shen Yue did not hear the chaos immediately.
She saw it.
Reports arrived one after another.
Wei advancing.
Zhao inside Beiliang.
Cities falling.
She stood in silence for a long time.
Then—
"Stabilize the ports," she said.
Lin Hai looked at her.
"You're not going north?"
Shen Yue shook her head.
"If I leave—Chu rises again."
She looked out over the harbor.
"We hold this."
Because if the south fell—
There would be nothing left for Wu An to return to.
Back at Beiliang—
Wu An stood on a hill overlooking the city.
Behind him—
One hundred thousand soldiers.
Before him—
A burning capital.
Liao Yun spoke carefully.
"We can retake the outer districts."
Wu An did not respond.
"Wei is advancing."
"Zhao is inside."
"Yan is moving."
"And we don't know where our generals are."
Each word—
A weight.
Wu An finally stepped forward.
Then spoke.
"Good."
Liao Yun frowned.
"This is not good."
Wu An pointed toward the city.
"This is where they all reveal themselves."
"Zhao—reckless."
"Wei—patient."
"Yan—opportunistic."
"Western Zhou—desperate."
"They've all committed."
A pause.
"In one place."
Liao Yun's expression changed.
"You're not thinking of holding the city…"
Wu An smiled.
"No."
Because holding—
Was no longer enough.
Inside Beiliang—
Zhao cavalry pushed deeper.
But something began to feel wrong.
Too easy.
No organized resistance.
No strong counterattack.
Just scattered defenders.
Empty streets.
A Zhao commander slowed his horse.
"This is wrong."
Outside—
Wu An raised his hand.
This time—
He gave an order.
"Seal the city."
Liao Yun looked at him sharply.
"You're trapping Zhao inside."
Wu An nodded.
"And everything else."
"Civilians?" Liao Yun asked.
Wu An did not answer.
Because the answer—
Was already clear.
The gates of Beiliang began to close.
Massive iron doors.
Pulled slowly.
Relentlessly.
Inside—
Zhao cavalry continued to advance.
Unaware.
Outside—
Liang forces locked into position.
Preparing.
Not for defense.
But for something else.
Liao Yun spoke one last time.
"If Wei arrives while this happens—"
Wu An cut him off.
"They will."
A pause.
"And when they do…"
Wu An looked at the burning city.
"They won't find a capital."
Only a battlefield.
Beiliang's gates slammed shut.
Zhao cavalry—
Trapped inside.
Wei armies—
Marching closer.
And far away—
Shen Yue tightened her grip on the south.
Unaware—
That Wu An had just made his most dangerous move yet.