Upon returning to the realm of Qingming, Wei Yuan was immediately confronted with two major events: an attack by the Shamans and Xiao Yu preparing to return home for a funeral.

The Shamans had never been known for their patience; launching another attack barely a few days after the last one. It was also obviously just a probe. Only 20,000 troops were carrying out the assault, with 10,000 acting as the reserve force and 50,000 standing by in the encampment.

At this point, the above-ground portion of the newly constructed city consisted merely of the outline of a city wall, and the total population within the city was less than twenty thousand. They had been digging underground day and night. When the Shamans attacked, these people immediately retreated underground as per pre-established protocols. Wei Yuan, for his part, mustered a force of 10,000 troops and formed a battle line fifty li behind the new city.

This time, the Shamans changed their tactics. They split off 10,000 troops to circle around the city and confront Wei Yuan’s main force directly, while another 10,000 entered the city and charged straight underground.

The tactic truly caught Wei Yuan off guard. It would seem that the Shamans’ commanding general had a rather clever plan this time.

Wei Yuan acted decisively, immediately ordering his entire force to advance. At the same time, he ordered Cui Yu to...