In the commandery office’s study, Yuan Qingyan was staring blankly at a piece of official document, his hands trembling more and more with each passing second. He eventually slammed his palm down on the desk with such force that the fragrant rosewood[1] shattered into pieces on the floor.

“That scoundrel Wei Yuan has gone too far!” Yuan Qingyan’s teeth ground so hard that sparks were flying. He stormed out of the study and rushed to the yamen in the front courtyard, bellowing, “Summon the general and all the commandants! I will see them all in an incense stick!”

Moments later, everyone had assembled in the reception hall. Standing at the helm was still the general surnamed Hsu.

Yuan Qingyan handed the official document to the officers for reading and declared, “Wei Yuan has colluded with villains to kidnap my family from the royal capital! This is a grudge so deep we cannot share the same sky! You will immediately muster your troops to attack Qingming as the vanguard. In the meantime, I will set out for the commandery seat at once to demand Inspector-General Chen and Commander Yue to mobilize the troops. Rest assured that the main force will arrive shortly, with Commander Yue at the helm! I ask that you give me your all to avenge me!”

After reading the document, General Hsu remarked, “With the commandery’s current military strength, I’m afraid it will be difficult to capture Qingming. We would need to regroup the forces scattered...