Wang Ling's sudden appearance had quietly tipped the balance of the entire battle.
Zhang Xin stood atop the city wall, the morning wind brushing against his armor as the first light of dawn spread across Qi County.
Below him, the remnants of the surrendered White Wave and Yellow Turban forces were being gathered and disarmed. Fires smoldered. The chaos of the night before had finally settled.
Li Jue approached, still carrying the scent of blood.
"My lord, we've searched the city. No trace of Guo Da or Han Xian."
Zhang Xin wasn't surprised.
"They fled through the north gate, didn't they?"
Li Jue nodded, frustrated. "Yes. We were a step too late."
Zhang Xin smiled faintly.
"Too late?"
He shook his head.
"No… they were too early."
Li Jue blinked, confused.
At that moment, Xun You stepped forward, already understanding.
"My lord had already anticipated their escape?"
Zhang Xin clasped his hands behind his back, gazing toward the north.
"Guo Da is not a fool. Once the east gate fell and chaos spread, his only option was to flee."
"And the safest route… is the one that seems least threatened."
"The north gate."
Li Jue's eyes widened.
"My lord… you mean…"
Zhang Xin turned, a hint of sharpness in his smile.
"Did you think I left the north gate untouched by accident?"
Before the night assault, while all attention was drawn to the east gate infiltration—
Zhang Xin had already arranged a second layer.
An invisible net.
"Gao Shun."
A guard immediately stepped forward.
"General Gao has already departed before dawn, my lord."
Zhang Xin nodded.
"Good."
Earlier that night, even before Li Jue entered the city, Zhang Xin had quietly dispatched Gao Shun with a detachment of elite troops to circle north.
Not to attack.
To wait.
"The moment Guo Da fled," Zhang Xin said calmly, "he walked straight into a dead end."
Xun You smiled. "A net cast in advance… my lord's foresight is admirable."
Li Jue finally understood—and couldn't help but laugh.
"So they thought they escaped…"
Zhang Xin finished for him:
"…only to deliver themselves."
Just then—
A scout came galloping in from the north, leaping off his horse before kneeling.
"Report!"
"General Gao has engaged the fleeing enemy at the northern road!"
"Guo Da's forces were caught off guard and are in disarray!"
Zhang Xin's smile deepened.
"Alive or dead?"
The scout lowered his head.
"Guo Da… has been captured."
"As for Han Xian—he attempted to break through, but was shot down by crossbows."
Silence.
Then—
Li Jue burst out laughing.
"Beautiful! Just beautiful!"
Xun You nodded slightly, his gaze full of approval.
"With this, the White Wave threat in this region is completely broken."
Zhang Xin looked out over the land beyond the city walls.
This victory was clean.
Efficient.
Decisive.
But his expression did not relax.
"Send orders," he said calmly.
"Treat the surrendered soldiers well. Separate the leaders from the common men."
"Distribute food immediately."
Li Jue paused. "Food? My lord, our supplies—"
Zhang Xin cut him off.
"If they starve today, they rebel tomorrow."
Then he added quietly:
"We don't just need to defeat them."
"We need to absorb them."
Behind him, the sun finally rose.
And with it—
A new phase began.
Not conquest.
But control.