The Fourth Book by Wan Xingxu

General Li Zhaoyan, known as the Lone Wolf, personally stripped the decorated commander Xie Jincheng of his rank and exiled him, calling him “a coward who betrayed his country.” Three years later, the border defenses crumbled. The enemy cavalry swept through the frontier, and the empire teetered on the brink of collapse. No one at court dared speak of going to war. Only when Li Zhaoyan uncovered Xie Jincheng’s secret battle plans in the ruins did he learn the truth: Xie Jincheng had foreseen the enemy’s scheme and volunteered to die to lure them into a trap. On a snowy night, Li Zhaoyan ventured alone into the wasteland and found Xie Jincheng, covered in wounds, beneath a sheer cliff. He aimed his gun and rasped, “If you’re still alive, take me back to fight our way home.” Xie Jincheng looked up, the corner of his bloodstained mouth lifting. “I’ve waited three years to hear you say that.”