Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu (Novel) (2025)

UNDER SIEGEHaving at last consolidated the six prefectures of Zhongbo under his rule, Shen Zechuan stands between two looming threats: the Biansha Horsemen to the east, and the imperial court of Qudu to the west. Although Qudu remains paralyzed by internal strife, Shen Zechuan knows it's only a matter of time before the fledgling emperor and her supporter, Xue Xiuzhuo, turn their eyes to him.To the north, while Hassen continues to hammer Libei’s generals with relentless attacks, Xiao Chiye suspects his real target lies along the vulnerable border of Zhongbo. If he's right, Shen Zechuan will be cut off and surrounded before reinforcements arrive.Yet when Hassen’s attack comes, it is with a brutality no one anticipated. Forced to make a desperate stand, Shen Zechuan must hold the walls until Xiao Chiye arrives—or the city falls.

EYE FOR AN EYEIn the aftermath of the enemy general Hassen’s devastating ambush, Xiao Chiye struggles to hold together a fractured Libei Armored Cavalry. Morale is at an all-time low, and the enemy's tactics grow ever more unorthodox. Unless Libei's generals can adapt to Hassen's ruthless ingenuity, their forces may not survive the next assault.To the south, Shen Zechuan is determined to claim the last three prefectures of Zhongbo. To unify the region, he must crush King Yi, a self-proclaimed tyrant lording over Zhongbo's south, and push back the Biansha Horsemen who have seized the east. If he succeeds, Zhongbo will become the crucial linchpin between north and south in the war against Biansha. Yet when the campaign puts Xiao Chiye on the front lines against Biansha's most deadly forces, Shen Zechuan must risk losing the man he loves most in pursuit of the victory they so desperately need.