The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, in Anqing City.

This ancient city, which controls the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and has been known as the "first prefecture dividing Wu and Chu," is now shrouded in gloom and despair.

The leaden sky hung low, as if it might crush the tattered battle flag atop the city wall, embroidered with the faded character "Jiang" at any moment.

The cold wind howled through the gaps in the crenellations of the city wall, carrying with it the bloodstains and scorched earth that had not yet been cleaned up below, and sending them into the numb mouths and noses of every soldier guarding the city.

The city walls and surrounding areas were in complete disarray.

The newly repaired wall tiles intermingled with the old marks, like a huge sore.

The logs and stones piled up at the top of the battlements were often stained with dark red blood.

The arrow tower was charred black, clearly having been attacked by fire.

The wide moat in front of the city gate had its ice broken off near the city wall, revealing murky water filled with debris and suspicious ice floes. On the opposite bank were piles of bricks, stones, and timber from demolished houses, as well as many frozen corpses, both human and horse.

Further away, the smoke from the rebel camps rose thickly, like a flock of vultures that wouldn't leave, almost surrounding Anqing City on three sides. Only the south gate, which faced the Yangtze River, still had a waterway connecting it to the outside world, but the rebel warships were patrolling the river, making it a tight blockade.

Since Prince Jingjiang Yuntao broke through the Jiujiang defense line half a month ago and besieged the city, the Anqing garrison has been struggling for ten days under the fierce attack of this rebel prince and his army, which is said to number 100,000.

In just ten days, this once prosperous river defense town has become a scene of devastation, and the people are filled with fear and unease.

The commander-in-chief defending the city was Yang Sichang, the newly appointed "General Who Conquers the South" and former Governor-General of Liangjiang.

Yang Sichang was over fifty years old and a civil official. Although he had a good reputation in Jiangnan, he was not good at military strategy. Moreover, he was old and frail. At this moment, he was bedridden in the backyard of the government office due to anxiety and a cold, and was unable to attend to his duties.

The actual commanders in charge of the city's defenses were Chen Youde, the deputy commander-in-chief and former commander-in-chief of Anqing, and several generals who had retreated from various places or rushed to the aid of the city, such as Zhang Kui, the deputy commander who had retreated from Jiujiang, and Wu Dayong, the adjutant general who led the remnants of the navy from the lower reaches of the river into the city.

The generals were already rife with contradictions and inconsistent commands due to defeats, suspicions, and shirking of responsibility.

If Anqing had not been for its high walls and deep moats, its relatively ample reserves, and the harsh winter weather which made sustained attacks difficult, the city would probably have fallen long ago.

Even so, the city was already in a state of panic.

With grain prices soaring, rumors are rampant.

Some say the imperial court has abandoned Anqing and there is no hope of reinforcements.

Some say the rebels received "divine assistance" and were invulnerable to swords and spears.

Some even said that the "female imperial envoy" was killed by Feng Kun at Baimadu and could not come back at all... Despair and panic spread like a plague in the hearts of soldiers and civilians.

"My lord! My lord! Reinforcements! Reinforcements! The Imperial Envoy's reinforcements have arrived!"

A scout, covered in mud and tumbling into the main hall of the government office, broke the deathly silence with a hoarse shout in a distorted voice.

He clutched a mud-stained token tightly in his hand, which was the token of the Imperial Envoy and Inspector of the Princess Zhenguo!

Inside the hall, several generals, some sitting and some lying down, looking exhausted, suddenly stood up!

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chen Youde snatched the token, examined it carefully, and his bloodshot eyes suddenly lit up, only to be replaced by deeper doubts.

"Is he truly an imperial envoy? Where has he arrived? How many troops does he have?"

"Reporting...Reporting to Your Excellency! We've reached ten li outside the South Gate! Our numbers...approximately a thousand cavalry, carrying banners proclaiming 'Imperial Envoy' and 'Guardian of the Nation'! They are General Zhou Bo's vanguard! Your Highness's carriage is behind them! They...they scattered the rebel cavalry along the river and are heading towards the Water Gate!"

"Over a thousand men?" Lieutenant General Wu Dayong frowned. "Tens of thousands of rebels are besieging the city. What good are a thousand men? Could this be a rebel trick?"

"The token is genuine! This humble general saw General Zhou Bo with his own eyes! And... Commander Zhao Jianing!" the scout exclaimed urgently. "The rebels also sent troops to intercept them, and they were badly defeated! Those black-armored cavalry around Your Highness are extremely formidable!"

Chen Youde and his generals exchanged glances, their doubts still lingering. But given the current situation, they had to grasp at even the smallest straw.

"Open the south water gate! Lower the basket to allow General Zhou to enter the city! Lieutenant General Wu, you take a team and go out in a fast boat to meet him. Make sure you confirm that it is His Highness himself! The rest of you, take your positions and be wary of the rebels taking advantage of the chaos to attack the city!"

With the order given, Anqing, a war machine that had been nearly suffocating, barely managed to start moving again.

An hour later, at the South Gate Water Fortress.

The low water gate slowly rose a crack, and several fast boats shot out like arrows, heading towards the black-armored fleet that was fighting a small rebel fleet on the river in the distance.

Soon, the fast boats met up with the Black Armor fleet, and before long, they turned back, escorting a larger flagship.

The water gate opened again, and the ship slowly entered the dimly lit lock.

Generals Chen Youde and Wu Dayong, who had been waiting on the stone steps of the dock, as well as some civil officials and gentry who had rushed over upon hearing the news, all held their breath and watched the ship gradually become clearer.

At the bow of the ship stood a man, wearing black armor over a scarlet cloak, with a resolute face and piercing eyes—it was Zhou Bo.

Behind him were dozens of guards, all clad in black armor and cloaks, wielding powerful crossbows and with sharp eyes, surrounding a slender yet upright figure in the center.

The figure stepped onto the diving board and steadily reached the shore.

His black outfit, designed for ease of movement, was covered in dust and scattered bloodstains. The hem of his cloak was torn, and his face bore the weariness and exhaustion of a long journey and sleeping in the open. There was even a faint, unhealed bloodstain on his left cheek.

However, when she raised her head and her gaze swept over the welcoming crowd, the majesty and composure that she possessed, born naturally from the tempering of blood and fire, sent a chill down the spines of everyone who looked at her.

This is Princess Yun Jin, who stirred up trouble in the capital, turned the tide in the northern frontier, and escaped danger in the bloody battle at Baimadu.

Behind her followed Qingdai, whose face was pale, and Zhao Jianing, whose arm was in a sling but whose eyes were still fierce.

Han Lie, along with several apprentices, carefully carried several sealed wooden boxes.