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

That night, despite her exhaustion, Yun Jin, accompanied by Zhou Bo and Zhao Jianing, personally climbed the city wall to inspect the defenses, comfort the wounded soldiers, and even personally bandaged a young soldier who had broken his leg.

Wherever she appeared, the soldiers straightened their backs and their fighting spirit was rekindled.

Her Highness the Eldest Princess personally went to dangerous places, sharing weal and woe with the soldiers, and was clear about rewards and punishments, always keeping her word.

These messages, like torches in the dark, spread rapidly throughout the city, dispelling the despair that had accumulated over the past few days.

However, Yun Jin knew in her heart that this was only the beginning.

The real test was the tens of thousands of covetous rebels below the city walls, the Northern Di weapons of unknown origin among the rebels, the parasites hidden within the city, and even more so... the storm far away in the capital that would ultimately determine her and the Third Prince's fate.

Just as she was inspecting the western city and gazing at the lights of the rebel camps stretching out outside the city, a fast horse broke through the night and galloped in through the water gate, bringing the latest secret report from Yin Wujiu through the "Listening" channel.

Yun Jin unfolded it, and after just one glance, her pupils suddenly contracted.

The secret report consisted of only two short lines:

"The capital is in turmoil; His Majesty is critically ill, and the Third Prince intends to assume regency. Unrest has broken out in the north, and the Uwei have amassed troops. A swift resolution in the south is crucial; delay could lead to further complications. —Su"

The Emperor is critically ill! The Third Prince intends to assume regency! The Northern Di, the Uwei, have amassed troops on the border!

The situation between the North and the South has reached its most dangerous juncture at the same time!

She slowly clenched the report, her knuckles turning white, and looked at the tallest royal banner in the rebel camp outside the city, embroidered with the words "Jingjiang," her eyes gleaming with icy coldness.

"Yun Tao..." she murmured to herself, "Your backer is probably in dire straits. And your death... is imminent."

......

The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the morning.

The gloomy weather that had lasted for several days unexpectedly cleared up.

The thin winter sunlight shone palely on the walls of Anqing and also on the dark, boundless ranks of rebel troops outside the city.

Banners fluttered like a forest, and swords and spears gleamed in the sunlight.

Tens of thousands of rebels formed several square formations and slowly advanced until they stopped a short distance away.

At the front of the central army formation, under an exceptionally tall banner bearing the inscription "Prince of Jingjiang," dozens of riders surrounded a man.

The man was about forty years old, with fair skin, three long beards, wearing a gold-lacquered mountain-patterned armor, an apricot-yellow dragon robe, and a seven-tassel crown. He was none other than the rebel king, Prince Yuntao of Jingjiang.

He sat upright on a strong chestnut horse, his hand on his sword, looking around with self-satisfaction and gazing at the distant city of Anqing, a smug smirk playing on his lips.

"Listen up, garrison troops!" A rebel messenger with a booming voice rode out of the ranks and shouted at the top of the city wall.

"His Highness the Prince of Jingjiang has decreed! You have one hour to open the city gates and surrender, offering up the chief culprits Yang Sichang and Chen Youde, and you will be spared the massacre of the entire city! If you dare to resist, on the day the city falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

The shouts echoed across the open plains, reaching the ears of every soldier guarding the city, bringing an invisible pressure.

The city walls were deathly silent.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned towards the main city gate tower.

There, a brand-new banner bearing the titles "Imperial Envoy and Inspector" and "Princess Protector of the Nation" fluttered in the morning breeze.

Beneath the banner stood a figure in black, his hand on his sword—it was Yun Jin.

To her left and right were Zhou Bo and Zhao Jianing, both fully armored, as well as a group of Anqing garrison commanders.

Despite the rebels' clamor, Yun Jin remained calm, only whispering a few instructions to a strong archer beside her.

The archer nodded, took a stiff bow, nocked a whistling arrow with a silk ribbon tied to it, drew the bow to its fullest extent, and shot it with a "whoosh" towards the center of the rebel army!

The whistling arrow, with a sharp whistling sound, pierced the sky and landed precisely a few dozen paces in front of the rebel army, embedding itself diagonally in the ground, its fletching still trembling. The white silk cloth tied to the shaft unfurled in the wind.

"Bring it here!" Yun Tao frowned and ordered.

A guard rode out on horseback, retrieved the arrows, and presented the silk cloth.

Yun Tao unfolded it and saw several lines of strong, neat characters written in cinnabar:

"Traitor Yun Tao, listen up!"

You have received the country's favor for generations, yet you do not think of repaying it. Instead, you occupy the land, raise an army, collude with the Northern Barbarians, and slaughter the people. Your crimes are unforgivable!

I have been ordered to suppress the rebellion and have arrived in Anqing.

Your patron, Feng Kun, has already been defeated and fled.

Your accomplice, Jia, is now imprisoned.

Your master is too busy taking care of himself.

Pull back from the brink, bind yourself and plead guilty; perhaps you can at least leave with a whole body.

If you persist in your delusions, when the heavenly army arrives, you will surely die without a burial place, your entire clan will be exterminated, and you will become a laughingstock to the world!

—Imperial Envoy and Inspector, Princess Yun Jin, the Guardian of the Nation!

Every word was like a knife, incredibly sharp!

Not only did he directly condemn their crimes, but he also pointed out Feng Kun's defeat and escape, Mr. Jia's capture, and even hinted at the loss of power of their master, the Third Prince!

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the morale of the rebels!

After reading it, Yun Tao's face instantly turned ashen. He slammed the silk cloth on the ground and roared angrily, "You little brat, how dare you do this!"

A scholar who appeared to be an advisor quickly whispered to him, "Your Highness, please calm down! This is a psychological warfare tactic; we must not fall for it! The most urgent task is to take advantage of their newly arrived reinforcements and their unstable foothold, and seize Anqing in one fell swoop!"

Yun Tao took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing his anger, and stared intently at the black-clad figure on the city wall, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"Yun Jin! I was going to spare your life out of consideration for our shared Yun bloodline! Since you've chosen death, don't blame me!"

He drew his sword sharply, pointed it at the city wall, and roared, "Attack! Bring peace to Pingqing for me! Whoever captures Yun Jin alive will be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and a reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold!"

"kill--!"

A deafening roar erupted from the rebel ranks!

War drums thundered and horns blared! The infantry at the front, carrying ladders, pushing battering rams, and bearing shields, surged toward the walls of Anqing like a black tide!

Behind them, the archer phalanx unleashed a barrage of arrows, which blotted out the sky like locusts and rained down on the city walls!

The real siege has begun!

"Raise your shields! Take cover!" the officer roared hoarsely from the city wall.

The defending soldiers raised their shields or hid behind the battlements.

Arrows clattered against shields and city bricks, making a dense sound, and people were frequently hit by arrows and fell to the ground with screams.

"Archers, return fire! Target: enemy ranks!" Zhou Bo calmly ordered.

The archers defending the city walls, under the cover of their shields, leaned out and fired arrows.

However, the rebel archers were clearly well-trained and well-equipped, and their range and power subtly overwhelmed the defenders.

"Use Han Canjun's new crossbow!" Zhao Jianing shouted.

Dozens of elite archers, who had already been assigned to the "Divine Arm Bow," quickly took their positions under Han Lie's command.

This crossbow, improved by Han Lie, has a longer range, greater power, and is equipped with a simple sight.

They were aiming at the rebel archer phalanx and the soldiers pushing siege engines.

"put!"

"Boom boom boom—!"