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

The once impregnable city of Shuofeng, which guarded the northern border and was known as the "Iron Wall," is now just a ruined outline, wailing in the blizzard.

The banner fluttering atop the city walls was no longer Jiang Qiong's Black Bird Banner, but rather the ferocious wolf-head banner of the Northern Di Canglang tribe.

The iron hooves pounded on the snow-covered stone road, making a dull sound. The Di soldiers' savage laughter, their curses during the looting, and the sporadic, suppressed cries mingled with the howling wind and snow, creating a scene of hell on earth.

The snow in Shuofeng City didn't really start falling until the third night after the city fell.

It wasn't the lingering sleet of the Jiangnan region, but rather the blizzard unique to the North, carrying sand and the smell of blood.

Snowflakes, like goose feathers, danced wildly in the howling north wind, mercilessly covering the broken walls and ruins of the city, the layers upon layers of corpses of the defenders and civilians who had not yet been buried, and the embers that were still burning faintly in some corners, symbolizing resistance and destruction.

Three hundred li from Shuofeng City lies Tiebi Pass.

This is the second and last decent line of defense in Jiangqiong's northern frontier.

The fortress is built against the mountain, in a strategically important location, but at this moment, there is a chill in the air, even more biting than the wind and snow outside the fortress.

It was the dejection of defeat, the fear of a powerful enemy, and the bewilderment after losing one's shield.

Inside the council hall of the fortress, the charcoal fire crackled and popped, but it couldn't dispel the gloom that hung over the generals' brows.

The main position is vacant, as Yang Jiye, the original general guarding the northern frontier and commander of Shuofeng City, has perished along with the city.

The one currently in command is Zhou Bo, the deputy general and former deputy governor of Shuofeng City. He is an old general in his fifties with a dark complexion, but now his eyes are sunken and bloodshot.

"...The brothers who were able to retreat into the pass, including the wounded, totaled more than 13,000. More than 70% of our food and supplies were lost. Arrows, oil, logs, and rolling stones were almost all gone." A military advisor reported in a dry voice, and with each number he reported, the faces of everyone in the hall grew paler.

"Where are the Di people? Where is the main force of Modu Chanyu now?" Zhou Bo asked in a hoarse voice.

"The scouts' last report indicates that the main force of the Di army is still resting and looting in Shuofeng City, but its vanguard cavalry has already appeared at 'Black Wind Gorge,' fifty miles outside the pass. Judging from their movements, they will approach the pass soon."

A deathly silence fell over the hall. How could thirteen thousand remnants, lacking food and weapons, possibly withstand the Northern Di cavalry, whose force numbered at least fifty thousand and had just breached Shuofeng, riding the wave of their great victory?

"Any news about the imperial reinforcements?" another general couldn't help but ask, his voice carrying the last glimmer of hope.

Zhou Bo smiled bitterly, took out a crumpled copy of an imperial document from his robes, and tossed it onto the table: "The urgent dispatch has already been sent. The court has replied, ordering the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to procure reinforcements and provisions. However, the national treasury is empty, and disasters are frequent in various regions. The gathering of reinforcements and the allocation of provisions will still take time... We are instructed... to 'hold fast and await reinforcements.'"

"Hold on? With what can we hold on?!" A young general suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot. "Commander Yang is dead! Of the 30,000 brothers in Shuofeng City, less than half have returned alive! Where are the imperial reinforcements? Where are the supplies?! Are we to use our flesh and blood to stop the Di people's iron hooves?!"

"Captain Chen! Watch your words!" Zhou Bo shouted, but his voice was equally weak. He knew that the young captain had voiced the despair and anger in everyone's hearts.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a messenger, covered in snow and with lips frozen purple, scrambled in, shouting hoarsely, "Report—! Urgent! From the capital…from the capital! To Governor Zhou!"

Zhou Bo snatched the urgent document, which contained three feathers and represented the highest level of official rank, and opened it with trembling hands.

He froze after just one glance, his face drained of color, and a complex expression, difficult to describe, welled up inside him.

It was shock, it was absurdity, and finally it turned into a bitter, almost resigned, cold laugh.

"Governor Zhou, what is the imperial decree?" Everyone looked at him nervously.

Zhou Bo slowly placed the document on the table, his voice drifting as if from a distant place: "The court... the newly appointed 'Imperial Envoy for Military Inspection' will soon arrive at Iron Wall Pass. He will be in charge of the defense of the northern frontier, coordinate all armies, and have the authority to make decisions on the spot..."

Everyone was taken aback at first, then a glimmer of light appeared in their eyes.

They finally sent an imperial envoy? And with such great authority? It seems the court is finally taking this seriously! Which old general is it? Or which Minister of War has come in person?

"...The new military inspector is," Zhou Bo took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, before uttering the name that instantly petrified everyone, making them think they had misheard, "Princess Jingguo, Yun Jin."

"..."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence even more profound and suffocating than before.

Five or six breaths passed before someone finally uttered the first incredulous, distorted gasp of surprise:

"Who?!"

"Princess?!"

"Princess Jingguo?! The princess who was providing disaster relief in the south?!"

"A woman?! She's come to the northern frontier? To inspect the military?! And to oversee defenses?!"

Questioning, astonishment, anger, absurdity, despair... all sorts of emotions erupted in the hall!

"Is the imperial court...is the imperial court abandoning the northern frontier?!"

"Let a woman from the inner palace command a war?! Are you kidding me!"

"What does she know about military affairs? What does she know about fighting? Is disaster relief in the south the same as fighting in the north?!"

"This is child's play! They're treating the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers on our northern frontier, the safety of our nation's borders, like a game!"

The generals were filled with righteous indignation; some cursed angrily, some were filled with grief and indignation, and some slumped down in despair.

The already extremely low morale plummeted further due to this absurd appointment, even turning into resentment towards the court.

Zhou Bo watched the out-of-control scene unfold before him but did not stop it.

How could he not feel absurdity? How could he not feel sorrow?

But he knew even better that this appointment meant fierce internal struggles within the court, and also meant that... Princess Jingguo was probably not as simple as she appeared on the surface.

To achieve such results in disaster relief in the south, to withstand impeachment in the imperial court unscathed, and now to dare and be able to take on this hot potato and personally go to the perilous northern frontier... this woman is no ordinary person.

"Enough!" Zhou Bo finally roared, silencing the commotion. "The decree has been issued and cannot be changed! What's the use of complaining? If you have the guts, go to the capital and question His Majesty! Will shouting here make the Di people retreat?!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, but their eyes were still filled with resentment and despair.

"Pass down the order," Zhou Bo gritted his teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "Raise the army and prepare for war, fortify the city's defenses, and inventory all usable military equipment and supplies. Not a single grain of food or arrow can be wasted! As for that princess..."

A complex light flashed in his eyes. "When she arrives, we'll see what she's really made of! If she's truly capable of leading us to defend Iron Wall Pass, I, Zhou Bo, will be the first to serve her as my master! If she's just here to cause trouble..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the cold glint in his eyes said it all.

……