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

On the evening of the third day, the sunset was as red as blood.

After repelling the Di people's attack once again, Zhou Bo dragged his almost numb legs to find Yun Jin, who was on the west city wall, personally bandaging a young squad leader who had been shot in the abdomen with an arrow.

The sergeant's intestines were spilling out. Yun Jin's hands and body were covered in blood, but her expression remained unchanged as she steadily cleaned, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound.

"Your Highness..." Zhou Bo's voice was hoarse, "We're running out of arrows, the rolling stones and logs are almost gone, and the oil is all used up. The brothers... are too exhausted. If the Di people attack so fiercely again tomorrow, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on."

After Yun Jin finished bandaging the wounded, she signaled the military doctor to carry the wounded off the field. Then she stood up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her blood-stained hand, and looked at the continuous Di camps outside the city.

The flickering flames resembled the bloodthirsty eyes of a beast.

"Commander Zhou, how many men do we have left to fight?"

"There are fewer than eight thousand who can stand guard. If you include the wounded, it's barely ten thousand," Zhou Bo said bitterly.

Yun Jin remained silent for a moment, then took out a small, antique-looking bronze tiger tally from her bosom and handed it to Zhou Bo: "At midnight tonight, open the west gate and let Commander Zhao and the others in."

Zhou Bo took the tiger tally in astonishment, not understanding why.

Commander Zhao? Where did this Commander Zhao come from? Open the city gates? At this time?

"Zhao Jianing, the commander of my personal guards, has been ordered to lead five hundred elite troops and secretly arrived at Yehuling outside the pass three days ago."

Yun Jin said in a low voice, a sharp glint in her eyes, "They carried the last batch of arrows, oil, and... a batch of specially made 'Thunderclap Bombs'."

"Thunderclap?" Zhou Bo asked blankly.

"What Mr. Su made made a sound like thunder, with flames shooting into the sky; it could injure people and frighten horses," Yun Jin explained. "More importantly, Commander Zhao and his men brought definite news that Tuoba Wugu, the Right Wise King of Luandi Maodun, had led his 5,000 cavalry out of Shuofeng City due to an unfair distribution of spoils, and their whereabouts are unknown!"

Zhou Bo was visibly shaken! The Right Wise King was at odds with Luandi Maodun? And he even led his troops away?

This is fantastic news! No, this is a chance to turn the tide of the battle!

"Your Highness means..."

"Luan Di Maodun is by nature suspicious. The Right Wise King's unusual actions will surely unsettle him. Tonight, let's make him even more uneasy!"

Yun Jin's voice was cold. "At midnight, Commander Zhao will enter the city to replenish supplies. At the same time, he will select two hundred elite soldiers, led by Commander Zhao, to go out of the east gate, carry many torches, and make a show of force to create the illusion of a night raid by reinforcements. They will head straight for the Di people's central army banner!"

No need to engage in battle; harass and then retreat.

"Commander Han, you lead the Sharpshooter Battalion, using the last few 'Armor-Piercing Crow Arrows' and all the fire arrows, focusing on sniping the Di night patrol generals, watchtowers, and stables!"

She looked at Zhou Bo, her gaze intense: "General Zhou, you will lead the main force to guard the four gates and prevent the Di people from taking the opportunity to attack the city. At the same time, write down the news that Right Wise King Tuoba Wugu has rebelled and is returning to attack from both sides, and shoot it into the Di camp on an arrow!"

With internal and external troubles, and the night attack further disturbing him, Modu Chanyu will surely be suspicious and his army's morale will be unstable!

We will then have a chance to catch our breath for one night! As long as we hold out until Marquis Weiyuan's army arrives, this pass will surely be secured!

Zhou Bo was deeply moved and thrilled by what he heard.

This plan is extremely audacious and incredibly risky!

But in the current situation, holding on is tantamount to waiting for death, while taking a risk might actually offer a chance of survival!

He looked into Yun Jin's calm yet insightful and decisive eyes, and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "This humble general obeys! I am willing to undertake this risky move with Your Highness!"

That night, at midnight.

The west gate of Tiebiguan quietly opened a crack, and Zhao Jianing led five hundred elite soldiers, covered in dust but with eyes as sharp as wolves, leading mules and horses laden with supplies, into the city silently.

Without exchanging pleasantries, the supplies were quickly handed over. Immediately afterwards, Zhao Jianing mustered his two hundred most valiant warriors, had a hearty meal, and inspected their equipment, especially noting that each of them carried several heavy "iron lumps" wrapped in oilcloth.

At the same time, the east gate quietly opened.

Led by Zhao Jianing, two hundred assassins slipped into the night like ghosts.

Instead of riding horses, they moved stealthily on foot until they were about a mile from Di's camp. Suddenly, they lit a large number of torches that had been prepared and tied to long poles. At the same time, they shot specially made whistling arrows into the sky and shouted in unison, making it look like a massive army was charging towards the center of Di's camp!

The silent night was instantly ripped apart! Di Ying was thrown into chaos!

The alarm horn sounded shrilly, and countless Di soldiers rushed out of their tents in panic. They saw torches like dragons in the distance, and shouts that shook the heavens, heading straight for the central army. They all thought that Jiang Qiong's reinforcements had arrived and launched a night attack!

"Enemy attack! Protect the King!"

"It's reinforcements from the South! So many torches!"

In the chaos, Zhao Jianing led his team without venturing deep into the camp, instead running around outside the camp, constantly lighting the fuses of the "Thunderbolts" in his hands with a tinderbox and throwing them forcefully at the Di camp's stables, grain piles, and densely populated areas!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several muffled, thunderous explosions, accompanied by bursts of flame, resounded through the Di camp!

Warhorses neighed in terror and galloped wildly in all directions. The grain and fodder caught fire, and the Di soldiers were so frightened by the unprecedented and terrifying weapon that they thought it was divine punishment. Countless soldiers trampled each other in the process!

At the same time, on the walls of Iron Wall Pass, Han Lie seized the opportunity and led the Divine Archer Battalion to unleash the remaining rockets and "Armor-Piercing Crow Arrows" on the Di officers in the camp who were frantically directing the situation and trying to stabilize it, as well as the tall watchtowers!

Then, several dozen strong soldiers shot arrows with whistling messages attached to them, such as "The Right Wise King has rebelled, return to attack from both sides," deep into the Di camp!

Luandi Modu was startled awake from the central command tent, only to find fires raging in multiple locations throughout the camp, accompanied by explosions, screams, the neighing of horses, and cries of "The Right Wise King has rebelled!"

In the distance, the torches of the "reinforcements" stretched like dragons, their attack fierce, while arrows rained down from the Iron Wall Pass, aimed directly at the generals... Even with his extensive experience in battle, he felt his scalp tingle and doubts arose.

There were unusual movements during the day, and then the Southerners launched such a large-scale night attack, along with that terrifying "heavenly thunder"... Could there really be collusion? Could it be that Southerner reinforcements have arrived?

He was naturally suspicious, and at this moment he preferred to believe it was true.

Seeing that the camp was in chaos and morale was wavering, he dared not take any risks. He hurriedly ordered his personal guards, the "Kheshig," to suppress the rioting troops and stabilize the central army. He also strictly ordered all units to guard their camps and not to make any rash moves, in order to stabilize the situation first.

Seeing that the harassment had achieved its purpose and the Di army was in disarray, Zhao Jianing did not linger in battle. He signaled to lead his elite troops to take turns providing cover and quickly retreat.

They arrived with two hundred men and returned with over one hundred and eighty. Their casualties were minimal, yet they turned the entire Di camp upside down.

The East Gate of the Iron Wall Pass quietly closed once again.

On the city wall, Zhou Bo, Yun Jin, and the others watched the towering flames of the Di camp in the distance and the prolonged chaos, which gradually subsided only as dawn broke. They all breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Your Highness...we...success?" Zhou Bo's voice trembled with disbelief.

After a night of terror, the Di people were genuinely frightened and did not take advantage of the chaos to attack the city!

"It's just a temporary halt." Yun Jin's face also showed signs of fatigue, but her eyes were bright.

"After this night, Luandi Maodun will surely be suspicious and will not dare to launch a full-scale attack in the short term. He will take the time to reorganize his internal affairs, investigate the movements of Tufa Wugu, and ascertain the true nature of our 'Heavenly Thunder.' This is the time we need to wait for Marquis Weiyuan to recover his strength."

She looked towards the eastern horizon, which was gradually turning white. There lay Lin Yuan, the direction where Su Che was stationed.

"Mr. Su," she murmured to herself, "I have used the 'knife' and 'chess pieces' you gave me. Now, let's see when this stalemate in the northern frontier can be broken."

The message was relayed back to Lin Yuan at top speed.

"The Iron Wall Pass held firm for three days, repelling the fierce attack of the Di people!"

"Princess Jingguo personally commanded from the city walls!"

"A night raid on the Di camp, using 'divine thunder' to terrify the enemy, terrified the Di people!"

The political and public spheres were shaken once again! The wave of questioning subsided.

The eldest prince's faction was incredulous, while the third prince's gaze was deep and thoughtful.

Upon hearing the news from his sickbed, the emperor struggled to sit up and uttered three "good"s. He immediately issued an edict to commend the soldiers of the northern frontier and urged Marquis Weiyuan to accelerate his advance.

Meanwhile, in the secluded cottage south of the city, Su Che looked at the detailed battle report, especially the description of the effects of the "Thunderclap" and the Di people's reaction, and finally a genuine, cold smile appeared on his face.

On the chessboard, the white pieces representing the Iron Wall Pass not only stood firmly, but also placed several "thorns" around it that made the black pieces very wary.

The snowstorm in northern Xinjiang seems to have finally shown signs of a turnaround.