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

Zhao Qingcang looked intently at Yun Jin, as if trying to get to know this young princess all over again.

After a long pause, he slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and said in a booming voice, "Excellent! Your Highness is courageous and resourceful, a woman who is no less capable than a man! This plan, though risky, is the only chance to defeat the enemy! I will accompany Your Highness in this perilous move!"

He walked to the map and pointed sharply with his finger: "Then we shall follow Your Highness's plan! Zhou Bo!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You and Her Highness the Princess will be in overall command of the defenses within the pass. You must hold out for at least three days! Within those three days, even if it means fighting to the last man, you must not retreat a single step! Is this achievable?"

Zhou Bo knelt on one knee and his voice was hoarse as he said, "This humble general is willing to sign a military pledge! I will live as long as the prison stands, or I will die if the prison falls!"

"Very well!" Zhao Qingcang then looked at Yun Jin. "Your Highness, I entrust the affairs within the pass to you and Commander Zhou. Tonight, I will lead 20,000 elite troops out of the pass, maneuvering to Black Wind Gorge to set up an ambush. I will also dispatch 5,000 light cavalry, led by my deputy, to sneak to Wild Fox Ridge to join forces with the surprise force Your Highness mentioned, awaiting orders to intercept and annihilate the fleeing enemy!"

"Yun Jin respectfully obeys the Marquis's orders!" Yun Jin bowed solemnly.

"Furthermore," Zhao Qingcang took out a crimson gold command arrow from his robes and handed it to Yun Jin, "this is my token for mobilizing troops. If there is any change in the pass, or if an opportunity arises, Your Highness may use this token to command all troops within the pass and in Yehuling, including the troops I left behind for support! No need to ask for permission!"

This is an immense trust, a gamble of one's life and fortune on Yun Jin's judgment and abilities.

Yun Jin solemnly accepted the command token: "I will certainly live up to the Marquis's trust!"

Zhao Qingcang nodded, said no more, turned around and strode downstairs to begin deploying his troops.

Swift and decisive, without any delay.

Zhou Bo and the others hurriedly followed and went down to arrange the defenses. In an instant, only Yun Jin, Qing Dai, and Ye Xiao remained on the city wall.

"Your Highness, are you really..." Qingdai looked at Yun Jin's calm profile, her heart filled with worry. That was the main force of the Di people attacking in full force!

"The arrow is on the string, and it must be released."

Yun Jin gripped the heavy crimson-gold command arrow in her hand, her gaze fixed on the sprawling Di camps outside the city. There, smoke curled from chimneys, warhorses neighed, and beneath the calm lay a bloody storm about to erupt, one that would determine the fate of the northern frontier.

"Night Owl, notify Commander Zhao to proceed with the plan and cooperate with Deputy General Weiyuan Hou."

At the same time, tell Pang Xiaopan to send all available arrows, oil, logs, and stones to the city wall. Also,

She paused, lowering her voice, "Immediately send the copy of our confession regarding the conflict between Tuoba Wugu and Luandi Maodun, as well as... the key testimonies from Liu Neng and Wang Lu concerning a certain 'noble person' in the court, to Mr. Su in the capital through the safest channels."

Tell him that the decisive battle in the northern frontier is imminent, and it's time for the court to make its move.

"Yes!" Night Owl accepted the order and quickly disappeared.

Yun Jin stood alone on the city wall, the cold wind whipping her black cloak, making it flutter loudly.

As the sun set, it cast a long shadow of hers, which was reflected on the mottled city walls and the vast snowfield in the distance.

"Luan Di Maodun, if you want war, then let's fight."

"Let's see if your Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry is sharper, or if my Jiang Qiong's border is stronger."

"Let's see if your ambition is more insane, or if the wind and snow of this northern frontier are colder."

She muttered to herself, a cold flame burning in her eyes.

Meanwhile, at the Hidden Abode in Lin Yuan City, Su Che received two secret reports from the Northern Frontier almost simultaneously.

One document is Yun Jin's request and notification regarding the decisive battle plan.

The other document, sent through top-secret channels, was a copy of the confession and testimony that was enough to completely condemn the eldest prince, Yun Jie, to the abyss.

After reading the battle report from the northern frontier, Su Che slowly traced the points "Black Wind Gorge", "Wild Fox Ridge" and "Iron Wall Pass" with his finger, revealing approval and a hint of barely perceptible worry in his eyes.

"Luring the snake out of its hole, inviting the enemy into a trap, surrounding them from three sides... What courage, what a scheme! Your Highness, you are already showing the makings of a great general." He commented in a low voice, then his gaze turned cold. "However, this bait is far too dangerous. Luandi Maodun... is no easy opponent."

He pondered for a moment, then spread out paper and pen and began to write rapidly.

This was the third and final order given to "Number Seven" in northern Xinjiang. The content was simple, just eight words: "The time has come; fan the flames."

After finishing writing, he sealed it with sealing wax and summoned the Grey Falcon: "Use the fastest hawk to deliver it to the northern frontier. Make sure it reaches 'Number Seven' before the final battle."

"yes!"

Then, he picked up the copy of the confession from the northern frontier, read it carefully, and a cold and cruel smile appeared on his lips.

"Your Highness, Yun Jie... it's time for your performance to end."

He walked to another desk, where bright yellow silk had already been laid out.

He picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write a "detailed report" for the emperor, in his capacity as "Su Zhe, chief advisor to Princess Jingguo's household," regarding the war in the northern frontier and the situation of the anti-traitor campaign within the Great Wall.

In this report, he cleverly and seemingly unintentionally linked the information about capturing an internal traitor in the northern frontier and revealing a "certain nobleman" in the court with the previous assassination in Liuyin Lane, the destruction of the umbrella outside Yongding Gate, and even the various obstacles encountered during the disaster relief in the south. He outlined a faint chain of crimes pointing to the eldest prince's "willingness to betray the country, frame loyal officials, and shake the foundation of the nation in order to seize the throne."

Of course, he wouldn't make direct accusations, but rather present the evidence "objectively" and raise "reasonable" doubts.

The rest is up to that suspicious emperor to think and judge for himself.

At the same time, he wrote another letter to several upright officials and censors who he had secretly befriended or who had been initially won over by Yun Jin, as well as Li Yan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

The letter provided some "clues" to guide them to pay attention to the Crown Prince's recent unusual behavior, the whereabouts of his disciple Mr. Jia, and the strange things about the supply of military provisions in the northern border.

What he wanted was not a decisive blow, but to spread the fire from the northern frontier to the imperial court, turning evidence into public opinion, and doubt into consensus.

While Yun Jin fought bloody battles in the northern frontier and established unparalleled achievements, he completely destroyed the political life, and even... physical life, of the eldest prince Yun Jie, in the imperial court.

After writing all the letters and sending them through different channels, Su Che walked to the window and looked at the gloomy northern sky.

"Your Highness, as you fight and bleed on the front lines, I will be there behind you, clearing all obstacles and paving the way back to the capital."

"This game is coming to an end."

"The snow in northern Xinjiang should be stained red with blood."

"And the political landscape of the court... it's time for a change."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his figure appearing aloof and unfathomable in the deepening night.

A bloody battle that will determine the fate of the northern frontier and a storm that will overturn the court's structure are about to arrive simultaneously.

The player's hand had already quietly placed the last piece.