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

Luoying Gorge, as its name suggests.

The valley is flanked by two mountains, with a narrow passage only a few feet wide. The official road winds its way through the valley floor.

The steep cliffs on both sides, with their jagged rocks and intertwined with withered vines and old trees, make it an excellent ambush site.

It got its name because of its treacherous terrain, where birds of prey often circle around it.

At this moment, the heavy snow covered the mountains, rocks, grass, and trees, turning the world into a pristine white expanse, adding to the sense of desolation and death.

At 3:45 AM, the scout who had gone out to explore returned on horseback and reported to Zhou Bo: "Reporting to the Commander! No pedestrians were seen in the gorge, and the mountains and forests on both sides were covered with snow. There was nothing particularly unusual either. However... the wind direction at the gorge entrance was a bit erratic, and there seemed to be an unusual smell."

"An odd smell?" Zhou Bo frowned. "What kind of odd smell?"

"It tastes like... sulfur, mixed with animal dung, very faint, and it's been blown away by the wind and snow." The scout wasn't quite sure.

Sulfur? Feces? Alarm bells rang in Zhou Bo's mind.

These two items are often used to... set traps, or to drive wild animals and create chaos!

"Send the order! All troops on high alert! Draw your swords and nock your crossbows! The vanguard shall proceed slowly, and the scout vehicles shall go first! Han Lie, take your men and use the telescopes to carefully search the cliff tops and behind the rocks on both sides!" Zhou Bo ordered sternly.

The several monocular telescopes that Han Lie brought were improvements on the rudimentary blueprints provided by Su Che, and they came in handy at this moment.

The team's speed suddenly dropped, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

The vanguard of swordsmen and shieldmen raised their large shields and slowly advanced.

The scout vehicle was pushed to the front.

Han Lie, along with several of the best-eyed archers, climbed up a high slope by the roadside, raised his binoculars, and scanned the white cliffs inch by inch.

Inside the carriage, Yun Jin also sensed something was wrong and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Qingdai's face turned pale, and she clung tightly to her.

Just as the lead team was about to fully enter the canyon, and the scout vehicle had reached the middle section—

"Whoosh—smack!"

A whistling arrow suddenly shot out from behind a snowdrift on the left side of the mountain, soaring straight into the sky, its sharp whistling sound echoing through the valley!

"Enemy attack! Take cover!" Zhou Bo roared.

However, the expected rain of arrows did not fall immediately.

"Boom—!"

A muffled, deafening roar came from the cliffs on both sides! Large swathes of snow, mixed with rocks and broken logs, collapsed from the steep slope like a white torrent, cascading down towards the road at the bottom of the valley!

Avalanche! A man-made avalanche!

"Retreat! Retreat now!" the officer in the front ranks shouted hoarsely, but the canyon was narrow and the ranks were long, so there was no time to retreat.

Large chunks of snow and boulders crashed down, instantly burying dozens of people and their horses in the lead group. Screams and neighing were swallowed up by the roar of the avalanche.

The official road was instantly blocked by the collapsed snow and rocks!

In the chaos, countless figures clad in white camouflage suddenly leaped out from behind the "snowdrifts" and "rocks" on both sides of the canyon!

Armed with powerful crossbows, they unleashed the first dense volley of arrows at the chaotic group at the bottom of the valley, which was thrown into disarray by the avalanche!

The arrow pierced the air with a piercing whistle!

"Raise your shields! Form ranks!" Zhou Bo roared, his eyes bloodshot, as he drew his sword.

The well-trained guard battalion quickly contracted, surrounding Yun Jin's carriage in the center, raising their shields and forming a circular formation.

Arrows clattered and struck the shields and carriage walls, but the carriage was specially made, and the glass windows blocked several crossbow bolts, leaving only white dots.

The five hundred guards assigned by the imperial court were thrown into chaos. Under the double blow of the avalanche and crossbow bolts, they suffered heavy casualties and their formation collapsed.

"Target the carriage! Fire!" A leader-like figure shouted from the cliff.

More crossbow bolts were fired at the carriage.

"Protect His Highness!" Zhao Jianing shouted, taking the lead and wielding his long sword to deflect the arrows. Several guards held up large shields, protecting the side of the carriage.

"Han Lie! Locate the crossbowmen! Suppress them!" Zhou Bo shouted as he directed the circular formation to slowly move towards the canyon exit.

On the high slope, Han Lie's eyes were icy cold; he had already locked onto several crossbowmen's gathering points. "Fire!"

The ten archers around him, each wielding a specially made crossbow, pulled the trigger almost simultaneously!

The arrows they used were the "armor-piercing arrows" that Han Lie had improved upon, making them longer and more accurate!

Arrows tore through the wind and snow, accurately piercing the chests and throats of the crossbowmen on the cliff a hundred paces away!

Amid screams, the crossbow firing positions fell silent instantly.

"It's a sharpshooter! Scatter! Scatter!" the ambush leader exclaimed in alarm and fury.

"Use 'Thunder'!" Zhou Bo ordered again.

Several guards quickly took out fist-sized "iron lumps" wrapped in oilcloth from their waists; these were the small "thunderbolts" that Han Lie had tested.

Light the fuse and throw it forcefully towards the area on both sides of the cliff where the ambush is most concentrated!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several loud explosions echoed through the valley, sparks flew, and smoke filled the air!

Although its power was far less than that used during the Black Wind Gorge night raid, the sudden explosion, fire, and flying debris still threw the ambushers into disarray.

Many people had never seen such a weapon before and thought it was divine retribution, screaming in terror.

"Charge out!" Zhou Bo saw that the time was right and pointed his sword forward.

The circular formation suddenly exerted its power, like a red-hot knife, and charged towards the valley entrance blocked by the avalanche.

Swordsmen and shieldmen led the way, spearmen thrust from the center, and crossbowmen launched projectiles from behind.

Zhao Jianing led a team of his most elite guards, protecting the carriage and following closely behind.

The ambushers clearly did not expect their target to be so tough, so well-equipped, and even have the aid of "divine thunder".

Under the fierce charge of Zhou Bo and Zhao Jianing and the precise long-range sniping of Han Lie, the ambushers were quickly defeated.

"Stop the carriage! A reward of a thousand taels of silver!" The ambush leader, his eyes bloodshot, personally led a group of ruthless bandits to pounce from the flank, heading straight for the carriage.

Zhao Jianing's eyes sharpened, he abandoned his horse and fought on foot, his long sword transforming into a bright light screen as he charged head-on!

Where the blade flashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and not a single person could withstand a single blow from him!

The ambush leader had only exchanged three blows with him when his head was severed by a single slash, and blood spurted out more than ten feet away!

With their leader dead, the ambushers finally trembled with fear, cried out, and scattered into the mountains.

"Clear the road! Treat the wounded! Take a headcount!" Zhou Bo ordered, his voice panting. A short but fierce skirmish had repelled the ambush, but their own losses were considerable.

The vanguard ceremonial guard suffered nearly a hundred casualties, and the personal guard battalion also lost more than twenty men, most of whom died in the initial avalanche and crossbow bolts.

The road is blocked by avalanche rocks and will take time to clear.

Zhou Bo ordered his men to strengthen security, and personally led a search party to examine the bodies of the ambushers and look for clues.

Yun Jin stepped out of the carriage with Qing Dai's help.

A cold wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood, swept in. The valley was a scene of devastation, with the white snow stained red with blood, a shocking sight.

These were the first attacks she encountered after leaving Beijing; they were so direct and so ruthless.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Zhou Bo walked over quickly, his armor stained with blood.

"It's alright." Yun Jin shook her head, her eyes cold as she looked at the bodies of the fallen soldiers being carried away. "Can you trace their origins?"

"There were no markings on the bodies, and the weapons were all sorts of things, including military crossbows and civilian swords. Judging from their skills and teamwork, they didn't seem like ordinary mountain bandits, but rather... trained assassins, or fierce soldiers from the border army in disguise," Zhou Bo said in a deep voice. "We've kept several seriously wounded survivors alive and are interrogating them."

"Hurry. We can't stay here any longer," Yun Jin said.

She believed in Zhou Bo and Zhao Jianing's methods; they were sure they could uncover something.

Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Jianing brought over a prisoner who had been shot in the abdomen and was on the verge of death, and threw him on the snow.