They've already breached the palace, yet all they ask of me is an edict of self-reproach.

"Qin Zhaoyu, I know you are not convinced, and I do not want to take advantage of your misfortune. Aren't you waiting for the imperial reinforcements? I will give you this opportunity. In seven days, I will personally lead the troops to attack the city, and then I will make you submit."

Turdan wore a slightly lewd smile, deliberately emphasizing the words "completely convinced," making no attempt to hide his lust for Qin Zhaoyu's beauty.

The generals on the city wall were puzzled by Turdan's words.

Now, Qingyan City has less than 8,000 defeated soldiers left. If Turdan were to order an attack now, he could breach Qingyan City in less than a day. So why is he deliberately delaying?

Although the generals were puzzled, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The continuous defense of the city for more than half a month has exhausted everyone, and it would be best to catch their breath for a few days.

Moreover, Qingyan City is destined to be lost, so delaying it for one more day is naturally the best option.

Unlike other generals, Qin Zhaoyu's expression changed upon hearing Turdan's words.

How could she not see that Turdan didn't want to defeat her fair and square at all, but rather wanted to use her as bait to lure the soldiers of Wangdi Pass to come and rescue her?

Qin Zhaoyu's prestige in the Northern Frontier Army is too high. If the soldiers of Wangdi Pass learn that the Northern Rong will break through Qingyan City in seven days, they will definitely try their best to come and rescue Qin Zhaoyu.

If troops are dispatched from Wangdi Pass, they will inevitably fall into the ambush of the Northern Rong.

This is a conspiracy.

"What should I do...?"

This was the first time in all the years Qin Zhaoyu had served in the military that she felt so helpless.

In a daze, Qin Zhaoyu inexplicably thought of Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji had promised her that he would send troops to aid Qingyan City, but so much time has passed and there is still no news.

Qin Zhaoyu knew she probably wouldn't receive reinforcements from the imperial court, but she still subconsciously felt a glimmer of hope for Zhao Ji.

Outside the city, after finishing his speech, Turdan spurred his horse back to his own battle formation.

His purpose was naturally the same as Qin Zhaoyu had guessed.

Turdan understood that Qin Zhaoyu, with her intelligence, would naturally guess his intentions.

But so what if I guessed it?

This open scheme was something Qin Zhaoyu had no control over.

The fall of Qingyan City was a foregone conclusion, but Turdan felt that this was not enough; he wanted to maximize his gains.

If Wangdi Pass sends troops to rescue Qin Zhaoyu, then the Northern Pythons will have their chance.

The alliance of the Northern Python Kingdom, the Northern Rong Kingdom, and the Southern Di Kingdom was formed to break through Wangdi Pass and then use the northern frontier as a base to gradually erode the territory of the Dali Kingdom.

On the city wall, the generals were initially confused about Turdan's intentions, but after careful consideration, they quickly realized what was going on and their expressions became serious.

But this open scheme is somewhat unsolvable.

If they were at Wangdi Pass and heard the news that Qingyan City would fall in seven days, they would not have rushed to rescue Qin Zhaoyu without hesitation.

The wind was too strong on the city wall, and Qin Zhaoyu's health was extremely poor, so a group of generals escorted Qin Zhaoyu back to the temporary General's Mansion in the city.

As for how to defend against the combined forces of the Northern Rong and Southern Di in seven days, there's nothing to discuss; it's simply a matter of fighting to the death.

Fear is a biological instinct, courage is the hymn of humankind.

During this period of defending the city, one after another of their comrades fell, and at this moment, no one had any intention of abandoning the city and leaving.

The brothers are all lying here; they have no reason to leave.

After a brief, casual discussion, the generals exchanged glances, seemingly reaching some kind of consensus.

Immediately, the highest-ranking general among them said, "General, the loss of Qingyan City is a foregone conclusion. We will handle the rest of the battle. You are the backbone of all the soldiers in the Northern Frontier. There is no need for you to stay here any longer. Turdan's purpose is very clear: he wants to use you as bait to lure the garrison at Wangdi Pass out to rescue it. We hope that you will prioritize the overall situation and leave first to go to Wangdi Pass to take charge!"

After the general finished speaking, the other generals immediately knelt down and echoed, "Please, General, consider the overall situation and leave first to go to Wangdi Pass to take charge of the overall situation!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhaoyu's expression changed slightly: "Do you want me to desert?!"

Qin Zhaoyu knew that everyone meant well, but she, Qin Zhaoyu, was not one to fear death.

"General, that's not what we meant. We just hope that you can prioritize the overall situation and avoid making meaningless sacrifices. The northern frontier still needs you."

Without a doubt, if Qin Zhaoyu were to die in battle, the morale of the Northern Frontier army would inevitably collapse instantly.

"you……"

Qin Zhaoyu looked at the generals, sighed softly, and looked on with helplessness in her eyes.

She understood all of this.

Understanding something is one thing, but whether you want to do it is another.

If she wanted to abandon Qingyan City and retreat to Wangdi Pass, she would have done so long ago. Why wait until now when her elite troops are almost all dead?

Qin Zhaoyu knew very well that once Qingyan City was lost, even if she returned to Wangdi Pass, she would face a desperate situation of being besieged by three armies and running out of food supplies.

Therefore, she had to defend Qingyan City and wait for the imperial court's reinforcements to arrive.

If the imperial court does not send reinforcements, then it can only mean that the fate of the Dali Kingdom is sealed.

The loss of the northern border meant that the gates to the Central Plains were wide open, and the enemy army could sweep all the way to the capital like a sharp sword.

Qin Zhaoyu paused for a moment, then said calmly:

"I appreciate your kindness, but this matter is not as simple as you think. Since Turdan dared to give us seven days, he must have considered that I would leave in secret. Do you think they would let me return to Wangdi Pass safely?"

"If I were to die in Qingyan City, it would still inspire the soldiers' determination to avenge me. But if I were to fall into enemy hands, the morale of the troops at Wangdi Pass would inevitably collapse. At that point, would Wangdi Pass still be able to withstand the Northern Python's offensive?"

"this……"

The soldiers were speechless for a moment. Although Qin Zhaoyu's reasoning sounded far-fetched, it was highly likely to happen.

The capture of Qin Zhaoyu had a greater impact than the death of Qin Zhaoyu in battle.

"The General is unwilling to leave. Is he really going to die in Qingyan City like this? If that's the case, we might as well rebel. The imperial court promised to send troops a long time ago, but there's still no news. Is such a court really worth our life-or-death loyalty?"

One of the generals became somewhat agitated.

They could die, but they absolutely did not want to see such a proud and talented woman as Qin Zhaoyu perish.

"Yes, that's the case, why don't we rebel!"

The other generals were also somewhat tempted.

It is truly not worth dying for such a corrupt court.

"That's enough!"

Qin Zhaoyu coldly rebuked, "Anyone who dares to plot a rebellion again will be dealt with according to military law. Aren't there still seven days left? The imperial reinforcements should be arriving soon."

As she finished speaking, Qin Zhaoyu's tone softened slightly.

She had a premonition that Zhao Ji would fulfill his promise and send troops to support her, but reason told her that this was almost impossible.

Besides these reasons, there was another crucial reason why Qin Zhaoyu was unwilling to leave.

The set of Empress Taizu's Red Tassel Armor that Zhao Ji gave her.

Qin Zhaoyu did not want to disgrace the reputation of the Empress Dowager and become a cowardly general who fled.