I was to be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Empress Ma smashed Zhu Yuanzhang's jade seal.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, there was a deathly silence.

The golden palace and jade steps were cold and solemn.

The entire court held its breath, no one daring to speak; all eyes were fixed on the most glaring scene in the hall—

Empress Ma sat upright to the side, quietly embracing a cold, stiff body in her arms—the body of Prince Zhu Muying, who had just died unjustly.

Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes were dry, and there was only a desolate silence. Her hands were tightly wrapped around her son's body. If she loosened her grip even slightly, her last remaining thought would vanish completely.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao stood below the imperial steps, his black military uniform accentuating his tall and imposing figure, yet his aura was cold and aloof, a far cry from his former gentle and refined demeanor.

The sword at his waist gleamed coldly, and he gripped a Chengji sword tightly in his hand, the blade slightly exposed, its cold light reflecting off his tense jaw.

Behind Empress Ma, a group of important civil and military officials from Huaixi stood silently.

Xu Da was dressed in military armor, the silver armor stained with a faint dust. His once calm and sharp eyes were now dark and gloomy, his fists were clenched tightly, and his shoulders and back were taut, hiding extreme forbearance and heartache.

Hu Weiyong, standing to the side, lowered his eyebrows and eyes, his expression dark and unfathomable, and the atmosphere around him was tense.

All the former generals and officers of Huaixi stood with their heads bowed, their faces solemn and their hearts churning.

The entire Fengtian Hall was shrouded in a deathly silence of loss, grief, and oppression.

In the midst of this suffocating silence, a roar that ripped through the sky suddenly exploded above the imperial city!

"Urgent dispatch! Report from the Northern Frontier—!"

These four words were like a thunderbolt crashing down, slamming into the deathly silent Fengtian Hall, instantly shattering the stagnation in the hall and stirring up a monstrous wave in the majestic palace!

All the civil and military officials shuddered, their hearts suddenly sinking, and a chilling coldness shot up their spines to the top of their heads.

Northern Xinjiang!

It's northern Xinjiang again!

It is common knowledge in both the court and among the people that Prince Zhu Muying guarded the northern border for fifteen years, protecting the nation's gates and expanding its territory. The stability of the northern border depended entirely on him.

Now that the King of England has died unjustly and his body is not yet cold, an urgent message has suddenly arrived from the northern border. Without a doubt, it must be a catastrophe!

On the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned deathly pale in an instant, all color draining away.

Just now, he had personally forced his son, who was most capable of defending the border and fighting, to his death, and personally severed the vast barrier of the northern frontier of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, the bad news came suddenly, and he was filled with boundless fear and emptiness.

With the nation's borders in dire straits and foreign enemies on the verge of attack, the mighty Ming Dynasty found itself unable to think of anyone capable of defending the northern frontier or stopping the iron cavalry!

"Quick! Pass it on!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse and dry, trembling with a panic he himself was unaware of. His imperial majesty was completely gone, leaving only unease.

The heavy palace doors were violently flung open by external force, and a gust of wind carrying dust rushed into the hall.

A Jinyiwei guard, covered in blood, staggered in. His flying fish robe was soaked with blood and mud, and layers of dark red scabs covered the original brocade pattern. His body was covered in shocking wounds.

His face was crisscrossed with sword and knife wounds, his left eye was swollen and bloodshot, with only a thin slit for him to see. His bones and muscles had long since broken, and he barely managed to make it to Fengtian Hall with his last bit of willpower.

As soon as he entered the hall, he could no longer hold on. His legs went weak, and he collapsed straight forward onto the cold gold brick floor.

He was not unconscious, and his will was not broken.

With his last ounce of strength, he trembled as he raised his bleeding right hand and pulled out a letter tube wrapped in layers of oilcloth, which remained completely dry. He held it high above his head, his posture both respectful and resolute.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

The faint, intermittent voice would cease completely in the next second.

"The North... the Northern Frontier... has rebelled!"

"Shanhaiguan... has... fallen...!"

boom--!

These few words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens striking the top of the gate, making the entire Fengtian Hall vibrate!

Zhu Yuanzhang's vision suddenly went black, the world spun around him, and his body, which was sitting upright on the dragon throne, swayed violently several times, almost falling off the throne.

He gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his knuckles white and veins bulging, staring incredulously at the Imperial Guards below.

Rebellion?

Who rebelled?

Has Shanhaiguan fallen?

How is that possible!

That's the most formidable pass under heaven!

With its high walls and deep moats, impregnable fortress, and 50,000 of the Ming Dynasty's most elite garrison troops stationed inside the pass, its defenses were impregnable and unparalleled. How could it have fallen in an instant?!

"What did you say?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly sprang up from the dragon throne, rushed down the steps, grabbed the Jinyiwei guard by the collar, and lifted him up.

His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, and his whole body was filled with a violent aura, making him look like a madman.

"Explain yourself! Who rebelled? How exactly was Shanhaiguan breached?"

The violent shaking caused the Imperial Guards' blood to surge, their vision to blur, and they could only gasp for breath, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"Imperial Physician! Quickly, save him!"

Zhu Biao strode forward, reached out and firmly pressed down on the out-of-control Zhu Yuanzhang, his voice tense.

The cold light of the Chengji sword in his hand trembled slightly, the pain in his eyes deepened, and a sense of powerless sorrow arose faintly.

Several imperial physicians rushed forward in a panic, frantically administering ginseng soup and acupuncture to prolong the life of the injured man.

After a long while, the Imperial Guard named Zhang Shisan finally caught his breath and his complexion improved slightly.

He struggled to get up and kneel, but Zhu Biao sternly pressed him down: "Don't move! Answer me while lying down!"

"Thank you... thank you, Your Highness..."

Zhang Shisan, catching his breath, looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose face was contorted with rage, Empress Ma, whose expression was filled with grief, and the civil and military officials standing solemnly on both sides. Two streams of turbid tears of blood welled up in his single eye, each word a lament of blood.

"Your Majesty...something terrible has happened!"

Three days ago, an unidentified troop suddenly appeared outside Shanhaiguan!

"The number of men is small, only eight thousand!"

When General Wu, who was guarding the pass, first saw the isolated army approaching the pass, he assumed it was a relief force from the northern frontier and immediately sent someone out of the pass to call out and inquire.

But before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!

Zhang Shisan's body suddenly trembled violently, his eyes surging with extreme fear as he saw that hellish day once again.

"They...they didn't answer a single word! Without a word, they attacked the city!"

Upon hearing this, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of War frowned and exclaimed in bewilderment, "Absurd! Eight thousand isolated troops, without ladders, catapults, or any siege equipment, how could they possibly breach the formidable defenses of Shanhaiguan Pass? It's utterly delusional!"

"No...no equipment..."

Zhang Shisan shook his head violently, his teeth chattering, his voice filled with extreme fear.

"They don't use ordinary siege weapons! They wield black cylinders that explode when lit!"

"The deafening roar was more deafening than thunder from the heavens! The city walls of my Great Ming, several feet thick, were as fragile as paper before that explosive force! Huge holes were blasted through them!"

"The defenders on the city wall were caught completely off guard, and in an instant, most of them were killed by the explosion. The remaining soldiers were all stunned by the earth-shattering power, their courage shattered, and they stood there dumbfounded!"

At this point, Zhang Shisan's voice was already choked with sobs, each word dripping with emotion.

"And then...and then a peerless warrior, riding a black horse and clad in black armor, wielding a massive halberd, appeared as if a demon god had descended to earth!"

"Alone, he charged through the breach in the city wall and onto the city gate! His halberd swept across the battlefield, and none of our soldiers could withstand a single blow; those who touched him died instantly!"

"Single-handedly, he carved a bloody path through 50,000 defenders!"

"The eight thousand cavalrymen following closely behind entered the pass with unstoppable force!"

"Fifty thousand elite troops were annihilated in less than an hour! Some died, some surrendered!"

"The entire Shanhaiguan area was awash in blood, littered with corpses, and utterly transformed into a living hell!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Shisan could no longer hold back and burst into tears, his mournful cries echoing through the deathly silent Fengtian Hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.

All the civil and military officials in the hall stood frozen in place, their faces pale and their minds shaken.

A powerful explosive weapon capable of destroying city walls?

A demon god general invincible against all armies?

Eight thousand soldiers defeated fifty thousand elite troops and trampled the most formidable pass in the world.

What he said was utterly absurd, almost like a fantasy!

Xu Da's aura grew increasingly solemn, his body stiffening slightly beneath his silver armor. Even this seasoned warrior showed disbelief and shock in his eyes.

Hu Weiyong's fingers, hanging at his sides, tightened subtly, and his expression grew increasingly gloomy.

All the generals of Huaixi had solemn expressions, their hearts filled with turmoil.

Zhu Yuanzhang's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice trembled uncontrollably, and the unspoken suspicion in his heart grew clearer and more terrifying.

"What is the name of the general leading the troops?!"

Zhang Shisan, sobbing, looked up and spoke slowly and deliberately, his words echoing throughout the hall: "He...he claims to be the number one general under His Highness the Prince of Ying!"

"He also left a message—they are not rebelling, but merely welcoming Your Highness. As soon as Your Highness returns to camp, they will immediately return to the north and never return to the capital!"

Boom!

These words completely ignited the tense atmosphere in Fengtian Hall. The entire hall was instantly in an uproar, followed by a sudden deathly silence that enveloped the entire hall!

All eyes were uncontrollably drawn to the cold body in Empress Ma's arms.

Prince Zhu Muying!

It turned out to be him!

Zhu Yuanzhang's body swayed violently, and he staggered back two steps, barely managing to stand by holding onto the cold dragon throne.

His face was drained of color, his lips trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with shock, regret, fear, and disbelief.

He thought he had driven a powerful and influential prince to his death, who was guarding the northern frontier.

But to his utter surprise, this son whom he had personally ordered to commit suicide had been lying low for fifteen years, secretly controlling an unparalleled army that even he, the emperor, was completely unaware of, and whose subordinates were filled with peerless warriors!

What does he want to do?

What exactly is he trying to do?

"Your Majesty... this is not all..."

Zhang Shisan's weak voice rang out again, pulling Zhu Yuanzhang back to reality from extreme shock.

Trembling, he pulled out several sheets of blood-soaked, illegible letters from his bosom. These were urgent military intelligence reports he had gathered from various Jinyiwei spies along his journey.

"On the very day that Shanhaiguan was breached!"

"The 100,000-strong Dragon Riders of the Northern Frontier have assembled and are marching south! The commander's code name is 'Dragon Head,' and the army's motto is—'Swords point at Nanjing! Those who stand in our way shall die!'"

"The peerless warrior of the northern deserts, wielding his halberd, leads 30,000 Bingzhou wolf cavalry and 800 elite elite troops, crossing the Yellow River with incredible speed, marching day and night, straight towards Jinling! His slogan—Purge the court of corrupt officials, save our lord!"

"The unparalleled commander of Shanxi led 100,000 elite Qin soldiers to breach Yanmen Pass, besieged Taiyuan, and the Taiyuan garrison surrendered without a fight!"

"A renowned general from Liaodong led 50,000 elite troops out of Shanhaiguan Pass, joining forces with an unidentified elite army from outside the pass, creating an overwhelming force!"

"A young and valiant general from the Western Regions abandoned Hami Guard and led 30,000 Imperial Guards eastward, the entire army shouting—'Let's go home and welcome the Prince!'"

……

One military report after another poured out from Zhang Shisan's mouth. With each troop and commander he reported, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned paler and the spirits of all the civil and military officials in the hall sank a little more.

The Great Snow Dragon Riders, the Bingzhou Wolf Riders, the Qin Army's elite soldiers, the Beiwei elite troops, the Imperial Guards...

These battle-hardened elites, who only existed in military legends and possessed extraordinary combat power, and these peerless commanders who were masters of warfare and unparalleled in bravery, have all appeared in the world!

Tens of millions of cavalry and a million soldiers, all heading straight for Nanjing!

The reason for the uprising was entirely due to the unjust death of Prince Zhu Muying!

The entire Fengtian Hall was utterly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The entire court of officials stood frozen in place, their minds blank and their bodies ice-cold.

Boundless fear, like an invisible giant hand, gripped everyone's throat, suffocating them.

Only now did everyone fully understand that the phrase "the northern frontier has rebelled" was not just a local turmoil, but a cataclysmic event!

The entire northern border defenses of the Ming Dynasty have defected!

They all sought justice for the King of England, and their troops marched straight towards the capital!

"There's... there's one last one... the most terrifying one..."

Zhang Shisan's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with utter despair.

"There was an unparalleled commander, whose military prowess was unparalleled, whose plans spanned thousands of miles. His hundreds of thousands of troops were quietly deployed, forming a vast and inescapable net, completely sealing off the entire north!"

"He did not attack cities or massacre people, but instead cut off the north-south waterway, controlled the strategic passes of the realm, spread the truth, and appeased the people!"

"Now all the people of the North know that His Highness the Prince of Ying was unjustly and tragically killed! Everyone remembers the Prince's kindness in defending the border, and they all eagerly await the royal army's southward march to seek justice for the Prince of Ying!"

"Your Majesty... the army's morale has completely turned against us... the people's hearts have been lost... the tide has turned..."

As the last word fell, Zhang Shisan's head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness.

This one sentence was the final, devastating blow that crushed Zhu Yuanzhang.

He spent half his life on the battlefield, pacifying the chaotic world and establishing the dynasty, diligently maintaining the peace and stability of the Ming Dynasty for five years.

Because of a moment of suspicion and ruthlessness, he forced a loyal official to his death and unjustly killed his beloved son.

In a single day, the border troops rebelled, the fierce generals turned against them, and the people's hearts were lost!

This emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who once ruled the entire country, was suddenly reduced to a completely isolated figure!

"Hehe... Hahaha..."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into a low, wild laugh, a hoarse and mournful laugh that was even more desolate than weeping.

His body trembled like autumn leaves falling in the wind, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared intently at the cold corpse in Empress Ma's arms.

"Great! Excellent!"

"What a fine son of mine! What a war god who has expanded the territory of the Ming Dynasty and guarded the vast northern border!"

"I used to think of you as a wild, untamed wolf!"

"So...so you were a true dragon who had been lying low for fifteen years, patiently gathering your strength!"

"You are trying to overthrow my throne and destroy my Ming Dynasty!"

The piercing roar echoed in the empty hall, but no one answered.

Only Empress Ma silently held her beloved son's body tightly, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

Zhu Biao gripped Chengji Sword, his body tense, his heart filled with sorrow and helplessness.

Xu Da and the other civil and military officials of Huaixi bowed their heads in silence, their hearts filled with complex emotions and mixed feelings.

The hall was deathly silent, filled only with despair.

Just then, another extremely shrill and piercing scream of victory came from outside the hall!

"Report—!"

Another messenger, covered in wounds and stumbling, rushed into the main hall, fell heavily to his knees with a thud, his face ashen, his expression even more terrified than before!

"Your Majesty! Something has happened in the south!"

"The Grand Admiral of the Yangtze River Naval Camp has personally led his entire 100,000-strong navy in a defection! The entire Yangtze River, a natural barrier, has been sealed off!"

"The entire navy—welcomes the King!"

at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely anxious.

These people are all welcoming the King of England.

They all believed that Zhu Muying was still alive!

However, Zhu Muying was already dead.

If they knew Zhu Muying was dead!

What will happen!