After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The Ten-Mile Gorge is no more than ten zhang wide, with steep cliffs of varying heights on both sides.

At both ends of the canyon, the lower cliffs are only about three or four zhang (approximately 10-12 meters) high.

The cliffs in the middle section are mostly nearly ten or twenty feet high.

On the cliffs on both sides of the middle, dozens of archers gritted their teeth, held longbows, dipped their arrowheads in pine oil in oil cups, lit them on torches stuck in the ground, and burst into flames. The archers then clenched their arms, pulled back their bows, and the arrows shot down into the canyon like fire dragons.

Dozens of fire dragons roared in unison, and rockets rained down on the canyon.

In addition to the fifty archers who were lying in ambush on both sides, dozens of laborers were also hired.

Some of the laborers were responsible for carrying stones of various sizes and straw balls woven from bamboo frames onto handcarts.

Another group of laborers hurried forward with their carts, then suddenly overturned them, pushing the stones to the bottom of the valley. With a series of rolling sounds as something was crushed, a piercing scream would come from the bottom of the canyon.

The straw balls, woven from bamboo and stuffed with rice straw, rolled lightly down the cliff. Before they even reached the chaotic scene, they were already ignited by the fire, turning into fireballs that roared towards the already desperate cavalrymen.

The rolling stones and fireballs not only hit people and horses, but also blocked their path.

The original plan was for the two groups of cavalry to collide head-on, with the aim of leaving the enemy in the middle with no way to escape.

But when the enemy in the middle unexpectedly flew through the air, the cavalrymen who were charging towards each other widened their eyes, lost their footing, and huddled together...

Before they could even organize their men to turn around, the rockets came crashing down, and a deafening explosion resounded in the middle like the wrath of the heavens, sending at least a third of the men flying.

Like a boulder crashing into a calm lake, water splashes everywhere!

Blood and severed limbs flew up in the middle, splashing into the eyes of the surviving cavalrymen. The severed limbs were like iron hammers, hitting everyone's faces painfully.

The horse neighed in fright.

Horseshoes clattered, dust billowed.

The cavalryman was thrown from his horse.

In a panic, he reached out to grab the reins again, but his broken ribs were painfully constricted by his armor. The horse was hit by a rocket and neighed and ran wildly in pain, dragging the cavalryman's feet on the ground.

People to the left and right, horses in front and behind, blood and fire, dust and smoke, the smell of burnt meat and fish... all kinds of things, sounds and smells torment one's mind and body like insect bites.

As soon as the reins slipped from his grasp, the cavalryman fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain as he watched the footsteps and hooves trampling around him.

call out!

A rocket landed on the ground right in front of us.

The cavalryman's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. Before he could even thank his ancestors for their protection, an iron-studded hoof stomped on his face... The cavalryman's face caved in, his limbs stiffened, and blood gushed from his mouth...

Curses, curses, curses—fierce curses, curses of despair, all sorts of curses in different dialects, filled with despair and resentment, echoed from the bottom of the canyon. Soon, very soon, these curses, involving ancestors for eighteen generations, turned into desperate pleas for mercy, kowtowing to the ground…

In this chaotic, devastated hell, some people still manage to escape, covered in blood, and head towards the exits at either end of the canyon...

At both ends of the canyon, armored soldiers emerged, holding barricades and spears, forming a horizontal formation.

Behind the hail of bullets, two rows of archers with longbows stood ready, poised to pounce on the fleeing, crippled bandits.

……

Hot winds rose from the valley floor, transforming into a tangible red wind that caused the green grass on the cliff top to sway continuously.

After Ning Nan was pulled up, his hands, which were gripping the long rope, were already bleeding.

With the pulley system consisting of three iron pulleys, pulling him became extremely easy. Even so, he still arranged for three strongmen to pull him even faster.

Upon reaching the top of the cliff, I let go of the hand, and I stumbled before regaining my balance.

Opening his eyes, Ning Nan saw that Shangguan Xiuxiu, dressed in purple gauze, had also landed on the ground... Ning Nan immediately grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Qin Yuanyao and the other Imperial Guards had already climbed up and were coordinating with the archers and laborers. Some of the assassins were even personally throwing stones down with excited expressions... their expressions were somewhat perverted.

Ning Nan pursed his lips, flicked his sleeves, instructed someone to put away the three pulleys, and then walked inside.

"Young Master Ning!" "Mr. Ning!" "Young Master..." "Mr..."

Various titles and appellations echoed from the chaotic cliff top, and Ning Nan nodded repeatedly.

Someone brought over a bamboo tube filled with cooled tea. Ning Nan took it, took a big gulp, and spat out the tea foam as he walked towards a tree a little further away.

There was a Jinyiwei centurion on each side of the cliff in charge of command. In addition to Qin Yuanyao, there was also a Jinyiwei commander of a thousand as the temporary commander-in-chief... Hmm, they are all professionals, they should be able to handle this matter... Even if something goes wrong, it won't be a big problem.

Ning Nan smiled slightly, but sweat continued to pour down his forehead.

The exhausted boy leaned against an elm tree and slowly sat down on a slightly dirty square stone, his eyes looking weary... He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a very long time, because he was trying to persuade some people and prepare for some things.

"Aren't you going to go and take a look?" The female commander, whose face was somewhat dark, was dressed in a blue casual uniform and slowly walked over, frowning as she spoke to him.

Below the canyon lies the masterpiece meticulously prepared over eight days by the man sitting on the rock before us.

But as the masterpiece was unfolding, the other party just sat there blankly, as if everything that was happening in front of him had nothing to do with him... Qin Yuanyao's eyes revealed a deep sense of doubt and confusion.

She only learned about part of the other party's plan two nights ago.

At that time, the other party, posing as the person in charge, inquired about their identities... were they Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)?

Her gaze froze, and she remained silent for a long time.

But at that time, this silence itself... was a form of acknowledgment.

Originally, I thought that Prince Xin's identity would eventually be exposed, but I didn't expect that the other party would immediately rub his hands together excitedly and ask me if Master Zhu was a member of the imperial family.

I didn't answer at the time and asked the other party to wait a moment.

An hour later, with Prince Xin's permission, they revealed part of their identities to the other party... Yes, they were indeed members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Master Zhu was indeed a member of the imperial family, with intricate connections to Prince Xin's residence... The other party's eyes immediately lit up...

Then, the other party revealed part of the plan, such as his guess that Xiao Chun had a way to deal with the five hundred people in Hangezhuang.

She sternly said that this was absolutely impossible, but the other party said that Xiao Chun's actions were illogical, but in some situations they were quite logical... For example, in the current situation, Xiao Chun impersonating the Beijing garrison was one of the several scenarios the other party had anticipated.

Other possibilities included Xiao Chun impersonating them to lure them away from the capital garrison, or Xiao Chun using a diversionary tactic to force them to split their forces, or Xiao Chun having his own people in the capital garrison to carry out a surprise attack on Miss Zhu... There were even insidious tricks like adding croton seeds to the fodder for the horses in the capital garrison... The other party listed all sorts of things in great detail, which horrified her.

Regardless of the outcome, given the enemy's various contingency plans, they will ultimately steer the battlefield to Shili Gorge...

"If Xiao Zhuge were a reckless fool, it would indeed be difficult to guess... but the other party cleverly sent Wang Fu back as a double agent... ha..." The other party's smile at that moment was more crescent-shaped and brighter than the moon, "This shows that this person is too immersed in the role, truly believing himself to be Zhuge Liang..."

A hot wind blew across the field, causing the branches overhead to sway and drop a few green leaves. The leaves fell to the ground, rolling helplessly in the wind.

Ning Nan raised the bamboo tube, calmly took a sip of tea, his eyes serious, and shook his head, saying, "A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen... I, Ning, am kind-hearted and cannot bear to see such a scene..."

...When a gentleman sees birds and beasts alive, he cannot bear to see them die; when he hears their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh...This is why a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuanyao's pupils gradually dilated, and she eventually sighed in exasperation, even feeling a headache, unable to speak for a long time.