Such pressure is indeed too much for Chen Qingwan to bear alone.

Qiao'er looked at Chen Qingwan with pity and advised her:

"Your Majesty, I know that you care about the world, but your health is crucial to the nation and the great cause of national revival. Your Majesty must take good care of yourself."

Chen Qingwan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Qiao'er, governing a country is like leading an army, and managing the people is like commanding a military force."

As a woman, she needs even more prestige to command respect from all sides.

What men can obtain with ease, I must work ten or a hundred times harder to acquire.

Given the state of the world, how can we afford to slack off?

How can we remain content with a corner of the world and issue orders in vain?

Her voice was hoarse, filled with helplessness and sorrow.

Chen Qingwan's words sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the tent.

This woman survived two palace coups, yet she was still able to firmly sit on the throne.

The world has received far more criticism and condemnation than praise for her.

But she is as tenacious as a weed, with such resilience.

He's stronger than 99 percent of the men in the world!

Even Li Mu, a man of unyielding integrity, had tears welling up in his eyes.

He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "Your subject is ashamed!"

Qiao'er, with tears in her eyes and a face full of guilt, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed!"

Then, everyone inside the tent knelt down and shouted in unison:

"We are ashamed!"

Chen Qingwan took a deep breath to calm her slightly agitated emotions.

His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone firm:

"I don't need your guilt, I need your abilities! Help me to restore order to the world and revive the Great Tong Dynasty!"

She paused, her tone tinged with a sense of tragic grandeur.

"Even if one day I die on the battlefield, that will be my destiny!"

"I am willing to die for Your Majesty and share life and death with Da Tong!"

The crowd shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the camp.

Chen Qingwan nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, she truly took control of this land that she had fought so hard to win.

This empire was fought for by her, one sword and one spear, through mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

One day, she will stand before Lu Yan as an equal.

Not that little girl he teased and joked with!

Thinking of Lu Yan, Chen Qingwan's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

I wonder what this guy is doing right now, and if he's even thinking about me...

Pah! Pah! Pah! Why even think about him!

Chen Qingwan shook her head sharply, banishing these distracting thoughts from her mind.

His expression hardened, and he said loudly:

"Gather the troops! Prepare to attack Tiger Head Stronghold!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Everyone responded in unison; at that moment, they were united as one.

All for the sake of following their empress and conquering the world!

Tiger Head Stronghold was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its leader, nicknamed "Tiger Descending the Mountain," was a fierce bandit chief.

This man was eight feet tall, with a broad back and a powerful build. He was skilled with a spiked club and was said to be able to take on ten men at once.

Under his leadership, Tiger Head Village committed atrocities, burning, killing, looting, and plundering, leaving the people within a hundred miles terrified.

Chen Qingwan led her troops to the foot of Tiger Head Village. Looking up, she saw that the mountain road was lined with numerous checkpoints.

"Your Majesty, Tiger Head Stronghold is strategically important; a direct assault would likely result in heavy losses."

Li Mu rode up to Chen Qingwan's side and said in a deep voice.

Chen Qingwan frowned slightly, knowing that a direct attack was not the best strategy.

However, morale is currently high, and choosing to besiege without attacking would only dampen it.

"General Li, what good ideas do you have?" Chen Qingwan asked.

Li Mu pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said:

"I believe that we should send an elite squad to infiltrate the mountain stronghold under cover of night, so that we can work together from the inside and outside and achieve twice the result with half the effort."

After pondering for a moment and finding the plan feasible, Chen Qingwan asked:

"General Li, do you have a candidate in mind?"

Without hesitation, Li Mu knelt on one knee and said, "Your subject is willing to accept the order and go!"

"Granted!" Chen Qingwan nodded. "Be careful!"

As night fell, Li Mu led an elite squad.

Under the cover of night, they quietly made their way towards Tiger Head Village.

Meanwhile, Chen Qingwan was not idle either.

She ordered people to cut down trees and build siege weapons, preparing to launch a strong attack at any time.

As time ticked by, Chen Qingwan grew increasingly nervous.

She paced anxiously back and forth in the tent, glancing towards Tiger Head Village every now and then.

"Your Majesty, you should rest for a while."

Qiao'er looked at Chen Qingwan with heartache and offered some words of comfort.

"General Li is blessed by the heavens and will surely return safely."

Chen Qingwan shook her head, forcing herself to cheer up:

"I can't sleep. I'm waiting for news from General Li."

Just then, a scout rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and reported:

"Your Majesty, General Li has sent word that he has successfully infiltrated the mountain stronghold."

"We're just waiting for the signal, then we can launch a coordinated attack from within and without to breach the mountain stronghold!"

Chen Qingwan was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly asked:

"Can you pinpoint the exact location of the tiger descending the mountain?"

"Your Majesty, Xia Shanhu is hosting a banquet in the mountain stronghold tonight to celebrate the wealth he has plundered over the past few days."

The scout replied.

"Very well! Since he likes to celebrate, then I will give him a grand gift!"

Having said that, she immediately ordered the entire army to prepare for attack!

...

Late at night, inside Tiger Head Village, Tiger Down the Mountain was drinking and celebrating his recent gains with his henchmen.

"Boss, we've struck it rich this time!"

One of the henchmen smiled obsequiously.

"I heard that batch of goods came from the capital and is priceless!"

Tiger Descending the Mountain laughed heartily, raised his wine bowl, and shouted:

"Brothers, let's drink until we drop tonight!"

"We won't leave until we're drunk!" the henchmen shouted in unison, creating a lively atmosphere.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!