The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the imperial palace in the capital was shrouded in a thin veil of haze, appearing solemn and dignified yet slightly gloomy.

Inside the magnificent palace, Wu Yunyin sat upright in the throne, her sharp eyes like those of a hawk, scanning the court below.

The imperial court, which should have been a solemn place where officials gathered to discuss state affairs, now appeared unusually deserted.

Wu Yunyin's gaze wandered over the empty seats, disappointment and anger swirling in her heart.

"I ordered Wang Chong, the Minister of Revenue, to thoroughly investigate the theft of the national treasury, with a five-day deadline. Now the deadline has passed, why is he nowhere to be seen? Not a single person in the Ministry of Revenue knows where Wang Chong is. A bunch of useless incompetents!"

The court fell silent. The ministers looked at each other, their faces pale, fearing that they might offend the tyrannical and unpredictable empress.

However, no one dared to step forward and explain, because no one knew where Wang Chong had gone.

The air seemed to freeze, with only Wu Yunyin's breathing echoing in the vast court, creating a suffocating pressure.

Wu Yunyin's voice grew increasingly fierce, her anger reaching its peak: "Guards, immediately go and fetch Wang Chong for me!"

Wu Yunyin ordered someone to find Wang Chong, but a new problem arose before her.

"My lords, the national treasury is empty and the granaries are depleted. This is a disgrace to the nation! The court urgently needs to raise funds and provisions. What are your plans?"

The ministers looked at each other, none daring to utter a sound, for none dared to further anger the tyrannical empress.

The ministers lowered their heads, not daring to look Wu Yunyin in the eye, fearing that a single word from them might bring about their deaths.

"You are all speechless. Have you all become clay or wooden statues?! What use are you to me?"

Faced with Wu Yunyin's questioning, an old minister took a trembling step forward, wanting to speak, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and finally just bowed deeply to express his apology.

The other ministers remained silent, fearing they might offend the female warrior Yunyin.

Seeing this, Wu Yunyin could no longer contain her anger. She slammed her hand on the table, the sound booming like thunder, which frightened everyone in the court to kneel down.

"Since no one dares to take responsibility, then I will act unilaterally! From this day forward, the imperial army will forcibly requisition grain, regardless of wealth or status, without exception! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

Wu Yunyin's decision was like a bolt from the blue, shocking the imperial court and the entire capital.

Seven days later...

The once bustling streets are now deserted, with doors and windows tightly shut in every household, and an uneasy atmosphere permeates the air.

Since Empress Wu Yunyin issued the decree to forcibly requisition grain, the people of the capital have been as if they have been thrown into an abyss, living in constant fear every day.

"Sigh, life is unbearable. In the past, when we were fighting, we thought that the capital was under the emperor's nose and would be safer. But who would have thought that in this day and age, before even foreign enemies invade, we would be ruined by our own emperor?"

“My son, our family has lived here for generations, but now, this capital city has become hell. I don’t want you to starve to death here. Let’s go. Even if we have to wander outside, it’s better than waiting to die here.”

Such comments flooded the city, making the capital appear increasingly desolate.

The once bustling streets are now deserted, shops are closed, and even the once lively markets are now only occupied by a few vendors, barely managing to maintain the most basic transactions.

As night fell, the entire city fell into a deathly silence, with only the occasional barking of dogs and distant weeping, telling of the fear and helplessness in the hearts of the people.

The autumn wind in the capital carried a slight chill, blowing across the high walls of the Forbidden City, but it could not dispel the gloom that shrouded Empress Wu Yunyin's heart.

Under the emperor's nose, naturally no one dared to rebel, but an even bigger trouble made Wu Yunyin's mood increasingly depressed.

Inside the Imperial Study, a huge map was placed in front of Wu Yunyin, with the movements of various armies marked in red and blue.

Recently, a piece of news struck her like a bolt from the blue, shattering her last remaining hope.

Zhou Xiang's two armies are advancing with unstoppable momentum, conquering cities and seizing territory, forming a pincer movement against the capital from the north and south.

Wu Yunyin's finger slowly traced the red lines on the map; each line represented the advance route of an enemy army.

Although Wu Yunyin is not a military expert, this kind of open-ended tactic can still be easily seen through.

Zhou Xiang's pincer attack from the north and south is like an invisible net, gradually tightening and trapping the capital city within it.

Wu Yunyin's gaze lingered on the northeast corner of the map, marked "Tianyang Pass," where Song Xuan was located.

"Issue an imperial edict to Song Xuan, ordering him to leave 100,000 elite troops to guard the passes, while the remaining 300,000 troops rush back to the capital to outflank Zhou Xiang's northern army!"

An urgent imperial edict flew out of the capital like an arrow, heading towards Tianyang Pass.

...

On the back of Cuiming Mountain, in a clearing surrounded by dense forest, Chen Zhennan was leading Song Yunming to test the newly manufactured rifle.

A faint smell of gunpowder filled the air. Although the bullets were still made with black powder, this represented the highest level of technology achievable at the time.

"Yunming, watch closely. With this, the way wars are fought will change. We will no longer need our brave and skilled soldiers to engage in hand-to-hand combat."

Song Yunming smirked. Chen Zhennan's words were a bit too far-fetched. No need for hand-to-hand combat? They're just archers, after all.

Just as Song Yunming was thinking, "Bang!" A loud bang rang out, and the bullet pierced the air, hitting the target two hundred meters away.

Song Yunming was utterly shocked. He watched as the bullet pierced through the wooden board, its power immense and its range incredibly long—something unimaginable in his time.

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