Bi Linglong had just heard the commotion outside and had already quickly dressed. Since she was now in the army, her attire was not as elaborate as it was in the palace. But the next second, she heard this terrible news.
"Come in!"
Soon the guards outside opened the door, and Murong Qinghe rushed in anxiously.
She was already tall, and now, dressed in golden armor, she truly looked heroic and valiant. However, her brows were filled with panic as she repeated what she had just said.
Bi Linglong's face darkened: "General Murong, don't spread rumors!"
If it hadn't been Murong Qinghe who delivered the message, he would probably have been taken away and punished in order to stabilize morale.
As expected, the guards and maids around them whispered among themselves, their faces showing anxiety.
"Your Majesty, it's true! Chaos has suddenly broken out in the city. I was feeling uneasy today and went out to check things out. I discovered that the rebel army of those vassal kings has appeared in the city. I notified others to intercept them while I came to inform Your Majesty." Murong Qinghe said urgently, "I think those rebels seem to be heading for Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, retreat to a safe place first!"
"Impossible. Fenglao Pass is heavily fortified. How could the rebels enter Guanzhong without a word?" Despite her trust in the other party's relationship with the Qin and Chu families, Bi Linglong was now secretly hoping that the other party had betrayed her and deliberately spread false information.
As she spoke, she pushed the other person away, walked straight out of the room, and looked into the distance.
Her residence was located at a high point in Guanzhong, giving her an unobstructed view of the entire region.
Now, Guanzhong is ablaze with flames, filled with cries and screams, as several groups of people are slaughtering one side of the city.
Seeing this, her heart sank to the bottom.
She was utterly baffled. After days of maneuvering and deceiving the rebels, and with her painstaking efforts, Fenglao Pass was now impregnable. How could it have been breached so silently?
There's a mole!
This is the only explanation; otherwise, given the defensive strength of Guanzhong, the rebels would not have been able to break through.
"Pass down the order: have General Gao and General Pei lead their troops to organize street fighting and temporarily block the troops that have infiltrated the city. The rest of you gather your units and enter the inner city."
Bi Linglong knew very well that the strength of her side in the city was in no way inferior to that of the rebels, but now it was the middle of the night, one side was well prepared, while most of her side was asleep. In the face of sudden crisis, they fought each other, and they were no match for the rebels who had gathered together.
The only thing to do now is to restore our team's organization; that might still give us a chance to turn the tide.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's too late." Murong Qinghe admired her composure at this moment, but having been in the army for a long time, she had to remind her.
"Even if there's no time, we have to try." Bi Linglong's knuckles were turning white as she gripped the railing. How could she not understand that the army's greatest fear was a nighttime bombing?
Panic can spread exponentially among humans. In the middle of the night, people only know that the enemy is coming, but they don't know how many enemies there are. Without any intelligence, their imagination can amplify the terror of the enemy many times over. Once the camp is overrun, the only outcome will be the annihilation of the entire army.
But she had no choice. She knew that if Fenglao Pass fell, the capital would be in grave danger, and the entire country would change hands.
She didn't want to be the empress, but her grandfather had entrusted her with the country. If she lost it in just a few years, how would she face him in the future?
Although various rumors say that Azu hasn't returned after all these years, he may have died in another world.
But she always believed that the man who created miracles would eventually return.
At this moment, a guard came running in a disheveled state to report: "Your Majesty, the messenger was killed by the rebels shortly after he went out, and we have no way to contact the two generals."
Bi Linglong's heart sank to the bottom; the worst had still happened.
"Can't the array master just teleport directly?!" she said through gritted teeth. Although the teleportation array costs a lot to activate each time, it can still be used in emergencies in the army.
These days she is building the Fenglao Pass defense system, which involves setting up teleportation arrays in several key locations in the pass, so that they can contact each other in case of any emergency.
"I went to check immediately, and it seems that all those formations have been destroyed and are unusable!" At this moment, Zhang Zitong, dressed in military uniform, rushed over. As the commander of the palace guards, she naturally had to accompany the Empress.
Bi Linglong was furious: "Each formation is crucial to the defense, and yet they were destroyed right under our noses? What were those Embroidered-Robed Envoys doing?!"
Zhang Zitong's eyelids twitched. She knew that the Empress had every reason to be angry. After all, the Embroidered Robe Envoy was in charge of all kinds of intelligence, and now that such a big thing had happened, there was no warning at all.
"Lord Xiao said that most of the high-ranking people in the city have become traitors. He has personally gone to contact the generals of various departments and asked His Majesty to think carefully about who is trustworthy and who is not." However, she was also an envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so she subconsciously spoke well of her former colleague.
Bi Linglong's face was icy cold. She knew that the traitors who could let the rebels into the city and silently destroy important formations were not only high-ranking, but probably more than one or two.
Just then, the sounds of fighting grew closer, and Zhang Zitong became anxious: "Your Majesty, the rebels have broken in and are now attacking this way. We must retreat immediately."
"Withdraw? Where else can we retreat to?" Bi Linglong said bitterly. Once they passed Fenglao Pass, the land was flat and open, and the rebels could easily march into the capital. The court would have no way to organize a counterattack.
Zhang Zitong was aware of this, but she still advised, "Your Majesty, I have been entrusted by the Regent to ensure your safety. As long as you are alive, you can always make a comeback."
Upon hearing Azu's name, Bi Linglong, who had been feeling down, seemed to be encouraged. She took a deep breath and said, "Send down the order to raise my ceremonial guard and the White Tiger Banner, and have all the tribes in the city move closer to me."
The White Tiger Banner is something only the emperor has the authority to use, representing conquest and slaughter; clearly, she is planning a desperate last stand.
Zhang Zitong was shocked: "Absolutely not! This would be too conspicuous at night. Not only our soldiers, but the rebels would also find out His Majesty's location immediately. They would then relentlessly pursue him, and he would probably never be able to escape again."
If they retreated secretly, she was quite confident she could escort Bi Linglong out of the city; but if they made a big show of it, she wouldn't be able to escape even if she wanted to.
"Escape? So many soldiers are still fighting in the city, how can I flee alone?" Bi Linglong's expression turned cold. "Execute the order immediately!"
Zhang Zitong was about to say something more when Murong Qinghe's eyes lit up: "Good, this humble general is willing to live and die with Your Majesty!"
After saying that, he ran to the side, took out a huge horn, and blew it. Soon, the stirring and powerful sound of the horn resounded throughout the entire Fenglao Pass.
Bright yellow canopies and somber white tiger banners rose high in the city.
The Central Army soldiers, who had been fleeing in all directions, perked up upon seeing this: "The Empress is still here, still fighting!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
