“Your Majesty… it’s here… the urgent report has arrived…” Yuan Qing’s voice suddenly came from outside, with three hours remaining until dawn.
Yan Han’s closed eyes snapped open, then narrowed as he looked toward the palace door. Outside, snow continued to fall like willow catkins, accumulating thickly on the steps. Knowing Yan Han’s anxiety, Yuan Qing had been standing outside the palace gates wearing a cloak and holding his ceremonial whisk, watching intently. He suddenly spotted several torches moving rapidly along the palace corridor beyond the Zhengyang Gate, and joy immediately spread across his face.
They’re here! The news they’d waited so long for! Finally here!
Four people hurried to the hall entrance. The two leading them wore Imperial Guard uniforms, with the foremost being Lin Zhan’s nephew, Lin Xie, who now held the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard. Seeing Lin Xie, Yuan Qing’s brows slightly furrowed. The Emperor had been waiting for news from Zhao Yu—why was Lin Xie here instead?
“Commander Lin, why have you come?”
Lin Xie was walking quickly, wearing only his military uniform without even a cloak.
As he hurried up the steps, Yuan Qing finally got a clear look at the two people following behind. They wore scarlet military uniforms, with frost formed on their clothes from the wind and snow, and obvious frostbite on their faces. Looking at the mud spots on their hem and boots, they had traveled from afar!
And these uniforms were not those of the capital garrison…
Yuan Qing’s brows furrowed deeply, but Lin Xie had already spoken in a low voice, “Eunuch, something serious has happened! Has the Emperor retired?”
Yuan Qing shook his head, “Not yet. These two are…”
Before he could finish, Yuan Qing spotted the Golden Feather Arrow in the hands of the two men behind. The words caught in his throat, and his heart trembled. In all his years in the palace, the Golden Feather Arrow was considered the most ill-omened object. Yuan Qing immediately became flustered, “This, this is from where…”
“Yingzhou! It’s from Yingzhou! Eunuch, please report quickly!”
Lin Xie’s tone was urgent. Upon hearing this, Yuan Qing hurriedly turned and entered the hall. Coming in from outside, Yan Han was already looking over with stern eyes, “It’s not Zhao Yu’s men returning? What has happened?”
Yuan Qing’s shout had awakened him, and shortly after he had heard the rustling of conversation. If it were Zhao Yu’s men, Yuan Qing would have announced them already—why did he look so pale? Yuan Qing hurried to the imperial desk, “Your Majesty, it’s not Deputy Commander Zhao’s men, but soldiers from Yingzhou, carrying a Golden Feather Arrow…”
At these words, the heaviness in Yan Han’s eyes immediately trembled, his brows furrowing tightly, “What did you say!?”
Yuan Qing said with a bitter expression, “They’re Golden Feather Arrow soldiers from Yingzhou…”
Yan Han immediately sat up straight, “Summon—”
The appearance of a Golden Feather Arrow always accompanied urgent military matters. Having governed for many years, Yan Han felt an acute sense of crisis sweep over him!
Yuan Qing hurried to the door, “Quick! Come in quickly! The Emperor will receive you…”
The two dust-covered men carrying the Golden Feather Arrow entered with lowered heads, quickly kneeling in the middle of the hall. The leader raised the Golden Feather Arrow above his head and said in a trembling voice, “Greetings, Your Majesty. We are personal guards of General Luo Xiucheng of Yingzhou. Three days ago, heavy snow fell in the north, and then large numbers of refugees entered Yingzhou city. This situation seemed normal at first, and the General didn’t take it seriously, discussing disaster prevention measures with Prefect Wan. However, unexpectedly, about two hundred of these refugees who had entered the city rose in rebellion the next day. Though their numbers were few, they quickly managed to burn down the city’s granaries and military supplies. Not only that, but General Luo was also severely wounded by assassins. Subsequently, an army of over twenty thousand appeared west of Yingzhou city. Upon hearing of this force of twenty thousand, General Luo knew the situation was dire and immediately sent us two with the Golden Feather Arrow to rush to the capital day and night. Your Majesty, please quickly dispatch troops to break the siege of Yingzhou!”
The speaker’s words were filled with anguish and tears, and though there was obvious fear, his plea for the Emperor to send relief troops was still forceful and urgent. After he finished speaking, both Yuan Qing and Yan Han were utterly shocked. Yingzhou was the closest city north of the capital—if it was already under attack, wasn’t the capital in imminent danger?!
“Where did these twenty thousand troops come from? Under whose control?”
Yan Han spoke in a dark tone. The leading soldier hurriedly shook his head, “When we left, we didn’t know yet, but General Luo said that from that direction, only the Northern Army could have come to attack Yingzhou. A few days ago, an imperial envoy entered Yingzhou, and General Luo already knew about the northern unrest…”
The mentioned imperial envoy was naturally Minister of War Ge Yang and others, who had been sent after learning that Cangzhou had fallen to the Northern Army.
Ge Yang had headed north with imperial orders specifically to see how far the Northern Army had advanced. But three days ago, the news that came back was that Ge Yang had reached Chongzhou in the north, with no mention of the Northern Army advancing south. If so, where did this siege of Yingzhou come from?
Looking at the two travel-worn men, Yan Han calmly waved his hand, “Leave the Golden Feather Arrow and go rest.”
Yuan Qing stepped forward to take the arrow, and only then did the two soldiers withdraw. As soon as they left, Yuan Qing immediately said, “Your Majesty, this doesn’t make sense! Minister Ge’s message didn’t say the Northern Army had moved south. Where did they come from, and how dare they directly attack Yingzhou?!”
Yan Han’s brows furrowed tightly. The Golden Feather Arrow was genuine, and those two men with frostbitten faces wouldn’t dare risk their lives to deliver such news falsely. The only explanation was that the Northern Army, upon learning that the Empress and Crown Prince were confined in the capital, had urgently bypassed the strongholds of Fengzhou and Chongzhou, taking the northwest route directly to Yingzhou. They had caught Yingzhou completely off guard, and once Yingzhou fell, the capital would be next!
Zhao You! Well played, Zhao You! If they could take the capital directly, Crown Prince Yan Che could immediately ascend the throne. This way, the Empress and Crown Prince wouldn’t even need to go north.
Yan Han immediately clenched his fists. Zhao You had been the Grand Marshal for many years, guarding the north without error. With the Western Army in the west and the Northern Army in the north, these two tigers guarding the national gates could bear their sharp claws both internally and externally. Such an unorthodox move was exactly something Zhao You might do.
Frost gathered in Yan Han’s eyes, “Where is Zhao Yu?! Immediately have Zhao Yu and Lin Zhan return to the palace, and summon the Ministry of War officials and the Duke of Weiguo to the palace! Also, summon Zheng Baishi!”
Yan Han had become anxious. This sudden military report had disrupted all his plans. Compared to the Northern Army’s intention to attack the capital, Yan Chi’s life had become secondary. Now he only hoped that Zhao Yu had already dealt with Yan Chi, so he could focus entirely on responding to the Northern Army…