Their group mounted their horses and galloped frantically along the long street where not even a ghost shadow could be seen, heading toward the East Gate.

The magnificent city gate of the capital stood open. Bai Qingyan held her Sun-Shooting Bow while riding slowly into the city. Rainwater struck her silver armor, creating tiny splashes. Behind her followed Fu Ruoxi, who had lost an arm, along with the mighty twenty thousand soldiers of Anping Great Camp. They possessed such an imposing rainbow-like momentum that seemed ready to kill even Buddha if Buddha blocked their way, making none dare oppose their sharp edge.

The Anping Great Camp generals who had just emerged from the Court of Judicial Review quickly reined in their horses, their steeds rearing up and coming to a halt.

Fourth-rank military officer Liu Pinggao of Anping Great Camp gripped his reins tightly. His warhorse turned in a circle before steadying, and he widened his eyes looking toward the distance…

That woman at the very front, on a warhorse in silver armor, radiated a fierce yet restrained, overwhelming killing aura. Though the woman appeared slender and frail, her strength was forged through countless life-and-death moments amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Her strength emanated from her very bones—profound and magnificent in momentum, making it impossible to look directly at her.

Whether it was because he was thoroughly soaked by the heavy rain and felt cold all over, he got goosebumps. He shouted: “It’s Princess Zhenguo and General Fu! It’s General Fu!”

Through the rain curtain, when the Anping Great Camp generals saw Fu Ruoxi, their emotions immediately boiled over.

“It is General Fu!” The Anping Great Camp generals called out loudly in Fu Ruoxi’s direction. “General! It must be Princess Zhenguo who saved General Fu!”

“Now that Prince Xin is forcing the palace and rebelling, Princess Zhenguo has General Fu lead the Anping Great Camp to rescue the emperor! With merits offsetting faults… can our General Fu live?!”

“Let’s go! We’ll go over there!” Liu Pinggao spurred his horse and galloped swiftly in the direction of the army entering the gates.

When Liu Pinggao’s group saw Bai Qingyan raise her hand, signaling the troops to halt their advance, they leaped down from their horses before they had fully stopped, kneeling on one knee with clasped fists in salute: “We pay our respects to Princess Zhenguo and General Fu!”

“General!” Some Anping Great Camp generals had tears in their eyes.

Looking at the Anping Great Camp generals kneeling in the rain, all turning their gazes toward Fu Ruoxi, Bai Qingyan thought of the Bai family army…

In this world, aside from blood relations, the bonds between comrades-in-arms who had lived and died together were the deepest connections between people.

Once, after Liu Huanzhang betrayed Grandfather, there had been a period when Bai Qingyan questioned whether Grandfather’s words were right or wrong. But after seeing the soldiers of the Bai family army, she felt Grandfather was right.

Now, seeing how the soldiers of Anping Great Camp were utterly loyal to Fu Ruoxi without any second thoughts, Bai Qingyan felt that she couldn’t doubt the bonds between comrades-in-arms because of one Liu Huanzhang. This world had people like Shen Kunyang, Wei Zhaonian, Gu Wenchang, Shen Liangyu, and Liu Pinggao of Anping Great Camp who were loyal, brave, and valued relationships. Naturally, it also had petty people like Liu Huanzhang.

Those who were loyal, brave, and valued relationships always outnumbered the petty people. Otherwise, why would the Bai family army have produced only one Liu Huanzhang, while all other generals fought to the death to protect the Kingdom and sacrificed their lives to protect the young generals of the Bai family?

Fu Ruoxi lightly spurred her horse forward, riding alongside Bai Qingyan: “Today, all of Anping Great Army, from top to bottom, must heed Princess Zhenguo’s instructions, follow Princess Zhenguo’s commands, and pursue Princess Zhenguo into the palace to rescue the emperor!”

“Yes!”

The Anping Great Camp generals responded with loud cheers: “We swear to follow Princess Zhenguo to the death!”

Seeing Bai Qingyan dismount, the city defense general’s heart rose again. Why was Princess Zhenguo dismounting instead of hurrying to the imperial city to rescue the emperor?

Fu Ruoxi also dismounted, following closely behind Bai Qingyan.

The Anping Great Camp generals also gathered near Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan was neither urgent nor impatient. It seemed the more pressing the situation, the calmer and more composed she became. Speaking quickly but steadily, she said: “Liu Pinggao, General Liu, lead two thousand soldiers to control the East Gate. Pan Jianlei, General Pan, led two thousand soldiers to control the West Gate! General Fu Ruoxi and I will lead troops through the southern Wude Gate to directly engage the rebel forces!”

Liu Pinggao nodded and asked: “What about the North Gate?”

“The imperial palace faces south with its back to the north. General Fan Yuhuai of the patrol battalion will surely lead the Imperial Guards and patrol battalion to block the rebels before the emperor’s palace! The rebels absolutely cannot escape through the North Gate!” Bai Qingyan spoke with certainty. “The East and West gates are entrusted to you, two generals!”

Liu Pinggao and Pan Jianlei clasped their fists in acknowledgment.

Everyone leaped onto their horses and advanced mightily toward the imperial palace, showing not the slightest sign of anxious urgency in rescuing the emperor.

Bai Qingyan was waiting—waiting for Prince Xian and Prince Liang, who were flying the banner of rescuing the emperor, to fight roughly to a draw with their Nandu Army against Prince Xin’s Imperial Guards, then capture them all in one stroke, which would also reduce casualties among the Anping Great Camp soldiers.

Wude Gate.

At this time, Prince Xian’s men had taken control of the breached Wude Gate. The heavy, ancient city gate was scarred from chopping and battering, with one door panel knocked askew and unable to close properly.

In front of the palace gate lay corpses bristling with arrows. Red blood mixed with rainwater flowed out from within the palace gates, gurgling into the gutters, with wood chips and severed limbs floating on the bloody water.

Even the Grievance Drum that had fallen in the rain had its surface stained red.

The rainwater could not wash clean all the blood still flowing within the imperial city, no matter how hard it tried to cleanse the overwhelming stench of blood.

The Nandu soldiers cleaning the city walls threw down the corpses of Imperial Guards from great heights, leaving them bloody pulp upon impact.

The Nandu general patrolling in the rain saw in the distance through the downpour what appeared to be a dark mass of troops pressing forward like a tide. The sounds of neighing horses, footsteps, and the scraping of armor, amid the torrential rain, were like rolling thunder on the ground, making the Nandu soldiers on the city walls feel the very walls trembling beneath their feet.

The general stepped forward several paces, his palm gripping tightly against the ancient palace wall. With widened eyes, he shouted in panic: “Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! Archers ready! Quick! Send someone to report to Prince Xian… heavy forces are attacking! Quick! Go… use heavy objects to block the city gate! Quick!”

The Nandu soldiers who had been clearing Imperial Guard corpses from the walls frantically grabbed their bows and arrows, nocking and drawing them to aim below the city tower.

But… when the Nandu soldiers could see that mass of dark troops and hear their earth-shaking, tile-rattling footsteps, they knew the approaching army numbered at least ten thousand, while Prince Xian had left fewer than five hundred troops to garrison Wude Gate. How could they resist?!

Before even seeing the enemy clearly, the Nandu soldiers had already grown timid. How could they repel the enemy?

When the Nandu general vaguely made out that the one leading the troops was a slender figure in silver armor, he immediately thought of Princess Zhenguo.

If Princess Zhenguo came, she would surely bring the twenty thousand Anping Great Camp soldiers from outside the East Gate!

Twenty thousand…

Thinking of this number, the defending general’s legs went weak, and he barely managed to stand by supporting himself against the palace wall, immediately feeling as if defeat would come like a mountain collapsing.

The Nandu Army had only sent ten thousand men into the city. Prince Xian had originally thought that after Prince Xin and the Crown Prince mutually damaged each other, ten thousand men would be more than enough to take the imperial palace.

Who would have expected that Princess Zhenguo would bring the twenty thousand soldiers from outside Anping Great Camp?

The earth-shaking footsteps grew closer and closer, and veins bulged on the forehead of the Nandu defending general.