“Hasn’t the city gate been breached yet? What’s there to cry about!”
Hearing the Emperor’s words, the guard hurriedly lifted his head, wiped away his tears, and looked at him.
The Emperor’s expression had already returned to calm. Several ministers had also rushed in behind the guard, originally intending to persuade the Emperor to remain composed and prepare to withdraw if necessary. But seeing his steady demeanor now, they secretly relaxed—clearly, the Emperor had already made preparations.
“Bring me my battle armor,” the Emperor ordered the attendants beside him.
At once, several ministers stepped forward to object. “Your Majesty, you must not! The battlefield is in utter chaos right now. Danger is everywhere—if you personally go into battle and something happens, Yunxi would be half-destroyed!”
“Nonsense!” the Emperor suddenly barked.
At his outburst, the ministers trembled and dared not say another word. A few palace maids quickly brought out his armor. The Emperor calmly donned it, his breathing gradually steadying.
“Listen to my decree.”
The ministers inside Taihe Hall immediately dropped to their knees. Officials and princes who had rushed in upon hearing the news also knelt at once, waiting for the Emperor’s command.
“If my imperial body should fall, the Third Prince, Lu Jue, shall become the next ruler of Yunxi.”
“Your Majesty! How could your imperial body fall? You are destined for ten thousand years!”
“Forgive me for defying the decree, but Your Majesty must not take such risks!”
“Your Majesty, everyone in the court knows this war was caused by the Third Prince. Even if he ascends the throne, many ministers may refuse to accept him!…”
At these words, the Emperor’s face darkened to an extreme degree. “Who dares refuse? Whoever dares—I will have them executed first.”
With that, Taihe Hall fell into dead silence. Outside, the thunder of cannon fire drew ever closer, yet the Emperor grew only calmer.
“Listen well. Lubei seeks to invade Yunxi. At a time like this, none of Yunxi’s people should incite internal strife. What you must do is support your sovereign with all your strength.”
Someone suddenly shouted, “If His Majesty dares to go to the battlefield himself, what do we have to fear!”
At first, only a few voices echoed in agreement. Soon, the entire hall erupted in shouts. Moments later, the Emperor mounted his warhorse, followed by several elite soldiers, and rode toward the city gates.
From a distance, they could already see flames raging near the gate tower. The sounds of battle and clashing weapons rose and fell without end. The city gate had not yet been broken, though signs of damage were visible from within. Smoke filled the tower above, making it impossible to tell whether anyone remained there. Fortunately, inside the walls were still Yunxi’s soldiers—the Lubei troops had not yet forced their way in.
Hundreds of soldiers were gathered inside the gate, blocking the entrance. Each of them looked battered and exhausted, yet all were still fighting desperately. The soldiers at the very front had already been crushed beyond recognition between the enemy’s war chariots and the press of bodies behind them, their forms charred black by flames. The gate creaked and shook violently, and those inside were struggling more and more to hold the line—it seemed it would fall at any moment.
At this point, every soldier wore a look of dread, as if they knew the next to die would be themselves.
Zheng Qingcang stood atop the smoke-filled tower, cursing loudly. He yanked his crossbow tight, and in an instant, one of the enemy soldiers handling gunpowder atop a war chariot was pierced through the throat.
“Damn it! What kind of cursed weapon is this, blowing so many of my brothers to death!” Zheng Qingcang roared like a blazing lion. In fury, he climbed to the highest point of the tower, aimed at an officer on the opposing side, and pulled his crossbow taut.
At that very moment, two cannon blasts exploded beneath his feet. His body was thrown into the air uncontrollably before crashing heavily to the ground, his vision blurring.
The arrow he had fired shot straight into the chest of the opposing officer. The man looked down in disbelief, unable to comprehend how the arrow had passed through the chaos of cannon fire—then in the next instant, he spat blood and lost consciousness.
Several surviving archers rushed over upon seeing their commander fall. Fortunately, Zheng Qingcang still had a faint breath left. One soldier glanced toward his legs—and his hands began to tremble violently as he helped support him.
After a wave of searing pain, Zheng Qingcang clenched his teeth and forced himself awake. Through blurred vision, he saw a familiar figure.
The Emperor?
He shook his head, his sight flickering between clarity and haze. Only when he heard the surrounding cries did he realize—the Emperor truly stood atop the tower.
The moment the Emperor appeared on the battlefield, the soldiers who had been on the verge of despair suddenly regained their fighting spirit. The city gate, which had been on the brink of collapse, was once again held firm. Even those who had fallen on the tower struggled back to their feet—so long as they had even a breath left, they would fight to the end.
“Protect the Emperor!” Zheng Qingcang roared to the soldiers beside him.
Standing atop the tower, the Emperor watched thousands of elite troops risking their lives to defend the gate, and his heart swelled with emotion. Yet when he saw that the enemy needed only a few soldiers to operate their weapons to bring down dozens of his men in an instant, his heart sank again. Could it be true—as the rumors said—that these cannons were so overwhelmingly powerful?
As he was still thinking, a series of thunderous blasts rang out, nearly numbing his ears. Before his eyes, the thick, sturdy gate was blown open with a massive hole.
“Target the one on top of the tower wearing the yellow armor—that’s the Emperor! Kill him, and Yunxi will be finished!”
“Yes—aim for him!”
A soldier from the opposing side shouted, and instantly, dozens of cannon barrels were all aimed at the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, get down!”
Zheng Qingcang didn’t even have time to speak before several cannon blasts rang out. He lunged forward and threw himself over the Emperor, knocking him to the ground as explosions erupted beside them. Of the elite soldiers surrounding the Emperor, two fell instantly, while three others dropped to their knees, shielding him with their bodies despite suffering heavy injuries themselves.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Zheng Qingcang was already covered in blood, yet he hastily pulled himself off the Emperor, looking at him in panic.
The Emperor had only sustained minor injuries. His face was smeared black and white with soot, but there was no sign of defeat in him. He ordered those nearby to carry Zheng Qingcang into a nearby room to take cover, but Zheng Qingcang refused no matter what. He insisted that the Emperor come inside as well to check on the situation before he would agree to go.
“Your Majesty, in my opinion, the elite troops here are less than half of those within the palace. Where are the rest?”
As someone tended briefly to the wound on his arm, the Emperor replied in a low voice, “Those elite troops are all stationed near Qingyi Courtyard. Only if Lubei’s forces break into the palace will they be deployed.”
“Why not station them at Taihe Hall?” Zheng Qingcang’s eyes flashed with surprise.
“No matter what, the Third Prince must be protected. Even if we fall into dire straits, there must remain a final glimmer of hope. Besides, from what I observe, there are not many Lubei soldiers here. I see two possibilities—either they do not have many troops to deploy, or their main forces are not all here.”
……
“Your Highness, what do you think?” Sun Ye stood before the Third Prince and asked.
The Third Prince looked at Sun Ye, who had been disguised to look exactly like him, and nodded with some approval. It might not be enough to deceive people like Shangchuan Hong or Hao Lin, but fooling ordinary soldiers would be much easier.
Seeing that the Third Prince was satisfied with his appearance, Sun Ye turned to leave. Just then, the Third Prince called out to him again. Sun Ye turned back respectfully. “Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”
“Be sure to stay safe.”
Sun Ye nodded at once and strode out of the room. Yet there was still confusion in his eyes. Lately, the Third Prince had been saying things out of character. Sun Ye had even begun to consider investigating in secret—was the person before him truly the real Third Prince?
……
“Your Majesty, in my view, those Lubei soldiers who infiltrated Yunxi must have entered before Emperor Hao Lin arrived.”
The Emperor looked thoughtful as he gazed at Zheng Qingcang, who was grimacing in pain from his severe injuries. He seemed to have something to say, but did not voice it.
“Uh… Your Majesty, just ask if you have something to say. I’m fine…” Zheng Qingcang had barely finished speaking when he pulled a shard of metal from his own body, cold sweat instantly pouring down his forehead from the pain.
“I only wanted to ask—have General Xiao’s reinforcements arrived?”
Hearing this, Zheng Qingcang momentarily forgot the pain in his legs. After thinking for a moment, he answered firmly, “No. Since the Lubei forces reached the city gates, we haven’t seen a single wave of reinforcements outside. All the soldiers out there are already dead, and those inside can’t get out. If reinforcements had arrived, we would still have a chance.”
“I fear that our reinforcements haven’t arrived, while their numbers may have increased,” the Emperor said, his expression grave.
Suddenly, a tremendous noise shook the ground itself. Zheng Qingcang’s face turned pale. Unable to move his legs at all, he could only shift his upper body to peer outside. The Emperor, too, felt a growing unease. Judging by the time… it was almost the Shen hour.
Could it be… his prediction was completely accurate…?
On the opposing side, the Lubei troops had also suffered heavy casualties. Those remaining showed signs of exhaustion. One soldier holding a large iron shield—with rows of cannon tubes hidden inside—complained bitterly, “I’m almost out of gunpowder.”
At his words, several others began to grumble as well.
Their commander was already dead. Another burly soldier with some authority glanced at them and snapped, “What are you panicking for? The gunpowder will arrive soon.”
“How can we not panic? Without gunpowder, these things are useless—and we might even lose them to the enemy.”
His words only made the others more uneasy. The burly soldier grew increasingly irritated and shouted, “If this is all we have left, then we fight to the death. Fire all remaining rounds at once. I refuse to believe that gate won’t fall!”
“That’s the only way…”
“Right—fire together, don’t scatter the shots.”
“……”
The Emperor suddenly heard a deafening crash beside his ears, and his expression froze.
Zheng Qingcang grew even more agitated, insisting on rushing outside. Just then, the deputy general stationed at the doorway to observe the enemy suddenly shouted excitedly, “Your Majesty, we’re saved! The Third Prince is leading several thousand elite troops this way. The Lubei forces have breached the gate, but they’ve been intercepted outside by His Highness’s forces—they can’t get in!”
Yet the temperature in the Emperor’s expression dropped once more. These elite troops had disobeyed his orders and followed the Third Prince into danger. At that thought, he could no longer suppress his emotions and strode outside. The deputy general assumed the Emperor was overjoyed and going to inspect the situation, so he did not stop him.
Zheng Qingcang, however, shouted for the deputy general to stop the Emperor. Only then did the deputy realize—but the Emperor was far from weak in martial skill. With just a few moves, he rendered the deputy unable to move.
At that moment, as the Emperor looked down at the scene below, his entire body trembled, his breathing catching.
The Third Prince had brought only a few thousand elite troops, yet the enemy suddenly produced twice that number. The battle was fierce. It was clear that Yunxi’s side was at a disadvantage—Lubei soldiers were naturally stronger and more robust, and now they also had the numerical advantage. If reinforcements did not arrive soon, these troops would likely be wiped out.
The Emperor’s gaze locked onto the Third Prince. His martial skill was formidable—each sweep of his sword sent several enemies falling from their horses. But if this stalemate continued, exhaustion would eventually set in. One misstep—and his life would be lost. All the Emperor’s hopes would vanish.
Suddenly, the Emperor caught sight of a pair of eyes fixed directly on him. The man stood atop a high platform opposite the gate, looking calm and at ease. The Emperor could even see the smile on his face—and the mockery within it.
The Emperor could hesitate no longer. He leapt down from the tower, landing beside the Third Prince, intending to bring him back to the tower to take cover.
The moment Sun Ye saw the Emperor descend, he immediately realized that the Emperor had mistaken him for the Third Prince. But with the situation so urgent, he could not explain. He swiftly cut down the soldiers around him, then protected the Emperor as they leapt back up onto the tower.
This entire sequence fell into Hao Lin’s eyes. He had already suspected that this man was not the real Third Prince, though he had not been certain. Now, seeing that breaching the gate was only a matter of time, he ordered some of his men to withdraw a portion of the troops and head straight toward Qingyi Courtyard.
Futile Devices Scans 
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