As soon as she heard the commotion outside, Bi Linglong swiftly put on her clothes. Naturally, her dress here was nowhere as elaborate as when she was in the palace. What she heard shocked her.
“Come in!”
The guard opened the door, and Murong Qinghe entered anxiously. Her tall stature and her golden armor gave her an air of valiance, but she looked flustered. She quickly repeated what she had just said.
Bi Linglong’s face darkened. “General Murong, don’t talk nonsense!” Were it not Murong Qinghe reporting this matter, she would have had the other party punished to stabilize the army’s morale.
Unsurprisingly, the nearby guards and maids began whispering under their breath in panic.
“It’s true, Your Majesty. Chaos suddenly broke out in the city. I was patrolling the streets when I chanced upon it. The rebel army was in the city. I ordered the troops to stall them before rushing here,” Murong Qinghe said anxiously. “The rebels seem to be after Your Majesty. Your Majesty, you have to retreat somewhere safe!”
“That’s impossible. Phoenix Pass is tightly guarded. How could the rebel army slip in without any notice?”
Even though Bi Linglong had always trusted Murong Qinghe, at this very moment, she was secretly hoping that the latter had betrayed her and was relaying fake news. She pushed Murong Qinghe aside and walked out of the room. She was staying at a higher elevation, which allowed her to have a bird’s eye view of the situation in the city.
Flames blazed furiously in the pass. Screams and cries filled the air everywhere. Soldiers were slaughtering the civilians one-sidedly.
Bi Linglong’s heart sank. Under her leadership, Phoenix Pass had become heavily reinforced. It was inconceivable to her how it could be breached just like that.
There must be traitors!
That was the only explanation. The rebel army couldn’t have breached their defenses otherwise.
“Relay my orders. General Gao and General Pei are to lead the troops to stall the enemy soldiers, while the others are to gather at the inner city right away.”
Bi Linglong knew the troops she had in the city were no weaker than the rebel army’s. The problem was that most of her troops were asleep, whereas the enemy had come prepared. In their current state, they were no match for the rebel army. Her only shot at turning the tables was to rally her troops together.
“Your Majesty, we won’t make it in time.” Murong Qinghe was awed by Bi Linglong’s composure, but as a military veteran, she had to offer her judgment.
“We have to give it a try nevertheless.” Bi Linglong clutched a pillar so tightly that her fingers turned pale. She understood that there was nothing more fearsome to an army than a night raid.
Panic was infectious. It was hard to gauge how strong an enemy force was when facing a night raid. Without any intelligence, one could easily exaggerate the threat. Once an army succumbed to panic, they were doomed to be obliterated.
But Bi Linglong had no choice. If the rebel army were to breach Phoenix Pass, the capital would be in danger. At this rate, she could lose the throne. While she had no desire to cling to her position as empress, Zu An had entrusted this country to her. How could she face him if she lost the country in just a few years?
Despite the rumors that Zu An had died in the other world, she believed that the man who had created so many miracles would return alive.
Just then, a guard rushed over and reported, “Your Majesty, the messenger was killed by a rebel soldier shortly after he was dispatched. We have no way to get in touch with the two generals.”
Bi Linglong felt as if her heart hda bene plunged into cold water. The worst situation had happened.
“Where are the formation masters? Can’t you send the message directly?!” she roared with gritted teeth. Teleportation formations consumed a huge amount of resources, but this was an emergency. While refining Phoenix Pass’ defensive system in the last few days, she'd set up teleportation formations in several crucial spots so that they could communicate even in such situations.
“I’ve checked it. Someone tampered with the formations. They wouldn’t activate!” the fully armored Zhang Zitong rushed in and reported. As the commander of the imperial guards, she had to accompany the empress wherever she went.
Bi Linglong was enraged. “Every formation is heavily guarded, yet someone still managed to tamper with them? Where are the Embroidered Envoys? What are they doing?!”
Zhang Zitong’s eyelids twitched. It was a major slip up from the Embroidered Envoys to not send a heads up when something this huge had happened. But she couldn’t help but speak up for her former colleague, saying, “Lord Xiao says that there must be traitors among the upper echelons in the city. He has personally set out to contact the generals, and he warns Your Majesty to think carefully about who to trust.”
Bi Linglong’s face turned ice-cold. For the rebel army to slip into the city and quietly tamper with so many important formations, there had to be several high-ranking defectors.
The clashing sounds grew closer. Zhang Zitong grew anxious. “Your Majesty, the rebel army is on its way here. We need to retreat right now!”
“Retreat? Where can I retreat to?” Bi Linglong looked bitter. Beyond Phoenix Pass was a plain, so the rebel army could make a beeline for the capital. The imperial court would have no way to stop them anymore.
Zhang Zitong understood that, but she still advised, “Your Majesty, the regent has entrusted me with your safety. As long as you survive this ordeal, we can always come up with something.”
The mention of Ah Zu raised Bi Linglong’s low morale. She took a deep breath and commanded, “Relay my order. Hoist up my personal banner and the White Tiger Banner. Have the soldiers rally toward me.”
The White Tiger Banner could only be used by the emperor. It represented a strong offensive, which meant that she was determined to put up one last fight.
Zhang Zitong was horrified. “You mustn’t! It will be too conspicuous in the middle of the night. Not only will our soldiers see it, but the rebel army will also know where you are! If they encircle this area, we won’t be able to get away.”
Zhang Zitong was confident she could escort Bi Linglong out of the city if they did it secretly, but the same couldn’t be said if they made a huge fuss about it.
“Escape? There are still many soldiers fighting in the city. How can I flee on my own?” Bi Linglong’s expression turned cold. “Execute my order!”
Zhang Zitong still wanted to dissuade her, but Murong Qinghe interjected, “I’m willing to put my life on the line with Your Majesty!”
Murong Qinghe grabbed the war horn and blew it. A majestic call echoed through Phoenix Pass. A brilliant yellow banner and the solemn White Tiger Banner were raised at a vantage point in the city.
The morale of the fleeing imperial soldiers lifted when they saw the banners. “Our empress is still fighting with us!”