With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

The smoke was lingering, and it looked particularly eerie under the dim light.

Seeing Chen Qingwan, the soldiers struggled to stand up and salute.

But Chen Qingwan just nodded slightly, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite.

She was extremely anxious at the moment and just wanted to get to the city wall as soon as possible, so she had no time to care about anything else.

She walked quickly across the street, her eyes scanning everything around her.

My heart felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock, so heavy that I could hardly breathe.

Beneath the city wall, rows of corpses were neatly laid out, silently telling of the cruelty of war.

These are the soldiers who sacrificed their lives heroically to defend this city and their homes.

Xiashanhu was directing the soldiers to carry the dead soldiers onto carts, cover them with white cloth, and prepare to transport them outside the city for burial.

His expression was solemn and his movements were heavy as he mourned for the lives lost.

Not far away, from the makeshift tent, the wailing of seriously injured soldiers continued to be heard.

The shrill screams pierced Chen Qingwan's eardrums like sharp knives, making her heart ache.

The sound seemed particularly sad in the silent night, making people feel creepy.

When Xia Shanhu saw Chen Qingwan, he quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee to salute:

"Your humble servant pays respect to His Highness!"

"Shanhu, where is Li Mu?"

Chen Qingwan asked straight to the point, with a hint of anxiety in her tone, and even her brows were slightly furrowed.

"General Lee was shot by a rocket and is recovering in the tent over there."

Xiashanhu pointed to the largest tent not far away with a serious expression.

Chen Qingwan nodded and walked quickly towards the tent where Li Mu was.

When the curtain was opened, a smell of blood and herbs hit me in the face.

She saw Li Mu lying on the simple hospital bed with a pale face and blood all over his face.

These were all wounds caused by rockets, and they looked shocking.

A few pieces of burnt flesh stuck to the armor fragments were a sight that was unbearable to look at.

"Your Highness..."

Li Mu struggled to stand up and salute, but was held down by Chen Qingwan.

"No need to be polite!"

Chen Qingwan asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"It looks scary, but it's just superficial injuries."

Li Mu smiled as if he was relaxed, but his tone was weak.

"Thanks to this armor, if it hadn't blocked the arrow, I'm afraid it would have taken my life."

Chen Qingwan carefully examined Li Mu's injuries and saw that although the wound looked horrific.

But there was indeed no damage to the vital parts, so he breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"You guys have a good rest. I'll keep watch at night!"

After saying this, he climbed up the city wall.

The personal maid Qiao'er followed closely behind. She didn't need anyone to tell her, just looked at the tragic scene of the city walls being pitted by the explosion.

The piles of corpses outside the city showed how brutal the battle to defend the city during the day was.

"Rest first and keep watch with me tonight!"

Chen Qingwan leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes tiredly.

Qiao'er stood silently by, without saying a word, just looking at her quietly.

Chen Qingwan said nothing and leaned against the pillar of the city wall to rest.

On the city wall, the wind was howling, blowing up the dust and bloody smell on the ground, making people feel sick.

In the distance, the enemy camp was brightly lit, like a beast lurking in the darkness, ready to attack at any time.

Night fell, the stars and moon were dim, and on the silent city wall, there was only the whistling sound of the wind and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.

Suddenly, a low horn sound broke the silence of the night.

Immediately afterwards, deafening shouts of killing came from afar, gradually growing stronger, sweeping over like a surging tide.

The enemy launched their first feint attack.

Countless torches lit up in the enemy camp, like twinkling stars in the night sky.

The flames shooting up into the sky turned half the sky blood red, as if the end of the world had come, which was terrifying.

The earth began to tremble, and the enemy's troops were rushing towards the city wall to the rhythm of war drums.

Dust was flying everywhere, covering the sky and the sun. There was a chaotic mess of shouting, the sound of horses’ hooves and the clashing of weapons.

Chen Qingwan suddenly opened her eyes, stood up, and shouted an order:

"Beat the drums! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

The sound was crisp and powerful, clearly audible in the noisy battlefield, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the soldiers defending the city.

On the city wall, the sound of war drums was like thunder, and the passionate drum beats struck the hearts of every soldier, inspiring their blood.

The archers held their breath, pulled their bowstrings to their full potential, and aimed their arrows at the enemy troops surging below the city with cold flashes.

The sword and shield soldiers held their shields tightly, and the shields collided with each other, making a clanging metallic sound.

The musketeers pointed their muskets at the city, with the black muzzles ready to spew out deadly flames at any time.

On the city wall, Chen Qingwan stared at the enemy troops surging like a tide below the city with her eyes as sharp as torches.

She was calm and composed, commanding with confidence, and every order she gave was precise and decisive.

However, just as the enemy was about to rush to the city wall, they suddenly stopped.

The enemy soldiers were shouting at the foot of the city, using ugly slang to insult the defenders on the city wall.

Trying to provoke the defenders and make them lose their composure.

Their voices were filled with provocation and contempt, which was disgusting.

But the soldiers defending the city were not angered by the enemy's provocation.

They remain highly vigilant and ready for action.

After a while, the enemy army stopped attacking the city and began to retreat slowly.

The flames gradually disappeared into the night, and the shouts and cries gradually faded away.

The earth returned to peace, as if nothing had happened.

"Your Highness, what does the enemy mean by this?"

Qiao'er stood beside Chen Qingwan and asked in confusion.

Chen Qingwan looked at the retreating enemy troops with a deep gaze and said in a serious tone:

"Testing, they are testing our strength."

She paused and continued:

"The real attack is yet to come."

Sure enough, an hour later, the second feint attack began.

This time, the enemy even used siege ladders, and a large number of figures were clinging to the ladders.

"Fire arrows!"

At Chen Qingwan's command, arrows rained down from the city wall like locusts.

Screams rang out one after another, and some enemy soldiers were shot by arrows and fell to the ground, falling off the siege ladders.

"Damn it! How can there be so many bows and arrows!"

The angry roar of the enemy general was heard from the bottom of the city.

But they retreated halfway up the mountain in order to test the strength of the city's defenses.

"They want to use up our arrows and stamina."

Chen Qingwan said in a deep voice.

"Pass the order down, let the soldiers take turns to rest and conserve their energy."

The third feint attack took place before dawn, and the enemy used the same trick again.

Once again, it was a drama of much ado about nothing.

Chen Qingwan was exhausted.

But she still didn't dare to relax, because she knew the real test was yet to come.

"Your Highness, please take a rest first. Qiao'er will be watching here."

Qiao'er said with heartache.

"No need," Chen Qingwan shook her head.

"I have to stay awake and not give them any chance."