Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Worse still, several commanders of the garrisons originally assigned to defend the capital's periphery suddenly defected! They were either hidden pawns long ago by Hua Yunhong, or opportunists seeking a quick fortune. These rebels were relatively well-equipped, far superior to the bandits in combat. They quickly seized key roads, burned bridges, and even attempted to attack the capital's outer defenses with internal and external forces!

Suddenly, smoke of war erupted around the capital, and rebel banners were raised everywhere. The capital seemed like an isolated island in the raging waves. Although its core had not yet been directly attacked, it was tightly entangled and isolated by tentacles extending from all directions!

……

Yuquan Mountain Imperial Manor has become Hua Yunhong's temporary command center.

He stood atop the ruined wall, looking down with indifference at the flames of war and the chaos raging across the capital below. All of this was within his expectations, even within his instigation. What he needed was this ultimate chaos, to completely muddy the waters, to render the capital a truly isolated city, and thus create the opportunity for his final, thundering strike.

"Your Majesty," Han Qian approached quickly, a look of bloodthirsty excitement on his face. "The powerful in the three surrounding counties have responded and rebelled! Zhao Ben, the deputy commander of the Western Patrol Battalion, has led his troops to defect and has taken control of the Western Mountain Road leading to the capital!"

"Very good." Hua Yunhong's eyes were calm. "Let them make a fuss. The bigger the better. Tell Zhao Ben that I promise him a position of nobility in the future. Tell him to stay firmly on the West Mountain Road and block any reinforcements that may come from the west!"

"Here!"

"What's happening in the capital?"

"The four gates are closed, and the defenders are in panic, but the city defenses are strong, and a strong attack may not be able to take it quickly."

Hua Yunhong's lips curled up in a cold arc: "When did I say I would attack by force?"

His true killer move wasn't these four hundred death warriors, nor was it the ragtag rebels. It was... time and fear. He wanted to let panic brew within the capital, exhausting the defenders while he waited for the moment of internal collapse. At the same time, he was also waiting for the Shenmu army, to whom he had secretly ordered them before departing from the northern border, demanding they rush south at all costs... Shenmu's final, truly elite reserve force! That final trump card, hidden in the bitter cold of the far north, whose exact location even Helian Tieshu might not know!

As long as that reinforcement can arrive in time, the capital city will surely fall despite the internal and external difficulties!

……

However, Hua Yunhong calculated everything, but underestimated one person's speed and determination.

Qin Ming!

The battle in the southern border was initially decided, and Qin Ming didn't even have time to celebrate. When he received the first urgent report from Beiting regarding "small groups of defeated soldiers fleeing southward," his extraordinary battlefield sense was already on full alert! He almost immediately ordered his troops to retreat, personally leading 5,000 of his most elite black-armored cavalry, abandoning all baggage and carrying only ten days' rations. He rode two horses at an astonishing speed, day and night, to rush north to provide assistance!

He knew Hua Yunhong too well. That man's viciousness and cunning wouldn't end with a single defeat. Xue Shen Gu's "death" was too bizarre, the gaps in the northern border's defenses, the emptiness of the capital... All the clues quickly connected in his mind, pointing to a possibility that made him shudder!

Just as Hua Yunhong was wreaking havoc in the capital and setting fires everywhere, the steel torrent led by Qin Ming was like a silent storm, rolling over the Central Plains and heading straight towards the capital!

……

On this day, there was a pass on the Xishan Road, 300 miles west of Beijing.

Rebel general Zhao Ben was triumphantly inspecting the pass he had just taken control of, dreaming of ascending to the rank of duke. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly! On the distant horizon, a thin black line rapidly expanded and spread!

Then, the sound of horse hooves rolled in like thunder! It became louder and louder, deafening!

A dark black flag with dragon pattern was the first to pierce through the smoke and dust, fluttering wildly in the wind!

"Xuan...Xuanjia Army?! It's His Majesty's dragon flag!" The rebels at the pass turned pale in an instant and were terrified!

Zhao Ben was utterly terrified! Qin Ming?! How could he have come back so quickly?! Shouldn't he be thousands of miles away in the southern border?!

The black steel torrent did not slow down at all, and even no messengers were sent to issue a warning. Like a raging tide bursting through a dam, it crashed directly into the rebels' hastily organized defense line with the most violent attitude!

A crushing victory! A pure, unquestionable crushing victory!

The rebels' morale collapsed the moment they saw the dragon flag! They were opportunists to begin with, and had never witnessed the terrifying might of the Heavenly Army led by His Majesty the Emperor?

Zhao Ben couldn't even muster a decent resistance before he was engulfed by the overwhelming torrent of cavalry! Amidst the chaos, he couldn't even see Qin Ming clearly before a black iron lance pierced him from nowhere and sent him flying. He slammed heavily into the rock wall, breaking bones and tendons, and was instantly trampled into a pulp by the following iron hooves!

The Xishan Pass changed hands in an instant. Qin Ming didn't even pause for a moment. The cavalry torrent crushed the corpses of the rebels and continued to charge towards the capital at breakneck speed!

The news, as if with wings, spread in all directions at a speed faster than a galloping horse!

His Majesty the Emperor has returned personally, leading the Black Armored Cavalry! They've defeated the rebels on Xishan Road! They're rushing to the capital!

This news was like a thunderbolt, striking down on the heads of all the rebels and those with ulterior motives in the capital! It also struck down on Hua Yunhong, who was just waiting for his final trump card, full of pride!

The direction of panic was reversed in an instant!

Those powerful people who had just raised the banner of rebellion scattered in an instant, trying to hide back in their nests.

Those generals who had defected looked ashen-faced, and some fled in panic, while others tried to apologize to the capital again.

The pressure of besieging the capital suddenly eased.

When Hua Yunhong received the news that Qin Ming had returned with his cavalry on Yuquan Mountain, his face, which had always remained cold and calm, suddenly twisted violently for the first time! His withered fingers gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force!

"Qin Ming...Qin Ming——!!!" He almost squeezed out the name from between his teeth, his voice filled with unbelievable shock and anger and deep resentment!

He had calculated everything, but he hadn't anticipated the speed of Qin Ming's return! He hadn't anticipated the terrifying mobility of this Black Armored Cavalry!

His last trump card, the northern reserve force, is probably... too late!

"Your Majesty! We..." Han Qian was also panicked. Qin Ming's personal arrival meant a tough battle with no chance of winning!

Hua Yunhong suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with the final madness and despair.

"It's too late to wait for reinforcements!"

"Gather everyone!"

"While Qin Ming hasn't completely surrounded us yet..."

"Strong attack on the capital city——!!!"

He would use these 400 warriors and his own life to make a final fight before Qin Ming arrived! Even if he got bruised and bloodied, he would leave the deepest crack in the giant shield of the capital!

The savior of the empire and the last ghost of revenge are about to engage in a bloody clash that will determine their fate under this magnificent capital!