Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

"Kill!!" The remaining defenders roared desperately, and used their flesh and blood to nail themselves to the crumbling defense line.

……

While Ningyuan Town was fighting bloody battles.

A black torrent is silently sweeping across the desert and Gobi of the Hexi Corridor at an astonishing speed.

Li Gan led 30,000 black-armored cavalrymen, abandoning all unnecessary baggage. Each man rode three horses, switching constantly, marching day and night! The clatter of horse hooves resembling the icy earth, stirring up clouds of dust. Their goal was clear: to penetrate the unprotected lair of the Hunxie tribe! His Majesty's decree was crystal clear: Besiege Wei to save Zhao; attack where they must rescue!

The empire's most elite cavalry now transformed into the deadliest arrows of revenge, tearing through the night and piercing the enemy's heart.

……

Imperial capital, Huaiyang Palace.

The melody of stringed instruments had long since ceased, and the once bustling mansion was now deserted, enveloped by an invisible, suffocating pressure. Inside, Huaiyang Prince Qin Zhang had lost his usual leisurely elegance. He paced back and forth in his study, his face pale, a fine layer of sweat dripping from his forehead. Several trusted aides stood by, heads bowed, not daring to breathe.

"Waste! A bunch of waste!" Qin Zhang slammed the jade cup in his hand to pieces. "That idiot from the Honglu Temple! He can't even handle the smallest thing! He even left something behind!"

"Your Majesty, calm down..." an aide said in a trembling voice, "Now that His Majesty is furious, an incident has occurred in the northern border, the capital is under martial law, and the Tingfeng Guards are everywhere... Should we...should we..."

"What?" Qin Zhang turned his head suddenly, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. "Retreat now? It's too late! The barbarians of the Hunxie tribe have already taken action! As long as they can disrupt the northern border and delay Qin Ming's main force... we... we still have a chance!"

"But Your Majesty, His Majesty has already..."

"Him?" Qin Zhang sneered, a hint of hysteria in his voice. "He's completely consumed by it right now! The war in the northern border is raging. How could he have the energy to delve into the capital? As long as we maintain stability and cut off all leads, he won't be able to uncover any clues! When the northern border is in ruins and resentment is rampant across the government and the people... that will be our chance!"

Before he finished speaking, there was a gentle knock on the study door.

An elderly man dressed as a butler bowed and entered, speaking in a low voice, "Your Highness, the number of patrolling imperial guards outside the palace has increased. The side and back doors are all under guard. Our men can't get out."

Qin Zhang's face turned pale as paper in an instant. He staggered and barely stood up by holding onto the table.

"He... he actually..." he muttered, fear finally showing in his eyes. The emperor's reaction was far faster, more ruthless, and more merciless than he had expected! This was not a careless oversight caused by panic, but... a precise and cold lock!

"Your Majesty, we..."

"Shut up!" Qin Zhang growled, his eyes bloodshot. "Everyone, calm down! No one is allowed to panic! There is no evidence! He dare not touch a prince! Just drag it out... drag it out until the news of the defeat in the north comes..."

Yet, his trembling fingers betrayed his inner panic. He knew full well that his nephew, the one who sat on the throne, was not one to play by the rules. Evidence? Sometimes, for an emperor, suspicion was all that was needed.

……

West Warm Pavilion.

The candlelight was bright, and Qin Ming still stood in front of the map, as if nailed there. The latest battle reports from the North kept coming in, every word was heartbreaking.

"Ningyuan's outer defenses were completely destroyed, and they retreated to the town's streets for fighting..."

"General Meng Zhi was wounded, yet he still led his personal guards in battle..."

"The enemy's attack is overwhelming, our army has suffered heavy casualties, and our arrows are almost exhausted..."

"Blackstone Castle is in danger, and I'm afraid it won't be able to hold on for long..."

Every piece of news made the air in the warm room even colder. Qin Ming's face was expressionless, only his deep eyes burned with an icy flame that grew stronger and stronger, enough to burn everything.

Suddenly, a clerk rushed in almost crawling, holding high in his hand an urgent military report from Hexi, which had just been transferred from the Ministry of Public Administration and had traveled 600 miles!

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Victory news! General Li Gan urgently reports!"

Qin Ming turned around suddenly!

The clerk panted, his voice distorted with excitement. "General Li's troops... have broken through the Hunxie Tribe's border patrols! They launched a surprise attack on the royal court's flank pastures, beheading thousands and burning countless supplies! They are now splitting into two groups: one to continue to contain the royal court's defenders, while the other is heading straight for the altar on their ancestral sacred mountain! The Hunxie Tribe's lair... is in chaos!"

There was a moment of dead silence in the warm room.

The icy flame in Qin Ming's eyes suddenly exploded! He snatched the military newspaper, his eyes quickly swept over it, and the cold arc at the corner of his mouth finally slowly rose.

"Good! Good job, Li Gan!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying the clang of metal clashing. "Send a message to Li Gan: No need to linger in the battle, continue the harassment, burn their pastures, destroy their altars! I want to make that evil old dog so miserable that he'll be torn apart!"

"Another message to the armies in the northern border: Read General Li's victory report aloud to my soldiers! Tell Meng Zhi that I have busted the Hunxie tribe's lair! Tell him to hold it for me! Reinforcements will arrive soon!"

"Order the Deputy Privy Councilor: Infantry Corps, accelerate! Anyone who delays will be executed!"

Orders were issued one after another, but they carried a completely different murderous intent and... a chance of victory!

Qin Ming looked at the map again and tapped the location of the Hunxie tribe's royal court with his fingers.

"Hunxie...Uncle..." He whispered to himself, the cold light in his eyes wavering. "Do you think my sword will only cut to one side?"

He slowly sat back at his desk and picked up his red brush. This time, his pen tip landed on a memorial regarding the replacement of the Chief Clan Officer of the Imperial Clan Court.

Inside the Western Warm Pavilion, the air was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring. Reports of the bloody battle in Ningyuan Town in the northern border and reports of Li Gan's surprise attack on the rear of the Hunxie tribe alternated, like a test of ice and fire, testing every beat of the empire's heart. Qin Ming sat at his desk, his face as calm as water. Only a cluster of icy flames burned deep in his eyes, reflecting the empire's crisis and his own decisiveness.

"Report!" A blood-soaked messenger, his armor tattered, was supported by two imperial guards as he rushed into the warm room and fell to the ground, barely breathing. "Your Majesty... Ningyuan... Ningyuan Town has fallen... General Meng Zhi... The general... fought bravely and died for his country... The remaining troops... retreated to Blackstone Fort..."

A moment of deathly silence fell in the warm room, the air suddenly dropping to freezing point. The pen in the hand of the official on duty at the Privy Council fell to the ground with a click.

Qin Ming's fingers gripping the pen tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white, before slowly loosening. His gaze fell on the dying messenger, and his voice, steady and unnerving, "General Meng, how can you die for your country?"

The messenger coughed up blood foam and spoke intermittently: "The general... guarded the town gate alone... was wounded... over ten times... exhausted... committed suicide... refused... to be captured..."

"Good. He's a real man." Qin Ming said in a low voice, "Give generous gifts to his family and bury him with the ceremony of a duke. Who is the commander of Blackstone Fort now?"

"It's...it's Deputy General Zhou...Zhou..."

"Issue an order: Promote Lieutenant General Zhou to the position of Military Commander of the Beiting Protectorate, temporarily acting as Protector General. Command all Beiting troops and defend Black Stone Fort to the death! Tell him that our reinforcements are on the way! If he dares to retreat even a single step, he will be beheaded!"

"Yes!" The clerk recorded the order with trembling hands.