Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

What do you mean?

Didn't the Black Armor Army only have two thousand left?

Seeing the densely packed black-armored guards appear, Huo Jingya understood.

It wasn't four thousand black-armored soldiers at all.

The old witch has hidden her forces!

"How dare you expand the army without authorization!"

"You're mistaken. I'm here to expand the army by imperial decree!"

The Grand Princess looked at him as if he were a dead man, her eyes cold and indifferent, and gave a light, airy command:

"Kill without mercy!"

……

Outside the city, after round after round of fierce battles.

The imperial army was finally wiped out by Huo's army in conjunction with Gu Zhong and Cao Yin.

But this elite force also paid a heavy price.

Head coach Shao Qing was killed in action.

Without time to rest, they launched another attack on the city gate.

The city gates opened.

The streets were deserted, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Everyone was waiting for Sang Ning to give the order.

Sang Ning hesitated.

No news came from Yanhu.

No one from Jingya's army returned either.

Sang Ning wanted to rush in and find Huo Jingya no matter what.

But... she wasn't alone.

There are still more than 100,000 lives left!

"Your subordinate wishes to go in first to gather information; please grant me permission, Madam."

Feng Dali, covered in blood, knelt on one knee in front of Sang Ning.

Sang Ning knew he wanted to go in and save Huo Jingya.

He also knew that something was wrong in the city.

So what he meant was that he went in alone, without anyone else.

"vigorously……"

"Mistress, I will send the message as quickly as possible."

Feng Dali had made up his mind. Before Sang Ning could say anything more, he stood up and ran into the city.

"Brother Li!"

"Brother Li!"

After a few anxious shouts, several brothers knelt down in front of Sang Ning.

"Go, split up and gather information! Come back safe and sound!" Sang Ning choked up.

"Yes, Mistress!"

This will be the decisive, final battle.

Know yourself and the enemy, a hundred battles will never end.

The Grand Princess knew their background perfectly well, but they knew nothing about the enemy's background.

Based on mere speculation, she certainly doesn't only have this number of troops on the surface.

Where exactly did those embezzled funds go?

"Has General Shao's body been prepared for burial?" Sang Ning asked Pei Ming'an.

"Don't worry, Madam, he has been placed in the coffin."

Where is Song Chen?

"She had a good cry, but the young master and Miss Nianxi were there for her, so she's alright."

"Go and calm the soldiers down. I really don't want to talk right now."

Pei Ming'an understood.

Although they won the battle, so many brothers died, the situation inside the city was still unclear, and morale was very low.

No matter how grieving he was, he had to force himself to cheer up and offer some encouragement.

Pei Ming'an was speaking at the front when he saw Shao Songchen, wearing a slightly oversized suit of armor, walk up to him.

“Military Advisor Pei, following in your father’s footsteps, I will now be a member of the Huo family army.”

Shao Songchen seems to have grown up all of a sudden.

I don't know when it happened, but I've grown taller.

It has reached Pei Ming'an's nose.

His eyes were still swollen, but they exuded a tenacious spirit that refused to give up.

"Good boy."

Pei Ming'an wanted to say that this is not how the phrase "inheriting one's father's business" is used.

But upon reflection, it seems there's nothing wrong with it.

Sang Ning walked over and patted Shao Songchen heavily on the shoulder.

"Good! Like father, like son. Shao Songchen, your father will be proud of you!"

The war will eventually end, and the dawn of victory is just ahead.

The torch is passed on, and there are successors. These people may have experienced hardships, but their descendants will surely bask in the sunshine.

Sang Ning straightened Shao Songchen's helmet, his eyes regaining their alertness.

But she still wanted to assign some guards to the boy.

This is General Shao's only son.

In the future, they will inherit the merits.

……

Hua family.

Outside Yufuyuan.

Wave after wave of sword clashes passed, but no one was able to enter.

The black-armored guards who remained here were all elites among elites.

Hua Buyan went up to the third-floor library.

He opened the window and saw corpses lying haphazardly outside.

Those were my father's private troops.

His father still came to save him.

"Xiaoyu, why does Father insist on saving me?"

"Your Highness, Your Highness couldn't bear to see you unhappy."

"No. So many people died, that would make me even more unhappy."

What happened outside?

"Did the message not get sent out?"

The flowers do not speak, but murmur to themselves.

Soon, more people arrived outside.

It was my second uncle, third uncle, and fourth uncle.

"Get out of the way, I want that little bastard, Hua Buyan!"

"How dare you disrespect the Crown Prince?" The black-armored guard drew his sword and pointed it at him without any politeness.

Uncle Hua was unaware of the danger.

"What kind of prince! What a load of rubbish! Yan Zhinan is not of royal blood at all! How dare she, a nobody of unknown origin, control my Hua family for so long?"

My grandfather was also harmed by her. The Hua family is truly cursed for eight lifetimes to have such a vicious woman!

Apart from Prince Hua, none of the other members of the Hua family were born to the Grand Princess.

So Uncle Hua hurled insults at him to his heart's content.

"You Black Armor Army still haven't abandoned the darkness and turned to the light. Make Hua Buyan hand over those two thousand men as well, or I will definitely join forces with the court officials..."

"Whoosh—" A flash of cold light.

Uncle Hua clutched his neck and collapsed.

The remaining people turned pale with fright.

A row of black-armored guards placed their swords against their necks.

"Stop!" Prince Hua ran over.

"Big brother, we were wrong, please save us!"

“Your Highness, they are trying to harm the Crown Prince!” Lu Xun said coldly.

"Brother, we don't have any, we just want to take over the Black Armor Army."

"Get out!" Prince Hua kicked the men away one by one.

Then he commanded Lu Xun: "Get out of the way, I need to go in!"

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but without the Grand Princess's orders, no one is allowed to enter!"

"Then you might as well kill me too!"

Prince Hua forcefully barged in.

However, he was quickly tied up by Lu Xun.

"Lu Xun! You're trying to drive my son to his death! Do you think the Old Madam will spare you now!"

Lu Xun, you son of a bitch! Let me in!

"Yan Zhinan! Yan Zhinan, why won't you release my son!"

The prince broke down and cried.

Hua Buyan had never seen her gentle father like this before.

It was also the first time I witnessed his disrespect for his grandmother.

He knew that something big had happened.

Thinking back to the question his father had asked him before he left: "Yan'er, if it were you, and your beloved girl was killed by your grandmother, what would you do?"

He said: "It was probably more decisive than what my father did."

Thinking of this, Hua Buyan stumbled.

“Master…” Xiaoyu said worriedly as she helped him up.

"Xiaoyu, can you do something for me?"

"Of course, Master, you can do whatever you want Xiaoyu to do."

Even if it means dying in his place.

But Hua Buyan wouldn't let Xiaoyu die.

It was just to ask him to do a trivial little thing.

“By the riverbank I used to frequent, under the third willow tree, there is a box buried. Take it out, and there is a letter inside. You must do as it says.”

"But my lord, I can't get out either."

"It's okay, you can go get it whenever you can leave."

Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, "Yes."

Hua Buyan went down from the pavilion and called Lu Xun in.