Female special forces soldiers in ancient times

Soon after, Su Zheng and Ma Liangyu's negotiations broke down.

A fierce battle ensued at the south gate.

Upon receiving the news, He Chong hurriedly ran to the He family compound on East Street.

Inform He Yalan of the news.

"Yalan, Su Zheng's army is currently launching a fierce attack on the city."

More than half of the defenders at the south gate have been killed.

The vegetation along the moat near the west gate was also set ablaze by the war.

It's estimated that the East Gate is also in grave danger!

Upon hearing this, He Yalan's face immediately lit up with excitement. She stood up, put her hands behind her back, and paced back and forth in the room.

"So it seems that Su Zheng's army has firmly tied down Li Tingting's 100,000-strong army."

"Yes! Yalan, let's seize the opportunity and make our move!"

They must storm the palace as quickly as possible; once Li Tingting is dead,

Everything that belonged to the He family has been returned.

He Chong told He Yalan to pace around the room, and replied with a cheerful expression.

Even the eldest prince, who was standing to the side, was starting to get restless.

He stepped forward and walked to He Yalan's side, urging her on.

"Mother, just give the order! Let's storm the palace right now!"

We will take back everything we have lost.

"Uncle, my son, this is our last chance."

If we fail, not only will my son and I be plunged into despair, but the entire Ho family could be doomed.

He Yalan gave He Chong and the First Prince a meaningful look.

His face was full of hesitation.

He Chong waved his hand and shook his head with a determined look.

"Yalan, the palace is now undefended; this is the perfect time for us to launch our uprising."

You don't need to worry too much, lest things get complicated.

"Yes, Mother, if we hesitate any longer, I fear it will cause further trouble."

The eldest prince, who was standing nearby, also helped to persuade them.

Seeing this, He Yalan remained silent for a while before finally making up her mind.

"Uncle, go down immediately and gather all available military forces."

They are closing in on the Martial Profound Sect, the Azure Sparrow Sect, and the Central Dragon Sect. Also, send someone to inform the Wu family and the Wang family.

"Let them be responsible for cutting off the Li family's reinforcements along the river road."

She paused, then looked at the eldest prince.

"My son, go and gather all our private soldiers, and bring Gao Yi and the others with you as well."

Gao Yi was He Yalan's most capable and elite lieutenant.

He was the leader of the black-clad assassins responsible for leading the assassination attempt on Li Tingting and Prime Minister Wang.

He Yalan rarely uses him for minor matters.

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince immediately nodded with great joy.

After He Chong and the First Prince left, He Yalan turned and stepped into the inner room.

A curtain embroidered with golden peonies hung heavily behind them.

She raised her hand to untie the jade hairpin in her hair, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

She whispered to her slightly pale face in the mirror:

"Bring me the phoenix coronet and embroidered robes befitting my empress."

The four personal maids guarding the corner exchanged a glance.

He immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, we have overstepped our bounds in wearing such attire..."

"What I have said is the rule of the Empress."

He Yalan's fingertips brushed across the mirror, and the reflection overlapped with the scene of Fengqi Palace in her memory.

The maids dared not speak further.

Hastily, he took out an old treasure from the sandalwood box—a nine-phoenix crown adorned with pearl tassels.

The crimson robe embroidered with gold-threaded cloud and python patterns seemed about to burst forth from the fabric.

On the dressing table, layers of rouge and powder blended, her delicate eyebrows resembling distant, misty mountains.

The lip rouge was applied in a vibrant cinnabar color, and when the pearl headdress cascaded down between her brows...

The person in the mirror has shed her suppressed weariness and regained her former elegance.

After her personal maid left,

He Yalan reached out and pressed the short sword in the hidden pouch at her waist, the cold iron blade brushing against her skin through the silk fabric.

"It all hinges on this." She chuckled softly at her reflection in the mirror.

The voice, however, was so cold it could freeze.

The pearl on the phoenix crown swayed gently with her movements, like glistening tears.

It's all or nothing; if we fail again this time...

She then decided to end her life with this short sword.

.......

At this moment, the flames of war are raging at every city gate, and smoke is rising everywhere.

Shouts of killing and screams of agony filled the air.

Even the sun seemed unable to bear witnessing this scene, and hid behind the clouds.

The entire sky was gloomy, and all the Imperial Guards had been mobilized to fight at the city gates.

The lingering sunlight made the glazed tiles of the palace shine continuously.

Six thousand imperial guards in black armor moved back and forth between the palace walls.

But it couldn't fill the empty vermilion corridor.

In the past, when the Imperial Guards and Imperial Bodyguards deployed together,

The strict security measures of having guards every three or five steps are no more.

Now even the three hundred guards who should have been stationed in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony...

They were also split into nine teams and scattered in different locations.

The guard captain on duty gripped his waist token tightly.

He frowned as he looked at the newly drawn patrol map in his hand.

Previously, each palace gate required five hundred people to take turns on duty.

We can barely scrape together two hundred, not even enough for a vital passage like the Divine Martial Gate.

There were only two rows of long spears erected, and the empty doorway was filled with hot air.

The guards' cloaks fluttered in the wind.

Even more critically, in order to fill the gaps in the twelve zodiac signs,

The patrol teams were spaced hundreds of feet apart.

As the footsteps of the last group of guards disappeared around the corner of the tower...

Beneath the vast palace walls, only the chirping of cicadas echoed in the empty space.

Suddenly, a messenger carrying a bamboo tube on his back began to walk with rapid, drum-like footsteps.

Running through the palace corridors, sweat soaked through his armor, the copper bells at his waist shattering the silence of the courtyard.

The messenger, seemingly afraid of being stopped by the guards, clutched the gilded token tightly.

He ran while shouting "Urgent report from the South Gate!", his robes fluttering as he passed the guards.

It brought with it a series of rapid, panting breaths.

He had no trouble traveling the whole way.

It wasn't until they entered Cining Palace, where Li Tingting was, that they were stopped by the guards outside the gate.

But the messenger didn't seem to intend to stop.

Still clutching the token, he ran while shouting, "Urgent military situation!"

Urgent report from the South Gate!

Seeing this, the guards had no choice but to make way for him.

A moment later, the messenger entered the room like a gust of wind.

The messenger burst through the carved wooden door, and the curtain adorned with coral beads rustled open.

The sound, like shattering jade, startled the swallows and sparrows on the beams, causing them to flutter and fly away in panic.

Through the swaying beaded curtain, wisps of smoke rose from the gilded incense burner with its coiled dragon design.

The indoor scene was blurred and indistinct.

The silk gauze curtains partially obscured the sunlight, which spilled onto the bamboo couch of the Xiangfei Pavilion.

Empress Li Tingting's moon-white skirt trailed on the scarlet carpet.

The baby in her arms was wrapped in a pale yellow embroidered satin.

She lowered her head and swayed gently, constantly comforting the infant in her arms.

Pan Changqing and several armed guards, who were standing nearby, heard the noise.

He looked up warily outside, about to step forward to stop him,

But Li Tingting gestured for them to stop.

The messenger abruptly knelt on one knee, his armor striking the ground with a dull thud.

The urgent report slipped halfway out of the bamboo tube as the movement continued: "Reporting to Your Majesty the Empress!"

More than half of the defenders at the south gate were killed, and the fire at the moat near the west gate spiraled out of control.

The east gate was also under fierce attack; enemy ladders had already been erected on the city walls!

A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead into the cracks between the blue bricks.

"Your Majesty, please make a decision quickly!"