Chapter 193: Poking a Hornet’s Nest

Su Wu was one of Marquis Wucheng’s men. Xiao Yang seriously doubted he had come to Luoyan City for a sightseeing trip.

While Rong Yin was busy dismantling Marquis Wucheng’s power base, Su Wu’s appearance could only mean one thing: he was after her.

When you know there’s a threat, you have to neutralize it immediately.

Xiao Yang hadn’t captured Su Wu before because the circumstances weren’t right. But now that he had shown up on her turf, there was no way she would let him escape.

She even wanted to take him back for Xie Liuzheng to study.

However, she never expected that capturing a single Su Wu would be like kicking a hornet’s nest.

From the moment Su Wu was captured, wave after wave of assailants tried to rescue him. As soon as one group was cut down, another would take its place, charging suicidally forward. What’s more, the soldiers outside the city walls stopped waiting and launched an all-out assault.

Spies hidden within Luoyan City recklessly risked their lives to open the gates from the inside.

Even Zhao Cheng’an, a Marquis, hadn’t received this kind of frantic rescue effort.

As Luoyan City erupted in the flames of war, even Xiao Yang was stunned. "Is Su Wu their real master or something?"

Risking one’s life for a strategist... in all of history, probably only Zhuge Wu Hou had received such an honor.

Su Wu had probably entered the city early, confident that no one would recognize him. Besides, he hadn’t been inside for long.

But who could have known he’d run into Xiao Yang, of all people? And that Xiao Yang, being the Emperor, would have him captured on sight.

It wasn’t a matter of strength, just a solid case of bad luck.

Prince Jing, clad in armor, came over with his sword in hand. "They’re practically on top of us," he said with a helpless sigh. "Stop musing. Their target is definitely you. Go back and stay put. Don’t run around."

Prince Jing spoke as if he were trying to placate a tiny, revered ancestor. Though his martial arts weren’t exceptional, he was still determined to protect the Emperor.

Who would have thought that a man who had been timid for half his life would have such a resolute day.

But there was no other way. He had been protected by his father and younger brother in the past; now, he had to protect the Little Emperor. He had to protect her with his life.

’It’s just that this kid is so damn disobedient, always bouncing all over the place. You can’t hold her down. So frustrating!’

Xiao Yang gave him a teasing look, about to poke fun at him, when a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision made her expression change in an instant.

In a flash, she was behind Prince Jing, her sword swinging up to parry three deadly arrows.

Before the next volley could arrive, she kicked Prince Jing to the ground.

Prince Jing: "..." ’My poor old back!!!’

Xiao Yang glanced in the direction the arrows had come from. Seeing that their shot had missed, the archers had already withdrawn.

Mu Yunlian approached, his expression uncharacteristically grave. "Su Wu has been rescued. There’s more than one faction involved. The King of Huainan’s men have joined forces with them. And though the King of Guangchuan is far away, he has likely thrown his lot in as well."

"Marquis Wucheng’s forces alone wouldn’t be enough to cause this much chaos. We’ve detonated nearly all the explosives we planted in the surrounding area, but it hasn’t stopped them from assaulting Luoyan City."

Ye Shao hurried over and, upon hearing this, immediately added, "By my estimation, there are at least thirty thousand enemy soldiers, and that’s *after* the explosives took out a portion of them. Luoyan City only has about twelve thousand guards, and many spies have emerged from among the populace. They’re striking from within, trying to open the gates. We’re caught between a rock and a hard place. This is going to be a tough fight."

Mu Yunlian had left two cannons and a large stash of explosives here as a contingency. But while you could use such destructive weapons indiscriminately when attacking a city, you couldn’t use them recklessly on your own turf. A single cannon blast would not only cause mutual destruction but also shatter their own defenses, creating an opening for the enemy. The cost far outweighed the benefit.

"Your Majesty, we should retreat."

Everything Mu Yunlian did was predicated on Xiao Yang’s safety.

The city was now teeming with spies, and assassins could be lurking anywhere. Danger was all around.

If Xiao Yang stayed, their chances of victory were slim. She would most likely perish along with the city. It would be better to fight their way out and then dispatch troops to crush the rebellion.

Xiao Yang knew the situation was dire, but she had no intention of retreating.

She turned to look at Mu Yunlian. "I am the Emperor. How humiliating would it be to be sent fleeing with my tail between my legs?"

"If we can’t defend... then let’s attack."

As her words fell, her expression suddenly sharpened. "All generals, assemble immediately!"

A map was unrolled, and Xiao Yang laid out the plan she had already formulated.

"There’s still an unexploded minefield to the south. I will feign a retreat to the south with a contingent of men. Ye Shao, take three thousand troops, circle around to the north, and cut off their rear. Prince Jing, you will take three thousand troops..."

Xiao Yang gave out one order after another, and everyone immediately moved to carry them out.

However, after leading his troops for some distance, Ye Shao looked back and saw the Emperor, clad in armor, right behind him. He was overcome with a predictable sense of despair.

"Your Majesty..."

’Can’t she ever stay put?’

Mu Yunlian was at Xiao Yang’s side. Both were holding broadswords, radiating killing intent.

Ye Shao knew they were both skilled in martial arts—highly skilled, in fact. But this was a battlefield, and she was the Emperor! Was this some kind of joke?

Xiao Yang grinned at Ye Shao. "Fleeing the field is not my style. If they want to hunt me down, then I’ll hunt them down instead. General Ye, grip that spear of yours tightly. Let me see what you’re made of!"

BOOM!

An explosion roared, and Xiao Yang’s eyes shone even brighter. "It’s begun."

Prince Jing led his men in a staged retreat, but not before planting explosives on the city walls. They waited until the attackers had swarmed the ramparts, and then blew them sky-high.

Now, the walls of Luoyan City were completely destroyed, but Xiao Yang had become the one on the offensive.

Behind this three-thousand-strong army was another five thousand that Xiao Yang had kept hidden. Meanwhile, to the south, Rong Yin was racing back with his forces after conquering Yizhou.

The battle in Luoyan City was a bloodbath, and Xiao Hong, who was heading south, was about to lose his mind.

Prince Jing had tasked him and Xiao Lan with escorting the Emperor. So why was the Emperor now Ling Ji?

Ling Ji, dressed in the Emperor’s Dragon Robe, remained as aloof as ever. She gave him a single glance before spurring her horse onward. "Don’t ruin Her Majesty’s plan."

Xiao Lan, who already knew about the plan, was perfectly calm. "If Her Majesty had left obediently, she wouldn’t be Her Majesty. Let’s go. We have our own hard battle to fight."

Just as they left the city, they were ambushed. Unsurprisingly, it was the King of Huainan’s men.

Su Wu’s appearance had been no accident. It was a calculated move, sacrificing Yizhou to unite three rebel kings in a coordinated attack on the Emperor.

He had persuaded the other two kings to join him: capture the Emperor and carve up the realm among themselves.

The Emperor was right there for the taking, and with Li Wei deep in the heart of Beimeng, it was a god-sent opportunity.

He had entered Luoyan City to control the spies within. Once the battle began on the outskirts, he would strike at the Emperor from the very heart of the city, ensuring she was completely and utterly dead.

Ultimately, he possessed the classic arrogance of a master strategist. He believed his calculations were flawless. He had to enter the fray himself, to be at the very center of it all, to personally slay the dragon and destroy the Empress’s Imperial Power. From there, he would gain immense prestige, facilitating his transition from strategist to sovereign.

His goal had never been to assist anyone; everything was for his own gain.

But unfortunately for him, he had encountered an Emperor who was wildly unpredictable—the kind who would treat her fated destiny like a spotlight, shouldering an entire empire while disco dancing at the gates of Yama Hall.

Other emperors were afraid of death, some never daring to step foot outside the Imperial Palace in their entire lives. Even when they did travel, it was under heavy protection.

As for Xiao Yang? She just wanted the thrill of going it alone. ’Everyone, get the hell away from me!’