However, this man was too pathetic, and she killed him instantly.
Seeing the soldier's eyes widen in sudden realization, staring intently at Ge Qing, she emotionlessly waved her hand and delivered another sword strike.
"In your next life, remember not to underestimate women!"
"Swoosh—"
Only after confirming the man was truly dead did Ge Qing turn to the next person.
This battle should have lasted for quite some time, but unexpectedly, the siege of Mountain City went more smoothly than any previous city conquest.
It was so smooth that the Elder Princess truly suspected whether Pei Changying had deliberately handed it over to her.
Of course, even the slightest thought would tell you that was impossible!
Fewer soldiers were captured in Mountain City, with most being killed.
Although the Elder Princess valued the common people, most of Mountain City's soldiers were loosely organized and parasites of the court. Keeping such soldiers would only corrupt and negatively influence other troops.
Because the Elder Princess had not issued an order to capture as many as possible and kill fewer.
In contrast, most soldiers from other cities were captured by the Elder Princess and sent to the rear to be re-educated by Strategist Gu.
As Gu Sang said, they would first provide these men with ideological education, then subject them to assessments before continuing to employ them.
If some had poor character and couldn't be reformed, they would be sent back to the conquered cities as forced laborers.
After taking Mountain City, the Elder Princess immediately sent people down the mountain to inform the town a mile away.
They had conquered Mountain City but asked the civilians not to panic, assuring them they wouldn't kill indiscriminately.
Gu Sang's timely appearance and speech made the people trust the army even more.
With Gu Sang's assurance, the civilians quickly settled down, their fear gradually dissipating. Those who needed to eat went home to eat, those who needed to sleep went to sleep.
The Elder Princess looked at the map of the capital city, her expression serious.
"Next, we'll attack the capital!"
"The Imperial Guard in the capital are elite soldiers carefully selected by Father Emperor. They have rich combat experience and are meticulous, unlike the lazy soldiers of Mountain City."
"Moreover, the Imperial Guard is numerous......"
Imperial Palace.
The news of Mountain City's defeat arrived by urgent dispatch just as Pei Changying was preparing to go to bed.
When Pei Changying saw the message written on the report: "Mountain City has fallen," these few words made his face turn blue with anger.
What martial arts champion!
What guaranteed victory!
In the end, they couldn't even defeat a woman!
Pei Changying, with a gloomy face, ordered darkly: "Tell the Minister of War to come to me immediately!"
Pei Changying was so angry his lungs were about to explode!
Didn't the Minister of War swear to him that as long as his son was there, they absolutely wouldn't let the rebels set foot in Mountain City?
Now the rebels had stepped over his son's corpse and entered Mountain City!
This morning, didn't he submit a report saying the rebels were afraid and camped twenty miles away, not daring to advance a step?
By evening, everything had changed, and Mountain City had become rebel territory?
Pei Changying had a feeling that the situation was slipping away, and he sat on the bed, panicked and extremely agitated.
The Minister of War hurried to the Imperial Palace, only to find Pei Changying looking as if he wanted to kill someone.
The Minister of War was immediately scared to death, kneeling and kowtowing.
The report had been sent urgently to Pei Changying, so the Minister of War didn't yet know that his son had already been killed.
Pei Changying angrily threw the report at the Minister of War's head, saying furiously:
"Look at what your good son has done. The battle ended in half an hour. Hah! Even a bunch of pigs could have lasted an hour against them."
"Did your son go to kill the enemy or to offer his head?"
"That bitch Pei Weiqi has Gu Sang behind her, plotting and strategizing. How could they conquer city after city, never losing a battle, if they didn't have some ability? How dare you underestimate them just because their leader is a woman?"
The Minister of War trembled as he opened the report. After just one glance, his face turned deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down.
Dead......
His son had actually been killed......
Mountain City was lost......
He had sworn to the Emperor that Mountain City would never fall.
But now, not only had Mountain City fallen, but it had been lost so quickly. The Minister of War was so scared he almost couldn't breathe.
Seeing the Emperor's cold expression, the Minister of War had no time to grieve. He quickly made excuses: "Your Majesty, those were weapons from the future! No human force could have stopped them."
"Although my unworthy son died, he never retreated half a step until his last breath."
"He fulfilled what I said before, that the enemy would have to step over his corpse to take Mountain City."
"Although our imperial soldiers died, their courage in sacrificing themselves for the country is worthy of praise from the people. If everyone had their courage, even the divine weapons from the future couldn't set foot in the capital!"
The Minister of War spoke passionately, subtly shifting the topic from the guilt of losing the city to acknowledging the soldiers' bravery.
This point alone made it impossible for Pei Changying to condemn the Minister of War.
After all, it was true that the Minister of War's son had sacrificed himself for the country, and it was true that all the Mountain City soldiers had died.
Even if they were useless, they had used their deaths to obstruct the rebels' attack. In this regard, they were indeed worthy of admiration.
-
Xuyang Palace.
Consort Li lay painfully on the bed, her pale face covered in cold sweat.
Pain.....
Her abdomen was in such agony that she wanted to faint immediately.
She had always experienced abdominal pain during her menstrual periods, but now, having been demoted to a palace maid by Pei Changying, she spent every day soaking her hands in cold water, unable to sleep well or eat properly.
This menstrual period was causing her so much pain she could barely breathe, even breathing could trigger the pain in her abdomen.
"No, I can't die! I must live to see that dog emperor lose his most cherished throne!"
"I must survive!"
Consort Li kept encouraging herself to be strong.
She couldn't die so easily; she hadn't yet seen the Elder Princess storm into the capital with her own eyes.
"Huh, @$%#$%?"
Suddenly—
Just as Consort Li was about to faint from the pain, there was an unexpected sound from beyond the screen.
She couldn't make out who it was or understand what they were saying.
The resting area was separated from the outside by a screen, allowing Consort Li to only vaguely see that someone was standing outside, but she couldn't clearly see their face.
After a while, the person from outside walked in.
"#%……￥%……&."
The newcomer appeared to be in their sixties or seventies, with a head full of white hair, wearing reading glasses only found in modern times, dressed in a long-sleeved, small floral print outfit. They walked in with a puzzled look.
Consort Li looked at this kind-faced person and felt her mind go blank.
Then, she suddenly felt that the person looked somewhat familiar.
Before she could recall the identity of this person, the elderly individual spoke again, this time in words Consort Li could understand.
"Are you filming a movie?"
"How did I end up on a movie set? Which production company are you with?"
