The Imperial Guard Arrives

When the news reached the general's manor, Ren Tianye was arranging the betrothal gifts.

Under the arrangement of Su Jin, the mole within the Su family, the betrothal gifts for the Su family's second miss, Su Xiu, were prepared one by one.

Ren Tianye was not a stingy man; everything was arranged abundantly according to custom.

The process was still handled by Su Jin and Deputy General Wang Ming.

Just as he had sent the two to deliver the betrothal gifts, a messenger brought bad news.

"Report! Great General, ten miles outside Yunji City, a unit of the imperial court's Imperial Guard is approaching at top speed. They number about twenty thousand, with complete formations and formidable military might."

Ren Tianye's body jolted.

The imperial court had already sent people?

So fast!

His palms could not help but sweat slightly.

Although he now had over seven thousand elite soldiers under his command, entirely under his control and answering only to his orders...

...the Great Yu Dynasty had been established for eight hundred years. Even a centipede does not die when crushed.

Moreover, the current Great Yu Dynasty was at the height of its prime.

If calculated by military strength alone, just their standing army could muster hundreds of thousands of troops.

It was simply not something he could resist.

And the Imperial Guard that came this time was known as the most elite in the country. Although their true combat power might not match the annihilated Chifeng Army, a great reputation is not built on nothing. The strength of the Imperial Guard still put immense pressure on him.

"Let's go take a look."

Ren Tianye left the manor, mounted his Night-Illuminating Jade Lion, and galloped straight toward the walls of Yunji City amid the clatter of hooves.

As soon as he ascended the wall, Sun Xiang and Zhang Shi gathered around him.

"What is the situation?"

"Reporting to the Great General, scouts continue to send reports, but right now, we haven't seen the Imperial Guard yet."

Ren Tianye looked out past Yunji City.

He couldn't see anything either.

In fact, the naked human eye can see large targets at a considerable distance, such as mountains, city outlines, and rivers.

Twenty thousand Imperial Guards was not a small target.

They should be visible.

Especially since they were standing on high ground.

However, Yunji City had a flaw.

Built surrounded by mountains on three sides, the area not far below it was covered with dense thorns and low hills, which easily concealed lines of sight.

Making it so that no matter how he looked now, there was no trace of them.

But he still immediately ordered, "Assemble the soldiers, enter a state of high alert."

"Yes!"

Zhang Shi immediately went to pass the order.

Sun Xiang stayed with Ren Tianye on the walls of Yunji City, waiting for the impending arrival of the Imperial Guard.

The reports from the scouts came swiftly and frantically.

"Report! The Imperial Guard is eight miles away!"

"Report! The Imperial Guard is seven miles away!"

"Report! The Imperial Guard has reached six miles away!"

"Report! The Imperial Guard has reached five miles away!"

...

In wartime, the frequency of scout reports was much higher than usual, not to mention the unique terrain of Yunji City necessitated constant updates.

But the rhythm of these reports made Ren Tianye, Sun Xiang, and the many soldiers on the wall look grave.

Everyone clearly and intuitively perceived one thing.

"The Imperial Guard is so fast!"

"Are they trying to fight a blitzkrieg?"

Ren Tianye squeezed out a bit of cold sweat.

However, he did not panic.

After all, Yunji City had been fortified by Zhan Shubai to be comparable to Shanhe City; in terms of defense alone, it was even more fearsome than Shanhe City.

Although twenty thousand Imperial Guards were extraordinary, wanting to instantly breach Yunji City was pure delusion.

Furthermore...

The soldiers from the tents inside the city had also taken their positions one after another.

Each and every one of them glared with rage, their eyes practically splitting.

"The Empress really wants to kill us!"

"Damn it, those treacherous officials in the court won't leave us a single way out."

"Fortunately, General Ren is willing to protect us, otherwise, today would be our dead end."

"Fuck! I'm going all out. Even if I have to die, I'll drag two down with me."

...

The soldiers' morale was soaring.

This made Ren Tianye feel even more reassured. Then, at the very edge of his vision, he saw an army surging forward, kicking up clouds of dust that billowed and swirled, their momentum awe-inspiring.

At this distance, the naked eye could not see details, but based on his understanding of the Imperial Guard, Ren Tianye quickly made a judgment.

The patterns on their chests should be the Black Bird totem, and they all wore helmets bearing the character for Black.

Presumably, they were also equipped with Black character waist tags.

"The Imperial Guard!"

"The Imperial Guard that protects the Forbidden City!"

"It seems these are the very people who massacred the seventy thousand Chifeng Army."

"So..."

Ren Tianye guessed: "Did they slaughter the Chifeng Army and then, upon learning of our rebellion, receive orders to immediately come and exterminate us?"

"I wonder who is commanding the Imperial Guard. This battlefield acuity and decisiveness in action are quite remarkable."

"However..."

"Twenty thousand Imperial Guards might not be enough!"

Ren Tianye's gaze grew increasingly focused and solid.

Once the twenty thousand Imperial Guards entered his line of sight, the advantages of Yunji City were fully unleashed.

Yunji City was built halfway up a mountain, with only one main road leading inside. Although this road was built wide and flat, allowing countless people to walk side by side, it...

...was winding and spiraling!

Like a giant dragon, its head lay at the gates of Yunji City, and its tail rested at the foot of the mountain.

If the twenty thousand Imperial Guards wanted to attack the city, they would have to charge upwards from below. This was extremely disadvantageous, even a major taboo in military strategy!

But Yunji City was designed exactly to force any invading enemy into this strategic trap.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the twenty thousand Imperial Guards suddenly stop and set up camp right below Yunji City, making no further moves.

Soon after, a unit of about twenty armored cavalrymen, led by a person fully clad in golden armor and wearing a golden helmet, all riding snow-white warhorses with hooves flying, headed straight for the base of Yunji City.

"General, I'm afraid they are here to negotiate."

Sun Xiang, being experienced and knowledgeable, immediately said.

Yunji City was easy to defend and hard to attack. No matter how formidable the combat power of the twenty thousand Imperial Guards was, trying to take a prepared Yunji City was wishful thinking.

At best, the result would be mutual destruction.

Moreover, the casualties of the Imperial Guard would be far higher than those of the Yunji City defenders.

Ren Tianye also nodded and said, "Since they are here to negotiate, let's talk. Anyway..."

"We are not in a hurry."

Sun Xiang knew what Ren Tianye meant: the plan to hold their ground, quietly wait for the world to fall into chaos, and then seize the opportunity to strike.

He settled his mind and waited for the approaching general.

In just a short moment, those twenty or so people arrived below the city gate tower. They directly crossed the moat, making absolutely no defensive preparations.

Their calm and composed posture gave the people of Yunji City a feeling of arrogance.

The crowd also saw clearly that the leader was a young man in golden armor, with a face as flawless as jade, thick eyebrows slanting into his hairline, and the corners of his eyes slightly tilted upwards, carrying a hint of frivolous scrutiny.

He truly had a handsome appearance.

A deputy general beside him immediately shouted, "Who gave you the nerve to block my Young Duke? Open the city gates at once!"

Open the city gates?

The few people on the wall were taken aback again.

"Wait, why are they telling us to open the gates? Do they want to come in to negotiate?"

"Looks like it. Isn't this too bold? Facing rebels like us, they dare to directly enter our territory to negotiate? Have they eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall?"

"Great General, what do you think?"

...