Empire

To the north of the provincial capital, the winding Qingshui River flows slowly, and the mudflats on both sides are covered with lush aquatic plants, like a beautiful painting, quiet and peaceful.

However, the provincial road not far away is crowded with countless unkempt refugees and defeated soldiers, chaotic and noisy, out of place here.

These refugees are all far away from their hometowns to avoid the war near the provincial capital.

They drag their families and move heavily towards the direction of Jingji Province. The carriages are full of packages, and the white-haired old people drive cattle and sheep.

Those children who are still in their cradles are crying, the young mothers are haggard, and the vicissitudes of the husbands are empty and confused.

The rebels fought with the dynasty army in Qinghe Province, causing countless villages to burn and people to suffer.

These refugees all fled their hometowns to avoid war, but for the future, they feel that their future is a fog, and despair and panic shroud them.

Yang Hao, the captain of the personal guards of the provincial inspector, was wearing dirty and ragged refugee clothes. He was mixed in the long, slowly moving team, and his strong face was full of fatigue.

He had to work very hard to escape from the occupied provincial capital, and fled all the way north, finally escaping the pursuit of the Qinghe uprising army.

The Qinghe army was now busy sharing the spoils and holding a celebration banquet, so there were only a small number of cavalry chasing the remaining enemies, which allowed Yang Hao to escape.

Yang Hao was originally an orphan adopted by the inspector Yang Fang. He relied on Yang Fang, a big tree, and lived a comfortable life.

But now that the capital has fallen, the big tree he relied on has fallen, and he will have to rely on himself in the future.

Now the expeditionary army of the fourth prince Long Tian is on the way to Qinghe Province, so Yang Hao is going to take the handwritten letter of the inspector Yang Fang before his death and go to the fourth prince Long Tian.

""Da Da! Da Da!"

When the thirsty Yang Hao lowered his head to drink water by the Qingshui River, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves in the distance.

The refugees who were resting by the river also felt the vibration of the ground and the sound of horse hooves. They stood up and looked into the distance with panic on their faces. They were worried about encountering robbers or bandits.

Soon, several cavalrymen in black uniforms appeared in everyone's sight. They were several scouts of the Dynasty Army.

These scouts were very alert. They reined in their horses from a distance and looked at the huge number of refugees from a distance.

After a while, two scouts rode their horses close to these refugees with fear on their faces, wanting to ask for some information.

"Who are you and how did you get here?

A scout rode up to the crowd and asked loudly.

"Sir, we are all fleeing from the capital, where there is a war going on. Someone in the crowd answered

""What's the situation over there now?" the scout continued to ask.

But the refugees knew only a limited amount. Some said the provincial capital had been breached, some said hundreds of thousands of rebels were heading this way, and some said the Supervisor Yang Fang was still holding on.

"I am the personal guard of the Supervisor Yang Fang. I want to see your commander."

At this time, the excited Yang Hao squeezed out of the crowd and ran to the scout.

The scout looked up and down at Yang Hao, who was wearing shabby clothes. The sour smell made the scout cover his mouth and nose.

"This is my badge.

Yang Hao quickly took out his badge from his pocket and handed it to the

"Take him to see the captain!"

After the scout carefully checked the badge, he immediately took Yang Hao away from here.

Not long after, Yang Hao, whose identity was confirmed, told the scout captain everything he knew.

This scout team is one of the reconnaissance troops sent by the fourth prince, responsible for investigating the enemy situation.

They have now learned from Yang Hao that the provincial capital has fallen and the inspector Yang Fang has been killed. They dare not neglect it and report it quickly.

Soon, Yang Hao, the insider, was sent to the military camp of the fourth prince Long Tian by a fast horse to report the situation to the fourth prince in person. The camp of the dynasty army was full of flags and banners, and the military was in full swing. The tents of the 100,000-strong army stretched for more than ten miles. Teams of rangers patrolled around the camp and were on guard.

"The Fourth Prince asked you to go in, remember not to lose your manners."

After Yang Hao changed into clean clothes in the camp, he waited outside the central army tent for half a quarter of an hour before he was summoned by the Fourth Prince.

After taking a deep breath, Yang Hao followed a guard into the central army tent.

Dozens of generals in distinctive armor sat on both sides of the central army tent, and a heavy and depressing atmosphere filled the air. When

Yang Hao stepped into the tent, all eyes were on him, and he immediately felt an inexplicable pressure.

Yang Hao had followed the Inspector Yang Fang for many years, and he had seen big scenes. He calmed down and continued to move forward.

"General Yang Hao, one of the hundred soldiers under the command of the Supervisory Envoy Yang Fang, pays homage to His Majesty the Fourth Prince——"

When Yang Hao was still more than 20 steps away from the Fourth Prince Long Tian, he stopped and saluted.

The Fourth Prince Long Tian wore black armor and a robe embroidered with flying pythons. His well-defined face exuded a sharp confidence, giving people a sense of majesty without anger. The

Fourth Prince Long Tian was not a flower in a greenhouse. Although he was young, he had been trained at the border for many years and was considered a man who knew military skills.

"Yang Baijiang, please stand up and tell us in detail about the situation in the provincial capital.

The fourth prince stared at Yang Hao with a knife-like gaze, without any hesitation, and went straight to the point.

"The rebel army of more than 100,000 surrounded the provincial capital five days ago. The Supervisory Commissioner summoned more than 10,000 garrison troops......."

Yang Hao took a deep breath and told everything he knew.

"These bandits are really going too far!"

"Supervisor Yang fought to the death for his country, he is truly a pillar of our dynasty. What a pity!"......

After hearing Yang Hao's report, the generals in the central army tent were filled with indignation, regretful, and cold-eyed.

However, the expressions and movements of these generals all fell into the eyes of the fourth prince Long Tian, and he sneered in his heart.

After Long Tian asked Yang Hao to leave, he cast his eyes on the generals gathered together.

Although Long Tian was the commander of the expeditionary army this time, in fact, his control over this army was very weak.

At least most of the dozens of generals were from the line of the crown prince Long Jun, and there were also people from the prime minister's mansion and the general's mansion.

Facing Long Tian's military orders, they have always been lip service, so the army's progress was slow.

Although Long Tian was very angry and wanted to replace these disobedient generals, the relationship behind them was complicated, and he did not dare to do too much, so he could only warn them.

Two days ago, he killed several quartermasters on the grounds of delaying military orders, and severely intimidated these meritorious veterans. Otherwise, their army might not have left the capital province at this moment.

"General Zhang, the provincial capital has fallen, what should our army do?"

Long Tian did not express his opinion easily, but asked a white-haired old general sitting at the first seat on his left.

This old general was the deputy commander of the expeditionary army. When he was young, he was also a powerful figure at the border, but now he is seventy years old and no longer as brave as he was in the past. At his age, he should have spent his remaining years in the royal capital, but now the court lacks generals with rich combat experience, so he was temporarily sent to assist the fourth prince Long Tian.