Establishing Authority

The imposing Beifeng Government Office stands like a small fortress in the heart of Beifeng City.

It was called a government office, but it was actually a military camp.

The towering walls made it seem like a city within a city, and the Imperial Guards on duty outside the gate were tall and imposing, while the soldiers on the main street were closely coordinated.

Everything seemed solemn and dignified, but this solemnity was soon broken by a voice.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

A soldier dressed as a messenger rode a snow-horned horse at breakneck speed from the end of the street, drawing sidelong glances from the soldiers on the street and the guards on duty outside the mansion gate.

Riding at high speed on horseback in such heavy snow within the city is already a violation of military regulations.

However, the messenger paid no attention to this.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the government office, he immediately dismounted and shouted loudly:

"Open the door! Quickly! There's urgent military information to inform His Highness Wu Yuan! Open the door now!"

"."

The Imperial Guards on duty remained unmoved by the other party's anxious expression.

"Token"

The government office stores a large amount of military supplies. There's no use in being anxious. If a spy infiltrates and these supplies are lost, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The messenger gritted his teeth, hurriedly pulled a token from his robes, and tossed it to the guard.

Here you go, hurry up!

"."

After quickly and efficiently examining the token thrown at him, the Imperial Guard waved for the door to be opened.

Before he could return the token, the messenger had already dashed into the government office.

Behind the mansion gate was a wide stone-paved road, with snow swept to the sides and piled up. The messenger ran north, crossing one courtyard wall after another, and finally saw a huge Drill Ground covered in white snow.

And hidden under the blizzard,

A massive Council Hall stood faintly visible at the end of the Drill Ground.

The messenger was stunned.

He could faintly hear some heated questions coming from inside the Council Hall.

The questioning of Prince Wu Yuan.

"It will take at least another day for the Barbarian Tribe to completely encircle Beifeng City. Why has Your Highness sealed off the northern city?"

"The Barbarian Tribe are about to encircle us. This is our last chance to deliver supplies to our allies in the Houting County. Why won't they let us leave the city to deliver supplies?!"

"If we are completely surrounded within the city and our supply lines are cut off, what will become of the 300,000 troops in the Houting County area?"

"The granaries in Houting County were damaged in the previous war, and the newly built granaries can only hold enough grain for a month at most!"

"."

Compared to the wind and snow outside, the lobby was bustling with noise.

On one side were generals dressed in border army armor, their expressions excited; on the other side were Yulin Army generals with lowered eyes, remaining silent.

Amidst this cacophony,

No one noticed that not a single member of the Black Scale Army from the third party had arrived.

Of course, they don't need to come.

This was not the second military council convened by Li Qingyan, but rather a simple attempt to force the emperor to abdicate.

It's laughable,

An hour ago, these people pledged their loyalty at the first military council meeting and promised to obey all of Wu Yuan's orders.

An hour later, these people started causing a ruckus in the council hall.

Because they discovered that Li Qingyan had sealed all the city gates.

The array was activated to seal it.

Whether it was the Demon Beast beasts or the high-level cultivators, they were all trapped inside the city.

Unless they dare to go through the blown-open South City, they have no way out.

This made them anxious.

Therefore, they gathered here to demand an explanation.

"Your Highness."

On the side of the border troops, a middle-aged man who had been silent all along suddenly sighed.

The man was dressed in the armor of a military commander, and the Source Qi around him confirmed his cultivation level as a second-grade Origin Beginning Master.

And with his sigh,

The once noisy lobby fell silent with an eerie speed.

It is obvious that this person is the one in charge of this "coup".

The man with the goatee looked at the woman in the hall and spoke calmly:

"If you cannot provide a specific reason, then the North Gate will have to be opened by our own Beifeng Army."

"."

Hearing this, many of the Feather Forest Guard officers on the other side seemed to want to rebuke her, but they all held back and looked at the valiant woman in the red-and-gold-trimmed dragon armor on the hall.

All eyes converged, and a few breaths of silence followed.

"Drive it yourself?"

A hoarse, low female voice finally rang out softly, echoing in the empty lobby.

Setting down the file in her hand, Li Qingyan slowly raised her eyes to look at the middle-aged man and asked calmly:

"Commander Qi, how do you plan to launch this attack? Are you going to use your Shaking Glory Army to attack the city from within?"

Upon hearing this, Commander Qi's face darkened, and he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, refusing to yield an inch.

"How could this humble general dare to commit such a treasonous act? With a formidable enemy at our doorstep, we must unite as one. We only wish to ask Your Highness for a reason to seal off the city."

Li Qingyan nodded, her exquisitely beautiful face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Very well, since Commander Qi needs a reason, then I will give you one."

As he spoke,

Li Qingyan stood up and slowly walked down the steps, saying softly:

"The Barbarian Tribe haven't besieged the city yet, but Barbarian Tribe wolf riders are already patrolling outside. Are you planning to transport these supplies across the three-hundred-mile snow forest while surrounded by those wolf riders?"

"."silence.

Seeing that no one answered, Li Qingyan chuckled softly and continued in a low voice:

"It seems you are aware of this as well, but if you are aware of it, why do you insist on transporting grain out of the city?"

"Is it because of hospitality? They traveled a long way to raid the city, enduring hardships, so they wanted to reward those barbarians with this gesture?"

The hall was deathly silent.

After exchanging glances, a man dressed in captain's armor stepped forward, bowed, and replied respectfully with righteous indignation:

"Your Highness is absolutely right. The ground supply lines are no longer safe, but why can't we allow high-level cultivators and flying Demon Beast to leave the city? The probability of them being intercepted is very low."

Li Qingyan glanced at the person who spoke:

"I remember your name is Nie Yu?"

The captain stepped forward with a slight smile, the clatter of his armor making a clicking sound.

"Your Highness remembers my name, I am truly humbled."

Li Qingyan turned and walked to within two meters of the man, casually tossing the dossier at his feet.

"Captain Nie, pick it up and take a look."

"Then, explain to me why your Nie Family's wives, children, and relatives were on those flying Demon Beast transporting military supplies? Why were there so many valuables on those flying Demon Beast? And why were there two fourth-rank Body Fusion guards?"

"." Lieutenant Nie.

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Li Qingyan swept his icy gaze over the group of generals below, who were nominally the imperial border troops but were in reality the private armies of their sects:

"Captain Zhou, Captain Chang, Captain Liu, forget it. There are too many people for me to call out names one by one. You can each choose a representative to explain to me together."

After hearing this, Captain Nie remained calm and composed, simply clasping his hands in a fist salute and saying:

"Your Highness, as a border general of the Great Yan, I can set an example by leaving my wife and children behind, but those guards are all my retainers, and those who escorted them out are all distinguished guests from the sects of the Northern Border."

"Distinguished guests from a sect? It seems they are all cultivators."

Li Qingyan's words were clear. "Since you are cultivators, then you will remain here to guard the city."

Captain Nie frowned, and said in a more serious tone:

"Your Highness, they are not government soldiers, and are all children of the sect leader, of noble status. If they are lost again, I'm afraid Your Highness will be in grave danger."

Boom!

A surge of Source Qi descended from the sky, penetrating the entire hall, and crushed Captain Nie into a pulp from top to bottom.

The stench of blood instantly filled the silent hall.

Li Qingyan glanced around, her phoenix eyes already radiating coldness:

"I am not a soldier either. All citizens of the Great Yan have the mission to fight for their homeland!"

"Also, don't think I don't know, the Sumeru Ring containing supplies in your hands have already been sent to Houting County through those high-level cultivators who deliver messages."

"Stop your petty schemes. Anyone who dares to mention this again will be court-martialed."

Having said that,

Li Qingyan's gaze fell on Commander Qi, who was at the head of the group.

Commander Qi slightly raised his eyes, sensing that the great formation in the sky had locked onto him.

However, he still did not speak immediately, calmly meeting the gaze of the princess whose murderous intent was obvious.

Now that the sect's elite forces have been mobilized and almost all the high-ranking generals are in the Houting County area, he is the only person in charge of Beifeng City. If he dies, the sect's 100,000 troops will become a disorganized mess.

If everyone has their own agenda and there's no one to coordinate, it will be very difficult for the princess to manage things.

Moreover, the consequences of killing a second- Origin Beginning commander are far greater than those of killing a mere captain.

Want to gamble?

I'm betting that this crazy woman won't dare kill him, and I'm betting that she won't start an internal power struggle at this critical juncture.

The atmosphere was so tense during the staring contest between the two Origin Beginning experts that it felt as if water could freeze.

But in the end, Commander Qi lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"Your Highness is absolutely right. We will follow Your Highness's arrangements."

Under the current circumstances, that crazy woman Wu Yuan would definitely dare to kill him.

The lives of the children of those high-ranking members of the sects are very important. If these people die in Beifeng City, he will most likely be held accountable.

But whether to face accountability or die in that very lobby, he would still choose the latter.

There was no further sound; only the echoing footsteps of the border general returning empty-handed reverberated throughout the hall.

As for the pile of food belonging to Captain Nie, it was collected by one of his old friends.

Just as Li Qingyan was about to send his trusted generals to set up defenses, he saw a hurried figure running into the main hall against the flow of the border army generals:

"Your Highness, Your Highness! The Black Scale Army! The Black Scale Army has forcibly left the city through the South City and is attacking the Barbarian Tribe camp!"

"..." Li Qingyan's vision went black.