The generals below all looked at her, wondering what their marshal meant by this.
Qing Yao glanced around and spoke slowly, "Select a portion of elite soldiers from the camp, fly them over Shanhaiguan on large kites, and drop fog thunder. Shanhaiguan will surely be enveloped in thick mist. At this time, the large ships will be filled with scarecrows. The enemy forces will not be able to distinguish them from scarecrows. They will assume it is our army advancing and will fire arrows with all their might. We, on the other hand, will obtain the arrows and can launch a full-scale attack. These scarecrows will lead the way, followed by the main army. Those flying on the large kites will throw hand grenades to destroy the city gate once you land, allowing the army to breach the pass immediately!"
The main tent fell silent. It took a long time for An Dingfeng to come to his senses, and the deputy generals and brigadiers also recovered. They immediately exclaimed, with some even applauding, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"Indeed, this is the work of our marshal."
Qing Yao, having rushed here, was extremely tired. She waved her hand, "You all may leave and prepare your respective camps. I am tired and will rest for a while."
"Yes, Marshal," An Dingfeng respectfully led his men out. Once they were gone, Bing Xiao walked in from outside and respectfully saluted, "Greetings, Marshal."
Qing Yao nodded, about to ask her if the Emperor had visited the camp. "Bing Xiao, has your master left the palace recently?" Qing Yao asked. Bing Xiao respectfully shook her head, "Reporting to Marshal, Master has not left the palace recently. He has sent messages, instructing me to report the army's movements to him at all times."
"Good, then. Do not report my arrival here to him, to prevent him from leaving the palace privately again." Qing Yao commanded coldly. Bing Xiao paused, then spoke with difficulty, "This?"
She had not mentioned that Master had given orders to report to him immediately upon receiving any news of the Empress. Concealing this information now would be disloyal. Qing Yao saw her hesitant expression and shot a chilling gaze at her, speaking coldly, "Bing Xiao, you are no longer an imperial guard. Imperial guards are loyal to their master, which is loyalty. But you are now a soldier. Soldiers must obey military orders. You should understand who your true master is now."
"Yes, Marshal. Your subordinate understands." Bing Xiao respectfully accepted the order, not daring to say more. Since the Marshal had decided this, she naturally had her reasons. She would not harm the Emperor; on the contrary, it would be the Emperor who was truly in danger if he kept leaving the palace.
"Good, you may leave. I am tired and will rest for a while."
"Yes," Bing Xiao retreated. In the main tent, Mo Chou attended to Qing Yao as she rested. Xiao Yu'er was already asleep from exhaustion.
Three days later, all necessary preparations were completed. Over a hundred large kites were ready, and many large ships were transported from the riverbanks near Yuecheng, laden with numerous scarecrows. Even in broad daylight, let alone heavy fog, at a distance, one would assume the ships were manned by countless people, unable to distinguish them from scarecrows, especially in the mist.
An Dingfeng reported the progress to Qing Yao. Qing Yao then took out another blueprint and instructed him to have it erected immediately. Since there were no high mountains nearby, only square ladders could be built, from which they would fly. If they simply drifted with the wind, they might not reach the city walls and achieve the desired effect, rendering the deployment of so many soldiers futile.
Many soldiers came to watch the spectacle, all whispering that they didn't know what their marshal's mind was made of, to come up with such peculiar ideas. They had never thought of them, nor had they ever seen them, which showed how intelligent she was.
In the evening, the east wind rose, a true blessing from heaven. Qing Yao gave the order, first commanding small groups of elite soldiers to ride the large kites into the city. The large ships filled with scarecrows advanced, followed by the ships of the main army, all moving majestically towards Shanhaiguan opposite.
Qing Yao did not accompany them. If Shanhaiguan was captured, she would return to Wuqing Valley, leaving the command to An Dingfeng. If her suspicions were correct, once Shanhaiguan was captured, the people of Qingluo Kingdom would be shocked. If An Dingfeng and his forces captured Yun Cang Kingdom, then Qingluo Kingdom would inevitably surrender.
The large kites drifted into the airspace above Shanhaiguan with the wind. Fog thunder was dropped, and the entire Shanhaiguan was filled with dense smoke. In the swirling mist, people were bewildered. How did such thick smoke suddenly appear? It didn't seem like fog at night, nor was it like the fog Shanhaiguan had encountered in so many years. It must have a significant meaning.
As everyone was wondering, a scout reported, "Bad news, the people of Xian Yue are approaching on large ships!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly alarmed. The commanding general immediately ordered the archers to prepare for a barrage. In the mist, it was impossible to see the people on the large ships clearly. Vaguely, they could see crowds of people. The general defending Shanhaiguan calmly ordered, "Do not stop the arrows."
At first, they did not pay much attention and shot with all their might. But slowly, they discovered something was amiss—why were so many arrows fired, yet the enemy showed no reaction, and the large ships continued to advance? As they began to question this, a loud bang suddenly erupted in the night sky, the city gate exploded, the ships docked, and the Xian Yue soldiers swarmed ashore like wolves, charging directly into Shanhaiguan.
An Dingfeng calmly directed the battle. After fighting fiercely with the soldiers inside Shanhaiguan for a day and a night, they finally occupied Shanhaiguan. The first line of defense of Yun Cang Kingdom was breached, and the people of Yun Cang Kingdom panicked, while Qingluo Kingdom was shocked.
When Qing Yao received the news, she was already in the carriage, smiling as she looked at the letter in her hand. The following events would not be difficult. The morale of the people of Yun Cang Kingdom had already collapsed, which was undoubtedly an advantage for An Dingfeng's army. Yun Cang Kingdom would soon be conquered.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Yu'er saw her mother's happy expression and quickly snatched the letter to read, her face also full of joy. "Mother, the unification of the realm is soon to be completed."
"Mm," Qing Yao nodded, then, as if remembering something, she looked at Xiao Yu'er, "To unify the seven kingdoms in such a short time, the contributions of our Xiao Yu'er cannot be overlooked. Your Imperial Father should bestow upon you the title of Princess Fortune Star, shouldn't he?"
As Qing Yao spoke, Mo Chou and Bing Xiao beside her nodded in agreement. Indeed, the swift conquest of the realm owed much to the Princess. It wasn't just a title; whatever she desired, the Emperor would surely grant her.
"I don't want it. If Mother doesn't enter the palace, I won't return either." As soon as Xiao Yu'er finished speaking, Mo Chou and Bing Xiao simultaneously looked towards Qing Yao. If she could return to the palace, the Emperor would be overjoyed, but would she go back? Qing Yao lifted the curtain and looked outside. The wind blew through the forest, rustling the lush green leaves, a beautiful verdant sight.