Having sealed off Yutang Pass, what lay within and beyond the gate were two different worlds.

The commander at Wolf Ping Pass, Gou Heyi, was unaware of what had transpired within the gate. The plan of Huangfu Yue's desertion was not public knowledge, as the Prime Minister wouldn't let it spread.

In Gou Heyi's eyes, Huangfu Yue, having occupied Yutang Pass, was the greatest hidden danger to Chongming Country and had to be dealt with.

Yutang Pass was a crucial transportation route, affecting the supply of provisions to both Wolf Ping Pass and East Ridge Pass, as well as their retreat paths.

With a group of rebels occupying their rear, no one could feel at ease.

Therefore, after receiving Gao Yanping's call for help, Gou Heyi did not hesitate for a moment and led his army to attack Yutang Pass. What he saw, however, were Huangfu Xing and Gao Yanping atop the city walls.

Thus,

he naturally assumed he had arrived too late and that Yutang Pass had already been taken by Huangfu Xing.

No one believed that the two high-ranking generals could be defeated by Huangfu Yue, a princess who had never fought in a battle.

Nor did anyone consider that Luo Shuang, the Fourth Princess with no troops or subordinates, would be able to persuade two generals to defect to Chongming Country and occupy an important pass.

The prepared outmaneuver the unprepared.

Gao Yanping, seeing Gou Heyi coming to provide support, personally went out to invite him into the pass for a drink and to reminisce, smoothly tricking him into entering the city and becoming Luo Shuang's prisoner.

Not everyone was spineless; just like Huangfu Xing, Gou Heyi was also staunchly loyal to the royal family of Chongming Country.

Moreover, he was even more stubborn than Huangfu Xing, resistant to both coercion and enticement, and would rather die than surrender.

Unable to persuade him to defect, Duge simply abandoned him. Using a fake corpse clad in his armor, he created the illusion that Gou Heyi had died a humiliating death under torture, successfully persuaded Gou Heyi's lieutenant to defect, issued false orders, and took control of his army in one fell swoop.

Afterwards, Huangfu Xing led troops into Gou Heyi's army and, coordinating from within and without, captured Wolf Ping Pass in one swift strike. The number of soldiers under Duge's command grew to twenty-five thousand...

With that,

only East Ridge Pass stood alone between Chongming Country and Qingwu Country, guarded by the veteran General Wei Tingjiang.

East Ridge Pass was a border defense, facing off against Qingwu Country.

Thus, East Ridge Pass boasted eighty thousand soldiers, with Wei Tingjiang command brimming with valiant warriors.

With such a formidable force, Duge was naturally cautious about provoking them and thus created the illusion that all was normal inside the pass.

He aimed to delay for as long as possible, even leaving the residents between the two passes undisturbed. Each day of delay was a day his power grew.

While Huangfu Xing and Gao Yanping planned the capture of Wolf Ping Pass, Huangfu Yue continued leading her troops deeper inland. In two days' time, she took down two more county cities, halting outside the walls of Linyang City.

Linyang City was a large city with a population of over one hundred thousand and only some city guard troops.

However, the County magistrate of Linyang, Shi Ruxing, was a notable figure.

He learned of the events at Yutang Pass from the refugees who had fled from the three counties captured by Duge, then hurriedly sent the news to the royal court as fast as possible.

Then, he shut the city gates, severed contact with the outside world, organized the city guard to mount a staunch defense, and rallied the wealthy households of the city to deploy their household guards to help defend the walls.

The city guard of Linyang City should have numbered three thousand, but due to long periods of peace and severe corruption, the number was less than eight hundred. With the militia hastily conscripted, their number was barely over a thousand.

But even with only a little over a thousand defenders, Huangfu Yue's three thousand could not breach the walls.

A stalemate ensued between the two sides.

...

When the news reached Capital City,

the Emperor of Chongming Country was shell-shocked for a long time. He was aware of the plan set by the Prime Minister and Fourth Prince.

But what was the situation now?

Why had the people of the Huangfu Family all defected?

Even Yutang Pass was lost. How had the Fourth Princess managed this?

If she were that capable, why had she been chased like a stray dog all the way from Qingwu Country to Chongming Country...

Was the Demon Star really that formidable?

...

"Fourth Brother, Shi Pingchuan, I need an explanation." Gu Shicun slammed the report from Linyang City on Shi Pingchuan's face, his own face as dark as the bottom of a pot, and banged the table hard, "Over ten thousand elite soldiers, scheming against one weak woman, yet she turned defeat into victory, even losing Yutang Pass. What kind of brilliant plan did you devise?"

Not just Yutang Pass, even Wolf Ping Pass was lost...

Gu Shiming mused to himself, having received the news before Gu Shicun.

He was astonished by the speed of He Xu's machinations yet felt a secret glee, though his expression remained filled with dread as he knelt with a thud on the floor: "Imperial Brother, calm your anger, it is my fault. Upon hearing the news from the front lines, I immediately went to arrest Huangfu Xing's family, but they had vanished into thin air, indicating that the Huangfu Family had harbored rebellious intentions all along. It is my fault for misjudging people, and I ask for Imperial Brother's punishment..."

"Your Majesty, the matter at Yutang Pass has nothing to do with the Prince," Shi Pingchuan also had his own intelligence network. The news from Yutang Pass had passed through his hands first. He didn't just have news from the front line; he also knew about the three counties. Kneeling as well, he interjected, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the reason the Fourth Princess was able to take Yutang Pass so smoothly must be due to the Heavenly Demon supporting her from behind."

"Heavenly Demon again?" Gu Shicun frowned.

"The Demon Star spoken of by the State Preceptor must undoubtedly be the Heavenly Demon," Shi Pingchuan explained, "Everywhere the Fourth Princess goes, she is sure to promote gender equality. The Heavenly Demon supporting her, they may represent balance or perhaps public opinion, possibly equality, even human rights or women's rights..."

"Shi Pingchuan, does speaking of this now bear any significance?" Gu Shicun angrily retorted, "What I need is a solution."

"My intention is to suggest that there may be more than one Heavenly Demon supporting the Fourth Princess." Shi Pingchuan stated, "Currently, the Fourth Princess only commands just over ten thousand soldiers, which is not an immediate concern. In my opinion, only by sending Grandmaster-level warriors to Yutang Pass to kill the Heavenly Demons behind the Fourth Princess can we put an end to all this."