Upon hearing this, Tuoba Han let out a long sigh of relief. In this bitter winter, his back was covered in cold sweat: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty..."

Tuoba Han’s forehead was bleeding from kowtowing.

Yue Yuxi lifted her hand slightly, signaling Tuoba Han to raise his head, and then asked, "Have you caught the person impersonating Zhao Qianyi?"

"We’ve caught her, we’ve caught her," Tuoba Han said hurriedly. "I will have my subordinates bring her in right away."

Yue Yuxi nodded.

Soon, Wei Ying, bound tightly, was escorted into the tent by two soldiers.

Tuoba Han knew that Yue Yuxi would definitely want to see Wei Ying, so he had not yet punished Wei Ying, waiting for Yue Yuxi’s decision.

Wei Ying had a tall, slender figure, large frame, and was of more than average appearance, but in the camp, looking at Wei Ying, many of the generals had a gleam in their eyes.

Although Yue Yuxi and the Moon Slave beside her were also women, they were not women that the generals dared to have designs on.

"Who are you below, and why do you impersonate our princess? Raise your head."

Yue Yuxi’s charming voice carried a hint of coldness, seductively urging Wei Ying to speak.

Tuoba Han removed the rough cloth from Wei Ying’s mouth that prevented her from biting her tongue, urging her with a look to speak quickly.

Wei Ying was no fool. Seeing those respected generals on either side, she immediately guessed that the golden-haired, blue-eyed woman above was the Queen of the Desolate Kingdom.

She was very uncooperative and spat viciously toward Yue Yuxi.

"Damn it, you bitch, the King is asking you a question," Tuoba Han kicked Wei Ying to the ground, as if trying to vent all his previous indignation on her.

With her cultivation sealed, Wei Ying had become as weak as a defenseless woman. That kick from Tuoba Han made her cough up blood, yet even so, Wei Ying remained stubbornly uncooperative.

The generals beside him immediately let out mocking laughter, casting amused glances at Tuoba Han.

"Damn it..." Seeing he was about to lose face, Tuoba Han angrily seemed ready to show her some color.

But Yue Yuxi intervened, stepping down from her throne, lifting Wei Ying’s chin, and coaxed, "As long as you tell me Zhao Qianyi’s whereabouts, I will let you go."

"Pah." Wei Ying spat directly at Yue Yuxi, but the latter seemed to have anticipated it. A True Qi barrier was placed in front of Yue Yuxi, stopping the spit.

Yue Yuxi did not get angry immediately, but said, "Your cultivation is sealed now; you’re no different than an ordinary woman. You should know the fate of a woman captured by the enemy.

Moreover, none of my generals are chivalrous, so being honest is your best option."

"Heh heh," the generals laughed along cooperatively when Yue Yuxi spoke.

Wei Ying’s body trembled slightly.

From what she knew, some armies established camp prostitutes in their camps.

But life in the camp was too harsh; no woman would go there voluntarily, so the main sources for such women were female prisoners and captives.

If she were made a camp prostitute, her fate would be grim.

Seeing Wei Ying was moved, Yue Yuxi pressed on, "Judging by your armor, it’s not of a low rank. You may not realize it, but female officers like you are favored among camp soldiers."

Being a woman herself, Yue Yuxi naturally knew how much women valued their chastity.

Therefore, after finding Wei Ying’s weakness, Yue Yuxi was confident she wouldn’t hold out.

But she underestimated Wei Ying’s loyalty to Zhao Qianyi. Soon, Yue Yuxi saw blood flowing from Wei Ying’s mouth.

"Not good, Your Majesty, she’s trying to bite her tongue and kill herself," a general exclaimed in shock and alerted Yue Yuxi.

Yue Yuxi quickly twisted Wei Ying’s chin. As Wei Ying’s mouth opened, she hastily stuffed the rough cloth back into her mouth and said, "Get a healer to treat her right away. I want her alive."

"Yes." Wei Ying was quickly taken away for treatment.

"Your Majesty, she won’t speak. What should we do now?" Barbaro asked.

"From what I know of Zhao Qianyi’s character, she would never sacrifice her subordinates for her own survival. Therefore, Zhao Qianyi likely doesn’t know about this impersonation meant to distract us, so we must find a way to make her aware..."

Saying this, Yue Yuxi paused for a moment, then continued, "Spread the word that we’ve captured a high-ranking female officer to lure Zhao Qianyi out."

"Yes."

"Report—" Just as the conversation ended, a scout dressed in military attire rushed into the tent, immediately kneeling before Yue Yuxi:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there’s news from the front that Chen Mo, Commander of the Infantry Division of Great Song and Governor of Nanyang, is leading an army of 400,000 northward. They have likely already crossed Cold Water Pass, so Your Majesty should be on guard."

As these words were spoken, the entire tent fell silent.

Four hundred thousand, already half of their total forces, was not to be underestimated.

"Have someone relay the message to General Ling; we have guests to welcome."

"Yes."

...

On the official road heading north, heavy snow was falling, with flakes like goose feathers.

Chen Mo dismounted, and Gao Zheng quickly handed him a cloak to wear.

Chen Mo caught a snowflake in his hand, his expression a bit grave, saying, "This weather is not favorable for us.

Send word to set up camp and rest until the snow stops before moving forward."

Such heavy snowfall was not conducive to marching.

"Yes," Gao Zheng responded and was about to relay the order when Chen Mo pulled him aside and whispered, "Be careful to keep the shells from getting damp."

Gao Zheng nodded.

...

The 177th day of the Great Chaos.

A scout reported from the front that the enemy had released news that a senior female officer from the Celestial Dragon Army had been captured by them.

Chen Mo quickly convened the generals to discuss.

One of the deputy generals, Li Weiqiu, was the first to speak: "Sir, could it be Her Highness the Princess? Wasn’t there news a few days ago that Her Highness launched a breakthrough?"

"A senior female officer; isn’t that referring to Her Highness the Princess?" Dai Xishan echoed.

"Sir, what should we do now?" the generals asked Chen Mo.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Mo said, "Li Weiqiu, send more men to verify the news. Dai Xishan, send people to find out if anyone successfully broke out when the princess did. Zhang Lie, Bai Yongtao..."

Chen Mo issued orders to his subordinates one by one.

That afternoon, seeing the snow had stopped, Chen Mo ordered the army to advance.

However, after just two days, it began to snow again.

Knowing he couldn’t wait for the snow to stop, which would cause delays, Chen Mo had to press on through the wind and snow.

In the Northern Lands, where the weather was bitter cold, pushing through the wind and snow made the roads difficult to traverse. What normally took a week took nearly half a month to reach the front lines.

However, it was confirmed that the high-ranking female officer mentioned by the enemy was not the princess, but Zhao Qianyi’s deputy and Personal Guard Commander, Wei Ying.