Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1209 Emperor Qing finally started to panic, return to the capital!

In retrospect, it seems he was careless.

The document was opened, and Emperor Qing's gaze swept over it from top to bottom, his face gradually darkening. When he saw the last line, his hand gripping the document tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white.

"Snapped--"

He slammed the thin piece of paper onto the table, causing the teacup to jump and tea to splash everywhere.

"Okay, very good!"

Emperor Qing's voice was low, yet it carried an uncontrollable rage. The generals in the tent exchanged glances, not daring to utter a sound. They had followed Emperor Qing for many years and had seen him in a rage, but this suppressed fury was more chilling than any thunderous outburst.

Emperor Qing ignored them, staring intently at the document, his chest heaving violently.

Five hundred thousand.

A full 500,000 troops fell into Li Yunrui's hands within two months. The border troops and state troops of Jiangnan, those soldiers who should have been loyal to the imperial court, were now all under that woman's command. And what was he doing? He was fighting fiercely with the Northern Qi people in the north, completely unaware that his own backyard was on fire.

What angered Emperor Qing even more was not the loss of those 500,000 men—an army could be recruited again, and territory could be lost and then fought again; these were not the most fatal issues.

What he truly couldn't tolerate was the feeling of losing control.

Who is Emperor Qing? He is the emperor of Southern Qing, one of the strongest martial artists in the world, and a master strategist who plans flawlessly. Over the years, he has sat on the dragon throne, watching ambitious figures emerge one by one, only to be crushed by him one by one. He believed he controlled everything, that all people and events were in their proper place on his chessboard.

But now?

First, a mysterious grandmaster appeared in Kyoto. This man came and went without a trace, even Han Xin couldn't figure him out. Then came the rebellion in the west; Han Xin's rebel army seemed to appear out of nowhere, defeating 150,000 provincial troops overnight. Then came gunpowder, cannons, and muskets—these unheard-of things suddenly appeared on the battlefield, causing his army to suffer repeated defeats.

Now, it's Li Yunrui again. Emperor Qing suddenly realized that these things were not isolated incidents.

From the moment that mysterious grandmaster appeared in Kyoto, it was as if an invisible hand had been targeting the Qing Kingdom. Every step he took was perfectly timed, and every move caught him off guard. First, he disrupted Kyoto, then he ignited the western border, and now the Jiangnan region has changed hands—this series of events is interconnected, each step pressing closer and closer.

As for Li Yunrui... Emperor Qing closed his eyes and went through the events of the past few years from beginning to end.

She volunteered to be transferred to Jiangnan. At the time, he felt the request was somewhat abrupt, but he didn't think much of it. Jiangnan was prosperous and far from the court's intrigues; it was indeed a good place for her. He even thought that this woman had finally learned to restrain herself.

Looking back now, it's really laughable.

What restraint? What obedience? She clearly planned this all along! Jiangnan is far from the capital, far from the emperor's reach, making it perfect for her to secretly lay her plans. Those spies he sent have probably already been eliminated by her. While he was fighting in the north, he had no idea what she was doing in Jiangnan.

Li Yunrui has always stood on the other side.

It has been from the very beginning.

Emperor Qing opened his eyes, his gaze terrifyingly gloomy.

He recalled Li Yunrui's behavior when she was still in the capital. She always seemed to be subtly inquiring about the court's movements and paying particular attention to military deployments. He had assumed that was her duty as the eldest princess, stemming from her concern for the court. Now, he thought that the intelligence had probably already been delivered to where it was meant to be.

Why was the battle in the western border so brutal?

Even if you converted 150,000 soldiers into 150,000 pigs, it's impossible for them all to die overnight. Han Xin only had 20,000 main force troops; the rest were civilians who had been coerced into service and had virtually no fighting ability. Even with gunpowder, the fighting shouldn't have ended like that.

But that's exactly how it turned out.

Emperor Qing couldn't figure this out. He studied the battle reports repeatedly and analyzed the battle situation, but something still felt off. The marching routes of those state troops, the deployment positions of those garrison troops, those key nodes—it was as if every step had been calculated, as if all weaknesses were exposed to the enemy.

Now he understands.

It's Li Yunrui.

Only Li Yunrui possessed the status and authority to access such classified information. Only Li Yunrui could send this information out discreetly without arousing suspicion. She was the eldest princess, a member of the royal family; who would suspect her?

The movement routes of those provincial troops, the defenses of those passes, the strengths and weaknesses of those generals—once this intelligence reached Han Xin, it was tantamount to handing over the lifeline of 150,000 provincial troops to the enemy. Add to that those miraculous firearms, and how could this battle not be lost?

Emperor Qing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a dull sound.

The people inside the tent fell silent, even their breathing became slightly softer.

After a long while, Emperor Qing raised his head and his gaze swept over everyone.

"Pass down the order," his voice was eerily calm, "to immediately break camp and return to Kyoto."

One of the generals couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what about Northern Qi..."

“The Northern Qi have already retreated,” Emperor Qing interrupted him. “Five hundred thousand men fought for more than a month without gaining any advantage. They won’t come back. At least not this year.”

The general wanted to say something more, but was quietly pulled back by the people around him.

Emperor Qing ignored them, simply stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and gazed at the southern horizon.

That's the direction of Kyoto.

It's also in the direction of Jiangnan.

"Li Yunrui, Li Yunrui..." he murmured the name, his tone unreadable, whether it was anger or something else, "I underestimated you."

The wind blew, causing the banners outside the tent to flutter and rustle.

Emperor Qing stood there, his figure as imposing as a mountain. Yet, his heart was churning with unprecedented turmoil. He had seen countless betrayals. In the arena of power, betrayal was the least valuable thing. But this time, the one who betrayed him was his own sister, someone he had always thought was still under his control.

What angered him even more was the adversary lurking in the shadows. Who exactly was that invisible hand?

Grandmaster, Black Powder, Han Xin, Li Yunrui—are these people and these events all orchestrated by the same person? If so, what does that person want to do? Overthrow the Qing Kingdom? Replace him?

Or... is there another motive?

Emperor Qing didn't know the answer. But he knew one thing—no matter who that person was, no matter how long that hand was, he would find that person and crush them to pieces.

No one could disrupt his chessboard without paying a price. He turned and strode back into his tent.

"Set off."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.