The Capital, Taiji Hall.
Inside the hall, candle flames flickered, casting light on the Emperor's ashen face. He clutched an urgent border report in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, veins bulging on the back of his hand. The ministers below the steps held their breath, deliberately softening their breathing for fear of arousing the Dragon's wrath. Outside the hall, the autumn wind howled, whipping several withered leaves against the vermilion doors and making a crisp, rustling sound.
"An eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch from Yanmen Pass—" The grand eunuch's shrill voice echoed inside the hall, dragging out the final note so long it sounded like a dull blade scraping across everyone's eardrums. "Thirty thousand Beidi iron cavalry are pressing hard upon the border, launching a fierce assault on Yanmen Pass! Commander-in-Chief Niu Xingyuan is leading his troops in a desperate defense, but provisions within the pass will only last for seven days, and arrows are nearly exhausted!"
Chapter 225