Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

It had been two days since a huge portion of the Great Jade Kingdom's army fell from the Bright Dynasty's attacks. Fernando
had no idea why the battle had been paused as soon as Zack arrived.
"Your Majesty, shall we commence attacking the enemy?"
Instead of responding, Rolando just ordered sternly, "Raise the tent and call the generals of the army. We will have a meeting."
After much calculation, he figured out that night was the night that they would conquer the Dragon Pass.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Rolando stopped staging any kind of attack against the Dragon Pass for the past two days, both Shawn and Zack were
starting to feel uneasy. Rolando wasn't someone easily frightened, nor was he someone who would just retreat out of fear of
further losses. His silence meant something, and they both knew it was part of a larger ploy.
"Shawn, it seems like a big storm is on the way. Is there still no news about His Highness?" Zack asked worriedly.
"No," Shawn replied somberly, shaking his head. Ever since he set sail for the Great Jade Kingdom, Matthew had never
contacted them. What was strange was even Harper hadn't made any contact with them. Diana was the first and only person
who sent a message to them during that period.
He then turned to an underling, saying in an authoritative tone, "Go around and tell everyone to stay alert. The Great Jade
Kingdom is not done, and may actually attack the city again soon. Never slack off!" Aside from that, he reminded his soldiers to
never let Rolando set foot in the Dragon Pass, no matter what happened.
It was midnight. Thick, ominous fog filled the area, and there were no stars in the sky. Darkness enveloped everything that one
could not even see his fingers once he stretched his arm out.
"The fog in this place is so thick," the soldiers on the city gate tower collectively complained. Under such weather, they wouldn't
be able to see any of the approaching enemy. "It's messing up my vision. I can't see anything!" someone cried out. Then, all of a
sudden, one saw something flash in the thick fog. He rubbed his eyes, checking if his eyes were working—and they were. But
now that the said flash was gone, he became unsure of what happened. Once again, the whole area became dark.

"When will this fog dissipate? I know the weather's bad but this is too much! Unbelievable." Dong! The sound of heavy collision
rang out, which immediately scared every guard that was on the gate tower. One quickly approached the alarm bell and rang it,
screaming, "Enemy attack, enemy attack! We are under attack!" And indeed, the heavy fog was there for a purpose: Rolando
and his men were using it as a cover as they went ahead and launched an attack in an orderly manner. They were all in position,
ready to fight. When Shawn arrived at the gate tower, he heard the constant sound of a huge battering ram banging against their
gates. As desperate times called for desperate measures, he shouted, "Use the bombs! Blow up the enemies near the city
gates!" "No way! If we destroy the gates, it will do us no good!" Zack said, contradicting Shawn. "The gates would also be
destroyed if we don't do anything! So better destroy it now, when we're ready, rather than later! Now is
the time we need His Highness. If he still doesn't show up, we'll have no choice but to leave our destiny to God!" Shawn said
firmly.
Without any further ado, he ordered the bombs to be fetched and all of them to be thrown at the advancing enemy. The rumbling
was becoming louder and louder as more and more soldiers of the Great Jade Kingdom attacked the city gates. Despite the first
bomb detonating, the fog didn't dissipate.
"Your Majesty, they're using the bombs again. Should we continue attacking the city?" Benjamin asked in astonishment.
"Go on." And with that, Rolando took his bow and arrows from the back of his horse and targeted the sparkling falling mud balls.
He then immediately found out that when he did that, they wouldn't explode. A sneer spread on Rolando's lips. "Pick ten good
archers and shoot the bombs. That way, they won't explode," he ordered. "Right away, Your Majesty." Since the bombs had
exploded at the very beginning, there had been no further explosion. Shawn had a grim expression, but Zack immediately had
his men boil water and then dump the hot water down from the city wall. This move would greatly hurt the enemies downstairs.
"Prepare ladders. Let's go upstairs." Rolando gave an order calmly. Matthew was nowhere to be seen, and it was a rare chance.
He had to seize the chance to conquer the Dragon Pass.

"Come on."
The soldiers from the Great Jade Kingdom, carrying ladders, rushed towards the gate tower. The fog tonight was good for them.
They would definitely pay a huge price to defeat the Dragon Pass if they missed today's chance.
"Zack, go downstairs," Shawn said. The city gate tower was in chaos and the army was out of control. Shawn didn't know how to
explain if anything bad happened to Zack as he was a frail scholar.
Zack also knew that if he stayed there, he would not be able to help Shawn, but might be a burden for him. So he didn't refuse.
He went downstairs immediately and supported Shawn silently behind him. They just had to resist till dawn, when the thick fog
would disappear.
The soldiers from the Great Jade Kingdom had been depressed these days. When they finally had a chance to revenge, they
looked very brave and aggressive. The soldiers from the Bright Dynasty didn't show any sign of weakness. All the people who
climbed to the city gate tower were cut into half. The city was locked in a fierce battle. The city gates were constantly banged by
the battering ram. After several collisions, the heavy gates finally were to be loosened.
"Protect the gates!" The deputy general told the soldiers to hold the city gates and they couldn't let the enemies break through.
"It's going to be dawn soon. Then we don't need to worry."
"We will protect the city gates till death!"
Yet, numerous enemies were attacking outside the Dragon Pass. Finally, the city gates, which had been solid for many years,
collapsed under the fierce attack of the battering ram, and many soldiers from the Bright Dynasty were pressed under
it.