After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

On May 7, the war between the North and the South officially began.

The people of the capital and all the counties and prefectures of Daliang were thrown into a panic in an instant.

Such a war came suddenly, without warning, like a bolt from the blue, striking them unexpectedly.

The first reaction in everyone's mind was disbelief, but after making inquiries and confirming the fact, panic spread throughout the city.

"How...how could this happen?"

"How did the excellent North-South alliance come to this?"

"Who provoked the Northern Dynasties to move south?"

"Isn't the Northern Dynasty going to be destroyed by the Rakshasa?"

"What's the situation in the two cities north of the Yangtze River? Have they fallen?"

"Have the Tartars crossed the river yet?"

The questions about why the war started and what its current state is are destined to remain unanswered.

The family packed their luggage, boarded a carriage, and squeezed through the noisy crowds and traffic to the city gate, hoping to escape the capital and avoid disaster. But what they found was a tightly closed city gate.

Pale faces looked up at the city wall, their eyes filled with terror.

Chaos and shouts spread through the city gates, but under the strict military orders of the Ministry of War, no one was allowed to leave the capital.

"I am a member of the Shen family!"

"My father is the former Chief Clerk Ge of the Ministry of War. I beg the General to make an exception for me..."

"A member of the Feng clan from the Marquis of Zhongzhen's residence on Taiping Street... has urgent business outside the city..."

At this point, even imperial relatives and high-ranking officials, regardless of their rank or position, were of no use.

No one may leave the city without an order from the Ministry of War.

The forest of spears and sharp blades forced them back, ordering them to go home and await the government's requisition.

Taverns began to close, rice prices continued to soar, and long queues formed outside shops. It wasn't until government soldiers arrived and sealed off the rice shops that the crowds were dispersed.

Minister of War Luan Zongyuan decreed that from this day forward, the Ministry of War would have the final say on every grain of rice in the city.

"Let us not repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty!" Luan Zongyuan said, his face ashen, slamming his fist on the table in the Ministry of War.

One after another, cavalry units carrying military orders rushed out from Jiangdong Gate.

Upon receiving the order, the prefects of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Yingtian Prefecture immediately responded and mobilized their respective village militias.

Mule carts from Suzhou, Changzhou, Songjiang, and other prefectures set off one after another, transporting provisions and military equipment to Nanjing. Meanwhile, garrison troops were being established in Zhejiang and Jiangxi, and soldiers were being recruited to defend the emperor.

The 10,000-strong Yunhu Battalion stationed at Yunhu, the 20,000-strong Jiujiang Battalion, and the 10,000-strong Chizhou Battalion were all on high alert, making intensive preparations for river defense to prevent the Northern Dynasty from secretly crossing the river.

Three civil officials, appointed as military commanders along the Yangtze River and whose families were all in the capital, set off from the capital at dawn. Under the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they each rushed to three different locations to oversee the troops. The three men carried secret orders and had the authority to make decisions in times of crisis.

The imperial court's various decrees and actions were as swift and decisive as thunder, showing no mercy whatsoever, as if it had already made thorough preparations for this war.

In just half a day, more than twenty heads were lost for disobeying orders, clashing with soldiers, or forcibly entering rice shops.

Among them was a first-class steward from the Marquis of Zhongzhen's mansion, who was made an example of by being killed, his head hung high on a bamboo pole, chilling the entire city to the bone.

In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, gongs were sounded along the streets of the two counties to conscript laborers and train local militia. They methodically directed the people to build defensive equipment, pile up rolling stones, and stockpile molten gold.

The artisans of the entire city were conscripted one after another. Blacksmiths, carpenters, coppersmiths, and tinsmiths all went to the armory or weapons bureau to forge armor, bows and arrows, and weapons.

Stonemasons, bricklayers, and plasterers all entered the city defenses to repair and reinforce the city walls.

As for the original military craftsmen, namely various types of bow makers, arrow makers, crossbow makers, saddle makers, leather makers, cannon makers, and gunpowder makers, they were now constantly forging and repairing weapons in the bow and arrow workshops, gunpowder workshops, and cannon workshops.

The weapons were not only used in Nanjing, but also needed to be transported by ship to the two cities north of the Yangtze River to help them defend the river.

The mobilization efforts of Jiangpu and Liuhe were no less than those of Nanjing in the war effort.

Jiangpu City, with its 30,000 soldiers, had begun preparations for war a month earlier under the command of Jiangbei Governor Shangguan Yun.

Training soldiers, stockpiling provisions, and sharpening weapons.

Previously, all the generals and soldiers thought they were going north to take over the empty cities ceded by the Northern Dynasty.

But to everyone's surprise, more than a month later came news that was completely contrary to the North-South alliance... The North and South were about to start a major war.

Yue Zhongqi, the renowned general of the Northern Dynasties, led 200,000 men south.

In other words, not only the three major camps south of the Huai River, which commanded 100,000 troops, but the Northern Dynasty also mobilized even more troops to march south.

This news had actually been confirmed five days earlier, even before the proclamation sent by the Northern Dynasty.

About a month ago, just days before the Empress refused to allow the Jiangpu army to leave the city to take over Chuzhou, the north-south trade routes began to gradually decrease, or even be said to have been gradually cut off.

Qingjiangpu in Huai'an was originally the location of the trade route between the south and the north. The northern horse caravans were converted into boats in Huai'an and continued south.

Once Huai'an is cut off from trade routes, Jiangpu City will naturally find it much harder to obtain news from north of the Huai River.

However, there are always some daring merchants who secretly conduct business, and bits and pieces of news always manage to get through.

"There are many more Manchu troops in Shandong..."

"Ning Jiexiao has breached the Forbidden City..."

"The Heavenly Principles Sect uprising in Shandong... under the orders of Ning Jiexiao... attacked the grain supply route..."

"The Green Standard Army has begun its crackdown..."

Some news, whether true or false, still came through.

In fact, as early as two months ago, some merchants who had traveled south had said that they had seen a large contingent of Manchu bannermen heading south in Jinan.

At least a thousand people.

The Northern Dynasties also had a tradition of rotating troops, with the Eight Banners of the Capital Garrison replacing the Eight Banners of the Three Great Camps.

In the past, this kind of thing wouldn't have been a big deal. A thousand people would have met the rotation requirement.

However, after several such reports, it was inevitable to raise doubts, because the caravans passed through Jinan at different times, so how could they all have seen Eight Banners with more than a thousand people?

These doubts persisted until the end of March, when the Empress of Nanjing delivered a message to them—or rather, an edict—that transformed some previously puzzling matters into a seemingly impossible yet undeniably real storm that swept over them.

The Northern Dynasty... has already formed an alliance with the Rakshasa.

The Eight Banners army along the Aihui line has already marched south!

This news shocked the entire Jiangbei government office.

This message was personally delivered by Liu Xinghan, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Commander Liu, with a solemn expression, specifically told them:

"His Majesty has already issued an edict. There is no need to doubt the authenticity of this news. We only need to find out where the main force of the Northern Dynasty is located, and all armies should prepare for the Northern Dynasty to march south in full force."

Based on the unusual reports from some merchant caravans, Shangguan Yun, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, immediately concluded: "The main force of the Eight Banners of Aihui in the Northern Dynasty must have split up and marched south. That's why different merchant caravans saw the Eight Banners with a thousand men each."

Under Shangguan Yun's instructions, Jiang Luzhi immediately sent people north.

However, at this time, the trade routes between the north and south had already begun to be cut off. Merchants from the Southern Dynasty who had previously traveled north were all stranded in Huai'an when they wanted to return, and were unable to go south.

Jiangpu Army, together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, sent several groups of people north, and finally, five days ago, they sent back a completely reliable message.

The main forces of the Northern Dynasty's Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners, previously scattered across various cities in Shandong, have now converged and are marching towards Huai'an...