The two came to the study in the outer courtyard.

"Father, let's go to the secret room." Shangguan Ziqi suggested quietly.

The prince raised an eyebrow.

The secret room is rarely visited, as it contains the most important things in the palace.

Moreover, only the princes of each generation know how to open the door of the secret room.

Shangguan Ziqi didn't even know it.

But he knew that there was a secret room in the palace because his grandfather had taken him in once before.

Although the iron box is also the most important thing in the palace, it is always kept outside because the password needs to be fiddled with frequently.

Where the iron box is located, there are the most secret guards.

Seeing that his father didn't move, he mouthed three words: "Opened."

The prince's eyes lit up and he suppressed his excitement.

Walk to the north wall of the study, which is a stone wall with a portrait of an ancestor hanging on it.

The prince uncovered the portrait and found a few slightly raised spots, which he pressed in a certain pattern.

Then the wall slowly moves from the center to the right.

When stopped, two people can walk in side by side.

The father and son carried a candlestick and walked into the door, and then the door closed automatically.

Down a small stone staircase.

It's a basement, dug right below the study.

If it weren't for the head of the palace, it would be difficult for outsiders to discover it.

The four walls of the basement are made of stone slabs.

There were many treasure boxes on the wall, with various boxes placed in them. There were also several swords on one wall.

There are several large boxes under the wall.

There is a small table and four stools in the middle.

Shangguan Ziqi just glanced casually at the entire secret room, sat down on the stool, and took out the ten gold leaves from his arms.

"Father, look." Shangguan Ziqi smiled mysteriously.

The prince took it and read each piece by candlelight.

"Is this what was taken out of the iron box?" The prince didn't understand.

"Yes." Shangguan Ziqi smiled and looked at his father's somewhat hopeful expression.

Then he took out a few pieces of paper and pushed them in front of the prince.

The prince picked it up and took a look. The more he looked at it, the brighter his eyes became.

Finally, he burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, with this, my Great Wei will definitely blow Canglan through. Do you recognize the words on it?" The prince asked this after he was happy.

"My son doesn't know her, but my wife does. She is the most precious treasure of our Shangguan family."

Shangguan Ziqi took the opportunity to indirectly ask for benefits on behalf of his wife in front of his father.

"Well, you have married a good wife. Once Canglan is defeated, I will reward you handsomely. I think the emperor will also reward you. Don't worry, your father will remember this."

"Father, what are the arrangements for next?"

"What are your plans?" The prince wanted to hear his opinion.

"Father, Canglan has started another round of war against our Great Wei. I want to lead the army first, but I'm afraid General Chen can't handle it. Father, I'll let you make the bomb. What do you think?"

Shangguan Ziqi has long wanted to go to the battlefield.

Now that the iron box has been opened, he has nothing to worry about and can launch a counterattack.

"Okay, that's settled."

"Father, should we put away the iron box and place it in the secret room?"

Shangguan Ziqi was afraid that after he left, the iron box would be in his wife's hands and would bring disaster. He was worried that spies from Canglan Kingdom would come to steal it again, and if they failed to steal it, they would rob it.

"No, just put it in your room to paralyze the enemy.

Alas, we are in the dark and the enemy is in the dark. We are really hard to guard against.

Now that it has been opened, the guards can relax a little and give the enemy a chance to steal again.

This time, I will definitely clear out all the spies’ dens in the capital."

The prince wanted to use the iron box as a lure to eliminate the enemy at one go.

"But Madam and the children..." Shangguan Ziqi was worried about their safety.

"Don't worry, the secret guards are mainly responsible for protecting your wife and children. If the spies are trying to rob, they will be protected first. If they are trying to steal, they will not hurt anyone." The prince analyzed.

"Ya."

Shangguan Ziqi would have to explain things to the secret guards when he got back, and also explain things clearly to his wife, asking her to be more vigilant.

At the same time, the iron box should not be placed in the outer room, but in the main hall, which makes it easy for the enemy to steal it.

The father and son discussed for a while, including how to deal with the enemy on the battlefield and their strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, the prince locked the ten gold leaves in a secret compartment in the secret room.

The next day, just after dawn, a horse galloped into the city gate.

"Eight-minute rush, eight-minute rush." ​​A post station soldier came immediately.

There is a flag on the back.

Running and shouting.

The soldiers guarding the city gate knew at a glance that it was the front line delivering battle reports to the capital, so they quickly made way for the horses to pass smoothly and enter the palace.

At this time, the ministers who were attending the court had just entered the palace.

They all saw the horses, which were almost exhausted from running, being reined in.

The palace guards carried the soldier and ran inside quickly.

The court officials also hurried to the Golden Palace.

The emperor knew that there was an urgent matter, so he did not delay, quickly dressed, and went directly to the Golden Palace.

There is a war on the front line and he pays close attention to it every day.

"The emperor has arrived." The chief steward shouted.

All the court officials bowed three times and then stood up.

"Hurry and bring the post soldiers in." The emperor didn't want to talk about anything else and wanted to read the battle report first.

"Your Majesty, the situation on the front line is tense, and we have already lost a city." The postman held the battle report high above his head.

As soon as these post soldiers received the battle report from the previous station, they would not waste a moment, but would mount their horses and run away until they reached the next post station, where they would do the same thing again.

The battle report traveled nearly 2,000 kilometers from the front line to the capital, taking only two days and two nights to reach the capital, changing twenty post stations.

The chief eunuch Hai Xixi immediately walked down the steps to take the battle report, opened it, and then handed it to the emperor.

The emperor read it quickly and then asked Hai Xixi to read it.

"Your Majesty:

Recently, the enemy army has been advancing like a hot knife through butter. They arrived at the gates of Lin'an City and launched a strong attack on our Lin'an City on March 10. In the end, due to the disparity in strength between the enemy and us, and the fact that some of the city walls had not been repaired for a long time, it was difficult to resist the enemy's fierce attack. Unfortunately, Lin'an City was lost on March 20. In this battle, although our army fought bravely, we suffered heavy casualties, with more than 8,000 soldiers killed, which is really heartbreaking. We have now retreated to Luo'an City. "

Hai Xixi did not read out the entire poem, but only picked out the key points.

Now that Wei has captured two cities, the situation is pressing.

"My dear ministers, do you have any ideas?" The emperor glanced at his ministers and asked.

Everyone was looking at Prince Rong who was standing in the front.

At a time like this, of course, Prince Rong would be the first to step forward.

But Prince Rong is already over forty years old.

In the past, Prince Rong of this era usually did not go to battle, and it was usually the Crown Prince who went to battle.

Prince Rong had to pass on the throne when he was ten years old, and the throne would be inherited by the Crown Prince.

Although Shangguan Ziqi had received the seal of the Crown Prince, in the eyes of some people, he had just woken up from a coma and his legs had only just recovered, so it was unknown whether he could go to the battlefield.

Shangguan Zishu was previously the crown prince. He was already at the front line, but he was unable to stop the enemy's fierce attack.

Everyone looked worried.

"Your Majesty, I am ready and can go out to provide support at any time." Shangguan Ziqi stepped out and knelt on one knee.

"Okay. I order you to lead 100,000 soldiers to drive the enemy Canglan out of our Great Wei and ensure the peace of our Great Wei."

"I accept your order."

"Minister of Revenue."

"I'm here." The Minister of Revenue stepped out.

"If the city is not well defended, the rioters will inevitably flood into the inner city. Notify all prefectures and counties to resettle the rioters on the spot. The Ministry of Revenue will arrange relief for the victims based on the situation in each place."

"I accept your order."

"Minister of War."

"I'm here." The Minister of War stepped out.

"Have the backup supplies been prepared? I have already issued an order on this matter before I left."

"Your Majesty, our Great Wei has relatively few iron mines, which makes us a little short of military weapons, but we have enough arrow feathers." The Minister of War answered truthfully.

"The weapons in the hands of the garrisons can be sent to the front lines first, and the garrisons can be replaced with sticks and daggers first. The war comes first."

"I obey the decree."

At this time, the eldest prince turned his wheelchair out.

"Father, I request your permission to go to war with Prince Rong."

The eldest prince's request caused an uproar among the court officials.