July, the ninth year of Yanchang.

The emperor had been on the expedition for three months and had fought dozens of battles, large and small, with Daliang.

There are wins and there are losses.

On the battlefield, victory and defeat are common.

Looking at the overall situation, Dayan had the upper hand and recovered several occupied cities.

The capital city has been peaceful ever since the palace incident.

If it were earlier, some of the clan members might have wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos. But now is the ninth year of Yanchang, the ninth year since the emperor ascended the throne...

Those who have other thoughts are either dead or have gone abroad.

The princes who are still alive should think twice even if they are interested. The emperor now has a large army under his control...

Ning Wanyin has never slacked off.

Ning Heng, who was originally recuperating in a hot spring villa, also returned to the Earl's Mansion in the capital, keeping an eye on the situation in the court to prevent any changes and to prepare for response.

The ninth year of Yanchang, winter month.

Half a year has passed since the emperor set out on the expedition, and the front battlefield has shifted from the southwest of Dayan to Daliang.

At the beginning of winter, Emperor Ming conquered Daliang and killed Cen Huan and other former members of the Cen family who were guarding the border of Daliang.

In mid-winter, Emperor Ming and Xiao Yunjing fought a decisive battle in Linliang City. The two armies fought for three days, resulting in countless casualties and rivers of blood.

Both sides used all means...

Linliang City was broken.

"General! We can't stop them. The Dayan army has broken through the city gate. We only have a few people left. You should leave quickly!" The deputy general limped in to report.

There were many wounds on his body caused by long knives, and blood was dripping.

Xiao Yunjing stood in front of the map, looking lost. Go? Where can he go?

Da Yan invades.

The Daliang commander, King Qi, became anxious and ordered all frontline generals to stop Dayan. Anyone who dared to retreat or abandon the city would be treated as a deserter and executed without mercy.

Therefore, Cen Huan had no choice but to die for his country.

Now, it's his turn.

During the past six months, Xiao Yunjing initially just observed secretly, and then he fought with the emperor for dozens of battles, with both wins and losses.

The emperor grew so rapidly in the battles that sometimes people would forget that he was the emperor and actually thought he was a general.

He was actually quite good at fighting.

No wonder he had a plan for the border at such a young age. He was indeed born with a keen sense for military affairs, and in addition to his talent, he was also unexpectedly hardworking.

As an emperor, he was familiar with all kinds of tactics and knew all the generals so well that he could place each of them in the most suitable position, constantly polishing and coordinating them...

It is enough to be certain that the emperor has been paying attention to the southwest campaign and has been studying hard, so he knows the situation in the southwest and the generals in the southwest.

Xiao Yunjing and the emperor had been fighting for so long, and now in the last match, the victory or defeat was a complete success.

Xiao Yunjing didn't think there was anything wrong with his choice.

Indeed, his life was given by the emperor and he was carefully cultivated by the emperor.

But during those years of life and death in the southwest, his comrades died one after another in battle, and he survived many near-death experiences.

The power and status he has today are all earned at the cost of his life.

Why should he be under someone else's command for long?

Getting rid of the Cen family, balancing the Xue family, and allowing the emperor to sit on the throne for a few years without any worries can be regarded as repaying the emperor's cultivation.

Next, it all depends on your own ability.

Now he is inferior to others in skills.

In Xiao Yunjing's eyes, losing to such an emperor was not shameful.

The winner is a king, the loser is a bandit, but they all die.

"Pass the order, everyone fight to the death and live or die with Linliang City." Xiao Yunjing gave the order and turned to walk out of the tent.

In the middle of winter in the ninth year of Yanchang, Xiao Yunjing was killed in battle and the Xiao family's rebel forces were completely wiped out.

In late winter, Daliang's commander, King Qi, was killed in battle, and Daliang was defeated.

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, the capital of Daliang sent an envoy, Princess Changle, to the border of Daliang to negotiate peace.

…

Dayan military camp.

The attendant Zhao Yuanpan brought a bowl of steaming hot medicine, his eyes full of worry, "Your Majesty, please take the medicine."

In the last battle with Xiao Yunjing half a month ago, the emperor was hit by a hidden arrow and injured. Although the arrow was removed in time, his heart and lungs had been damaged.

The emperor pretended that nothing was wrong and continued to go on the expedition, so as not to let Daliang see through his true intentions.

Only after killing the border commander of Daliang and Daliang sending people to ask for peace did they stop invading Daliang.

Helian Qi picked up the medicine and drank it all, staring at the hanging map. Daliang and Dayan are equally powerful...

If both sides fight to the death regardless of the consequences, both sides will suffer losses.

Now that Da Yan has the upper hand, it is most appropriate to quit while the going is good.

Moreover, his injuries could not support him to continue fighting.

The national treasury has lost a lot of money and grain in the past six months, and the people also need to rest and recuperate. They can only stop here...

For an emperor, he is a bit of a pity.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Daliang requests to see you." Han Xun came in to report.

Helian Qi lowered his eyes and withdrew his gaze from the map. "I'll leave this matter to you. Take the Marquis of Dongchuan to discuss it."

Daliang originally wanted to give Princess Changle to Helian Qi, planning a beauty trap.

But he didn't even get to see the emperor.

However, the peace talks have been progressing relatively smoothly as both sides are willing to do so.

In the twelfth month of the ninth year of Yanchang, Daliang paid compensation, ceded territory, and signed an armistice agreement with Dayan.

To cede land does not mean that Daliang will give away a few more cities, but that they will not return the cities conquered by Dayan. Daliang can only say that they will give them to you.

Yanliang truce.

The emperor rewarded the three armies according to their merits.

Afterwards, he did not return to the capital immediately.

Instead, he stayed in the southwest for more than two months to reorganize the military.

In April of the tenth year of Yanchang, Emperor Ming returned to Beijing.

At this time, it has been a year since he left the capital.

Song Gu and Duke Xue led all the civil and military officials to welcome him in person at the city gate.

After Helian Qi returned to the capital, he immediately rewarded Song Gu, Xue Guogong and other ministers who were in charge of the state.

He also issued an imperial decree to confer titles on the concubines in the harem.