The once noisy hall suddenly fell silent.
All eyes were focused on Xiao Xiuning, especially when they saw her in her red phoenix armor.
The expressions on the faces of the officials were all different.
Xiao Yu, sitting on the dragon throne, was momentarily dazed, as if his memories had been pulled back to many years ago.
At that time, Xiao Yu was just an unfavored prince, and the famous Duke Zhenguo, Mu Zhanying, was just a junior officer in the army.
Xiao Xiuning's mother was Duan Rong, the daughter of Duan Wuyan, the commander of the Dali Imperial Guards at the time, and known as the number one female general in Dali.
On the day of the coup in Xiao Yu's palace, if Duan Rong hadn't helped open the palace gates, even if Mu Zhanying was incredibly strong, he wouldn't have been able to storm into the palace so easily.
On the day the imperial city was stained with blood, Duan Rong was wearing this red phoenix armor.
Later, when Xiao Yu ascended the throne, in order to quickly balance the various forces in Dali, he did not immediately make Duan Rong his empress.
Xiao Yu planned to wait until his position was secure and Duan Rong gave birth to a prince before deposing or installing her.
Unfortunately, Duan Rong suffered a hidden injury on the day of the palace coup, which prevented her from conceiving a son for many years. In the end, she passed away after giving birth to Xiao Xiuning.
This was a lifelong pain for Xiao Yu, and the reason why Xiao Yu had not established the position of Crown Prince for so long was that the Empress had no children.
This is also closely related to Duan Rong's early death.
That is why Xiao Yu doted on Xiao Xiuning alone.
Only when Xiao Xiuning once again donned this outfit and ascended the main hall today did Xiao Yu feel a sense of disorientation.
Xiao Yu seemed to see again the night before the palace coup, when that proud yet stubborn woman grabbed his collar and asked him a question.
"I'm just asking you, do you want to sit on this dragon throne or not!"
"If you want to be this girl, I'll help you snatch it away!"
Just as Xiao Yu was lost in his memories, Xiao Xiuning's clear voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Your Majesty! The Xiongnu invasion is merely a minor ailment. If we abandon our city and flee because of this, our Great Li will surely become a laughingstock throughout the land!"
Xiao Xiuning's words resonated powerfully above the dome of the main hall.
The Third Prince, Xiao Mei, blushed and immediately rebuked him.
"Ninth Sister! What are you doing causing trouble here! This main hall is where court officials discuss important military and national affairs! How can you, a mere woman, be allowed to spout nonsense here!"
"The Xiongnu are coming with overwhelming force! There are no soldiers to defend the capital! Once the Xiongnu breach the city, Father will be in grave danger. Who dares to delay such a critical responsibility!"
"Moreover, the celestial signs have changed! This is Heaven's warning! If we continue to stay in the capital, once the Xiongnu enter the city and my father is killed, our Great Li will become a laughing stock of the world! The best course of action now is to obey Heaven's will and temporarily withdraw."
After Xiao Mei finished speaking, Xiao Xiuning merely snorted coldly.
"If all the major events in the world depend on celestial phenomena, then there would have been no need for our Great Li to raise an army to destroy Chu! We could have just waited for Chu to collapse on its own!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei was speechless.
The war to destroy Chu was the most glorious event in the history of the Great Li Kingdom over the past hundred years, and it was also the most triumphant event in His Majesty's life. Who dares to say anything about it?
Seeing the speechless expression on the face of the Third Prince Xiao Mei, the Second Prince Xiao Zi felt a surge of satisfaction. He coughed lightly and then spoke.
“Ninth Sister is absolutely right! It would be childish to place all our hopes on celestial phenomena.”
"However, the current situation is that the capital's defenses are weak. With only three thousand imperial guards and two thousand yamen runners, how difficult it would be to guard all nine gates and four sides of the capital!"
"Therefore, in my opinion, Father should temporarily move south under the protection of the Imperial Guards."
"In this way, even if these Xiongnu people breach the capital, Father Emperor can remain safe and secure in the rear. Once the reinforcements from the thirteen prefectures arrive, defeating the enemy will be a piece of cake..."
Xiao Zi was interrupted by Xiao Xiuning before he could finish speaking.
"No matter how high-sounding your words are, you still have to run away!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zi's face flushed red.
No matter what, he was the Second Prince and Xiao Xiuning's elder brother, but Xiao Xiuning didn't give him the slightest bit of face.
The Third Prince, Xiao Mei, asked in a cold voice.
"There are no soldiers left to defend the capital. Do you intend to leave all the court officials in the capital to wait to be taken prisoner by the Xiongnu?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xiuning stepped forward, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and said...
"Who says there are no soldiers in the capital?"
The Second Prince, Xiao Mei, suppressed her anger and asked.
"The six battalions of the capital are all in Liangzhou. It will take at least a month for the reinforcements from other prefectures and counties to arrive. Where are the troops that Ninth Sister mentioned?"
Xiao Xiuning pointed behind her and said loudly.
"And there are still a million people living within the capital of Dali! Isn't that enough?!"
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince Xiao Mei burst into laughter.
"These ignorant commoners in the capital? Ridiculous! Ridiculous!"
"The Xiongnu haven't even entered the city yet, and these people have already started moving their entire families!"
Ignoring the Third Prince's mockery, Xiao Xiuning thought of the figure on the dragon throne and spoke.
"The walls of the capital are high and formidable! Although the Xiongnu came with great force, they were also making a desperate gamble! These tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry have no reinforcements or supplies and are not good at attacking cities!"
"As long as we conscript the people to defend the capital and wait for the Liangzhou army to return to reinforce it, the crisis in the capital will naturally be resolved!"
"If we were to leave the city and move south now, without the protection of the capital's high walls, could a few thousand imperial guards and yamen runners withstand two charges by the Xiongnu cavalry?"
Xiao Xiuning's voice was firm and resonant, and her logical thinking was meticulous.
This made Xiao Yu, sitting on the dragon throne, feel as if he saw Duan Rong's figure in Xiao Xiuning again.
At the same moment Xiao Xiuning finished speaking, Gong Zhengming, the Minister of Personnel with a full head of white hair, stepped forward to the center of the hall and spoke.
"My family is in the capital! If the city falls, I am willing to take poison to die for my country!"
Gong Zhengming's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.
Gong Zhengming, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, had already spoken, and immediately someone in the hall echoed and shouted in agreement.
"We, your humble servants, are willing to live and die with the capital!"
With a whoosh, half of the people in the hall knelt down instantly.
The expressions on the faces of the Third Prince and the Second Prince froze upon seeing this.
"You! You!"
Just then, Xiao Yu, who was sitting on the dragon throne, finally spoke.
"I will not leave, much less flee! I did not retreat when facing a million-strong army of the Great Chu, so what can a mere few tens of thousands of Xiongnu do?"
After saying that, Xiao Yu looked at the figure in red robes and phoenix armor in the center of the hall and spoke.
"Xiao Xiuning, step forward to receive your appointment!"
Xiao Xiuning stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
Xiao Yu slowly rose to his feet, his dragon robe gleaming brightly in the sunlight.
"Xiao Xiuning is hereby appointed as Princess Pingyang and Commander of the Capital Guard, to unify command of this battle against the Xiongnu's surprise attack!"
"Wherever military orders are issued, soldiers and civilians alike shall obey! Anyone who disobeys shall be executed!"
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