Chapter 574: You Want to Lead the Troops?!
As Xiao Yan spoke, he took out the tiger talisman from his sleeve. The small tiger talisman fell into Leng Bai's palm, making Liu Tongen and Emperor An's eyes light up.
Liu Tong'en stepped forward and was about to take the tiger talisman, but saw Xiao Yan turn sideways.
"Duke Dingguo?" Liu Tongen's face darkened. "Are you going to go back on your word?"
"I'm not His Majesty."
Xiao Yan's words made Emperor An's face turn pale, but he just smiled and said, "Besides, why is Commander Liu so anxious?"
"This tiger talisman is to be given to the commander leading the troops south, but not you. You were seriously ill while rescuing the emperor and have long since retired from the army. His Majesty, grateful for your loyalty, has granted you the honorary title of Commander of the Imperial Guards."
"For all these years, you've been receiving a salary from the court, yet you've rarely even ventured into the Imperial Gardens. All matters concerning the Imperial Guards have been handed over to Deputy Commander Yu. You've enjoyed this kind of pampering from the court for over a decade, yet you can't even lift a sword. Do you think Commander Liu still knows how to lead an army in battle?"
"You!!" Liu Tong'en glared at him, "How dare you humiliate me?!"
"How can I call it humiliation? I'm just thinking about you."
Xiao Yan's expression was indifferent. "You've been indifferent to worldly affairs these years, rarely visiting the palace, and even the Imperial Guards rarely see you. Who knows how much of your commanding skills you still remember? Don't make a mistake on the battlefield and end up not only failing to annihilate the rebels but also sacrificing the lives of thousands of soldiers."
"It doesn't matter if you die, but the others are innocent. We can't let them follow a loser and disrupt the morale of the army..."
"Shut up!"
Swish——
Liu Tong'en was furious at Xiao Yan's sarcastic words. When a surge of anger rushed to his head, he waved his hand and attacked him, bending his fingers into claws and striking directly at his neck. The sound of his hands breaking through the air clearly meant that he was going to kill him.
Xiao Yan's expression turned cold, he took half a step back and dodged to the side. After waving his hand to block it, the two of them fought each other in just a moment.
Both of them attacked extremely fiercely. After a few "bang" and "bang" sounds, before others could react and scream, Liu Tong'en was grabbed by the arm by Xiao Yan and kicked hard on the ankle. He fell to his knees on the ground with a bang.
Before Liu Tong'en could even groan, Xiao Yan kicked him on the jaw with such force that he flew away.
Liu Tong'en fell heavily at Liang Guangyi's feet. When he stopped after rolling on the ground, he supported himself on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The bloodstains splattered on the edge of Liang Guangyi's robe and on the uppers of his shoes were mixed with some smelly black fragments and broken teeth that looked like they had been kicked.
Liang Guangyi: "..."
He pulled his robe and took a half step back, looking up at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan said calmly, "I'm sorry for accidentally hurting the Grand Tutor."
Liang Guangyi had no expression on his face.
As if he were blind?
The whole hall was filled with people, how could he accurately "accidentally" injure someone right under his feet?!
"Xiao Yan!"
Emperor An never expected that Liu Tong'en would suddenly fight with Xiao Yan, and he never expected that Xiao Yan would actually hurt someone in public.
Seeing Liu Tong'en lying on the ground vomiting blood and unable to stand up for a while, Emperor An seemed to be back to that night in the Zichen Palace, when he was helpless when Xiao Yan's sword fell on his neck.
Emperor An shouted angrily, "What do you want to do?!"
Xiao Yan said innocently: "Commander Liu suddenly attacked me, so I wanted to ask him why."
He lowered his eyes:
"I know what I said just now was a bit harsh, but it's all true. If Commander Liu wanted to show off his skills to me, he should have told me in advance. How could I stop you when you attacked me so suddenly?"
"No, I accidentally hurt you."
"you……"
puff!
Liu Tong'en had already suffered internal injuries, and had just been accidentally attacked, causing him to suffer excruciating pain. At this point, Xiao Yan's words provoked him again, and he became so angry that he opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood.
His lips were pale as he lay on the ground, staring at Xiao Yan, as if he wanted to swallow him up.
Xiao Yan glanced at him and looked away, saying with disapproval:
"Your Majesty, I know you trust Commander Liu and hold him in high regard, but I'm afraid Commander Liu hasn't recovered from his serious illness yet. He's in this state after just one fight with me. How can he handle the heavy responsibility of leading an army?"
"If this gets out, I'm afraid someone will say that Your Majesty is appointing people based on personal connections."
Emperor An felt pent up in anger, and Xiao Yan's mocking words made him clench his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.
He hated Liu Tong'en's incompetence and Xiao Yan's arrogance.
But Xiao Yan stripped away all his dignity and reputation.
The Crown Prince felt extremely happy when he saw Emperor An being suppressed by Xiao Yan to the point where he couldn't say a word.
Just now, this old guy tried his best to set a trap for him, wanting to use him to force Xiao Yan to hand over the military token and make him cut off his arm, but he didn't think about who Xiao Yan was. It would not be so easy for him to hand over the military token once he got it.
Seeing Emperor An's face turning pale and blue, the prince let out a sigh of relief and wished that the old man would die of anger.
The Crown Prince stood before the palace, gloating, "Duke Dingguo is right. Commander Liu is so weak, how can he take on the responsibility of leading the troops? I hope he doesn't collapse before he even reaches the south and encounters the rebels. Wouldn't that be a betrayal of my father's trust in me?"
Emperor An looked at the prince expressionlessly, regretting countless times that he had not strangled this rebellious son to death.
He suppressed his anger and looked at Xiao Yan: "I wanted you to lead the army, but you didn't want to. You think Liu Tong'en is incompetent. Are you going to sit back and watch Prince Pingshan rebel?"
Xiao Yan said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. The court will be in turmoil if the rebels are not eliminated. However, with countless generals, why do we need Liu Tongen?"
"I think Marquis Wenxin is a good one."
Marquis Wenxin, who had been standing in the crowd, was stunned when he heard this. He never expected that Xiao Yan would suddenly call his name.
The same was true for Emperor An. He thought Xiao Yan would mention someone he trusted, but he didn't expect him to mention Marquis Wenxin.
Liang Guangyi and others in the hall also frowned. Why would Xiao Yan choose him?
Xiao Yan ignored the gazes of the people in the hall and said calmly, "Marquis Wenxin was a famous warrior in his early years. He is a formidable general on the battlefield. It would be a waste of his talent to confine him to the capital and take charge of patrols."
"He already has prestige in the army. If General Yin is added to the army, everyone will surely obey. With them leading the troops, not to mention King Pingshan, even if two more vassal kings come, it will be no problem. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Emperor An looked at Marquis Wenxin and saw that he was stunned, with a look of surprise on his face.
He thought about what Liu Tong'en had reported back to the capital recently, mentioning the cold treatment given to Marquis Wenxin by Yu Xiaoyan. He pondered for a moment, "Marquis Wenxin is certainly fine, but General Yin is old and I'm afraid he can't endure the fatigue of fighting on the battlefield..."
"This old minister is willing to lead the troops."
Before Emperor An finished speaking, an old and deep voice was heard outside the palace.
The door of the Imperial Hall was pushed open from the outside, and Yin Bao, with white hair and beard, strode in.
"This old minister is willing to lead the troops to quell the rebellion. Please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"
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