Mu Jialan came from one of the eight noble families. Although not a prominent family, he still held considerable power.
For these former Xianbei nobles, they still hoped to return to the past: the eight pillar generals divided military power and controlled the government.
They were even able to use force to break the law and change dynasties.
However, ever since the late emperor defeated the Xiongnu and unified the north and south, he had taken all military power into his own hands.
Although there are still generals leading troops in the eight noble families, their power is far less than before.
Take Mu Jialan for example. He commanded the Western Camp and had 30,000 soldiers under his command.
However, he cannot be transferred at will.
His two deputy generals were both trusted confidants placed by the late emperor.
This is why the late emperor, knowing that Mu Jialan was a member of the Second Prince's faction and that the Mu family represented the old noble forces, still trusted him to guard the Western Camp.
With his deputy holding him back, Mu Jialan had no chance of truly controlling those 30,000 troops.
However, he can "wait and see".
They even secretly dispatched small groups of cavalry.
Helian Jue was not the heir preferred by the old nobles.
The Mu, Dugu, and other major families preferred to establish a young emperor.
The reason is simple: it's easy to control!
Therefore, when the Turks besieged the capital and beacon fires were lit on the city walls, the Western Camp remained inactive.
Ahem, those two deputy generals were the late emperor's confidants, not Helian Jue's.
They were loyal to the late emperor, not to anyone sitting on the dragon throne.
A new emperor brings a new court. Former powerful ministers who wish to retain their power must either submit to the new ruler or find ways to gain merit.
Alternatively, they could overthrow the new emperor and replace him with a puppet more advantageous to themselves.
On this point, Mu Jialan surprisingly shared the same interests as his two deputy generals.
They all pretended to be deaf and dumb, remaining still and wanting to see how Helian Jue would respond.
Should we use force to defeat the enemy, or be weak and seek peace?
The sudden thunderstorm that morning did indeed inflict heavy losses on Ashina He, the young Turkic prince.
However, Ashina He also discovered the shortcomings of the hot air balloon.
If hot air balloons appear again in the next battle, the Turks will send their archers to shoot them first.
If Helian Jue only has this one trump card, well, the capital city might really be breached.
Helian Jue, on the other hand, barely had time to settle into his position before he was ousted from the throne!
Empress Dowager Ashina thought that Mu Jialan would take the opportunity to get involved.
Every family has its own agenda, and for their own selfish reasons, they dare to do anything audacious.
Perhaps Mu Jialan wouldn't dare to go too far, but secretly "supporting" Ashina He was still an option.
Ashina He: ...Damn it, among the generals who defeated the Turks was Mu Jialan's brother.
He is the head of the Mu family and a former Pillar of the State General!
The Turkic royal court was driven back to the grasslands by the eight noble families and did not dare to approach the border of the Great Zhou for three years.
Now his kind aunt is forcing him to cooperate with his mortal enemy—
"Alright! If General Mu is willing to help me, I will definitely remember this favor."
Even sending just a cavalry unit disguised as Turkic reinforcements would be helpful.
Battles are all about momentum. Ashina He's remaining troops, having just suffered a crushing defeat, could barely be considered "desperate soldiers."
If they knew there were reinforcements, they would surely be able to attack the city with great courage.
With the help of powerful families in the city, and their secret cooperation, the capital city might not be impossible to conquer!
Ashina He only considered it for a moment before agreeing to cooperate.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has something else to tell you: the current emperor is, after all, the child she raised herself, her son!"
Seeing that Ashina He had regained his fighting spirit, Fang Dafu was relieved, but he didn't forget to remind him.
Ashina He's eyes gleamed.
He understood his aunt's unspoken meaning: if Helian Jue was willing to negotiate peace and take the initiative to marry the Turkic princess, then he should not be driven to extinction.
"Hmph! How hypocritical!"
Ashina He cursed inwardly: "He says he feels sorry for Helian Jue, but he treats him like his own son."
In reality, however, they conspired with outsiders to plot against him.
This kind of person has an excessive need for control.
Let alone an adopted son, even her own flesh and blood, if he does something that doesn't please her, she will find ways to "punish" him.
"Helian Jue is so pitiful, to have such a mother!"
Ashina He felt a pang of pity for Helian Jue.
However, the so-called pity was only a tiny bit.
Ashina He wanted to defeat Helian Jue and watch him humbly beg for mercy.
"Don't worry, I'll save on everything!"
Empress Dowager Ashina's idea was absolutely cruel and bizarre to Helian Jue, but it was in line with the interests of Ashina He and even the entire Turkic Khaganate.
They won't kill Helian Jue; instead, they'll turn him into their puppet!
...
The three ministers, Wang, Cui, and Zheng, stood on the city gate for a long time, but were unsure of what to do.
They had no idea what Helian Jue and Helian Chen were up to.
All they saw was Helian Chen standing in mid-air, casually throwing something down, and it could blow several people away.
That's quite powerful.
Although Ashina He later discovered the flaw and even drove Helian Chen away.
A hot air balloon plus a small porcelain bottle doesn't seem to be truly invincible.
However, since Helian Jue has created such a deadly weapon, who can guarantee that he doesn't have other trump cards up his sleeve?
Putting everything else aside, his three thousand soldiers alone, plus the soldiers guarding the city, are enough to withstand the attack of the remnants of the Turkic tribes!
They even have the strength to retaliate.
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