Pedestrians have bows and arrows at their waists

Daxuan was founded on military power, and martial spirit prevails. The people of Daxuan, from the government to the common people, also take pride in this.

But it was not until today that the officials of Tiandu tasted the bitter fruit of martial arts for the first time.

No one could have predicted that the private soldiers raised by the Prime Minister's Mansion alone could surround the imperial city in just one night, capture the emperor and shock all the officials.

Suddenly, the wind was blowing and the grass and trees looked like enemies.

The court meeting had been suspended for many days, but the prime minister's residence was still crowded with people who wanted to curry favor with him. Even though some upright officials were dissatisfied with the prime minister's rebellious behavior, they could do nothing about it. The military power of Tiandu was now in the hands of Li Qingyun, and the war had started again with Yongzhou Chengwang. The emperor was worried about internal and external troubles, and no one dared to act rashly.

However, while others were pondering and weighing the pros and cons, Ji Mingxiu, who should have been at the center of the vortex, spent a few days in peace.

The sun was getting warmer day by day, and he could finally play with the cats, admire the flowers, and bask in the sun in the garden. Although the end of winter was not over yet and there were not many flowers to admire, it was better than staying in the room all the time.

After Concubine Ji passed away, no one dared to take care of this white snowball, so Ji Mingxiu simply raised it by himself. Looking at this cat, he always thought of Xiao Hei whom he met in Northern Xinjiang. They were both cats, but why was this cat so lazy, rolling around in his arms and sleeping all day long.

Not only is he lazy, he also seems to be less smart than Xiao Hei.

Concubine Ji was alone and helpless, and all the maids around her were dismissed. He didn't know what to call this snowball, but after thinking about it, he still thought that Xiaobai was catchy and easy to remember. He was worried that the cat didn't know the name, but who knew that this stupid cat would run away at the first sign. He just called it twice and it followed him happily.

I'm afraid he has long forgotten who his master is.

Ji Mingxiu leaned on a chair in the pavilion with an indifferent look in his eyes, and his fingertips occasionally stroked Xiaobai's soft ears. His pale face did not look good in the sunlight, but the bright red corners of his lips and the mottled red marks on his collar were particularly suggestive.

His eyes swept over Cheng Tianfeng, who was pursing his lips and seemed to be hesitant to speak, and a hint of interest arose in his eyes.

"Why are you hanging your head? Didn't Li Qingyun tell you to make me happy?"

Cheng Tianfeng raised his eyes and secretly glanced at His Majesty, with his eyebrows slightly raised like a proud cat, then quickly lowered his head and dared not look again. He only dared to stare at Xiaobai's drooping tail, with a feeling of worry swaying in his heart.

"Lord Li has instructed me to take good care of your Majesty's health."

His voice was low and rigid, like a puppet without any emotion.

"It's windy in the garden. You'd better go back quickly. Otherwise..."

What is left unsaid has already expressed its meaning.

Ji Mingxiu's face turned cold and he stopped talking.

In the past half month, he has understood Li Qingyun's temperament. In the past, he only knew that Li Qingyun was a dagger hiding behind his smile, seemingly gentle and easy-going, but in fact he was very cunning. But he didn't expect that under that gentle skin, he actually hid such a tyrannical and vicious character.

The man filled the secret box between his bed with all kinds of shameful objects, and shamelessly threatened to try them all on him.

The more he was reluctant to make a sound during sex, the more unbridled he became, as if he particularly enjoyed watching other people's collapse and madness. But if he shed a tear, the man would become even more interested, and would not be happy until he saw him cry.

If he dared not to care about his own body or intended to fight to the death, he would threaten him with the lives of innocent people and force him to submit.

Since it was not possible to use force to deal with such a shameless and wanton person, Ji Mingxiu simply softened his temper and let him do whatever he wanted. As Li Qingyun said, he was just a puppet emperor now, so he should be more aware of current affairs.

Fortunately, Li Qingyun seemed to like his obedience and gentleness. Even though he was just pretending to be nice every day, he didn't deliberately do anything to humiliate him. So he could have some free time.

"Okay, let's go back to the palace."

He stood up with a cold expression and casually threw Xiaobai in his arms onto Cheng Tianfeng. Xiaobai landed on Cheng Tianfeng's shoulder skillfully, and his domineering look was quite cute. Even Cheng Tianfeng couldn't help but touch its furry tail barely noticeably.

"After all, I still have to accompany Master Li back for lunch."

The mocking voice was a bit sharp and harsh, which made Cheng Tianfeng withdraw his hand in embarrassment.

"Neither you nor I can afford to delay Lord Li's meal."

*

"General, take a break."

In the tent in the northwest desert, Xu Yan brought in a bowl of hot tea for Gu Zian to refresh himself.

Jiayu Pass is located between two mountains, and to the north is a desert beach, which is long and narrow and difficult to attack. If you force your way through the pass, you will easily be blocked by the enemy and lose a lot of manpower.

But if they don't enter the pass, most of Daxuan's troops will be transferred to the northern border, and there will be very few left in Tiandu. How can they stop King Cheng's rebels?

This is a dead end where both sides suffer losses.

Gu Zi'an had been working on the sand table for two days without closing his eyes. The dark circles under his eyes were frighteningly dark. How could he rest if he couldn't come up with a solution to the problem?

Just thinking about the grievances that His Majesty might be suffering in the palace at this moment, he felt a deep pain in his heart that would linger for a long time.

"Deputy General Qu."

He picked up the tea bowl and drank it all, then pointed to a path on the side of the Qilian Mountains and looked at Qu Chuan beside him.

"If we sneak into Yongzhou from here, traveling day and night, how long will it take?"

Qu Chuan pondered for a moment and held up two fingers.

"At least two days."

"But General, I think it is not appropriate."

He pulled a flag from the sand table and drew a line along the path in the mountains.

"The terrain here is narrow and it is very easy to be surrounded and ambushed. If a small group of cavalry enters Yongzhou, it will be easy, but even if they enter Yongzhou, what can they do? There are too few people and it is not suitable for fighting on the plains. It is difficult to stop King Cheng from advancing eastward. But if a large army enters, once they are ambushed, the whole army will be annihilated."

"I know."

Gu Zi'an looked into Qu Chuan's eyes. His tired eyes were bloodshot, but also revealed the cold light of a sharp blade being unsheathed.

"But what if they think that our army is outside the Great Wall?"

"What does the General mean?"

Qu Chuan frowned, and the hand holding the sword handle tightened unconsciously. The thick thread of his fingertips rubbed the patterns on it, and his expression was dazed.

"Let the troops set out lightly at night, go around here and go inside the pass, leaving a small group of troops behind as cover, and after the main army enters the pass, we will cooperate with them from inside and outside."

"Take Jiayuguan!"

"no!"

Before Qu Chuan opened his mouth to say anything, Xu Yan was the first to deny this path.

"General, do you think the enemy is a fool? How could the enemy not know that hundreds of thousands of troops left overnight? Those who stayed behind are just going to die. By then, everyone inside and outside will be completely wiped out. Hundreds of thousands of troops will be killed here!"

“No, they will believe it.”

Gu Zi'an picked up the commander's chess piece and slammed it heavily at the pass, stirring up dust.

His voice was firm and calm, cutting through all hesitation.

“Because, I’m staying here.”