The emperor looked at her gratefully and said, "Thank you."
This "thank you" is both a thank you for speaking up for him and a thank you for her understanding.
He was standing behind the door just now.
When Jian Yang and Ding Bian Wang got into a dispute, he wished he could break down the door and leave immediately.
With the army about to set off, if the Prince of Dingbian were to act recklessly, all their plans would be ruined.
Therefore, he could only endure it for the time being.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to be so polite,” Jian Yang’s expression suddenly turned serious. “I didn’t want to bother you, but Kun’er has a fever and keeps asking to see his father. Would you like to go see him later?”
The emperor nodded: "Good."
"What would Your Majesty like to eat for dinner tonight?"
"The yam and pork rib soup and tofu rice I had a few days ago were quite good."
"Alright, I'll go prepare."
Listening to the warm and homely conversation between the two, which sounded like that of an ordinary married couple, Zhang Gonggong couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle.
Three days later, the army and provisions were finally assembled, and the emperor then announced to the world that he would personally lead the expedition.
This news caught the Prince of Dingbian completely off guard. Before he could even stop it, the emperor had already embarked on his expedition with Jian Yang and Jian Hong.
The army traveled non-stop and finally arrived at the western border city ten days later.
Looking at the devastated city, the scattered refugees, and the wailing wounded soldiers, Jian Yang was deeply shocked.
This shock was far more profound than the last time I went to Yunzhou for disaster relief.
The disaster in Yunzhou was a natural one. In the face of nature, humans are incredibly small and helpless.
What we are witnessing now is a man-made disaster that could have been avoided.
After a short rest, she immediately joined the military medical team and began to treat the wounded soldiers.
The emperor and Jian Hong then worked together to reorganize the soldiers in the city.
It would have been better if we hadn't rectified it, but once we did, we discovered a major problem.
The city's military preparedness was in disarray, and the soldiers were lazy and unmotivated, showing no sense of crisis that a great enemy was approaching.
The emperor was furious and immediately handed over power to Jian Hong, giving him full authority to rectify military discipline.
Having led troops for over a decade, Jian Hong naturally understood that the current situation was most likely due to the commander's incompetence in managing the army, or perhaps it was a deliberate act.
But he would only know the exact problem by trying to find out.
So he summoned Zheng Yan, the commander of the city's defenses, and ordered him to immediately lead his troops to repair the southwest corner of the city wall, with a deadline of one day.
The next day, Jian Hong went to inspect the results, only to find that the damage to the city wall had simply been covered up with some yellow mud.
Zheng Yan stood to the side, smiling apologetically.
"Oh dear, General Jian, don't be angry. The city has limited supplies, and the brothers were exhausted from the battle a few days ago. The time you requested was also too tight. It's already quite good that it can be repaired to this extent."
Jian Hong looked at him coldly and asked, "I wonder if General Zheng is loyal to the Emperor or to the Prince of Dingbian?"
Zheng Yan smiled without changing his expression: "General Jian is joking. As a subject, it is natural to be loyal to the Emperor."
Jian Hong snorted coldly and said nothing more.
In fact, he had already found out that Zheng Yan was a man of the King of Dingbian.
He had originally intended to give him another chance.
But now that I see him responding passively and giving perfunctory answers, I know that he is a hopeless case.
Jian Hong had no intention of giving him any more face.
So, after the torrential rain that night, Jian Hong severely punished the soldiers who were repairing the wall, and then summoned Zheng Yan, ordering him to immediately hand over command.
Zheng Yan was shocked and asked himself what mistake he had made.
Jian Hongdao said, "A strong city wall can protect the people of a city from the invasion of bandits, but you have abandoned the safety of the people and the emperor. Shouldn't you be punished?"
Zheng Yan cried out that he was wronged, so Jian Hong took him to the southwest city wall.
The mud plaster he had painstakingly repaired during the day had long been washed away by the heavy rain.
Although Zheng Yan was quite unwilling, he had no choice but to relinquish his military power.
With this major parasite gone, the emperor and Jian Hong took turns working on the soldiers' mindset, finally uniting those lazy and war-weary soldiers.
The emperor was responsible for stabilizing the morale of the army, Jian Hong was responsible for training the soldiers, and Jian Yang was responsible for treating the wounded.
The three worked together, and in just a few days, they brought together the city that had been like a pile of loose sand.
That night, Jian Yang, who was so busy that she barely had time to rest, had just fallen asleep when she was awakened by a loud shout of fighting and killing.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw flames raging outside the window, and shouts, cries, and the sounds of weapons clashing were mixed together, indicating that a war was raging outside.
The surroundings were cold; the person who had been sleeping here had been gone for who knows how long.
Without thinking, Jian Yang got out of bed, grabbed her coat from the hanger, and put it on.
Hearing the commotion inside, Lianxia immediately ran in.
Seeing that Jian Yang was getting dressed, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the enemy is attacking! His Majesty has ordered you not to go out under any circumstances, lest you be injured by a stray arrow!"
"No, I need to see it for myself to feel at ease."
That night, who knows how many more people will lose their lives, and who knows how many more will be injured.
Her brother and the emperor were out fighting, and everyone was defending the city. How could she possibly hide here with a clear conscience?
Knowing she couldn't dissuade her, Lianxia quickly brought her a thick cloak and a medicine box.
The western border is windy and dry, much colder than the capital.
As soon as Jian Yang stepped outside, he grabbed a soldier and asked, "Where are the Emperor and General Jian?"
The soldier respectfully replied, "His Majesty and General Jian are both on the city wall fighting the enemy, but Your Majesty, His Majesty has said that you must not..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jian Yang had already mounted his horse and galloped towards the city wall.
The closer they got to the city walls, the louder the shouts of battle became.
The soldiers guarding the city were all surprised when they saw her.
Jian Yang didn't have time to greet them and ran up the steps to the city wall.
As soon as she went up there, she froze on the spot.
The city walls were littered with wounded and dead, each person with arrows stuck in their body and blood flowing everywhere.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
Suddenly, a gleaming arrow shot straight at her. Jian Yang was so terrified that she forgot to dodge.
As the arrow drew closer and closer to her, a large hand yanked her hard, and she crashed into a familiar embrace.
"What are you doing here?!" The emperor immediately pulled her behind the city wall.
Jian Yang looked him up and down, and seeing that he was not injured, she asked, still shaken, "Where is my brother?"
"He is leading his troops to meet the enemy outside the city."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang's eyes widened instantly.
She dared not look down from the city walls, but she could clearly hear the sounds of killing, screams, and the neighing of horses coming from below...
These violent and bloody sounds constantly challenged her worldview.
As someone from a peaceful world, she had only ever seen war in movies and TV shows. Now, experiencing it firsthand made her shrink back in fear.
The emperor pulled her closer to him and said, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
