Chapter 420 Shen Lanxi Receives an Army of Two Hundred Thousand!
I fear that such a stunning beauty would cause chaos in the army if she entered the military camp.
Che Mingyuan unfurled the imperial edict and read aloud: "By the mandate of Heaven... Shen Lanxi and the officials of the Ministry of War are hereby ordered to take over the army. Anyone who disobeys the arrangements shall be punished for treason!"
They had received a similar imperial edict before, so Zhang Xinsui regained his composure and stepped forward respectfully.
"I am a strategist in the Fifth Prince's household, and behind me are the guards who escorted the Fifth Prince to the capital to attend to his illness. We warmly welcome you all."
Zhang Xinsui led the way by kneeling to receive the imperial edict.
Shen Lanxi dismounted and said, “By imperial decree, the Fifth Prince was my beloved son. I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing. The Prince of Zhennan will come to bring the Fifth Prince back to the capital to meet Your Majesty.”
Zhang Xinsui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and respectfully said, "If the Fifth Prince were alive, knowing that His Majesty has made such arrangements, he would surely depart in peace."
Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty means that after these guards receive some training, they will be placed under the command of the Imperial Guard."
Is this a case of not holding the soldiers accountable?
Zhang Xinsui wept with joy.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
Shen Lanxi changed the subject: "This Duke is the First-Rank Protector of the State, appointed by His Majesty, and is responsible for commanding the Imperial Guard and the Capital Guard. From now on, you will all be under the command of this Protector of the State."
Zhang Xinsui and his generals froze.
Returning to the depths of the sun?
They are under the jurisdiction of one woman?
No wonder His Majesty didn't trust them; it turns out he wanted to use a dull knife to slowly and thoroughly deal with them.
Zhang Xinsui: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
After he finished speaking, he waited for a long time, but none of the generals behind him responded. They immediately urged him in a low voice, "Hurry up and thank the imperial decree!"
Several generals reluctantly accepted the imperial decree.
Shen Lanxi chuckled softly, saying nothing more.
The imperial court has already issued an order to take them in, using the same rhetoric, and the charge of treason against them has been dropped.
I'm afraid they'll settle scores later.
With everyone's minds in turmoil, they enjoyed the welcoming banquet with a mix of surprise and excitement before heading off to their respective tasks.
Shen Lanxi went to wash up and rest, while the generals quietly approached Zhang Xinsui.
"Mr. Zhang, it seems the imperial court doesn't intend to let us go. Why don't we rebel?"
"Yes, rebel and kill our way back to Xihua Continent."
“The Fifth Prince still has descendants. Let’s return to Xihua Continent, support a new ruler, and sever ties with the imperial court.”
As Zhang Xinsui listened to the increasingly outrageous claims, he immediately stopped them.
"Do you intend to rebel?"
The generals remained silent. Didn't their following the Fifth Prince constitute treason and rebellion?
It's just that the name sounds better; the things they do are still the same.
“Mr. Zhang, the imperial court is already in a precarious state. The two rebel kings divided up their territories, and the court did nothing to them.”
Zhang Xinnian was furious; "That's because the imperial court can't spare any manpower right now. Once they can, they'll be the first ones they deal with."
Wang Zhixiao laughed smugly, "If the imperial court can't spare the manpower to deal with them, it certainly can't spare the manpower to deal with us either."
"Yes, if we go back to Xihuazhou now, we might still have a chance to survive!"
"Yes, it's too unbearable to be left like this, waiting to be slaughtered and disposed of!"
“We used to listen to the Fifth Prince without question. Now they’re making us listen to a woman. It’s obvious the court wants to use her to deal with us.”
Zhang Xinsui's anger also rose up after being told that.
The imperial court sent a woman to receive them, clearly intending to use her to humiliate them.
"Mr. Zhang, don't hesitate any longer, let's rebel!"
“Mr. Zhang, I have an 80-year-old mother and a baby who is still breastfeeding. There are more than 60 people in my family. If I die, they will definitely not be able to survive!”
“Mr. Zhang, I’ve counted them; there are only five hundred of them. We can take care of them without anyone noticing.”
"Mr. Zhang..."
Zhang Xinsui was already somewhat wavering, but he still didn't give in.
"Let's wait and see what Shen Lanxi and the others do next." What if Shen Lanxi and the others are just a decoy, and someone is lying in ambush nearby?
Hearing Zhang Xinsui's analysis, the generals all calmed down.
“We need to plan this carefully!” Zhou Xinsui said shrewdly.
...
"My lord, they've all gone to Zhang Xinsui for a meeting," Ban Sicao quietly reported.
"They're plotting a rebellion, so I'll add something to their meal while they're eating."
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "Even if these 200,000 men don't go into battle, wouldn't it be better to disperse them to the Northwest or Dongchuan to cultivate land?"
"I don't really like fighting and killing. I prefer to persuade people with reason."
Ban Sicao's lips twitched as she listened.
"Che Mingyuan, go and talk to Zhang Xinsui. Although he is greedy, lustful, ambitious, and eager for quick success, he still has some good points."
After hearing this, Che Mingyuan was speechless for a moment.
"I'll go right now!"
Before leaving, he had one more question to ask.
"Sir, what are the advantages you mentioned?"
Shen Lanxi: "He is skilled in water management."
Che Mingyuan suddenly realized, turned around, and walked away with steady steps.
After resting, Shen Lanxi took a bath and changed her clothes before going to pay her respects to the Fifth Prince.
Zhang Xinsui and others had already set up the mourning hall, because the descendants of the Fifth Prince were all in Xihua Prefecture, and the people guarding the mourning hall were all soldiers.
After paying her respects to the Fifth Prince, Shen Lanxi, who was serving as a first-rank duke, inquired about the cause of the Fifth Prince's death.
Zhang Xinsui respectfully replied, "It's a sudden illness."
"Can anyone confirm this?"
"The military doctors can confirm that those doctors are all people who have been deeply trusted by the Fifth Prince."
Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty has already sent people to Xihua Prefecture to bring the Fifth Prince's family to the capital for the funeral!"
Zhang Xinsui's expression changed, and he considered again what Che Mingyuan had told him.
Should we send him to control the floods?
To become a renowned official in charge of water management?
Is it really possible?
Before he could figure it out, several unfamiliar faces suddenly appeared in the mourning hall.
Zhang Xinsui had a bad feeling; those people were actually acting behind his back.
Shen Lanxi naturally saw it too, but she didn't take it to heart.
Having dared to accept the imperial decree, she had already devised a plan to deal with it.
"Lord Shen, I have heard that you have successively recovered Dongchuan and the Northwest, making great contributions to the court. I am unworthy and would like to learn from you. I humbly request your guidance!" Wang Zhixiao arrogantly walked into the mourning hall.
Shen Lanxi looked at him coldly: "I dare not presume to teach you, but I am more than capable of giving you some pointers!"
Wang Zhixiao's expression changed, and he glared at Shen Lanxi: "I've heard that even our Great Zhou's War God was defeated by you. I wonder what kind of divine means Lord Shen used to make the Prince of Zhennan bow down?"
Shen Lanxi raised a cold laugh: "Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. You want to know? I'll tell you during the competition later!"
Wang Zhixiao sneered inwardly, his eyes filled with disdain.
Rumors had long circulated that Shen Lanxi, relying on her looks and bedroom skills, had won over Wei Dongzhu, the young general of the Wei family army, and had him fight on the front lines in her place.
She didn't bring Wei Dongzhu this time; could it be that she intends to use her charm on him during the competition?
No matter what methods she uses, he won't fall for it. He'll use the competition as an excuse to kill Shen Lanxi and establish his authority.
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