Yuan Lang had been taught since childhood that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, and in the past, all the people he had sparred with were men, and all the people sitting and talking at the banquet were men. Deep in his heart, he respected men.
Women can be treated kindly, but they have absolutely no right to sit at the same table.
Jiang Wuyai's words have overturned his previous understanding.
He was naturally unwilling to admit it, but he had to admit that Jiang Wuyai was right about one thing.
If the people can live and work in peace and contentment, they will never care whether the person sitting on the dragon throne is male or female.
"Does Guigu not care that Shen Lanxi is a woman?" Yuan Lang asked.
Jiang Wuyai raised the corners of his mouth: "I can answer this question without anyone else needing to."
"Guigu doesn't care about Shen Lanxi's female body; Guigu only cares about ability."
Yuan Lang was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
"Are you from Guigu?"
Jiang Wuyai simply smiled and did not answer. His expression spoke volumes.
After a moment of silence, Yuan Lang asked, "If I were to pledge allegiance, what would you want me to do?"
Jiang Wuyai smiled: "As expected of the successor of the thatched cottage, you got straight to the point in one sentence."
Yuan Lang smiled bitterly: "You were able to bring me here silently, which means you could also take Zhou Ruyuan's life silently. But you didn't do that, which means that taking back Dongchuan and killing Zhou Ruyuan is not your ultimate goal."
After understanding this point, Yuan Lang suddenly saw the light.
"I used to be so narrow-minded."
Jiang Wuyai laughed and said, "It's not too late for you to realize this now."
With most of the Great Zhou's territory in his hands, would His Majesty care about a mere Tianjin?
With a mere flick of his finger, he could bring down Tianjin. Yet some people are obsessed with this, believing that His Majesty is afraid of Zhou Ruyuan.
That's ridiculous.
"I have one request. Whatever you ask me to do, just fulfill this request." After saying this, Yuan Lang suddenly felt somewhat relieved.
"Tell me your thoughts." As long as it's within reasonable limits, we can discuss it.
Yuan Lang said earnestly, "I want to meet the successor of Guiguzi."
Jiang Wuyai chuckled: "Okay."
...
The next morning, Yuan Lang returned to Tianjin quietly with his personal guards without alerting anyone.
At noon, Zhou Yanxing and Zhou Ruyuan arrived at the front line one after the other.
"Uncle, you rushed here so quickly that I had to chase after you for quite a while."
Zhou Yanxing was not annoyed and replied with a smile, "As a subject, the most important thing to do is to relieve Your Majesty's worries."
Zhou Ruyuan sneered and shouted, "I am the Son of Heaven, the true master of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
"If you lay down your weapons and surrender, I will forgive and forget what happened before!"
"Your original positions will remain the same. I guarantee here that if anyone investigates this matter later, I will be condemned to eternal damnation and die without a burial place!"
The Eastern Expeditionary Army, led by Zhao Zheng, stood firm like an impregnable fortress.
"Zhou Ruyuan, do you recognize who we are?" A man rode out from Zhao Zheng's right.
Qian Feng, clad in silver armor and wielding a golden spear, appeared in Zhou Ruyuan's sight.
Zhou Ruyuan felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't remember who he was.
Who are you?
Qian Feng took out the Black Tiger Army token, flicked it with his long gun, and the token leaped into everyone's sight.
At the same time, Che Mingyuan, Zhao Zheng, and the six people behind them all took out the same tokens and hung them on their weapons.
A familiar scene suddenly flashed through Zhou Ruyuan's mind.
His gaze was fixed on Zhao Zheng, and he said with certainty, "They are from the Black Tiger Army, and they are all former members of the Southwest Army."
After confirming it, Zhou Ruyuan suddenly chuckled.
"I never expected it to be you."
He should have expected this; he never imagined that Zhao Zheng, a cripple who had accomplished nothing, could actually get people from the former Southwest Army to serve him.
"I underestimated you before!" Zhou Ruyuan regretted that when he took over the Southwest Army, he had been too soft-hearted and had not wiped out the former Southwest Army members.
Zhao Zheng immediately retorted, "I overestimated you before. Without the illustrious reputation of our Southwest Army, you wouldn't have earned the title of God of War."
Can he shoulder the responsibility?
Considering the current situation, Zhou Ruyuan immediately raised his voice: "If you lead your troops to serve me, when I march on the capital, the Southwest Army will still be under your command."
Zhao Zheng was amused by Zhou Ruyuan's delusional talk.
"Zhou Ruyuan, can't you see the current situation?"
"If you surrender and commit suicide on the battlefield, I can plead with His Majesty to allow you to be buried with your family!"
Zhou Ruyuan was in the midst of his high spirits when he heard Zhao Zheng's stubbornness and immediately ordered, "Today I will use you as a sacrifice to show the people who will be stationed here after me what happens when they try to stop me."
Zhao Zheng smiled but remained silent. Just as a great battle was about to break out, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly rang out.
I don't know who shouted it.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
"It's His Majesty..."
"His Majesty is alright!"
The thunderous cavalry, in the incredulous gazes of Zhou Ruyuan and the others, appeared as if divine soldiers had descended from the heavens.
Wasn't Shen Lanxi dead?
Wasn't she seriously injured and died?
How did they manage to arrive at the front lines unharmed?
Oh no, we've fallen for their trap!
By the time Zhou Ruyuan realized what was happening, it was too late.
Shen Lanxi arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhao Zheng gave up his position as commander-in-chief, and the generals of the Eastern Expeditionary Army dismounted and paid their respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Shen Lanxi was dressed in black armor and wore a red cloak. Banners fluttered behind her, and countless soldiers and cavalrymen rode in formation.
She was agile and had a rosy complexion, showing no signs of injury whatsoever.
"Listen up, all soldiers of Tianjin! If you surrender now, I will forgive and forget your past mistakes!" She returned Zhou Ruyuan's words to him.
"Whatever official position you held in the past, or whatever official position you hold in the future, I will never hold you accountable afterwards."
"Although I cannot make a solemn oath like Zhou Ruyuan, my word is as good as gold!"
"I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the ruler of this nation. You are my soldiers, subjects, and people. I remember that you previously obeyed military orders, and everything you did was not of your own volition. I myself came from a military background and know the meaning of 'military orders are like mountains.'"
"If you lay down your weapons now, I will disperse you and integrate you into various armies. You will receive the same treatment as my soldiers, without any discrimination!"
Seeing that some soldiers had actually been moved, Zhou Ruyuan immediately shouted, "Don't listen to her lies!"
“Shen Lanxi is a traitor and a rebel. She is a woman who has defiled the Great Zhou Dynasty and acted against the natural order. Our Great Zhou Dynasty will be destroyed by her sooner or later.”
"Today I will execute this person, restore order, and use her head to cleanse the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
Shen Lanxi scoffed, disdainfully saying, "Zhou Ruyuan, ever since your wedding night, you've made one mistake after another, repeatedly falling into the hands of women. Now that your military is weak, you're attacking my status as a woman."
"Besides relying on your status as a man, have you ever made any contribution to the people of the Great Zhou?" (End of Chapter)
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