Most of the soldiers behind her were trained by the original owner of the body. When they saw Bi Xie, they felt as if they had seen a relative. They were filled with indignation when they heard Bi Xie's story.
They guarded the frontier and could not return to their hometowns all year round. They could not see the prosperity and bustle of the capital. Day after day, all they saw was sandstorms and cruel battlefields. If it weren't for General Xu's brilliant military strategy, always being the first to charge and leading them to repel the barbarians of Yexi Kingdom, many of them would not be alive now and would have died on the battlefield long ago. What did that emperor do? He lived in luxury every day, yet he still wanted to harm General Xu!
Five-Stone Powder, that's a banned drug!
“Master, you taught me so many principles, but I only got one wrong,” the cold wind blew away Bi Xie’s words.
Xu Lan's weathered face looked even more stern in the night wind, just like when Xu Xie was a child and would be punished by being forced to stand and not eat whenever he couldn't recite the military texts. Whenever this happened, Xu Xie would always lower his head and hide his tears, because his master hated useless tears the most. But this time, Bi Xie stared straight at her, "Master said that if the ruler wants the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. That statement is wrong."
"If the ruler is not a good ruler, and the ruler demands the death of his subjects, the subjects will not only refuse to die, but will also demand the death of the ruler."
The passageways between the tents were packed with soldiers from both countries. The passageways, which were not crowded to begin with, seemed extremely narrow. After hearing her audacious words, everyone involuntarily held their breath. The night wind howled across their faces, carrying a chill that seeped into their hearts.
"Take him! Take him to Bone Slope!"
·
Report—
In the court of Kuiyang Kingdom, with a sudden report, all the civil and military officials turned to look at the messenger who rushed into the hall in a panic. "Your Majesty, urgent report from the border: General Xu Lan's night raid failed and he was surrounded by the enemy. He is now trapped at Guchi Slope and has not yet broken through."
Chu Chu's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up from his throne. "What? Xu Lan has been besieged so quickly? Where are the reinforcements?"
The messenger knelt in panic and cried, "The reinforcements... the reinforcements' supplies were burned on their way to reinforce us, delaying the best time to rescue them. Now... now the soldiers led by General Xu Lan are probably... probably in grave danger."
The officials were in a panic. Prime Minister Jiang asked with a heavy expression, "Do you know who the enemy general is?" General Xu Lan is an old general. Even if he has been defeated, he should not have been defeated so quickly. Considering that Ye Xi Kingdom suddenly launched a large-scale military campaign, if they were not absolutely certain of victory, why would they suddenly mobilize such a large force after repeated defeats?
"Yes, it is the young prince of Yexi Kingdom," the messenger replied.
"When did the Kingdom of Yexi gain a young prince?" Chu Chu shouted, surprised that her spies hadn't reported it.
"I don't know either," the messenger said, unable to utter another word. He had driven several horses to their deaths to reach the capital, and it was already quite an achievement that he could speak so much. Chu Chu had no choice but to have someone take him away to rest.
"Your Majesty, the Yexi Kingdom must have come prepared this time. We cannot engage in war rashly. I suggest we hold our troops and investigate their strengths and weaknesses before making any further decisions!" Prime Minister Jiang said with great concern.
“Prime Minister Jiang is mistaken. His Majesty has already dispatched troops. How can we retreat after a single defeat? In my humble opinion, we should first send troops to reinforce General Xu Lan,” Grand Tutor Wei advised.
Prime Minister Jiang glared angrily at Grand Tutor Wei. Don't think she didn't know her plans. After the war started, the national treasury would have to spend money to support the frontier. And these supplies and provisions would become lucrative assets in the hands of these officials. They would embezzle a portion and give a portion to their superiors. How much of the money that went out of the national treasury would actually end up in the hands of the soldiers on the frontier?
She said urgently, "Your Majesty, we must save General Xu Lan, but if this is a trap set by the enemy, our army will only lose more lives if we rush to rescue him. Please think it over carefully, Your Majesty."
"Prime Minister Jiang, General Xu Lan is our commander-in-chief. If our commander-in-chief dies, it will greatly lower our morale. Moreover, only by rescuing General Zhenguo can we deal with the upcoming battles. Otherwise, without a leader, the army's morale will surely collapse!"
"Your Majesty, our envoy was assassinated in Yexi Kingdom without any reason. Yexi Kingdom has not given any explanation, which is clearly a contempt for our dynasty. Now our dynasty has strong troops and sufficient food. General Zhenguo must have been out of practice for a long time and was caught off guard and fell into the enemy's ambush. Why not send another general to reinforce General Zhenguo? We will surely be able to return victorious!"
"..."
Among the officials, someone said, "If General Xu were here, she would be very experienced in fighting the bandits of Ye Xi Kingdom and would surely defeat them!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chu's face darkened immediately. He waved his sleeve and left the court to discuss the matter again. These so-called pillars of the state only knew how to talk, but none of them had any concrete countermeasures or methods to deal with the enemy.
In the following days, the court was in an uproar over whether to advocate peace or war. The messengers who came to deliver the message did not bring any good news, and Chu Chu's face grew increasingly grim. In the end, he had no choice but to send another general and a batch of military funds to support the border.
Prime Minister Jiang raised objections in court to the general sent by Chu Chu to support the border. General Xu Xie had previously warned that the general was prone to being ambitious and reckless in battle, which was why he was withdrawn from the border. Because he had worked hard even if he had no merit, and was also the nephew of Grand Tutor Wei, he was given a sinecure in court.
His Majesty sent her to the border; isn't that just playing with the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers there?
Prime Minister Jiang repeatedly risked his life to offer advice, but the Empress rejected it all. Knowing that Her Majesty still wanted to fight, he was so angry that he fell ill.
The day before the winter solstice, heavy snow covered the eaves.
Kuiyang Kingdom holds an annual ceremony to worship Heaven on the winter solstice. However, with no news of victory in the war, Chu Chu has no mind to hold the ceremony. After summoning his ministers to his study for a meeting in the afternoon, he waits for the scouts to report on Xu Xie.
She originally thought Xu Xie was like a horse breeder, and that once the horses were fat and strong, she would no longer need the horse breeder. But now she was overwhelmed with problems and it seemed that she still needed such a horse breeder to manage these mindless horses for her.
It seems she was wrong before. Before ordering Xu Xie to his death, she needed to cultivate another "Xu Xie".
Chu Chu stood by the window, gazing at the heavy snow of winter, his warm, porcelain-white face devoid of any smile.
"Your Majesty, the morning court session will be in a little over two hours. Please rest for a while," said Xiao Zhongzi, the personal eunuch, as he tidied up the pastries on the table that had gone cold and remained untouched, his brows furrowing slightly.
Chu Chu nodded and, accompanied by several palace servants, walked towards his bedchamber.
The palace lanterns cast a cold, pale light under the eaves, and the footsteps of the group were clearly audible. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting shattered the night. Chu Chu's expression changed abruptly, and he stopped in his tracks, asking the eunuch holding the umbrella beside him, "Xiao Zhongzi, what was that sound?"
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