boom!
Cui Qianyi felt like her brain couldn't keep up. Five thousand Imperial Guards attacking a city? Was this guy insane?
"Your Highness, have you never fought a war before?"
Cui Qianyi asked cautiously, afraid that Li Zhu would drag him along to attack the city; he didn't want to go and die...
"Does General Cui think I'm no good at fighting?"
Li Zhu looked at him and asked in return!
Cui Qianyi thought to herself, "Was my meaning that obvious? And since you already knew that, why did you ask? Isn't this just making everyone feel awkward?"
"Your Highness, I see your men haven't brought any siege equipment. They'll be almost wiped out by a single volley before they even reach the city walls..."
Cui Qianyi couldn't help but remind him, hoping Li Zhu could understand that war is not child's play...
Perhaps influenced by Cui Qianyi's words, the officers below also began to discuss among themselves, all feeling that Li Zhu was overestimating himself and wanted to go to his death...
Some even felt sorry for the five thousand Imperial Guards, each one an elite soldier, who were about to lose their lives here, and felt it was a waste for them…
"Gentlemen, I'm merely going to conquer a city that rightfully belongs to Xintang. There's no need for you to make such a fuss..."
Li Zhu addressed the crowd reassuringly.
"Your Highness, please reconsider... Your actions in attacking the city will endanger my border troops. I cannot stand by and watch my brothers go to their deaths..."
Cui Qianyi vehemently objected, believing that Li Zhu was trying to lead the border troops to their deaths, and he would definitely not agree to it…
"Leading the border troops to their deaths? What makes you say that, General? I had no intention of leading the border troops to attack the city. Since this victory is to be attributed to my Imperial Guard, you can just cheer from behind. If we win, you'll get a share of the credit..."
Cui Qianyi thought to herself, "Who cares about your non-existent merit? I'm worried about my own safety, okay? Once you lead the Imperial Guard to attack the city, how can I possibly remain unscathed?"
As a general of the new Tang Dynasty, if he were to stand by and watch his own crown prince die right under his nose, he would definitely be accused of having ulterior motives. At that time, the hostile forces would definitely use this as an excuse to attack him unreasonably. Therefore, no matter how unpopular Li Zhu was, he could not die under his nose, and he could not give anyone an excuse to attack him...
However, if he were to lead his troops in reckless actions alongside Li Zhu, the border army would face unpredictable casualties, something Cui Qianyi could not accept. His soldiers were seasoned veterans; it would be truly unworthy for them to die in such foolish behavior…
"Is this crown prince an idiot?"
"Exactly! They have no common sense at all. What's the difference between attacking a city like this and committing suicide? They'll just drag General Cui down with them..."
"I really don't know how someone like that could become the crown prince. I'm truly worried about the future of our new Tang Dynasty..."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, or he'll kill you if he hears you..."
Hearing their murmurs, Li Zhu's expression remained unchanged. Their skepticism was normal, and he hadn't expected them to make a move...
"Your Highness, I cannot let you continue your reckless behavior..."
Cui Qianyi gritted his teeth and said that even if it offended the Crown Prince, he had to make his stance clear, otherwise the team would fall apart and it would be difficult to lead the entire group...
"Are you trying to stop me from taking Qicheng?"
Li Zhu looked calmly at Cui Qianyi and asked!
"Your Highness, it's not that we're stopping you, it's that we forbid you from attacking Qicheng..."
Cui Qianyi said calmly, his gaze toward Li Zhu sharp. At this moment, he no longer concealed his attitude; he would never allow Li Zhu to do such an absurd thing!
"You think you have the right to stop me?"
Li Zhu also lost his patience and was very dissatisfied with Cui Qianyi. He thought to himself, "I don't need your help, why are you stopping me?"
"Of course I have no right to stop His Highness the Crown Prince from acting, but I do have the power to do so..."
Although Cui Qianyi's attitude remained respectful, there was not a trace of respect in her eyes!
"What if I insist on attacking the city..."
"Your Highness, your troops are surrounded by my border army. Leaving without my permission is impossible..."
Cui Qianyi said calmly that he just didn't want Li Zhu to go crazy, and didn't really want to offend the Crown Prince to death...
"I think that Officer Zhu you kicked out must be the one who went to surround my camp, right?"
Hearing Li Zhu's words, Cui Qianyi was taken aback, then smiled and said...
"I never expected His Highness the Crown Prince to be so intelligent; you guessed it so easily..."
"General Cui, why go through all this? You should have seen from our journey that I have great respect for the border troops and have no desire to clash with you. By doing this, you are leading yourself and the border troops down a path of no return..."
Li Zhu sighed, expressing his disappointment with Cui Qianyi's actions...
"Your Highness, your idea of conquering Qicheng with only five thousand men is nothing short of a pipe dream. I will not allow you to do so..."
Cui Qianyi said solemnly!
"Even if I go to my death, that's my business. Your actions make me suspect you have ulterior motives..."
After Li Zhu finished speaking, he looked at Cui Qianyi, waiting for him to give him a reasonable explanation!
"Your Highness, I am a general guarding the new Tang Dynasty. How can I watch my sons of the new Tang Dynasty die in vain..."
"I haven't even gone to fight yet, how do you know we're going to our deaths?"
"Isn't it obvious? You only have so few people, and you don't even have siege equipment. Going there is just suicide..."
"General Cui, if you hadn't spoken so frankly, I might have asked you if you were Zhu Wen's accomplice. I won't waste any more words with you now. Tomorrow I will still attack Qicheng. You just need to stay inside the city and watch. Everything you're doing now is just making things more difficult for me, you know that?"
Cui Qianyi rolled her eyes at Li Zhu, thinking to herself, "So you know the word 'causing trouble'? Aren't you just causing trouble for me by attacking the city?"
"Your Highness, please forgive me for not being able to obey your orders. You and your Imperial Guards must remain in the city. Tomorrow I will personally escort Your Highness out of Pingyao from another direction..."
"General Cui, I have never changed my word..."
"Your Highness, as the garrison commander, I have never changed my word..."
"Ha ha…"
Li Zhu laughed loudly, then shook his head and said...
"Then it seems you'll have to change your rules, because you're going to have to change your words today..."
Li Zhu waved his hand, and then saw the officer Zhu, who had just left, being thrown to the ground. The Marquis gave Cui Qianyi a cold look, then turned and left. By the time everyone reacted, his presence had vanished once again, as if he had never been there at all…
"Marquis... Marquis..."
Cui Qianyi felt as if something was stuck in her throat…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
