Inside the Prince of Jin's residence, the council hall was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
The generals of Longcheng, who had been waiting for Chen Huai'an to come out and take charge of the overall situation, could no longer sit still. Immediately, someone stood up and proposed:
"General Pang, why don't you make a decision for His Highness the Crown Prince? Whether to fight or retreat, we will leave it all to you to decide!"
As soon as the suggestion was made, someone immediately chimed in, "Yes, General, this is a matter of great importance and a decision must be made as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, once that scoundrel Pang Qingyun's 100,000-strong army arrives, whether we fight or retreat, we will be in a passive position."
"Please make a decision quickly, General!"
"Please make the decision, General!"
For a moment, all the generals of the Longcheng garrison in the council hall turned their attention to Pang Xianchu, the adjutant general in charge of the specific command of the troops within the Longcheng garrison.
These generals, who were personally promoted by Prince Chen Polu, were absolutely unwilling to accept the command of Wu Qingyun, the Northwest General.
The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds. Half a year ago, after the new emperor Zhao Gan took away their military power and scattered them to various places, few of the former generals of the Polu Army ended up well.
They were either passively discharged and retired to their hometowns, or they were used as cannon fodder in battle and died a pathetic death.
This was the treatment given to those who were scattered and assigned to other generals. If this had fallen into the hands of Wu Qingyun, the Northwest General who was already at odds with the Prince of Jin, he might not have even been able to die a complete death, and his entire family would have been implicated.
Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well risk our lives and fight those bastards; maybe we can still have a chance to survive.
Facing the earnest gazes of the generals of Longcheng, Pang Xianchu felt unprecedented pressure.
He was an orphan who was adopted by Prince Chen Polu of Jin at a young age. Loyalty, filial piety, and integrity were ingrained in Pang Xianchu's bones. Now, to ask him to bypass the heir apparent Chen Huai'an and decide the fate of eight thousand Polu soldiers was something he could never do.
Pang Xianchu knew better than anyone what these eight thousand Polu soldiers meant to the widow of the Prince of Jin's mansion, who had just suffered a heavy blow.
Although, at this critical juncture of life and death, someone must step forward and make a decision.
However, Pang Xianchu knew that he should not, and absolutely could not, be the one to make that decision!
"Everyone, quiet!"
After a long silence, Pang Xianchu finally stood up and said, "Gentlemen, I understand your feelings at this critical juncture, a time of great turmoil and life-or-death crisis. But what I want to say is—"
“You all, like me, Pang Xianchu, have only been able to reach where we are today thanks to the grace of the Prince of Jin. Now that the Prince of Jin’s body is barely cold, I, Pang Xianchu, must not do such a presumptuous thing.”
"A person should at least live a life with a clear conscience, right?"
Pang Xianchu said each word clearly and forcefully, "As far as I, Pang Xianchu, am concerned, I can only stand where the Prince of Jin is. Now that the Prince of Jin has passed away, I will take the Crown Prince as my superior."
"Let alone Wu Qingyun's mere 100,000 bandits causing trouble, what harm could it do even if it were the Ten Kings of Hell?"
"I, Pang Xianchu, swear to live and die with His Highness the Crown Prince and his family!"
"Whether we fight or flee, it is up to His Highness the Crown Prince to decide. It's just a worthless life; in eighteen years, we'll be heroes again!"
After speaking, Pang Xianchu looked intently at the assembled generals with piercing eyes.
For a moment, the generals were all somewhat ashamed and knelt down on one knee.
"General, we were wrong!"
"General, we are willing to stand with you and follow His Highness to the death!"
"We swear to follow His Highness to the death!"
......
Outside the council hall of the Prince's mansion, Chen Huai'an, who had already returned to the mansion from the Longshan camp, could hear everything that was happening inside the council hall clearly through a door.
Pang Xianchu's loyalty and bravery were evident to everyone in the Prince's Mansion, and Chen Huai'an was well aware of them.
As for the remaining Polu Army generals who stayed behind in Longcheng, they were absolutely loyal when Prince Chen Polu of Jin was alive.
But times have changed. A decree from Emperor Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, and the 100,000-strong army of Wu Qingyun, the general of the Northwest, have pushed the Prince of Jin's mansion to the brink of life and death.
Human nature is to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Prior to this, Chen Huai'an was not absolutely certain that these Longcheng garrison generals would be as loyal to him as they were to his father, Chen Polu.
But now it seems that the generals Chen Polu left to Chen Huai'an were indeed loyal men, only a little impatient in times of crisis.
However, this is also good, morale can be used!
Finally, Chen Huai'an, standing outside the council hall clad in golden armor and wielding the King-Slaying Whip, signaled to his servants that they could announce the arrival.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
As the servants of the Prince's Mansion outside the council hall called out loudly, the guards standing at the door quickly pushed open the gate, and a tall, golden figure strode in, heading straight into the council hall of the Prince's Mansion.
brush!
The once bustling council hall fell silent. All the generals of the Dragon City garrison, including Pang Xianchu, stood up and looked out the door in unison.
Clad in armor and wielding a mace, Chen Huai'an moved with a confident stride, his demeanor and physique comparable to the young Prince Chen Polu of Jin, and even surpassing him in terms of presence.
For a moment, all the generals were dumbfounded, as if the approaching general was none other than Chen Polu, the great general who had won countless battles and killed countless enemies, making his opponents tremble with fear!
The generals were immediately taken aback. Upon closer inspection, they recognized the man as Chen Huai'an, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin. They couldn't help but think to themselves: "Like father, like son!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Your Highness!"
In an instant, the generals, having regained their senses, bowed and saluted Chen Huai'an.
Chen Huai'an's determined gaze swept over the assembled generals one by one, lingering on Pang Xianchu for a couple more seconds before he unceremoniously plopped down in the main seat of the council hall.
"Please sit down, everyone!"
The generals then took their seats, but their eyes never left Chen Huai'an for a moment.
Chen Huai'an said: "Gentlemen, you are all good generals in the army and pillars of the country. You followed the late king in battles in the south and north for more than ten years and made great contributions to the expansion of the dynasty's territory."
Later, he served the dynasty by guarding the borders and protecting the people from foreign invasions and attacks; throughout his life, he was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, with unwavering integrity.
"But now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he trusts treacherous officials, wantonly persecutes loyal and virtuous people, and allows the court to be engulfed in great calamities. As the founders and pillars of the dynasty, are you willing to stand idly by and watch as treacherous officials wreak havoc on the court?"
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
Inside the council hall, the generals were filled with indignation.
Chen Huai'an added, "Like you all, I do not wish to witness treacherous officials in power harming loyal and virtuous people."
"Before his death, the late Emperor Zhenwu secretly bestowed upon the late king a golden mace called the 'King-Slaying Golden Whip,' precisely to deal with the current situation where the new emperor has ascended the throne and has trusted treacherous officials to wreak havoc on the court!"
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an raised the golden mace high in his hand and said in a resounding voice, "The Golden Whip bestowed by the Great Xin Emperor is used to strike down tyrannical rulers above and disloyal officials below. Even gods and men cannot evade it!"
"The new emperor is incompetent, treacherous officials are in power, wreaking havoc on the court and persecuting loyal and virtuous officials—"
"I, Chen Huai'an, the heir apparent to the Prince of Jin, personally appointed by Emperor Zhenwu, the founding emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, am determined to formally inherit the title of Prince of Jin today. I will wield the golden mace and be ordered to quell the rebellion, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, and eliminate the treacherous prince!"
"You pillars of the nation, loyal ministers and generals, are you willing to join me in raising an army to punish the rebels, secure the country, and demonstrate your loyalty?"
"willing!"
"willing!"
"willing!"
Inside the council hall, the generals were filled with fervor and answered in unison.
Seeing that morale was high, Chen Huai'an seized the opportunity to issue his first order since inheriting the title of Prince of Jin: "All generals, listen to my command—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
All the generals rose in unison to await orders.
Chen Huai'an said, "The Longcheng garrison should immediately begin to reorganize and strengthen the city's defenses. In the first battle to punish the rebels, we will face the rebel general Wu Qingyun. Go and prepare yourselves!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Chen Huai'an then said, "General Pang, please stay!"
Upon hearing this, Pang Xianchu immediately stopped in his tracks.
Inside the vast council hall of the Prince's mansion, only Chen Huai'an and Pang Xianchu remained. The flickering candlelight cast long shadows of the two men as they talked late into the night, plotting their uprising.
That night.
Pang Xianchu, the military commander of Longcheng, stayed in the council hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion until the middle of the night, and only left in a hurry when the rooster crowed.
Chen Huai'an had already revealed his strategy for dealing with the enemy and Pang Xianchu in detail, but he concealed the fact that there were 80,000 elite cavalrymen lying in ambush at Longshan Camp.
He simply told Pang Xianchu that Longcheng was not alone and without reinforcements, but that a large number of reinforcements were on their way, as a way to reassure Pang Xianchu.
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