I really don't want to be a traitor

Chapter 552: Emperor’s Tacit Understanding
"Fan Li!"

"We really won~~~~~!"

Fan Li, who had recovered a little strength, returned to the coalition camp under the protection of everyone.

Xiang Ning was extremely excited and, regardless of the emperor's dignity, he threw himself directly into Fan Li's arms.

Her feelings are understandable.

After all, this battle was not just a great victory, it also completely ended an era.

The Ming Dynasty was defeated.

Emperor Jiajing was defeated.

The shadow that once hung over the heads of other nations and the tyranny of the number one man in the world have become history!
The Jin, Chu, Wei, Han, Wu and Ming dynasties changed their offensive and defensive positions from then on!
"Yes, we won."

Fan Li also had no taboos and hugged Xiang Ning in public.

He returned with only his body.

After all, the big thing has been decided, and there is no need for two bodies to appear at the same time.

This is both insurance and a trump card.

He looked out at the battlefield. Amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, only the Dragon Scale Army and the garrison troops still maintained their solemn demeanor and resolute gazes, and retained most of their intact structures.

The rest of the soldiers from Wu and Wei were in a dejected state, with faces full of relief at having survived the calamity and a desire to return home.

As for the Han Dynasty's Wu Dang Flying Army, the losses were too heavy, with only one in ten surviving.

Scattered soldiers of the Flying Army were scattered on the battlefield, most of them with confused eyes and not knowing where to go.

"From today on, I will take charge of everything in the world."

Such a thought suddenly flashed through Fan Li's mind.

He hugged Xiang Ning tighter, and the woman let out a charming cry under the force, but others pretended not to see it.

At this time, the three emperors Cao Huan, Sun Hao and Liu Chan saw Fan Li coming empty-handed and came forward nervously.

"Jin..."

The three of them started to speak, but were stunned at the same time.

They suddenly realized that it would be too ungrateful to call Fan Li the prince any longer.

The three of them changed their words at the same time: "Your Majesty, may I ask if Emperor Jiajing has been defeated?"

"Jiajing was indeed defeated, but I don't know whether he is dead or not."

Fan Li smiled and shook his head.

"My father-in-law is hunting down Jiajing. I believe there will be news soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, three figures fell from the sky.

It was none other than Lu Chunqiu, Huang Longshi and Jing Wudi.

The first thing Fan Li saw was that the divine weapon Yuchang Sword, which was held in Jing Wudi's right hand, was stained red with blood, as if it was a natural blood-red weapon.

"Feel sorry."

Lu Chunqiu glanced at Fan Li, then at Xiang Ning in his arms.

The old man pulled his face and spoke in a slightly stiff tone.

"Only Yan Song, Lu Bing and two eunuchs were killed."

"Emperor Jiajing finally escaped."

Four big heads were thrown on the ground by Jing Wudi. Each of them had a hideous expression and died tragically. They were indeed the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the two most powerful eunuchs in the inner court.

"Your Majesty, please do not blame the father-in-law."

Huang Longshi stepped forward to explain.

"Emperor Jiajing used the [Investiture of the Gods] to coerce these four people to cover the retreat, thus gaining a glimmer of hope."

"The father-in-law used all his strength, suffered injuries and consumed half of the "Lüshi Chunqiu", in order to kill four powerful Ming Dynasty warriors in such a short time."

"In addition, I can see clearly that the Jiajing Emperor is running out of energy and may not have much time left. I believe it won't be long before the Ming Dynasty will hold a national mourning."

Huang Longshi was a chess fanatic. Although he had experienced officialdom and matured over the years, the Jin court was clean and honest, without so much intrigue, so he was not well versed in the ways of the world.

He finished his report dutifully, but found that the three emperors Cao, Liu and Sun had solemn expressions and did not show any joy at all.

what happened?

The coalition forces completely defeated the Ming Dynasty. Isn’t this a happy event?
Or do the three of you suspect that I am lying?
Huang Longshi was about to give a detailed introduction to the battle situation, but when he saw Fan Li shaking his head slightly at him, he shut up.

"This one……"

Liu Chan was the first to stand up.

He forced a smile and bowed to Fan Li, saying, "Congratulations to His Majesty the Emperor of Jin for defeating Jiajing and achieving a great feat. This battle is over, and there are still many things in the Han Dynasty waiting for me to deal with. If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, will the Han Dynasty withdraw its troops first?"

From the tone of his voice, he actually wanted to wait for Fan Li's approval before he dared to leave?

Is there a hint of flattery or pleading?
Without waiting for Fan Li to answer, Cao Huan and Sun Hao also stood up.

"Congratulations to Emperor Jin for his great achievement."

"The Great Wei/Great Wu still has many state affairs to deal with. Please allow us to withdraw our troops. I hope His Majesty the Emperor of Jin will forgive us."

Huang Longshi was stunned.

What do you mean?
The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and at this moment the coalition forces directly attacked the Ming territory, which was as easy as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Why did they suddenly withdraw their troops?

Is there anything else in the Ming Dynasty that the emperors of the Three Kingdoms are wary of?
Huang Longshi almost couldn't help but want to say a few words to encourage the Emperor of the Three Kingdoms, but Fan Li spoke first.

"Since... the three of you have decided to leave, just go on your way."

His tone no longer had the friendliness of the past, but was more distant and indifferent.

Huang Longshi was surprised!

Why is your Majesty like this?
However, he saw that Liu Chan and others had expressions of relief and joy on their faces.

"Thank you, Emperor Jin. I'll take my leave now!"

The three emperors turned around and left the tent without hesitation, and eagerly gathered their troops to withdraw back to the country.

"Your Majesty, this... could it be..."

Huang Longshi vaguely realized something.

Fan Li did not explain, but said to Fan Chun beside him: "You will lead the garrison troops back to Da Chu immediately and station the elite troops on the northern border. I will lead the Dragon Scale Army to continue attacking Daming. During this period, you will be responsible for deterring the three kingdoms of Wei, Han and Wu and preventing them from making any moves."

"no problem."

Fan Chun nodded.

The bloodstains on his face had not been washed off, and he looked murderous.

"Brother, why don't you destroy the Ming Dynasty and I will destroy the Wei, Han and Wu?"

Huang Longshi was horrified when he heard this.

Understood!
This time I really understand!
The principle of "lips and teeth are interdependent" is so simple and plain.

When Emperor Jiajing was powerful, Wei, Han and Wu were the most steadfast allies of Chu and Jin.

But when the Ming Dynasty declined, Fan Li became the nightmare of the Three Kingdoms!
"No need." "From now on, every step we take may trample on countless lives."

"I am not Zhu Houcong. I must preserve some vitality for the world and try my best to achieve this goal without bloodshed."

As Fan Li spoke, he lowered his head again and happened to meet Xiang Ning's focused and serious eyes.

He smiled, and simply lowered his head to kiss the empress in his arms.

There was a brief moment of tenderness, and Fan Li stopped only when Xiang Ning was about to lose his composure.

He licked the corner of his mouth and laughed.

"deliver an imperial order!"

"The Ming Dynasty will fall, and the Five-Nation Alliance will be dissolved today!"

"I, the founding emperor of the Great Jin, will unify the country."

"At the same time, I will inform everyone in the world that I will not allow anyone to sleep soundly beside my bed!"

……

…………

a few days later.

Ming Dynasty, Imperial Palace.

"Zi Sheng."

"Zi Sheng?"

I called out several times but got no response.

On the dragon bed, a skinny old man struggled to sit up.

He gasped for breath, but finally saw Xu Jie kneeling in front of him, and then he smiled with relief.

"Ha... ahem. Lord Xu has been busy with state affairs, so I've granted him special permission to not kneel before the Emperor."

"Chen Hong, are you deaf? Hurry up and bring a chair to Lord Xu."

As soon as Emperor Jiajing finished speaking, a middle-aged eunuch came out, said yes, and brought a small stool with a flattering look on his face.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

When Xu Jie sat down, he vaguely remembered that "Zi Sheng" was his own name.
When Yan Song was alive, Your Majesty addressed Yan Song by his courtesy name, showing your great honor and favor. It was clearly the treatment that Your Majesty envied the most.

"Your Majesty finally calls me by my given name."

"But why don't I feel anything?"

"That's it!"

"The state affairs are tense. Jin Emperor Fan Li led his army to invade our country. I should report the military affairs to Your Majesty first. What am I thinking about?"

Xu Jie calmed himself down, stood up from the stool, and knelt down again.

"Your Majesty, I have urgent military matters to attend to..."

As soon as Xu Jie opened his mouth, he saw a flash of impatience on the skinny old face of Emperor Jiajing.

Obviously, His Majesty has no interest in military affairs.

Xu Jie immediately shut up because of his habit of serving Emperor Jiajing for many years.

He was used to catering to his master's wishes, no matter how important or unimportant the state affairs were. He only said what the Emperor Jiajing wanted to hear, otherwise he would lose the competition for favor to Yan Song again.

So, Xu Jie remembered another task that Emperor Jiajing had given him after he escorted the emperor back to the court.

Is it the top priority in your majesty's mind?
but……

That incident made Xu Jie feel bitter and he was unwilling to mention it at all.

"Zisheng, have you found it?"

Emperor Jiajing was already extremely weak, but his eyes seemed to glow as he stared straight at Xu Jie.

"This...minister..."

Xu Jie endured for a while, but finally he couldn't go against his own heart.

Or perhaps it was the news of Yan Song's death that gave him the courage to put state affairs first and even confront His Majesty in person!
"His Majesty!"

"I believe that military intelligence is the top priority for our Ming Dynasty at present."

"Three days ago, Jin Emperor Fan Li led the Dragon Scale Army to invade our Ming territory. Wherever they passed, the provincial, prefectural, and county officials and soldiers offered a little resistance, but most of them surrendered..."

"Mr. Xu!!!"

Emperor Jiajing finally roared.

This sound seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and he fell back on the bed, breathing heavily, with sweat pouring down his forehead.

"say no more."

"I order you not to talk about military affairs anymore."

Xu Jie was stunned by the roar.

Tears were already flowing from my red eyes from staying up late for several nights.

"Your Majesty!"

Xu Jie knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"State affairs are in turmoil. I beg Your Majesty to put the country first!"

"As for the recipe for the Nine-Transformation Golden Pill left by Lan Daoxing, its contents still need to be verified to be reliable. You must not rush to make the pill and consume it, otherwise it may harm your holy body, Your Majesty!"

Xu Jie's pleading only made Emperor Jiajing irritated and uneasy.

He once again struggled to sit up from the dragon bed. Although he was panting heavily, his tone was firm!
"Xu Jie!"

"I'll tell you!"

"I don't care how much land I lose, how much population I lose, or how many soldiers I die in battle!"

"As long as you refine another furnace of [Nine-transformation Golden Pill] for me, when my injuries are healed, I will naturally repel the Jin army!"

"As long as I am here, the Ming Dynasty will be here!"

"So, have you found the recipe for the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill?!"

Xu Jie was distracted by the yelling and subconsciously reached for a paper roll in his sleeve.

This scroll of paper is Lan Daoxing’s last relic, the recipe for the Nine-Transformation Golden Pill!

However, Xu Jie had read the contents of the recipe, and knew that this was something that could never be handed over to Emperor Jiajing!
But it's too late.

Emperor Jiajing had already seen the recipe for the elixir, and a smile appeared on his pale and skinny old face again.

"Zi Sheng!"

"Did you really find it?"

"Bring it here, bring it here quickly!"

"Hand over the recipe!"

"True Lord Fei Yuan, Lord Zhong Xiao, Lord Wan Shou... I will appoint you as the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty..."

Death