After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 322 The Old Man
After everyone left, Wang Xinde glared at Deng Quanan and said, "Why did you let them go like that? Didn't you see the look on those cowards' faces? Aren't you afraid that if you let them go, they will all surrender?"

Deng Quanan sighed deeply: "General Wang, I saw it. If I don't let them go, I'm afraid they will use knives to force us to open the city gates."

Wang Xinde was stunned.

Deng Quanan's lips trembled with anger. "These cowards! Traitors! They must have been planning to cooperate with the people from Jinzhou Prefecture. General Wang, it's not their fault. It's really... the people from Jinzhou Prefecture are too strong. We are like fish on the chopping board. Now the people from Jinzhou Prefecture haven't attacked us yet, but our army and people's hearts have been scattered. We will be defeated without a fight——"

Wang Xinde was speechless for a long time.

Yeah, how can we fight this?

All Jinzhou Prefecture needs to do is show off their firearms and use these inferior means to publicize them, and the entire Fengxiang Prefecture will collapse in an instant.

The city wall was still crumbling. The city wall that seemed as solid as a rock in their eyes was like a fragile egg in the eyes of the people of Jinzhou Prefecture. If they hit the city wall today, they could break through the city gate tomorrow.

What difference does it make whether they defend or not?
How can mortal flesh fight against the firearms of alien beings?
How can ants stop the progress of elephants?
Deng Quanan was sitting there. He was only forty years old, but since he took the throne of the Lord of Fengxiang Prefecture and was surrounded by powerful enemies, his hair had turned completely white in just three or four years.

At this moment, there were only two of them in the huge room.

He was surrounded by a kind of desolate despair.

"General Wang, it is foreseeable that the Great Zhou Dynasty will soon fall." Deng Quan'an said this with a bitter and unwilling expression on his face. "In the final analysis, it is our Great Zhou Dynasty that has delayed itself. In recent years, the Bianjing Prefecture has been busy fighting for power and profit, but it did not even know that raising a tiger would bring harm, and watched Jinzhou Prefecture develop into what it is today. For this, his Zhou family bears an unshirkable responsibility."

Deng Quanan looked at Wang Xinde, only to see that the man was nearly sixty years old, with gray hair and sharp eyes. He had even strongly advocated war before, which showed that the old man was still as brave as ever.

But how could Deng Quanan just watch Wang Xinde go to his death?

Wang Xinde also knew the desperate situation at the moment, and he couldn't help but mutter in his chair: "Is there no other way except surrender?"

Deng Quanan smiled bitterly: "You and I are willing to die to defend the city, but our officials and common people are unwilling. General Wang, my great Zhou Dynasty has lost the support of the people——"

The two men could not help but hug each other and cry bitterly. After they were tired of crying, they slept with their feet together. One reason was that they were afraid that someone would take their heads and seek credit from the Jinzhou government during the chaos. The other reason was that they discussed whether to surrender or not until very late.

But who would have thought that before they made the decision to surrender, they were pulled out of their beds in the middle of the night.

A lot of people had gathered in the room, including armored soldiers and civil officials. The two men felt a chill on their necks. Wang Xinde was furious: "Zhou Ping, I treated you well! Why did you betray us?"

The young general named Zhou Ping smiled helplessly, "General Wang, you should thank me. Tonight, several groups of people wanted your head, and it was me, Zhou Ping, who saved it. Please open your eyes and look. White flags have been raised everywhere outside. Now all that's left is to offer your heads to the gods."

Deng Quanan closed his eyes in despair, turbid tears rolling down his cheeks, "I knew that sooner or later there would be a day like this—"

When they heard the commotion outside, the two saw that the lights outside were bright as day. It seemed that no one in the entire Fengxiang Mansion was asleep. The calmness of the day was replaced by a riot in the middle of the night.

Zhou Ping was merciless: "Lord Deng, save your spit. Didn't you see what is written in the monthly report of Jinzhou Prefecture? Everyone has the right to pursue a happy life! The Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't treat us as human beings, but someone else does! The Great Zhou Dynasty is unkind, so it's no wonder that we are disloyal! Come on, tie up these two people, order people to open the city gates, and welcome His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the city--"

The people in Jinzhou Prefecture did not expect that the gate of Fengxiang Prefecture would be opened so quickly.

It's just the second half of the night.

The fog in the mountains and forests has not yet dissipated, the moonlight is dim, and a chill penetrates into the body.

Jiang Yongkang appeared in front of Xu Zhenying's tent.

The man's voice was low, and it came into my ears along with the subtle sound of the wind between the mountains and forests, "Your Highness, the gate of Fengxiang Mansion is open!"

Soon, a light came on in the tent, and there was a rustling sound.

After only two or three minutes, Xu Zhenying put on his clothes and came out.

She had slept in her clothes, and although she was a little bleary-eyed at the moment, she looked quite energetic. "Is the gate of Fengxiang Mansion open?"

Then she smiled again, "Only one day and one night have passed."

"Your Highness had a brilliant plan, letting the archers shoot so many notes inside. Now the military morale of Fengxiang Prefecture has been lost, so surrender is inevitable."

"Let's go over and have a look."

Xu Zhenying strode forward and saw that the tent was already full of lights. It was obvious that the news of Fengxiang Prefecture's surrender had spread throughout the tent.

Soon, all of Xu Zhenying's confidants rushed over.

Seeing everyone's anxious faces, Xu Zhenying said seriously, "Yes, the gate of Fengxiang Prefecture is open. Let's go and see what's going on."

Jiang Yongkang had already led a team of nearly a thousand people, with torches all over the mountain. Xu Zhenying walked neither hurried nor slow, and when she arrived at the gate of Fengxiang Mansion, she looked at her pocket watch.

It’s past four in the morning.

The city wall of Fengxiang Prefecture was also brightly lit. To show their sincerity, everyone on the wall threw their weapons down the wall as Jiang Yongkang requested.

To ensure safety, Jiang Yongkang had already taken people around the city for a tour in advance. Only after confirming that everything was correct did Xu Zhenying and others enter.

At this moment, the gate of Fengxiang Prefecture was wide open, and the wind was blowing in. Even though it was early in the morning, the sky was still pitch black, but Xu Zhenying could already see through the city wall, as if he could see tens of thousands of people in the city.

They all walked out of their homes, stood on both sides of the road, stretched their necks, and looked at the queen who came from Jinzhou Prefecture.

"Fengxiang Prefecture respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to enter the city—"

As soon as Zhou Ping saw the figure clustered in the middle on the opposite side, he immediately shouted excitedly.

He spoke with full energy and a distant voice. As soon as he finished speaking, there was an exciting sound of war drums, deafening in the night sky.

The whole city was quiet.

Fengxiang Prefecture respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the city——

Fengxiang Prefecture respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the city——

Fengxiang Prefecture respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the city——

In Fengxiang Prefecture, all the people knelt on both sides to welcome the new master of Fengxiang Prefecture.

They knelt with genuine affection and excitement on their faces. The voices of welcome that rose one after another came like waves. Countless torches were raised high, lighting up the entire Fengxiang Prefecture!

The people behind Xu Zhenying also looked excited.

They also never expected that Xu Zhenying actually did what he said about taking over Fengxiang Prefecture without spending a single soldier!

Before a day and a night had passed, the gate of Fengxiang Mansion was already opened to them!

Occupying Fengxiang Prefecture means they are one step closer to Bianjing City!
Xu Zhenying raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Yongkang, the civil and military officials of Fengxiang Prefecture, and the people of the city who were waiting behind the city gate. She took two steps forward, raised her hand slightly, and said in a loud voice: "From today on, you are the people of Jinzhou Prefecture!"

There was a thunderous cheer.

The woman's face was silhouetted in the firelight. She looked like a goddess, noble and inviolable. "The people of Jinzhou Prefecture never kneel! Stand up, everyone!"

The common people of Fengxiang Prefecture were startled when they heard this, and then they heard Zhou Ping, the main leader of the surrender tonight, urging: "What are you standing there for? The rule of Jinzhou Prefecture is not to kneel. Didn't you hear what His Royal Highness Prince Zhao said? Stand up!"

There was a burst of scattered voices, and the people looked at each other. Then a peddler who had been traveling in Jinzhou Prefecture for a long time laughed: "What are you standing there for? His Royal Highness Prince Zhao never allows people to kneel and kowtow. Stand up! From now on, we are the people of Jinzhou Prefecture. The knees of people in Jinzhou Prefecture are precious--"

Only then did the people muster up the courage to stand up.

Xu Zhenying then waved his hand and called Zhou Ping over.

Zhou Ping's heart was pounding like thunder, and he almost ran to Xu Zhenying.

He had never seen such a big shot before. Before, he had the courage to capture Wang Xinde and others to surrender, but now facing Xu Zhenying, he was so nervous that he couldn't even speak clearly.

Even though the person in front of me is just a girl who is over eighteen years old and not yet nineteen years old.

But when I saw her from a distance just now, I could see that this person had a very imposing manner, her eyes were sharp but not obvious, she was wearing plain clothes without any silk or satin, and when she stood in the crowd, people dared not look directly at her.

Xu Zhenying smiled and asked him, "Are you Zhou Ping?"

Zhou Ping nodded quickly, "It's a villain!"

"We in Jinzhou Prefecture do not like to be modest, nor do we call ourselves humble or mean. Besides, you have made an invaluable contribution to our capture of Fengxiang Prefecture today, so there is no need to be modest."

Zhou Ping's face turned red with excitement. He tried to imitate the soldiers of Jinzhou Prefecture, holding his head high and chest out, forcing himself to look directly at Xu Zhenying, "Yes!"

Xu Zhenying smiled and patted his shoulder, "Good job!"

She saw the two people tied up and covered in dust, and roughly recognized them. She smiled and said, "Are they Lord Deng and General Wang?" Wang Xinde snorted coldly, "You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you. I will not betray my master!"

"I, Xu Zhenying, have always done things with virtue, and I don't like fighting and killing. Besides, why would I kill you? Now you have no military power, none of your trusted men obey you, and you have no ability to overthrow my court. Does it matter whether I kill you or not?"

Wang Xinde's face turned pale in an instant.

Deng Quanan looked at her angrily, and then looked at Lin Han beside Xu Zhenying.

Lin Han sighed, "Lord Deng, you and I were once colleagues, let me give you a piece of advice. You should hate your Great Zhou Emperor instead of our Highness. He is the one who is stubborn and self-righteous, busy fighting for the throne all day long, regardless of the lives of the people. It is his own fault that the country is in trouble, but it is also his own fault. The Great Zhou Dynasty has lasted for more than 300 years, and it is time to change the world. How can mortals like us stop the destiny? Why not submit to His Highness like me--"

Deng Quanan sneered, "This girl who hasn't even fully grown her hair is what you call the destiny?"

Elder Lin said sarcastically, "The Zhou family is heartless and treats the people as ants. Especially after the death of Emperor Renzheng, the court changed emperors like a singing girl changing new clothes. There were wars and taxes year after year, and the court was even more chaotic. Lord Deng's loyalty to the Great Zhou is indeed worthy of praise and tears, but have you ever heard of the saying 'You should eat meat for your lord's kindness, but you are eating dry bones to annoy your hungry stomach. How many idle wolves and tigers are there now, eating sheep without benefiting the people'?"

Deng Quanan's body swayed and his face turned pale instantly!

Xu Zhenying waved his hand and said, "Let them go."

Zhou Ping was stunned, his face full of disapproval, but he didn't dare to speak.

Jiang Yongkang immediately ordered his men to untie him, and the security team was obviously worried that the assassination incident in Qiongzhou Prefecture would happen again. Now in crowded places, they always kept Xu Zhenying firmly in the middle.

Seeing that the two men were untied but still stayed where they were, as if their souls had been taken away, and seeing that Xu Zhenying slowly walked into the city amid a huge wave of cheers, the security team finally felt relieved.

But Xu Zhenying had not walked far when he heard a loud noise behind him.

However, there was a cheer in the crowd, and the people stretched their necks to look at her and the group of people entering the city, and it seemed that no one heard the sound.

Soon, Jiang Yongkang came back and whispered in her ear: "Deng Quanan jumped off the city wall and died for his country."

Xu Zhenying's heart tightened, and then he felt an unspeakable pain.

She may never understand the loyalty of the ancients to their country, but that does not prevent her from admiring people like Deng Quanan.

She waved her hand and said, "Give him a proper burial."

Afterwards, a smile appeared on Xu Zhenying's face, as if nothing had happened, and he waved warmly to the people entering the city.

Zhou Houfang followed Xu Zhenying closely.

Somehow, she felt that although Xu Zhenying was surrounded by thousands of people at this moment, his back looked so lonely.

It's always lonely at the top.

Emperors are all ruthless——

Zhao Qiaonian, on the other hand, seemed to have developed a heart of stone. He sighed for a quarter of an hour, then suddenly remembered something and squeezed next to Xu Zhenying to remind him, "Your Highness, the reinforcements from the Great Zhou Dynasty are probably on the way."

Xu Zhenying waved at the people with an undiminished smile, "Don't worry, I have ordered Zhang Wanjun and Xu Huijia to lead 5,000 soldiers to ambush on the road. If they come, they will never come back."

Zhao Qiaonian was shocked and secretly praised Xu Zhenying for his sharp mind.

No wonder I heard some noise last night and didn’t see these two people just now. It turns out they had another mission.

And it was obvious that Fengxiang Prefecture was destined to be unpeaceful that night.

In the backyard of a wealthy family on West Street, a skinny woman sat up with the help of a maid. She coughed repeatedly and listened to the noise outside with a look of fear on her face: "Is the city breached? Is the Queen of Jinzhou Prefecture calling?"

The maid Yanzhi hurriedly said: "Aunt Bai, don't worry. It's not that the city has been broken, it's that it has surrendered!"

"Has our Fengxiang Prefecture surrendered?"

"That's right. It's a surrender, not a capture of the city. No one will break in."

Aunt Bai covered her chest, seeming to be in lingering fear, "What about the master and the mistress?"

"The Master and the Madam have gone to the city gate to welcome the new King!"

"The new king? It's the one from Jinzhou Prefecture, right? I heard she's a girl... So amazing."

"Yes, I heard that the queen is only eighteen or nineteen years old this year!"

"Eighteen or nineteen?" Aunt Bai was secretly surprised, then she remembered something from the distant past and smiled, "She should be in her early eighteens this year."

"Who is Aunt Bai talking about?"

"Just an old friend." Aunt Bai coughed a few times. "I heard that the king never killed innocent people. If she enters the city, will our lives be better?"

"I don't know. But I heard that girls in Jinzhou Prefecture are allowed to become officials! Unfortunately, I am a slave, and I am afraid that the master and the mistress will not let me go."

Aunt Bai caressed Yanzhi's face lovingly. She vaguely remembered her sister who was cooked and eaten many years ago. "Don't worry. You have served me for many years. I will definitely go and beg the master for you. Maybe I can get your indenture from the mistress. If you can really become an official by then, I will release you from the good name."

"Thank you, Aunt Bai!" Yanzhi was very touched. Then she heard footsteps in the front yard. "Oh, the master and his wife should be back!"

Aunt Bai seemed to be a little afraid of Madam, and shrank back, "Then let's go back to the room quickly. If Madam sees me, I'm afraid she will be unhappy again."

Yanzhi said distressedly, "Madam is really so. She has been unhappy since Auntie gave birth to a daughter. She complains that Auntie couldn't give birth to a son. She beats and scolds her at every turn. Even though Auntie is the master's bedmate, she doesn't even give Auntie any face."

Aunt Bai quickly made a gesture to keep quiet, "Don't say that. I am just an aunt, a servant of this family. It's good enough that the master is willing to give me a bite to eat. What's more, the mistress is just a little bit cruel, at least she didn't drive me out of the house. It's my own fault... I didn't give birth to a son for the master... I have a bad fate..."

Yanzhi sighed, and seeing that Aunt Bai was panting and sweating after just a few words, she quickly helped her into the house: "Aunt, stop talking and go in and lie down. You just gave birth not long ago, you can't be exposed to the wind! If you want to know the latest situation, let Liuzhu tell you when she comes back."

Yanzhi also felt extremely sorry for this master.

When Aunt Bai first came into the family, she was rebellious and kept thinking about running away. She ignored the master and kept talking about freedom and fairness and some weird things.

The lady gave her a severe beating and locked her up in the backyard for a year, constantly polishing and training her temper, before her edges were slightly smoothed out.

Seeing that all the hard work was finally coming to fruition, Aunt Bai even became pregnant. However, unexpectedly, because there was ice on the steps in winter, Aunt Bai slipped when she stepped on them.

Now he was disliked by the master again and lived in the backyard like an ordinary servant.

Later, for some reason, the master started to go in and out of Aunt Bai's room again. Aunt Bai just got pregnant, and the master reluctantly allocated a room and servants for her to use.

Unfortunately, it was a daughter.

It has been almost three months since the birth, and the master has never come to visit the mother and daughter.

Soon, Liu Zhu came back, jumping and skipping. Her face was red and her eyes were bright red. As soon as she came back, she started to chatter, "Goddess, the streets are full of people! They almost squeezed my shoes off. Auntie, you didn't see the grand scene. All the important people in the city ran to see His Royal Highness Prince Zhao!"

Yanzhi handed her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat, and said to her with a smile: "Look at you, you are sweating all over after running. Have you seen the Prince Zhao? What does he look like? Does he have three heads and six arms?"

Liu Zhu said excitedly, "How can there be three heads and six arms? That's all rumors! He looks like us, with two eyes, two ears and a nose. He looks very gentle and kept smiling and waving at us! Yanzhi, did you know that the princess is a woman?"

Yanzhi smiled, "I know. Didn't they say two years ago that the female rebel king was a girl?"

"But...she is really a girl!" Liu Zhu's tone was full of envy, "Just like us, a girl!"

"I understand. You mean that she is a girl, but she can be a rebel, and maybe even an emperor."

"That's right! Her Highness Prince Zhao may become the first female emperor in history! You didn't see it. Although she is a girl, her demeanor is almost the same as our Lord! What's more important is that there are many girls around her. She looks like a female official!"

"What's wrong with you tonight? You seem to have lost your temper after going out. You know that there are female officials in Jinzhou Prefecture. What? Do you want to be a female official too?"

"Hearing about it is completely different from seeing it with your own eyes! Besides, why can't I be a female official? If you had seen how majestic the female officials were just now, you would know why I envy them. Especially that Qian Zhenniang. I heard them all call her Minister Qian. She was riding a horse at the front with a military officer. Oh, I don't know how to tell you, she was just majestic, absolutely majestic!"

Suddenly, Aunt Bai struggled to get up from the bed, a strand of hair hanging down, her eyes widened, and her voice trembled: "What did you say? Qian Zhenniang?"

Yanzhi hurried over to support her.

Aunt Bai held Liu Zhu tightly with her ten fingers, "Then...what's the name of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?"

Liu Zhu was at a loss, "I only heard that her last name was Xu——"

The surname Xu, from Lan County, and Qian Zhenniang——

She should have reacted earlier!

Aunt Bai gradually pieced together all the clues, and then she thought of something and became so excited that she fainted.