Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 589 Xu Shouhui's Escape
Once the troops were assembled, the army was ready to set off. The main forces accompanying the army on this expedition were the three major legions: the Azure Dragon Legion, commanded by Jin Yanzi; the Vermilion Bird Legion, commanded by Shi Gengming; and the Beggar Army, commanded by Zhang Dingbian!
Chen Xiaohu, Zhao Ya, and Ni Wenjun all stayed in Huangzhou Prefecture. The military situation was unstable, and Huangzhou Prefecture needed someone to guard it, so none of them moved. The White Tiger Legion also stayed behind.

Under Chen Jie's arrangement, the entire Huangzhou city has gradually returned to normal, and Chen Jie no longer needs to be involved in the following matters.

For a ruler, the most important thing is to know people and make good use of them, rather than doing everything himself. Back then, Emperor Gaozu of Han was still watching dogs mate in the street when he was forty-eight years old. It's hard to say how much ability he had to govern the country, but his strength lay in knowing people and making good use of them.

Only by discovering talents like Xiao He and Han Xin could the country be secured. Therefore, Chen Jie did not need to do everything personally; he only needed to ensure that there were talented people available in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Chen Jie set up the stage, but the actual performances depended on people like Hu Weiyong and Chen Xiaohu. If Chen Jiu Si did everything himself, wouldn't he be worked to death?

Therefore, after arranging things in Huangzhou Prefecture, Chen Jie immediately began to plan the attack on Xiangyang Prefecture. This was a very important matter, as Xiangyang Prefecture was the capital of Hubei Province and had always been the capital of the Tianyuan Empire.

If Chen Jie doesn't capture Xiangyang, he will only be seen by outsiders as the General of the Eastern Garrison of the Tianyuan Empire, a local militia.

Originally, being a local militia member had its advantages. For example, as a local militia member, you could at least get some protection. You wouldn't be so conspicuous and wouldn't be directly targeted by the Great Qian Dynasty. But now it's different. The Great Qian Dynasty has already sent Boluo to attack you. In other words, the golden signboard of the Tianyuan Empire no longer provides you with any protection.

Now that the protection is gone, why should Chen Jiu Si allow Xu Shou Hui, a retired emperor, to be above him? Chen Jiu Si isn't stupid.

This is a matter of political structure. To put it more practically, even though Chen Jie has annexed several surrounding prefectures in Huangzhou Prefecture, the territory he ultimately gains is only two-fifths of the entire Xiangyang Prefecture.

The remaining three-fifths of the area were still in Xu Shouhui's hands. This time, after eliminating Xu Shouhui, Chen Jie had only one idea: to expand his territory. By killing Xu Shouhui and taking over Hubei Road, Chen Jie could more than double his territory.

In this way, Chen Jie's strategic development scope will be much larger, and the economic capacity, military capacity, and war potential of the entire Huangzhou Prefecture will experience a huge breakthrough, which is what Chen Jie is most concerned about.

Such war benefits were hard for Chen Jie to resist.

There's also the element of hatred. Xu Shouhui dared to launch a sneak attack on Huangzhou Prefecture, causing the deaths of countless brave young men. Chen Jiu Si must settle this score with him.

Moreover, this also gave Chen Jie an opportunity. A great war requires a just cause. This time, Chen Jiu Si attacked Xiangyang Prefecture under the banner of revenge, and no one could say anything wrong with Chen Jie.

Therefore, this battle is inevitable!

Thinking it over, Chen Jie looked up at the sky, then took a deep breath and said, "Indeed, the course of history is irreversible. Xu Shouhui will eventually die at my hands, Chen."

"I wonder if future history books will record that I, Chen Jiusi, murdered the emperor!"

Chen Jie's gaze sharpened, and he immediately raised his hand, saying, "All troops, listen to my command!"

"exist!"

At this moment, Chen Jie spoke up: "The Azure Dragon Army will be the vanguard, the Vermilion Bird Army will support the central army, and the Beggars' Army will cover the rear. All three armies, listen to my command, target Xiangyang, set off!"

"Yes!"

At Chen Jie's command, the army set off. The three armies, totaling 45,000 men, were densely packed together, neatly arranged, and ready to depart.

In conjunction with the main army were reserves from various regions, city defense troops, and hundreds of merchant caravans that Huangzhou Prefecture had nurtured over the years.

As the saying goes, "An army marches on its stomach," and in the past two days, Chen Jie has issued orders for these troops to transport all the provisions needed for this military operation to JM City, the closest city to Xiangyang. Now, the army can launch an attack as soon as it arrives in JM City.

The three armies set off, smoke billowing, their target Xiangyang, without any pause.

At this moment, the entire city of Xiangyang was plunged into an atmosphere of pessimism and fear. The soldiers were trembling with fear, and if it weren't for Zhao Pusheng suppressing them, the army might have collapsed before it even moved.

At this moment, in the Tianyuan Empire's imperial palace in Xiangyang City.

"Ah~"

A scream rang out, and the next moment a male-female eunuch screamed and clutched his thigh, then retreated in terror.

At that moment, a naked man was seen sitting on the throne. He was shirtless and had a horrifying wound on his abdomen, from which black smoke was constantly rising and fresh flesh was rolling around.

Then, the man on the throne was seen holding a large piece of flesh in his hand. Under the eunuch's horrified gaze, he swallowed the flesh whole.

As he swallowed the piece of flesh, Xu Shouhui's injuries began to slowly heal, bit by bit. Seeing all this...
Fear filled everyone's eyes. The guards around remained silent. Only the eunuch, seeing the flesh of his thigh being swallowed by His Majesty, fainted with a groan.

Xu Shouhui sat there with bloodshot eyes. This attack on Huangzhou Prefecture had failed, which had really weakened him. Such a great loss made him very angry, especially the penetrating wound in his abdomen. If he hadn't cultivated the Nine Sons Demon Art, he might already be dead.

Damn you, Chen Jiu Si! You lowly commoner, how dare you commit regicide!
Thinking of this, Xu Shouhui became even more furious. He gripped the dragon head, a symbol of his power, tightly with his arm. "I am the ruler of all under heaven! I am the king of this world!"

stomping on...

Just as Xu Shouhui was fantasizing that he was still the king of this world, the ruler of all under heaven, a very discordant sound came from outside the hall. Xu Shouhui was startled and looked over, just in time to see Zhao Pusheng entering the hall.

Just then, Zhao Pusheng entered with a solemn expression, holding a battle report in his hand.

At this moment, Xu Shouhui turned his head and saw Zhao Pusheng, saying, "Hehe, Minister Zhao, you've come. What good news have you brought me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng said coldly, "There is no good news, only bad news. Chen Jiu Si has led his troops to attack Xiangyang. They have already arrived in Xiangyang territory and have captured six counties in one day. Tomorrow, they will be stationed at the gates of Xiangyang."

"what!"

"He actually dared to launch a counterattack on Xiangyang, has he rebelled?"

Xu Shouhui shouted at Zhao Pusheng with a ferocious expression. Zhao Pusheng glanced at Xu Shouhui and said, "He's been planning to rebel for a while now, and you're only finding out now?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shouhui angrily retorted, "I am the emperor personally appointed by the Imperial Advisor! How dare he attack the emperor? He is a traitor! A traitor!"

Zhao Pusheng rolled his eyes at Xu Shouhui after hearing his words, and then let the madman vent his anger.

"Chen Jiu Si, how dare you, how dare you!"

"I am the emperor, I am the emperor! I want your life, so just give it to me! I am the chosen one by Heaven! These traitors and rebels deserve to die, they deserve to die!"

Xu Shouhui's face was contorted with rage as he went mad on the dragon throne, talking to himself. The guards and maids around him trembled with fear.

Seeing this, Zhao Pusheng waved his hand and said, "You may all leave."

Upon hearing this, the guards and maids all trembled and immediately turned and ran.

After raging for a while, Xu Shouhui turned to Zhao Pusheng and asked, "Zhao Pusheng, are you confident you can protect me?"

"Are you confident you can repel the enemy?" Xu Shouhui looked at Zhao Pusheng with anticipation. Zhao Pusheng listened to this and remained silent for a moment before saying, "There are less than 20,000 troops in the city, while the enemy has nearly 50,000 elite soldiers attacking. I'm afraid we are powerless to turn the tide."

"What should I do? What should I do? Am I just going to wait to die like this?"

Xu Shouhui looked at Zhao Pusheng in horror. Zhao Pusheng said, "Unless Your Majesty can conjure up an army of 100,000, there is no way to save the situation."

"No, no, there must be another way, there must be another way!"

As Xu Shouhui spoke, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "That's right, that's right, hahaha, that's right, there's also the Imperial Advisor, there's also the Imperial Advisor, there's also the Imperial Advisor here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng's gaze sharpened, and he said, "Grand Preceptor, haha, now that things have come to this, you still expect the Grand Preceptor to help you?"

"Otherwise what? I am the emperor established by the Grand Preceptor. My safety should be his responsibility. He must take charge of me!"

"Yes, yes, I must ask the Imperial Advisor for help. As long as the Imperial Advisor returns, Chen Jiu Si will have to kneel obediently at my feet. Hehe, the Imperial Advisor will back me up, hahaha..."

"Don't even think about it. The person we sent to invite the Imperial Advisor has already returned. He said that the battle at the front is critical, and Li Siqi's army is pressing in. The Imperial Advisor is too busy to come back and support you."

"fart!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shouhui flew into a rage and shouted, "Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!"

"That's all bullshit! Li Siqi had no intention of invading Hubei at all; he was just putting on an act for me. And now he's still clinging to the Imperial Advisor? Bullshit!"

"Prime Minister Zhao, you haven't been fooled by these ridiculous words, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng glanced at Xu Shouhui and said, "Heh, so you know this is nonsense? Then let me ask you, since you know it's nonsense, don't you know what the Grand Preceptor means?"

"He refuses to come back because he wants us to fend for ourselves; he wants us to die!"

"No, no, that's not it, that's not it!"

Xu Shouhui then looked at Zhao Pusheng and said, "That's not how it is, that's not how it is. The Grand Preceptor will not abandon me, the Grand Preceptor will not abandon me. I am the emperor he chose, I was chosen by him."

"so what?"

"So what if he chose you? He doesn't care about you anymore, he doesn't want you anymore. He's set his sights on Chen Jiu Si now, he wants Chen Jiu Si to be emperor. You're nothing now, you pathetic wretch!"

"No!"

"No, that's not true! You're lying to me! You're lying to me!"

Xu Shouhui pointed at Zhao Pusheng and shouted. Zhao Pusheng chuckled and said, "I'm lying to you? Hehehe, wake up! Use your pig brain to think about it. Am I lying to you, or are you lying to yourself?"

"Chen Jiu Si is coming to our door tomorrow. What do you plan to do?"

"I cannot die! I am the supreme ruler, entrusted with the mandate of heaven. The people of this world are waiting for me to save them. I cannot die, I absolutely cannot die!"

"Prime Minister, let's abandon the city and flee to the Imperial Advisor's place. Hehe, if the Imperial Advisor doesn't come back, I'll go find him. If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain myself. Hahaha..."

Xu Shouhui laughed heartily, his voice becoming somewhat ethereal.

"Grand Preceptor, you want to get rid of me? Impossible! You chose me, so you must help me suppress the rebels and let me rule the world! Hahaha..."

"Abandoned city?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng frowned, his eyes turning bloodshot, and said, "You want to abandon the city and flee!"

Xu Shouhui looked at Zhao Pusheng and said, "They're attacking! They're attacking! If I don't flee, they'll kill me. I can't die! I haven't yet reigned supreme! I haven't yet saved the people! Hehehe..."

"I will not die. I will live well. As long as I live, I will have the opportunity to take revenge. If I cannot kill Chen Jiu Si, can't I at least kill his wife, children and elderly parents?"

"Give me a chance and I will take my revenge!"

Xu Shouhui looked at Zhao Pusheng's deranged state.

Zhao Pusheng narrowed his eyes as he looked at Xu Shouhui and said, "Hmph, if you want to abandon the city and flee, then go ahead and abandon the city and flee. I'm not fleeing!"

"Prime Minister Zhao, why are you doing this? If you don't escape, you'll die, and if you die, you'll have nothing left. Why bother?"

"Why don't you run away with me? Once we get to the Imperial Advisor, you'll be his disciple, and he won't refuse to help you, won't he?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng glanced at Xu Shouhui and said, "Hmph, I don't owe him any favors. A real man should not beg for mercy with a broken back. In my life, I, Zhao Pusheng, have been a good person and a bad person, but I will never be a cowardly runaway!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shouhui looked at him and said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it good to be alive?"

Zhao Pusheng said, "To live is to live with dignity. I can be a bad person, but I can never be a coward. As long as the city stands, I will live; if the city falls, I will die!"

"Alas, Your Excellency, why do you do this? As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

Zhao Pusheng said, "If you want to escape, then escape. Don't hold me back. I'm not escaping."

After saying this, Zhao Pusheng turned and left. Xu Shouhui glanced at Zhao Pusheng from behind and said, "Prime Minister Zhao, why bother? There is only hope if you are alive!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pusheng said, "Hmph, this Prime Minister will not be a coward."

"Ah~"

Xu Shouhui shook his head and looked at Zhao Pusheng, saying, "Sigh, it's better not to run away. I just need someone to cover the rear. You have a strong backbone, so why don't you cover the rear?"

"Hehe...I trust you, hahaha..."

Xu Shouhui laughed heartily, watching Zhao Pusheng's departing figure with a smile on his face. "Anyway, if you don't run, I will. I'm not going to be cannon fodder with you!"
As he spoke, Xu Shouhui stood up, looked around, and immediately said, "Prepare my luggage, I'm leaving!"

(End of this chapter)