Demon Emperor

Chapter 84 I Will Lead the Army Personally
Xijing City.

Zichen Palace.

The moment Ruan Hu opened his eyes, he saw the Heavenly Maiden Miaoxiang standing in the hall.

Outside, guards stood in the open, while in the shadows, ghosts and spirits patrolled.

Ruan Hu stood up, wearing a silk robe embroidered with ink bamboo. Outside the layers of curtains, people, gods, and ghosts all knelt down. His posture and aura were very similar to those of the holy maiden from Nanzhao who had come from afar.

If before.

Even ghosts and gods might still view Ruan Hu from the perspective of a human, but having just witnessed Ruan Hu's divine appearance and imposing aura, no one dares to truly regard him as a mortal anymore.

But the Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang looked outside with a complicated expression.

"The sky has changed."

Ruan Hu walked over and looked from the perspective of the Fairy of Fragrance, and saw the three stars that were extremely conspicuous in the night sky.

"What are those three stars? Why have we never seen them before?"

Miao Xiangtian looked at Ruan Hu with expectation in her eyes, but also with fear and worry.

"The three stars of Seven Killings, Broken Army, and Greedy Wolf appear together in the sky. The dragons and snakes of the Nine Provinces are about to start fighting again to compete for the true Lord of Destiny."

Miao Xiang Tian Nu believed that Ruan Hu would definitely achieve something extraordinary, but she was also content with the current situation.

She had been thinking about this for a long time.

If only this situation could continue.

In today's chaotic world, such a vision is nothing more than a pipe dream for the gods.

Looking up at the sky, Ruan Hu finally understood that those were the three stars of the Killing, Breaking, and Wolf formation.

It's just that he doesn't know.

It was a sudden outbreak of chaos that stretched from the Great Zhou in the east to the White Horse Sky in the west, and from the Nanzhao Kingdom in the south. It was these troublemakers who joined forces, making the heavens and earth feel the intense killing intent that caused this ominous star to appear in the world.

Or is there some other reason?

Ruan Hu asked, "Who is Sha Po Lang, who is the true dragon, and who is the slain snake?"

The emotions in Miaoxiang Tiannu's eyes slowly subsided. Faced with the emperor's question, she knew how to answer him, rather than revealing her weakness to him.

"Does His Majesty still believe in these things?"

Ruan Hu: "Didn't you say this was destiny?"

The Celestial Maiden of Myo-Fragrance: "Whoever wins is the one destined by Heaven."

She revealed the true truth of the world: "You won't win because Heaven approves of you, but because you win, even Heaven will acknowledge you."

Ruan Hu's eyes revealed appreciation: "I like what the Heavenly Maiden said."

Looking at the three stars of Killing, Breaking, and Wolf in the sky, Ruan Hu seemed to see another layer of meaning, something hidden behind the sea of ​​blood.

He seemed to vaguely see a star with a purple hue.

"The ruler of the nine provinces!"

However, whoever wants to take this position must first cause a great upheaval in the land.
-
soon.

A messenger carrying a flag entered Xijing, bringing earth-shattering news.

"The Nanzhao Kingdom, in alliance with the barbarian tribes, has invaded Ya County and has breached Tiandiao Village. Baoguan Pass is under siege!"

In the Hall of State Affairs, Nguyen Ho met with his ministers and inquired about the Vice Minister of War.

"How many people came?"

Lu Wenli stood there awkwardly, cupping his hands in a clasped gesture, and answered stiffly, as if he had thought about the question countless times on his way to the palace.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!"

"The Nanzhao army alone numbers at least 30,000, and if we include the barbarian and Qiang people, the number would be at least 40,000 to 50,000."

Upon hearing this, the courtiers were immediately in an uproar.

"How many?"

"At least forty or fifty thousand people?"

"Where did Nanzhao get so many soldiers? Why did they suddenly attack?"

Then, Ruan Hu heard that classic phrase that had been used repeatedly in the court.

"What can we do!"

The ministers in the Hall of State Affairs were terrified, their faces showing anxiety, but after much deliberation, they realized they really didn't know how to deal with the situation.

“The Nanzhao and the Qiang tribes have brought a large army into the country. We have no soldiers left, and the fighting is still going on in the south. How can we possibly resist them?”

"How many soldiers does Ya County have, and how many are left in the capital?"

"We must send reinforcements immediately. Ya County cannot be lost. If the Nanzhao army comes to the gates of Xijing, chaos will erupt instantly."

"Who should lead the troops?"

"Could they possibly hold off the combined forces of Nanzhao and the Qiang tribes?"

Ruan Hu looked at Lu Wenli: "How is the entire Ya County responding?"

Lu Wenli said, "Gu Anguo, the prefect of Ya County, has already begun to prepare troops to defend the area. If the garrison commander leads more than 20 people to scout the enemy along the Baoguan Ancient Road, they will use the local tea plantation tenants in Mengcha Mountain to transmit beacon signals and burn the Nanzhao army's grain and fodder in Shiyang Village."

"The enemy was terrified and therefore dared not advance recklessly."

Ruan Hu smiled when he heard the news.

"Who is this garrison commander of Ruojing, and what is his name?"

With such a large force, it's a miracle they weren't scared to death. They dared to counterattack with such a small force, and their immediate reaction was to burn the enemy's supplies to delay their march.

Lu Wenli, Vice Minister of War: "Yan Su!"

Ruan Hu remembered this person's name; he really had a lot of guts.

After the council meeting concluded, Li Hongdao quietly entered the palace. Upon seeing Ruan Hu, he immediately knelt down and urged him to make plans as soon as possible.

Ruan Hu asked him, "What do you mean by making plans early? Explain?"

Li Hongdao said, "Your Majesty, we have no soldiers and no generals to defeat Nanzhao."

Ruan Hu then asked, "Why does the Grand Tutor say there are no soldiers left? Aren't I one?"

Li Hongdao was stunned for a moment. At first, he did not understand what the emperor meant by these words, but after carefully considering each word, he suddenly understood.

The emperor is about to personally lead the army!

It turns out the emperor had already made plans; no wonder he didn't say anything in the council hall before.

He planned to lead the remaining soldiers to fight against the Nanzhao Kingdom for a chance at destiny.

What way out?

This thing never existed in the first place.

Everyone has a way out, but Emperor Ruan Hu had no way out.

However, looking back on this period, Ruan Hu had used a lot of schemes and tricks, and he had used various forces to bully others and borrow their strength to fight back countless times.

Seeing that the situation was gradually being brought under control, he thought he could calmly and steadily clean up the mess, and then sit comfortably on the dragon throne and enjoy everything.

Finally discovered.

When you sit down at this table where fate is at stake, there's no such thing as getting something for nothing.

Only those who can fight their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and whose will and perseverance are the strongest, can truly compete for this heavenly position.

Yuchi Chongwu went to the east to fight on his behalf.

Now, it's his turn, this emperor who's fallen on hard times and confined to a corner of the country.

Ruan Hu walked outside and ordered the palace servants to open all the doors and windows.

The wind blew in from outside, making Ruan Hu's robes and hair dance wildly, but Ruan Hu felt more and more invigorated.

Li Hongdao followed, twisting his sleeves to shield himself from the raging wind, and kept saying...

"Your Majesty, no!"

Ruan Hu turned his head and looked at him, laughing heartily.

"Master Guozhang!"

"You really aren't fit for this table!"

Li Hongdao didn't understand what the emperor meant, but seeing Li Hongdao's timid demeanor only made Ruan Hu make up his mind.

What can relieve my worries?

The only solution is to kill.

The killing was devastating, and heads rolled everywhere.
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Without consulting the government and officials, Nguyen Ho directly issued a series of decrees through the eunuchs of the Inner Palace.

As for troop deployment, he didn't even issue a military order; he simply went to the camp and shouted, and the soldiers immediately gathered.

Day two.

He then set off with three thousand imperial guards and eight hundred divine riders, moving so swiftly that no one had time to react.

Judging from this situation, it seems like they're either going to win big or they're not prepared to come back alive.

After I die, I don't care if the world is flooded.

Imperial Horse Stables.

The Divine Zou Army has been camped here for the past few days, and at the same time, they are organizing their weapons and armor. Now the Divine Zou Army has completely changed its appearance.

All the riders and horses of the Divine Chariot were fully armored, and all the white-haired demon donkeys had specially made hooves. These demon donkeys also wore horned helmets on their heads.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, more than 800 members of the Divine Chariot Army arrived at the foot of the imperial city and lined up with the Imperial Guards.

Not long after, Ruan Hu appeared before everyone riding the "Divine Steed General".

"Are you all ready?"

"If we are defeated, I have nothing to give you but to die with you, to perish together."

"kill!"

"Or die!"

Countless people looked up at the emperor, unable to believe that such words came from his mouth.

To disregard life and death, and to act with a sword—this is the mindset of a martial artist.

These words, spoken by the emperor, had an unparalleled impact on military men.

Everyone raised their weapons and roared at the sky.

"kill!"

"Or die!"

The emperor himself donned armor and went into battle alongside them, vowing to die with them if they were defeated.

What else is there to say? Both father and son served two emperors, and their defeat was nothing more than surrendering their lives to the emperor.

Ruan Hu put on his helmet, drew out the Emperor's Sword, which was more of a symbol and decoration, and swung it to nail it to the city gate.

The force was so great that it produced a loud buzzing sound.

Then he gripped the knife and the gun.

"Let those barbarians and evil spirits see what kind of courage the Han people of the Central Plains have."

Ruan Hu didn't even glance at the kneeling officials behind him, and led his soldiers away, kicking up clouds of dust.

(End of this chapter)