If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

The sky was just beginning to lighten, with the first rays of dawn appearing.

On the towering walls of the imperial city, soldiers who had stood guard all night yawned, preparing to change shifts with the next one.

Just then, a soldier was startled and immediately banged a gong and shouted:

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The tranquility on the city wall was instantly shattered.

The soldiers stirred and all looked into the distance.

On a distant hillside outside the imperial city, a vast, dark mass of figures slowly approached, their banners waving.

At the very front of that army, several enormous black funnels were being pushed.

Hearing the commotion, Meng Qianshan rushed out from the attic.

When he saw the strange funnels in front of the army, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by some worry.

"All troops on high alert!"

Meng Qianshan roared, and the atmosphere on the city wall instantly became extremely tense.

He immediately pulled over a personal guard and urgently ordered, "Quickly report the military situation here to His Majesty! Especially those large funnels, make sure to explain them clearly!"

"Yes, General!"

The soldier dared not delay for a moment. After responding, he descended the city wall, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the palace.

……

Xuanzheng Hall.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

As Wei An announced, "Attend court—"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone knelt down and shouted in unison.

Zhao Yu sat upright on the dragon throne and spoke fluently: "My beloved ministers, rise."

Before we could even begin to make arrangements, a shout came from outside the door:

"Urgent report! From the Imperial City!"

Before the words were even finished, the soldier from before had already scrambled into the hall, knelt down, and reported: "Your Majesty! The Wolf Kingdom has amassed an army of approximately 30,000 and is already at the city gates!"

"What? An army of 30,000?"

"They're here again?"

A murmur of discussion immediately arose inside the main hall.

However, unlike the panic last time, this time, many officials wore expressions of disdain.

"Ha, last time, 50,000 troops were utterly routed by His Majesty's cannons. This time, a mere 30,000 dare to come and die?"

"Exactly, could it be that the Wolf Kingdom has too many people and wants us to help them reduce their population?"

"With His Majesty's divine might, these wolf cubs are no match for us!"

Just as everyone was discussing this, Prime Minister Wang Zhang shakily stepped out of the ranks and bowed deeply to Zhao Yu.

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that we must not take this matter lightly."

Although his voice was old, it was exceptionally clear: "The Wolf Kingdom knew that our army had such a powerful weapon as cannons, yet they still dared to send 30,000 troops to challenge us. There must be some trickery involved."

Before the enemy lines, they were pushing several enormous funnels. This behavior was truly bizarre. These funnels were likely the Wolf Kingdom's trump card. Your Majesty must not underestimate them!

A giant funnel?

Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow. Could there be some special siege weapon in this world that he was unaware of?

He looked at the soldier and asked, "What does that funnel look like?"

The soldier dared not be negligent and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, that funnel... is placed horizontally, with its wide opening facing our city wall. It's dark and looks rather frightening."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly.

The smiles on the faces of the officials, who were chatting and laughing just a moment ago, instantly froze.

"Placed horizontally? And with its mouth wide open, facing us?"

"This...this sounds so much like His Majesty's cannons?"

"Could it be...could it be that the Wolf Kingdom has also built cannons? And even more powerful ones than ours?"

"It's over! If they have cannons too, this city... I'm afraid it won't hold!"

The crowd, who had just been joking around, suddenly panicked again.

A gaping maw aimed directly at the imperial city? Ah, I see!

Zhao Yu understood; he already knew what that thing was.

Just then, an incredibly loud voice seemed to descend from the sky, resounding throughout the hall!

"Emperor of Liang on the city wall, listen up! Immediately come out of the city and accept our surrender!"

We have completely seen through the flaws in your divine cannon!

The next time we attack the city, our army will bring along the captured people of Daliang to advance!

Our Wolf Kingdom does not wish to see the people suffer. If you surrender now, we guarantee that after entering the city, we will only collect wealth and not kill anyone!

If they resist stubbornly, when the city falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!

We urge the Emperor of Liang not to disregard the lives of his people for his own selfish gain!

This miraculous phenomenon immediately startled everyone, and the civil official even spoke recklessly:

"Heavens! It's a terrestrial immortal! This must be the work of a terrestrial immortal from the Wolf Kingdom!"

"For a sound to travel this far, only a celestial being could do that!"

"We're doomed! The Wolf Kingdom has immortals on land! We're doomed!"

Looking at the chaotic scene of officials below, Zhao Yu chuckled.

A terrestrial deity of ghosts.

It was just a large megaphone, and the most basic kind at that.

Normally, such a rudimentary loudspeaker could not possibly travel this far.

But this is, after all, a world where martial artists roam freely; even a brute like Xiaoyue Jindao can transmit sound using internal force.

It's not surprising that there are martial artists in the Wolf Kingdom who have practiced something similar to the Lion's Roar technique, and that they could amplify their voices so that they could be heard throughout the entire city using this device.

"quiet!"

Zhao Yu gave a deep shout, though his voice wasn't loud.

But the once chaotic hall instantly fell silent.

After several days of getting to know each other, these officials had already subconsciously developed a fear of Zhao Yu, and would be startled back to their senses at the mere sound of his voice.

"These are just some low-level creations, and they've scared you like this?"

Zhao Yu glanced at everyone and said calmly, "Someone, go to the imperial kitchen and bring me a funnel."

"Huh? A funnel?"

Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered, not understanding why His Majesty the Emperor would need a kitchen funnel at this time.

Only Prime Minister Wang Zhang seemed to be deep in thought, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

Soon, a eunuch respectfully presented a small bronze funnel.

Zhao Yu pointed to a burly martial arts master.

"You, come here. Shout something into the small opening of this funnel."

Wu Xun stepped forward, looking completely bewildered. He scratched his head and asked in a naive voice, "Your Majesty, what...what are you shouting about?"

Zhao Yu casually replied, "Whatever."

Wu Xun thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and with all his might, roared into the small opening of the funnel:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Instantly, a voice several times louder than his original voice burst forth from the large opening of the funnel, echoing endlessly throughout the empty hall!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone was stunned.

They stared dumbfounded at the tiny funnel, then glanced at the indifferent emperor on the dragon throne, and finally their minds came to a head.

So that's how it is! What was happening outside the city wasn't some kind of divine magic at all; they just used the same thing as this!

"You know everything?" Zhao Yu's voice rang out again.

"We are foolish and ignorant! Your Majesty is wise and insightful!"

All the officials knelt down in unison, their faces filled with awe.

Zhao Yu waved his hand, signaling them to get up, but his expression darkened.

"That's exactly what I wanted to say. The Wolf Kingdom is still plotting against us, trying to use the people of Liang as human shields. If we open fire, innocent people will inevitably be harmed."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Baishan, a soldier in the ranks, changed his expression and immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty! The battlefield is ever-changing. We must not abandon such powerful siege weapons as cannons for the sake of a few thousand civilians!"

The Wolf Kingdom has always been barbaric and brutal, utterly devoid of credibility! Whether you surrender or abandon your attack, they will not spare anyone in the city!

Meng Baishan's words were resounding and powerful.

This time, even the civil officials who usually loved to disagree surprisingly agreed with the military officers and stepped forward to echo their views.

"Your Majesty, General Meng is absolutely right! This must not be done!"

"The words of the Wolf Kingdom are absolutely untrustworthy! This is their treacherous scheme!"

"Your Majesty, please consider the bigger picture and do not be swayed by sentimentality, lest you fall into the enemy's trap!"

Surprisingly, the entire court reached a consensus.

Zhao Yu's gaze swept over the excited faces offering their opinions, but he did not immediately express his opinion.

Instead, they turned their attention to Wang Zhang.

"Prime Minister, what do you think?"