A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Although the nations are weak, they will not sit idly by and wait for their demise.

For centuries, they have bestowed favors upon the people of the country, conducted comprehensive patriotic education for the nation, and enjoyed extremely high prestige within the country.

Now that the nation is facing a life-or-death crisis, they have humbled themselves and personally sent members of the royal family to various places to talk to the people about their grievances. They have also been conscripting soldiers, and the people have been eager to participate.

Then they took out the stored food and armor and distributed them to the newly recruited soldiers, quickly arming an army.

With this army, they traded space for time, focusing only on defense and not offense.

Using the city walls, they continuously sniped at the invading army.

Even if the Great Qian Empire and the other five countries were powerful, it would be a pipe dream to quickly eliminate them under these circumstances.

This war lasted for five years before they finally destroyed all the kingdoms.

Just as Liu Yu was about to push forward and defeat the armies of the five kingdoms in one fell swoop, news from home forced him to retreat, and he even had to hand over the territory he had conquered.

Because Emperor Qianming has passed away.

The situation within the Great Qian Empire instantly descended into chaos. Before his death, Emperor Qianming issued an imperial edict ordering him to return to the country immediately, stabilize the situation, and assist the Crown Prince in ascending the throne.

When Liu Yu heard the news of Emperor Qianming's death, he was devastated.

He and Emperor Qianming knew each other from a young age and had a very good relationship since they were young.

After Emperor Qianming ascended the throne, he regarded him as a confidant and entrusted him with military power and even his life.

Now that he was ordered to expand the territory for Emperor Qianming, just when the two of them were about to join forces to create a new and glorious chapter, how could Emperor Qianming have passed away?!

Liu Yu no longer cared about the results of the battle here. He directly handed over all the countries he had conquered, using this large territory to incite internal strife among the five states. He left his army in Gezhou to defend the city and personally led his personal guards to rush back to Luoyang.

Unfortunately, by the time he returned to Luoyang, Emperor Qianming had already been buried.

He was unable to see Emperor Qianming one last time before his burial.

"Your subject Liu Yu greets Your Majesty."

Upon returning to Luoyang, Liu Yu learned that Emperor Qianming had already been buried and immediately went to the palace to plead for the new emperor's permission.

He was a trusted confidant of the late emperor and held nearly half of the military power in the entire Daqian Dynasty.

But for the new emperor, he was just an outsider, so whether he would still be allowed to use his long weapon was another matter.

If he still controls the nearly 400 million troops on the border, the new emperor will definitely not be able to sleep at night.

"General, please rise. You have fought hard and made great contributions in battle. Before his death, the late emperor instructed me to treat you with the respect due to an uncle and nephew."

Emperor Cao Huai, the new emperor of the Qianlong Emperor, sat on the dragon throne and looked at Liu Yu with displeasure.

For the mighty Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty to treat a subordinate with the courtesy due to an uncle was nothing short of an insult to him.

He was the supreme emperor, and no one could stand before him.

Apart from the Wei family.

Hopefully, Liu Yu will be sensible; otherwise, after ascending the throne, he might target General Liu Yu first.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"The proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be abandoned!"

Liu Yu's face was filled with fear, and a shadow fell over his heart. He knew that the situation he least wanted to see had happened.

"But that was Father Emperor's dying edict..."

The new emperor, Cao Huai, showed a troubled expression, seemingly willing to abide by the late emperor's will.

"No, no, Your Majesty, absolutely not!"

Liu Yu knelt on the ground, saying, "Rites and laws are the foundation of a nation. As the saying goes, if names are not correct, words will not be proper; if words are not proper, things will not be accomplished."

"I am not a member of the imperial family; how can I address Your Majesty as your uncle or nephew?"

"I have known the late Emperor for decades. This is an honor bestowed upon me by the late Emperor. I am already ashamed to accept this honor. I am deeply moved. Your Majesty, please do not mention the title of uncle and nephew again."

"Besides that, I have another request, and I humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"

The new emperor's expression improved considerably; Liu Yu was at least sensible.

"General, please speak?"

"Your Majesty, I have known the late Emperor since childhood and have received his favor for decades. I am now fifty-six years old."

"Upon hearing the devastating news of the late emperor's passing, I traveled day and night from the border back home. My aged body could no longer support me, and I collapsed from my horse several times on the way. Coupled with my exhaustion, both internal and external, my body was riddled with wounds."

"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me permission to resign, so that I may return to my residence to rest and recuperate in peace and enjoy my remaining years."

"Your subject will pray day and night at home for the late Emperor and Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty's permission."

Liu Yu kowtowed and bowed.

The new emperor was not very shrewd, and upon hearing Liu Yu's words, his delight was evident.

He was still thinking about how to get Liu Yu to hand over his military power, but he didn't expect Liu Yu to be so responsive and hand it over voluntarily.

Since Liu Yu is so cooperative, he doesn't necessarily have to get rid of this general.

Let him be allowed to live out his remaining years in peace!

"Granted."

Liu Yu kowtowed again, but his heart was filled with sorrow.

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

"Furthermore, I wish to pay my respects at the mausoleum of the late Emperor."

"allow!"

After Liu Yu got up, he left the palace shakily. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on him, as if it were the last rays of the empire.

He never expected that the emperor would not even refuse and would grant his request directly.

With such shrewdness and political acumen, Liu Yu was certain that the excellent situation he and Emperor Qianming had built would soon be completely destroyed by this new emperor.

The new emperor's cunning was no match for that of the powerful families.

What worried him most was the war on the frontier. He didn't know who the new emperor would send, nor what the new emperor's foreign policy would be.

He didn't even think about the newly occupied countries. Could the new emperor hold onto the Gozhou that he and Emperor Qianming had conquered?

He didn't even dare to remind the new emperor. From the fact that the new emperor so readily granted his resignation, he knew how cold-hearted the new emperor was.

If he dares to speak, regardless of his true intentions, the new emperor will assume that he still covets military power.

Oh well, anyway, his era and Emperor Qianming's era have come to an end.

Upon arriving at Emperor Qianming's mausoleum, Liu Yu stroked the mausoleum gate, tears streaming down his face.

He sat there, reminiscing with Emperor Qianming about their past.

His anxieties about the empire were buried deep within his heart.

He didn't want his good brother to have to worry about this mess even after he's gone.

Moreover, walls have ears, and he estimated that if he dared to say it here, it would immediately reach His Majesty's ears, and he would be punished for his words.

In the palace, Cao Huai listened to his subordinates report what Liu Yu and Liu Yu had said in front of Emperor Qianming's mausoleum.

"Go down."

Cao Huai waved his hand, and a dark figure disappeared into the shadows.

"You're smart enough to know your place?"

The fact that a man commanded millions of troops on the border and had conquered a considerable territory was keeping this newly enthroned emperor, whose prestige was insufficient, awake at night.

Now that he has been stripped of his military power, Cao Huai can finally breathe a sigh of relief.