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

When Xue Rengui broke through the camp, the scene before him was completely unexpected.

Wang Xuance sat on the high platform, holding a bottle in each hand. Beautiful maids served him, occasionally feeding him a bite of the food on the table. Wang Xuance opened his mouth and ate, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Sitting around the tent were mostly top generals of the allied forces from various countries, many of whom he recognized.

The group of people stood there trembling with fear, not touching the food and wine on the table, as if what was in front of them was not food and wine, but deadly poison.

It felt like everything in front of him was reversed; Wang Xuance should be the one at a disadvantage.

Now, these generals are looking at Wang Xuance as if he were a mouse before a cat.

"The Grand Steward has arrived."

Wang Xuance had just finished drinking a cup of fine wine when he saw Xue Rengui outside the door, and finally his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, was put at ease.

"Grand Steward, please come in."

"Let me introduce you. This is Zhou Lang, the Grand Commander of Wu; this is Liu Feng, the Grand Commander of Shu; and this is..."

Wang Xuance acted as if he were the master of the place, introducing the generals in the tent to the visiting guest, Xue Rengui.

After the introduction, he realized that he was still holding "highly poison" in his hand, so he casually tossed it away and ignored it.

Upon seeing this, the generals of the surrounding allied forces were terrified, and some of them rushed directly towards the porcelain bottle.

Unfortunately, he was too late. No one could have guessed that Wang Xuance would throw away and smash the porcelain bottle after Xue Rengui had already arrived, even though he had secured his own escape route and was no longer in danger.

Why, at this point, do we still want to die together with them?!

Several generals stared in disbelief at the shattered porcelain bottle, their hearts filled with remorse.

Why did they even bother to join in this fun?!

They shouldn't have come in the first place, and if they did come, they shouldn't have taken this route. And if they did take this route, they shouldn't have rushed over so eagerly when they heard that the Tang Dynasty had sent an envoy.

Every single one of them is a trap!

Now look what's happened; they've ruined their own lives.

wrong!

They suddenly realized that they were not dead!

The porcelain bottle was broken, and the poison inside spilled out, but they didn't die.

Was it because there was no oil for burning that the poison couldn't be spread throughout the entire tent?

Thinking of this, everyone quickly retreated a few steps, keeping a safe distance from the broken porcelain bottle, fearing that even the slightest contact with it would mean certain death.

Xue Rengui looked at this scene with a puzzled expression, then at the porcelain bottle on the ground, somewhat confused.

Is there some secret hidden inside this porcelain vase?

The corners of Wang Xuance's mouth curled up in a wide arc. He hadn't expected that he could fool these people for so long with just a fabricated poison.

It intimidated all the high-ranking military officers from these dozen or so countries!

That's interesting, really interesting.

"Grand Steward, don't panic, and all the generals, don't panic either. This isn't poison; it's just a powder I prepared myself."

As Wang Xuance spoke, he dipped his index finger into some white powder from the porcelain bottle on the ground, put it in his mouth, and sucked on it, making an "hmm" sound.

"It tastes amazing."

The generals all paled; they had been deceived by some food for so long.

They were a group of high-ranking military officers and generals from the country, and they were intimidated by the people of the Tang Dynasty!

Damn it, damn it all!

Thinking of this, they felt like tearing Wang Xuance to pieces.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Wang Xuance burst into laughter, completely ignoring the resentful gazes of the envoys who followed him.

They were kept in the dark the whole time!

They were all prepared to risk their lives here, to sacrifice themselves for the Tang Dynasty and gain posthumous fame, and now you're telling us it was all a lie!

What about all their preparations?!

After Wang Xuance stopped laughing, he noticed the resentful gazes behind him. Seeing the unfriendly looks in their eyes, Wang Xuance quickly stopped laughing and told Xue Rengui what had happened.

Xue Rengui gave Wang Xuance a deep look. He was bold yet meticulous, courageous and resourceful. He truly deserved to be called the Marquis of Jingyuan, who once single-handedly destroyed a country.

"I will present the merits of Marquis Jingyuan to the Emperor and Empress Dowager to request commendation for you!"

Xue Rengui solemnly declared that Wang Xuance deserves the greatest credit for the victory in this war.

"Thank you, General Xue."

Wang Xuance's face lit up with joy. This achievement might elevate his rank to a higher level, making him a significant figure in the court and preventing him from being easily dragged into court struggles and sacrificed.

Even if they are truly implicated, they can still have a peaceful end thanks to this achievement.

After capturing all these generals alive, Xue Rengui began to use their names to persuade them to surrender.

Seeing that their general had been captured, the morale of the allied forces waned, and many surrendered directly.

It took three whole days just to receive the prisoners, which shows how many there were.

After this battle, Wang Xuance's reputation spread far and wide, becoming famous throughout the land and awe-inspiring in all directions.

With three lines of defense breached in succession, the allied forces of the various countries were already showing signs of defeat, and their fate was sealed.

The allied fleet at sea began to retreat, no longer daring to invade the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui only returned to the capital after completely driving the allied forces out of Tang territory.

Because of Xue Rengui's outstanding military achievements, Wu Zetian bestowed great rewards upon him.

"Xue Rengui possessed loyalty and courage, and had unparalleled strategic acumen. He led a lone army deep into remote regions, decisively defeated the allied forces of eighteen nations, beheaded two hundred thousand, expanded territory by five thousand li, pacified the Pamir Mountains in the west, and reached the Gobi Desert in the north. His fame resounded throughout the world, and his achievements surpassed those of all ages."

He is hereby appointed: General of the Cavalry, General of the Right Guard, Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, Pillar of the State, Duke of Wei, with a fief of one thousand households and a substantive fief of three hundred households. He also concurrently serves as Grand Commander of the Three Circuits of Anxi, Beiting, and Congling, and Protector-General of the Eighteen Kingdoms.

Wang Xuance, who made outstanding contributions in this battle, was naturally rewarded.

"The former Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Wang Xuance, entered a million-strong army camp alone. He remained calm in the face of danger, intimidated the villains in court, and captured dozens of generals from various countries without losing a single soldier. He also coordinated with the main army, causing the rebel army to collapse and the five-year-long scourge to be quelled in one day."

He rode alone, achieving unparalleled feats; with his own strength, he quelled the flames of war across vast distances. Possessing both wisdom and courage, his loyalty and bravery are renowned, a rare trait throughout history.

In recognition of his merits, he is hereby specially promoted to the rank of Minister of Ceremonies, granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace, and promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State; he is granted a fief of 300 households, a reward of 300 catties of gold, 8,000 bolts of brocade, 500 hectares of fertile land, and the first-class residence in the capital region.

One of his sons was granted special privileges to study at the Hongwen Academy and was appointed a Yulin Lang (a military officer).

Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui were both from humble backgrounds. Wu Zetian also replaced most of the generals in the army with officials from humble backgrounds. After this battle, the influence of people from humble backgrounds was thoroughly involved in the army and occupied an important position in the military.

Wu Zetian then ordered a thorough investigation into the connections between high-ranking officials and enemy states, and executed several powerful families involved in the affair.

In the imperial court, a rare situation has emerged in which people from humble backgrounds can rival powerful clans by relying on their own strength, rather than by the emperor's favoritism.