The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

As dawn broke, the thick fog had not yet dissipated.

A light drizzle was still falling from the sky, making the already gloomy sky appear even more hazy.

It was still in front of the garrison general's residence.

A dense, densely packed number of soldiers from Yunji City arrived.

Unlike the last time when five hundred people were shouting and acting wildly, this time there were even more people. At a glance, the main road outside the General's Mansion was completely packed with people.

There are probably several thousand people.

Moreover, soldiers kept arriving and joining the ranks.

But none of these people made a sound; they arrived silently and then knelt down with a "plop," while the drizzle continued to fall from the sky.

It soaked my clothes and seeped into my heart.

They knelt for almost half an hour until the gates of the general's mansion opened, and Vice General Wang Ming came out. He glanced at them, then sighed and advised, "Gentlemen, you should all go back."

"Your request is of great importance, and it has put General Ren in a very difficult position."

"Let General Ren think about it carefully."

As soon as he finished speaking, none of the soldiers of Yunji City rose; they remained kneeling in devout worship, their faces streaked with tears.

"General Wang, it's not that we don't care about the Imperial Envoy, but we are facing a life-or-death situation. That bastard Zhan Shubai colluded with the barbarians, and he has implicated us all. Your Majesty, if you decide to kill us, thousands of us will perish in this Yunji City. We beg you, General Wang, to speak to the Imperial Envoy and plead with His Majesty on our behalf."

"Yes, General Wang, His Majesty has even slaughtered those 70,000 Red Beacon Army soldiers. We only have 7,000 men, and we were implicated by Zhan Shubai, committing the crime of colluding with barbarians. How can we possibly survive?"

"General Wang, we are not afraid of death, but we have wives, children, and elderly parents to care for. If we die like this, without knowing why, how will they live?"

"Please, Your Majesty, save my life!"

……

People pleaded for mercy, some even kowtowing heavily, the sound of which was deafening in the rain, and the scene was filled with sorrowful cries.

At this moment, Ren Tianye slowly walked out of the gate of the General's Mansion, his face also filled with sorrow.

He sighed first before saying, "Gentlemen, I already know your intentions."

"To be honest, I have already submitted a memorial to His Majesty pleading for your sake, but I have not received a reply yet. I..."

Ren Tianye's voice choked with emotion, and the intense sorrow in his eyes was not an act at all: "This general has truly done everything in his power for you all."

"Alas, this general is of lowly status and his voice carries little weight."

"There's really... nothing we can do!"

Lieutenant Wang Ming stiffened slightly as he looked at the Yunji City soldiers kneeling below the platform. He felt a pang of pity, but knew he couldn't say anything at this moment.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Knowing that he wasn't needed right now, and that Ren Tianye had arranged for him to marry the second daughter of the Su family, he simply took advantage of everyone's inattention and went to find Su Jin.

For now, let's leave these matters to the General.

Only someone like the Great General could handle this. He... even looking at him is painful. It seems that being a deputy general in this life is just fine.

"General, but... but what should we do?"

This wasn't the first time the kneeling crowd had been rejected by Ren Tianye; many of them had pleaded with him for mercy in recent days.

But Ren Tianye was always powerless to help.

They also knew that His Majesty's decree was not something that Ren Tianye, the imperial envoy, could change or shake. But who else could they rely on besides Ren Tianye at this moment?

"Your Excellency, are we truly doomed to die?"

"Your Excellency, I... I am not reconciled! I have worked hard all my life, and fought life-and-death battles with barbarians on the battlefield, yet I am to die like this, without any explanation?"

"Your Excellency, please show us the way! We... we cannot die like this!"

……

On the steps at the entrance of the General's Mansion, Ren Tianye, his face full of sorrow, seemed to be moved by these words and suddenly straightened his body.

"So be it, at worst I'll just die."

His voice suddenly became loud: "To be honest, the court is currently filled with treacherous officials, and His Majesty has been blinded."

"They actually ordered the slaughter of 70,000 loyal soldiers of the Crimson Beacon Army. I tried to dissuade them to no avail, which is why I was sent to Yunji City. I originally intended to protect the vast land of the Great Yu, but..."

"Unexpectedly, Zhan Shubai colluded with the barbarians and dragged everyone down with him."

"Seventy thousand loyal souls have already been killed, and you seven thousand have almost no chance of survival. I, the general, am well aware of this, and have already submitted ten memorials, but alas..."

"They were all intercepted by treacherous officials and could not be presented to His Majesty in person!"

As he spoke, Ren Tianye became even more sorrowful, his entire demeanor one of deep concern for the country and its people: "The treacherous officials in the court are acting so recklessly, bringing you to the brink of death. How can this general bear to watch?"

"For your sake, for the sake of our Great Yu, at worst..."

Ren Tianye's voice was loud and clear, reaching the heavens: "We will go to the capital together to present our petition to His Majesty, requesting that he remove those close to him from his inner circle!"

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to resound in the sky.

But the terror that struck the seven thousand people of Yunji City was completely different from that of the eight hundred people who heard it before.

They were mostly calm, and some even had joy in their eyes.

The news of "purging the emperor's inner circle" had already spread throughout the army, though no one knew when it started. Everyone knew it was a certain death situation and had long understood it.

They were just soldiers hoping to survive. First, Zhan Shubai was harsh, and they could only barely survive. Then, they faced certain death, and they couldn't even live like ants anymore.

that……

What should we do if we don't rebel?

As soon as Ren Tianye finished speaking, the slogan "Purge the court of corrupt officials" began to rise sporadically among the seven thousand people. The shouts grew louder and louder until they were earth-shattering and shook the heavens and the earth.

"Your Excellency is willing to stand up for us, regardless of life or death. We kneel in gratitude and are willing to follow you to cleanse the emperor's inner circle."

"We couldn't survive under Zhan Shubai's command. It was you, sir, who provided us with our salaries and money. You are our provider. Now you are willing to lead us to a way to survive. From now on, whether it's going through fire or water, we will follow you to the death!"

"I am willing to follow the general and purge the court of corrupt officials!"

"Purge the court of corrupt officials!"

"Purge the court of corrupt officials!"

"Purge the court of corrupt officials!"

……

The angry voices echoed throughout the area. Su Jin, who had just walked out with Vice General Wang Ming not far away, stopped and stared blankly.

Looking at the man on the steps of the general's mansion, she could easily tell that he was just acting. She also believed that among the seven thousand people in Yunji City, at least several hundred could see through it and guess the trickery involved.

But so what?

The current momentum is like a surging torrent; when everyone is forging ahead, no matter how clear-headed or how calm and rational one is, one will be swept along.

From this moment on, the seven thousand garrison soldiers of Yunji City were completely loyal to the man before them.

Su Jin felt waves of fear and dread, her fear of the man before her reaching its peak.

This man, who was just a guerrilla general under his husband Zhang Wei not long ago, now commands nearly ten thousand elite soldiers.

The potential and ruthless methods he displayed were beyond what a weak woman like her could possibly exploit.

Her heart skipped a beat, and a resolute look suddenly appeared on her face, which looked radiant even in simple clothes.

She said to her deputy, Wang Ming, "General Wang Ming, please come with me to the Su residence again."

"Oh?" Wang Ming asked in surprise, "Judging from the Su family's attitude, they are clearly not very willing to form a marriage alliance with our general. What's the point of going there again?"

"Of course it makes sense!" Su Jin's voice was sharp and resolute: "This time, no matter what, I will make sure my second sister marries the Great General!"

"Even if I have to tie her up, I will tie my second sister to the general's bed."

"Our Su family would never dare to disobey the General's orders."

Deputy General Wang Ming nodded: "Alright, then we won't report to the General for now. I'll go with you again."

Su Jin led the way, with his deputy Wang Ming following behind.

The group quickly disappeared into the vast drizzle of northern Xinjiang.

The soldiers of Yunji City outside the General's Mansion were quickly ordered by Ren Tianye to return to their respective tents.

Unlike the anxiety of the past two days, once I made the decision, I felt much more at ease.

Staying put means death, being boiled like a frog in lukewarm water means death, and following the general will at worst lead to death.

Moreover, the general treats them so well, providing them with full salaries and rations. If they follow the general faithfully, they might not necessarily have a better outcome.

……

Three days later.

On the city wall of Yunji City.

General Zhang Shi, a guerrilla commander renowned for his divination skills, arrived in high spirits to relieve the troop.

Sun Xiang, who was on duty, couldn't help but tease, "Hey, Lao Zhang, you're up early again!"

"Every time you come to relieve us, you're early. This time, you're half an hour early. That's not like you."

"I remember before, even when the orders came from the Red Beacon Army, you would always be right on time, setting off only when the appointed moment arrived. You considered being even half a cup of tea early bad luck. How come you're so diligent now?"

Zhang Shi chuckled: "How can they be the same?"

"The orders from the Red Beacon Army belong to the Red Beacon Army."

"Now……"

He gazed at the winding, wide road outside the city walls and said leisurely, "Now we're working for ourselves, how can it be the same?"

As he spoke, Zhang Shi felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

The last time he felt this comfortable was when he was promoted to guerrilla general. On that day, he was truly riding high and spent several taels of silver, inviting everyone to drink and eat meat.

In the blink of an eye, almost ten years have passed, and no matter how desperately he fights the enemy, his position seems to be nailed to the post of guerrilla general.

He tried everything he could and gave Zhang Wei, who had joined the army, a lot of money and silver. Zhang Wei made good promises, but in the end... he was still just a guerrilla general.

Over time, his ambition and drive faded away.

Let's just wait and see!

We just need to hold this guerrilla general's position until he dies.

But now...

Everything is different now.

Looking at the main road outside Yunji City, and then turning to look at the vast and enormous Yunji City, Zhang Shi felt that even the air floating around was filled with a sweet fragrance.

In just a few days, he deeply felt that Yunji City was their home, their everything.

Now, being able to protect Yunji City fills him with an irrepressible surge of passion and impulse.

"Well said!"

Sun Xiang echoed this sentiment.

Although Zhang Shi had already come to relieve him and he could have left, he stayed with Zhang Shi, feeling an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and an urge to try something new.

Beyond Yunji City, they too may set foot in the world!

everything is fine.

There was only one thing: the general named these eight hundred men the "Eight Hundred Army".

Eight Hundred Army?

This name is a bit too common and lacks any real presence.

He thought it should be called something like the Imperial Wind Army or the Long Forest Army, something that could intimidate the world.

However, the general said that the number eight hundred had magical power. Although he did not understand what this magical power was, he was sure that the general was right.

As long as they follow the general, they have hope for the future.

So, standing on the city wall, Zhang Shi and I chatted idly about this and that, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Suddenly, a scout rode up on horseback.

"Report!"

"Ten miles outside the city, the imperial guards suddenly appeared, numbering about 20,000, and were heading towards Yunji City."

Sun Xiang and Zhang Shi's expressions changed drastically in an instant.

"What? The imperial court reacted so quickly?"

"Damn it, the General just conquered Yunji City, and the imperial army is already here? Damn it, I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, I can't let them take it all away!"

……