The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Great Yan, Divine Capital, Zichen Palace.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed to have frozen in time.

The civil and military officials stood on both sides, each with their heads bowed, silent as cicadas in winter, even their breathing deliberately subdued.

On the dragon throne sat a woman dressed in a dragon robe and wearing an imperial crown.

She is the current ruler of the Great Yan Dynasty, Emperor Yan, Wu Mingkong.

She looked to be only in her early thirties, with stunning beauty, majestic phoenix eyes, and an aura of authority even without anger.

At this moment, her face was covered with a thick layer of frost.

Your Highness, kneeling before a messenger covered in blood and in a disheveled state.

He was the messenger sent by Tian Kui to deliver that will. He rode at breakneck speed, killing three horses in the process, and finally arrived in the capital this morning.

He also brought back news that was enough to shake the entire Great Yan Dynasty.

The punitive expedition was defeated.

They suffered a complete and utter defeat.

Zang Baiyuan, a veteran general from Yunzhou, died of a stroke caused by extreme anger.

General Tian Kui, the commander of the expeditionary force, was defeated and surrounded, and committed suicide on the battlefield.

The 100,000-strong imperial guard, personally assembled by Emperor Yan and on whom he placed high hopes, were completely annihilated.

The remaining millions of troops were all captured and surrendered.

As these messages were uttered, word by word, from the messenger's mouth.

The entire Zichen Palace fell into a deathly silence.

All the officials stood frozen in place, as if they had been frozen in place.

Their faces were filled with the same emotion.

Shock, horror, and... disbelief.

How is that possible?

That's an army of seven million!

It was personally commanded by Tian Kui, the military god of the Great Yan Army, and equipped with 100,000 of the most elite imperial guards.

How could such an invincible army be defeated in just a few days?

Moreover, they suffered such a complete defeat that even their commander-in-chief died and the entire army was captured.

This is simply a fantasy!

There must be something wrong with this!

However, when Tian Kui's handwritten will was presented to Emperor Yan...

Everyone shut up.

They recognized the handwriting on the letter.

That was indeed Tian Kui's handwriting.

The contents of the letter sent chills down their spines.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of incompetence and defeat, and deserve to die a thousand deaths. I am willing to offer my life to atone for my sins."

In just one sentence, there was no explanation or excuse.

There is only one loser, and the final lament.

"Bang!"

Emperor Yan slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, and the hard sandalwood was cracked by his blow.

"waste!"

"A bunch of useless trash!"

"Seven million soldiers! Seven million! Just like that, gone?"

Her voice, cold and angry, was like a knife scraping at everyone's heart.

The temperature inside the main hall seemed to drop even further.

The pro-peace officials, led by the prime minister, were all ashen-faced and trembling like leaves.

Back then, it was they who strongly encouraged Emperor Yan to send troops to attack Xiao Jingchen.

They described Xiao Jingchen as a reckless brute with no strategy, and the Northern Frontier Army as a bunch of weak peasants who were easily defeated.

They solemnly assured him that as soon as the army arrived, Xiao Jingchen would surrender without a fight.

But now?

Reality gave them a slap in the face that couldn't be louder.

"Prime Minister!" Emperor Yan's gaze, like a sharp sword, pierced directly at the leading elder. "Didn't you say that Xiao Jingchen was nothing to worry about?"

"Didn't you say that once the army marches out, a mere proclamation can pacify the northern frontier?"

"Now, explain to me what's going on!"

The prime minister, who usually held immense power and influence in the court, suddenly knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"This old minister...this old minister never expected that Xiao Jingchen would be so cunning and so cruel..."

"Didn't expect that?" Emperor Yan sneered. "You think you can shirk all responsibility with just 'didn't expect that'?"

"My 100,000 Imperial Guards! My General Tian! And those millions of soldiers! Who will pay for their lives?"

Every word from Emperor Yan was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the Prime Minister's heart.

He knew that this time, he had committed a terrible crime.

He underestimated Xiao Jingchen and overestimated himself.

Now that the army has been wiped out, he, as the instigator, cannot escape blame.

"Your Majesty, this old minister...this old minister deserves to die!" The prime minister kept kowtowing, and soon a patch of blood appeared on his forehead.

"You deserve to die?" A murderous glint flashed in Emperor Yan's eyes. "You truly deserve to die."

"But killing you now won't help."

She forced herself to calm down.

Anger solves nothing.

The most crucial thing now is not to assign blame, but to figure out how to deal with the mess we're in.

After winning this battle, what will Xiao Jingchen do next?

Will he lead his troops south and march straight towards the capital?

Given the strength of his troops and his unpredictable military tactics, it seems not impossible.

The thought of this possibility made Emperor Yan's heart sink.

She glanced around at the prince's civil and military officials.

These guys, who are usually so eloquent and consider themselves pillars of the nation, are now all mute.

Aside from fear, she could see nothing of value in their faces.

Are we counting on them to fight against Xiao Jingchen?

That's utterly delusional.

Emperor Yan felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Since ascending the throne, she has been committed to weakening those military generals who have made great contributions and have threatened the emperor, and supporting the civil official group, in order to firmly grasp power in her own hands.

But in the end, she realized...

When a real crisis comes, these civil officials who only know how to scheme and fight for power are of no use at all.

Those who can truly protect this country are the martial artists she has always wanted to suppress.

What an ironic reality.

Just when the main hall was deathly silent.

A eunuch scrambled in.

"Report—!"

"Your Majesty! An urgent memorial has arrived from the northern frontier, eight hundred li away!"

Everyone's heart leaped into their throat.

coming!

Xiao Jingchen's memorial has arrived!

Was he here to apologize, or to force the emperor to resign?

All eyes were focused on the memorial sealed with gold lacquer.

What's written there will determine the fate of all of them.

It also determines the future direction of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Emperor Yan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

"Bring it here."

"read."