The old emperor only desires immortality; you must not rebel.

The emperor's impassioned pre-battle mobilization ignited the emotions of the people in the capital.

The crowd was in high spirits!

The emotions were especially high among the migrants who came from all over the country.

Before they arrived in the capital, everyone was saying that it was the emperor's lack of virtue that brought about the disaster.

The emperor cannot suffer disasters, so the calamities must be borne by the common people.

They cannot complain, nor dare they complain.

As the lowest-ranking common people, how could they dare to complain about the emperor?

Unless forced into a corner, most people would not rebel as long as they have enough to eat.

Rebellion is nothing more than a helpless choice made when forced into a corner.

So when they arrived in the capital, and the Holy Emperor distributed food and land to them, in the hearts of the refugees, Lu Cheng was the true "Holy Emperor".

Upon hearing the news of the Northern Qi assassination attempt on the Holy Emperor, the most intense emotional reaction came from the displaced people.

No one is a fool, not even a refugee who is less than a weed.

If something happens to the Holy Emperor, everything they have gained will vanish.

For the Holy Emperor, the outcome of the war against Northern Qi would be the same whether or not the people of the capital participated.

However, he needs to have a legitimate reason for his actions, giving the campaign a righteous veneer.

He not only wanted to humiliate the Northern Qi emperor, but also to nail him to the pillar of shame, subjecting him to mental torment.

After delivering a passionate speech, the Holy Emperor led the Imperial Guards back to the palace.

Many refugees were planning to enlist in the army, but by the time they realized what was happening, the Holy Emperor had already left.

To everyone else, the purpose of the Holy Emperor's impassioned speech was to recruit soldiers.

After all, it is common knowledge that Daqing has no shortage of soldiers, but the Holy Emperor is the only one who is short of soldiers.

It's an open secret that the emperor couldn't even muster 50,000 decent troops.

……

inside the palace,

As soon as Lu Cheng returned to the palace, Consort Shu and He Zhiyi came to greet him, their faces showing anxiety and concern.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

The former legitimate daughter of the Wang family has now completely become the Holy Emperor's woman, and her heart and soul are devoted to him.

As for He Zhiyi, the woman who was rescued from bandits by the Holy Emperor, she was already the only one who could belong to the Holy Emperor.

From the moment they stepped through the palace gates, the Holy Emperor became their heaven.

"Hahaha!"

"I'm fine!"

"Mere rebels, what could possibly happen to me!"

The Holy Emperor laughed heartily and stretched out his hand, pulling the two of them directly into his arms.

A blush crept onto their faces.

"Walk!"

"Play a game with me!"

The Holy Emperor lifted the two men by the waist with one hand each, then carried them on his shoulders and strode confidently toward the Taiji Hall.

The accompanying guards and personal soldiers quickly turned around and faced outwards from the palace road.

If the upright officials were to witness this scene, they would surely condemn the emperor for being rude, immoral, incompetent, and tyrannical, and curse him as a dog emperor!

Of course, they dared not do anything to the emperor; at most, they would send the emperor's two beloved concubines a white silk ribbon, allowing them to die with dignity.

……

Several hours passed before the dog emperor slowly stepped down from his dragon bed, shirtless, and dressed with the help of palace maids.

The maids around her blushed, their eyes filled with anticipation.

As the emperor's personal maids, they constantly longed to spend a night with the holy emperor.

As for age, they are clearly not such superficial people; who would care about age?

The greatness of the Holy Emperor cannot be measured by age.

Lu Cheng looked into the mirror and said calmly, "I'm going to Northern Qi. I'll be back in a month at most!"

At this moment, a panel was quietly floating in front of him.

[Task Completed]

[National Fortune +3000]

[Side Quest]: Suppress internal strife and expand the territory.

This improvement in national fortune did not result in increased strength, nor did it extend lifespan.

Based on the current investigation, in the mortal world, the Grandmaster of Martial Arts is already the pinnacle.

The only way to extend one's lifespan is to seek immortality and enlightenment.

The two people lying on the bed obviously didn't hear it, only responding softly and almost inaudibly.

During this period, the emperor's imperial guards had all been assembled.

The moment the Holy Emperor stepped out of the palace, the 30,000 Imperial Guards knelt down in unison, their faces filled with extreme fervor and worship.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

As the dragon banner fluttered in the sky, ten thousand imperial guards marched out of the palace like a long dragon.

……

The capital of Daqing was more than 1,640 li away from the border of Northern Qi, passing through 21 counties in three prefectures: Yun, Sha, and Liang.

Even at top speed, it would take more than ten days.

Upon hearing the news that the emperor had left the capital, all forces were instantly alarmed.

Especially for the regional military governors, when the emperor is in the capital, he is the emperor; but when the emperor is not in the capital, is he still the emperor?

The answer is obvious; at least in Daqing today, the emperor's orders cannot leave the capital.

Outside the capital, not many officials still recognized the emperor.

In the armies across the country, the emperor's edict was far less valuable than a piece of toilet paper.

Upon leaving the capital, the scene that came into view was one of desolation and bleakness.

The leaves and bark on the surrounding trees had all been stripped clean.

On the desolate land, refugees could be seen everywhere, gathered in large groups.

When the emperor's chariot drove by, all that could be seen was a numb, empty landscape.

Ordinary people rarely recognized the emperor's carriage.

In their eyes, this was nothing more than a military governor or a high-ranking official on an inspection tour.

How could the emperor, who resides high above the palace, have come to this desolate and remote place?

……

Inside the carriage,

The Holy Emperor calmly surveyed the scene outside, his expression undisturbed.

What is needed by the emperor is not pity, but change!

As people who come from an era of information explosion, our moral standards are far superior to those of the beasts of this world.

In essence, the emperor was someone who stood on the same social stratum as the common people.

Of course, the Holy Emperor's purpose in this trip was to thoroughly tidy up this land and let those beasts who didn't want to pay taxes taste the Holy Emperor's iron fist.

Our first stop has been chosen: Changning Prefecture in Yunzhou.

It's only a little over 300 li away from the capital!

……

At this moment, more than a dozen corpses were hanging high in the air on the city wall outside Changning Prefecture.

Those were all people who disobeyed the prefect, insulted the emperor, and attempted to rebel.

Throughout the entire Changning Prefecture government office,

A man covered in bruises and blood was thrown out of the government office like trash.

"Pooh!"

"You dare to sue Master Xu? Don't you even know your place?"

Several constables spat, their faces full of disgust.

"Let's go back to playing cards!"

"What a nuisance!"