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

Huo Yang stared at the hundreds of thousands of troops stretching into the distance, his face grim.

He knew perfectly well what the military governors of the three towns were doing in the southwest.

However, the scene before him was somewhat unexpected; the soldiers were clearly on guard against them.

Even if his 100,000 men were elite, they would have little chance of resisting an army of hundreds of thousands.

Surely they don't want to pacify us so they can take over the southwest?

This possibility cannot be ruled out.

No matter which of the three wants to take that position, the southwest region will not be given up.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the vanguard.

Huo Yang frowned and asked, "What happened at the front?"

Not long after he finished speaking, a light cavalryman galloped up and urgently reported, "General, someone has broken into the vanguard!"

"one person?"

Huo Yang looked surprised.

At this moment, in the vanguard, the imperial guard who had been granted divine power by the Holy Emperor was charging forward relentlessly.

The flames flowing through the gaps in his armor grew even more dazzling!

As the malevolent energy condensed, the flames on his body gradually surged.

There seemed to be a halo radiating light behind his head.

Although it does not possess the terrifying power of a holy emperor, it still has the terrifying divine power of nine bulls and two tigers.

The Holy Emperor bestowed upon him his own talent!

A scaled-down version of divine power talent.

The ground cracked open with large pits, dust flew everywhere, and the snow in the sky quietly melted, evaporating into large wisps of white mist.

With a raised fist, he could easily smash a person to pieces!

One by one, the soldiers were sent flying backwards!

At this moment, the guards felt nothing but boundless admiration and respect.

This was a terrifying power he had never felt before.

The hundreds of thousands of soldiers watching this scene from afar were filled with nothing but madness and envy.

As for the source of this power—the Holy Emperor—everyone could only feel deep reverence.

The Holy Emperor looked at his "masterpiece" with satisfaction and laughed loudly, "Come back!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the imperial guards who were charging into battle turned around and returned to their ranks.

With the departure of the imperial guard, the chaotic soldiers of the southwestern camp finally calmed down.

Watching the monster in golden armor leave the battlefield, Huo Yang's eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

One man alone killed a thousand of his vanguard cavalry!

What kind of monster is this?

If the other party hadn't suddenly left, the casualties would likely have been even greater.

Just then, a rider galloped in!

A deep, resonant voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Commander at the front, heed my command!"

"Your Majesty has an order!"

"I order you to go and see him!"

"His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this title and glancing at the messenger, Huo Yang was filled with shock and disbelief.

In the entire southwest region, there is only one emperor!

But how is that possible?

Could it be that these hundreds of thousands of troops have now surrendered to the Holy Emperor?

What about the military governors of the three towns?

Huo Yang pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and rode his horse toward the center of the battlefield.

Upon seeing the imposing figure standing atop the mountain of corpses, Huo Yang froze in place.

"The Crown Prince?"

Huo Yang had been to the capital and had met the Crown Prince, who is now His Majesty.

But he wasn't always the emperor; he was once a neglected crown prince.

The Crown Prince used to look just like this!

But nearly twenty years have passed!

Twenty years have passed, and the emperor still looks the same.

The Holy Emperor lowered his gaze to Huo Yang and said with a faint smile, "Minister Huo seems quite surprised?"

Huo Yang was taken aback for a moment, then cupped his hands and bowed in greeting.

"Your Majesty, I, Huo Yang, the Grand General of the Southwest Army, pay my respects!"

"I didn't expect Your Majesty to still remember me."

As the emperor descended the mountain of corpses, stepping over them, he said calmly, "You were a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the twenty-second year of the Longqing reign. Your father served as Vice Minister of War, and your grandfather was the commander of the Imperial Guard's vanguard!"

"We met back in the Taiji Hall!"

Huo Yang, the Grand Commander of the Southwest Expedition, had already learned about it before he came.

This man was fairly upright and loved the people like his own children; his reputation in the southwest was not too bad.

Otherwise, it would have been the Holy Emperor who made the move earlier.

Huo Yang gave a wry smile, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed that I have troubled you with such thoughts."

The Emperor placed his hand on his shoulder, his deep gaze fixed on him, and chuckled softly, "Without imperial orders, you mobilized troops from the Southwest Camp without authorization. Do you know what your crime is, Minister Huo?"

Huo Yang's expression changed slightly, and he immediately knelt down, saying loudly, "I know I have committed a capital crime, but the soldiers of the Southwest Camp were under my orders and they were unaware of the situation. I beg Your Majesty to show leniency."

"I am willing to suffer the punishment of being torn apart by five horses!"

With hundreds of thousands of troops in front of him, he knew he had no way out.

From the moment he arrived here, he already knew that the three-town military governorship was over.

Not only are they finished, but those guys hiding behind the scenes, trying to stir up trouble, are also finished.

He only asked that these soldiers be spared.

According to the laws of Daqing, anyone involved in treason would be punished and their entire family would be executed!

The Holy Emperor looked down at him and said with a faint smile, "I will not kill you!"

Huo Yang looked astonished.

The Emperor's smile faded, and his tone became indifferent: "I have ordered you to guard the southwest. Can Minister Huo fulfill that responsibility?"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Huo Yang kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you with my life!"

"If chaos breaks out in the southwest, I am willing to commit suicide here!"

……

When news of the pacification of the southwest spread, it caused a huge uproar both inside and outside the imperial court.

All those who awaited the death of the Holy Emperor beat their chests and stamped their feet, vehemently denouncing Heaven for its silence.

Everyone involved in the Southwest Uprising was packing their belongings, preparing to flee overnight.

They couldn't go to Northern Qi, so they planned to go to Western Jin, Southern Chu, or even further north, to the barbarian lands of the north.

If the emperor isn't dead, then they'll be the ones to suffer next.

Southwest Military Command

It was three days later when Governor Hu received news of Huo Yang's rebellion and the deaths of the three military governors.

By this time, the Holy Emperor had already arrived outside the Southwest Regional Military Command.

The army surrounded the Southwest Military Command.

Inside the military headquarters, all the officials were rushing around, frantically packing up their valuables.

Inside the courtyard, Governor Hu sat in a rocking chair, a pot of tofu simmering to his right, looking relaxed and showing no sign of panic about the impending disaster.

"grown ups!"

"Let's run!"

A trusted servant carrying a bundle hurriedly approached Governor Hu.

Hu Zhiyuan, looking completely unconcerned, waved his hand and said, "You should all run for your lives!"

The victor is king, the loser is villain!

The worst that can happen is death!

With the city besieged by a large army, where could one possibly escape to?

Besides, what good would it do if he escaped after losing all of this?

Should we let him associate with those peasants?

Suddenly, a man dressed in a black dragon robe walked into the courtyard.

The people, who were in a hurry to escape, either didn't notice anything, or they did notice but didn't take it seriously.

As he stepped into the courtyard, Hu Zhiyuan abruptly rose from his rocking chair, paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

The Holy Emperor's eyes were cold, his tone icy: "I am a merciful man!"

"From now on, you will watch over the southwest for me!"

In the southwest, more than 300,000 people were killed or injured, and countless others were forced to leave their homes.

The moment he finished speaking, the Holy Emperor beheaded him with a single sword stroke!

The headless body fell to the ground!

Hu Zhiyuan's head, however, was still alive. He exclaimed in terror, "What is this?"

This strange power filled him with fear!

He should have been dead!

The Holy Emperor held Hu Zhiyuan's head in one hand and hung it at the gate of the Southwest Military Command.

From this day forward, this head will watch over everyone who enters this door!