I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Upon hearing this threat, Lu Yuan not only did not get angry, but instead took two steps closer to Shen Chongshan.

"Thank you for the reminder, General Shen."

"I do indeed lack capable and skilled warriors by my side."

"If the general is willing to stay in the capital to protect me, my uncle can then focus on recovering from his injuries!"

Shen Chongshan's smile immediately faded.

The commander of the Zhenbei Army has been replaced.

What Lu Yuan meant by saying this was that he was completely handing over military power in the northern border.

"Having commanded troops in the field for many years, I am not very familiar with the defenses of the capital!"

"If Your Highness truly requires protection, this humble general may select a few men from the Shen family's personal guards."

"They've all been through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; they know best how to protect people!"

Lu Yuan smiled and waved his hand.

"Then there's no need."

"They are all heroes who protect our country. How can we waste their talents protecting me? They should protect you, General, closely. After all, the power dynamics in the capital are complex. If something happens to you, General, it will be a loss for our Great Yong!"

Xu Hu and the others' expressions changed drastically.

However, Shen Chongshan raised his hand to stop his subordinate.

"Your Highness is joking."

"The Shen family has been loyal to the Great Yong for generations. Your Highness is the foundation of the nation. If these soldiers can protect Your Highness, even if they die, they will bring glory to their ancestors."

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately cupped their hands and said in unison, "Bringing glory to our ancestors!"

"It's no use just to say 'loyalty' all the time."

Lu Yuan mounted his horse. "After the general enters the palace and meets the emperor, he will naturally know how to prove it."

Shen Chongshan bowed and saw them off.

"This humble general respectfully sees off the Crown Prince."

"By the way, I've heard that Your Highness has a fondness for beautiful women. I have an adopted daughter in my household who is quite remarkable. I will send her to Your Highness in a few days."

"Thank you very much, General!"

The two groups of people passed each other.

Su Bo'an rode alongside Lu Yuan, glancing back at the Shen family members several times.

"Your Highness, was General Shen threatening you just now?"

Lu Yuan immediately sneered, "He's telling me that if He Shen can be assassinated, so can I."

"Then why did you still let him enter the palace?"

"This is the man Father has been waiting for."

Lu Yuan handed the reins to his personal guard, saying, "If Shen Chongshan is willing to relinquish his military power, he will still be the General Who Guards the North."

"If you refuse, the capital city will be the most suitable prison."

Su Bo'an lowered his voice.

"He has twelve battalions under his command."

"If we push too hard, the North will descend into chaos."

"Therefore, the new army system must be finalized in the next two days."

Lu Yuan accepted the military report delivered by his personal guards.

"The Shen family used money, official positions, and marriage alliances to bind military generals."

"Since I give them more, they naturally know who to listen to."

"I never expected him to send me a beauty; does he really think I'm a lecherous monster?"

On the other side, Shen Chongshan asked the same question after walking half a street.

What are your thoughts on the new crown prince?

Xu Hu spoke first.

"Still wet behind the ears."

"If it weren't for His Majesty's support, I could have thrown him off the Crown Prince's carriage with just one hand."

Another bodyguard chimed in, "He sounds tough, but he doesn't actually have a trace of murderous intent."

"I heard that he used to only know how to frequent brothels, walk his birds, and engage in cockfighting."

"This kind of person became the crown prince by relying on a few strange skills and tricks; sooner or later, he will be played to death by the officials."

Shen Chongshan turned around and glanced at them.

"If you all think like this, then you will be the ones who die."

Xu Hu was somewhat unconvinced, "Why does the general value him so much?"

"He knew I was threatening him, but he didn't arrest me or turn on me in the street."

Shen Chongshan raised his hand and pointed towards the palace.

He first praised Shen Jiazhong's loyalty and bravery, and then mentioned He Shen and the troop rotation.

"He gave me face, but also revealed his bottom line."

"Taking a step back allows for negotiation; taking a step forward requires action."

"Speak and act with restraint, and act with discretion."

Shen Chongshan paused for a moment, "The Ninth Prince who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun before was probably just an act for everyone to see."

Xu Hu opened his mouth in disbelief.

"General, he's only eighteen! How could that be?"

"It's even more terrifying that at eighteen, he could repeatedly defuse attacks in the imperial court and force Lu Cheng to lose the emperor's favor."

Shen Chongshan looked towards the palace gate in the distance, "If he were my own nephew, I would do everything in the power of the Shen family to help him become the greatest emperor of all time."

"Unfortunately, times have played a cruel trick on us."

After entering the palace, Shen Chongshan was first taken to a side hall to wait.

Zhou Fu did not appear until half an hour later.

"General Shen, His Majesty is very busy with state affairs. Please go to the Ministry of War to hand over the official seal first."

Shen Chongshan stood up. "I would like to go to Zhaohua Palace to pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine first."

"Zhaohua Palace has been closed."

Why?

"I cannot speak of matters concerning the inner palace."

Zhou Fu handed over a warrant.

"His Majesty also said that after General Shen hands over the seal of the Zhenbei Army, he can return to the Shen residence to await an audience."

Shen Chongshan accepted the order.

"Where is the Second Prince?"

Zhou Fu lowered his eyelids slightly, "Da Yong no longer has a Second Prince."

The veins on the back of Shen Chongshan's hand holding the warrant stood out.

"What do you mean?"

"Lu Cheng defied the imperial decree to enter the court, formed cliques for personal gain, and was also identified by Master Qin as possessed by evil spirits."

"His Majesty has stripped him of his title and removed him from the royal family."

Zhou Fu stepped aside to make way.

"If General Shen wants to know more, he can go to the Imperial Clan Court to check the imperial edict."

Shen Chongshan did not press the matter further.

He bowed towards the direction of the Imperial Study, and then left the palace with his personal guards.

Xu Hu approached only after they had left the palace gates.

"General, the Imperial Concubine is trapped, and the Second Prince has been expelled from the royal family."

"Are we really going to hand over the seal?"

Shen Chongshan folded up the order.

"Let's go back to the manor first."

For the next two days, Lu Yuan neither attended the banquet nor summoned any court officials.

He summoned Qin Cang, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War and commander of the Fengzi Battalion, and Su Yuling into his study.

The original military regulations, which consisted of only a few pages, were gradually expanded into three volumes.

The first volume focuses on reorganizing the organization and investigating cases of receiving salaries without working and falsely reporting troop numbers.

The second volume revised the training methods, adding exercises such as marching with heavy loads, coordinated operations, field first aid, and military law assessments.

The third volume deals with the system of provisions and pay. Military pay was directly allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, and each battalion was assigned two inspectors. Commanders were not allowed to establish their own private treasuries.

Several officials in the Ministry of War initially disagreed.

"Your Highness, the various camps have been using the old system for many years."

"Changing everything at once might displease the generals."

"Furthermore, how should we accommodate such a large number of soldiers? Improper handling could easily lead to mutiny."

Lu Yuan threw the annual pay records of the Zhenbei Army in front of them.

"The Twelve Battalions have a registered strength of 300,000, but in reality, there are only 200,000."

"Who pocketed the extra 100,000 soldiers' pay?"

The Ministry of War official flipped through a few pages, sweat beading on his forehead.

Qin Cang pointed to several names and said through gritted teeth, "These people died in battle five years ago."

"But the list still shows them receiving their pay."

Su Yuling looked at the head of the Ministry of War.

"I don't think you're afraid of reform."

"You're afraid of being audited."

"Your Highness, we are innocent!"

"Whether you are innocent or not, you know the truth in your hearts."

Upon hearing this, the officials dared not stop them any longer.

Two days later, the new military system was completed.

The Shen family also received a reply from Runan on the same day.

The messenger knelt outside the study.

"General, the patriarch has personally replied."

Shen Chongshan opened the envelope, and after reading only the first two lines, his brows furrowed.

The letter's opening line was, "If the Shen family dares to raise an army now, their century-old legacy will be destroyed in your hands!"