Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 139 The ruler of a lower state should bow when meeting an envoy from a higher state, let alone me who is the king!
The dawn has just arrived.

All the warriors in the entire Hun camp who could go out of the city to fight had already rushed to the front line of the battlefield, and King Xuetu's eyes were full of bloodshot.

After a night of bloody fighting and chasing, from a great victory to the beginning of defeat, and now to the thrilling situation where there is still a glimmer of hope, it is necessary to fight desperately for the opportunity.

King Xiutu, who has been sleepless day and night, has reached his physical strength and spirit to the limit. But at this time, he cannot relax his vigilance in order not to neglect such an opportunity.

The knight in front who was responsible for observing the enemy situation pulled the reins and rushed towards the position of the commander.

"My lord, there seems to be a general blocking our way ahead." The knight knelt on the ground and said.

King Xiu Tu glanced at Shangguan Lu. It was obvious that Shangguan Lu was being too cautious. Shangguan Lu looked at him for a moment and said, "What does it look like?"

The knight added: "Seeing that his body is full of our army's arrows, he must be one of the people who participated in the night attack last night."

Shangguan Lu frowned, "What is he wearing?"

"He looks like a general." The prostrating knight spoke again.

Shangguan Lu paced in the battle formation, "What does a general want to do here alone instead of leading his troops to retreat?"

"It's possible that he was left alone." King Xiu Tu was stunned for a moment and said, "After all, our army is strong, and those Zhou people were afraid of fighting, so they all ran away."

"Then he didn't dare to attack the camp last night." Shangguan Lu frowned and said, "Let me go and meet him."

King Xiutu also felt something was strange. Ever since he had fought a confusing battle last night, he had been undecided.

After all, it was his Xiu Tu tribe that contributed the most people in the siege of Chang'an. He would never accept if his men were killed again because of his carelessness.

Shangguan Lu rode on a horse and quickly led a few people to the front.

The two sides were a hundred meters apart. Seeing that Chu Shizhao was indeed alone, Shangguan Lu drove the horse forward a little further.

"Who is coming?" Shangguan Lu asked first.

Chu Shizhao also did not expect that the other party was so brave. He did not even consider whether there were ambushes behind him. Instead, he took the initiative to approach him and ask questions.

At this time, Chu Shizhao obviously could not show any weakness in public. At the time of the Weishui Alliance, if Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had shown even the slightest bit of guilt, the Tang Dynasty, which had just begun to improve, would have faced a devastating disaster.

The same was true for Chu Shizhao. As long as there was anything unusual in his performance, he was certain that the Hun army would definitely try to capture Chang'an.

Now is the time to test Chu Shizhao's psychological quality.

"Who are you?" Chu Shizhao asked back without moving.

Shangguan Lu's face changed slightly, and he didn't know how to introduce himself, because he was an old official who fled from the Great Zhou and finally surrendered to the Xiongnu. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I am just an official."

"Is he an old official of my Great Zhou?" Chu Shizhao noticed that he looked somewhat different from the Huns, and his speaking style and clothing were not like those of the Huns either, so he asked again.

"That's right." Shangguan Lu admitted it, but he didn't want Chu Shizhao to take the initiative in the conversation. "But now we each serve our own masters. I am the chief minister of the Xiu Tu tribe."

"Then you should still bow to me when you see me." Chu Shizhao said calmly.

Shangguan Lu was startled again, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Which king?"

"Prince Jin." Chu Shizhao said.

"I am no longer a subject of the king, so I will not bow down to you." Shangguan Lu thought for a moment, not wanting to embarrass himself and lower himself to him.

"The ruler of a lower state should bow when meeting an envoy from a higher state, let alone me who is the king." Chu Shizhao was aggressive.

"No." Shangguan Lu continued, "My Xiongnu is growing stronger day by day, and has already come to the emperor's feet. How can we be regarded as a lower country?"

"Are the enemies really at the gates of the city?" Chu Shizhao looked at Shangguan Lu and continued, "I burned your food and fodder last night. Today, you are all starving. Are you really capable of fighting?"

"Hun warriors, why fear a fight?" Shangguan Lu did not lose face and said bluntly: "What's the use of being hungry for a day? Once we capture Chang'an, there will be food everywhere."

"Then what is there to discuss? Let's just start the war." Chu Shizhao said coldly, "I want to see whether the Great Zhou's city is stronger or your arrows are stronger."

Shangguan Lu frowned immediately. At this point, it was difficult for him to judge the real situation in Chang'an City.

Suddenly, there were sounds of rushing in the distance, and they were rushing towards this side like flying dust.

Shangguan Lu was still thinking when he saw the situation over there. He immediately pulled his horse back and shouted, "There's an ambush!"

Seeing this situation, Chu Shizhao did not retreat but advanced, and rushed towards Shangguan Lu on horseback. Beside Shangguan Lu were several Hun warriors guarding him.

Chu Shizhao did not chase Shangguan Lu to death. On the contrary, he gave him some water. He needed Shangguan Lu to go back and deliver the message, but Chu Shizhao did not have such good patience for those Hun warriors beside Shangguan Lu.

"Don't run away, traitor! I have urgently ordered Huan Jie, the governor of Liangzhou, to surround you. Even if you get away like this, where can you escape to?"

Chu Shizhao charged into the enemy formation, chasing Shangguan Lu all the way to the front of the Xiongnu camp. The Xiongnu along the way tried to intercept him, but most of them were unable to stop Chu Shizhao. After several rounds, seeing that more and more people were surrounding him, Chu Shizhao retreated and said, "I'll spare your life. We'll see each other again in a few days!"

Shangguan Lu was still in shock. Looking at the dust flying in the distance, he immediately rode his horse to King Xiutu's side.

"Your Majesty, there is an ambush of Zhou army ahead, and their troops to support the king have arrived." Shangguan Lu was so excited by Chu Shizhao's pursuit that he had no energy to think deeply. He just pointed at the dust in the distance and shouted.

King Xiutu didn't know the real situation, but the food and grass had run out. Considering that the current army was made up of the main force of the Xiutu tribe, once these men died here, the influence of their Xiutu tribe on the grassland would certainly be greatly weakened. It is better to believe it than not to believe it. There is nothing wrong with retaining strength at this time.

He immediately shouted: "All troops retreat."

Shangguan Lu hurriedly followed King Xiutu's steps and leaned back, but when he suddenly realized that the pursuers of the Great Zhou Dynasty did not pursue the victory, he realized the strangeness of the situation.

Not good. We've been tricked!
Shangguan Lu subconsciously wanted to pull his horse back and stop the bluffing Chu Shizhao, but he immediately thought of what he had done just now. He had already induced King Xiutu to retreat. If he told King Xiutu that he had been tricked and that the Great Zhou Dynasty had not ambushed him at all, would he still be able to save his life? !

In this situation, if he discovered the mistake and then corrected it, not only would it not be beneficial, but it would also give King Xiutu the opportunity to shirk responsibility. It would be better for him to just go with the flow and assume that the other party had an ambush. This would actually be helpful to him, a minister from another country who faced the threat head-on and dared to discover the problem.

Shangguan Lu thought about this and after realizing the problem, he did not expose the flaws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Instead, he continued to roar and gasp tacitly.

King Xiutu didn't want to continue to lose his troops, and Shangguan Lu didn't want to lose his life, so the two of them reached a consensus to retreat from the battlefield from a strange angle.

Chu Shizhao also did not dare to stay here any longer. He had to return to the city immediately to reorganize his troops to prevent the Huns from making a feint and then making a comeback.

Outside the city of Chang'an, the army led by Yang Fang did not slowly lower the suspension bridge until dawn when they saw the Huns' pursuers retreat.

After experiencing such a battle, the soldiers were already exhausted. Some of them were about to fall asleep outside the city, but facing the threat of life and death, many people still did not dare to fall asleep. Now that they entered Chang'an, the long-lost sense of security surged in their hearts, and many soldiers leaned against the city walls of Chang'an and fell asleep soundly.

Half an hour later, Chu Shizhao and the remaining cavalrymen entered the city one after another.

Chu Shizhao did not pull out the arrows that were all over the armor. Now was the time to play the victim.

If you have accomplished something, you must take credit for it. Otherwise, Chu Shizhao’s desperate battle would have been in vain.

The crying child gets the milk. If you don’t cry, she really thinks you are not hungry.

Since Chu Shizhao had made great contributions but kept silent, it was natural that Emperor Yongjin would let him go.

Last night, the army led by Chu Shizhao experienced such thrilling and dramatic changes that the spirit of all men was on the verge of collapse. Of course, this also invisibly strengthened Chu Shizhao's control over the army.

At least Chu Shizhao's performance has won the trust of the soldiers of this army. As for Chu Shizhao's transfer order, I am afraid no one of these people will disobey it.

Chu Shizhao took credit for the soldiers at this time and invisibly won their hearts, which was extremely beneficial to his future performance.

Emperor Yongjin stayed awake all night in the palace and had difficulty falling asleep. Ministers inside and outside the city of Chang'an had already secretly prepared to cross the river to the south. When he heard the good news, Emperor Yongjin was startled and woke up from his seat on the couch. He decided to go and meet his fourth son in person.

Chu Shizhao had no time to take care of himself, but entered the palace wearing this blood-stained armor.

He stepped into the palace in Chang'an and saw his father, the emperor, coming down the steps to greet him. He also recalled the soldiers who had died one by one in front of him during the war. For a moment, his emotions grew stronger. He put his hands together with Emperor Yongjin, knelt on the ground and said, "I have fulfilled my father's orders. The danger in Chang'an is over."

Emperor Yongjin naturally wanted to know the details, but when he looked at the arrows on Chu Shizhao's armor and the blood on his face, he did not ask any more questions. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Where is the imperial physician?"

He had plenty of time to ask about what happened at that time, but what was more important now was to take care of his son.

However, the Emperor Yongjin was now more filled with surprise. He had already witnessed the charisma of his fourth son during that battle, and now it was thanks to him that the Great Zhou Dynasty had survived the most difficult moment.

Emperor Yongjin was also clear that Chu Shizhao had made such great contributions that he had to reward him no matter what. This ordinary reward was obviously not enough to reward Chu Shizhao for his achievements, so he had to consider how to reward him so that it would not exceed the standard and could meet the requirements of such achievements.

At present, the rewards decided by Emperor Yongjin will start with the generals and soldiers below, and then end with the reward for Wu Zhen’s martyrdom.

Although Wu Zhen's strategy was ineffective, the result was good, and Wu Zhen himself died for his country. Even if Wu Zhen had done something wrong, Emperor Yongjin could not bear to blame him for his loyalty.

Chu Shizhao waited for the imperial physician to come. The effect of the Fenglangjuxu peak moment experience card gradually wore off, followed by the swelling, numbness, pain and itching of muscles. Such drastic changes made Chu Shizhao, who had been fighting all night, increasingly sleepy, and he actually fell asleep beside Emperor Yongjin.

Emperor Yongjin was startled, but after a few seconds he realized that Chu Shizhao was just too tired to sleep. Looking at Chu Shizhao sleeping peacefully beside him, the softness deep in Emperor Yongjin's heart was touched invisibly.

In the face of power, it is difficult to have a deep father-son relationship.

However, apart from power, looking at his fourth son who fell asleep here due to fatigue, Emperor Yongjin could not be a cold-blooded animal who was completely without emotions. He tried his best to support Chu Shizhao who was sleeping under the heavy armor, and ordered the eunuchs to quickly change Chu Shizhao into clean clothes and find a quilt to prevent him from catching a cold.

"Let Yang Fang come." Emperor Yongjin said to Cao Wei behind him, "I want to know what happened last night that led to such a good turnaround."

"Your Majesty, why don't you call the military commander Wang Huai whom you personally dispatched?" Cao Wei couldn't help but say, "Warriors act rashly and can't explain most things clearly. Lord Wang is also a party to the case. I think it would be best if the two of them came together."

Emperor Yongjin took a deep breath, and the warmth he had finally shown disappeared at Cao Wei's words, and a slight chill flashed across his eyes.

"Cao Wei, you have followed me for so many years." Emperor Yongjin's inconspicuous words made Cao Wei kneel on the ground again and again.

Since he was on good terms with the Wang family, he would naturally favor Queen Wang and Wang Huai. It would not be a problem for Cao Wei to say a few words when there was an opportunity to show up like this.

But things are different now. Emperor Yongjin was surprised to find that the aristocratic families, which he thought could be his greatest help, have become his biggest obstacle. His three eldest sons have become closely integrated with the families, which is particularly detrimental to the development of the Zhou Dynasty. Now that Chu Shizhao has made a contribution, and the first meritorious one, Emperor Yongjin has no need to cause any more unhappiness over such matters.

Cao Wei's words made Emperor Yongjin feel that Wang's hands were too long. The eunuchs in the inner palace, who had followed him for so many years, were all somewhat on their side.

What does this mean?
"Well." Emperor Yongjin said calmly, "You have reached the age. I am a benevolent and generous monarch. I will not argue with you. From now on, you can retire and return home. I have others to take care of the affairs of the palace."

Cao Wei's face turned pale, he could never have imagined that just by saying a few words, all the hard work of most of his life would be gone in vain. For a disabled person like him, how could he retire or return to his hometown? Once out of the palace, he would be nothing.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

"I said something I shouldn't have said. I slapped my own mouth." Cao Wei stretched out her hands and slapped her own face hard, not daring to hold back, hoping that Emperor Yongjin would calm down.

However, Emperor Yongjin watched all this happen and said coldly, "Come here, send Cao Banban out of the palace."

The other side.

After receiving the oral order from Emperor Yongjin, Yang Fang did not take a rest and hurried into the palace to meet His Majesty. After this incident, Yang Fang was full of admiration for Chu Shizhao's judgment. Originally, he had some ideas of his own and even did not want to accept Chu Shizhao's orders directly. Now Yang Fang felt that his unnecessary ideas were better off letting Chu Shizhao personally dispatch them.

According to Chu Shizhao, he has never suffered any loss so far.

Chu Shizhao made decisions throughout the entire night without making a single mistake, and he managed to turn the Great Zhou Dynasty around from a situation that was on the verge of collapse. With such ability, who could not be convinced!

(End of this chapter)