I'm in trouble again! My best friend, the princess in the group, please save me!

The rebels' offensive was like a raging sea, one wave after another, seemingly endless. Fortunately, the city walls were tall and strong, and the enemy was currently unable to break through the defense line.

After An Zhaoyan walked into the blockhouse, he found a place to sit down at random, then took a bowl of steaming white porridge from a soldier and began to eat it in big mouthfuls.

While drinking his porridge, he listened to Lu Ming reporting the situation to him.

"Your Majesty, the rebels' attack was too fierce, and we suffered heavy casualties!" Lu Ming said in a heavy tone, his face full of worry.

Upon hearing the news, An Zhaoyan's face became solemn, but he did not stop eating.

While chewing the food in his mouth, he calmly asked: "What are the casualties now?"

Lu Ming sighed deeply and replied in a low voice: "More than 500 people have died, and more than 2,000 people have been injured. Among them, more than 1,000 people are seriously injured and can no longer participate in the battle. The remaining more than 1,000 people are injured, but they still insist on fighting."

An Zhaoyan was silent for a moment, put down the bowl in his hand, stood up, looked at the soldiers around him who were covered in dust and blood, and felt heartbroken.

During these days, he saw countless soldiers fighting bravely, but many also fell in a pool of blood.

He turned to Lu Ming and said, "Go tell the seriously injured to go back and rest immediately." Lu Ming hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, these soldiers are willing to stay. They said that as long as they can still stand, they must hold their ground."

A hint of emotion flashed in An Zhaoyan's eyes, and he nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the determination of these soldiers.

But he still said: "The seriously injured should be sent to Runxue Hall for recuperation."

He pointed to a few pale-faced soldiers in the corner, "And these few."

At this moment, Lu Ming noticed the bandages exposed under An Zhaoyan's armor and was immediately shocked.

He hurried forward and asked with concern: "How did your Majesty get hurt? Your Majesty, you can't come up again! You are our backbone. Without your Majesty, this country will no longer exist. Who will we fight for?"

An Zhaoyan shook his head and answered firmly: "This little injury is nothing to worry about. No need to mention it again. I want to stay here and advance and retreat with all the soldiers!"

"Everyone is fighting to defend the country despite injuries. How can I retreat? I must wait until Wu Ye leads his troops back!"

The soldiers around all raised their heads and looked at the young emperor, their hearts warmed. They knew that the emperor in front of them not only had fearless courage, but also firm conviction.

No matter how Lu Ming persuaded him, he always firmly refused to leave.

Finally, he said to Lu Ming impatiently: "Lu Ming, instead of wasting time here persuading me to return to the palace, why don't you help me think of some coping strategies."

Hearing this, Lu Ming closed his mouth helplessly.

When sending the wounded to Runxuetang, Lu Ming felt so suffocated that he couldn't help but complain to Jiang Xingkuo.

"Your Majesty, if you force yourself like this, how can you hold on until Wu Ye comes back? We have already held on for ten days. We can hold on for five more at most, but there are still four or five days before Wu Ye comes back! Normally, these days pass by in the blink of an eye, but now, watching my brothers fall one after another, I am so anxious!"

Jiang Xingkuo told him not to be anxious, and listened patiently to Lu Ming's account of what happened, then fell into deep thought.

After a while, she said, "Well, I understand."

She then asked about the condition of the injured. After learning that Lu Ming had already arranged for their treatment, she nodded in satisfaction.

However, Jiang Xingkuo seemed to have other ideas.

She called Lu Ming to her side again and said to him, "You must be prepared tomorrow. Some civilians have no combat experience and need to be trained well."

Lu Ming scratched his head helplessly and said distressedly: "This is not a difficult thing, but the problem is, who would be willing to join the army at this time? Everyone knows that this is a war where one's life is at stake and there is a possibility that one may never return."

Jiang Xingkuo raised his eyebrows, his eyes firm, and said, "You don't have to worry about this matter, I have my own way."

Lu Ming had seen Jiang Xingkuo's methods and understood her personality. Since she said so, she must have a plan in mind. So, he didn't say anything more and just nodded in agreement.

Jiang Xingkuo looked at the lobby of Runxue Hall which was packed with people coming to drink porridge, and then thought of the private rooms filled with seriously wounded soldiers, and he pondered for a long time.

She called Tengxi and said in a serious tone: "We need to do something to change this situation. Tengxi, I hope you can let the wounded spread the news, and send some eloquent people to other restaurants and inns that are distributing porridge."

"It is especially important to emphasize that Your Majesty has shared the hardships with the soldiers and fought despite injuries. Now is the moment when the country's survival depends on life and death. If young, strong and capable people can go to support, those who join the army will definitely receive generous rewards, and those who make great contributions can be promoted. The court will also support the wives, children and parents of the soldiers who died in the battle."

After hearing this, Tengxi showed a hint of hesitation on his face and asked, "Is this really feasible?"

Jiang Xingkuo nodded and answered firmly: "Just go ahead and do it. Also, arrange a few more people to deliberately provoke disputes."

Tengxi was shocked and asked in confusion: "Provocation?"

Jiang Xingkuo nodded, a sly look flashed in his eyes, and he said confidently: "Yes, it's a provocation. You don't have to worry about it, just do what I say."

Although Tengxi was still a little confused, seeing Jiang Xingkuo's determined expression, he said nothing more, turned around and left to start preparing.

There was a solemn atmosphere in Runxue Hall. Several wounded soldiers sat together, talking solemnly about how they had fought tenaciously against the enemy and how they had been seriously injured.

The people on the side had heavy expressions on their faces, and from time to time they uttered sounds of exclamation and praise.

"Let me tell you, those rebels rushed to the city gate like ants. Their number was several times more than ours! It was so densely packed! It made my scalp tingle just looking at them!" a wounded soldier narrated excitedly.

"I couldn't hear what they were shouting, but ladders, siege engines and other heavy equipment were pushed over! The rockets were raining down like a torrential rain, and the catapults were throwing huge rocks. Look, I got this injury from a rock."

"Look at me! Look at me! I was shot by an arrow! Although we were injured, no one took a step back!" another wounded man added.

After hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration for these wounded soldiers.

At this time, someone brought some steaming hot porridge, and everyone drank the porridge while continuing to listen to their vivid stories.