Reborn to marry the emperor, I just want to confuse the emperor and seize the throne

Training began soon afterward. On the first day, dozens of soldiers fainted from the cold. The medics were extremely busy, and they were running out of ice medicine. They could only rub their stiff limbs with snow.

Xie Shang did not stay in the military tent to warm himself by the fire. He took off his dragon-patterned armor and personally led the training, wearing only a thin black battle robe, running, fighting, and crawling forward with the soldiers in the snow.

By the end of the day, his hands were covered in chilblains, his face was cracked and bleeding from the cold wind, and his whole body was soaked with a mixture of sweat and snow.

The soldiers were suddenly filled with patriotic fervor as they looked at the emperor who was training alongside them.

That evening, when Ge Ming applied medicine to him, he couldn't help but tear up. He had watched the emperor grow up, and his training in the Hidden Camp since childhood was already arduous. He was the prince who was least afraid of hardship and fatigue among all the princes.

He was probably the only prince who had suffered so much hardship in the Hidden Camp since childhood.

Ge Ming advised, "Your Majesty, why are you doing this to yourself..."

"The morale of the soldiers of Great Zhou is low. I am doing this to boost their morale. I want them to know that a ruler cannot just send his soldiers to suffer and die. Although I am the Son of Heaven, I am the same as them, and we are soldiers who are also guarding the land of Great Zhou."

Xie Shang looked at the figures outside the tent, gritting their teeth and persevering in the cold wind, and said, "I want them to know that their emperor is fighting just as hard as they are."

The training intensity was doubled on the third day.

On the fifth day, a miracle began to occur. The soldiers, whose lips had turned purple from the cold, gradually regained their rosy complexion. They moved faster and faster in the snow and stopped trembling violently and fearing the cold.

Xie Shang's eyes flashed with relief and encouragement. "The human body has potential. As long as we dare to break through the limits, we can adapt. The sons of our Great Zhou are no worse than anyone else. Defend Pingcheng, take back the cities we have lost, drive the foreign invaders out of the territory of Great Zhou, and our loved ones will live."

Xie Shang's words instantly ignited the soldiers' fighting spirit. They proved with facts that the severe cold was not the greatest difficulty; the most terrifying thing was when the enemy's butcher's knife was aimed at the necks of their loved ones.

The Northern Owl Kingdom was utterly inhuman. The cities they lost, and the people within them all became their prisoners of war. Not a single one of their captured comrades escaped; they all fell under their iron hooves.

The horrific scene was chilling.

From this day forward, the soldiers will train even harder.

At the same time, Xie Shang secretly mobilized 500 engineers.

These people trained normally during the day, but at night they were taken to a cave behind the camp, which was filled with damp sulfur stones. He also sent people to collect oil from the people and ordered a batch of special thin-walled pottery jars.

After training that day, Guo Xiao suddenly found Xie Shang outside his tent and asked to see His Majesty.

The guard dismissed him on the grounds that the emperor needed to rest. Guo Xiao also knew that the emperor had not had a proper rest since he secretly came to the northwest to personally command the battle, so he did not want to disturb the emperor's rest.

So Guo Xiao waited outside the tent until the emperor woke up.

He grew colder and colder as he waited, and remembering that his name wasn't on the mission list for Flying Eagle Gorge, he took his sword and began practicing in the snow.

He recalled his father writing a letter to General Peng, saying, "The Guo family has had only one son for three generations... You must save his life."

Every word is still vivid in my mind. After this battle ends, my father will transfer him back to the Ministry of War.

Does this mean he should act like a coward, hiding behind thousands of brothers and secretly returning to the Ministry of War?

Guo Xiao cleaved the snowdrift in front of him with a single sword stroke, sending snow fragments flying. His purpose in following Peng Fei to the Northwest was to make a name for himself and achieve great things.

He promised Lin Yu that he would never desert, that he would earn military merit, and that he would marry her in a grand and glorious manner. He wanted everyone in the capital to know that Lin Yu was not marrying a playboy who only knew how to fight cocks and ride horses, but a general of the Great Zhou.

At this point, after fighting several battles, he realized that everyone's life could disappear in an instant, and perhaps his turn would come next, but he could not back down.

Now, the most crucial battle is right in front of him, but he has become a "coward" because of his father.

Guo Xiao's swordplay grew increasingly fierce, carrying a resentful and hostile aura. The snowflakes were stirred up by the sword energy, forming a small whirlwind around him.

"clang--!"

The clang of metal against metal made his hands go numb, and Guo Xiao staggered back three steps before regaining his balance. When he opened his eyes, he saw a black figure rushing towards him like a ghost, the sword light drawing a cold arc in the snowy night.

He asked, "Who?"

There was no response, and then a swift attack suddenly ripped through the night sky.

Guo Xiao gritted his teeth and met the attack head-on. The opponent's swordsmanship was not flashy, but every strike was precise and ruthless, aimed directly at vital points. What was even more terrifying to him was the overwhelming aura that made it hard for him to breathe.

After ten moves, Guo Xiao finally saw the face of the person who had come before.

The snow reflected off his sharply defined face, his palms whistling in the wind, his brows exuding the majesty unique to an emperor, and his eyes flashing with sharp glint.

Guo Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Guo Xiao instinctively wanted to sheathe his sword and kneel down, but Xie Shang's sword had already followed him closely to his neck.

"You want to admit defeat before the battle is even over?" Xie Shang's voice came clearly through the wind and snow: "Is this all the son of Minister Guo is capable of? If you admit defeat now, how will you face your sweetheart?"

These words struck Guo Xiao like a slap in the face.

Guo Xiao suddenly looked up, his eyes seemingly burning with flames.

"This subordinate...I apologize."

Guo Xiao joined the West Suburbs Camp as an ordinary soldier, and later became a captain thanks to his cleverness. Now he is just a squad leader, but only he knows how hard he works in private.

He no longer wanted to walk the streets of Shengjing and be called the spoiled brat of the Guo family. He used to squander money in brothels, and he spent those dissolute years with the young masters of Shengjing's aristocratic families...

He will eventually use the sword in his hand to wash away those shameful marks on himself.

He no longer backed down, but instead took the initiative to launch an attack, changing his sword moves to be as sharp as the wind.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Shang's eyes, which quickly turned into appreciation. He countered each move with even more exquisite swordsmanship, guiding and probing the opponent.

The only sound in the air was the clanging of metal.

The two moved nimbly through the snow, leaving trails of snow and footprints of varying depths wherever they went.

Guo Xiao fought with increasing ferocity, his body moving like a nimble snake. He realized that the Emperor was guiding him in swordsmanship.

After countless exchanges, Guo Xiao's sword forced Xie Shang to take a half-step back, the tip of his sword grazing Xie Shang's chest... and upwards.

Xie Shang suddenly sheathed his sword. "Stop."

Guo Xiao's sword stopped in mid-air, only three inches from Xie Shang's throat. He was startled awake and hurriedly withdrew his sword and knelt down, saying, "This humble servant deserves to die for offending Your Majesty."

Xie Shang saw that he was a promising talent and reached out to help him up, saying, "Get up. If this sword strike had been used on the battlefield, you would have already won."