Marry my elder sister? Fine! I'll give you the letter of annulment and marry someone else.

"General, the Queen of Phoenix Nation is truly kind to her people and soldiers. She's the one who says women are not legitimate. A monarch who can lead his people to prosperity is legitimate. Please stop being prejudiced against her."

If they were given a choice, they would definitely choose an empress who would treat them well, rather than an emperor who would watch them go to hell and not care.

Upon hearing this, Qi Feng was struck by lightning and couldn't stand steadily.

bias……

This seems to be the first time I heard someone say that this is prejudice.

In the past, everyone tacitly agreed to this idea, and no one thought it was wrong. However, Song Zhi single-handedly changed everyone's mind without anyone noticing.

Is he really wrong? But hasn't this been the way our ancestors have lived for generations?

Qi Feng looked panicked, with confusion flickering in his eyes.

He looked at his hands. These hands should have been used to fight the enemy and protect the people, but now they have become the hands that push the people to their tragic deaths.

He even went against his morals and did something like poisoning on the battlefield. Just as Xie heard, was this really his original intention?

Seeing Qi Feng's expression slightly moved, the soldiers hurriedly pursued him, their eyes reddening as they said, "General, look at what Tianqi has become. Let's all surrender to the Phoenix Nation. To be honest, this isn't just our opinion. All of us brothers, except the Iron Cavalry, share this sentiment. We're not just speaking for ourselves."

Qi Feng looked at them belatedly, "Are you just notifying me?"

"No, the general treats us well. We are just discussing this matter with him."

Qi Feng took a long, weary breath. "I truly cannot betray the Emperor. Let's not mention this matter again. I will submit a letter to the Emperor explaining our current predicament. I believe the Emperor will not leave us alone and will definitely find a way to resolve this crisis."

Everyone was speechless. "If it could be lifted, couldn't it have been lifted long ago? I heard the situation in the capital is also very bad. If it weren't for the 100,000 cavalry stationed there, I'm afraid the angry refugees would have flattened the palace."

"No, there must be room for recovery. The late emperor was diligent and upright when he was alive. How could such a great nation as Tianqi collapse in such a short time?"

Qi Feng painfully explained that before, he didn't think there was anything wrong with obeying the emperor's orders.

Until now, I am afraid to face such mistakes.

"General, why are you deceiving yourself? Even if Tianqi still has a chance to revive, what's the difference between you asking the newly established Phoenix Kingdom for 300 dan of grain at this critical moment and forcing the executioners of the Phoenix Kingdom to death? Don't the people of the Phoenix Kingdom have food or water? How big is the Phoenix Kingdom?"

The soldiers tried their best to persuade Qi Feng, and really hoped to convince him.

Qi Feng waved his hand solemnly, "No need to say more, I will never surrender."

"General!"

"You guys go out first and leave me alone."

Before the soldiers could continue speaking, Qi Feng immediately ordered them to leave.

There was no choice but to leave.

After leaving the courtyard, everyone gathered together and said, "What should we do? The general won't listen no matter what. Tomorrow is the deadline for a response. Do we really have to surrender with the general's head?"

One of them said angrily, "This is the only way. We've done all we can. We can't let everyone die with him."

Some people echoed, "Yes, sacrificing the general in exchange for a chance for all the people in Xuancheng to survive is worth it."

"Okay, that's it, let's just stick to the original plan."

After everyone made up their minds, they began to prepare everything in full swing.

What they didn't know was that Qi Feng was silently shedding tears in the room at this moment.

He was in great pain and torment. Many times, he would rather be just an ordinary person than hold so much power that the situation became irreversible.

With trembling hands, he took out a letter from his arms. It was sent by the Queen of Phoenix Country.

There is only one sentence above: You have let down everyone who trusted you.

He had been suffering in his heart for some time, and this sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, breaking his taut nerves in an instant.

He clutched the letter tightly and knelt on the ground with a thud. The words the soldiers had just said echoed in his mind. He finally raised his eyes with a firm look and looked towards the direction of the capital.

It's time to cut the loss. There are so many people under his command who can see things more clearly than him.

He should wake up, long time ago.

Everything he had done during this period flashed through his mind, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that he deserved to die.

He let out a weak breath. He no longer had the face to live in this world, but there were still so many innocent soldiers and civilians who should not have died tragically.

Let him go to hell and make amends for the tragic deaths caused by him.

He drew the sword from his waist and affectionately caressed this old friend who had been with him for many years.

"I'm sorry, I really wronged you by letting you follow someone like me."

He slowly raised the blade, with a guilty look on his face, and cut fiercely towards the neck.

An unknown amount of time passed before the servant who brought food arrived. When he pushed open the door, what caught his eyes was the scarlet blood all over the floor, and Qi Feng lying on the ground, already dead.

"General!"

Screams pierced the sky, and the entire Xuancheng was instantly in chaos.

Song Zhi didn't know all this, and at this time, she was still making preparations for both scenarios.

She has already contacted Zhang Liu and King Tuoba. If the Tianqi soldiers cannot give her a satisfactory answer this afternoon, she will ask them to search for Zhishu and try to find a way to send her to Liucheng on the third day.

If it's really too late, then there is only one last resort -

Exchange three hundred dan of grain for the antidote.

As for getting the antidote, she would just sneak over with her secret guards to kill people and steal the goods.

Song Zhi had made thorough arrangements, but she didn't expect that when she went to the checkpoint that afternoon, the soldiers would tell her directly, "Your Majesty, General Qi has committed suicide. We will open the city gates at noon tomorrow. You can lead the Phoenix Nation soldiers to enter directly."

After saying this, as if to show their sincerity, all the soldiers guarding the border retreated.

Song Zhi returned to the City Lord's Mansion and told everyone about the incident. After examining Qi Feng's body, everyone agreed that there should be no trap, so they ordered everyone to pack up and prepare to occupy Xuancheng.

The sun is shining surprisingly brightly today, casting a warm glow on everyone.

As early as last night, Song Zhi took out some cabbage, radish, buckwheat and rice from Yuebai.

Therefore, these grains paved the way for the troops.

The people who had been hungry for a long time didn't even have the strength to rush over and grab the food when they saw it. Song Zhi had people bring all the refugees along the way to Xuancheng.

Standing under the tall city wall, I saw that the city gate was indeed wide open.

All the Tianqi soldiers except the Iron Cavalry laid down their weapons and welcomed the arrival of the Phoenix Army.