Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

"What? The border has been lost?"

In the Taiji Hall, Emperor Wu looked at the officials who were reporting below in shock, and dropped the memorial in his hand onto the table without even opening it.

There was an uproar among the civil and military officials. They looked at each other, all shocked by the latest news.

"Are you telling the truth?"

Emperor Wu could no longer keep calm. He slammed the table and stood up, glaring at the officials below and shouting loudly.

The majestic voice made the officials below tremble all over, but they still kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, how dare this humble servant lie? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally wrote the memorial and asked this humble servant to come back and report!"

"Oh my god, the border has been lost! Wouldn't the Northern Desert's foreign cavalry be able to march straight in? Our Wu Dynasty is in danger!"

"From the north of the capital to the northern border region, there is no longer any barrier to resist the Northern Desert Cavalry! Are we going to use the Wu Dynasty's infantry to resist the cavalry?"

"Alas, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been staying in the inner palace and has never personally experienced the battlefield. How could he possibly win?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Wu Dynasty is unable to resist the Northern Desert Cavalry for the time being. Moving the capital is the best strategy now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I second the motion!"

Emperor Wu's face became increasingly ugly. He had never expected that the civil and military officials of the Wu Dynasty had no integrity at all. When faced with a powerful enemy invasion, their first thought was to escape.

After scanning the courtiers, Emperor Wu set his sights on Li Nian and said, "Prime Minister, the Wu Dynasty is in danger now. What are your suggestions?"

Li Nian's lips curled up slightly, and he tried hard to suppress his inner joy. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Wu Dynasty was built by our ancestors over hundreds of years. How can we give it up so easily?"

"Oh? What does the Prime Minister mean? Tell me about it!" Emperor Wu felt a little relieved.

Ever since Zhou Chuxuan killed dozens of ministers in the court last time, there are basically only three voices in the court now.

The first is Prime Minister Li Nian and the ministers behind him, the second is Xu Qinglong and the ministers behind him, and the third is the several princes on his side.

However, these princes were not very useful and basically played no decisive role.

So only Li Nian and Xu Qinglong were left. Xu Qinglong had been claiming illness and not attending court recently, and his ministers also became lazy and claimed to be sick.

Looking around the court, only Prime Minister Li Nian was left in power, with almost no one to check and balance him. This made Emperor Wu very uneasy, but no one could compete with the Prime Minister in a short period of time.

Li Nian suppressed his excitement and slowly took two steps forward. "Your Majesty, the rise and fall of a dynasty depends mainly on the capital! This is not only the top of the country, but also a holy place in the hearts of all the people of the Wu Dynasty!"

"Don't act rashly, this is the first thing!"

"Secondly, even if the Northern Desert Cavalry breaks through the border, our Wu Dynasty soldiers are not completely annihilated! Immediately summon all the royal armies in the world to gather under the capital!"

"If a hundred thousand troops can't stop the Northern Desert's foreigners, then we'll have to use two hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, a million! Can we really allow foreigners to run rampant on the land of our Wu Dynasty?"

A hint of cunning flashed in the depths of Li Nian's eyes. As long as Emperor Wu could hold on to the capital and wait for Zhou Chuxuan's army to arrive, with the help of internal and external forces, great things could be accomplished!

Emperor Wu nodded slowly, "The Prime Minister's words make sense! Then issue an order, commanding all the royal armies to converge on the capital! We will fight a decisive battle with the foreigners right here in the capital!"

After the court was dismissed, a man in black came to Li Nian’s residence and knelt before him.

"How is His Royal Highness's plan going? Why haven't any of the scouts I sent out returned?" Li Nian tapped his knuckles slowly on the armrest of the chair, his brow furrowed.

"Prime Minister, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince kept those scouts with him to prevent them from exposing themselves. This letter is written to you!"

The man in black pulled out a letter from his sleeve and respectfully handed it to Li Nian: "Prime Minister, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already reached an agreement with the Northern Desert tribes. The foreign cavalry is not far from the capital!"

"What about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Li Nian opened the letter and read it carefully, and his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, gather your troops and divide them into five groups. Advance through the smaller routes. Your speed will be slightly faster than that of the foreign cavalry!"

"We are expected to arrive at the capital in fifteen days. When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pretends to engage in a melee with the foreign cavalry, the Prime Minister can use this opportunity to persuade His Majesty to dispatch the Imperial Guards to assist us!"

"Then..."

On the other hand, after Zhou Chuxuan sent out the officials and scouts to report the situation, he prepared to break camp and set off.

Early in the morning.

Camp outside the city.

Zhou Chuxuan had just come to his senses when he heard a loud noise coming from outside.

"Mad, you stinky bitch, are you stealing again?"

"Last time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was so kind and generous that he let you go and even gave you some money. But you're still so ruthless. Today, I'm going to punish you severely!"

"Come on, brothers. Today is the day we break camp and set off. Let's have some fun first!"

Hearing the noisy sound, Zhou Chuxuan hurried out, only to see a group of soldiers surrounding the girl he had let go that day.

He couldn't help but frowned and walked forward: "What are you all doing here, making a fuss over a little girl?"

"His Royal Highness!"

The soldiers saluted hurriedly, "Your Highness, this bitch is really going too far! You already gave her money and food last time, and now she's here again so early this morning!"

"People like this are still thieves even if the city gates are built! We might as well arrest them now and send them to the inland authorities for punishment!"

"That's right, Your Highness. If she can steal food now, she will be able to collude with alien races and sell intelligence in the future. This kind of person is capable of anything. Your Highness, you must not let her off easily this time!"

Zhou Chuxuan looked at the girl deeply and found that her clothes were even more tattered, even revealing her scarred skin.

"Well, I'll leave her to me! All of you go prepare to break camp and set off!"

"Yes, His Royal Highness!"

They were just a group of soldiers and dared not disobey the prince's wishes. Even if Zhou Chuxuan released the girl again, it would not be their turn to say anything.

Zhou Chuxuan pulled the girl into the tent, divided his dry food into two portions, and pushed one of them in front of the girl.

He didn't ask the girl's name, nor did he blame her for stealing again. He just said softly, "Eat!"

The girl looked at Zhou Chuxuan hesitantly for a few times, until Zhou Chuxuan started to use his chopsticks, then she opened her mouth and bit the pancake and started to eat.

She ate bigger and bigger, completely disregarding her image as a girl, and her cheeks were covered with flour powder.

Zhou Chuxuan chuckled, poured a bowl of water and pushed it over: "Eat slowly, I won't snatch it from you!"

The girl suddenly stopped and looked at Zhou Chuxuan with burning eyes, with crystal tears flashing in her dark eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying?"