With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

But at this moment, the Beixiang Kingdom Palace, thousands of miles away, was a completely different scene.

A gray carrier pigeon flapped its wings and landed on the windowsill of the imperial study.

The small bamboo tube tied to his leg contained the news of the fall of Yunyang City.

After reading the letter, the King of Beixiang felt a black screen in front of his eyes and almost fainted.

He swept the memorial and inkstone on the table to the ground.

Fragments were scattered everywhere, and ink was spilled all over the floor, just like his mood at the moment, a mess.

"Trash! They're all trash!"

He roared, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

"Fan Tong is such a traitor! I treated him well, yet he dared to betray the country and surrender to the enemy!"

He paced back and forth, his chest heaving violently as if it would explode at any moment.

The loss of Southeast Pass had already made him extremely anxious, and now Yunyang City had fallen into Lu Yan's hands.

These successive blows almost drove him crazy.

What made him even more angry was that that kid Lu Yan actually dared to say that.

He was asked to withdraw the troops from the capital, but that was not enough and he had to apologize.

Otherwise, we will fight all the way to Tianjun City!

This is simply a shame!

When had he, the King of Beixiang, ever been threatened like this?

Fear surged into his heart like a tide, and he realized it.

Lu Yan is no longer the little prefect of Shannan Prefecture who allowed him to bully him.

In just a few months, this kid has grown to such a level that even he is afraid.

He forced himself to calm down, knowing that now was not the time to lose his temper.

He must find a way to deal with the crisis at hand.

He summoned all the civil and military officials and told them the news of the fall of Yunyang City.

There was an uproar in the hall.

The ministers looked at each other in disbelief.

"It's only been a short time, and Yunyang City has already been lost?"

"That bastard Fan Tong actually surrendered? He's my trusted confidant!"

"Hundreds of thousands of troops can't even defend a city? What are those generals doing for a living?"

……

The King of Beixiang Kingdom's face turned pale as he listened to the ministers' discussions.

He roared, "Shut up, everyone! Now is not the time to assign blame, but to find a solution to the problem!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" the minister advised cautiously.

"Now let's think about how to deal with Lu Yan's threat."

The King of Beixiang glared at the minister:

"Deal with it? How to deal with it? That Lu Yan is simply a lunatic!"

"He actually threatened to attack Tianjun City! My Princess Mingyue is still in his hands. I... I..."

At this point, the King of Beixiang's voice choked.

He sat dejectedly on the dragon throne, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Finally, he raised his head and glanced around, his eyes finally falling on Chu Wen:

"Lord Chu, what do you think we should do now?"

Chu Wen was the brother-in-law of the King of Beixiang State and also his most trusted adviser.

He has always been known for his resourcefulness and has great prestige in the court.

Chu Wen also had a serious expression at this moment. He pondered for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to find out Lu Yan's true intentions."

"Real intention? He's already at his doorstep, what else could his intention be?"

"Don't you just want to destroy my Beixiang Kingdom?"

The King of Beixiang said angrily.

"Your Majesty, please calm down," Chu Wen said calmly.

"Although Lu Yan behaves eccentrically, he is not a reckless man."

"He had been holding his troops in place until now, but now he's suddenly launching an attack. He must have some ulterior motive."

"What else could he possibly be plotting? My Princess Mingyue is still in his hands!"

The King of Beixiang said this with gritted teeth.

"If he dares to touch my daughter, I will tear him into pieces!"

"Your Majesty, Princess Mingyue is Lu Yan's trump card. How could he easily touch her?"

Chu Wen analyzed, "I think Lu Yan's move is more like an attempt to force us to negotiate with him."

"Negotiate? What are we talking about? Do we need to cede territory or pay compensation?"

The King of Beixiang was furious.

"Your Majesty, the situation is stronger than us now, we have no choice but to bow our heads!"

Chu Wen urged earnestly.

"Lu Yan has already occupied Jiannan Pass, Yunyang City and many other cities. His strength should not be underestimated."

"If we continue to fight him, I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what? Just tell me!"

The King of Beixiang urged impatiently.

Chu Wen took a deep breath and said:

"I'm afraid that our Beixiang Kingdom is in danger of extinction!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly fell silent.

The King of Beixiang Kingdom turned pale.

He never imagined that he would be forced into such a desperate situation.

"Your Majesty, I think it is better to negotiate peace!"

Chu Wen suggested again.

"Peace talks?" A trace of struggle flashed in the eyes of the King of Beixiang.

At this time, the general stood up and said passionately:

"Your Majesty! I firmly oppose peace talks! Those scoundrels in Shannan Prefecture are now like grasshoppers after autumn."

"Letting them go now is no different from raising a tiger to harm you."

"Our Beixiang Kingdom is vast and rich in resources. It is one of the most powerful countries in the world."

"How can we bow down to Shannan Prefecture, which is not even a country?"

"If this gets out, will our Beixiang Kingdom still have any face? Where will the emperor's face be?"

"I second the proposal!"

……

At one time, there were no less than twenty people seconding the motion.

Chu Wen sneered, as if he had heard a huge joke.

"My Lords, are you truly ignorant or are you pretending not to know? What is the current situation of our Beixiang Kingdom?"

"If we keep fighting, the national treasury will be empty! By then, let alone resisting Lu Yan, I'm afraid we won't even be able to pay the soldiers!"

He looked around, his eyes sharp as a knife.

"If Lu Yan really reaches Tianjun City, who can resist him? You guys?"

The King of Beixiang had a terribly gloomy expression on his face, like the dark clouds before a storm.

He stared at the general with a cold tone:

"Since the commander is so confident, then tell me, how do we fight?"

"I give you 200,000 troops and 100,000 civilians. Can you take Shannan Prefecture?"

The general held his head high and chest puffed out, full of confidence:

"Your Majesty, the fall of Yunyang City is a responsibility that I hold undeniable to Fan Tong."

"His actions are suspected of collaborating with the enemy. Perhaps he has been bribed by Lu Yan, leading to the fall of the city."

"If Lu Yan dares to invade, I will lead the troops to fight and repel him!"

"What a come-and-no-return!"

Chu Wen sneered.

"Master Taiwei, have you forgotten how Jiannan Pass was lost? Those artillery pieces in Shannan Prefecture are no pushovers!"

"No matter how thick the city walls are, they can't stop their artillery fire!"

The general curled his lips in disdain:

"Master Chu, are you scared to death?

If Shannan Prefecture really had such powerful weapons, Lu Yan would have become the king long ago.

Would you still hide in that remote and poor place in Shannan Prefecture?"

"That's right! If Shannan Prefecture was really that powerful, Lu Yan would have already fought his way to Tianjun City. Why would he wait until now?"

Several ministers echoed this, and a burst of laughter rang out in the hall.

The general bowed triumphantly:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to the battle and capture this traitor Lu Yan!"

The King of Beixiang felt a sense of depression in his chest and was in a dilemma.

Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and his palms were slightly damp.

His original plan was to negotiate peace with Lu Yan.

Even if it means returning all the treasures looted from the Datong Dynasty in exchange for Princess Mingyue, he would not hesitate.

In his opinion, this is the best way to stop the loss and the best solution to maintain the face of Beixiang Kingdom.