The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Empress, Empress." Chunchao's gentle call brought Shen Tianjiao back to reality.

"General Yan, please stand up." Shen Tianjiao clenched her fists and dug her sharp nails into the palms of her hands, using the pain to prevent herself from losing her mind.

"General Yan, how many people are available in the Yulin Guard now?" Shen Tianjiao, who had regained her sanity, began her deployment.

"In reply to the Queen, the Yulin Guards can now use no more than 5,000 people." Although Yan Mingde didn't know what had happened, as a military commander he had an innate keen sense of danger.

"Five thousand people?" Shen Tianjiao frowned. The Yulin Guards that protected the capital were said to have as many as three hundred thousand men, but the Yulin General in front of her told her that there were only five thousand people available. This was simply ridiculous!

"Yes, there are only five thousand people available at most." Although Yan Mingde lowered his head, he could feel the invisible oppression from the queen's gaze.

"In addition to what you said just now, shouldn't General Yan explain to me why there are only 5,000 Yulin Guards available out of 300,000?" The sense of oppression around Shen Tianjiao was getting stronger and stronger, and everyone in the hall could clearly feel it.

"In reply to the Empress, this is all my dereliction of duty." As a general commanding the Yulin Guard, Yan Mingde was unable to control his own soldiers. He was probably the most aggrieved and incompetent Lieutenant General of the Yulin Guard so far.

"I don't want to listen to your nonsense. What I want to know is the truth." Shen Tianjiao said this casually, but it sounded like thunder in people's ears.

Yan Mingde secretly swallowed his saliva, quickly raised his head and glanced at Shen Tianjiao, then made up his mind and said, "It's true that the Yulin Guard has 300,000 people, but most of them are not under my control."

"Go on!" Shen Tianjiao already had some guesses in her mind, but she still wanted to hear the truth with her own ears.

"Except for the 5,000 men under my command, the rest have been divided up by the Emperor over the past two years. Some have been assigned to the City Defense Battalion, some have been dispatched to Youzhou, some are with Ling Xifeng of the Ministry of Punishment, and the Emperor has given a small portion to Concubine Feng's younger brother, Feng Jie, the City Gate Captain."

Yan Mingde confessed everything all at once. These things were originally hidden secrets, but he told them all in front of Shen Tianjiao without reservation today, not because he was forced by Shen Tianjiao's identity as the queen, but because of his absolute trust in Shen Tianjiao.

Everything was made clear, so what else was there for Shen Tianjiao to not understand? She sneered, and felt a trace of sadness inexplicably in her heart, but not for herself but for the real dead Shen Tianjiao.

It would be fine if this extraordinary woman, who is so smart and beautiful, was trapped by love. With so many good men in the world, why did she choose to hang herself on Li Rui, a scumbag?

Li Rui split up and separated the Yulin Guards that protected the capital. All this was just to guard against the Shen family, restrain the Shen family, and trap the Shen family.

"Empress, General Bai and General Wan are here." Chunchao reminded in a low voice, pulling Shen Tianjiao back from her anger.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at the three people standing in front of her, stood up and said, "I believe you three already know that Li Bin has rebelled in Chongzhou. He has gathered an army of 200,000 and will soon attack Shangjing."

The three people standing below all had expressions of disbelief and shock on their faces. On the surface, they were generals guarding the capital, but in reality, they had long been excluded from power.

"General Bai, General Wan, General Yan, I have summoned you here today, and you should all be aware of this. I will not mince words. Although you were once members of the Shen family army, you are now all powerful and influential officials. At this critical moment for the survival of this family and this country, if I were to use you, would you be willing?"

The human heart is unpredictable, the most easily changed, and the most vulnerable to test. This is the experience Shen Tianjiao gained at the cost of her life in her previous life. In such a critical moment, Shen Tianjiao requires absolute loyalty.

"I swear to follow the Queen until death, to be loyal to the country and to protect the peace of the people. This is my duty as a military general. I still remember the teachings of the Marquis in the past and will never forget them. Once I join the Shen family army, I will be a member of the Shen family army for life." Bai Qishan was the first to kneel down to express his feelings.

"So do I, your Highness."

"So do I, your Highness."

Wan Feng and Yan Mingde then seconded the motion.

"That's good." Shen Tianjiao felt touched as she looked at this. It was great that the backbone of the Yunli Kingdom all came from the Shen family army.

"Li Bin has assembled an army of 200,000 this time. Their strength cannot be underestimated. We must quickly formulate a detailed and thorough battle plan to achieve the greatest victory at the lowest cost."

"I will obey my orders."

As Shen Tianjiao walked out, she instructed Chunchao, "Time is running out, so we'll leave a few generals here to discuss matters. Please treat them well and don't neglect them."

"I know." Chunchao agreed and walked out with Shen Tianjiao.

"You don't have to follow me. Bring me my crescent dagger and let Qiu Tong go with me." Shen Tianjiao's eyes were full of cruelty at this time.

"This old minister will go with the Empress." Wang Yunzhi, who had been standing aside without speaking for a long time, trotted to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao raised her lips slightly and smiled faintly, "Lord Wang, have you thought it through? This is a life-or-death situation for me today. If I make a mistake, it won't be as simple as losing my job and returning home."

Wang Yunzhi bowed and saluted Shen Tianjiao. "Since I am willing to follow Your Majesty, I do not care about the consequences. I believe Your Majesty will be able to save the lives of my Wang family."

Before Shen Tianjiao could answer, Bai Qishan followed closely and said, "Your Majesty, formulate a battle plan. General Wan and General Yan will suffice. I will follow you."