Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Mid-May, Chang'an, Xia Palace.

Sitting on the throne, Li Shaohao looked at the civil and military officials who were all pretending to be dead in the hall and became impatient.

"Ministers, what should we do now? Speak up! The Chu army has captured Anding, and Li Siqian's 10,000-strong army has been completely annihilated."

"Our next step is to march straight for Chang'an! The Great Xia Dynasty is at this critical juncture of survival, aren't you all worried? Speak up, are you all mute?!"

However, no matter how mad Li Shaohao went, the courtiers below remained silent.

Because they were all terrified and didn't know what to do.

After all, no one expected things to turn out this way.

Since leaving Huguan Pass, the Chu army has been invincible, capturing Luoyang, Hangu Pass, and Anding in just over a month.

Not only did they successfully recover the Heluo region, but they also invaded Guanzhong, their military might threatening Chang'an.

After being bombarded by the Imperial Guards, almost all of the Western Xia's elite troops were wiped out. Those who remained in Chang'an and Xiliang were mostly new recruits who had never been on the battlefield.

These new recruits, who had never experienced the baptism of war, were brave but lacked real combat experience. Li Shaohao dared not expect them to be able to resist the invasion of the Imperial Guard, which had annihilated the main force of the Western Xia.

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Shaohao angrily stepped down from the throne, pointed at them, and said, "You were the ones who said that the Chu Kingdom was weak and the newly enthroned empress could not control the ministers."

My Great Xia can seize this opportunity to launch an eastern expedition and take over the entire Heluo region. Perhaps we can even force the Great Chu court to send the Empress to be my foot-washing maid!

But what about now? Forget about the Empress washing my feet; I haven't even had a chance to settle in the Heluo region before the Chu army has reclaimed it.

They even marched directly into Guanzhong, where hundreds of thousands of elite Xia troops were wiped out!

Now that things have gone wrong, everyone's turning a deaf ear! Huh? Speak up, all of you! What should we do?!

Li Shaohao was furious; he hadn't anticipated this situation at all.

Seeing that Li Shaohao would fly into a rage without offering advice, a minister immediately spoke up to offer suggestions.

"Your Majesty, Great Xia was originally a vassal state of Chu. Now that Chu has invaded, it is likely to punish Great Xia."

As long as the ruler sends a letter to Jinling, stating that everything is a misunderstanding, and that the Great Xia is merely temporarily governing the Heluo region on behalf of the Great Chu,

The conflict that occurred during this period was entirely due to a lack of communication. If the ruler were more sincere, the Great Chu would likely forgive and forget and immediately withdraw its troops.

Li Shaohao hurriedly said, "That makes sense, what you say makes sense. Immediately write a letter for me and send it to Jinling."

As long as the words are sincere and the language is elegant, the Empress of Great Chu will surely forgive and forget.

However, some ministers raised different opinions.

"Your Majesty, the Chu army is only a hundred li away from Chang'an. Writing a letter now and sending it to Jiangnan would be too late."

Moreover, the Chu army is clearly heading for Chang'an this time, since the national policy of the Great Chu—to recapture the old capital—remains unchanged to this day.

How could they possibly miss such a golden opportunity? In my humble opinion, the best course of action is to mobilize the entire nation to confront them to the very end!

Li Shaohao nodded: "Yes, yes, you're right. Immediately order the Helian, Tuoba, and Su Yan troops of Liangzhou to enter Chang'an and fight the Chu army to the bitter end."

As soon as he finished speaking, another minister said, "Your Majesty, even the most elite army of our Great Xia cannot defeat the Chu army."

How could the three forces stationed in Liangzhou possibly defeat them?

Moreover, these three factions have long harbored rebellious intentions, and now that they have learned of the crushing defeat suffered by our Great Xia Royal Court, they will surely seize this opportunity to launch an attack.

The old minister couldn't guarantee whether inviting them to Chang'an would be enough to defend against the Chu army, but the king's move was definitely inviting trouble.

"I fear that even if we drive away the Chu army, they will surely stay in Chang'an and refuse to leave. Does Your Majesty have the confidence to control them?"

Li Shaohao frowned immediately: "This won't work, that won't work, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Your Majesty, you can write a letter to the Great Yan Kingdom requesting aid to put pressure on the Chu Kingdom. Our Great Xia and Great Yan are ancestral relatives."

However, due to various reasons, they came to the Northwest. Since they are brotherly nations and have formed an alliance, they will definitely not sit idly by.

"What should we do in the time before the Great Yan takes action? Can the garrison of Chang'an withstand the Chu army's attack? I'm afraid that before we even get a reply, our Great Xia will be destroyed!"

"In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to negotiate with the Chu army. After explaining the advantages and disadvantages to their commander, they will definitely withdraw their troops."

"Are you kidding me? The Chu army wiped out hundreds of thousands of my Great Xia's elite troops. What makes you think you can make them listen to you and withdraw your troops with just a few words?"

"We could send a few royal daughters to the Chu camp to please their commander."

"What if their coach doesn't accept it?"

"Then there's no way."

For a moment, the people in the royal palace each held their own opinion and began to argue.

Seeing this, Li Shaohao dragged his weary body back to the throne.

"Ah……"

He glanced around at the scene again and let out a self-deprecating bitter laugh.

"These are my courtiers, huh? Hehehe..."

Suddenly, a palace attendant came to report: "Your Majesty, the head of the Changsun family is requesting an audience outside the palace gates."

Li Shaohao's eyes lit up: "Quickly, please invite him in."

Compared to these courtiers who only knew how to argue, he preferred to communicate with Changsun Yang, who had a certain level of knowledge.

A short while later, Changsun Yang jogged into the royal palace.

"This humble citizen, Changsun Yang, greets Your Majesty."

"No need for such formalities, Patriarch Changsun. What brings you to the palace today?"

"Naturally, we came for the Great Xia."

Changsun Yang looked solemn.

"Your Majesty, the Chu army is about to besiege the city. Have you considered a countermeasure?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shaohao clenched his fist and said, "I intend to fight the Chu army to the bitter end in Chang'an!"

Changsun Yang was shocked: "Your Majesty, this is a path to self-destruction, and it must not be done!"

Li Shaohao: "What do you mean by the words of Patriarch Changsun? Are you perhaps trying to boost the morale of others and diminish our own?"

Changsun Yang: "Your Majesty has misunderstood! To tell you the truth, after the fall of Anding, I secretly went to the Chu camp to investigate their strengths and weaknesses."

"My lord, the Chu army is well-equipped, far superior to ours by more than a hundred times. Leaving them in Chang'an will only bring endless suffering and serve no other purpose."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the Western Xia court officials in the hall.

"Patriarch Changsun, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by saying that the Chu army's weaponry is more than a hundred times better than that of our Great Xia? Does that mean that every soldier in the Chu army has a top-grade spiritual weapon?"

"Patriarch Changsun, aren't you just hoping that the Chu army will enter Chang'an? After all, your powerful clan in Guanzhong was originally a subject of the Chu state, and now you can be considered to have returned to your ancestral home, right?"

Despite the ridicule and sarcasm around him, Changsun Yang remained unfazed.

After the mocking voices subsided, he slowly said, "Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, please hear me out."

General Helian, General Li, and even the entire Blood Fiend Alliance were annihilated by the Chu army. Did everyone think this was just a coincidence?

The emperor and his ministers fell silent, listening intently as Changsun Yang continued.

"Your Majesty, I have personally witnessed the Chu army's weaponry. Every soldier in their army carries a firearm called a rifle, which can penetrate two layers of thick iron armor from three hundred paces away."

There was also a type of firearm called a machine gun, which could be cranked hundreds of times in a single breath, tearing apart men and horses within a hundred paces, preventing them from advancing even an inch.

In addition, there were even more terrifying cannons, capable of striking targets ten miles away with a single shot.

The explosion was as powerful as a thunderbolt, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, comparable to a peak strike from an Immortal Realm expert.

The reason our Great Xia suffered such a crushing defeat is because the Chu army was equipped with such powerful weapons. If our ruler insists on holding out...

Even if we exhaust all the manpower and resources of Chang'an, we can't hold out for more than three days. Does the ruler truly intend to continue this defense?

Upon hearing this, Li Shaohao's face turned deathly pale: "Then, according to Patriarch Changsun's opinion, what should I do? Should I carry thorns on my back to apologize and personally go to Jinling?"

Changsun Yang said, "Your Majesty, the commander of the Chu army is determined to recapture Chang'an this time. Staying here will only lead to mutual destruction."

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should withdraw from Chang'an and temporarily return to Xiliang to avoid their advance. We, the powerful clans of Guanzhong, will certainly buy you time to return west and ensure Your Majesty's safety."

"To make me withdraw from Chang'an?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shaohao and his ministers were immediately somewhat unwilling.

Although Chang'an is far less prosperous than it was during the reign of the Chu Kingdom, its environment, customs, and especially the brothels have long captivated these Western Xia nobles.

They were extremely reluctant to leave and return to the harsh and cold land of Xiliang, where they would constantly face threats from the Kingdom of Weizang.

"My lord, leaving Chang'an is only temporary. As long as we're alive, we can fight again. The Chu army is a lone force."

They cannot stay in Guanzhong for long. After they withdraw their troops and return to the capital, the ruler can still return at his leisure.

"Is there really no other way?"

"My lord, there is no time to lose! If we wait until the Chu army reaches the city walls, it will be too late to leave!"

Li Shaohao raised an eyebrow and finally sighed.

"Please, Prince, think about it carefully again."