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

When Fu Lin'an, acting on his own initiative, launched a night raid on the Chu army camp and was completely annihilated, Zhang Gui had already rushed to the important capital.

For six days and five nights, Zhang Gui rode on horseback without sleep, at the cost of seven fast horses, and finally arrived in Shengjing on the morning of the seventh day.

Upon entering Shengjing, he disregarded everything else and headed straight for the Forbidden City.

At this moment, Li Hong's birthday banquet came to a successful conclusion, and the festive atmosphere still lingered inside and outside the capital.

When Zhang Gui met Li Hong, Li Hong, accompanied by Yong, was admiring the strange mountains and rocks presented as tribute from foreign lands in the Imperial Garden.

Zhang Gui pushed aside the two guards who were trying to stop him and rushed to Li Hong, kneeling down: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report."

"Zhang Gui?"

Upon seeing that it was Zhang Gui, Li Hong immediately frowned.

"Didn't I send you to take over Zhenzhou? Why are you back so soon?"

Zhang Gui raised his eyes: "Your Majesty, I have important military intelligence to report to you, it's extremely urgent!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hong's expression changed slightly: "Extremely urgent?"

"It's urgent!"

Zhang Gui's answer was firm and resolute.

The smile on Li Hong's face froze instantly, and he stared intently at Zhang Gui.

Zhang Gui, however, showed no fear and confronted Li Hong for a few seconds.

"Ah."

Li Hong chuckled and glanced at He Yong, saying, "This Zhang Gui is just a hothead. He Yong, do you see? This is a true loyal minister."

He Yong hurriedly replied, "This servant does not know what a loyal subject is. This servant only knows that whatever His Majesty wants this servant to be, this servant will become that person."

"Hahaha."

Hearing He Yong's reply, Li Hong smiled with satisfaction.

Then he waved to Zhang Gui: "Get up and come with me to the Imperial Study. I want to hear what exactly is so urgent."

……

Inside the Imperial Study, after Zhang Guijian and Yong left, he took out the letter of state given to him by Shen Lang from his bosom and handed it to Li Hong.

"Your Majesty, this is the letter of state presented by Emperor Shen Lang of Chu. Please take a look."

Li Hong calmly accepted the letter of state, but instead of immediately reading it, he slammed it heavily onto the desk.

"I ask you, what is the situation in Southern Zhili?"

"I dare not deceive His Majesty. The Chu army fleet has sailed north from Haizhou and has already occupied Southern Zhili. All the coastal defense fortresses of the naval forces along the coast have been destroyed."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong was so stunned that he remained in a daze for almost half a cup of tea's time.

After a long silence, he sneered: "You mean to say that the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed along the southern Zhili region could not stop the Chu army fleet from invading?"

"Is it true that Jiankang City has now been occupied by the Chu army?"

Zhang Gui did not answer, but simply nodded with her eyes lowered.

"Then how dare you come back!"

Li Hong suddenly roared and pointed at Zhang Gui's nose, cursing.

"Zhang Gui, what exactly are you doing? Do you even know what kind of impact the fall of Jiankang will have on the court?"

"Southern Zhili accounts for half of Wu Zhao's tax revenue. Don't you know that if Southern Zhili falls, the Grand Canal will inevitably be abandoned next year, and millions of people will lose their livelihoods as a result?"

"What will happen to them without a livelihood? Tell me, Zhang Gui, what will those artisans, laborers, and officials in charge of the canal transport do?"

Despite repeated questioning, Zhang Gui remained silent.

After Li Hong finished venting, Zhang Gui slowly said, "Your Majesty, I understand what you have said. But Your Majesty, if there had been even the slightest hope, I would not have rushed back to the capital to see you."

Li Hong: "What do you mean? Are you saying that my Wu Camp soldiers are helpless against the Chu army?"

Zhang Gui shook his head: "The Chu army's firearms are far more formidable than those I saw on the training ground that day. In just a quarter of an hour, Fu Lin'an's probing attack resulted in the loss of over a thousand men."

"Your Majesty, what price do you think my Wu Zhao Kingdom will pay if we engage in a direct confrontation with the Chu army like this?"

Li Hong: "So, because the Chu army has powerful firearms, you were afraid and after negotiating with the enemy, you came to me with this so-called letter of state?"

Zhang Gui: "It is not that I am afraid, but that such a meaningless war serves no purpose other than sending soldiers to their deaths in vain."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong's face showed a hint of weariness, and he sighed as he sat down at his desk.

"Zhang Gui, do you still remember when we fought Xuechuan, the generals of each army suffered repeated defeats, causing the battle to drag on for more than ten years without being captured?"

In the end, I still appointed you as commander-in-chief. It took five years to completely wipe out the rebels on Xuechuan. At that time, all the officials in the court advised me to give up and stop fighting.

Yan Xuechuan is a harsh and cold place; even if they were to win, all they would gain would be a desolate wasteland. Such a situation would be extremely detrimental to the country, causing immense hardship to the people and resources.

But I insisted on fighting, because I could never submit to a group of traitors in my life. It was you, Zhang Gui, who stood by my side back then.

Only then did I gain the confidence to fight these rebels to the bitter end. In the battle of Xuechuan, I mobilized 600,000 troops.

It took hundreds of thousands of laborers transporting grain and supplies, costing ninety million taels of silver, to finally succeed.

"If it weren't for your leading by example, let alone five years, even fifty years, even if I closed my eyes in death, we might not have been able to quell the rebellion."

Recalling those glorious years, Zhang Gui was also very emotional: "It was all thanks to the Emperor's benevolent rule and his unwavering support behind the scenes."

"It was only through His Majesty's grace that I was able to successfully capture Xuechuan. I dare not take credit for it; everything was given to me by His Majesty."

Li Hong: "If it's credit that belongs to you, then you don't need to deny it. I know perfectly well who is useful and who is just seeking fame and fortune."

Besides, I am already the emperor, how could I steal the credit of my subjects? Zhang Gui, you are the most meritorious official of this dynasty.

"Your subject dares not accept such an honor."

The words were pointed and implied, which made Zhang Gui feel a deep sense of guilt.

Li Hong smiled slightly: "I really miss the Battle of Xuechuan back then. You fought bravely on the front lines, and I took care of the supplies and provisions for you from behind."

To this end, I made four southern tours, seeking funds from merchants and officials in the south, and even killed eight salt merchants in the process.

Back then, you and I worked together so perfectly, and you never let me down.

But why are you backing down now, Zhang Gui? Are you getting old?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui's nose tingled with emotion: "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm old, but rather that I see things very clearly. The Chu army's military bearing and weaponry far surpass those of my Wu Zhao army."

"If we rashly launch a full-scale war and lose, where will His Majesty's reputation be?"

Li Hong: "Haven't I lost face enough? In the more than ten years I've spent pacifying Xuechuan, how many times have my army been routed by the Xuechuan rebels?"

In the war against the Jiang Kingdom, I mobilized the entire nation's strength several times but was unable to conquer it.

As for the wars against the Eastern Barbarians, how many times were we defeated? I know perfectly well what happened.

But in the end, didn't I regain all the face I had lost?

Zhang Gui, I'm not afraid of losing face. As long as we win in the end, I don't care about anything else.

"You should return to Jiankang immediately and, together with Fu Lin'an, reclaim Jiankang for me. That is what you should be doing. What do you say?"

Zhang Gui's eyes were red, and she tried hard not to let the tears fall.

But he still insisted, "Your Majesty, please heed my advice and negotiate with the Chu army. This battle is different from the past."