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

Li Yan was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Father! You are the holy ruler of Wu Zhao Kingdom, your son dares not act on his own initiative, Father!"

Li Yan isn't stupid; Li Hong's actions are a classic example of shifting blame.

If he agreed, he would have to bear the consequences of inciting the people to charge the enemy lines.

If that's the case, regardless of success or failure, he will inevitably leave the world with the impression of being cruel, and how will he be able to ascend the throne as emperor in the future?

Even if he were to ascend the throne, he would inevitably leave a stereotypical image of a tyrant in the minds of scholars.

Even though Li Yan could use his power to suppress scholars, there were so many scholars in the world, and countless people privately compiled history books. He would inevitably leave a "heavy mark" on history books for this infamy.

Although the Wu Zhao dynasty did not have a good reputation among the common people, the royal family still put on a good show.

Li Yan was unwilling to take on this burden for this half-buried old man, so she tried her best to refuse.

However, what he didn't know was that Li Hong, seeing Li Yan's attitude, immediately realized what he was thinking.

Li Yan was unaware that Li Hong's decision to make him this choice was indeed a way to shift the blame and preserve his reputation as "the greatest emperor of all time" and "the king of a prosperous era."

But more importantly, it was a test of Li Yan's courage and determination, to see if his successor had the courage and determination to turn the tide in the face of adversity.

In retrospect, Li Yan's behavior greatly disappointed Li Hong.

"In the end, they will not amount to much."

Li Hong glanced at him, then called out, "Zhang Gui."

"The slave is here."

"Notify all eight divisions of the Beijing Garrison to assemble in front of the South City Gate. Also, notify Xue Dongluo to bring the remaining officers and soldiers of the Wuwei Battalion."

Even if my Wu Zhao Kingdom is no match for the Chu Kingdom, we cannot lose to them in terms of morale. Let's get on with it quickly.

"Yes, slaves follow the order."

Zhang Gui immediately did as Li Hong instructed.

After Zhang Gui left, Ji Yun couldn't wait to ask, "Your Majesty, what is my suggestion..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hong ruthlessly interrupted him, saying, "You poor, pedantic scholar, you're hopeless. Are you trying to push my Wu Zhao Kingdom into a fire pit?"

After saying that, he left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Ji Yun stood frozen in place, the barely suppressed rage beneath Li Hong's calm still echoing in her ears.

"My Wu Zhao governs the country with benevolence and filial piety; how can we commit such a beastly act?"

"You are well-versed in history books, yet you force me to take action against my own people. This is utterly shameful."

"As the saying goes, the ruler is the father, and the people are the children. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, let alone humans."

"What you people said today has greatly disappointed me. Go back and reflect on your actions."

As Li Hong's voice faded into the distance and finally disappeared, Ji Yun burst into tears, turned around, and shouted, "Your Majesty!"

Unfortunately, his behavior doesn't deserve any sympathy from anyone.

……

As dusk fell, when the soldiers of the Jing garrison received news that they were to go to the city walls to defend against the Chu army, the atmosphere instantly became lively.

"What? Foreign invaders have attacked? Good heavens, they really dare to come!"

A shirtless, beer-bellied soldier from the Beijing Garrison casually flicked his rat-tail behind his head and began to boast arrogantly.

"My ancestors, the Guarjia, entered the pass with the Great Ancestor."

"I dare not say anything else, but when it comes to courage, it's absolutely top-notch."

He patted his belly, becoming even more proud.

"Let me make this clear today: when we get to the city walls and it's time to fight those foreign barbarians, don't stop us!"

We absolutely cannot disgrace our ancestors. We must cut off ten or eight heads; only then can we be worthy of our ancestors and the great-grandfather's appreciation of them.

The claims made by the Guarjia clan are becoming increasingly outrageous.

He was soon looked down upon by his companions.

Mantulu, who was tidying his armor, immediately objected upon hearing Guwalgiya's words: "No way, I don't like hearing that. Speaking of which, those of us who stay in the Beijing Garrison..."

"Who among you didn't have ancestors who followed the Great Ancestor and the Holy Ancestor in their campaigns? It sounds like your Guarjia clan is the most valiant, but what if you run faster than a rabbit when it really comes down to it?"

"Pah, you motherfucking filthy fart!"

Upon hearing this, Guarjia immediately wrapped the rat's tail around her neck, patted her chest, and pointed at Mantulu, cursing.

"Mantulu, I know you've been unhappy with me for a long time. Didn't your ancestors herd horses for the Holy Ancestor?"

Our ancestors entered the pass with the founding emperor. How can you, a descendant of a stable boy, compare to me?

"I'll run faster than a rabbit, you coward! You'd probably wet your pants the moment you saw blood!"

Upon hearing this, Mantulu flew into a rage: "Guarjia clan, how dare you insult my ancestors?"

"So what if I cursed him? Bah! A mere stable boy acting all high and mighty?"

Who do you think you are? Looking like you, if you don't pee on the battlefield, I'll be squatting in the toilet from now on.

"Guarjia clan, damn it, you rebellious horse!"

Mantulu, unable to bear it any longer, pounced directly on Guarjia.

"Oh ho, you've grown some guts, huh? I'll show you what I'm made of today, and let you little stable boy know just how many eyes the Horse King has."

Guarjia showed no fear and immediately counterattacked, and the two instantly became entangled in a fight.

"Okay! Well done!"

"Pinch his genitals!"

"Great!"

Instead of dissuading them, the surrounding companions started to jeer, and the entire barracks was thrown into chaos.

"Stop it all!"

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out outside the barracks.

A bearded officer sternly stopped the farce.

"What time is it? Stop fooling around here! Get to the training ground and assemble right now! Do you need to be taught a lesson before you calm down? If you're late, no one can protect you. Hurry up!"

Guarjia and Mantulu, their faces bruised and swollen, got up from the ground, quickly tidied their clothes and armor, and left the camp.

When the two arrived at the training ground, Guarjia said to Mantulu, "Neither of us can convince the other like this. How about this, do you dare to settle things on the battlefield? Let's have a real contest with real swords and spears?"

Mantulu, his face full of dissatisfaction, asked, "What do you want to compete in?"

"Of course, it's about who can kill more foreigners. I'm not afraid to tell you, my ancestor killed more than thirty people from inside the pass in a single day, and the blade was worn down from all the cutting."

"Bah, you dare to brag about that? So what if we killed some civilians? Although our ancestors raised horses for the founding emperor, the five enemies we killed were all armored Ming soldiers!"

"Don't make it sound so mysterious. We'll find out once we take it out for a spin. Whoever loses will have to call the winner 'Grandpa' from now on. Do you dare?"

“What’s there to be afraid of, grandson? I’m just waiting to be a grandfather.”

"hehe."

The two men grinned maliciously and turned their heads away simultaneously.

The Beijing garrison immediately began its advance towards the south city wall.

The two men cheered again when they reached the city wall, stood in front of the crenellations, and saw the Chu army ready outside the city in the twilight.