Time travel, quick transmigration

Halfway there, Xiao Huanling finally received the news from the Taiyuan soldiers who came to deliver the message that Taiyuan had been occupied by An Lushan.

They simply stopped and set up camp in the suburbs.

Jiang He, Zhang Liang, and Feng Xiang were all deeply saddened to learn that Taiyuan Prefecture had fallen into An Lushan's hands, that Li Moyan, who was left behind to guard the city, had died in battle, and that most of the soldiers from the three armies and the troops from the three prefectures had been killed or wounded.

The fact that An Lushan, Shi Siming and others openly rebelled was something none of them had expected. Xiao Huanling summoned Jiang He and others to his tent.

"General, An Lushan has rebelled. Hebei has fallen, and Taiyuan has fallen into the hands of the rebels. Shouldn't we return to Taiyuan to annihilate An Lushan and the other rebels, and avenge the soldiers who fought alongside us?"

Jiang He was clearly agitated due to his extreme anger.

Zhang Liang was always composed. Although he was deeply saddened, he remained relatively calm on the surface, unlike Jiang He who was filled with righteous indignation. He simply stared at Xiao Huanling, waiting for his decision.

Feng Xiang and Li Moyan shared a deep bond. He was still grieving upon hearing of Li Moyan's death. Looking at Xiao Huanling, his eyes were red with suppressed tears. He naturally wanted to exterminate the rebels and cut off An Lushan's head. At this moment, he only awaited Xiao Huanling's order, ready to fight An Lushan and his men to the death.

Xiao Huanling observed the expressions on the three men's faces and understood their thoughts. After all, he had spent quite some time in Taiyuan Prefecture, and he was naturally saddened to learn of its fall and the deaths of Li Moyan and others. However, it was impossible for him to change course and attack An Lushan instead of returning to Chang'an. Compared to killing the traitor, he cared more about his beloved, whose life was threatened and whose safety was not guaranteed in Chang'an.

He was neither a man of noble character nor one willing to sacrifice his life for his king. Given the choice, he would naturally choose to return to Chang'an as soon as possible to protect Shi Yan. However, he would never reveal his private thoughts to anyone. Therefore, looking at his three generals, Xiao Huanling pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I understand your thoughts, but the enemy is currently very strong, and Taiyuan has already fallen into enemy hands. Even if we fight our way back, it will be of no use. Moreover, given An Lushan’s actions and ambitions, he is not only interested in Hebei and Taiyuan; he is after the whole country. His Majesty has issued an edict summoning us back to Chang’an, which must have a profound meaning. Although a general in the field may not always obey the emperor’s orders, we cannot sit idly by and ignore His Majesty’s safety.”

"With An Lushan and Shi Siming among those plotting against the entire Tang Dynasty, Chang'an is bound to be in danger."

"His Majesty only allowed me to bring 10,000 Xuan Ce troops back to Chang'an this time. Although the Xuan Ce troops are all elite, compared with the forces of An Lushan and Shi Siming, even if we fight to the death, our chances of winning are only a few percent."

"This general cannot risk the lives of these soldiers. Whether you understand or not, this general will not change his decision to return to Chang'an to see His Majesty."

"I will not go to Taiyuan, nor will I allow any of you to return to Taiyuan. We will break camp and continue our journey in half an hour. Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law."

Although Jiang He was indignant after hearing Xiao Huanling's words, he did not have the courage to disobey Xiao Huanling's orders. He had always followed Xiao Huanling's lead and felt that Xiao Huanling's decision had its reasons.

"General, I'll listen to you."

"Once we return to Chang'an, if An Lushan dares to come, I will definitely kill that traitor to avenge my fallen brothers."

After careful consideration, Zhang Liang also felt that Xiao Huanling's concerns and decisions were reasonable. As subjects, they could not ignore the life and death of His Majesty the Emperor.

"Liang, I will follow the general's orders."

Feng Xiang had never understood Xiao Huanling. Although he was disappointed that Xiao Huanling still decided to continue forward and not change course to return to Taiyuan, Feng Xiang, who believed in loyalty to the emperor to the death, could not insist on returning to Taiyuan to avenge Li Moyan and the other generals after hearing Xiao Huanling's words. After all, they should prioritize the safety of the emperor. So he suppressed all his grief and anger and respectfully said.

"Your subordinate will obey all orders from the general."

A hint of relief appeared in Xiao Huanling's eyes, but in his heart he was secretly planning how to take advantage of the chaos back in Chang'an to bring his beloved away from the palace, completely escape the capital, and go to a safe place that would not be disturbed by worldly affairs and would be isolated from the chaos.

He didn't care about the emperor's life or death, and even selfishly planned to use those who followed him, believing him to be devoted to the emperor and carrying a great sense of righteousness. The Xuan Ce Army was discovered and trained by him, and they were all loyal to him. He had anticipated that they would all be compensated with enough money and gold in the future. He knew he wasn't particularly wise, but he had said from the beginning that following him meant he would never regret it, even unto death. Since they were all willing to follow him, he wouldn't soften his heart.

"In that case, everyone shall return to Chang'an with me."

As Xiao Huanling spoke, he glanced at Jiang He and Zhang Liang. He had already prepared a way out for them, two people who had followed him wholeheartedly from the beginning and treated him with sincerity; he wouldn't let them take such a risk. As for Feng Xiang, Feng Xiang was indeed a talented person, but Feng Xiang's loyalty was to the emperor, not to him, Xiao Huanling. Therefore, if Feng Xiang wanted to die for the monarch, he would only grant his wish and not stop him.

"Ayan, wait for me. You must take good care of yourself before I go back to see you."

In Nanxun Palace, Shi Yan changed into a simple and elegant outfit from her sleeping quarters, then took the curtain and addressed Aman.

"Aman, come with me out of the palace. The situation is critical, and I must go outside the palace to meet with a few people and make preparations."

Aman stepped forward to tidy Shi Yan's hair and then stepped back a few paces.

"Your Majesty, if we leave the palace so rashly, what if someone discovers that you are not in the palace and reports it to His Majesty?"

Shi Yan smiled at her, trying to comfort her.

"You don't need to worry about that. With frequent wars these days, An Lushan and his men have already given His Majesty and all the civil and military officials a lot of headaches. The concubines and palace servants in the harem are even more anxious and worried. How can they have the mind to take care of things in our palace?"

"Just accompany me out of the palace. We'll take the secret passage, so there's no need to worry about anyone finding out. Before we leave the palace, I'll instruct them to guard Nanxun Palace."

Ah Man's doubts were dispelled upon hearing this.

Although she didn't know what Shi Yan was going to do outside the palace, since Shi Yan was willing to take her along and trusted her so much, she was naturally willing to go with Shi Yan.

"Your Highness, wherever you go or what you do, Aman will accompany you."

Shi Yan curved her lips into a smile.

"Okay, let's set off."

"You haven't met Haiyue and the others yet, so today I'll let you meet them and get to know each other. In my heart, you are all good sons and daughters who are loyal and righteous."

Ah Man smiled in response.

"Your Majesty is too kind. In my heart, you are the most extraordinary woman in the world..."

Shi Yan affectionately tapped Aman's forehead.

"Let's go."

He then walked outside.

Upon seeing this, Aman immediately followed.

After making the arrangements, Shi Yan led A Man away from the palace servants and the palace guards towards the secret passage.