Female special forces soldiers in ancient times

The Golden Palace of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, the Great Zhou Dynasty is simply asking for an exorbitant amount."

The demands they made are simply impossible for my Great Xia to meet.

The money and grain we pay them each year amount to at least ten years' worth of taxes from our Great Xia Dynasty.

In the event of a major disaster, our Great Xia might not even be able to achieve its tax revenue target for ten years.

After the eldest prince relayed Su Zheng's words to the emperor, Li Xiang immediately jumped out to object.

As the Minister of Revenue of the Great Xia Dynasty, Li Xiang was more aware of these matters than anyone else.

Therefore, his words naturally carry authority.

After hearing this, the emperor frowned and asked, "Then, my beloved ministers..."

How should our court respond?

Prime Minister Wang spoke first: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes we should consult with the delegation from the Great Zhou Dynasty again."

Let's see if we can lower the stakes a bit more. Our army has just suffered a defeat.

It's not advisable to resist head-on; resolving the issue through negotiation is the best course of action.

The Wang family has spoken, so Wu Lixin definitely has to cooperate.

After all, the Wang family and the Wu family are currently on good terms.

Wu Lixin also flattered, saying, "Your Majesty, I agree with Prime Minister Wang's statement."

It is rare that the Great Zhou Dynasty has agreed to negotiate peace with our Great Xia Dynasty; we should prioritize peace now.

To avoid war, lest countless lives be lost.

The eldest prince has recently become completely aligned with the Wang and Wu families.

Seeing that both sides had spoken up, he knew he had to curry favor with them.

The eldest prince then stepped forward and stated, "Father, I agree with what Prime Minister Wang and Lord Wu said."

The Great Zhou is powerful; if we rashly refuse, it may trigger war, which would be detrimental to our Great Xia.

The second prince, not to be outdone, stepped forward and said, "Father, I believe we can use a combination of persuasion and force."

First, negotiate with the Great Zhou. If they do not agree to lower their demands,

Then we are not afraid of military confrontation with them.

However, I believe this move is quite risky and not a foolproof plan.

He thought to himself, "This time I've finally spoken a little better than the Crown Prince, haven't I?"

The Third Prince then said, "Father, I have an idea."

Perhaps we can pretend to agree to some of Da Zhou's demands first.

This bought us time to reorganize our military equipment and prepare supplies.

At the same time, envoys were sent to form alliances with other neighboring states to jointly deal with the Great Zhou.

However, this is not a foolproof solution and requires further consideration.

At this moment, the Fifth Prince, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and spoke with great passion:

"Father, I absolutely do not agree with such a weak and cowardly attempt to make peace!"

How could my great Xia, a mighty nation, be so subservient to the Great Zhou!

Seeking peace in everything will only embolden the Great Zhou to take advantage of the situation.

Where is the dignity of our Great Xia? Haven't the blood of our soldiers been shed in vain?

Your subject is willing to personally lead a large army to fight a decisive battle against the enemy forces of Great Zhou, and defend the glory of my Great Xia!

The emperor remained silent, his expression grave, the scales in his heart swaying constantly.

After thinking for a long time, he turned his gaze to the two brothers, Li Zhong and Li Xiang.

The Wang and Wu families have both spoken up, so what's the situation with your Li family?

Surely you can't leave me with absolutely no solutions, can you?

No, the emperor couldn't let the Li family have it so easy, so he made up his mind.

"My two beloved ministers, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Li Zhong frowned deeply; this matter was truly too thorny, and he had been pondering it for a long time.

But when the emperor asked him a question, he had no choice but to answer, but before he could even begin to speak...

But a guard's voice came from outside, interrupting everyone's discussion.

"Your Majesty, Li Tingting, a third-rank bodyguard of Yonghua Palace, requests an audience."

Li Zhong and Li Xiang exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled.

Isn't this just ridiculous?

This is the Golden Palace, and you, Li Tingting, are just a lowly bodyguard with a sword?

Can she just come in like that? But this girl didn't tell them beforehand.

Therefore, the two brothers had no choice but to take it one step at a time.

Let's see what that girl is up to.

Of course, not only the Li brothers, but even the emperor was bewildered.

You say you won't see her? This girl is the eldest daughter of the Li family; her two uncles are right here watching her.

You say you want to see him, but that doesn't seem to follow the rules and procedures of the palace.

However, out of respect for Li Zhong and Li Xiang, the emperor considered for a moment,

With a wave of his hand, he declared, "Summon them!"

Li Tingting strode confidently into the Golden Palace, drawing everyone's attention.

She knelt on one knee, cupped her hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to lead troops into battle to resist the Great Zhou!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Before the emperor could speak, Li Zhong immediately reprimanded him in a stern voice:

"Your Majesty, what Guard Li said is utterly absurd. She is merely a lowly bodyguard with a sword; how could she possibly lead troops into battle?"

Your Majesty, I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider his youth and ignorance, and his patriotic sentiments.

Don't blame her for banishing her from the palace.

Isn't that right? What nonsense is this girl spouting today? Her words startled both Li Zhong and Li Xiang.

Li Xiang also immediately knelt down on the ground, "Your Majesty, I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider his youth and ignorance and not to blame him."

Li Tingting raised her head, her eyes shining brightly, and said loudly, "Your Majesty,"

My lords, though I hold lowly positions, I have practiced martial arts since childhood and am well-versed in military strategy.

He has considerable knowledge of military strategy and tactics.

Now that the Great Xia Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, this humble servant is willing to sacrifice my life for the Emperor and for the Great Xia Dynasty.

"We will shed our blood, and we will not fail in our mission!"

Li Zhong snorted coldly: "Absurd! Women going to war is unheard of from ancient times to the present."

Besides, what ability do you, a mere guard, have to shoulder such a great responsibility?

Despite Li Zhong's stern words, anyone with eyes could see that he was protective of his own.

Li Tingting replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Lord Li, you are mistaken!"

When the nation is in peril, men and women are not distinguished; loyalty and courage are the only criteria.

"This humble servant guarantees with his life that he will not fail the expectations of His Majesty and the people of Great Xia."

Li Xiang chimed in, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable."

The battlefield is dangerous; how can we let a woman be put in danger?

Li Tingting did not back down: "Lord Li, although I am a woman..."

But they also had the determination to defend their homeland. If they couldn't go to the front lines to fight the enemy...

"I have lived this life in vain!"

Haha, what's going on here? These three—uncle and nephew—are they putting on an act?

They openly tore each other apart in the imperial court today.

This amused all the civil and military officials in the court, especially Wu Xiong'an of the Wu family, who was overjoyed.

He immediately jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the two Lord Lis are mistaken!"

First of all, Guard Li is highly skilled in martial arts; even Your Majesty's personal guards were once beaten up by him.

Furthermore, Guard Li is General Li's daughter, and has been influenced by him since childhood.

Therefore, I believe that if Guard Li were to lead the troops into battle, he would surely achieve a great victory against the Great Zhou.

Wu Xiong'an doesn't care whether Li Tingting can lead troops into battle.

He just wanted Li Tingting to go to war and die.

Not long ago, Li Tingting sneaked into his house late at night.

I gave him a good beating and haven't gotten my revenge yet. Now I have a chance to get it back.

How could Wu Xiong'an possibly miss out?

Not only should we not miss it, we should also make the most of it, he said.

He even gave his cousin Wu Lixin a meaningful look.

Wu Lixin immediately understood and chimed in.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that Guard Li is commendable for his courage and loyalty to his country."

They should be given a chance. Besides, as the saying goes, a tiger father begets no dog daughter.

General Li Fei is the number one war god of our Great Xia, and Guard Li is his daughter.

How could he possibly be unable to lead troops into battle?

Prime Minister Wang stroked his beard and slowly said, "Your Majesty,"

The veteran minister also believed that Li Huwei should be given a chance.

She was highly skilled in martial arts, well-versed in military strategy, and was also the daughter of General Li Fei.

Therefore, it was not a bad strategy for Guard Li to lead the army against the Great Zhou.

Seeing that both the Wu and Wang families had given their support, the eldest prince quickly echoed their sentiments:

"Father, even Prime Minister Wang and Minister Wu have said so."

Your subject firmly believes that Protector Li can achieve great military exploits for our Great Xia.

The second and third princes simply followed suit: "Father,..."

Your subject also thinks it's worthwhile to give Guard Li a try.

The Fifth Prince, who was originally a proponent of war, was even more agitated:

"Father, let Guard Li go. Your son is willing to go to war with Guard Li!"

Because both the Wang and Wu families, two prominent clans, expressed their support.

In an instant, voices in the imperial court supporting Li Tingting's expedition rose and fell.

Li Zhong was so angry his face turned ashen. How could he not see it?

Aren't these courtiers just trying to send Li Tingting to her death?

She immediately knelt down again: "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Guard Li is just a woman..."

The battlefield is dangerous; a single misstep can cost you your life.

Li Xiang also said urgently, "Your Majesty, Guard Li is young and impulsive."

Our objections are not without merit. We urge Your Majesty to reconsider!

The officials from the Li family's camp also knelt down and shouted in unison:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Looking at the ministers arguing endlessly in the court, how could the emperor not know their purpose?

Wu Jia hates Li Tingting and hopes he will agree to let Li Tingting go to her death.

The Wang family and the Wu family have a good relationship, so they will definitely help the Wu family.

Several princes wanted to curry favor with the Wang and Wu families, so they chose to follow suit.

However, while the Wang and Wu families wanted to deal with Li Tingting, the emperor wanted to deal with the Li family.

The emperor was naturally pleased to send Li Tingting to lead the army, especially if Li Tingting won.

That's certainly a good thing.

If we lose, haha! Then I'm sorry, the Li family, I'm determined to kill them!

There was no other way; the Li family was so wealthy. So, we had to give her a chance.