The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

at dusk.

Jingzhou, Jiangxia Commandery, Queyue City.

City Lord's Mansion.

A group of Imperial Guards rushed from afar and arrived outside the City Lord's Mansion.

The Imperial Guard captain dismounted, took out an imperial edict from his sleeve, and shouted loudly, "Imperial edict! Marquis Chu Xiu, receive the edict..."

This single sound shook the entire city lord's mansion.

Chu Xiu led Fang Heng and the others out of the city lord's mansion, bowed and said, "Your humble servant receives the imperial decree!"

"My lord, His Majesty said that you can just look at it directly."

When the Imperial Guard captain saw Chu Xiu come out, he handed him the imperial edict with a look of awe and said.

"Thank you for your trouble, General."

Chu Xiu nodded slightly, accepted the imperial edict, and spoke to the Imperial Guard Captain.

"This is what I should do."

The Imperial Guard captain said with trepidation.

I slowly opened it and began to read it carefully.

Chu Xiu had anticipated that Empress Murong Si would send someone to deliver a decree of reward.

After all, he killed so many experts from the Maitreya Sect and the Xiao family of Yangzhou, and also wiped out 100,000 Yangzhou soldiers. If he is not rewarded, who will work for the Great Zhou Dynasty?

only.

He never expected that Murong Si would let him into the Five Armies Commandery and make him the Vice Commander of the Central Army Commandery.

Although his rank was the same as that of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, entering the Five Military Commands meant having the opportunity to control the army, and it was even possible that one could eventually become a governor of a region.

After reading it, Chu Xiu put the imperial edict away and looked at the Imperial Guard Captain with a smile, saying, "General, you must be tired from your long journey. It's getting late, so why don't you rest at the City Lord's Mansion for a while and return to the capital tomorrow?"

"Your Excellency, there is no need for rest."

"With the Dragonblood Horse, we won't have to work hard."

After a moment's consideration, the Imperial Guard captain said, "This humble officer should also return to the capital to report to His Majesty."

"Very well, then I won't try to stop you."

Chu Xiu smiled slightly and looked at the Imperial Guard Captain.

The Imperial Guard captain saluted Chu Xiu, mounted his horse, and led the Imperial Guard soldiers away.

After watching the Imperial Guard captain leave, Fang Heng looked at Chu Xiu with curiosity and asked, "Lord Marquis, has His Majesty bestowed any rewards upon you?"

"Assistant Commander of the Central Military Commission".

Chu Xiu said calmly.

"The Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission?"

Fang Heng and the others were stunned for a moment, looking at Chu Xiu with shock on their faces, as if they could not believe it was true.

Given Murong Si's favor towards Chu Xiu, doesn't that mean the Marquis might have the potential to take charge of the Central Military Command, or even the Five Military Commands?

You should know that there has never been such a precedent for the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Even during the heyday of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could only be the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Let's go back."

"Three days. I'm giving you three days to fully digest and absorb what you've learned during this period."

"Three days from now, I will lead you into Yangzhou and reclaim it for our Great Zhou Dynasty!"

A glint of light flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes as he spoke firmly and resolutely.

"Yes."

Upon hearing Chu Xiu's words, Fang Heng and the others became solemn and shouted in unison.

Before we knew it, the sky had completely darkened.

The night was as dark as ink, the stars were hidden, and only a deep darkness remained between heaven and earth.

Yangzhou, the capital city, the ancestral home of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, the deepest part of the Xiao family mansion.

Here, there is only a thatched hut, extremely simple.

No one could have imagined that such a simple thatched hut was hidden in the forbidden area of ​​the ancestral home of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, a place that even the direct descendants of the Xiao family in Yangzhou could not easily approach.

After all, the entire ancestral home of the Xiao family in Yangzhou was a magnificent and luxurious residence, truly a wealthy family.

Yet, there is such a place here.

To put it bluntly, even the most ordinary servant in the ancestral home of the Xiao family in Yangzhou would live in a place far better than this.

This is where Xiao Longcheng, the patriarch of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, lived and practiced seclusion.

Xiao Yu stood outside the thatched hut, and said respectfully, "Ancestor, we..."

squeak...

The door of the thatched hut slowly opened, and an old man dressed in coarse cloth, with snow-white hair and beard, and a ruddy complexion, walked out barefoot. He looked at Xiao Yu and said calmly, "I already know."

The old man was none other than Xiao Longcheng, the patriarch of the Xiao family in Yangzhou!

"Ancestor, what's next?"

Xiao Yu cautiously looked at Xiao Longcheng and tentatively asked.

"Wait."

"Once the Unborn Ghost Soldiers are completely refined, we will no longer need to worry about Chu Xiu thanks to the Maitreya Annihilation Array."

"The old monk Xiao Longcheng said in deep meditation."

"only……"

“I’m worried that Chu Xiu won’t give us that time.”

Xiao Yu gave a bitter smile and said with a wry smile.

His biggest worry right now is that Chu Xiu will lead more than 9,000 Imperial Guards into Yangzhou.

Are they going to abandon Yangzhou?

This place is not only the foundation of the Xiao family in Yangzhou, but also the foundation of the Maitreya sect.

Once their foundation is destroyed, they are like water without a source or a tree without roots.

More importantly, their Unborn Ghost Soldiers were forged in Yangzhou and hidden beneath the ancestral land of the Xiao clan of Yangzhou.

Without successfully refining it, the Unborn Ghost Soldiers cannot recover to their strongest strength.

They might not be able to stop Chu Xiu.

Do you think they'll just stand by and watch us lose Yangzhou?

Xiao Longcheng said calmly, as if his mind were a still well.

After saying that, Xiao Longcheng turned around and went into the thatched hut, closing the door behind him.

"Ancestor, I understand what you mean!"

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up, and he said with a look of surprise.

Yes, whose instigation was it that the Xiao family of Yangzhou rebelled?

Although he didn't know who the real contact person for the Xiao family of Yangzhou was, he was certain of one thing.

It must be one of the five surnames and seven prominent families.

Their rebellion by the Xiao family of Yangzhou was certainly not something the five clans and seven noble families wanted to see suppressed so quickly.

The Yellow Heaven Sect of Jizhou, and even the holy land-level sects throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, were unwilling to see the Xiao family of Yangzhou suppressed.

Who isn't waiting for the arrival of a great era of contention, or even hoping to hasten its arrival?

Whether it's the five noble families and seven powerful clans, or the top-tier holy land sects, which one of them doesn't treat the common people as mere pawns, regarding all living beings as ants, and wishing the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would be engulfed in war in order to obtain everything they desire?

Swish!

An elderly man in brocade robes appeared out of thin air before Xiao Yu, bowing respectfully and saying, "Patriarch, the Yellow Heaven Sect from Ji Province has arrived!"

This person is Xiao Yun, the eldest elder of the Xiao family in Yangzhou.

His status and position within the Xiao family of Yangzhou were second only to Xiao Yu.

Their cultivation level has also reached the Celestial Immortal realm!

"Have people from the Yellow Heaven Sect of Jizhou arrived?"

"Our ancestor is indeed a master strategist; the Yellow Heaven Sect has arrived so quickly!"

A glint of light flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "What is this person's identity within the Yellow Heaven Sect?"