The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

When Zhu Di pointed at him, the young Zhu Di almost cried.

Dad, what are you doing?!

They were already calling for my death and now they want to castrate me.

Even if I'm wrong, that's not something that needs to be addressed now!

"Father, I am more wronged than Dou E!"

I haven't done anything yet!

If you castrate me now, that would be the greatest injustice in history!

"Hmph, let's see how you behave next, you good grandson!"

Old Zhu didn't even glance at him.

Zhu Qizhen was already furious enough; if Zhu Zhanji were to waste this opportunity to wash away his shame...

Hmph, then the fourth brother really needs to be careful!

Within the sky.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Liu Bang led the Oirat army to withdraw from Yanghe immediately.

By the time Zhu Zhanji led his army to arrive, the daylilies had already dried into cabbage.

Liu Bang left him not a single thing in the city that he could take with him.

Seeing this result, Zhu Zhanji was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, his expression became even more excited.

It was inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the capital city.

Liu Shan stared in astonishment at the palace's furnishings.

Is this what the Ming Dynasty was all about?

This pillar... it can't be made of pure gold, can it?

This dragon throne!

This seal!

This dragon robe...

Seeing that he was still acting like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden on his third day, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but cough twice.

"Your Majesty, mind your manners! The immortals have punished you; you must not indulge in frivolity!"

To everyone's surprise, Liu Shan laughed again upon hearing this.

"It's alright. I discussed it with the immortal and we exchanged a normal lifespan reward for canceling this punishment. Now, playing around won't hurt anymore."

Zhuge Liang: “…”

"You traded half your lifespan for this?"

Confused, confused!

He was about to start lecturing him.

Even if the matter is beyond redemption, Liu Shan must be made aware of its seriousness!

"It's alright, Father, don't worry. I know how precious this lifespan is, so I've already spoken to the immortals about it."

"The immortal will reward the Prime Minister with the remaining half of his lifespan."

"I've lived this long for no reason. Once I've had my fill of fun in this life, I'll just die."

“But the Prime Minister is different. He is going to launch a northern expedition. I have been stupid since I was a child and can’t help him much. This is the only thing I can do.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang suddenly looked up.

He stared in disbelief at the kind and familiar face before him.

"Your Majesty, what did you say?"

"Father, don't worry. I'm still young and in good health. Even without the immortal's reward, I can live for a long time. So your safety is the most important thing."

Liu Shan still smiled with an incredibly honest and simple smile.

Looking at him like this, and listening to what he said.

Everyone, both inside and outside the canopy, was astonished.

"This idiot, he's actually willing to do something like this?"

Although Li Er knew that A Dou respected Zhuge Liang.

But no one expected that, in order to allow Zhuge Liang to live a few more years, Liu Shan would be willing to give him his own reward as well!

This is a lifespan reward from an immortal!

Moreover, given his abilities, this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"To say he's incompetent is an understatement; he's just a bit muddle-headed at best."

"If Liu Bei had left him a unified dynasty, he might actually have been a decent ruler who could maintain the status quo!"

Although Zhao Kuangyin could not do what Liu Shan did—trust a minister without reservation.

He envied this kind of relationship between ruler and subject.

"Kongming, Liu Shan has not disappointed you, has he?"

In Baidi City, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang by the bedside and smiled with great difficulty.

of course!

Both the Zhuge Liang in front of him and the Zhuge Liang in the sky were almost brought to tears.

He always thought that this child was immature and that in order to fulfill his and the late emperor's ideals, he had no choice but to shoulder everything himself.

Unexpectedly, this child knew everything.

He used to be unwilling to take the lead simply because he knew he lacked the ability and didn't want to cause trouble.

"So, Prime Minister, rest assured, regardless of whether we win or lose this exhibition match, you will have enough time for the Northern Expedition."

"And I will wait for your triumphant return in Sichuan."

In the picture, Liu Shan's smile is so honest and simple, it even looks a bit silly.

Yet, this kind of relationship between ruler and subject is something countless people yearn for.

If Liu Bang were watching from outside the celestial canopy right now, he might understand the relationship between Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang.

"you……"

Just as Zhuge Liang was about to ask if he could ask the immortals to retract their decree, Yu Qian, who was standing to the side, seemed to suddenly think of something.

"Lord Zhuge, there's something I just remembered that I thought I should tell you."

"Based on my understanding of Emperor Xuanzong, no matter how eloquent his words are, he won't obediently garrison Yanghe. What he's more likely to do is launch a counterattack against the Oirat!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Yu Qian's expression of no remorse, he instantly understood.

You just remembered?

If you've only just remembered, then pigs can fly!

"Why?"

Why did you only say it now?

"Shouldn't we work together? Even if the Ming Dynasty is indeed well-established, we can't act recklessly like this, can we?"

Zhuge Liang was puzzled.

He clearly came to this challenge to help the Ming Dynasty, and everything he did was surely to prevent the humiliation of Tumu Fortress from repeating itself!

We also do not want a loyal minister and general like Yu Qian to die an unnatural death!

But now it seems these people don't appreciate it at all, and may even be trying to sabotage things?

"The reason I'm saying this now is because the matter is already settled. If I had said it earlier, given your nature, Zhuge Liang, you would most likely have brought the person back."

"But Emperor Xuanzong is not the type to listen to advice. If you forcefully send someone to stop him, it will only cause a conflict, and then the situation will be truly difficult to manage."

"Do you understand this explanation?"

Yu Qian said calmly.

Zhuge Liang: “…”

"I thought we had an absolute advantage in this challenge, but now it seems that things aren't so optimistic."

After a long while, he couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

As expected, the rewards from immortals are not so easy to obtain!

Perhaps choosing Zhu Zhanji was the will of the immortals.

"Not so optimistic? Marquis Wu, do you perhaps think of Emperor Xuanzong as your spoiled little emperor?"

Hearing Zhuge Liang's pessimistic tone, Yu Qian looked puzzled.

"When Emperor Xuanzong was young, he followed Emperor Taizong on several expeditions to the northern desert. After ascending the throne, he defeated all the surrounding tribes and they dared not invade."

"In terms of military strategy and tactics alone, he may not be inferior to you, Zhuge Liang."

"He may not achieve victory in this battle, but he will surely bring back good news!"

Is the evaluation really that high?

Zhuge Liang was somewhat surprised.

Yu Qian is a man with exceptionally high standards.

If he can praise someone so highly, then Zhu Zhanji must be no ordinary person!

……

On the other side of the screen.

Outside Yanghe City.

It seems that the movement of the Oirat troops withdrawing attracted the attention of other tribes.

Many tribes gathered outside Yanghe, hoping to take the opportunity to plunder.

Judging from their commotion, their momentum is even greater than that of the Oirat army!

"Your Majesty, a group of about 50,000 people from various tribes, large and small, have gathered outside the city. They are all bandits who want to enter the pass through Yanghe and plunder our Great Ming!"

Zhu Zhanji arrived in Yanghe and had just rearranged the city's defensive equipment and troops when a scout rushed in to report.

"Oh? They're deliberately courting death. I've never seen anything so audacious. Which tribes are they?"

Zhu Zhanji remained calm upon learning of the enemy's approach.

Or rather, his expression even revealed an barely suppressed excitement.

He was raised by Zhu Di, so naturally he shared the same warlike genes!

Upon hearing this, the scout was about to go down to investigate further when he saw Zhu Zhanji wave his hand.

"Enough, there's no need to investigate further. I'll investigate slowly after I've killed them all!"

"Issue my decree: leave the city and meet the enemy!"

Are we about to leave the city to meet the enemy?

Out of town?

As soon as the decree was issued, the soldiers in the city were all somewhat panicked.

Previously, when they could see the sky, they had all witnessed firsthand how the Oirat army annihilated the Beijing garrison!

Faced with such a formidable enemy, and given that it is currently the rainy season, neither cannons nor muskets can be used.

How is it different from the situation in the sky?

Will the events that happened in the sky happen in reality?

Zhu Zhanji did not expect that his decree would cause the morale of his side to plummet.

He only realized this when he had arranged for 20,000 troops to guard the city and the remaining 80,000 troops had all gathered below the city walls.

Looking at the dejected soldiers, he couldn't help but frown.

"My lords, I would like to ask you a question."

"Why did you join the army and become part of the Beijing Garrison?"

for what?

For the salary, to ease the burden on their families, to get ahead in life...

Everyone gave a different answer.

But Zhu Zhanji was not satisfied with these answers.

He turned around and looked at everyone one by one.

"I think you are all wrong."

"Under the premise of these objectives you have mentioned, it is to defend the territory of my Great Ming Dynasty, protect the families and people behind these passes, and prevent them from being invaded by foreign tribes!"

"But right now, they want to cross Yanghe and plunder the people of our Great Ming. Among those they plunder and slaughter, there may be your family members. Are you willing to accept this?"

are you willing?

"I don't want to!"

"I don't want to!"

"I don't want to!"

The sounds were fragmented at first, but by the third, everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs.

After three calls, Zhu Zhanji slowly raised his hand and made a loose grasping motion.

The noise subsided instantly.

He raised his spear and pointed it at the enemies from various grassland tribes in the distance.

"Gentlemen, kill them all! The sun, moon, mountains, and rivers will remain, and the Ming Dynasty will endure forever!"