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

"what?"

Are all the young men in your clan brainless?!

"Eighty thousand! The combined armies dispatched by all your major clans number nearly eighty thousand!"

"Eighty thousand of them were the elite troops of our Great Wei's border regions, and they were actually defeated by ten thousand worthless bastards? They didn't even make a ripple?"

"Let alone 80,000 elite soldiers, even 80,000 pigs wouldn't be enough to stop the old emperor's 10,000-plus troops, would it?"

When the battle reports from the front lines reached the capital, a court assembly was in progress.

In Zheng Chong's view, the downfall of the old emperor was inevitable.

The only suspense is who will bring back the old emperor's head.

Whoever can bring back the old emperor's head will be the first to be granted a kingship and a fiefdom.

He had even prepared a memorial to request credit, waiting only for the news of his victory to reach the capital so that he could present it to the emperor and announce it to the world.

But who could have imagined that the battle report that came back today was not the victory he had expected, but a complete defeat!

Led by the Cui clan, they were the first to encounter the old emperor's 80,000 troops, and were completely wiped out.

Apart from a few soldiers who managed to escape, the rest were either killed on the spot or taken prisoner.

After reading the battle report, Zheng Chong was so angry that his hands trembled uncontrollably.

Some of those present were surprised by his words, but most were unwilling to believe them.

They believed that Zheng Chong had gone back on his word and didn't want to bestow the title of king upon those who had rendered meritorious service, which was why he had altered the battle report.

“Lord Zheng, if you do not wish to be enfeoffed as a king based on your military achievements, you may simply say so. There is no need to fabricate such ridiculous words to deceive us.”

"Fabrication? You think I'm fabricating something?"

"I also hope it's fabricated, I hope all of this is fake."

"But it's true, it's really true, see for yourselves if you don't believe me!"

"Idiots, what a bunch of idiots!"

"Such a good hand, and you guys managed to play it so badly!"

Zheng Chong angrily threw the battle report in his hand away.

He no longer cared whose head it hit.

The loss of 80,000 elite troops is an unbearable loss for anyone!

Even if it's not quite the end for these powerful families, it's definitely a devastating blow.

Most importantly, the battle reports sent back indicated that not only had their own side suffered heavy losses, but many people may have also defected to the old emperor.

This means that the loss of 80,000 troops did not cause much damage to the enemy, but instead made the old emperor even stronger.

With this shift in power, once the old emperor reunites with Guanqiu Jian, the aristocratic families will no longer have any advantage in terms of military strength!

Even when they had a numerical advantage, they were still no match for the emperor.

He dared not imagine how utterly these aristocratic clans would have been defeated if the two sides had equal numbers of troops!

"how so?!"

"Eighty thousand troops! That's a full eighty thousand troops!"

"Are all the young men of your clan pigs? How can you just stand by and watch my Cui clan's troops be annihilated by the enemy without offering any help?"

"Aren't you Cui family's descendants the pigs? Don't think we don't know what you Cui family are thinking, trying to claim all the credit for yourselves, right?"

"And yet your Cui clan suffered such a crushing defeat, and you still have the nerve to blame our clan members?"

"We lost, but what about you? Did you win?"

"Heh, my Cui family fought against the old emperor single-handedly. Even if we lost, we were still honorable. But what about you?"

"A bunch of trash!"

"You Cui family are the real wastes. If you hadn't lost so easily and boosted the morale of the old emperor's troops, how could we have lost?"

After the battle report that Zheng Chong threw out was picked up and circulated, a commotion broke out throughout the court.

The Cui family members were like a group of scholars debating, remaining calm and composed in the face of insults from all sides, and even managing to retort with their own insults.

No matter how eloquently one speaks, it cannot change the fact that they were defeated.

Not only was the Cui clan defeated, but all the gentry present were defeated.

After everyone had finished arguing and the noise gradually subsided, Zheng Chong coughed twice before speaking again.

"Have you argued enough? If not, then I'll leave now and let you argue to your heart's content!"

"But let me make this clear from the start: while you're arguing and shifting blame, the old emperor is rapidly approaching the capital."

"He recruited countless prisoners of war, and after joining forces with Guanqiu Jian's army, his total strength was no less than 80,000, and possibly more than 100,000."

"How much time do you think you have left to argue?"

"Recently, although Minister Fu and I have been trying our best to expand the city's defense forces, we have not yet exceeded 30,000 men."

"It now seems impossible for the city's defense forces to hold off the old emperor's army, but it's obviously too late to mobilize troops from the border."

"Therefore, gentlemen, what I ask of you, besides having your families mobilize more border troops, is even more important: you must each contribute your strength to defend the capital before the next wave of reinforcements arrives!"

Zheng Chong saw it very clearly.

At this point, it would be far from easy to get the major clans to issue another decree to mobilize the border troops, and it certainly wouldn't be as quick as the old emperor's actions.

Only by holding the capital can we then use the name of Emperor Cao Fang in the capital to command the feudal lords of the world to come to our aid.

Even if both sides issue decrees at the same time, ordering all the feudal lords to come to the aid of the king.

Compared to the former emperor who was deposed by the Empress Dowager's decree, they certainly have a greater chance of winning!

"You expect us to defend the capital again? Lord Zheng, is your Zheng family doing absolutely nothing?"

"As far as I know, the city's garrison should be considered an inheritance left by the Sima family, rather than the private property of your Zheng and Fu families, right?"

“You all expect us gentry to contribute, while you sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight. It’s hard for us not to have wild thoughts.”

"Lord Zheng, can you show some sincerity?"

Although people knew that Zheng Chong's arrangements were not problematic, his attitude still caused dissatisfaction among many.

Many people had long harbored resentment towards the old man's arrogant attitude from beginning to end.

In the past, when things were going smoothly and everyone was thinking about becoming kings and dividing up the court, there was no conflict of interest, so it didn't matter if you were high above others.

As long as you don't touch the interests they're eyeing, and they let you enjoy the airs of being the head of all officials, nobody cares.

But now, the old emperor's army is about to besiege the city.

Your Zheng family is not contributing any manpower or resources, but only sending the city defense troops left by the Sima family. You think you can make us give up everything to help you defend the city?

It's broad daylight, not the time for dreaming. How could you, Zheng Chong, have such a beautiful dream?

"you?!"

Zheng Chong never expected that these people could turn on him so easily.

"What's wrong with us? Lord Zheng, if you don't have the ability to resist the old emperor, then step back and stop trying to scare us with those city guards."