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

Seeing the increasingly impolite expressions on the faces of the officials, Zheng Chong realized something.

He seems to underestimate others.

They not only underestimated the old emperor, but also these officials from aristocratic families.

He had assumed that the city's garrison would provide sufficient deterrence.

But now it seems that these people's compromises were just because they were too lazy to resist and felt that it didn't matter who was in the position of the head of all officials.

They only care about their own interests.

The position of head of all officials held little real significance for the vast majority of aristocratic families.

Zheng Chong wanted to do it, and he had the city defense army as his backing, so let him do it.

He could have stayed in that position indefinitely, provided there were no external threats and the benefits were distributed fairly.

Various aristocratic families were also willing to play along with him.

However, with the arrival of external threats, and the possibility that interests may be damaged.

The aristocratic families could no longer sit idly by.

They were indeed going to mobilize all their resources to defend the capital and block the old emperor's return.

But if Zheng Chong can't offer enough bargaining chips, they won't continue playing house with this Lord Zheng.

Zheng Chong realized this at this point as well.

If we offer our bargaining chips, this charade can continue.

Unable to offer any bargaining chips, the aristocratic clans were indeed determined to defend the capital to the death, but they were able to exclude the Zheng family from this game before the battle even began.

In their view, since the city's defense forces were going to defend the capital to the death anyway, it was better to let Zheng Chong, who was unwilling to contribute anything, continue to serve as the head of all officials.

It would be better to remove him from the circle of profit distribution and free up the position of head of all officials and the title of king that Zheng Chong had reserved for his family, so that it could be given to a more powerful clan.

Seeing the mockery and coldness on these people's faces, Zheng Chong shook his head with a wry smile.

"You've all misunderstood. I've always been on the same side as you all, so how could I sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight?"

"We share the same fate, and we all suffer the same fate. Is it any wonder that I don't understand such a simple principle?"

“Besides the city defense troops, the Zheng family also has two thousand elite soldiers and three thousand guards. In addition, there are members of the Zheng clan leading troops around the capital, so they can probably lead about five thousand troops back to the capital to guard it.”

"Will 10,000 soldiers satisfy you all?"

The large army surrounding the capital was also a legacy left by the Sima family.

But that inheritance was different from that of the city garrison; it was the reward Zheng Chong had earned for being Sima Shi's loyal dog for so many years.

Most of the gentry were aware of this, so when they heard that Zheng Chong was willing to withdraw those five thousand soldiers, the expressions on many people's faces quickly softened.

"Satisfied, of course we are satisfied. We have absolute trust in Lord Zheng."

"Indeed, we acted impulsively earlier, and we sincerely apologize to Lord Zheng!"

"Lord Zheng is indeed a man of profound knowledge and experience; we are far inferior to him."

"As expected of the head of all officials, the Zheng family's strength is unfathomable!"

The previous insults and threats have turned into apologies and praise.

The only difference between the two is 10,000 soldiers.

Zheng Chong coldly observed everyone, and only spoke after they finished their polite exchanges.

"No need for apologies, and no need for flattery."

"I am willing to stake everything of the Zheng family on this battle so that you all understand that we cannot afford to lose."

"By holding the capital, we can wait for the border troops to arrive and for an announcement to the world, which will give us the opportunity to call upon the various lords to come to our aid."

"We have the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. In terms of legitimacy and righteousness, we are far superior to the old emperor!"

"We can't hold it. The capital will be quickly captured by the old emperor, and all of this will be for naught. Even if we manage to survive, our status will surely plummet!"

"I'm sure none of you want to see this outcome, right?"

This is an outcome that no one would want to see!

"Lord Zheng, you can rest assured about that. If the old emperor doesn't come, fine. But if he dares to come, he will be made to never return!"

"If we can gather enough troops in the city, seventy or eighty thousand should be no problem. If he wants to take the capital, he will need at least three hundred thousand troops to have any chance."

"In my opinion, it's just that the old emperor didn't understand the strength of our aristocratic families enough, otherwise he would never have dared to attack the capital in such a grand manner."

"He's too naive. Does he really think that what he saw in the capital represents the entirety of the gentry like us?"

"What makes him judge the strength of our major clans? Is it based on what he saw in the capital before?"

"Heh, he can only see what I let him see, and there are many things we can't see!"

“If he knows what’s good for him, he should obediently go to Xuchang. We are kind-hearted, and considering that he is the former emperor, we can leave Xuchang to him.”

“That’s right. Why don’t we send an envoy to inform the old emperor that if he is willing to go to Xudu, we are willing to give him a province.”

That last sentence, however, drew hostility from many people.

Is a separate state to be established?

The entire Great Wei Dynasty only has ten provinces to divide up.

The mere old capital city wants to take over a province?

Wouldn't that mean they would get one less state?

"Please take this as a joke and ignore me."

Jia Yan scratched his head.

He truly hadn't expected that his casual remark would attract so much attention.

Of course, this also illustrates one thing.

Even now, even after learning the battle report that 80,000 troops had been almost completely annihilated, they are still blinded by self-interest.

Compared to the potential crisis, they can only, and are only willing to, look at the immediate interests!

"Are you joking? As far as I know, the Jia family has never been on the list of those to be granted the title of king, has it?"

"Or is it that, Jia Yan, your Jia family no longer wants to be a coward?"

"Tell me, how many troops are you prepared to wager for a chance to be crowned a king?"

Someone asked with a sneer.

Jia Yan shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, my Jia family has always been weak and powerless, and cannot compare with you all. Naturally, we have no soldiers. As for food and supplies, we can provide some."

"Heh, who wants your meager provisions?"

"Since you know you're poor, you should just shut up and stand aside and listen, instead of being so generous with other people's money!"

Faced with the ridicule and sarcasm of others, Jia Yan chose to remain silent.

He swore he really didn't mean it that way.

To be generous with other people's money?

In his eyes, the old emperor's return to the capital was a foregone conclusion.

The twelve provinces of the Great Wei are all royal lands; what do they have to do with you?

Although he only dared to mutter these words to himself, Jia Yan became increasingly certain that this moment was drawing ever closer.

These people are going crazy!

"Alright, since the Jia family prefers to keep a low profile, then there's no need for you to lift a finger to defend the capital this time."

"Of course, when it comes time to reward those who have contributed, I also hope that you, Jia Yan, will keep a close eye on your own family members and prevent them from causing trouble!"

"If you can't even seize an opportunity like this, you Jia family deserve to be called cowards!"