This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

With the arrival of this overwhelming force, the officials finally took the situation seriously, adjusting their attire. The two prime ministers even took their first steps.

The officials began to move, and rows of fully armed soldiers filed out of the city, isolating the onlookers and creating a large blank area.

Apart from Xiao Xingchen and Manghuang, everyone else was being driven out. The area at the city gate was cleared in an instant, and the soldiers even drew their swords on any dissenting civilians.

"This is?"

Some exclaimed in surprise, noting that those in the know had already recognized these emerging soldiers as not being the garrison of Yong'an City. Their attire was distinctly different from that of the Yong'an soldiers; the most striking feature was their red armor.

"I think I know who they're welcoming?"

Lan Beitang murmured something, but Xiao Xingchen was isolated in the central area by soldiers, which made him somewhat anxious. If it were that other person who came, things would certainly not be peaceful.

Only Daji nodded indifferently, her expression still calm, and she didn't forget to wink at Xiao Xingchen.

Visibly, a tense atmosphere suddenly filled Yong'an City. Officials lined up, banners fluttered, and out of sight of the crowd, the eldest princess and various princes appeared, all staring solemnly in the direction of the approaching figures. The air was thick with tension.

The crowd was silenced; some people were still discussing, but the next moment they were seized by the soldiers in formation and taken to the ground.

All these actions indicated that the person who came was extraordinary.

Xiao Xingchen observed all of this and tried his best to search Xiao Jianren's mind to find out which important figure had arrived in Yong'an during this period.

But for the first time, he discovered that Xiao Jianren's memory of this matter was blank. But such a big thing, even if Xiao Jianren was a good-for-nothing, he must have heard of it, right?

Thinking of this, Xiao Xingchen narrowed his eyes, a serious thought forming in his mind: what if this person didn't exist in Xiao Jianren's previous life? In other words, this person who was about to arrive didn't come in his past life, and his own rebirth changed history.

His heart sank. It was only a moment's lapse in attention; by the time he came to his senses, Chao Luzhi's spiked club was already upon him. He was startled.

Before he could dodge, a flag was suddenly thrown out from the distant torrent. This flag, carrying a sharp force, leaped over Xiao Xingchen and crashed into Chao Luri. Not only did it send Chao Luri flying, but its momentum didn't diminish as it accurately struck the Blood Banner of the Wilderness.

The flagpole of the blood-stained flag snapped in two, and the new flag, planted diagonally in the ground, revealed the large, fluttering characters on it.

"war"!

Before anyone could react, a majestic and resonant voice rang out.

"You dare to plant a blood-red flag under the walls of Yong'an City in my Great Qian Dynasty? You probably don't want to go back, do you? Fine, I don't want you to go back either. I've heard that the scenery in Cangshan is quite nice, so how about I bury you right here?"

Upon hearing the voice, the officials' eyes lit up, and they instantly became alert, bowing respectfully to the newcomer.

"The Left and Right Chancellors of the Great Qian Dynasty, along with all civil and military officials, welcome the General of War back to the capital,"

"The officials of the Great Qian Dynasty respectfully welcome the war general back to the capital,"

"Welcome back to the capital, General!"

A series of loud voices echoed throughout the city. Soldiers and civilians alike knelt down. The military generals who had not yet appeared suddenly materialized atop Yong'an City walls, their right fists clenched at their chests, kneeling on one knee, their voices still ringing out.

"Welcome back to the capital, General!"

"Welcome back to the capital, General!"

In an instant, Yong'an City was shaken, and the sounds of welcoming greetings filled the air.

War Commander? Who is this? Xiao Jianren has no memory of such a person, but judging from the scene before him, even a fool would know how high his prestige is.

He was stuck at the city gate, unable to advance or retreat.

This won't do. I need to leave right away. What good is he doing here at such an important occasion? It's all that unreliable fat guy's fault; he's ruined everything.

He didn't think much of it, only that the Fourth Prince had unintentionally tricked him. But when he tried to leave, he found that the soldiers lined up in formation were blocking his way, as if they were deliberately keeping him there.

This discovery made Xiao Xingchen's eyes narrow. Almost everyone at the city gate, except for the two prime ministers, was kneeling in worship, and he was standing right in the center of this kneeling crowd.

Damn it, this is going to kill him! Even though he knows so many people aren't worshipping him, this will still shorten his lifespan.

For the first time since transmigrating, Xiao Xingchen panicked, realizing that she had truly been tricked. It was all premeditated; no wonder the officials acted as if it were none of her business, and no wonder the military officers hadn't appeared.

No wonder someone kicked the Fourth Prince off the city wall; no wonder he'd been causing trouble for so long.

But who would be so despicable as to try and sabotage themselves?

Yes, he had to accept the fact that everything at the city gate seemed to be a play staged for him.

What merit do I possess? To risk bringing shame upon the Great Qian Dynasty by recklessly storming into the city and blasting myself out of there—this is giving me far too much credit.

Was it just to embarrass him? No, he quickly dismissed the idea. There weren't many people who could command officials, let alone the Fourth Prince. Only that person, Emperor Wu...

Emperor Wu was testing him, he couldn't help but think, otherwise why was he unable to leave now, and why was he in such a predicament?

This was all a test orchestrated by Emperor Wu without his knowledge. Perhaps it was because of his three bows to the Empress outside the city, or perhaps because he solved the puzzle of the Sword Immortal, or perhaps because he became the disciple of the Quasi-Sage.

These could all be reasons, and it wasn't that Xiao Xingchen was belittling himself; it was simply that if his guess was true, then this Martial Emperor was far too idle.

Do I, a nobody, deserve this?

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that all the reasons he guessed paled in comparison to one: the late Empress had secured a qualification for him to ascend to heaven. For that reason alone, Emperor Wu had every right to kill him.

His left and right ministers also showed surprise, clearly unaware of the situation beforehand. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

The warlord returns to the capital, and the wild beasts enter the capital. If these two forces collide without bloodshed, they wouldn't be the Northern enemies who have been locked in a deadly struggle for hundreds of years.

It was precisely because they were mortal enemies that they were sent out from both sides; otherwise, there would be no one to hold the line.

But amidst this raging torrent, a frail young man stood in their way.

They had no doubt that the boy would be trampled to pieces by iron hooves in the next moment, but the boy wanted to run away, but the soldiers in formation wouldn't allow it.

"Our emperor wants this boy dead."

The Left Prime Minister spoke calmly, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"Three bows in succession, breaking the sword immortal's inscription, and paying homage to the sub-sage master—this young man is no ordinary person," the Right Chancellor replied calmly, his gaze falling on Xiao Xingchen for the first time.

No matter what happened in Yong'an City, it wouldn't escape their notice. Everything about Xiao Xingchen had already been gathered by them. They knew better than anyone else that the Martial Emperor was about to make his move.

When Emperor Wu plays chess, you just watch; anyone who tries to disrupt his game will be in big trouble.

Therefore, neither of them dared to intervene rashly, which resulted in a situation where, in the midst of a sea of ​​people, before the war commander even arrived, one person led everyone in kneeling in worship.