There are too many ruthless, domineering women who are considered "losers"!

"Your Majesty, this traitor Zhang Ze has been beaten to death."

Xuan Yuan Qingfeng approached Lu Chang'an and said this.

"Dead?"

"Exactly."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chang'an frowned.

In fact, when the Western Shu soldiers reported it to him in person, Xuan Yuan Qingfeng was also surprised.

Zhang Ze was the First Commander of the Tiger Guard Army, how could he be so easily defeated?

He was struck with two hundred and eighty lashes and then fell silent.

I intended to give him a slight punishment, but his body is so weak.

They beat him to death.

If the person were still alive, perhaps the Empress Dowager could turn a blind eye.

Now that this person is dead, he has to give Murong Yuyan an explanation.

Thinking about this, Lu Chang'an also had a headache.

But then I thought, since the person is dead, the capital should be able to be defended, right?

But when he glanced at the top of Xuan Yuan Qingfeng's head, the exclamation mark was still there and hadn't disappeared.

[Xuanyuan Qingfeng led eight hundred armored soldiers, single-handedly defending the outer city wall. The new emperor was overseeing the battle from the city wall that day. The soldiers and civilians were united in their hatred of the enemy, and with numerous powerful experts, they withstood several waves of attacks.]

However, the demon army adopted a strategy of fierce attack. After seven days of arduous defense, under immense pressure, morale collapsed, and the west gate was the first to fall. Demons entered the city, causing widespread devastation.

Although Zhang Ze was gone, the outcome was still the same; they lasted four days longer than the original three.

This indicates that the crisis is not over.

Military equipment remains weak, and morale remains low.

When the generals outside the camp heard that the emperor was coming in person, they rushed over one by one, even though they usually didn't take the young emperor seriously, thinking he was just a little kid.

Even when the emperor himself visits, one must still observe proper etiquette.

To their surprise, they found Zhang Ze's corpse hanging in the training ground not far away.

All the generals felt a chill run down their spines.

Even Zhang Ze, who was usually the most arrogant and domineering, has been brought to justice?

What should they do?

In an instant, they all put away their contempt.

I started thinking about my next steps.

After listening to Xuan Yuanqingfeng's report, Lu Chang'an pondered for a while.

Looking towards the direction of the Tiger Guards, there was the garrison commander who had just blocked him at the gate.

"What's your name?"

Lu Chang'an asked calmly.

The garrison commander was naturally terrified when he saw that his superior had been killed.

They thought the emperor was going to punish them for blocking the gate earlier.

With a sigh in his heart, he cupped his hands and said, "This humble general is Qin Huaiyi."

"This humble general admits his guilt. I beg Your Majesty to punish only one person and not implicate the other soldiers."

Seeing how honest and righteous he was, Lu Chang'an couldn't help but laugh and asked in return:

"What crime have you committed?"

"This humble general should not have stopped Your Majesty and delayed military operations."

Qin Huaiyi lowered his head and clasped his hands high, looking as if he were begging for forgiveness.

Lu Chang'an shook his head and said, "Who said I was going to punish you? I just wanted to say that from now on, you will be the new First Commander of the Tiger Guard Army."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty."

Qin Huaiyi hadn't reacted for a moment and had just breathed a sigh of relief.

I just realized there was only half of that sentence.

Him? The new First Commander-in-Chief?

Did he hear that right?

Qin Huaiyi suddenly looked up, his eyes wide: "Your Majesty..."

Lu Chang'an ignored his incredulous expression, patted Qin Huaiyi on the shoulder, and said earnestly:

"Do a good job."

"The Tiger Guard is the head of the four armies, but now it has degenerated into this state. I hope to see a new Tiger Guard."

"Here you go!"

Qin Huaiyi never expected that he would stop the imperial carriage.

His Majesty not only did not blame him, but also promoted him!

He was promoted three ranks in a row!

He felt a surge of excitement.

This undoubtedly saved us from taking decades of detours.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the camp, and several generals clad in elite armor slowly lifted the curtain and entered.

The leader was a man with a large beard, thick black beard like Zhang Fei, and a fierce look on his face.

The pattern on the armor was a wolf's head.

He was Meng Kuan, the First Commander of the Wolf Warriors.

Upon entering the tent, Meng Kuan questioned, "Your Majesty, is it not inappropriate to dismiss and appoint officials so hastily? According to the original procedure, the Ministry of War should be consulted before the officials are imprisoned and await judgment from the Court of Judicial Review. The appointment and removal of officials should also be approved by the Prime Minister."

Lu Chang'an said calmly, "This is the Phoenix Decree. The Empress Dowager holds absolute power over all military and political affairs in the country. The three armies are all at her beck and call. Sitting in the court, is her position above that of the Prime Minister?"

Upon seeing this decree, the other officials hesitated and were wary.

They had experienced firsthand the Empress Dowager's methods.

However, they were different from Zhang Ze; they were not the Empress Dowager's lackeys.

Meng Kuan frowned and said, "Even so, we cannot break the rules of the army. Even when the late emperor was alive, he never interfered with the rules of the army like this. Even if Zhang Ze deserves to die, we must still follow the procedures."

"If Your Majesty were to take command of the Black Cloud Commandery, I wouldn't be able to say anything, since that would be the royal family's recognition of Your Majesty. But Your Majesty hasn't even personally led the campaign yet, and you've already arbitrarily killed a veteran general. If this sets a precedent, all the generals will live in fear in the future. What should we do then?"

Lu Chang'an did not expect that after eliminating the opposition, there would still be conservatives.

This person did not approve of his style of doing things, and believed that without taking charge of the Black Cloud Commandery, he was not a true emperor.

This was also Murong Yuyan's true purpose.

If he summons the Black Cloud Commander, then he is still the Empress Dowager's puppet.

The Black Cloud Commandery was the Empress Dowager's eyes and ears.

If I were to use the Phoenix Token to invite them, I would be relying on the Empress Dowager's power, not my own.

Although he has now mobilized the Empress Dowager's power, the person the army fears is himself, while the Empress Dowager takes the blame.

These two things may have similar outcomes, but their subsequent impacts are quite different.

This was Lu Chang'an's true purpose in summoning Xuan Yuan Qingfeng.

Faced with the questioning, Lu Chang'an looked into Meng Kuan's eyes, his gaze sharp and determined, and said, "As the saying goes, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The demons are only a few days away from threatening the city. If we wait for the Zhaoyu prison and the Dali Temple to try us, when will that be? How will I explain this to the millions of people in the capital?"

"Or is it that the old general is confident in dealing with the demon army a hundred miles away? If so, please tell me, and I will definitely petition the Empress Dowager to appoint the general as the Grand Marshal of the court."

Lu Chang'an's two remarks left Meng Kuan speechless.

He certainly had no way to deal with the million-strong demon army outside the city.

He was simply uneasy about Lu Chang'an's actions.

Today, Your Majesty is able to kill Zhang Ze.

Why can't we execute Meng Kuan one day?

Seeing that Meng Kuan did not reply, Lu Chang'an looked at the generals and said loudly:

"The demon race will soon be besieging the city. You must be fully prepared, train your soldiers, and conserve your strength. If I discover any more instances of such passive resistance and disobedience as Zhang Ze, I will execute him without mercy!"

"Here you go!"

Qin Huaiyi was the first to clasp his hands in greeting to Lu Chang'an.

Seeing Meng Kuan's appearance, the other generals understood the situation. The current emperor was not someone to be easily fooled, so they could only do their best and dared not slack off. They all said "Yes, sir."

Seeing that all the generals agreed, Meng Kuan sighed inwardly. Even if he was unwilling, he couldn't go against the tide. He stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said:

"Here you are."

Seeing that the generals in the army had been subdued, Xuan Yuan Qingfeng understood the significance of his visit.

It serves as a layer of protection and deterrence.

He didn't even need to say a word; His Majesty handled everything on his own.

Such methods are befitting a powerful ruler.

However, even though all the generals were convinced, Lu Chang'an still felt heavy-hearted.

The current fighting strength of the four imperial guards seems insufficient to withstand the demons' attack on the city.

"With the Tiger Guard Army currently undergoing reorganization, the position of Deputy Commander is vacant. Is there any brave warrior willing to volunteer for this role?"

Lu Chang'an looked at the generals with hope on his face.

Seeing the extremely small number of Tiger Guards, who were staggering and slumped over, even a dog would shake its head.

No one was willing to step forward and do this thankless task.

"This humble general is willing to go."

At that moment, a firm female voice rang out.

Lu Chang'an looked at the last row of the Fengxi Army, at the woman with the high ponytail.

Looking at this person's face, he seemed somewhat familiar.

I feel like I've seen this somewhere before.

......