The general kneels down, the emperor shows mercy.
"Get up, kneeling like this is not an option."
Looking at Li Rusi who had been kneeling, Zhuang Xun felt distressed and helpless, unable to help her up.
"It's my fault. Your Majesty trusted me so much and entrusted me with such an important task despite everyone's opposition. I'm sorry."
Li Rusi looked up at Zhuang Xun and recalled that she had been taken home by Zhuang Xun in Jidu. She had promised Zhuang Xun that time that she would put the interests of her husband's family first and dedicate everything to Zhuang Xun in return for his kindness to her. understanding.
But a few days ago, she made another mistake. Her mercy meant that Chengguo could survive again, it meant that the Cheng-Zhao alliance could continue to exist, it meant that more soldiers would sacrifice, and it meant that the country that should have repaired its troops and stopped fighting to recuperate Xia Kingdom may continue to face war.
Li Rusi felt remorseful. She had made it very clear that Zhuang Xun's interests should be given priority because she had put Zhuang Xun in danger.
Kneeling down is the only way she can apologize. Only in this way will her heart feel a little more stable, although she can't make up for her fault.
"Do I want to see you kill your father? Get up. Without your identity, my brother-in-law would not have surrendered so smoothly."
Zhuang Xun was really angry. He didn't take Jidu in one fell swoop, which visibly increased the consumption of various resources and ruined the victory that was supposed to be a sudden attack and deception.
Fortunately, he allowed five thousand Tiance troops to go day and night to support him, but this was the result in the end. Now it is foreseeable that Cheng Guo will never have the idea of fighting out of the city. Similarly, Xia Guo is in a difficult offensive. Battle of the city.
Not to mention the casualties caused to the soldiers, Zhao Guo would have been really passive if he really waited for him to react. Moreover, the transportation cost in winter was high. It was obviously a blitzkrieg plan and turned into a war of attrition.
Chengguo did not treat the people as human beings, but Xiaguo treated the people as human beings. The consumption of national power was the people. He, Zhuang Xun, worked hard to save people from behind, but he wanted to be humble to Queen Mother Jiang. Li Rusi made such a mistake on the front line.
But again, Li Rusi can't be allowed to kill her own father. Zhuang Xun can understand Li Rusi's mood, and the punishment of kneeling on the ground is unnecessary.
"It's not about killing him. I had a chance to dismount him, but I just wanted to hurt him a little. I was afraid of hurting my father, so he didn't make such a move in the end."
Li Rusi sighed. This was what she felt the most guilty about. In the flash of lightning, she was afraid of hurting Li Pingyuan and held back her hand. She withdrew the shot that stabbed the chest. She could actually stab the shoulder blade and make Li Pingyuan fall. , but at this time she was stunned, because she didn’t want to prick that place, for fear of hurting her father who had raised her for more than 20 years.
After reacting, Li Pingyuan had already covered the army's escape back to the city. He clenched his spear and could only complete the collection with a dark face.
"So how long are you going to kneel down? I feel bad for you even if your knee is broken. What do you think will make me forgive you?"
Zhuang Xun sighed and said that Li Rusi also had a stubborn temper, and this way of admitting his mistake also made him feel embarrassed.
"..." Li Rusi didn't say anything. She was afraid that only by winning the battle could she have the dignity to stand up.
"If you feel guilty, why not be happy with me in bed? It will help relieve my depression."
Zhuang Xun said this, causing the sad and guilty Li Rusi to roll her eyes and said angrily: "In the military camp, your Majesty, please respect yourself. If necessary, please ask Jiang Zhaoyi to solve the problem."
"You also know that we are in the military camp? You can't afford to kneel down here for a long time. How will others think that our young couple's separation is better than their newlyweds? We are in the same camp."
Zhuang Xun mentioned Li Rusi. Zhuang Xun couldn't lift her weight, let alone a suit of armor. But after hearing Zhuang Xun's words, Li Rusi was so embarrassed that she had fought a half-lost battle. , there is such a rumor again, she still needs shame.
So Li Rusi stood up and realized that there would be such rumors. In extreme cases, they would even say that she let Li Pingyuan go and came to flatter Zhuang Xun. How could she bear this?
"It's true. If you make a mistake, you can just make up for it later. Well...how are you doing with the preparations for the siege?"
Kissing Li Meiren on the cheek made Li Meiren look ashamed and angry. Zhuang Xun was happy, but he was also annoyed. The reason had been explained, but he had not forgotten what was most important at the moment.
Li Rusi covered her face with one hand, as if to guard against Zhuang Xun. It turned out that she came to Zhuang Xun to flatter him. When Zhuang asked about her business, she had to answer.
"We are preparing siege equipment. Jidu City has high walls and thick walls, making it difficult to attack. However, the city has sufficient supplies of materials. We cannot besiege, but can only attack by force."
Li Rusi reported that Zhuang Xun's arrival had once again strengthened her position in a sense.
Her letting Li Pingyuan go would greatly hurt her image and shake her prestige, even though she won the battle.
The arrival of Zhuang Xun once again suppressed the dissatisfaction of the generals. Zhuang Xun's prestige was always there and he could influence the army, and he was accompanied by the Xuanjia Army.
"Is there any way to make our father not so stubborn? What good is this stinky emperor?"
After hearing this, Zhuang Xun said helplessly that his father-in-law had also taken it. In this case, he had taken some kind of ecstasy. They were all a family, going to hurt each other's soldiers.
He was not happy with being imprisoned by his father-in-law before, but he never thought of killing him in revenge. Returning to a high-ranking official position could not guarantee a large salary. There was glory and wealth, so why should he adopt such a hostile attitude.
"I also want to know. I have written several letters to persuade me to surrender but there has been no response. I can only hope that my eldest sister will take some action."
Li Rusi smiled bitterly and had no objection to Zhuang Xun calling him "father" or "stinky emperor". He was still enthusiastic about your retort.
"Concubine Li." Zhuang Xun nodded as he recalled that arrogant woman.
"I heard that she is a strong person like the queen. I hope she can persuade my father-in-law. This kind of unnecessary resistance is consuming the national power of our two countries."
When Zhuang Xun heard Concubine Li's name, he thought of the noble lady who warned him in the Imperial Garden. She looked so arrogant that she resembled a peacock with its tail spread wide.
"My father is not someone who is easy to persuade. It is difficult for ordinary people to change what he believes in. However, eldest sister may use some unconventional means. After all, it has been verified that King Cheng is false information. What eldest sister brought to us is true information. Not to mention she was the one who persuaded my younger brother to surrender."
We are all a family, and the two who have been sisters since childhood know the other's personality best, so Li Rusi made a bold comment.
"Speaking of which, the eldest sister's surrender seems to make no sense. She hurriedly presented the map before. We reached Jidu so quickly. In addition to her speed, her map also helped."
Zhuang Xun couldn't understand, because Li Shaoyun's first document of surrender came too early, and the situation was not as clear as it is now. At that time, Li Pingyuan was on par with Zhuang Xun, or even slightly better. What happened at that time? Just thinking about surrendering.
Zhuang Xun was so confused by his surrender that he didn't know what to say. The star officials in the sky felt that he did not confront others head-on and felt that his hard power was insufficient. Who knows that in the two wars with Zhao Guochengguo, in the eyes of the stars in the sky how.
"Perhaps I didn't say that I wanted to establish an imperial concubine at that time. By the time she presented her plans, it was already too late. Sister Chen is the most considerate of interests. She would not be willing to be a concubine of the former dynasty."
Li Rusi guessed that they were already inseparable.
"Because His Majesty does not care about men and women when employing people, I think it can still be useful to seek refuge with you instead of hiding in the snow."
From the letter Li Shaoyun wrote to herself, she expressed her envy for Li Rusi's ability to be seen in the public eye. Li Shaoyun was a woman who enjoyed the respect and attention of others.
"Maybe. It's a pity that your eldest sister's talents are not used. If she really gets it, I wouldn't mind giving her an official title, a high official."
Zhuang Xun is very short of talents now. It is expanding too fast and killing aristocratic families too fiercely. There are enough low-end talents. People from poor families and small aristocratic families are competing for them. The talents they cultivate can almost adapt to the grassroots level.
High-level talents are in extremely short supply, and the larger the country, the more so. It is currently in a bloated state, and the quality of officials in each department is difficult to describe.
Because of his high morale, the people were happy to have their fields allocated, and many hidden dangers and problems would be forgotten. Even if there were some problems with the implementation, the general direction was correct, and the people would be patient, so they still appeared to be thriving.
If Li Shaoyun wants to be an official, there will be no problem. She is short of labor and she is still her sister-in-law.
"Then what position do you think she should be given?" Amused by Zhuang Xun's words, Li Rusi blinked and thought about how her sister looked in official uniform.
"Then it's up to us, the Queen, to decide. Do you know who the real sun of Xia is? It's not me anyway." Zhuang Wen felt more relaxed when he saw Li Rusi smiling.
Although it was indeed Li Rusi's fault, he was also angry. In comparison, Li Rusi blamed herself even more.
"I only have Your Majesty in my heart. By the way, you have also obtained Mrs. Jiang. I heard that she is the Queen Mother of Zhao State. She is amazing. She has traveled all over Jizhou and made such a big name."
Originally, she wanted to show her loyalty, but speaking out in her capacity would sound like coquettishness, so she took the initiative to change the topic.
"Well, I've been surprised for a long time, man." Zhuang Xun admitted generously, no matter in front of Si Qinmi or Li Rusi, he would not shy away from it, because it was originally the result of these two people's indulgent push.
"As soon as I go back..." Talking about the experience of returning to Hengdu, including being addicted to Wenrou Township.
"Perhaps the queen got it for you?" Li Rusi didn't want to hear it at first. She was no longer Zhuang Xun's concubine. Zhuang Xun told her this, and she had to admit it even if she didn't. But the more she listened, the more interesting she became, especially when she heard it. Mrs. Jiang helped Zhuang Xun formulate disaster relief policies.
"Well, I didn't expect this to happen, but I really enjoyed it, so why am I afraid of my wife even though she loves me so much? I really can't stand it."
After complaining a few words to Li Rusi, love leads to respect. This is what conscientious people are like. When he recalled Siqinmi's tolerance towards him, Zhuang Xun felt quite ashamed. Just like Zhuang Xun said, then Being pampered and yet so scared.
"Queen, I'm afraid your Majesty has had this idea since the first time you saw Jiang Zhaoyi. Your Majesty said that your feelings for Jiang Zhaoyi are like something you longed for in childhood. The Queen helped you get it. Why are you still a little unhappy, Your Majesty? , Jiang Zhaoyi’s attitude has become cold again?”
Li Rusi smiled slightly. When she heard Zhuang Xun's description of Empress Dowager Jiang, she felt a little pity for Zhuang Xun and touched his cheek to express comfort.
"What, madam, don't you understand? I used to be able to treat her as a toy and play with her casually without any psychological burden at all because she assassinated me and said it was a write-off. I am not a fussy person, but my hostile attitude is still there. I also have a grudge in my heart. After all, she is the woman who wants to kill me. I am also very harsh and unemotional towards my enemies, but after being helped, I don’t know what to do anymore.”
"It's not just the snow disaster, it's also her credit for being able to help you so quickly. After all, I didn't expect you to attack in winter and call the Tiance Army for disaster relief, so it's just stuck like this. I don't know what to do. I won't let you go." , you feel guilty even if you are around me.”
Zhuang Xun lacked someone to express himself, and Bi Yuewu disappeared for several days. Her efforts could be seen from the gradual control of the heavy snow.
Lan Qiu was not the one to talk to, and she couldn't give an objective evaluation, so when Li Rusi asked, Zhuang Xun spoke in a long paragraph.
"Then hide in the palace, out of sight and out of mind." Li Rusi said with a serious expression, and after speaking, the corners of her mouth could not help but open up in an arc.
"Madam! Don't say such angry words! Seriously." Zhuang Xun stretched out his hand to touch her waist. The armor was so cold.
"I am serious, otherwise, what are you going to do? You want to destroy Zhao. You just need stimulation and satisfaction. It doesn't matter how it happens. Let Jiang Zhaoyi see the destruction of her country with her own eyes. You want to take revenge on her and suppress her under you." Insult, no problem at all.”
Pushing away Zhuang Xun's dirty hands, Li Rusi revealed Zhuang Xun's evil thoughts before.
"But now, when your kindness strikes, you can't do it, and you are unwilling to let him go. If you don't accept the offer, what are you going to do? If you are asked to put down your hatred and take the initiative to get close to Jiang Zhaoyi, are you willing? Will you give up destroying Zhao and unifying the world? ?You can’t even do it.”
Li Rusi faced Zhuang Xun's hand that reached his waist and pushed it away again. She put aside the dispute if it couldn't be resolved.
"That's right. This time, I will put her in the palace as a sacrifice when I go back. I won't torture her or pay attention to her. That's it."
Zhuang Xun said awkwardly that he had to put aside his resentment. Empress Dowager Jiang had not moved him to this extent, let alone the fact that the two had core conflicts and fought for the ownership of the world.
Li Rusi was right. Zhao must be destroyed, and Zhuang Xun had to participate. The benefits of destroying Zhao could not be given away to others. Destroying Zhao was a big benefit.
Unable to reconcile, he would never give up on this goal. Having reached this point, Zhuang Xun's heart was no longer as shaken as before.
He firmly believes that he can unify the Nine Provinces, and firmly believes that he can change the world. His subordinates are not the weak-legged people they used to be. Everyone wants to unify the world and eliminate the famous families in the world.
Due to her outstanding performance, Queen Mother Jiang now has the opportunity to be ignored by Zhuang Xun, which may be a good thing for her.
"Report!" Zhuang Xun stretched out his hand for the third time. Someone outside the camp said hello and interrupted his small movements. It was Huang Xi's voice.
"Come in!" The two of them took two steps away, and Zhuang Xun became honest. Zhuang Xun also knew that the impact was not good, even though everyone knew their identities.
"Your Majesty, Jidu opened the door and surrendered?" Huang Xi came in and when he saw the two of them, he immediately lowered his head and did not dare to look further.
"Ah? Will you surrender when I come?"
(End of chapter)
