"Chang'an is the capital!"
At the palace of the eldest princess in Lin'an City, an old man in his sixties or seventies spoke impassionedly and pointed in the direction of Chang'an.
The old man was dressed in military uniform, tall and powerful.
At this time, a middle-aged civil servant stood up and said, "General Zong, Chang'an has been occupied by Beimang for many years now, and Lin'an is our capital."
The old general turned out to be Zong Zhe, the general who conquered the north.
Zongzhe once served as the magistrate of Tongzhou during the reign of Emperor Jing. Later, due to the invasion of Beimang, he strongly advocated resistance and refused to negotiate for peace. He was demoted and convicted, and was assigned to Zhenjiang to "organize and manage".
The eldest princess, Liu Xiuzhu, took power, re-enabled Zong Zhe, and appointed him as the general of Zhengbei. He was the most determined war faction in the court.
The middle-aged civil servant named Cai You is now Shangshu Zuocheng, assisting the prince in managing the affairs of the court.
Cai You was a steady man, well-connected, good at observing people, and quite capable. He was especially good at calligraphy and had a high status among the literati in Jiangnan.
Zong Zhe glared at Cai You and said loudly, "Lin'an is just a temporary place to stay. Chang'an City is the foundation of our ancestors. How can we give up the capital of the Han Dynasty to thieves?"
"Elder Princess, this time Beimang betrayed his trust, tore up the agreement between the two countries, sent 200,000 troops, attempted to break through Tianhe, and invaded south. This is the traitor of Beimang who is determined to destroy me."
"This time, we have no choice but to fight to the death."
Cai You said seriously, "Beimang has many soldiers and generals, and they have just destroyed Goryeo and Jurchen in the north. They are unstoppable."
"We simply cannot withstand this battle."
Liu Xiuzhu trimmed her eyebrows and raised her eyebrows slightly, her face cold, "Oh, what does Cai Shangshu mean?"
Cai You cupped his hands and said, "Negotiate peace!"
Zongzhe couldn't bear it any longer, "Peace negotiation, peace negotiation again!"
"When we were in Chang'an before, Beimang entered the pass, and you guys talked about making peace. As a result, the sixteen states of Yanyun were occupied by Beimang."
"When they reached the capital, you talked about making peace, but half of the Han Dynasty surrendered."
"Now, what kind of peace do you want to negotiate? Is it to give up Jiangnan to Lin'an, or do you want to surrender?"
Cai You still said unhurriedly, "The ancients said that those who understand the current affairs are heroes. From one moment to another, they will leave the green mountains without fear of running out of firewood. Beimang's request is that we recognize their territory north of Tianhe. As long as we agree to surrender and cede territory and pay compensation, they will not go south again."
"The area north of Tianhe has long been under Beimang's rule, so it's okay for us to agree to it for the time being. When we recharge our batteries and strengthen our troops, we can send our troops northward, and then we can take back the lost territory. It’s the best policy.”
Zong Zhe couldn't bear it anymore, so he stepped forward to beat Cai You with his old fist, "You are a bad guy with foreign knowledge!"
"You are an ungrateful and ungrateful beast. I am a great country. Even if we fight to the last man and shed our last drop of blood, we will never surrender to the traitors of Beimang. We will never admit that the Central Plains is Beimang." land."
"You still claim to be a scholar in vain, and you dare to call yourself a model scholar in the world. You are a dirty thing!"
The civil and military officials on both sides tried to break up the fight, hugged Zong Zhe, and pulled Cai You away.
Liu Xiuzhu looked at it with cold eyes. There were different opinions among the people, but only a few stood on Zongzhe's side.
The majority of civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty advocated claiming vassal status and ceding territory.
These people are all the pillars of the imperial court, and they are the officials that the Han Dynasty relies on most.
But in times of crisis, what they think and do is still to protect themselves wisely, and to keep the green hills alive without fear of running out of firewood.
They are very good at calculating.
Not to mention professing tribulation, even if the country is destroyed, as long as they relax their knees and surrender to Beimang, they can still keep their family, be high-ranking and well-paid, and have rich descendants.
But there are always people who have a straight spine, and there are always people who have hard knees.
There was endless noise on both sides.
Liu Xiuzhu drew out the Bishui Sword, and with a flash of cold light, he chopped down the table.
The whole hall was silent, and everyone looked at Liu Xiuzhu.
The eldest princess not only has a distinguished status, but her abilities are said to have reached the realm of Tao Xuan, so she was able to bravely kill the enemy in many battles with Beimang and win the title of "unique".
Otherwise, how could a female prostitute, relying solely on her royal status, be able to suppress these court officials.
Liu Xiuzhu raised the long sword in her hand and said coldly, "Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty has never ceded territory to pay compensation, let alone surrendered."
"Do you still remember that when the whole country attacked the Han and was besieged by eight countries, the Han Dynasty was in danger. I still remember that in the court, King Wu killed the Beimang envoy with one sword and made a deafening sound: The Han Dynasty will not make peace, will not pay compensation, will not cede territory, and will not accept Pay tribute, the emperor guards the gate of the country, and the king dies in the country!"
Liu Xiuzhu's voice gradually increased and she became impassioned.
Most of the officials present had experienced King Wu's glory, and most of them had witnessed King Wu's majestic appearance.
Some people yearn for it, some feel guilty, and some are unmoved.
I recall that at that time, King Wu, as a prince, led his troops on an expedition. He went north to defeat Beimang's 300,000 troops, went east to wipe out eighteen pirates in the Japanese country, and went west to the capital of Tianzhu, where he asked the king of Tianzhu to open the city gate and kneel down to welcome him. .
As for the many small countries in the south, they simply did not have the courage to cross the Hundred Thousand Mountains and immediately handed over their credentials, wishing to be subordinates of the Han Dynasty forever.
Zong Zhe was a general under King Wu at that time. When Liu Xiuzhu mentioned King Wu, he suddenly burst out with pride, "The emperor guards the country, and the king dies for the country!"
"King Wu was framed and died in the quicksand of the Western Region. His body was not found, but his legacy will last forever."
"Nowadays, I still have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. How can I be scared to death by Bei Mang and run away after hearing the wind?"
"Princess, I am willing to lead the troops to fight and kill the traitors in Beimang."
Liu Xiuzhu looked at Zong Zhe, her beautiful eyes showed approval, relief, but also sadness.
Most of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty had lived in Lin'an for a long time and became greedy for life and afraid of death. Their expressions changed when they heard about Beimang.
Those young and strong generals were waiting and watching.
No one can step forward and lead the troops into battle.
But Zong Zhe, who was nearly seventy years old, rushed to the front line again and fought bravely against the enemy.
Sad, deplorable!
Liu Xiuzhu said, "General Zong is unparalleled in martial arts, brave and resourceful, and is the pillar of the country."
"It's just that Lin'an is not yet stable. General Zong is also the defense envoy of Lin'an City. He has a heavy responsibility and cannot leave easily."
Zongzhe knew that Liu Xiuzhu had an idea, so he stopped talking.
Liu Xiuzhu looked around, with a look of perseverance in her beautiful eyes, "I have made up my mind. I will lead my troops to fight tomorrow and I will definitely protect the safety of the big man."
"My lords, you must work together to assist the prince and work hard to ensure that Lin'an is not in chaos, that Jiangnan is not in chaos, and that the Han Dynasty is not in chaos."
Everyone looked stern and responded, "I will obey the order of the eldest princess!"
Liu Xiuzhu made arrangements for the provision of food and fodder for the army and horses, and then let everyone disperse.
Sitting back in her seat, Liu Xiuzhu flipped through the memorial, feeling a little upset.
Most of these information are reports of danger and requests for help.
Others report corruption and abuse of law by officials from various places.
Especially in the areas south of the Yangtze River, aristocratic families annexed land and took land by force in an endless stream.
But now, when the imperial court moved to Lin'an, it had to rely on the support of Jiangnan powerful people and had to use some powerful disciples.
This created a passive situation. On the one hand, they wanted to rectify the government and restore people's livelihood, but on the other hand, they allowed the family to be unscrupulous and domineering.
The prestige of the imperial court was damaged, and the credibility of the royal family was dampened.
At this time, it is so difficult to do anything.
One day, I will kill all these corrupt people.
I want to eradicate these hypocritical, dirty, and filthy families.
Liu Xiuzhu held the Bishui Sword tightly in her hand, and her eyes gradually became filled with anger.
King Wu, big brother, you took this sword back from killing enemies in the Western Region and gave it to me. I have been carrying it into battle to kill enemies.
You also taught me my martial arts, but what about you?
How could someone as strong as you, as invincible as you, die silently?
How could the 30,000 expeditionary troops disappear like the wind without a trace?
My father and my brother both said that you did not listen to dissuasion, forced your way into the Demon Realm, and was killed by the Demon God.
But I know in my heart that these are all lies and fake.
I once wanted to go to the Western Regions to find you, even if it was your bones, I would bring them back.
But my father didn't allow it, and my brother didn't allow it either, and they locked me up.
Six years, exactly six years.
When my eldest brother was still alive, people from all over came to court, all nations bowed their heads, and we, the great Han, stood proudly in the world.
What now?
Everyone wants to step on us!
Beimang has invaded half of our country, and is trying to go south and annex the entire Chinese territory.
That little Tianzhu can no longer hold back and is working as an aide to divide our land.
Even the little Japanese country took advantage of the situation, pretended to be pirates, and robbed everywhere, even our official ship.
The land route was blocked and the sea route was trapped. Now the big man is like a trapped animal, struggling constantly and just hanging on.
Big brother, please teach me, what should I do?
What should I do to save the royal family, save the Han people, and prevent China from falling under the iron heel of the barbarians for thousands of years!
The more she thought about it, the more agitated and uneasy Liu Xiuzhu felt.
So he took the blue water sword and came to the courtyard to practice his sword.
A blue water sword in one hand, cutting with no cold light.
I saw graceful figures flying, dots of cold light, and colorful fallen flowers.
Guard Yang Ying waited for Liu Xiuzhu to finish practicing and then handed her a handkerchief.
Liu Xiuzhu gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked in the direction of the East Palace, "What did the prince do today?"
Yang Ying thought for a while and said, "The prince did not lively and debauched today. In the morning, he first went to the palace of the Empress Dowager to pay his respects. Later, he read the memorials with Taifu Sun. In the afternoon, he practiced riding and archery for a while. He seems to be reading now."
Liu Xiuzhu's face softened slightly, "Let's go to the East Palace for a walk."
Liu Huan was indeed reading, and his voice was loud.
The old eunuch Gao Song closed his eyes to rest at the side, suddenly opened his eyes, then moved the corners of his mouth slightly, and looked drowsy again.
When Liu Xiuzhu stepped into the palace, a young eunuch immediately announced the news.
Liu Huan closed the book and saluted Liu Xiuzhu respectfully, "Auntie, why don't you rest at this late hour? If you need anything, just call me over tomorrow."
Liu Xiuzhu glanced at the book and felt slightly relieved when she saw the words "Spring and Autumn" on the cover.
"Beimang tore up the agreement and gathered troops on the north bank of the Tianhe River, intending to cross the river and go south."
"I'm going on an expedition tomorrow. Before departure, the one I'm worried about the most is you."
Liu Huan looked like he was thinking about it, "Auntie, how could you leave Lin'an City?"
"I'm still young, and you have to decide all matters of state. How can I handle so many things well?"
Seeing how pitiful Liu Huan was, Liu Xiuzhu said, "Although you are only thirteen years old, you are not too young."
"At the age of twelve, King Wu led his troops into battle, and at the age of thirteen he personally killed Beimang's vanguard general Wanyan Tuoba."
"Now that the country is in crisis, and your father is seriously ill and unable to move, the royal family can only rely on you and me to support it."
With tears in Liu Huan's eyes, he hugged Liu Xiuzhu and said, "Auntie, you must take care and come back safely!"
"What would I do without you?"
Hearing Liu Huan's cry of "aunt", Liu Xiuzhu couldn't help but feel soft in her heart.
After all, this is her biological nephew. Even if he has all kinds of faults and faults, he is still the royal prince and the future emperor.
Liu Xiuzhu reached out and touched Liu Huan's head gently, "Just remember, the heavy burden of a big man is on your shoulders. You must work hard and work hard to be successful in the future." The king of the country, not the king of the country’s subjugation.”
Liu Huan rested his head on Liu Xiuzhu, smelled the fragrance, and his eyes changed a little, a little greedy, "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely do as you ask."
"When you defeat Beimang, I will definitely move the capital back to Chang'an, and we will definitely be able to rebuild a prosperous dynasty."
Liu Xiuzhu left with relief.
Liu Huan looked at Liu Xiuzhu's graceful back, felt the emptiness in his hands, and couldn't help but feel empty in his heart.
At this time, Takamatsu brought a girl in from the back door.
"Your Highness, someone brought it to you."
Liu Huan looked at this woman, her eyebrows looked a bit like Liu Xiuzhu's, and couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
Gao Song closed the door, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and calls came from inside the door, "Aunt, aunt..."
