novelden Chapter 1369 It's not easy to have such a hereditary prince.
Chapter 1369 It's not easy to have such a hereditary prince.
Li Jing died in battle.
Two hundred thousand troops were completely wiped out.
Who is Li Jing?
He was a peerless general who was as famous as Yue Fei and was known as one of the "Twin Needles of Stabilizing the Sea" in the military of the Great Qian Dynasty!
His 200,000 elite cavalrymen from the northern desert were the sharpest spear and the strongest shield in the entire Great Qian Dynasty. Yet now, the great general, hailed as an invincible war god, has died on the battlefield.
how can that be!
"A monster? What monster?"
Zhang Jianzhi grabbed the messenger by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a mad tiger.
He couldn't accept it.
That's Li Jing! That's 200,000 elite troops who have fought countless battles! How could they possibly be defeated by a bunch of so-called monsters!
"A group of burly, heavily armored monsters with immense strength..." The messenger's voice was distorted with extreme fear, "wielding swords as tall as a man; one blow and you're instantly cleaved in two!"
"And their war wolves, also clad in heavy armor! When they crash into our shield formation, they're sent flying, shield and all!"
A burly monster clad in heavy armor, possessing immense strength?
A heavily armored war wolf?
The officials in the hall were completely bewildered by this unheard-of description.
They couldn't imagine what a hellish scene that must have been.
The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony was shrouded in a sense of oppression.
The festive palace lanterns, however, illuminated faces as white as paper, faces filled with terror and bewilderment.
The joy of victory was completely washed away by this sudden bad news.
Instead, there was boundless fear.
"quiet!"
At this moment when people were filled with anxiety and on the verge of collapse.
A clear, cold, yet undeniably majestic phoenix cry suddenly resounded throughout the hall!
It's Murong Yan.
She slowly rose from the dragon throne that symbolized supreme imperial power.
Her stunningly beautiful face showed no sign of panic, only a cold, indifferent expression befitting an emperor.
She was still wearing that legendary black and gold phoenix dress, with a shawl draped over her shoulders.
The ultimate black gold, in this time of restless hearts, seems to transform into an eternal night sky capable of suppressing all turmoil.
The conjoined tail was a five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) dark gold trail, silently spreading across the nine steps of the Dragon Platform, like a giant net woven from authority and majesty, firmly capturing everyone's fear and unease within it.
On the hem of her skirt, a giant phoenix, embroidered with real gold thread, stood tall, its eyes wide open and gleaming with divine light.
Its cold phoenix eyes swept over the officials below, with the indifference of a god looking down on ants.
An invisible, supreme majesty belonging to the Empress instantly enveloped the entire hall.
Under this oppressive aura, all the panicked officials instinctively shut their mouths.
"The sky hasn't fallen yet."
Murong Yan's voice was clear and cold, each word striking precisely into everyone's heart.
"General Li Jing's sacrifice for the country is a loss for the Great Qian Dynasty, but our Great Qian Dynasty has not yet reached the point of desperation."
Her gaze swept over the crowd below the steps.
"Minister of War, Zhang Jianzhi."
"Your subject is here!" Zhang Jianzhi was startled and quickly bowed and stepped forward.
"Immediately issue an order to Yue Fei, the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm, to muster his troops immediately and prepare to march north to reinforce Yumen Pass!"
"Minister of Revenue, immediately allocate provisions. The army must move first, and there can be no mishap!"
"Minister of Works, I order you to reinforce the defenses of the capital city overnight, just in case!"
A series of decisive and ruthless commands were issued from her mouth in an orderly manner.
That calm and composed imperial demeanor acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly calming the panicked officials.
Yes.
The sky hasn't fallen yet.
They also had Yue Fei, and they also had that prince, who was like a god, all-powerful.
As long as they are there, the Great Qian Dynasty will never perish!
However, just as everyone's hope was rekindled by Murong Yan's composure...
A sharp voice, full of disdain and mockery, suddenly rang out from the corner.
"Hmph, a vixen who only knows how to hide behind men dares to give orders here? The deaths of General Li Jing and his 200,000 troops were all caused by your usurpation of a high position, which brought divine retribution! The great Qian dynasty will sooner or later be destroyed by you, this wicked woman who brings disaster to the country!"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding loudly in the hall!
Everyone was stunned.
They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man, dressed in a prince's robe and appearing to be around forty or fifty years old with a sinister face, slowly walking out from the crowd.
His face wore an undisguised smile, full of schadenfreude and ambition.
It was King Cheng.
He is the current emperor's uncle and the most powerful prince in the entire Daqian royal family besides Lin Zhen.
He had always harbored resentment towards Murong Yan, the empress who ascended the throne despite being a woman.
Now, facing imminent disaster, he has finally torn off all his pretense, revealing his long-awaited, ferocious fangs.
"King Cheng! You...you've gone too far!"
Zhang Jianzhi trembled with rage at the sight of this treacherous minister who dared to openly challenge the Empress's authority at such a critical moment.
He pointed at King Cheng, his voice filled with anger and disbelief.
Do you know what you're saying?!
"Of course I know."
King Cheng sneered; he didn't even bother to glance at Zhang Jianzhi.
His gaze swept over everyone else and was fixed on the dragon platform, on the stunningly beautiful woman who had been quietly watching his performance from beginning to end.
"I am merely stating a fact that everyone knows but dares not say aloud: since ancient times, the harem has been forbidden from interfering in politics, and women have been forbidden from becoming empresses. This is a rule passed down from our ancestors! What right do you, a vixen, have to sit in that position?"
"Now, retribution has come! The wronged souls of 200,000 soldiers of my Great Qian are watching you from heaven! You are the eternal sinner of my Great Qian!"
His words, full of inflammatory rhetoric and righteous indignation, stirred a flicker of interest in many of the old ministers and members of the royal family who already harbored resentment towards Murong Yan.
Yes.
Since ancient times, what logic has there ever been for a woman to become emperor?
Perhaps this crushing defeat in the northern desert is truly a warning from heaven to the Great Qian Dynasty.
Just as people's minds were beginning to wander and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly strange.
A lazy yet domineering voice suddenly rang out.
"Are you finished?"
It is Lin Zhen.
From beginning to end, he simply sat quietly beside Murong Yan, watching the Prince Cheng below, who in his eyes was like a clown, jumping around and performing.
His face showed no anger, only a cold smile full of amusement and mockery.
He slowly stood up, his deep eyes falling on King Cheng as if he were looking at a pitiful wretch who was already dead.
"Now that we've finished talking, let's get going."
"On the way?"
Upon hearing Lin Zhen's words, King Cheng was first taken aback, then burst into unrestrained, maniacal laughter.
"Hahahaha! Lin Zhen, who do you think you are? The King of Hell?"
He pointed at Lin Zhen, his sinister face filled with disdain and madness.
"Don't think that just because you brought back a few broken and rusty ships, you can rule the Great Qian Dynasty! I am a prince with an iron cap, personally appointed by the late emperor. I do not kneel before the emperor, nor bow before imperial edicts! Who do you think you are, daring to spout such nonsense before me? I will act on behalf of Heaven, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, and eliminate the wicked empress!"
He waved his hand sharply, his voice filled with smug satisfaction.
"Somebody come!"