Nowadays, the loyal and courageous men at the Northern Qi Imperial Court were either imprisoned and executed for speaking up on his behalf, forced out of the centers of power, killed on their way to take up distant posts, or so disheartened that they no longer served as officials of Northern Qi.
Across the vast expanse of Northern Qi, treacherous sycophants now ran rampant!
He, Gao Changgong, was alone. Even if the name Lanling King was known throughout the land, so what?
The dead could not be brought back to life.
Famous ministers and generals, a million-strong army—once they were dead, they were dead.
"Verdant Green Maiden, help me."
Gao Changgong gazed at Verdant Green Maiden, his expression earnest. He stepped closer and said, "You possess such wondrous abilities. If you help me, I can rebuild the Great Qi Army, repel the Zhou invaders, and protect Great Qi for ten thousand years!"
"Mm."
Verdant Green Maiden nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
But then she changed tack and asked, "Why should I help you?"
Gao Changgong was taken aback. "Before..."
"Before was before; now is now. If you keep treating the past as the present, how did you end up here? Gao Changgong, think about it. Doesn't that make sense?"
Verdant Green Maiden smiled as she asked.
Gao Changgong fell silent. After a long while, he sighed and asked, "Is Northern Qi... truly beyond saving?"
"Northern Qi is beyond saving, but its people can still be saved. It all depends on whether you're willing."
Verdant Green Maiden said this to him once more.
The people could still be saved?
Hearing this, Gao Changgong furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by that, Verdant Green Maiden?"
She looked at him and said, "Surrender to the Zhou Army."
The moment she said