The old woman empress dowager

Zhang Shen gathered fourth-rank experts and some high-ranking generals because the order to retreat was too important. In terms of official rank, he was just Yang Gong's advisor and not the one who could make the decision.

Yang Gong, who was in charge, was unconscious and his fate was uncertain. The other person in charge was killed by Xu Erlang.

From Qingzhou to Xunzhou, through countless battles and bloodshed, this handsome but frail scholar harbored an immeasurable amount of resentment within him.

In the past, even if Xu Erlang had ten times the courage, he wouldn't have dared to kill a Subordinate Second Rank provincial governor.

In chaotic times, human life is as worthless as grass, and this applies not only to ordinary people but also to officials and soldiers.

Soon, all the high-ranking officers, except for those on duty, were summoned to the command compound of the barracks.

Among these people were several leaders and sect leaders of the Martial Arts Alliance, leaders of the rebel army such as Chu Yuanzhen, Hengyuan, and Yang Qianhuan, military officers serving in the imperial court such as Yang Yan and Chen Ying, and former generals of the Qingzhou garrison who had low cultivation levels but rich experience in leading troops into battle.

It is worth mentioning that Zhou Mi, the former commander of Qingzhou, who was the highest-ranking official besides Yang Gong, had already sacrificed his life in Xunzhou.

Inside the inner hall, a middle-aged eunuch dressed in a python robe, after everyone had gathered, looked around and said in a deep voice:

How is Yang Gong's injury?

Li Mubai, sitting at the head of the left, said calmly:

"His life has been saved, but he remains unconscious. It is unknown when he will wake up."

The chief eunuch frowned and looked to one side at the white-clad figure whose back was to the crowd:

"You couldn't even save Yang Qianhuan?"

The white-clad figure, with their back to all living beings, raised their chin and said arrogantly:

"If it weren't for the presence of Yang Gong, who could pluck the moon and stars from the sky, Yang Gong would have already perished in the battle."

The eunuch in charge of the seal moved his lips slightly, then abandoned the idea of talking to Yang Qianhuan, withdrew his gaze, and continued to ask:

Where is Yao Hong?

Everyone looked at Xu Xinnian.

To be honest, Yang Yan and his associates had been navigating the officialdom for many years, and they wouldn't dare to kill Subordinate Second Rank provincial governor unless absolutely necessary.

The leaders and chiefs of the martial arts alliance would never do such a thing. A provincial governor, a dignified Subordinate Second Rank official, is not someone that outsiders can kill at will.

The Martial Alliance and the Great Feng Dynasty have forged such a deep bond that it would be a great loss if their relationship were to break down or sour due to a fit of anger.

Perhaps only Xu Xinnian has the confidence and decisiveness to nip problems in the bud when they arise, and even knowing that everyone has concerns, he takes the initiative to step forward and shoulder the responsibility.

Although not as dazzling as his cousin Xu Qi'an, this junior scholar's ability, courage, and sense of responsibility earned him the unanimous recognition of Yang Yan and others.

Xu Xinnian responded calmly:

"To appease the officials and gentry, Governor Yao overworked himself and fell ill, and is recuperating at his residence."

They can just give Yao Hong a chance to "die for his country" later.

Xu Xinnian wasn't afraid of the Empress punishing him after the matter was exposed. Even if Huaiqing did punish him, he could simply push his elder brother forward, and no one would dare to utter a sound.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Yao!"

The chief eunuch coughed and got straight to the point:

"I have received His Majesty's decree today, ordering you all to evacuate Yongzhou tonight, preserve your strength, and retreat to the capital."

No one spoke; the crowd communicated silently with their eyes, showing no surprise, only anger and reluctance.

First of all, Yongzhou is the last line of defense. If Yongzhou is lost, the Yunzhou army will be able to reach the capital.

With Xu Erlang's and others' perspective, they could understand that a decisive battle with the Yunzhou army in the capital would offer a greater chance of victory.

The problem is, this is a risky move, and the Great Feng will have no way out.

Secondly, by handing over Yongzhou, Xu Pingfeng's combat strength will rise to another level, and the Yunzhou army will also take the opportunity to seize Yongzhou's resources and recruit soldiers. After finally defeating the Yunzhou army, are we going to let all our previous efforts go to waste?

Finally, what will happen to the people of Yongzhou City?

Although human life is cheap in chaotic times, people still have compassion. If the Yunzhou army were to massacre the city, what would become of the hundreds of thousands of civilians?

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Mubai coughed and said:

"I'm sorry, I cannot comply!"

"If we abandon Yongzhou, it will only embolden the Yunzhou army and allow them to recover their strength. The Northern Border Tribulation Battle is still undecided, but if we follow His Majesty's instructions, even if Xu Yinluo wins the Northern Border Tribulation Battle, we may not have a chance of victory."

Don't forget, even though Luo Yuheng successfully transcended the tribulation, he only barely caught up in terms of combat strength, not that the Great Feng could launch a counterattack against Yunzhou.

Zhang Shen said calmly:

"Your Majesty possesses exceptional talent, but is not adept at leading troops in battle. Misjudgments are inevitable."

"As the saying goes, a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. We also have our own opinions. If Your Majesty blames us afterward, you can come to me, Zhang Shen."

Yang Yan and others were Wei Yuan's confidants and also the Empress's confidants, but on this matter, they supported the great Confucian scholar of the Cloud Deer Academy.

Her Majesty Huaiqing's talent is no less than that of men, and may even far surpass that of ordinary scholars, but she is still a woman. What does she know about warfare?

However, since they were the Empress's people, they wouldn't show their thoughts.

Fu Jingmen snorted coldly:

"If you want to withdraw, then withdraw yourselves. The Martial Alliance will not withdraw!"

Yang Cuixue touched her sword and whispered:

"My disciples all died in Yongzhou, so I should die here too, so that our time as master and disciple will not have been in vain."

"The Martial Arts Alliance is not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court; if you want to leave, then leave."

The generals of Qingzhou were slightly moved, their blood boiling with passion.

His Majesty's prediction was correct; these people indeed disobeyed orders. The chief eunuch recalled the words His Majesty had given him before he went to Yongzhou.

His Majesty said that if the garrison in Yongzhou collectively disobeyed orders, they should be told that the Duke Wei had been resurrected.

"Your Majesty is truly a visionary!" The chief eunuch took a deep breath and said.

"This is Duke Wei's order!"

After he finished speaking, he noticed that the hall suddenly fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared at him without saying a word.

That look in his eyes was very strange, indescribably strange.

After a few seconds, Yang Yan's forehead veins bulged, and he said, word by word:

Are you making fun of us?

He swore that if this damned eunuch dared to admit it, he would stab him through the chest in front of everyone.

The chief eunuch, who came from Huaiqing's household and had seen many storms, was not intimidated at all. He spoke calmly and unhurriedly:

"Duke Wei has been resurrected today; His Majesty personally summoned his spirit. If you do not believe me, you can verify it when you return to the capital."

An uproar erupted in the hall.

The expressions on people's faces varied: ecstatic, bewildered, astonished, skeptical, and excited.

Zhang Shen pondered for a moment and said:

"If Wei Yuan is truly resurrected, then I agree to retreat to the capital."

With Wei Yuan in command of the army, the decision to retreat to the capital was not a desperate gamble, but a move to survive by facing certain death.

But the people still didn't believe it.

Wei Yuan had already died in battle at Jingshan City, so how could he be resurrected?

At this moment, everyone in the hall heard Yang Qianhuan slowly say:

He wasn't lying!

All eyes immediately focused on the back of the white-robed Warlock's head.

Yang Yan quickly sought confirmation and asked:

"You used the Qi-Watching Technique to check?"

"You haven't turned your head at all," Xu Erlang and the others thought to themselves.

Yang Qianhuan chuckled and said in a slow, almost frustrating tone:

"No, I didn't see it. But..."

He paused deliberately to attract everyone's attention.

Yang Yan and the others felt an urge to punch him; the veins on the backs of their hands bulged, and they couldn't help but grip their weapons tightly.

Regardless of what outsiders might think, Yang Qianhuan remained calm and composed, saying slowly and deliberately:

"But I saw Wei Yuan's body in Song Qing's secret chamber, and I also know that Xu Qi'an has been trying to revive Wei Yuan."

Oh, it's Wei Yuan, resurrected by Xu Yinluo. Everyone suddenly realized.

The doubts that Yang Yan and the others had in mind dissipated.

If it was Xu Qi'an who resurrected Wei Yuan, then that would indeed be much more credible than the explanation given by the Grand Eunuch that "His Majesty personally summoned Wei Yuan's soul to resurrect him."

Li Mubai breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at everyone:

"So, what do you all think?"

"Let's retreat!" Fu Jingmen said immediately.

On the spot, everyone chose to evacuate Yongzhou. Yang Yan and others were even impatient to return to the capital immediately to see Wei Yuan.

"Yang Yan, Chen Ying, Yang Qianhuan."

The chief eunuch called out names one by one; they were all confidants of Wei Yuan and the Empress, plus one arrogant fellow, saying:

"You have other missions and do not need to return to the capital with the army."

Yang Yan and the others exchanged glances and said:

What are your orders, Duke Wei?

The chief eunuch took out a brocade pouch and smiled:

"They're all inside."

While the chief eunuch could leave at will, the withdrawal of a large army was a complicated and tedious task, including but not limited to gathering men, transferring military equipment and supplies, and destroying ballistae and cannons that could not be carried.

Since the Yunzhou army was only fifty miles away, in order not to alert them, they could not take the civilians with them for a large-scale evacuation.

Therefore, the garrison did not disturb the people, but Xu Erlang ordered Miao Youfang to lead a team to bring along all the wealthy gentry and officials.

For those who are unwilling to leave, Convincing Others with Reason.

In addition, Li Mubai ordered people to make straw figures and place them densely on the city wall to confuse the scouts of the Yunzhou army.

Dawn, the time when the sky is at its darkest.

The Yunzhou army, which had already assembled, quietly approached Yongzhou City under the cover of the main force.

A scout with considerable skill, relying on his excellent eyesight and using a monocular telescope, peered over the walls of Yongzhou and saw a dense array of figures standing on the walls in the darkness.

"Wait a minute, something's not right."

The scout gasped and muttered to himself:

"Why have the numbers suddenly increased several times over? Did they anticipate our attack on the city?"

Normally, there wouldn't be many soldiers on duty on the city walls, just a certain number. Most of the soldiers would rest in the barracks below the city to ensure they were in peak physical condition.

Being on guard is the job of scouts.

The scout turned to his companion and said:

"Go back and report that something is wrong on the city wall; there are a large number of men on night duty, so be wary of a possible trap."

He feared that his movements would be anticipated, that the defending troops would be well-prepared, and that they might even have devised an attack plan.

The scouts quickly went to the Yunzhou army to report the situation. Out of caution, the army halted and dispatched scouts to patrol the surrounding area and gather intelligence.

Time passed second by second, and the eastern sky gradually turned pale, the pitch-black sky becoming a deep blue.

At this moment, the Yunzhou army realized something was wrong; those standing on the city wall were actually straw figures.

Scarecrow?

Inside the military tent, Qi Guangbo's heart sank upon hearing the report, and he said:

Send a flying rider to scout the situation.

A rider from the Vermilion Bird Army, piloting his flying steed, charged towards Yongzhou City, hovering over the city for a long time before returning to the Yunzhou army, bringing back the following report:

The Great Feng garrison withdrew from Yongzhou, leaving their barracks empty.

Qi Guangbo no longer hesitated and sent a large army to the city, easily capturing Yongzhou.

After some searching and investigation, it was discovered that the Great Feng garrison had taken away grain, gold, silver, and military equipment, and destroyed large-scale machinery.

Only a few hundred thousand people remained in Yongzhou.

Inside the barbican.

Xu Pingfeng, dressed in snow-white robes, was not surprised after hearing Qi Guangbo's report, and exhaled:

"Wei Yuan intends to challenge me in the capital."

Dressed in full military attire, Qi Guangbo placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly said:

"As expected of Wei Yuan, this decisiveness is not something ordinary people possess."

Rather than defending Yongzhou and preserving high-end combat power and troops, retreating to the capital would indeed be a better option, but the corresponding cost would be enough to put a group of experienced veterans and strategists in a dilemma.

However, the first thing Wei Yuan did after his resurrection was to transfer troops from Yongzhou back to the capital to increase the capital's defenses.

A qualified coordinator is demonstrated through these details.

Qi Guangbo continued:

"All the money, food and armaments have been taken away, but the people are still there, every household has some reserves, and the Jianghu forces in Yongzhou are still there, which is very good."

Those who could live in Yongzhou City were all from wealthy families; even digging three feet into the ground, one could still scrape together a considerable fortune to supplement the army's expenses.

Meanwhile, the martial arts forces in Yongzhou can be won over and incorporated into our own forces to fill the gaps in our combat strength.

Xu Pingfeng said:

"After a brief rest, once I've initially refined Yongzhou, I'll head north immediately. Wei Yuan wants to use Yongzhou to feed us and buy us time? We won't let him have his way."

Qi Guangbo took a deep breath, his fighting spirit soaring:

"The Grand Preceptor's idea is to station troops in the capital before the Northern Tribulation Battle ends, forcing Xu Qi'an and other extraordinary beings to use the capital as their battlefield, and to settle the score with the Great Feng."

Xu Pingfeng nodded slightly:

"This battle has come to an end. Must we continue to entangle ourselves with the Great Feng for months to come? I will not give Wei Yuan a chance to breathe. We must fight fast and finish this quickly."

Qi Guangbo nodded; this was also his idea.

The situation has reached this point, the battlefield has moved to the capital, and it is time to put an end to this struggle for supremacy.

How is the war in the North going?

He found it hard to believe that the Gara Tree and the White Emperor hadn't killed the Great Feng Fang's extraordinary being.

Xu Pingfeng said:

My clone has already headed to the North.

The clone had no combat power; he was just worried about the Northern Frontier battlefield and wanted to see what was going on with his own eyes.

As a chess player, he was used to having everything under control, so when the war in the North became deadlocked, he felt instinctively anxious and uneasy.

It's certain that something went wrong during the tribulation battle.

Xu Pingfeng could somewhat guess that the problem lay with Xu Qi'an, with his "Dao" that grew stronger with each battle. However, even with his wisdom, he still couldn't understand what kind of power could support a second-rank martial artist in a prolonged battle against a first-rank martial artist.

Unheard of.

He was of course unaware that in this world, only a handful of people knew this, and they were all ancient monsters who had lived for countless years.

That immortal tree is now living a very comfortable life in the palace.

"Aunt Mu, don't you know?"

Xu Lingyue blinked and said in a soft, gentle, and harmless tone:

"The spring festival is over, and my elder brother's wedding to Prince Lin'an is in half a month. How come my mother didn't tell you?"

Inside the palace, in an elegant courtyard, beside a stone table, Mu Nanzhi said angrily:

"All your mother does is grow flowers all day long. Anyone who didn't know better would think she's the goddess of flowers!"

Xu Lingyue said blankly:

"What flower goddess?"

"It's nothing, I'm going to Phoenix Palace to see that old woman!" Mu Nanzhi stood up.

Xu Lingyue was taken aback and looked Mu Nanzhi up and down repeatedly. The old woman must be the Empress Dowager. What was her identity that she dared to address the Empress Dowager like that?

P. S.: I'll keep writing, but I suggest you check back tomorrow, don't wait. I'm tired from writing, so I'll take a nap. There will definitely be an update tomorrow morning, but I might not be able to finish writing it tonight.