The high officials lowered their heads, not wanting to draw the Emperor's attention at this moment.
They were truly worried.
The Emperor's mood had been explosive every day. What if he were to suddenly pass away...
No, they couldn't think like that. If something were to happen to the Emperor unexpectedly, the empire would fall into chaos.
So, once again, they all turned their hopeful and pleading gazes towards the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister: "......"
The Prime Minister, who always ended up being the one to stick his neck out, stood up under the expectant gazes of his colleagues. He first placated the Emperor, and after His Majesty's rage subsided, he proposed several solutions.
But! All these proposals were rejected by Pei Changying.
This time, Pei Changying was absolutely resolute.
How could the mighty Emperor, the Son of Heaven, yield step by step because of some lowly commoners?
Pei Changying sneered, "I absolutely cannot compromise this time. These impudent commoners will only become more and more demanding. If I compromise again, next time they'll dare to threaten me to grant them all noble titles."
The Prime Minister was at his wit's end.
What could he do if the Emperor wouldn't listen to his advice? He could only sigh repeatedly and stop trying to persuade him.
After all, once their Emperor had made up his mind about something, he wouldn't listen to his ministers' suggestions.
Fine then.
Let fate decide!
The Prime Minister helplessly gave up.
Pei Changying, his eyes filled with murderous intent, gritted his teeth and said, "The late Emperor was too indulgent towards that traitor Pei Weiqi, which made her delusionally think she could seize my throne."
"Hmph, she even wants to follow the future custom of allowing women to study. Women in business? In government? It's utterly ridiculous! Women are only fit to be confined in their chambers to serve men!"
"Such fanciful ideas. I'll see how long the money left by the late Emperor can support her extravagance."
"I have the resources of an entire nation to support me. Pei Weiqi, how can you possibly contend with me for this empire!"
Pei Changying was naturally jealous and resentful of Pei Weiqi's various policies.
Moreover, he was well aware that Gu Sang must have been involved in these decisions made by Pei Weiqi, which benefited the people and compensated the fallen soldiers, as well as the cannons.
Pei Changying felt deeply betrayed by Gu Sang again. He had trusted Gu Sang so much!
But Gu Sang had helped that vile woman so much behind his back!
Pei Changying's heart was bleeding.
These days, he had been trying to connect with Gu Sang, but for some reason, he could never establish a connection.
"Sang Sang, I will prove to you that I am the chosen one!"
"Your choice of Pei Weiqi is a huge mistake!"
Pei Changying cast a sharp gaze at these ministers who only knew how to lower their heads and couldn't come up with a single idea. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he spoke coldly:
"Let General Guan lead two hundred thousand troops to the Plague City to eliminate the rebels!"
Upon hearing this, the entire court was shocked.
The ministers raised their heads in disbelief.
The Prime Minister felt his head buzzing, almost on the verge of a heart attack.
"Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot be done! General Guan's two hundred thousand troops are stationed at the border to prevent the Xiongnu from invading the Central Plains."
"If General Guan's two hundred thousand troops are reassigned, the Xiongnu will be able to march straight into the Central Plains."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
It was the same old speech again.
Infuriating!
These ministers always said this couldn't be done, that couldn't be done. They were utterly useless!
Pei Changying's icy gaze swept across the faces of his officials, carrying the absolute authority of an emperor: "This can't be done, that can't be done. Have any of you come up with a solution?"
"I have my own considerations. As long as General Guan can achieve a quick victory, he can go back and forth to crush the Plague City before the Xiongnu even realize it."
"I will order the garrison troops from nearby cities to go to the border to keep the Xiongnu in check, creating the illusion that our main force hasn't moved."
"As long as there are no traitors in the court, how will the Xiongnu discover my strategy!"
"My dear ministers, you are all loyal to the country and to me, aren't you?"
The ministers wiped their sweat and straightened their backs: "We are absolutely loyal to the country and to Your Majesty!"
Since the Emperor had already thought everything through, they had no choice but to obey.
But if General Guan couldn't achieve a quick victory, and the Xiongnu discovered the truth, the Central Plains would be in danger...
In a valley thirty miles away from the Plague City, the imperial troops were stationed.
After reporting to Pei Changying about the Princess's creation of cannons, Guan Pei remained motionless in the valley, quietly waiting for orders from the court.
Upon receiving the court's instruction to "attack," Guan Pei immediately beat the war drums to assemble his troops and ordered, "Prepare for battle immediately, we shall attack the Plague City again!"
"This time, we must capture the Plague City!"
"Capture Pei Weiqi alive!"
"And you, Vice General Qin, you were captured by that rebel Zhou Qichen last time and then released. You swore that you didn't betray the court. Today, I'm giving you a special opportunity to prove your innocence by joining the battle! Kill Zhou Qichen with your own hands, and I will believe you!"
"Can you do it?!"
Vice General Qin lowered his head, his eyes filled with complexity as he replied, "I will do my best."
"Hmph!" Guan Pei sneered, staring deeply at Vice General Qin for a few more moments before commanding the army to charge towards the Plague City.
This time, Guan Pei had learned his lesson.
He no longer had the soldiers stand densely packed. Instead, each soldier was spaced one meter apart from those in front, behind, and to the sides.
Even if the Princess's cannons were formidable, facing such a formation would greatly reduce their effectiveness.
If the Princess still used the cannons, she would go bankrupt just from the ammunition costs.
But if the Princess didn't use the cannons, how many soldiers did that woman have under her command anyway? His fifty thousand troops would surely be able to storm the city immediately.
Guan Pei had been staying in the valley and was unaware that the various benefits the Princess had offered to soldiers had increased her forces to a staggering eighty thousand!
He was still confident that the Princess only had a handful of troops under her command.
Guan Pei arrived at the foot of the Plague City's walls with full confidence. The Princess stood atop the city wall, and upon seeing the loose formation of the imperial troops, she smirked disdainfully.
They had actually come up with this idea to counter the cannons.
However, in today's battle, she wanted to test the strength of her new troops!
The Princess looked up and glanced at Gu Sang, who was observing the battle from mid-air above the city wall, and said, "He does have some brains after all."
"Too bad, we've changed our tactics this time."
Gu Sang on the screen looked calm and unafraid, facing the court's renewed attack without the slightest fear: "It's just fifty thousand troops from the court. Times have changed."
"Weiqi, let them see the elites that Zhou Qichen has trained using methods from the future!"
The Princess nodded and commanded to the rear, "General Zhou, it's your turn to take the field!"
Upon hearing these words, Zhou Qichen's spirits instantly lifted, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. "I accept the command!" he declared enthusiastically.
The city gates opened!
The imperial soldiers, who had been terrified by the cannons during the previous encounter, now stared nervously at whatever was about to emerge. Would it happen again? Were they about to be blown away once more?
They watched with wide eyes, their gazes fixed intently on the gates. And then they saw Zhou Qichen charging forth on horseback, leading the way. Behind him streamed a vast army of tens of thousands of soldiers, their ranks stretching as far as the eye could see.
