.The capital of the True Demon Empire, Jinluo Palace

The true demon Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo and the old minister in the court, Han Rang, listened to the description of Chen Ziqi who rushed back from the Iron Lu battlefield with a serious expression. The atmosphere in the hall was very depressing. Even though Chen Ziqi had finished speaking, Xiao Chuo, Han Rang and Xiao Gan still did not say a word.

After a long time, Xiao Chuo spoke slowly: "The disciples taught by the Shenji Military Master are extraordinary. It seems that Yang Qianli alone may not be able to stop Pang Yi's attack."

Han Rang said after hearing this: "Even if you can't stop it, you must block it. Your Majesty is fighting with Feng Yang's army at Baihe. At this time, you must not be distracted by the Iron Lun incident. If you let Your Majesty lose in Baihe because of this, it will be a fatal blow to my true demon."

"It's just that the fire cannot be kept. We can delay it for a while, but we still have to fundamentally solve the problem." Xiao Gan said with a deep frown.

"Do you want to issue a second recruitment order?" Han Rang asked hesitantly.

"Inappropriate. It's not long since the first recruitment order. Now that the second recruitment order is launched, it is easy to cause panic among the people." Xiao Gan shook his head and said.

"What do you think of? We have no soldiers to send at the moment. If we don't issue a conscription order, what should we use to reinforce the iron furnace?" Han Rang asked looking at Xiao Gan.

"Well... I didn't think of any good idea."

"Then I will issue the second recruitment order as I said."

"But that happens..."

"You are really a mother-in-law**..."

Seeing that Han Rang and Xiao Gan were about to argue, Xiao Chuo quickly stopped and said, "Stop talking, they are all old people, and aren't afraid of being laughed at by the younger generation?"

Han Rang and Xiao Gan suddenly remembered that there was another young man named Chen Ziqi here, and they shut up embarrassedly. Seeing this, Xiao Chuo shook his head slightly, looked at Chen Ziqi and asked, "Your name is Chen Ziqi, right?"

"If you want to go back to the Empress Dowager, I will be called Chen Ziqi." Chen Ziqi replied quickly.

"...If you were asked to find a solution, what suggestions would you have?" Xiao Chuo looked at Chen Ziqi and asked.

"this……"

"You don't have to worry. There are only three old guys here. Even if you say it wrong, no one will blame you. So just say it with confidence." Xiao Chuo said quickly when he saw this.

After receiving Xiao Chuo's promise, Chen Ziqi gritted his teeth and said, "Since the Empress Dowager is not aware of it, then Wansheng will talk about his own simple views. Wansheng feels that we should make a choice now. For our true demon, His Majesty, who is fighting against the main force of the Feng Yang Army in Baihe, is the most important thing. Providing His Majesty with a stable rear is the first thing we left in Jinluo to do. And the Iron Lure is just a new territory that I, the True Demon, had not long ago. If Feng Yang Army was allowed to attack, When the news reaches Baihe, the morale of the True Demon Army will be in chaos. To be honest, the territory of Tielu is optional to me. And through this period of time, our army left by the True Demon in Tielu will sooner or later be wiped out by Feng Yang's army. So I thought that instead of being defeated by Feng Yang's army one by one, it would be better to concentrate all the troops and retreat to Sanshan Pass to ensure a complete rear for the True Demon Army of Baihe, so that they can fight the Feng Yang army of Baihe wholeheartedly."

"...What do you mean is to give up the iron furnace under my true demon?" Han Rang looked at Chen Ziqi and asked.

"Yes."

"Nonsense, it's simply nonsense. It was killed by my true demon soldiers with blood and life. How could I say no? "Han Rang stared at Chen Ziqi and scolded.

Chen Ziqi was not afraid at all and retorted: "The main goal of our true demons is to defeat Feng Yang. As long as we defeat Feng Yang, what we lose will eventually come back one day. If we only care about the gains and losses of a city and a place, then when the true demon army in Baihe was defeated by Feng Yang's army because of the iron furnace affairs, then what we lost would not be the place where the iron furnace was."

"Then do you think we can stop Feng Yang's attack by giving up the iron furnace and concentrating the remaining troops in Sanshan Pass?" Xiao Gan asked from the side, completely ignoring the look of Han Rang staring at him.

Chen Ziqi quickly replied: "Sanshan Pass is the gateway of my true demon empire. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It once had the reputation of "one man is the pass, but ten thousand men cannot open it". As long as Lord Yang Qianli can't stand it at that time, it will not be difficult to block Feng Yang's offensive."

"Then where will you be then?" Xiao Chuo asked out loud.

"Of course it's at Sanshan Pass. Wansheng is an aide to Lord Yang Qianli. Where is Lord Yang Qianli, of course, Wansheng should be there too."

After hearing Chen Ziqi's answer, Xiao Chuo nodded slightly and asked again: "Then don't you want to go to Baihe to make achievements with His Majesty?"

"I think about it, but before I came back, Wansheng had already agreed to go back and resist Feng Yang's attack with him, so he could only give up the idea of ​​going to Baihe."

"Well, it's a person who keeps his promises. Well, don't mention this matter again. From now on, I proposed the matter of retreating to Sanshan Pass that you just mentioned. Anyone who asked you you must say this. Remember?" Xiao Chuo nodded and said to Chen Ziqi.

"Thank you for your care." Chen Ziqi thanked her. Chen Ziqi understood the meaning of the Empress Dowager's words very well. If others knew that the suggestion of voluntarily retreating this time was proposed by him, he would likely be drowned by the stubborn people in the empire. The Empress Dowager is different. Who dares to scold her? The consequences of scolding her are not only to move her head, but also to move her relatives. The Empress Dowager did this to block the wind and rain for Chen Ziqi.

Send someone to send Chen Ziqi out of the palace. Han Rang asked Xiao Chuo anxiously, "Empress Dowager, do you really want to do what Chen Ziqi said?"

"Of course. Have you thought of any better solution now?" Xiao Chuo asked at Han Rang.

"...The old minister doesn't, it's just the Empress Dowager. If you do this, you will make those guys who live by the rules of their ancestors all day long and have opinions about you." Han Rang kindly advised the Empress Dowager.

But unexpectedly, after hearing Han Rang's words, the Empress Dowager immediately asked: "Han Rang, do you still remember the nicknames given to me by those old stubborns twenty-eight years ago?"

When Han Rang heard this, he immediately had a cold war. Xiao Chuo's words reminded Han Rang of the tragedy that happened in Jin Luo twenty-eight years ago.

Twenty-eight years ago, the True Demon Emperor was killed on his way out. He followed the True Demon Emperor's third brother forcibly ascended the throne, and soon after he ascended the throne, he killed the relatives of the former emperor. At that time, Xiao Chuo, who had already married, appeared in Jinluo. That night, Xiao Chuo led the master who came from somewhere to kill the palace, including the True Demon Emperor, and no one survived. On that night, Xiao Chuo had the nickname of Blood Shura. Later, Xiao Chuo established himself as a distant nephew to serve as the True Demon Emperor. Then, by an occasional opportunity, Xiao Chuo learned that his dead nephew and an illegitimate son lived in the world, and that person was Xiao Fengzhen. This was also the reason why Xiao Chuo later supported Xiao Fengzhen to be the emperor. Strictly speaking, the Empress Dowager was Xiao Fengzhen's aunt.

"The Empress Dowager, let's think twice." Xiao Gan advised.

"I've thought about it all over the place, but I found that only the method that kid Chen Ziqi said is the most reliable. It's just a little bit of infamy, and I've been used to it."

"...Since that's the case, please give the Empress Dowager a pity and give the old minister a chance to be scolded." Han Rang simply changed his words when he couldn't persuade Xiao Chuo.

"The old minister also requested." Xiao Gan said hurriedly.

"...Why are you two?" Xiao Chuo said with a wry smile.

"The Empress Dowager, there is actually another way to solve this crisis..." Han Rang said tentatively.

But before Xiao Chuo finished speaking, he shook his head and refused, "Don't say it, this is impossible. I left without saying goodbye and left them. Now I have the face to meet them. This matter is impossible, so you don't have to mention it."

"The Empress Dowager, after all, they are all a family..."

"Okay, this matter is impossible, don't say it." Xiao Chuo interrupted Han Rang's persuasion and stood up and left the palace. Looking at the empty seats, Han Rang and Xiao Gan sighed at the same time. They made an appointment to get up and leave the palace together.

Xiao Chuo, hiding behind the curtain, watched Han Rang and Xiao Gan leave, silently took out a string of necklaces that had been hanging on their chests and had never left their bodies, and looked at the inconspicuous ring hanging on it, and tears couldn't stop flowing down.

The next morning, rumors began to spread in Jinluo City that the true demon was about to give up the iron furnace occupying the land. Chen Ziqi, who was resting in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, realized that it was the Empress Dowager who was building momentum after hearing this.

Jin Luo's people's reaction was fierce. People with red faces could be seen in the teahouse everywhere, and several full martial arts wars were staged every day. For a time, Jin Luo's public security office was overcrowded.

Inside the Right Prime Minister's Mansion

"You said, was it your idea?" Xiao Tong stared at Chen Ziqi and asked.

"E...Tongtong..."

Feeling the gossiping eyes of Li Linqi and Liu Qiang on the side, Xiao Tong said with a blushing face: "Bah, who is Tongtong? Tell me quickly, is it your idea for the Empress Dowager?"

"E... Ziqi admitted helplessly.

"You, how could you come up with this bad idea?" Xiao Tong heard that it was Chen Ziqi's idea, and couldn't help but stomp his feet and said in anger.

"Ah? Me, why did I come up with a bad idea?" Chen Ziqi asked in confusion.

"Oh, brother, Miss Xiao is right. Your idea is indeed a bit bad. If someone knows that you are going to give up Tielu, you may become a traitor who everyone calls for fighting." Li Linqi also patted Chen Ziqi's shoulder helplessly and said.

Hearing Li Linqi's words, Chen Ziqi was not only angry but also funny, and couldn't help asking: "Brother Li, Miss Liu and Xiao, in your opinion, how should we real demons react in the face of the Feng Yangjun of Tielu?"

"What else can I do to mobilize the army to resolutely eliminate Feng Yang's army, so that they know that I am a real demon, and I am not easy to mess with." Xiao Tong replied with a fist.

Seeing this, Chen Ziqi couldn't help but shake his head. Xiao Tong asked dissatisfiedly: "What? Am I wrong?"

"It was true, but you ignored the most critical issue."

“What’s the problem?”

"You said that the army was mobilized, where was the army? You must know that most of the true demon army was transferred by His Majesty to Baihe to fight with Feng Yang's army with him. The remaining army was a little difficult to maintain the stability of the various places, so where would you draw the army from to Tielu? To be honest, if His Majesty had not insisted on drawing most of the elite soldiers under Lord Yang Qianli, Lord Yang Qianli would not be in such a passive position now."

"We can ask each family to send private soldiers..." Li Linqi said with an idea.

"It's too late. The last time General Meng Ben and I brought the private soldiers contributed by each family." Chen Ziqi interrupted Li Linqi's words angrily.

"...Anyway, it's wrong to escape without fighting." Xiao Tong shouted unreasonably.

Chen Ziqi shook his head when he heard this, "What does it mean to escape without fighting? Miss Xiao, do you know how powerful the Fengyang Army is in Tielu's opponent. The commander is Pang Yi, the military minister of Fengyang. He seems to be the favorite student of the Shenji Military Advisor. He has 50,000 heavy infantry armed to the teeth, as well as 20,000 elite cavalry, and the elite selected by the Iron Lu Dwarf, the combined force exceeds 100,000. What kind of soldiers are there in Lord Yang Qianli's hands? To be honest, Lord Yang Qianli has been able to keep Feng Yang's army under the city of Gulan forever."

"Then why don't he let him continue to guard Gulan City, but instead retreat to Sanshan Pass?" Liu Qiang, who had not spoken, asked.

"Because Gulan City is not a very strong city, it can block Feng Yang's attack for a while, but it cannot keep Feng Yang's army from all the time. Moreover, in addition to Gulan City, there are several cities behind Gulan City that need defense. However, with the defeat in the last battle, our side can no longer effectively suppress Feng Yang's cavalry. Their cavalry can cut off the connection between Gulan City and the outside world at any time. Once Gulan City is isolated, my true demon will really have no resistance to the direction of the Iron Furnace. At that time, the Feng Yang army's cavalry will go south, which will inevitably cause panic in the country, which will affect the main force of my true demon army who is fighting with Baihe and Feng Yang's army. You must know that if Baihe's true demon army is defeated, then our true demon will be in danger."

After hearing Chen Ziqi's explanation, Li Linqi and others fell silent. They did not expect that the situation of the real demon was so serious. Xiao Tong no longer yelled that he would fight for an inch of land, but she still didn't believe that Feng Yang's combat power was so powerful, and she couldn't help but ask Chen Ziqi: "Ziqi, Feng Yang's army is really that powerful?"

"Now I'm called me Ziqi again. You looked like you were going to eat me just now." Chen Ziqi teased at Xiao Tong.

"Hate, say it quickly." Xiao Tong said angrily with a red face.

Chen Ziqi smiled and said with a serious look: "Feng Yang Army is very powerful. In a previous battle with Feng Yang Army, I served as the commander of the camp and was fortunate to see the way Feng Yang Army fought. The four words mean that they are fearless and fearless. Once a battle starts, Feng Yang Army's desperate aura is simply coming to his face. Before he fights head-on, his entire aura is already three points weaker. Moreover, during the fight, even if the soldiers of Feng Yang Army are injured, as long as they are not fatal injuries, they will continue to attack until they fall to the ground. The 30,000 people I led at that time were originally responsible for luring the enemy and bringing the attacking Feng Yang Army into the ambush circle, but it almost turned into a real defeat."

"So strong?" Li Linqi said in disbelief.

"That's right. And I'm even more worried that the Feng Yang army of Tielu is not the most elite unit in the entire Feng Yang army. I heard that the most elite unit in Feng Yang's army is the direct army next to Emperor Feng Yang and the multi-race joint guard. It is an army that can only be entered by elite troops of each race through layers of selection. In that army, the number of personnel for each race is one thousand. Think about it, the one thousand people selected from each race. What kind of standards can be selected if they meet."

"Is there any of our demons in that army?" Li Linqi asked.

"...It seems that there is, I don't know much about this. I also learned about Feng Yang and this army during the chat with Lord Yang Qianli."

After hearing Chen Ziqi's words, everyone in the room was silent and no one wanted to speak. They always thought they were very powerful, but suddenly they found that there was a stronger person around them, which made no one interested in speaking.

"Young Master Sun, someone has come from the palace and said he would invite Mr. Chen to go to the palace to answer." The old housekeeper in the mansion stood at the door to report the report.

"Oh, I got it, who is looking for Ziqi?" Li Linqi asked.

"It's the Empress Dowager."

When he heard that it was the Empress Dowager Xiangzhao, Chen Ziqi did not dare to neglect it. After dressing neatly, he hurried to the palace with the person who was passing the message. Looking at Chen Ziqi's departure back, Li Linqi seemed to have made up a decision and said to Liu Qiang and Xiao Tong: "I decided to go to Baihe."

"Ah? Are you going to Baihe? What are you going to do?" Liu Qiang asked in surprise.

"Brother Chen is younger than me and now he has begun to be busy for the future of the empire. How can I, a brother, still wasting my time like this? Although I have no power, I also have a lot of passion. I want to go to Baihe to find my father. Even if I can't help with anything, I don't want to stay in Jin Luo all day long." Li Linqi said with a firm look on his face.

"Well said, I support you, I will go to Baihe with you." Xiao Tong shouted loudly.

"Don't cause trouble." Liu Qiang scolded Xiao Tong rarely, and then turned his head to persuade Li Linqi, "Linqi, it is good to contribute to your country, but even if you want to contribute to your country, you must pay attention to methods and methods. Just relying on this blood alone can't help you with anything. You should stay in Jinluo. If you really want to contribute to your country, you might as well ask for the Empress Dowager. She can definitely point out a clear way for you. It is much better than if you are trampling your head around like this."

After hearing Liu Qiang's persuasion, Li Linqi nodded and said, "Well, Qiang'er, you are right. I was too impulsive just now. I'm going to ask for the Empress Dowager."
Chapter completed!