Chapter 200 is like a fishbone stuck in the throat, hard to swallow!
Hanzhou, Qianqing Palace.

Several days had passed since Yuan Chenghuan's diplomatic mission to the Northern Barbarians, and the bribery and suppression of people's hearts through wealth had gradually passed.

As time passed, even in Yangzhou, known as the granary of the world, supplies began to be stretched, and small-scale famine had already occurred in the state.

Liu Wulie stood in the main hall with deep eyes, pacing back and forth, looking increasingly uneasy.

Are we just going to watch Hanzhou fall into despair?" He roared in his heart. He realized that Hanzhou might not be able to hold out for much longer. Once the famine spread completely, the whole situation would become difficult to control.

At that time, no matter how impregnable Hanzhou was, it would eventually collapse.

This means that they don't have much time left.

"Damn Lin Zhongyun!" He was filled with rage and hatred surged like a tide.

The man who was once a petty thief in his eyes has now become his biggest enemy. It is his every move that has put the entire Daqian into such a predicament.

Thinking that his five hundred years of Daqian foundation would eventually be destroyed by a bandit, he felt depressed and couldn't help but find it a little ridiculous.

Thinking of this, he became more and more irritated. In addition to the deep hatred for Lin Zhongyun in his heart, he also felt unwilling to bear the stigma of being a king who lost his country and had unfulfilled ambitions.

When he first ascended the throne, natural disasters and man-made calamities occurred one after another. In addition, the aristocratic families controlled the government. In this situation, although he was the supreme emperor, there was little he could do.

Obviously, some policies have good intentions, but when they are actually implemented, they are distorted and become excuses for corrupt officials to squeeze the people's money.

Whenever he thought of this, he couldn't help but feel regretful. He clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if he wanted to vent his resentment.

If I had been tougher at the beginning, perhaps the situation would have been different and Daqian would not have fallen into this situation.

But there are no ifs in this world, and there is no medicine for regret.

This was a truth he had understood since he ascended the throne, so after a brief moment of regret, his eyes became extremely determined.

The image that an emperor presents to everyone can only be that of an extremely majestic person.

This is true even for a king who has lost his country.

"How's Yuan Chenghuan doing?" Liu Wulie put his hands behind his back, his voice as cold as ice, his tone revealing a strong sense of impatience. At this moment, his mood was like a rolling undercurrent, difficult to calm down.

Now, Yuan Chenghuan is his hope, and the last hope of Daqian. Liu Wulie knows that only by breaking the current deadlock can Daqian win a chance to breathe. However, the anxiety and unwillingness in his heart follow him everywhere, making him unable to rest.

The waiter beside him felt the murderous aura from Liu Wulie and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, General Yuan just sent a secret report saying that the Northern Barbarians have agreed to his plan and there is no threat to our Daqian for the time being."

After hearing this, Liu Wulie felt a little satisfied and his anger seemed to have subsided, but he was soon overwhelmed by new worries. He continued to ask, "What about those noble families? The rebels should have given them a good beating this time."

He has a love-hate relationship with these aristocratic families.

Once upon a time, he longed to weaken their power and wanted to take control of the government alone, but the funny thing is that he, the king of a fallen country, now has to pin his hopes on these people.

His heart was filled with helplessness and resentment, as if he was bound by this game of power.

"After that war, most of the noble families have begun to give in." The waiter said cautiously, with a hint of embarrassment on his face. Then, he whispered, "But there are still some noble families who are still ambitious and want to rebel and establish themselves as kings."

"Proclaim yourself king?" Liu Wulie's voice suddenly became high-pitched, with uncontrollable anger, "What a traitor!" He sneered, clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, and bright red blood gradually overflowed and penetrated his heart.

He was burning with rage, hatred and helplessness. Under normal circumstances, he would have been furious and wrathful; but now, he could no longer care about that.

"Well, let them go for now."

He sighed deeply, waved his hands as if he had lost his soul, and said, "Those clowns will eventually get their comeuppance. The most important task now is to complete the plan with the Northern Barbarians."

"Tell Yuan Chenghuan that I am willing to take the initiative in this plan and use myself as bait!"

His words were like a flood that broke through the dam, with fearless determination. This was his last gamble.

If we fail in this battle, we will die.

The future rise and fall of Daqian depends entirely on this line.

"Your Majesty?"

When the waiter heard this, he immediately knelt on the ground in fear and said in a sad voice: "Why do you have to do this? The noble family has clearly agreed to your Majesty's conditions. As long as your Majesty is alive, Daqian will also be alive."

"Agreed to the terms?"

"Liu Wulie sneered, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips. A trace of anger flashed in his eyes, as if he wanted to pour out all his grievances and resentment. "How could I not know what those noble families are thinking? When I really reach their territory, I will be just a puppet to be manipulated by others. "

"It's ridiculous for those traitors to want to control me!" His voice became louder and louder, with uncontrollable anger, "Even if Daqian perishes, I will drag those people down with me!"

His eyes suddenly became extremely firm. He would never become a puppet emperor no matter what. He would rather die than not lose a bit of his dignity as an emperor.

"I want to let those noble families know what true imperial power is!"

Liu Wulie's voice was sonorous and powerful, revealing fearless determination, "Even if Daqian is to perish, my blood must be shed on the territory of Daqian."

……

Yunfu City.

There were sparse clouds in the sky, and the bleak moonlight cast a white glow, and a chilling feeling filled the entire world.

Lin Zhongyun stood on the city wall and looked into the distance. He looked at Hanzhou, which was only separated from the city by a city wall. All he saw was ruins, except for the majestic and glorious capital city which remained as it was.

But no matter how you look at it, the Empress Weiyang in the Qianqing Palace in the capital is like a daytime firework, fleeting.

Looking at the scene in front of him, he felt a lot. Recalling the situation at the beginning and then looking at the power now, his heart was unable to calm down for a long time and it was difficult to let it go.

He used to be just an unknown person struggling to survive in the storm, like the heroes in the Water Margin who were forced to go to Liangshan, becoming a bandit and living with refugees. At that time, he only had the hope of survival in his eyes, far from the power struggles and ambitions of today, but only the desire to take control of his own destiny.

However, the tide of the times pushed him step by step to his current position. Looking back, his rise was not accidental, but a step-by-step plot and planning.

The reason why he was able to rise from obscurity, annex various states, and reach the point where he is about to unify the world is certainly due to the help of the system, but more importantly, it is the unyielding ambition and determination in his heart.

At this point, he already has the qualifications and strength to stand out from the crowd.

Awake to hold the power of the world, drunk and lying on the knees of a beautiful woman!
He was only one step away from the throne that countless people dreamed of. But he knew that he couldn't let his guard down at this time.

"King Wu, it's getting late, you should take a rest!" Yuan Jingxin stood respectfully aside, doing what a subject should do.

From now on, he has made his position clear and regards himself as a minister of the court, not Lin Zhongyun's brother or any other figure.

"The imperial examination will be put on the agenda immediately." Lin Zhongyun put his hands behind his back, his eyes dim with a feeling of being lonely at the top.

He knew that only through the imperial examination could he truly integrate the forces of various places and stabilize the overall situation. But he knew in his heart that this road was not a smooth one, and there were many undercurrents and obstacles hidden behind it.

Suppressing the Northern Barbarians does not mean peace in the world, but he can only talk about other things after he has suppressed the Northern Barbarians.

"According to the time, the Wu Dang Flying Army has already started to set off." He whispered to himself, looking through the city wall, as if he could see the brave and warlike team galloping towards him in the moonlight.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Yuan Jingxin answered respectfully. In the past, he had only admiration for Lin Zhongyun, but now, besides admiration, there is also a hint of fear in his heart.

That fear was not because of Lin Zhongyun's cruelty, but came from the awe of power.

……

Moonlight shines on the rocky beach.

The frozen lake surface was cracked, making the moonlight look like a broken mirror.

The sky was covered with fine snow, and the cold wind carried scattered snowflakes that kept hitting the snow-covered ground, creating a bleak scene.

In this silent wilderness, two wild horses were galloping towards the distance, disappearing on the distant horizon under the cover of night.

High up in the mountain, an eye sees it all.

"General, the scouts from the Northern Barbarians have indeed rushed to the northern border just as you expected. They must have gone to inform others." A deputy general came running over in a hurry, his tone revealing a hint of nervousness.

Li Zhongwu nodded silently and placed his hands on the campfire. The flickering flames reflected his meaningful face.

In fact, they let these two northern barbarian scouts go on purpose.

From the very beginning they discovered that these two men had been following them, and he even showed up on the spot to let the two scouts see that he, Li Zhongwu, was here.

From the moment he led this group of Wu Dang flying soldiers out of Yunfu City, his mission was not to penetrate the heartland of the Northern Barbarians, but to break the Northern Barbarians' plan. The Northern Barbarians have been lying dormant since they conquered the northern border, and they must be planning something behind the scenes.

Instead of letting their plan go smoothly, he would rather take the initiative this time and disrupt their plan.

Li Zhongwu's mouth curled up slightly, and he recalled the many instructions Lin Zhongyun gave him before he left, and he remained calm.

Now the two scouts will soon pass the news to Chagan Uli's ears.

Faced with this situation, Chagan Uli could only make two decisions. One was to return to provide support immediately and never abandon the base camp, which would surely make all their early plans go to waste.

Another decision would be to allow him to go deep into the hinterland and fight the rebels head-on with all his might. In that case, he could turn the fake play into reality and completely destroy the Northern Barbarians' base camp.

It can be said that he is now just like a fishbone stuck in Chagan Uli's throat. Although it will not kill him, it will definitely make him feel uncomfortable all over and lose his composure.

Now he was looking forward to what decision Chagan Uli would make.

But no matter what the decision is, they will be the final beneficiaries.

……

quickly,

The two scouts quickly returned to the northern camp.

"Reporting to the Khan, we have just discovered that the rebel general Li Zhongwu led a group of troops secretly out of the city, and they seem to be heading towards the grassland." The scout said with a flushed face, gasping for breath.

"what?"

Chagan Uli uttered a cry of surprise and suddenly stood up from his chair, looking extremely shocked.

When Yuan Chenghuan heard the news, his eyelids jumped suddenly and the pen in his hand fell accidentally.

"Are you telling the truth? Do you know how serious a crime it is to lie about military intelligence?"

The middle-aged scholar could no longer sit still at this moment. He came to the scout and shouted sternly, "You said that the righteous general Li Zhongwu led the troops? Did you really see that man's face clearly?"

It's not that he doesn't trust the scout in front of him,
This news is really too shocking and hard to accept.

Everyone knows that Li Zhongwu is the most powerful general under Lin Zhongyun. He is the bravest among the three armies, and his power is feared by the world.

When the great war was about to begin, Lin Zhongyun sent out this powerful general. Could it be that he was crazy?

At this moment, even he, who prided himself on being an expert in strategizing, could not understand the deep meaning behind Lin Zhongyun's actions.

Facing the cold gazes in the big tent, the scout had never seen such a scene before, and his face turned even paler. He said hurriedly, "Your Excellency the Khan and Sir, everything I said is true, and I dare not lie even a little."

After receiving this affirmative answer, everyone's eyes suddenly fixed and their faces became gloomy at the same time.

Chagan Uli clenched his fists, knitted his brows together, and his rough face became hideous and terrifying due to extreme distortion.

Lin Zhongyun's move was beyond his expectations. They had already prepared for a large-scale attack, but now they were afraid that it would have to be postponed again.

The longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for the rebels.

"hateful!"

He couldn't help but curse angrily. They didn't have much time left, and now this kind of thing happened. Isn't this annoying?

"Sir, what do you think Lin Zhongyun is up to?" Chagan Wuli said in a deep voice, with strong anger in his tone, and it was obvious that he was very angry.

The middle-aged scholar closed his eyes slightly, his face looked a little ugly. After a long silence, he looked at Yuan Chenghuan and said, "Khan, I think the first thing to do is to confirm the purpose of that group of people and whether the leader is Li Zhongwu."

"As for the rest, we still need to think about it later. Among us, only General Yuan and Li Zhongwu have fought before. I would like to ask General Yuan to find out the truth!
(End of this chapter)