Chapter 181 Face Saint

The news of the Sword Dragon Closing finally came back.

The exact news shocked everyone. Great Xia's cavalry did not break through the Sword Dragon Pass. It was the Shepherd King who opened and closed the door and led his troops into it. It was said that this was news brought back by an Imperial Envoy from the Long Night Division who was stationed at the Sword Dragon Pass.

Of course, in the past ten years, no one had ever heard of any other Imperial Envoys other than the Mu Clan Army in the Sword Dragon Pass. Therefore, whether this so-called Imperial Envoy was an Imperial Envoy or a spy planted beside Mu Ji was debatable.

However, this was clearly not the focus of everyone's attention.

Mu Ji rebelled. The two hundred thousand soldiers of the Mu Clan who were capable of conscripting and fighting were in his hands. In addition to the five hundred thousand Xia cavalry in Cui Dazhu's hands, such a large number of soldiers and horses were enough to become a terrifying force to destroy the Great Zhou Empire.

For a moment, everyone in the court was in danger.

Even Zhu Xian was rumored to be furious after hearing about this, and the furious roar from Zhu Xian's palace had never stopped for the entire day.

The Imperial Court panicked and tried to deploy troops everywhere.

But the calamity of a few years, in order to alleviate the pressure of the imperial court, apart from a few important passes, the number of soldiers in each prefecture was cut again and again…

Even if there were heavily armed lands, they were all raised by their respective vassal kings and prefectural herds with private grain. How could they be willing to give them to Zhu Xian to take to Big Yellow City to die?

The orders of the Imperial Court spread everywhere like snowflakes, but in the end, they went to the army in Big Yellow City. There were only twenty thousand people. In addition, the hundred thousand troops in Lin Shou's hand were only one hundred and twenty thousand. How could such a number defend seven hundred thousand troops?

Even if that person was Lin Shou, who was known as the number one general under the heavens, Great Zhou and the rest of the world still held a very suspicious attitude towards this matter.

Chang'an's dream of dancing and singing was finally shattered by Great Xia's cavalry.

Four days later, the people who were galloping all the way arrived at the capital of the Great Zhou Empire.

Chang'an City was still bustling with activity, but the fear wrapped around it was already known to everyone.

Many restaurants were closed, and most of the pedestrians on the streets were in a hurry. It was no longer an affair for the drinkers to talk about. Instead, they frowned deeply as they thought about the upcoming war.

Tiance Prefecture's arrival could be considered a major event for Chang'an City, which had already tightened its strings. Naturally, Xu Han and the others would inevitably be pointed at by these pedestrians along the way.

"Is that young man the young master of the Tian Ce Mansion?"

"I heard that he seems to be the son-in-law of Ye Chengtai, Marquis of Ning Country."

"3,000 Gongqing, there are only this few people left in the 30,000 Tian Ce Mansion Army? Can they solve the danger of Big Yellow City?"

"It's hard to say, even the Long Night Division's Zhu Xian might not be able to pass this trial."

"Zhu Xian has been busy gathering troops these days. I'm afraid he doesn't have the mood to pay attention to these crippled soldiers."

"Ah… If only the Headmaster was here…"

Along the way, the whispers of the rookies on both sides couldn't be concealed from Xu Han's ears. As he listened to this, his brows furrowed deeply.

The people who said these things looked like some influential figures in Chang'an City. They were originally men, but they did not think about how to resist the foreign enemies at the moment of the national calamity. Instead, they were like women chatting in the streets. With Chang'an and Great Zhou like this, it was no wonder that Great Zhou had been so weak in the border wars over the years.

If it weren't for Wang Muji of Beijiang, who was under the control of the Sword Dragon, and Zhao Chu, who was under the control of the Tianshan Mountain, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he wanted to protect the Great Zhou Empire by relying on these royal nobles and nobles dressed in luxurious clothes.

"What do you think of Chang'an, Manor Master?" At this time, Mr. Lu, who was walking beside Xu Han, seemed to notice Xu Han's abnormal behavior. He asked softly with narrowed eyes.

"The hearts of the people are scattered and unsightly." Xu Han said without thinking.

"Great Xiamen will fall. Ants and insects don't want to support pillars. They use their fangs to devour pillars. There is no need to speak dirty words to confuse people. This is the case in all chaotic times in the world. Palace Master doesn't need to worry about it." The old gentleman said softly, his tone filled with contempt for the people around him.

Hearing this, Xu Han nodded and simply didn't listen to the dirty words of the people around him.

…

Under the lead of Mr. Lu, the group of people passed through the busiest city in Chang'an City and arrived in front of the huge imperial palace.

This palace was the Great Chu Palace of the previous dynasty, and it was called Chao Yang. After the Great Ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty usurped the throne, in order to go to the remnants of the previous dynasty, he repaired it and changed it to Pu Tian. It meant that under the heavens, could it be the king's land? From this, it could be seen how ambitious the Great Ancestor was when he opened the court. However, not to mention expanding the territory, his mansion was no longer safe. Now, when he looked at the big word "Pu Tian" on the palace gate, he could only sigh and sigh in amusement.

In front of Pu Tian Palace, the officials had been waiting for a long time.

The arrival of the Tian Ce Mansion would undoubtedly bring more variables to the already chaotic Great Zhou. As people in the center of power, they naturally had to see if the Tian Ce Mansion had the ability to change the world.

At that time, everyone stood outside the huge imperial palace gate. Mr. Lu glanced at Xu Han beside him and said with a smile, "Go."

Hearing this, Xu Han took a deep breath. It seemed as if, as the rumors had it, the existence of a dynasty had its own destiny. In front of this grand palace gate, Xu Han actually felt an invisible pressure, as if a heavy burden weighing a thousand jin was weighing on his body.

Under the gaze of the civil and military officials around him, he straightened his body and walked to the palace gate.

However, just as he took a step forward, a man dressed in black armor with a wolf-head cape hanging on his shoulders stepped forward.

"In the forbidden area of the Imperial Palace, those who enter well will die." As the man spoke, several soldiers dressed like Imperial Army soldiers rushed out from the palace gate and blocked Xu Han's path.

"I am the fourth generation Manor Head of Tiance Prefecture, Xu Han. I have come to ask to see His Majesty. General, please do me a favor." Xu Han frowned. He knew that his trip to Chang'an would not go smoothly, but this first step had encountered a blocking tiger, which really made Xu Han annoyed. However, this was Chang'an after all. No matter how bad it was, it was still a place where dragons and tigers were entrenched. Xu Han could only suppress the displeasure in his heart and say in a low voice.

This was his first and most important step to Chang'an.

The Tian Ce Mansion was a very special organization.

He belonged to the Imperial Court, but he was not an ordinary official position. He was more like the throne of a vassal king. Each generation's Manor Head would appoint a successor, and then the Emperor would confer the title.

Xu Han received the Headmaster's approval, but he still lacked the title of Emperor. Therefore, the first thing everyone came to Chang'an was to ask for the Emperor's presence. Only by obtaining the title could Xu Han be considered the righteous Tiance Prefecture Lord, and many things would be much easier to perform.

"The fourth generation Tian Ce Mansion Master? I'm sorry for my ignorance. I've only heard of the third generation Tian Ce Mansion Master's Headmaster, but I've never heard of Xu Han." The man lowered his eyes and glanced at Xu Han. Then, he said indifferently with an arrogant expression. Obviously, he did not put Xu Han in his eyes at all.

The news that Xu Han had become the Tian Ce Mansion 's Manor Master had long since been spread to Chang'an by the claws of the various Long Night Sectors along the way. The civil and military officials in front of him clearly knew about this matter long ago. The Imperial Army Commander's words were clearly directed by someone and he intentionally made things difficult.

As for the significance of doing so, it wasn't entirely the same. Although the Tian Ce Mansion was lonely, it was still a former giant. Naturally, if someone wanted to enter the palace, they would be willing to lend a helping hand. As for the Imperial Army Commander's actions, there were only two points. One was to show Zhu Xian's attitude to the various forces in the capital on behalf of the Long Night Division behind him, so that those who wanted to stand in line could easily consider it. The other was to rub Xu Han's limelight, that was all.

The seemingly clumsy trick, however, fully displayed Zhu Xian's intolerant and dissident style of conduct.

"General Tang, long time no see." But at this moment, Mr. Lu, who was behind Xu Han, stepped forward and walked over to the general. He smiled and bowed towards the general.

Mr. Lu's prestige wasn't much lower than the Headmaster's. His appearance caused the arrogant general surnamed Tang's momentum to instantly weaken a bit.

"So it's Gongqing Lu. He's rude." The general was obviously a tactful person, so he hurriedly returned the greeting, but he didn't have the slightest intention of retreating when he stood in front of the crowd.

"Manor Master Xu is the successor personally appointed by the old manor master. This old man can take care of this. I hope General Tang will do me a favor." With Mr. Lu's eyesight, he could naturally tell that something was amiss. His eyes were calm, and his mouth was still expressionless.

A few years ago, with Mr. Lu's status, not to mention a small commander of the Imperial Army, even a prince would have to hurriedly serve him. However, Tiance Prefecture was no longer like before. This general surnamed Tang seemed to have decided to pay attention to disgusting the crowd in order to please his late master.

"Mr. Lu's words are naturally credible, but I, Tang, am responsible for protecting the Emperor's safety after all. I dare not neglect it. This matter … I am also in a very difficult situation." He said, pretending to be distressed.

This appearance fell into the eyes of the civil and military officials around them, but they couldn't help but secretly sigh in their hearts. It was true that Tiger Falling Pingyang was bullied by a dog. When would a dignified Tiance Prefecture be unable to unleash it in front of a commander of the Imperial Army? Thinking of this, the hearts of everyone couldn't help but be filled with mixed feelings.

"So the general has made up his mind to make things difficult for me?" Xu Han said with a calm gaze.

The Seven Hundred Tian Ce Mansion Army behind them also smelled the anger in Xu Han's words. Their faces turned serious as they stepped forward. At that moment, a fierce aura rose up from the ground and enveloped the leading general.

Xu Han was not a reckless person, but if the Ce Manor was weak today, it would be even more difficult to convince the crowd if these clowns were allowed to take control of him. Sometimes the word reputation is really important in this world.

Since he had made up his mind to find a stable Tian Ce Mansion for the old man, Xu Han naturally had to go all out.

"You! Do you still want to force your way into the palace?" The general surnamed Tang's expression couldn't help but change when he saw this, but he didn't expect Xu Han to be so ruthless.

"Someone, Imperial Army Commander Tang Hai has neglected his duty and abused his authority for personal gain. Capture him and enter the Palace Saint together!" Mr. Lu shouted loudly without waiting for Xu Han to speak. His face was silent, but his aged face carried an aura of self-prestige.

A neat clanging sound could be heard.

Behind him, the 700 Heavenly Policy Army Commander's sword was unsheathed, and he unexpectedly walked straight towards Tang Hai and the dozens of Imperial Army soldiers behind him.

This situation stunned the surrounding people. They had originally thought that Tang Hai's actions would definitely cause the Tian Ce Mansion to suffer this hidden loss. Considering the current situation, the strength of the Tian Ce Mansion had truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Seeing that the two sides were about to face each other with their swords, a shrill voice came from the palace wall at that time.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

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