dkrc Chapter 38 Li Yuechan Establishes Authority, a Mere Ten Thousand Iron Cavalry
Chapter 38 Li Yuechan Establishes Authority, a Mere Ten Thousand Iron Cavalry
"Your Majesty, with 100,000 iron cavalry besieging the city and two Grandmasters overseeing the battle, defeat is inevitable!"
"The only way now is...the only way is to move the capital so as to preserve the royal bloodline and make a comeback."
"Move the capital? Where to? The Qing army's iron cavalry can travel eight hundred li in a day."
"Can we outrun them? In my humble opinion, it would be better... better to open the city gates and surrender. Perhaps that could save the million lives in the city from slaughter!"
Inside the palace, in the imperial court.
The emergency court meeting that was just convened has already descended into complete chaos.
Faced with the overwhelming Qing army outside the city, these civil and military officials, who were usually high and mighty, completely tore off all their pretenses.
They all revealed their truest and ugliest side.
The officials who advocated moving the capital were simply trying to pack up their valuables and flee for their lives.
Officials who advocated surrender had long been secretly colluding with the Qing army, hoping to betray their country for personal gain.
The entire hall was filled with arguing and crying, as if the end of the world had come.
Li Yuechan, seated on the dragon throne, looked down at the disgraceful behavior of her ministers.
A deep disappointment flashed in those clear eyes.
But more than anything, she possesses a composure that belies her age.
"That's enough!"
She slammed her hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, making a loud "bang".
The crisp sound, though not loud, contained an undeniable imperial majesty, instantly suppressing all the noise.
Everyone was stunned, staring in astonishment at the petite figure on the dragon throne.
"Prime Minister, could you say that again?"
Li Yuechan's gaze fell on the old minister who had just advocated surrender.
The old prime minister, relying on his status as a veteran of three reigns, did not take this young girl seriously.
He stiffened his neck and spoke in a condescending manner.
"Your Majesty, this old minister is only thinking of the well-being of all people."
"The opponent has two Grandmasters, which is an insurmountable force."
"Forced resistance will only lead to mutual destruction, causing millions of lives in the capital to be lost to His Majesty! Surrender is the only way to survive."
"Well said."
Li Yuechan nodded, a kind smile appearing on her face.
But that smile sent a strange shiver down the old prime minister's spine.
The next moment, Li Yuechan made a move that left everyone speechless.
She slowly drew a sword, a symbol of the emperor's authority, from beside the dragon throne.
Under the horrified gaze of the old prime minister, she stepped down from the dragon throne and brought her sword down with a swift motion.
"Pfft!"
A fine head rolled on the ground.
Blood stained Li Yuechan's golden dragon robe, making the emperor's majesty even more apparent.
"Those who spread rumors and sow discord among the troops will be executed without mercy!"
Li Yuechan's cold, emotionless voice echoed in the deathly silent hall.
Everyone was completely stunned by her sudden and ruthless approach.
After killing the people, she walked back to the dragon throne and sat down. Her gaze swept over the silent ministers below, and she spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Escape? Tell me, where do you think you can escape to?"
"The Qing army's iron cavalry is right outside the city, with two grandmasters stationed there. Once they leave the city, they will face certain death."
"Surrender? Do you still remember the three-day massacre on the Liaozhou border ten years ago?"
"After the Qing army broke into the city, they slaughtered all 300,000 soldiers and civilians in the city, regardless of age or gender."
"Do you think you can live by surrendering?!"
"I am the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, and behind me stand millions of subjects in the capital!"
"I cannot flee, and I will absolutely not surrender!"
"Now, we only have one last path left to take."
At this point, her voice suddenly became high-pitched and impassioned.
"That is it: fight to the death! Defend the capital to the death and wait for reinforcements to arrive."
"I will personally ascend the city wall and join my soldiers in defending the capital of my Great Qian Dynasty to the death."
"Which of you is willing to live and die with me?!"
These impassioned words resonated deeply in everyone's hearts.
Those Imperial Guard generals and pro-war officials who had already given up hope were inspired by her fearless spirit.
The passion in their hearts was instantly ignited.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to live and die with you!"
Wang Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was the first to kneel on one knee, his voice as loud as a bell.
"We, your humble servants, are willing to live and die with Your Majesty!"
More and more officials and generals knelt on the ground, letting out deafening roars.
Just then, a calm voice drifted from outside the main hall.
Surprisingly, this voice clearly drowned out the voices of everyone else present.
"A mere 100,000 iron cavalry and two grandmasters."
"Leave the matters outside the city to me."
As the voice spoke, a young man dressed in black slowly walked into the main hall.
This person was none other than Lin Hanzhou, who had been in seclusion for half a month.
He ignored the shocked gazes of the officials around him and simply nodded calmly to Li Yuechan on the dragon throne.
This two-week retreat was incredibly rewarding for him.
Although his cultivation level was still at the first level of the third-order Qi Sea Realm, he had not broken through.
However, with the support of a vast amount of cultivation techniques, he replaced all his original Yellow-rank movement techniques and martial arts with Upper-grade Profound-rank techniques.
His "Flowing Cloud Sword Technique" naturally reached the point of perfection.
Now, his combat power has increased to a new level compared to before.
In addition, through the martial arts classics in the treasure vault, he also gained a clearer understanding of the Grandmaster realm in this world.
The Grandmaster realm in this world is divided into four levels.
They are respectively Ordinary Grandmaster, Senior Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster, and finally, Great Grandmaster.
Converted to the martial arts realms of Earth, an ordinary grandmaster corresponds to the first to third level of the third tier, while a senior grandmaster corresponds to the fourth to sixth level, and so on.
The so-called Grandmaster is a powerhouse comparable to the peak of the third-order Qi Sea Realm.
"Peak of the third tier... troublesome, but not invincible."
Lin Hanzhou already had a clear plan in mind.
He is now confident that he can kill a Grandmaster.
Based on his perfect Xuan-rank swordsmanship and numerous high-grade Xuan-rank martial arts and movement techniques.
"Master of the Imperial Advisor!"
When Li Yuechan saw Lin Hanzhou appear, the huge weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.
Without realizing it, she had come to regard the other person as the backbone of her heart.
She knew that the Imperial Advisor was her last and strongest trump card.
Lin Hanzhou did not say anything more.
Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he strode towards the towering city wall of the capital, sword in hand.
……
The capital city, at the north gate.
Lin Hanzhou's figure had already reached the city wall, his black clothes fluttering in the wind.
Opposite him was a dark, imposing torrent of Qing army soldiers in armor.
That fierce and intimidating aura, forged from the years of battles fought by 100,000 elite soldiers, seemed to be able to captivate people's souls.
This murderous aura was enough to make any ordinary grandmaster tremble with fear.
Within the Qing army formation, two incredibly powerful auras slowly rose up.
Those were two burly generals dressed in heavy black armor.
The two men were the commanders-in-chief of this surprise attack—two grandmasters of the Qing Dynasty.
They looked at the somewhat frail figure on the city wall and let out a disdainful laugh.
"Hahaha, is the Great Qian Dynasty out of talent? They actually sent a callow brat to his death?"
Lin Hanzhou did not answer.
He simply drew the long sword from his waist, its blade pointing straight ahead.
One man, facing two grandmasters and 100,000 iron cavalry.
There was not a trace of timidity or fear in his eyes.
On the contrary, a strong fighting spirit was burning fiercely.
For so long, he's been winning by stomp.
Having a truly high-level match would seem like a good idea.