Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 280 What is this new punishment?
Chu Shizhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What nonsense are you talking about? These are soldiers who have made contributions to our Great Zhou. Why would I torture them?"

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and his eyes showed both helplessness and a bit of heartache. Looking at these blood-soaked soldiers, his voice softened unconsciously.

He rubbed his temples and explained with a wry smile:

"The reason why we didn't let them lie down is because they fought with all their might throughout the entire night and were severely exhausted. If they just lay down at this moment..."

Halfway through his words, Chu Shizhao suddenly stopped talking and didn't know what to say next.

How can we tell them about modern medical knowledge?

Tell them to lie down and rest immediately after strenuous exercise. It is very likely to cause myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary edema, and venous thrombosis, which will affect their lives.

Of course, these are low-probability events.

And even if I tell them, I'm afraid no one will understand.

Chu Shizhao glanced at the puzzled faces of the crowd and sighed secretly. These soldiers didn't even know what a heart was, let alone a myocardial infarction.

After thinking about it, there should be a reason that is easier for people to accept.

"None of our soldiers are uninjured. They have consumed a lot of energy and lost too much blood. If they lie down now and fall asleep, many of them may never wake up again."

Although this explanation is greatly simplified, it at least allows the soldiers to understand the danger.

Although she still had some doubts, but thinking that this was what Chu Shizhao said, Huo Qinghuang chose to believe it unconditionally.

She pursed her cracked lips, stood up first, and pulled up Li Batian beside her: "Your Highness must have a point, let's do it."

The same was true for all the other soldiers.

Out of trust in Chu Shizhao, the soldiers supported each other and stood up. Some grimaced in pain, but still gritted their teeth and persevered.

Chu Shizhao quickly ordered: "Everyone hold on for a while, stand up and walk slowly for a few steps, wait until your body is not so tired, eat a little less to replenish your nutrition, and then you can rest assured."

As he spoke, he personally helped a soldier up and helped him steady his shaking body.

A magical scene appeared on the city wall of Xueyuan Pass.

Most of the soldiers supported each other and moved step by step on the city wall with difficulty.

They walked crookedly, like a group of drunkards. Some held onto the parapet, some leaned on their companions' shoulders, and every step was extremely difficult, but no one lay down to rest.

"Yes, you don't have to walk so fast, just move little by little. The key is to try not to stop."

Chu Shizhao walked in the middle of the team, giving instructions from time to time. When he saw someone couldn't walk anymore, he asked others to help. His voice was already hoarse, but he still persisted.

"Here, cook, bring the food up quickly. Don't eat too much, just eat a little to fill your stomach and let your body get used to it."

A few cooks who were still energetic hurriedly brought up a large pot. In the pot was a thin rice porridge with a few vegetable leaves floating on top.

Chu Shizhao personally served porridge to the soldiers and patiently told them to drink it slowly.

"Those who are seriously injured should be treated first! Ah, don't join in the fun."

Seeing several seriously injured soldiers insisting on getting up, Chu Shizhao was both anxious and angry.

They quickly asked someone to carry them away on a stretcher.

Although the soldiers on the city wall were exhausted, they felt warm in their hearts when they saw Chu Shizhao personally taking care of everyone.

"Your Highness is right, I feel much better now." A young soldier whispered to his companion. He was dizzy at first, but after walking a few steps, he was indeed much more sober.

"That's right, when has Your Highness ever lied to us?" Veteran soldier Wang Tiezhu agreed, panting. Although his wound was hurt with every step he took, he refused to stop.

Huo Qinghuang walked to Chu Shizhao and handed him a bowl of water: "Your Highness, it's time for you to rest."

Her eyes were full of admiration and her voice was much softer than usual.

Chu Shizhao shook his head, took the bowl of water but didn't rush to drink it: "Wait a little longer, until everyone is settled." He swept his eyes across the city wall to make sure no one was left behind.

After struggling for half an incense stick of time, most people finally recovered.

The soldiers' breathing gradually became steady, and the paleness on their faces faded a lot.

Some people began to move their arms and legs and were surprised to find that they were indeed much more comfortable than just lying down.

Before that, Chu Shizhao did not forget to ask people to clean up a few clean places for the soldiers to rest.

Clean water washed away the bloodstains on the city wall, and dry straw mats were laid on it. The seriously injured were given priority, and the lightly injured helped each other bandage their wounds.

I had always been busy before, so no one thought much about it.

Now it was time to rest, and the soldiers finally realized something was wrong.

"Wait, didn't His Highness say that reinforcements were coming? Why don't those guys seem to have entered the city yet?"

Several soldiers lay on the battlements and looked around. The smoke and dust in the distance gradually dissipated, but there was no sign of the army entering the city.

"I think they are scared. Those old soldiers have never seen such fierce Northern Di cavalry. Hahaha!"

An old soldier with scars all over his face sneered. He once served in the capital and knew best what kind of people those pampered imperial guards were like.

There were quite a few people around, and they all laughed along.

"How dare you say that about others? Didn't you almost wet your pants the day before yesterday when you first saw the Northern Di cavalry?"

The comrade next to him mercilessly exposed his shortcomings, which caused another round of laughter. The old soldier's face turned red and he was about to hit him, but he grimaced in pain from the wound.

"You... stop talking nonsense. When have I ever been scared?"

The old soldier argued stubbornly, but his gleaming eyes betrayed him. Everyone laughed even more happily, and the tense atmosphere of the past few days was relieved.

Zhao Wenguang and Huo Qinghuang both looked at Chu Shizhao with eyes as if they had seen a ghost.

"Your Highness, is there any reinforcement?" Zhao Wenguang finally came to his senses.

His voice was trembling, both from exhaustion and shock at this daring plan.

If this is true, then this prince's courage is truly amazing.

If you think about it carefully, it is normal that there are no reinforcements.

From the time the Northern Di cavalry raided Xueyuan Pass to now, it has only been two days.

At this moment, the news of the Northern Di's massive attack may have just reached the capital.

Even if the letter is sent by carrier pigeon, it will take more than a day.

The capital assembled a large army and rushed to the border.

This whole process will take at least four to five days.

How could a large-scale reinforcement arrive at the city of Xueyuan Pass at this time?
Li Batian scratched his head, looking honest: "So, there are no reinforcements?"

The strategy of confusing the enemy with another is not uncommon.

But how to use it and when to use it to achieve the best effect is a lot of tricks.

Chu Shizhao smiled slightly and did not answer directly. He looked at everyone and saw some expressions of sudden enlightenment or confusion.

Because if you use it improperly, it may not only have no effect, but also backfire. However, the Fourth Prince used a trick to confuse the enemy and made the Northern Di cavalry retreat, saving the shaky Xueyuan Pass.

Zhao Wenguang's eyes sparkled with admiration. He recalled the miserable appearance of the Northern Di cavalry who had abandoned their armor and weapons when they retreated, and he could not help but admire Chu Shizhao even more.

Originally, Zhao Wenguang had only gratitude in his heart towards Chu Shizhao. If it were not for this prince, he would still be a small and unknown vanguard officer in Xueyuan Pass.

But now, he had unknowingly developed an admiration for Chu Shizhao in his heart.

His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince seems to be able to always create miracles.

From identifying the Northern Di spies to the current strategy of confusing the enemy with an attack, each time he accurately grasped the enemy's weaknesses.

If he could become emperor, the situation in the Great Zhou would surely be different, right?

This bold idea flashed through Zhao Wenguang's mind, and even he was shocked.

He secretly glanced at Chu Shizhao and found that he was staring into the distance in a daze, his profile looking particularly resolute in the setting sun.

The Northern Di camp, the central military tent.

The angry Murong Dayu waved his scimitar and chopped everything he saw.

His knife skills were random, yet had amazing destructive power. Every time he slashed, there was a sharp sound of wood chips flying or metal colliding.

His face had turned blood red with anger, veins on his forehead were bulging, and the hand holding the knife was shaking constantly.

There was a mad light flashing in his bloodshot eyes, and blood was seeping from his clenched lips. His chest rose and fell violently, and every breath was accompanied by a beast-like growl.

Click!

The table on which the map was placed was cut into two pieces.

The carefully drawn sheepskin map was torn in the middle, and the red mark symbolizing the territory of Beidi was divided into two.

The broken inkstone rolled to the ground, and the ink splashed on the torn map, making it dirty.

Wow!
The cabinets containing various utensils were overturned.

The glass cups shattered into crystal fragments, and the silver cups jingled on the ground. The grape wine that had been stored for many years soaked the carpet, exuding a rich fruity aroma.

Tear!

Even the tent was cut open by Murong Dayu.

The sharp blade cut through the thick cowhide tent, making a teeth-grinding tearing sound. The cold wind from outside immediately rushed in, causing the candle flame to shake violently.

At the gap, a few soldiers passing by looked over in confusion, and were met with Murong Dayu's fierce eyes, like those of a hungry wolf.

The brutality in his eyes frightened the soldiers so much that they lowered their heads and ran away.

At the main gate of the tent, a scout came galloping on horseback.

The horses' hooves crushed the stones on the ground as they galloped through the tents. The scouts' faces were filled with anxiety, their lips chapped and bleeding from the long gallop.

He ran to the door of the big tent and pulled the reins. The horse neighed and stood up, almost knocking the scout over. He held the reins tightly, his body almost parallel to the ground.

Fortunately, the scout was an excellent rider and was able to control the horse in time, so the horse was barely stopped.

Then the knight dismounted and said anxiously to the guard at the door: "Brother, please report to the commander-in-chief. I have important military information to report."

His voice was hoarse and rapid, his hands were shaking, and the water bag around his waist had frozen, obviously he had been rushing back without stopping.

The two soldiers at the door looked at each other and said with a wry smile, "Brother, it's not that we don't want you to go in, but the Marshal is angry now, so we dare not inform you."

"How about you wait a while? Wait until the Marshal calms down?"

They were both really scared.

Not long ago, other generals in the army came to Murong Dayu to discuss military affairs.

Of course, the personal guards could not stop such a thing, so they immediately went into the tent to report.

As a result, the man just entered and heard Murong Dayu roaring: "Damn liar, go to hell!"

He was chopped so hard that he was seriously injured and had to be sent for treatment.

Fortunately, the soldier was wearing armor, and Murong Dayu was able to restrain most of his strength at the last moment.

Even so, a huge gap was cut in the armor of the personal soldier. If Murong Dayu had stopped just a little bit later, the personal soldier would have gone to see the King of Hell.

After something like this happened, who would dare to go in and report when Murong Dayu was so angry?

Listening to the roar inside the big tent, the scout's heart was filled with bitterness.

He didn't bring good news.

If possible, he would certainly like to wait until Murong Dayu calmed down.

"Brothers, the military situation is urgent and we cannot afford to delay. Please help me." The scout stamped his feet anxiously.

The guard rolled his eyes and soon came up with an idea.

"It's an emergency, why don't you just go in and announce it at the door yourself."

The guard retreated as he spoke, clearly determined not to get into trouble. Another guard turned around and pretended not to hear.

……

Scout the truth and give these two bastards a beating.

In order to avoid meeting Murong Dayu, these two guys even did such a ridiculous thing.

"...This is against the rules, isn't it?" the scout said, forcing a smile.

His voice was trembling, both out of anger and fear. The roar in the big tent became louder and louder, as if Murong Dayu would rush out in the next moment.

The guard curled his lips indifferently: "Anyway, I've already told you the solution. It's up to you whether you go or not."

After saying that, he pulled his companions to hide aside, showing an attitude that it had nothing to do with him. The scout stood in front of the tent, in a dilemma, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

These two bodyguards were acting like scoundrels, but the scouts had no way of dealing with them.

He clenched his fists, digging his nails deep into his palms. The two slick guys in front of him were obviously trying to shirk responsibility, but he couldn't do anything about them.

After all, they were Murong Dayu's personal soldiers, and he was just a scout, so he could only swallow his anger.

The scout's lips were pressed into a straight line, and the anger in his eyes almost burst out.

If the military intelligence was delayed, these two people might not be in any danger, but I would definitely lose my head.

The military law of the Northern Di people is very strict. If you delay military intelligence, you will be punished by flogging at the very least and beheading at the worst.

With no other options, he could only grit his teeth, walk past the two men, and head towards the gate of the central army tent.

His steps were as heavy as lead, and every step he took felt like he was stepping on the tip of a knife. The suppressed laughter of his personal guards behind him only made him even more furious.

Through the curtain, he carefully reported to the big tent: "General, I have important military information to report."

(End of this chapter)