We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Two hours later, the Central Military Commission meeting was held again.

The last general who rushed over only looked up once and saw Zhou Tiancheng's ashen face, which made him tremble with fear.

"I'm outside..."

He subconsciously started explaining.

Before Zhou Tiancheng could speak, Lin Tong had already stopped the general from saying anything.

He looked at Zhou Tiancheng with some dissatisfaction.

"Your Highness, you are no longer the Crown Prince, nor are you a member of my Military Commission. Even in the highest military commission of the imperial court, you hold no position."

"You have no right to convene this meeting of the Central Military Commission."

Upon hearing this, all the generals turned to look at Zhou Tiancheng.

He's no longer the crown prince?

Zhou Tiancheng was also taken aback.

He never expected that Lin Tong would bring this up at this time.

But Lin Tong was right; he had no right to sit here.

He was not only not a member of the Central Military Commission, but he was also stripped of all his identities except that of a prince.

In other words, he cannot stay here in the name of a local official!

Behind him, Xinhua's expression changed.

"General Lin, what do you mean by this!"

Lin Tong's expression was somewhat solemn, but he still gave a serious response.

"I am acting in accordance with the rules of the imperial court."

Xinhua was so angry he wanted to draw his sword!

Are you kidding me?

If there were no crown prince, would there be a military council today?

At this crucial moment, Lin Tong actually brought up Zhou Tiancheng's identity, clearly intending to cause trouble!

Xinhua took a step forward, about to use the Qingfeng Sword to intimidate, but Zhou Tiancheng stood up and stopped him.

"Wait a minute!"

"Don't act impulsively!"

Zhou Tiancheng's face turned ashen.

Xinhua was trembling with anger!

"Your Highness, don't act rashly! They're discarding us after we've served our purpose!"

Zhou Tiancheng took a deep breath and gave Lin Tong a long look.

He knew that this was a letter Zhou Rui had written to Lin Tong, in which Zhou Rui wanted to seize power from him, and it had nothing to do with Lin Tong.

He harbored no resentment towards Lin Tong; he simply stated a fact calmly.

"All 50,000 National Protection Army soldiers died in the Northern Xia."

"I hope you can avenge them."

"General Lin Tong is right. I am not qualified to stay here, nor am I qualified to call you here to convene a Military Commission meeting. I will leave now."

He turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Until this moment.

Lin Tongcai breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It's good that no conflict has broken out.

He was genuinely afraid that Zhou Tiancheng would cause trouble at this critical juncture; the northern frontier couldn't withstand such turmoil.

Before Lin Tong could say anything, the two people in the meeting stood up.

One is Shi Cheng, who is also a current general in the National Protection Army.

The other one is Xiao Shi, who just came back.

The National Protection Army suffered heavy losses, and only these two officers were left.

The two looked at Lin Tong and calmly placed the helmet on the table.

"We resigned from our membership in the National Protection Army and chose to retire."

Discharged from the military!

This technical term, which only appeared in modern military systems, came into play at this moment.

Lin Tong felt a sudden chill in his palms!

"Nonsense!"

"At this critical juncture, are you going to desert?"

Shi Cheng and Xiao Shi had already reached the door. Xiao Shi turned around and glanced at him, his eyes somewhat sharp.

"There are no deserters in the National Protection Army. The 50,000 National Protection Army soldiers have already proven our loyalty."

"None of my nine brothers returned alive, and the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng have proven our loyalty!"

"We just don't want to do it anymore, is that not enough?"

Shi Cheng, standing to the side, didn't even glance at Lin Tong, but turned to smile at Xiao Shi.

"After we get back, you write a note and I'll sign it, and we'll both be discharged from the military together."

Should we retire together?

Lin Tong shuddered.

At this critical juncture, if even the National Protection Army is gone, the threat to the northern border will be enormous!

"stop!"

But no one paid him any attention, and the two generals chose to leave on their own.

More than 36,000 soldiers from the Northern Frontier National Protection Army were also discharged along with them.

The National Protection Army was originally expanding and training its troops at all costs, and now it has a total of 40,000 men.

But as Zhou Tiancheng's identity was stripped, more than 30,000 of the 40,000 people chose to retire. The remaining few thousand were all new recruits who had just joined the army. They were all stunned to find that all their officers and comrades were gone.

After learning the news, Zhou Tiancheng immediately called Shi Cheng and Xiao Shi over.

He looked somewhat dissatisfied.

"What are you doing?"

"Protecting the Great Qian Dynasty, this is not a game!"

Shi Cheng appeared indifferent.

"I've had enough of being an official, I've had enough of being a general. I've saved up some money, and I'm planning to become a local gentry. Is that not allowed?"

"Or does it mean that once I go to the battlefield, I'll be a soldier for life?"

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Zhou Tiancheng actually understood that he didn't mean it that way.

Xiao Shi was much more straightforward.

"I only know that Your Highness is right in saying that we cannot let the soldiers on the front lines bleed and weep."

"In the past, the National Protection Army was just a group of prisoners, and you were the one who protected us. But now, your status as Crown Prince has been stripped away, and even your position in the Military Commission and your status as Imperial Envoy have been taken away. I just can't stand by and watch."

"Let me be frank, you are not the Crown Prince of Daqian, and I have no intention of fighting for Daqian. If Your Highness insists that I return, I will go to the grasslands of Beixia to die, since my nine brothers have already died there!"

Of the ten ghosts of Fengcheng, only this one remains, and Zhou Tiancheng couldn't bear to scold him.

Seeing their stubborn expressions, he finally let out a long sigh.

"I have no right to stop you now."

"If you have nowhere to go, come with me to your fiefdom."

They both laughed.

Northern Xia?

What's it to them!

They hold their positions and perform their duties.

But now that they're no longer in their positions, what's the point of scheming anymore?

After a quick packing and tidying up, the group set off for Zhou Tiancheng's fiefdom.

By the way, he's no longer His Highness the Crown Prince, but Prince Yan.

……

Late autumn.

Kazan was sent as an envoy to the Great Vietnam Pass.

Upon seeing the Northern Xia ambassador again, Lin Tong could not believe his eyes.

This man's hair and beard were all white.

"We urgently need the support of Daqian."

Kazan looked at Lin Tong, his eyes seemingly shining.

Lin Tong remained silent for a while.

"The National Protection Army has been disbanded."

Kazan was taken aback.

The National Protection Army is gone?

Then who can stop those barbarians?

correct!

Musket!

Tuoba Dao said that the Great Qian Dynasty had firearms!

"And what about you?"

"Don't you have muskets?"

Lin Tong opened his mouth, looking somewhat hesitant.

He didn't speak for a long time.

"Let me be frank, the Central Military Commission doesn't agree to send troops, so my words are useless."

Yes.

With Zhou Tiancheng gone, the Central Military Commission instantly fell into disarray.

All the generals sought not merit but to avoid mistakes, and none of them were willing to lead troops out.

We can't very well let Lin Tong lead the troops out himself, can we?

This is indeed the northern frontier, but this is the northern frontier of Duke Zheng Rong, not the northern frontier of Lin Tong!