Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

I rely on!

Chen Shao was stunned.

The Great Ming War God!

Wait... is this kid living so comfortably in the Oirat region?

They've all gotten together with girls!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: International Student.]

[International student: You have an exceptional talent for languages, are fluent in various dialects, and can repeat them fluently after hearing them repeatedly.]

Although the Great Yan is weak now, it still has a vast territory.

Accents vary greatly from place to place.

Especially in the southern regions.

This term may seem useless, but it could have an unimaginable effect.

Chen Shao pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the capital city, whose outlines were now visible.

This slowed the army down once again.

......

Yu Qi'an has been living a very comfortable life lately.

Ever since Chen Shao headed north overnight, the entire defense of the capital has rested on his shoulders.

There are also the official positions, deployment, and training of the new army. If it were anyone else, they would probably be tossing and turning in bed worrying about it.

But he likes this kind of life.

In his own words, drinking poison to quench thirst is the true nature of a man.

People who can withstand pressure actually enjoy it.

He has been living and eating in the military camp these days, and he has thoroughly humiliated the Iron Fist Army.

He had a unique characteristic when leading troops: like everyone else, he disliked empty pomp and circumstance.

I only care about one thing: whether they can fight, whether they are afraid of death, and whether they are loyal.

At that moment, he was conducting field training for the soldiers.

Holding up the command flag.

"Left wing! Left wing! Can't you tell left from right? That's the right side!"

"Stand up straight. Haven't you eaten?"

"If we let our guard down today, we'll be at the mercy of others on the battlefield!"

Logically speaking, these trivial matters should not require his attention as a high-ranking official.

But he just enjoys being with soldiers; he's the kind of person who doesn't appreciate good fortune.

The soldiers on the drill ground were red-faced from his scolding and hurriedly adjusted their positions.

Suddenly, a fast horse charged straight in from outside the camp gate.

The scout, panting heavily, dismounted.

"Sir, outside the city... outside the city..."

"What's going on outside the city? Speak properly!"

"A massive army has appeared outside the city, a dark, dense mass of at least tens of thousands! They're less than ten miles from the city!"

Yu Qi'an's first reaction was that the Northern Barbarians were making a comeback.

But that's not right. If it were the Northern Barbarians, they would have heard the sound of horses' hooves long ago, even though it's only ten miles away.

Yellow Turbans? Hedong? Lulong? Or just bandits and mountain brigands?

He went through all of them in his mind in an instant, and none of them seemed very likely.

"Where are they from?" Yu Qi'an asked, as if facing a formidable enemy.

As he walked forward, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Cease drills! Everyone assemble within half an incense stick's time! All troops, stand ready!"

The scout suddenly chuckled:

"It seems...it seems like His Majesty is leading the team."

"?"

Yu Qi'an stopped in his tracks.

He paused for a moment, then kicked the scout in the butt.

"You've got some nerve, daring to mock me!"

Yu Qi'an appears stern, a living devil, and is most ruthless when training for battle.

But everyone knows that this man has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and loves his soldiers like his own children.

Seeing that the King of Hell had been humiliated, everyone around him burst into laughter.

The scout was kicked, but he didn't make a fuss.

He was still all smiles and grins.

"My lord, you are wise all your life but foolish for a moment. If the enemy attacks, how dare I dawdle like this?"

"It's Your Majesty. Your Majesty has somehow managed to bring back tens of thousands of troops, and they're almost at the city gate."

Yu Qi'an felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

This was a wonderful thing, but he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Although he may not say it, he may well consider himself a famous general of his time.

But... compared to His Majesty... I'm nothing... Yes, nothing at all.

How come he can bring back tens of thousands of troops the moment he leaves the house?

I didn't bring anything with me.

Tens of thousands of troops—it doesn't sound like much, but when the Northern Barbarians besieged the city, they spent a fortune to recruit less than 20,000 men.

"General?"

The scout beside him called out in a low voice.

"Um?"

Yu Qi'an snapped out of his daze.

Yes, this is great news! Fantastic good news!

Why are you being so melancholy? You're acting like a woman.

"General, shall we open the city gates?"

"No rush!"

Once he regained his composure, Yu Qi'an suddenly smiled.

"Don't you understand our Emperor?"

"Entering the city so unpretentiously is like wearing fine clothes in the dark."

"Everyone, hurry up, same old routine."

"Beat the drums and gongs, summon all the people you can to the streets, and tell them that His Majesty... has won another triumphant victory!"

"The one who shouts the loudest will receive a reward."

This is the part the soldiers like the most.

They marched out of the military camp with great pride and high spirits.

Yu Qi'an, however, led his personal guards in the opposite direction and headed towards the imperial court.

If no civil and military officials kneel to welcome His Majesty, then wouldn't His Majesty's triumphant return have been in vain?

...

soon.

A red carpet was laid out at the city gate, and the civil and military officials of the Great Yan knelt on both sides of the road.

They welcomed their holy emperor's triumphant return.

The army entered the city.

Yu Qi'an's shout kicked off the grand celebration.

"Welcome back in triumph, Your Majesty!!!"

Chen Shao nodded slightly to Yu Qi'an and gave him a thumbs-up without making it obvious.

Yu Qi'an understands me best!

Next came the cheers of the people.

Such as:

Long live Your Majesty! May the Great Yan Empire be forever secure!

Long live the Holy Emperor! The Holy Emperor is the greatest emperor of all time!

Triumphant return became a personal showcase for Chen Shao.

...

Chen Shao considered himself a diligent ruler.

After the triumphant return, he did not immediately summon his concubines to remove their armor.

Instead, they immediately convened a court assembly.

Standing in the hall, all the civil and military officials felt that the emperor's imperial power had become even stronger.

Given what happened at the Censorate before, some people are apprehensive, while others are itching to see more drama unfold.

Chen Shao did not cause them any trouble this time.

Instead, he nodded directly to Eunuch Wei:

"Proclaim the imperial decree!"

Logically, the prime minister is the head of all officials and wields immense power.

Many imperial edicts required the execution of the Prime Minister's office, and the Prime Minister had the right to reject unreasonable edicts.

Take, for example, what Liu Yizhi said during Wu Zetian's reign:

"The Empress Dowager should return power to the Emperor."

Empress Wu Zetian was furious and immediately issued an edict to punish him.

But upon seeing the imperial edict, Liu Yizhi uttered a famous line that would be remembered for all time:

"Without going through the Phoenix Pavilion and Luan Terrace, what kind of imperial edict is it?"

The gist is that without the prime minister's approval, the document lacks legitimacy.

Chen Shao did this today partly to see what Han Cao's current situation was.

Eunuch Wei unfolded the imperial edict.

The first thing was that Xu Baoyi was promoted to Prefect of Huaiyuan for his meritorious service in governing Huaiyuan.

Xu Baoyi was single-mindedly focused on becoming an official and had many dealings with court officials.

When he was the king of the mountain, he also gave away a lot of gifts.

Many people have heard of him.

In Huaiyuan, he not only saved His Majesty, but also led the villagers in reconstruction, which was carried out with great success.

Naturally, no one objected.

The second imperial edict, however, left everyone speechless.

The Xiao family of Lulong was besieged by the Yellow Turbans.

The entire Xiao family was slaughtered in a single fire.

Although the Yellow Turbans were eventually defeated, Lord Xiao Yan died in the chaos of war.

The emperor appointed Xiao Jingyao, the third son of the Xiao family, as the military governor of Lulong.

These words shocked the entire court.

The Xiao family had occupied Lulong for many years, but was quietly captured by the Yellow Turbans.

Only one son remained in the entire family.

Han Cao was startled.

Before anyone knew it, two of the eight military governors had already left.

How could the Yellow Turbans possibly attack Lulong?

Lulong has a treacherous terrain; how could it be easily destroyed?

His pupils contracted sharply as he realized something terrible.

The hands tucked into their sleeves trembled slightly.

"Emperor Wu Song, receive your investiture!"

Wei Gonggong's voice silenced the noisy court once again.

..........................................

Damn, I lost points again. I've summarized the two toxic points you guys were criticizing.

The first issue is that there were too many female characters in the early stages, such as Shen Qingci, Bai Bingbing, and the Empress Dowager. Let me explain: these characters could have been written as male, and I considered that, but in the end, I wrote them as female.

Authors also need to eat, especially in this era of Tomato-themed idols. In the past, the fate of a book was determined by factors such as whether readers followed it or finished reading it. Now, it's arbitrarily determined. With hundreds of bookstores, no author can withstand the pressure. The female characters are just to cater to the short drama market. From my perspective as an author, this is understandable. Tenosynovitis and all that, it's all for a few coins.

The second point is about Ma Yaozu. Perhaps my writing skills are insufficient, and I didn't lay the groundwork for the cruelty of Ma Yaozu's massacre of the city. Many people only saw the funny plot of him flattering the protagonist and risking his life for him. The protagonist attacked his own city, but the massacre of Huaiyuan meant that he was already dead. I didn't write about the cruelty of those people well. I will try to improve my writing skills in the future.

Dear readers, if you find this unpleasant, I will try my best to correct it.

If you really want to use harsh words, I don't think it's necessary; we're all just trying to make a living.

Maybe... I'm your friend in real life?