It wasn’t until Li Jinxi, standing beside Xiao Heng, cleared his throat that Liu Jun snapped back to his senses. He immediately knelt and respectfully said, “Your servant… greets Your Majesty.”

“There’s no need for such formalities,” Xiao Heng’s voice carried a hint of the night’s chill, and it was impossible to read any emotion from it. His gaze, much like his demeanor, was enigmatic and unreadable.

Liu Jun slowly stood up, cautiously glancing at the person before him.

He searched his mind desperately for rumors about Emperor Jianing Xiao Huan, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t reconcile the tales of the emperor’s incompetence or confusion with the extraordinary presence of the man standing before him.

Xiao Heng said, “I’m sure you’ve heard of the events that took place in Luoyang.”

Liu Jun’s expression grew serious.

Of course, he had heard of it.

On that day, the heir of the King of the North and the joint forces of King Chu had entered the capital. Some said the emperor had died, others said he had fled to Fengxiang, and some even claimed that the emperor was under house arrest by the two kings…

But now, remembering the relationship between the person before him and the heir of the King of the North, Liu Jun felt his back break out in a cold sweat.

Everything was so ambiguous, and with no one to confirm the details, he couldn’t even be sure of the identity of the person before him.

Would the emperor not anticipate his doubt and surprise?

Why had he chosen the second day after the army departed to reveal his identity? Why had he done so in this remote place, with no one around to confirm the truth?

Perhaps…

Liu Jun’s heart trembled slightly. Could it be that the emperor desired this effect?

In such an unprovable situation, all he could do was place his trust in this emperor.

Despite the storm of emotions swirling inside Liu Jun, the person before him remained calm, hands clasped behind his back, his expression indifferent. Xiao Heng exuded an air of composure, as if he could face the collapse of Mount Tai without a change in his demeanor.

“What I want to say is that you don’t need to delve too deeply into what happened in Luoyang. Just know this: From this moment onward…”

“I will restore the empire and revive the Great Yan. Not only Xijing, but Fengxiang, Luoyang, Bianzhou, and the entire realm—I will take them back, step by step. You said you wanted to follow in Liu Muzhi’s footsteps. Now, the time to pursue your ambitions has arrived. I hope you will seize this opportunity.”

Liu Jun instinctively looked up at the person before him. What the emperor was saying truly aligned with his lifelong ambition…

To follow a great ruler and become a general like Liu Muzhi, whose name would be immortalized in history.

In the dim candlelight, Xiao Heng’s shadow stretched long. Through the emperor’s figure, Liu Jun could almost see his grand aspirations, envisioning the vast, turbulent landscapes of the empire that stretched far and wide behind him.

All the rumors about the emperor’s supposed incompetence were forgotten in that instant.

Xiao Heng pressed his lips together and gave Liu Jun a characteristic “encouraging” smile. “The Yulin Army is the first force I personally established. I have great expectations for the Yulin Army, and for you.”

Liu Jun vaguely realized that if the emperor had already revealed his identity to him, and if the emperor held the Yulin Army in such high regard, then as its leader, wouldn’t he become a trusted official of the emperor himself?

In an instant, Liu Jun felt a surge of ambition and excitement flood his veins, a burning desire for power, fame, and glory overtaking any curiosity about Xiao Heng’s cross-dressing or his connection with the heir of the King of the North.

He knelt heavily before Xiao Heng, his voice strong as he said, “Your servant… is willing to serve Your Majesty!”

Xiao Heng nodded in satisfaction.

Ambition and desire were always a person’s strongest driving forces. He did not mind that his subordinates harbored such thoughts—in fact, it was precisely because of these desires that they could be better controlled.

He took out a letter and handed it to Liu Jun. “This is the latest intelligence from our scouts. The Qin army in Huazhou is withdrawing. By tomorrow at the latest, our army can launch a surprise attack on Chang’an. At that time, I will personally command the central forces.”

Liu Jun took the letter from the emperor’s hand. Before he could even consider whether it was too risky for the emperor to lead the troops personally, the familiar tune of the Wu Di Chong Zhen Yue (The Battle March of Emperor Wu) echoed from outside the camp.

This piece of music was composed by a folk musician after Emperor Taizong subdued the rebellion of the two kings in Chang’an. Due to its stirring melody and catchy tune, it became widely popular.

Liu Jun, fearing that the noise might disturb the emperor and cause his displeasure, hurriedly said, “These are just some rough country folk, used to being unruly and unaware of proper conduct. I will go and tell them to quiet down.”

“No need,” Xiao Heng waved his hand and smiled. “If it boosts the morale of the soldiers, it’s a good thing.”

“I haven’t inspected the camp in a while. Let’s go out and take a look.”

With that, he lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent first.

Liu Jun, bewildered, followed the emperor out, wondering if the emperor often led his troops in person. Why was he so familiar with it?

…

In the camp, the soldiers were gathered around the bonfire, singing loudly and even dancing along with the music. The atmosphere was lively, and just as they were caught up in the excitement, they suddenly saw a person dressed in noble attire, exuding an aura of authority, slowly walking towards them. Behind him was none other than their supreme commander, Liu Jun.

Before they could react, Liu Jun, with a deep breath, called out loudly, “This is His Majesty, the Emperor!”

The singing abruptly stopped, and everyone froze in place.

Liu Jun frowned. “What are you all standing there for?”

In an instant, everyone in the camp knelt down in unison.

“Uh—”

“Long live Your Majesty…”

“Your Majesty, long life!”

“Good day, Your Majesty!”

“Long life, long life, ten thousand years!”

Before they became refugees, many of them were peasants who had worked the land for generations, some were merchants, and others had been forced to work as laborers for wealthy landowners. No one had ever taught them the proper way to kneel or salute the emperor, so the camp was filled with various odd and unfamiliar forms of greetings and addresses.

Liu Jun could hardly bear to look. He quickly said, “Tomorrow, His Majesty will join us in the campaign.”

The soldiers, hearing this, exchanged knowing glances.

When they thought of the emperor, they first thought of the fall of the capital, Luoyang, the chaos in the empire, the uprisings, and the emperor’s flight from the city…

Xiao Heng, however, seemed not to notice the different expressions on the soldiers’ faces. He only smiled and said, “I just heard the music and thought it sounded familiar, so I wanted to come out and see. Is there anyone willing to sing another song for me?”

Though the soldiers might not know the proper way to salute the emperor, most of them were quite familiar with the Wu Di Chong Zhen Yue (The Battle March of Emperor Wu).

At first, the camp was silent.

Then, someone began to hum a tune.

More people joined in.

Some even stomped their feet to keep rhythm.

As the atmosphere grew warmer, the emperor, who had seemed so distant, suddenly plucked a leaf from a locust tree.

Xiao Heng wiped the leaf with his sleeve, placed it at his lips, and suddenly blew out a loud, resounding tune. It was majestic, like a thousand horses charging forward, the rhythm matching the soldiers’ song, truly embodying the meaning of “charging into battle.”

The soldiers were stunned; the emperor seemed highly skilled in music. The leaf he blew was as expressive as a bamboo flute.

When the music ended, all the soldiers were left with the lingering echoes of the emperor’s tune, completely forgetting the rumors about Emperor Jianing.

Xiao Heng suddenly spoke again. “Tomorrow, we will face the Qin army. You should know more about their commander, Sun Haohan, than I do…”

At the mention of Sun Haohan, many of the soldiers’ eyes flared with hatred.

A number of them had lost their wives, children, parents, and siblings to Sun Haohan’s massacre.

Xiao Heng’s gaze hardened as he looked at the soldiers. “Tomorrow’s battle is not only to save Xijing and Chang’an, but to take back the lands that Sun Haohan has seized from you. We will reclaim your homes, the things that once belonged to you. I promise you, if we win, all the gold and silver we take from Sun Haohan will be evenly divided among the soldiers!”

“Good!”

The soldiers began to shout “Long live the Emperor!”

The camp echoed with cheers, rising and falling.

Perhaps some of them had heard of the absurd deeds of Emperor Jianing, but at this moment, every shout of “Long live” was filled with sincerity and power, coming straight from the heart.

Xiao Heng signaled to Liu Jun to pour him some wine.

Li Jinxi, noticing this, intended to go into the camp tent to fetch a wine cup.

“No need.” Xiao Heng stretched out his hand to stop him and nodded towards the rough ceramic bowl by the bonfire. “Just use this.”

Everyone in the camp witnessed the emperor, who stood above them, a noble and powerful figure, using the same crude earthenware bowl as they did.

Liu Jun poured the wine for Xiao Heng.

Under the clear moonlight, the flickering bonfire illuminated the emperor’s handsome and dignified profile. He raised the bowl in his hand and loudly addressed the soldiers, “This bowl of wine, I drink with all of you. Tomorrow, in battle, I will face hardships alongside you. If we defeat the enemy, wealth and honor shall be shared by all!”

Xiao Heng then tilted his head back and drank it all in one go, tossing the bowl to the ground.

Crash—

The earthenware shattered.

“I am willing to go through fire and water for His Majesty, without hesitation!”

The soldiers all knelt in unison, their voices resounding to the heavens.

At that moment, everyone’s enthusiasm for the upcoming battle and resistance against the enemy was higher than ever before.

…

Zhou Ye was startled by the music and then heard the rising and falling shouts. At first, he thought they were under enemy attack and hurriedly rushed out of the camp.

Then he saw all the soldiers kneeling before someone, shouting “Long live the Emperor!”

Zhou Ye was taken aback, and an absurd thought suddenly occurred to him.

That figure looked too familiar.

If the princess had a twin brother, he would probably look like this.

Then, under the cool moonlight, he saw that person’s cold gaze slowly turn towards him, finally resting on him, with an expression of expected certainty in his eyes. “Zhou Canjun.”

A deep male voice rang out.

Zhou Ye felt somewhat dazed, and his fear seemed to become reality.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the person before him should be the emperor.

As for how the princess had turned into the emperor, Zhou Ye didn’t have time to think about it. His returning rationality told him he should immediately report this matter to the heir apparent.

He anxiously looked around, searching for the direction of the stable.

The person not far away merely watched him quietly and then calmly gave an order to those around him. “Someone, help Canjun back to the tent to rest, he’s drunk.”

As soon as Xiao Heng gave the command, Liu Jun immediately called over four tall, sturdy soldiers. Two stood on the left, two on the right, surrounding Zhou Ye like four solid walls.

Xiao Heng slowly walked towards Zhou Ye, the night wind lifting the hem of his clothes. “Some matters are not suitable to be discussed now. After I break the siege of Xijing tomorrow, I’ll explain everything to Canjun. There are still some misunderstandings between me and the heir apparent, and it seems we’ll need Canjun to mediate in the future. It’s getting late now. You should return and rest.”

Then, he glanced at the “four walls” around Zhou Ye. “From now on, you are responsible for guarding Canjun’s safety.”

“Yes!”

Several burly soldiers made a “please” gesture, indicating to Zhou Ye not to make things difficult for them.

Zhou Ye looked around helplessly, suddenly realizing that the entire military camp was now under Xiao Heng’s control. Aside from obeying, he had no other choice.

He had no choice but to follow the four “guards” back into the tent.

Under the dim candlelight, Zhou Ye felt his thoughts were a tangled mess…

All the doubts he had earlier came rushing back at once.

Why had Xiao Heng proposed to split the forces in two to rescue Chang’an? It was indeed a brilliant tactic, but why did he not let Song Shiyu accompany him, and instead only brought Liu Jun and the refugee army?

It was only now that Zhou Ye realized—it was to ensure that when Xiao Heng entered and took control of Xijing and Chang’an, there would be no opposing forces around him.

To Xiao Heng, the Zhenbei Army was an external faction, because their primary loyalty was to Duan Yunfeng. The authority of the emperor came second to them.

But the refugee army was completely different. Their general had been personally chosen by Xiao Heng, and the army itself had been built by him from the ground up. At this moment, right before battle, he only had to offer a few encouraging words and promise them wealth and promotions after victory—these men would pledge unwavering loyalty to him.

The bleak night wind made Zhou Ye involuntarily shiver.

If tomorrow’s battle ended in victory, and the Xijing governor—who already pledged loyalty to the Yan Dynasty—saw that the emperor himself had come to lead the rescue, what would he think? What would he do?

He would surely side with Xiao Heng.

At that point, if Xiao Heng then sent a letter summoning Duan Yunfeng to return to Xijing alone—would he refuse?

Out of affection for the princess, he would undoubtedly rush to Chang’an without hesitation.

Even if Duan Yunfeng sensed something was off, Xiao Heng could simply use an imperial edict to command him to return. Would he dare to defy it…?

Perhaps… perhaps this was Xiao Heng’s true reason for bringing him along in the first place.

Zhou Ye’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. He slapped his thigh in bitter realization.

He was a hostage!

With someone like him—this “burden”—by Xiao Heng’s side, Duan Yunfeng would have no choice but to obey his every command.

Once Xiao Heng had Duan Yunfeng under control, he would essentially have full control over the entire Zhenbei Army.

Without anyone realizing it, they had all been ensnared in the web that Xiao Heng had woven.

There was no way out of this.

Sigh—

Zhou Ye let out a bitter sigh in his heart.

What kind of mess was this?

Of all the people the heir apparent could fall in love with, why did it have to be the emperor?