Chapter 20 Hidden Dragon Emerges from the Abyss
"Please get up!"

Zhao Wan'er quickly shook her head. She was almost going crazy and would think of Ye Jiuxing from time to time.

Chu Zhuang stood up, stood aside respectfully, and said softly: "Your Majesty, please come in!"

Zhao Wan'er walked into the Zhenguo Mansion with something on her mind.

Inside the house, there is a pond with blooming lotus flowers.

In the center of the lotus garden, there is a pavilion built on a high place, from which you can have a panoramic view of the entire pond.

Zhao Wan'er walked towards the pavilion and sat on a stone bench. Someone immediately served her hot tea. She took a sip and said with a smile, "Old General, do you know what happened in Dayu recently?"

Chu Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I heard someone say that!"

Zhao Wan'er looked at Chu Zhuang and said in a deep voice: "I would like to ask you to come out, defeat Ye Jiuxing, and take back Yong County. Are you willing?"

Chu Zhuang was silent.

He spent his entire life in the army, devoting his best years to it and leaving himself covered with scars. He had long been accustomed to a military career.

It is impossible to say that I don't miss the days of marching and fighting.

Sometimes, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he would hear the sound of wind and rain, and in a daze, he would dream of himself riding an armored horse across a frozen river.

But Chu Zhuang knew clearly that his era had long passed!

"His Majesty!"

Chu Zhuang shook his head and said, "I have left the army and will not fight any more!"

Zhao Wan'er's face darkened, but she forced out a smile and said, "General, you are joking. If you can't fight, there won't be a single talented general in the world!"

"Old General, Ye Jiuxing is rebelling and separatist. Are you going to watch your kingdom fall apart?"

Chu Zhuang's expression was moved.

He has fought on the battlefield all his life, guarding every inch of Dayu's mountains and rivers. Naturally, he cannot bear to see the country change hands.

On the side, Wang Ya echoed, "Old General, please help the court once more! When war breaks out, the people of the world will suffer the most!"

Chu Zhuang heard this and sighed secretly. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I can lead the army to attack Ye Jiuxing, but you have to meet a few conditions of this humble minister!"

Zhao Wan'er was delighted and said quickly, "You tell me!"

Chu Zhuang thought about it, and a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy eyes. He said in a deep voice: "First, to conquer Ye Jiuxing, I need 600,000 elite troops!"

"Secondly, the Dayu military must dispatch at least five second-rank generals and ten third-rank generals to assist me in the battle!"

"Third, in terms of strong men, at least ten warriors in the Yin-Yang realm should be ensured."

"Fourth, no military supervisors are allowed. Even if there are supervisors, they cannot interfere with military decision-making!"

"fifth."

"enough!"

Zhao Wan'er's scalp tingled when she heard this and she quickly interrupted Chu Zhuang's words. These conditions were really too outrageous.

Six hundred thousand troops!
The total number of troops of the entire Dayu Dynasty was less than two million, of which at least one million were stationed on the border to intimidate neighboring countries.

The remaining hundreds of thousands of troops will have to garrison in local areas and guard the cities.

Where are the 600,000 troops?

As for other requirements, they could not be met. Five second-rank generals and ten third-rank generals, almost half of the generals of Dayu’s military, were withdrawn.

There is no military supervisor, which is even more excessive!

If she really wanted to meet Chu Zhuang's requirements, it would be equivalent to Chu Zhuang alone controlling half of Dayu's elite troops. How could she feel at ease?

Zhao Wan'er said in a deep voice: "Old General, I can give you 300,000 troops, two second-rank generals, five third-rank generals, and six Yin-Yang realm warriors!"

"As for the military supervisor, he will be a member of the royal family. He has the power to make suggestions but not the power to make decisions!"

"What do you think?" "No!"

Chu Zhuang was extremely resolute when it came to marching and fighting. He said without giving in: "Your Majesty, fighting is not a joke and cannot be bargained for! If Your Majesty can meet my request, I can guarantee that within two months, I will offer Ye Jiuxing's head!"

Zhao Wan'er said in a deep voice: "Old General, I will add another 100,000 troops, but you must also understand the difficulties of the court."

"Can't do it!"

Chu Zhuang refused directly.

Zhao Wan'er's eyes narrowed, she stood up, and said calmly: "It seems that the Marquis of Zhenguo is afraid of Ye Jiuxing! With an army of 600,000, I believe that the leader is not a fool and can destroy Ye Jiuxing!"

After that, she was not in the mood to talk any further and turned to leave.

Wang Ya followed him without saying anything.

Chu Zhuang's expression remained unchanged. He escorted Zhao Wan'er out of the mansion, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Farewell, Your Majesty!"

The team went away.

After he disappeared from sight, Chu Zhuang stood up, had the door closed, and walked towards the inner room.

On the way, a middle-aged man asked, "Dad, why don't you agree to His Majesty?"

Chu Zhuang shook his head and said, "War is a matter of life and death for a country. It concerns the survival of millions of people. How can we fight if we don't have a chance of winning?"

The middle-aged man frowned, "Is Ye Jiuxing really so terrifying?"

"The name of Mou Hou is feared by the whole world!"

Chu Zhuang paused, his face showing a complicated expression, and said in a deep voice: "In my life, I have never admired anyone except Ye Jiuxing!"

"It's just that he was obsessed with love before, but now that he has survived the catastrophe of death, he is like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, breaking free from its shackles and able to soar freely into the sky!"

The middle-aged man was shocked when he heard this.

It was the first time that he heard Chu Zhuang speak so highly of someone.

Even General Yanxue of the Great Yan Dynasty is far inferior to Ye Jiuxing.

Chu Zhuang continued moving forward and came to a house. He pushed open the door and under the sunlight, he could see a suit of armor hanging in the center of the house. It was glowing with blood and filled with murderous aura.

On the side, there was a big knife standing, flashing with cold light and showing its sharp edge.

Chu Zhuang looked at it, lost in thought.

In the dark, he seemed to see himself wearing armor, holding a big sword, shuttling between millions of troops, taking the flag first, and being the best in the world.
"Marquis of Zhenguo, nothing more than that!"

"He has grown old and lost his ambition. He has become an old lion that has lost its claws and teeth and is afraid of life and death!"

In the imperial study, Zhao Wan'er, full of anger, sat on the imperial chair and spoke in a cold voice.

Wang Ya stood below and said nothing.

After Zhao Wan'er had vented her anger, he slowly said, "Your Majesty, how about asking Ding Junhou to come out and destroy Ye Jiuxing?"

"Absolutely not!"

Zhao Wan'er refused without even thinking: "Marquis Dingjun is in the process of breaking through the Saint Realm. This is Dayu's top priority and must not be disturbed!"

One saint can defeat an army of millions!

The real core of the country.

Wang Ya knew this method would not work when he heard it, so he asked, "Who should we send to attack Ye Jiuxing?"

Zhao Wan'er closed her eyes slightly, and after thinking for a long time, she gave an order: "Send an order, appoint Wei Guang as the General of the Western Expedition, and lead an army of 350,000 to attack Yong County!"

"For this battle, I will send five three-star generals and eight Yin-Yang realm warriors!"

"Another order: loyal and righteous people in Xingzhou, Liangzhou, Changzhou and other places can follow the army to attack Yong County. The enemies they kill will be counted as military merits and rewards will be given according to their merits."

(End of this chapter)