Chapter 260

The word "loyal subject" was simply too far away for Gao Yang.

But Wu Zhao suddenly said with a solemn expression, "Regardless of who you stayed for, or for what reason, I will consider it as you staying for me."

"I will remember this favor for a lifetime, and the people of Changancheng will also remember it for a lifetime."

"I will stabilize Changancheng as you said and buy you time, but the Great Qian empire and the millions of people in Changancheng—I leave them all in your hands."

"This time, you are the chosen one, and you are the only one!"

Wu Zhao slowly bowed to Gao Yang, bowing to him with the status of an Emperor.

Her tone carried a touch of genuine sincerity.

Gao Yang glanced at it without a trace, then stepped forward to help Wu Zhao up.

"This is my duty as a subject; why must Your Majesty do this?!"

Shangguan Wan'er glanced at Gao Yang, her lips moving, but she ultimately said nothing.

After Wu Zhao and Shangguan Wan'er left, Gao Yang said to himself,

"No matter what, having revealed so many trump cards, getting a favor from the Empress is not a loss."

At this moment, Qin Zhenguo also came before Gao Yang and saluted, "Lord Gao, the wine shops in Changancheng have all been swept, and thirteen people were killed."

"Ten thousand jars of wine have already arrived outside the imperial city."

Gao Yang composed himself, his eyes flickering as he said, "Bring them all in."

"Bring dozens of large pots as well, and start burning them with high heat!"

Once Gao Yang's military order was issued, Qin Zhenguo immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to move all the wine jars in.

Soon, a rich aroma of wine permeated the entire imperial palace.

The wine was heated to a high temperature, turned into steam, passed through huge conduits made of bamboo tubes, and after cooling, it turned into high-concentration alcohol.

The principle of distillation was not difficult; the main issue was the urgency of time. Without glass conduits, they could only simply replace them with bamboo tubes.

This thing didn't even require much effort, because the bamboo-tube mercury-refining devices used by these alchemists in Great Qian for alchemy were essentially distillers.

It was just that the drawbacks of bamboo tubes were not small—they were not heat-resistant, easily damaged, and the distilled wine might have some issues.

But these were minor flaws, because what Gao Yang wanted was high-concentration alcohol.

This was not for drinking.

Qin Zhenguo was a glutton; smelling the rich aroma of the wine, he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.

"This wine is so fragrant, it seems like strong liquor. Could it be that you want to use wine to bolster the courage of the cowardly? To stimulate the bloodthirstiness of the frontline soldiers with strong liquor?"

Qin Zhenguo asked, full of curiosity.

Hearing this, Gao Yang just smiled, "Grandpa Qin, that is incorrect. This batch of wine is not for drinking, but for the Chu army."

"For them?"

Qin Zhenguo keenly grasped this word.

"Yes, to treat them to a barbecue."

A smile bloomed on Gao Yang's face, but this smile made Qin Zhenguo shudder.

"..."

The night passed quietly.

On the walls of Changancheng, banners covered the sky.

But Lu Zhen took a look and still felt it wasn't spectacular enough; the main thing was that there were few people, and once they got close, the banners would give the game away.

This wasn't enough to scare the Chu army!

Therefore, Lu Zhen rode a tall steed and found Wu Zhao. Wu Zhao waved her hand, and following Gao Yang's steps, notices began to be posted everywhere in the city.

A conscription order!

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: "Now that Prince Wu has rebelled, an army of hundreds of thousands from Great Chu is pointing their swords at Changancheng; Changancheng is in imminent danger!"

"However, the ancestral foundation cannot be lost, and I cannot bear to abandon the people of Changancheng. I have decided to use the body of the Son of Heaven to personally guard the nine gates of Changancheng. The Son of Heaven guards the national gate, and the monarch dies for the state!"

"Our Great Qian men are hot-blooded; we hope our hot-blooded Great Qian men will enthusiastically enlist in the army, and with our blood, forge the soul of the Great Qian army to protect Changancheng together!"

Almost at the same time, this conscription order was posted all over the streets of Changancheng.

This news spread throughout Changancheng at lightning speed.

If yesterday's rumors were to block the retreat of the commoners, then this conscription order tested the patriotism of the Great Qian people.

Lu Zhen and Qin Zhenguo rode their tall steeds and stood on Zhu Que Street.

Even they took a deep breath.

Wu Zhao had not failed the people, and Gao Yang had not failed the people.

The civil and military officials of the imperial court had not slept all night, just to maintain the operation of Changancheng.

Now, with the retreat blocked, it depended on the choice of the commoners.

Wu Zhao stood on the second floor of a restaurant, looking out at the empty Zhu Que Street.

She clenched her fists, suppressing the nervousness in her heart.

To this day, Wu Zhao would never forget the words her father, the Emperor, left her on his deathbed.

The monarch is like a boat, and the people are the water; water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it!

As long as the hearts of the people are there, the Great Qian empire remains; if the hearts of the people are gone, then it is time for Great Qian to perish.

She had always kept these words firmly in mind, not daring to forget a single word.

If, under such methods, the people were still unwilling to stand up, then Great Qian... would truly deserve to perish.

She looked at the major streets of Changancheng, but they remained deathly silent.

It was as if they were shrouded in the fear of the Chu army's arrival and the impending massacre; they wanted to be the lambs waiting for the slaughter, hoping to gamble on the chance that the Chu army wouldn't massacre the city.

Wu Zhao's eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Forget it..."

Wu Zhao just turned around, ready to leave.

Shangguan Wan'er's eyes were also dim.

But the next second.

Boom!

A huge roar and boiling sound, mixed with cursing, shot straight into the sky!