Surprise! The villain is my brother, stay calm!

Lu Zhanyan already had the support of Molongling's Tongbao Money House, and now with the assistance of Lu Zhanxing, the army was even more unstoppable.

And those soldiers also found that by following the Duke of Anguo to fight, not only were they well fed and well clothed, but their pay was also twice as much as before. What reason was there not to help the Duke of Anguo?

Anyway, Duke Anguo is a descendant of a founding hero, and the Lu family also owns half of the country, so they are not real rebels. Plus, Emperor Jiaxing wants to give up Yanzhou and Xuzhou, and the soldiers have no feelings for the new emperor. It was Duke Anguo who led them to defeat Dayan and Qi, so they strongly support Duke Anguo's rebellion.

Only by following a lord who is strong enough can they feel more at ease and their loved ones will be safer.

The army led by Marquis Zhongyi fought to the death, but they were crushed by the Qinzhou army in terms of numbers. In addition, their supply of food and fodder was insufficient, so they were quickly defeated.

With a shout: "The city gate is broken!!!"

Marquis Zhongyi was besieged by several generals and eventually died in battle.

"Lord Zhongyi is dead! Surrender your weapons and we will not kill you!!"

Huo Dongshen picked up Marquis Zhongyi's body with a spear and displayed it to everyone.

When the surviving soldiers heard that their leader was dead, they panicked and threw away their weapons and armor. They were originally outnumbered by the Qinzhou army, and if Marquis Zhongyi had not insisted on fighting to the death, they would have surrendered long ago.

Jingzhou was taken without a doubt, and Lu Zhanyan immediately led his confidants to take over Jingzhou.

The backgrounds of the soldiers brought by Marquis Zhongyi were also re-investigated, and as long as there were no problems with their identities, they would continue to be organized and used.

All those who had connection with the royal family were sent to Xuzhou to do hard labor.

Lu Zhanxing received news that his brother had captured Jingzhou, so the attack on the capital would not be long in coming.

But because the New Year was approaching, Lu Zhanyan could only ask his men to repair Jingzhou and prepare to suspend the fighting, and then attack the capital after the New Year.

Therefore, Lu Zhanyan handed over Jingzhou and Qinzhou to the management of Wei Ge Lao and Prime Minister Su, and then took Lu Zhanxing, Xiao Lanjue and a few confidants back to Xuzhou.

Prime Minister Su was extremely dissatisfied. What a shameless son-in-law. He was her father-in-law after all. Why couldn't he go back with her to celebrate the New Year?

He actually has to manage Qinzhou by himself, all alone here.

Although Lord Wei regretted that he could not return to the capital to celebrate the New Year, he felt much more balanced when he saw that his old rival was also left behind.

He even laughed sarcastically and said, "Oh, Prime Minister Su, I didn't expect you to be left behind!"

Prime Minister Su snorted coldly and didn't want to talk.

But when the news that Jingzhou had been taken reached the capital, Emperor Jiaxing became a little uneasy. With so many states under his control in Jiuzhou, how was this different from the Daqian empire already belonging to Lu Zhanyan?

He had no intention of celebrating the New Year and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

Some ministers have received instructions from Lord Wei and Prime Minister Su, and have implicitly advised Emperor Jiaxing to abdicate voluntarily so that he can get the title of prince.

However, some ministers thought that they could negotiate with Lu Zhanyan and appoint him as regent so that they could share the throne.

The faction led by Lord Mei remained silent and did not express any opinions, just waiting for their lord to come.

There is no doubt that these ministers who made the proposal were stripped of their official positions one by one, and those who claimed that they were in cahoots with Lu Zhanyan were forcibly imprisoned.

Lord Mei secretly told them not to panic and to endure a little hardship, and that he would compensate them well after the lord ascended the throne.

When these ministers heard about this good opportunity, they decided to make themselves as miserable as possible so that their lord would feel guilty and maybe even promote them.

Gao Yong, a subordinate of Mo Longling who worked in the Ministry of Justice, was speechless. These ministers were simply crazy. Why were they clamoring for the bailiffs to beat them every day?

Are they masochistic?

It was fortunate that I was here to guard the prison, otherwise these ministers would have been so good at talking, wouldn't the yamen runners have beaten them to death?

"My lords, please be quiet. If you are really injured and the wounds become infected, it will be a waste of time if you die. How can we wait until the lord ascends the throne?"

The ministers who were clamoring at first were shocked when they heard that Gao Yong, the leader, was actually Lu Zhanyan's man. At the same time, they were glad that their superiors had given them the news. Otherwise, if they had gone against the Duke of Anguo, they would have died without knowing how.

So, they finally calmed down. Although they were locked up in the cell, they were all cheerful. Some even hoped that their lord would see their miserable plight and give them a high position.

At this time, Emperor Jiaxing was so angry that none of the ministers had any good suggestions.

Lord Mei suggested fleeing to Yangzhou, where the economy is developed, and then waiting for an opportunity to retake the capital.

But Emperor Jiaxing knew very well that once he escaped, it would be impossible for him to come back, but he couldn't make himself submit to Lu Zhanyan.

As a descendant of the Chu family, he still has to have some dignity.

He knew very well that he could not beat Lu Zhanyan, and couldn't help feeling a little depressed.

People in the court were in panic, and only the Minister of War, a royalist, insisted on defending the capital and would not let the traitor Lu Zhanyan succeed.

However, the Assistant Minister of War remained silent. He learned from a secret letter from Lord Wei that his granddaughter-in-law, the Fifth Prince, was still alive, but was imprisoned by Lu Zhanyan. If he supported Lu Zhanyan to ascend to the throne, the Fifth Prince could survive.

Although the legitimate granddaughter was a concubine, the Fifth Prince was a good person. The Assistant Minister of War did not want the Fifth Prince to die, nor did he want the legitimate granddaughter to be a widow. In order to fight for a way to survive for his family, he chose to defect without much hesitation.

It was the New Year, and Lu Zhanxing followed his brother back to the Lu Mansion.

No matter how hard the two of them tried to hide it, their families eventually found out about their plans.

Especially Lu Jin, who finally realized why his father wanted him, his wife and their daughter to come to Xuzhou.

It was true that he was seeking medical treatment for his daughter, and it was also true that he was seeking refuge.

Seeing his eldest nephew Lu Zhanyan at this time, Lu Jin was hesitant to speak.

He couldn't teach his nephew a lesson, but he could teach his own son a lesson. He called Lu Zhanxing to the study and gave him a scolding.

"You are so brave. You did such a big thing but didn't tell your father at all. Are you afraid that your father would hinder you or that your father would ruin your good deeds?"

His eyes were wide open, the muscles on his face trembled slightly with anger, and he roared loudly.

He is really angry!

He didn't expect that his son and nephew would commit such a big thing as treason without telling him, which made him extremely shocked and angry.

He was shocked by their rebellion, but angry that he had been kept in the dark and knew nothing about their plans.

It was not until the appearance of that manifesto that he woke up from his dream and realized that his son and nephew were so bold and presumptuous that they dared to challenge the authority of the court.

Now their plan is almost successful, and no matter how angry I am, I can't change it.

What is most infuriating is that my father, son and eldest nephew don’t trust me at all.

Am I really that bad?

Seeing his father fuming with anger, Lu Zhanxing said with a smile: "Dad, we didn't hide it from you on purpose. It's just that the matter has not been completed yet, and we are afraid of upsetting you, so we didn't inform you. Now we have seized most of the country, and the change of ownership of the Daqian country is just around the corner."

"By the way, Dad, I see that you are in very good health. When my eldest brother ascends the throne, what kind of official do you want to be? Let me talk to you about it."

She knew that her father was obsessed with power, and if he had not been forced to retire, he would probably have continued to serve.

Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Lu Jin's anger dissipated instantly, and he actually began to seriously consider what kind of official he wanted to be?

When Lu Zhanxing saw the smile on his father's face that even AK couldn't suppress, he thought that his father must be fantasizing about making a strong comeback and slapping his colleagues in the face.

"Well, Dad, I'm going to go see Ling'er. Think about it carefully. No matter what kind of official you want to be, I'll let Big Brother satisfy you. When the time comes, you will return to the capital in a strong manner, and those officials will flatter you and then surround you. Just imagine that scene, how exciting it will be, right?"

Lu Jin, who was originally a little angry, thought about those officials who looked down on him for being favored by the emperor to enter the officialdom. When his eldest nephew ascended the throne, he would be a royal relative and the elder of the new emperor. Would those officials dare to do so?

He couldn't help stroking his beard and laughing, then he glanced at his son with great disdain and scolded him with a smile: "Go away, go away, what are you talking about."

"Hey, then I'll leave first," Lu Zhanxing immediately left the study.

Then she secretly lay at the door of the study, and sure enough she heard her father's arrogant laughter. It was confirmed that her father still wanted to become an official until he was old.

I can't help but envy my father. He really wins in life without any effort!