"Prince of the Protector, my subordinates ask for the Protector to allow me to stay in Anxi!" Liu Qi suddenly threw down the knife in his hand, knelt down and said, "Protector, although my subordinates are from the Central Plains, they have been in Anxi for several years and have lived with the people of Anxi."

"In the eyes of my subordinates, the people of Anxi are also my fellow countrymen, and Anxi has become my hometown. Please allow my subordinates to stay in Anxi!"

Liu Qi's actions seemed to have become the last straw that overwhelmed the camel. In an instant, many people in the army threw down their weapons and knelt down and said, "Please allow the subordinates/villains to stay in Anxi!"

"No!" But facing everyone's actions, Feng Changqing still said coldly.

"Judgesman!" shouted everyone who knelt down.

"Whoever disturbs order will be punished with twenty military sticks!" Feng Changqing ordered the guard to shout loudly.

"Your Majesty ordered me to lead troops back to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion. How could I not obey the will of the court? Since the court has an order, I will take you back to the Central Plains."

"You can hate me, but before Your Majesty relieves me of Deputy Protector of Anxi and the Governor of Anxi, I am the commander of the army, and everyone must obey my orders! Violators will be punished strictly!" Feng Changqing shouted loudly again.

After saying that, he stopped talking, but ordered the guards to patrol everywhere and told them to drag them out of the army when they saw the soldiers still kneeling on the ground and drag them to the front of the army.

Hearing Feng Changqing's words, a glimmer of hope surged in the hearts of the people around Anxi were shattered again and they burst into tears again.

Feng Changqing ignored the reaction of the people of Anxi, and just looked at the soldiers who were dragged to the front of the army and pressed to the ground to see if anyone suddenly repents. But no one repents, everyone's expressions were very firm; some even looked at him, and a look of contempt appeared on his face. Feng Changqing nodded slightly, but still said the word "tap" without mercy.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Slow!"

"I have seen Your Highness, King Feng." Feng Changqing heard the shouts and quickly turned his head to salute.

"Feng Changqing, you just said: You are the commander of the army. Before the emperor relieves you of your responsibilities, everyone must obey your orders, right?" Li Gong walked up to him, without replying the courtesy, and asked.

"I did say this," Feng Changqing replied.

"Feng Changqing, you seem to have forgotten one thing. I am the Great Protector of Anxi, and you are my subordinate; so I am the commander of the army!"

Li Gong then looked at the army and shouted loudly: "Sirs, I am the commander of the army! All of you should obey my orders, not Feng Changqing's orders!"

"Now I order to let go of all the soldiers who were pressed to the ground; and no one in the army would be allowed to stop them if they wanted to stay in Anxi!" After saying this, Li Gong seemed to have exhausted all his strength and gasped, but his face showed a relaxed look.

Liu Qi's approach not only crushed the last straw in the hearts of many soldiers, but also crushed the last straw in Li Gong's heart.

Since the news of An Lushan’s rebellion the day before yesterday and the news of the chaos in the Central Plains came, Li Gong has been struggling violently.

On the one hand, it was the tragic situation of the people in Suye Town that he had heard with his own ears, and the tragic situation that all the people in Anxi would face after the army was withdrawn; on the other hand, it was the gathering of troops to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion so that their Li family rule could be maintained.

He was thinking about this for more than twenty hours two days ago, and he couldn't sleep at night without thinking about tea or food.

After a violent struggle, in the end, the intention of quelling the rebellion and maintaining the rule of the Li family had the upper hand. Therefore, he did not say a word to Feng Changqing's orders. Today, he silently took Li Bixiao out of the city and wanted to return to the Central Plains with the army.

But he still felt guilty towards the people of Anxi. As the people cried, he couldn't help but shed a few tears, trying to jump out of the carriage and talk loudly to Feng Changqing, leaving him with more people; but in the end he didn't move.

But then Liu Qi knelt down again and said those words. Li Gong could no longer bear it and decided to leave more troops in Anxi to resist the cannibalism. Even if the rebellion in the Central Plains was delayed for a long time, he would not hesitate to do so. While thinking about it, he jumped out of the carriage and walked to Feng Changqing.

"Your Highness, thousands of years, thousands of years, thousands of years!" After hearing Li Gong's words, a commoner suddenly shouted loudly.

"Your Highness, thousands of years, thousands of years, thousands of years!" The other people knelt down in the direction of Li Gong and shouted loudly.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for giving the people of Anxi a way out!" Liu Qi and others also knelt down and said. However, Li Gong just smiled and didn't say anything.

His orders quickly spread throughout the army. Seeing the people standing in front of the army, they had been in Anxi for many years, and people who regarded this place as another hometown came out and stood in front. Gradually, more and more people walked out, and generals such as Liu Qi had to take everyone aside and form a single army. In the end, more than 2,000 soldiers walked out of the army and wanted to stay in Anxi.

"Liu Qi, you are the highest official position among the generals in Anxi, and you will be in charge of these more than 2,000 people." Li Gong ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Qi bent down and saluted. When he raised his head, he saw Li Gong. He also caught Feng Changqing standing in front of him without saying a word. A trace of doubt suddenly arose in his heart.

'Feng Changqing is the governor of Anxi and serves as the deputy governor of Anxi. In terms of official positions, the two are almost the same. The governor is in charge of the army. The reason why His Highness Feng King deprived him of his right to deal with us can be refuted, but why didn't he say a word? Is it actually willing that we stay in Anxi in his heart?'

Liu Qi guessed Feng Changqing's thoughts this time. Before Li Gong said this, Feng Changqing felt extremely painful. He was exiled to Anxi since he was a child and lived here for nearly 50 years. Who can be ruthless without a plant or a tree? Liu Qi only stayed in Anxi for four years and regarded it as his hometown. After staying in Anxi for fifty years, what kind of feelings would he have for this place?

But he could only suppress his feelings for Anxi. Not to mention his loyalty to His Majesty, his court, and his desire to avenge Gao Xianzhi. He said that he is already sixty-six years old this year and how many years can he live? Could he bear a stain on his body before his death?

Just when he was in great pain, Li Gong stood up and made a reason to temporarily deprive him of the position of commander, and the orders given by him could increase the number of soldiers who stayed in Anxi. This was exactly what Feng Changqing wanted, so how could he refute it?

Liu Qi was thinking about it when he saw Feng Changqing and King Feng saying, "Your Highness, since all the soldiers who are willing to stay in Anxi have been out of the list, can the lower officials lead the soldiers to the Central Plains?"

"Of course," Li Gong said.

"I would like to ask Your Highness to return to the carriage and set off with the army." Feng Changqing said again.

But Li Gong said a sentence that surprised him. "Feng Jiedu, I will not return to the Central Plains anymore. I will stay in Anxi and lead the soldiers and the people to resist the invasion of the great cannibals."
Chapter completed!