Chapter 857 The Surrender of the Western Rong Kingdom

The 100,000 cavalrymen of the Western Rong died in an instant, catching the Western Rong completely off guard.

With a third of their troops gone, the once valiant and skilled Western Rong cavalry seemed utterly vulnerable.

The troops of the Great Yu Kingdom pressed their advantage, with 20,000 elite soldiers, each armed with a musket, charging to the front lines. In just three days, they captured a small city on the easternmost edge of the Western Rong.

More than 20 years ago, this city belonged to the Dayu Kingdom. After it was occupied by the Xirong, all the innocent people of the Dayu Kingdom in the city were killed. Now the city is full of Xirong people.

The Great Yu Kingdom did not indiscriminately kill innocent people. After controlling all the Western Rong people, it continued to advance westward.

The army numbered 350,000, including 20,000 elite troops armed with muskets, 70,000 to 80,000 veterans whose morale was growing stronger, and new recruits who were gradually gaining momentum.

They advanced all the way to within 20 kilometers of the capital of the Western Rong Kingdom.

The original 300,000-strong army of the Western Rong was reduced to less than 150,000, all of whom were forced to the gates of the capital.

The people in the city were filled with fear, and the civil and military officials in the palace were even more worried. All the ministers gathered in the palace to discuss important matters.

More than half a month ago, a fire broke out in the Western Rong Kingdom. The palace had not yet been repaired, and the eaves of several main halls were blackened...

After more than half a month of treatment and recuperation, the King of Xirong finally survived. However, he lost everything below the waist, and only half of his body was left to sustain his life. He was carried by palace servants to the dragon throne to attend the court assembly...

The King of Xirong lay on the dragon throne, his body extremely weak, but he still insisted on presiding over the affairs of state.

"The Great Yu Kingdom has bombs as weapons this time, which is like divine assistance. We, the Western Rong, are no match for them!"

"The Western Rong have already lost more than 100,000 men. We cannot continue fighting, otherwise the entire Western Rong will fall into the hands of the Great Yu Kingdom!"

"While the Western Rong still have some troops left, surrendering now is the best option!"

"Your Majesty, please issue a decree of surrender!"

Some ministers advocated for peace and knelt down in unison to plead for it.

"impossible!"

The King of Xirong grabbed an inkstone and smashed it down, hitting a minister squarely on the head, causing blood to gush out immediately.

He was already short-tempered, and after being betrayed and injured by his bedmate, the violent tendencies in his bones became even more uncontrollable.

The culprit who caused him to be in this state is dead, but Lady Sui, who indirectly caused him to be in this state, has escaped. He must capture this vile woman, cut off pieces of her flesh, and make her into a snack to go with his wine, otherwise he will not be able to quell his hatred!

He no longer cares about national welfare or high-yield rice varieties!

He wants revenge!

"Listen to me, all of you!" the King of Xirong said angrily. "Mandate all civilians aged twelve to sixty to enlist in the army. We must avenge the more than 100,000 Xirong soldiers who died in battle! We must avenge them!"

Da Lian hurriedly knelt down: "Your Majesty, no, absolutely not! Even elite cavalry cannot stop the offensive of the Great Yu Kingdom, and ordinary people are even more vulnerable on the battlefield. Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!"

"You dare to disobey my orders!" The King of Xirong threw another heavy object down. "If you still dare to talk nonsense, you're no longer fit to be the Grand Minister!"

Da Xiang crawled on the ground, avoiding the attack of the heavy object.

When he raised his head again, the respect in the prime minister's eyes had vanished, replaced by ruthlessness. He got up from the ground, turned around, and looked at all the ministers present: "Since the king does not care about the lives of the people, then we no longer need to serve him as king."

The King of Xirong was furious: "What, are you planning a rebellion?"

"Of course not."

A slightly younger voice came from the entrance of the main hall. He was the second son of Lady Li and the third among all the princes. He had been recuperating outside the palace because of rumors that he had contracted syphilis. His sudden appearance here surprised many people present.

The third prince walked in, cupped his hands in greeting to the person on the dragon throne, and said, “Father, you have been murdered and are now paralyzed on one side. You should be recuperating properly instead of attending court while ill. As your son, I should share your burdens. From today onwards, Father, please focus on your recovery and leave these state affairs to me.”

The King of Xirong exclaimed in disbelief, "You rebellious son! How dare you force me to abdicate!"

"How is this a coup?" the third prince said calmly. "The Western Rong are besieged, and their capital is under siege. At this time, a wise ruler is needed to take charge. Father is ill, and his mind is inevitably confused. Guards, take the king back to his palace to rest!"

A familiar figure walked in through the doorway once again—it was Lady Li, who had been banished to the cold palace long ago.

Lady Li entered with seven or eight palace maids, bowed to the King of Xirong, and said with a charming smile, "Your Majesty is ill, so you should take good care of yourself. I will serve you."

She stepped forward and took the arm of the Western Rong King, her nails digging into it mercilessly.

The King of Xirong glared at her angrily.

She lowered her head and whispered in his ear, "When Your Majesty banished me to the Cold Palace, I thought it was just a temporary measure. But for so long, Your Majesty has never stepped into the Cold Palace. Moreover, one by one, the five children I gave birth to have met with misfortune right under Your Majesty's nose... Your Majesty is so heartless, but I cannot be so heartless. Rest assured, I will take good care of Your Majesty and let you die with dignity."

After speaking, she gave a look to the palace servants behind her.

Ignoring the Western Rong King's rage, seven or eight palace servants stepped forward, lifted him up, placed him on a palanquin, and carried him directly out of the main hall.

The third prince sat unabashedly on the dragon throne, looking at the terrified ministers below, and said, "Our Western Rong cavalry are brave and skilled in battle. This time, we were defeated by our inferior weaponry. If we continue to fight, it will only increase casualties and bring no benefit. It would be better to surrender, wait for the war to cease, recuperate, and develop that bomb. Next time we fight, we may not lose. Surrendering is not because we are weak, but for a better battle next time. Don't you agree?"

The Grand Chancellor spoke first: "The Crown Prince is wise!"

He directly referred to the third prince as the crown prince, thus implicitly defining the third prince's status.

After some deliberation, the people kneeling below knew that the throne would eventually fall to the third prince. The first crown prince was dead, the second crown prince had broken his leg, the fourth prince was blind, and the other princes were still young. Who else but the third prince could take on such a great responsibility?

Then, everyone shouted in unison, "The Crown Prince is wise! We will obey the Crown Prince's decree!"

The surrender edict from the Western Rong Kingdom arrived earlier than Cheng Wanwan had imagined.

The Great Yu Kingdom made several requests:

First, the nine cities that were seized twenty years ago must be returned free of charge, and the Western Rong people must move out within three days.

Secondly, in the years of fighting against the Western Rong, the Dayu Kingdom suffered countless casualties, and the Western Rong Kingdom must pay compensation of ten million taels of silver, which can be offset by cattle, sheep, horses and other supplies.

Third, the Western Rong must return the bodies of Princess Taiping and her two children.

fourth,……

After these demands were submitted, the Western Rong Kingdom agreed unconditionally.

With this, the war between the two countries came to an end.

After so many years of fighting between the Great Yu Kingdom and the Western Rong Kingdom, this was their first victory, and they crushed the Western Rong's arrogance with fewer than 10,000 casualties. The garrison was filled with jubilation.

Originally, it was thought that the war would last for at least three months, and the supplies were extremely plentiful. However, the war ended ahead of schedule, and at the very end of the year, the garrison celebrated in a lively manner.