"Prince, the prince's personal guard has just returned and is waiting for you in the tent." Hai Chenxi had just retreated from the battlefield when the deputy general came out of the camp and came to Hai Chenxi's side, reporting in a low voice what was happening in the camp.

Upon hearing this, Hai Chenxi raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. He handed the reins to the guard behind him, sneered and asked, "He's not by the prince's side protecting him, why did he come back? Where's Qi Jingyuan?"

The deputy general's face turned slightly grim. Recalling the scene when he had just seen the guard, his heart tightened slightly. He immediately answered Hai Chenxi's question, "He was the only one who returned. He was covered in blood, his hair disheveled, and his face unkempt, as if he had been through a battle. And I observed his expression carefully, and I saw anxiety in his eyes. He was shouting that he wanted to leave the camp to find the prince, but I stopped him."

"Really? It seems that the prince has encountered trouble, otherwise why would he send people to my military camp? Let's go and meet him." After saying that, Hai Chenxi led the deputy general and strode towards the commander-in-chief's tent.

"Your humble servant greets the Prince!" Upon hearing the footsteps, the guards who had been sitting patiently in the tent immediately stood up, walked quickly to the entrance of the tent, and saluted Hai Chenxi who walked in with their fists.

Hai Chenxi walked past the guard without stopping, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. He saw that the guard was covered in blood, his face stained with dust, and the shiny new armor he had put on before setting out was already stained with blood, making him look extremely disheveled.

Although the guard saluted him calmly at this time, the worry and anxiety in his eyes were obvious. It seemed that Qi Jingyuan had made things difficult for Hai Yue, the arrogant Prince of the Sea!

Thinking of this, Hai Chenxi's mood suddenly brightened, and the frost on his face showed signs of melting. He raised his cloak with his right hand and sat down calmly in the commander's seat. Then he spoke, "Why are you the only one back? Where are the Crown Prince and the Prince? Did you find the whereabouts of Emperor Yugan during your expedition this time?"

Upon hearing Hai Chenxi's question, the guard's face suddenly turned miserable, and hatred instantly flashed in his eyes. He immediately knelt on one knee towards Hai Chenxi and reported: "My Lord, on this expedition, the Crown Prince led the Northern Qi Crown Prince to the valley and blocked the fleeing Emperor Yugan in the valley, catching him in a trap! Unexpectedly, the Northern Qi Crown Prince betrayed his loyalty and killed Emperor Yugan, then took the Crown Prince hostage. The thousands of people we brought fought desperately with Qi Jingyuan's men, but we were outnumbered. Aside from the captured Crown Prince, only I escaped. I request that the Crown Prince immediately send troops to rescue the Crown Prince. If it's any later, Qi Jingyuan will retreat to the Northern Qi camp, and it will be even more difficult for us to rescue the Crown Prince!"

The guard's face was filled with anxiety, and his tone was full of pleading, but his hands hanging by his sides were clenched into fists, as if he was very unwilling to beg Hai Chenxi at this time.

However, the guards who were trying to rescue Hai Yue at this time did not notice their subconscious action.

Hai Chenxi's eyes turned slightly, taking in all the guard's small movements. A meaningful sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, but he did not give a clear answer.

The guard saw Hai Chenxi using Qiao as a big shot, and he was furious. If Prince Hai's camp wasn't the closest to the valley, why would he come to the camp of the prince's mortal enemy to seek help?

However, the guards felt even more resentful when they thought of Hai Yue being guarded by only a few thousand soldiers, while Hai Chenxi had an army of fifty thousand. They were both sons, and the Crown Prince was the eldest. The prince actually favored Prince Hai. Otherwise, how could the Crown Prince have been captured by someone as cunning as Qi Jingyuan? It was a profound shame and humiliation.

However, rescuing the prince is the most important thing now. Even if Hai Chenxi makes things difficult for him, he can only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

Having made up his mind secretly, the guard became even more uneasy when he saw Hai Chenxi was hesitant to give him a clear answer. He then began to plead, "Prince, Qi Jingyuan's actions have completely slapped His Majesty in the face. If you don't rescue the prince, not only will His Majesty lose face, but it will also make Prince Chu, Prince Chen, and others think that there is discord within the Sea King's Army, giving those with ulterior motives the opportunity to spread rumors that are detrimental to the Sea King's Army. You..."

"So? Should this prince go and rescue the prince?" Unexpectedly, the guard was interrupted by Hai Chenxi before he could finish his analysis.

Hearing the indifference in Hai Chenxi's nonchalant tone, the guard's heart trembled. He suddenly looked up at Hai Chenxi who was sitting leisurely in front of him. He saw that the other party's expression was very happy at this moment. He was holding the teacup on the table, sipping tea and eating snacks, and was not affected by Hai Yue's capture at all.

The guard was filled with anxiety, regretting his actions. He knew that Prince Hai and the Crown Prince were sworn enemies, yet he had come hoping for reinforcements. But now it seemed Prince Hai was only happy to see the Crown Prince captured.

However, now that I am kneeling before Prince Hai, I must persuade him to send troops to rescue people no matter what!

The guard steeled his resolve, his face revealing a firmness that was completely different from his earlier hesitation. He said firmly, "Prince, you and the Crown Prince are brothers! We share the same roots, so why are you so anxious to harm each other? If anything happens to the Crown Prince, I'm sure you'll find it difficult to explain to His Majesty! Besides, now is the critical moment for His Majesty to conquer the world. How can you let Prince Chu and Prince Chen reap the benefits? Please reconsider. Don't let past personal grudges hinder His Majesty's great cause!"

Seeing the guard's increasingly assertive tone, the deputy commander beside Hai Chenxi frowned slightly, feeling that the people around the prince were truly reckless. They thought a few threats could change the prince's mind? They really underestimated the prince's ability.

Hai Chenxi's expression remained unchanged, though a hint of sneer crossed his eyes. He put down his half-eaten snack and spoke calmly, "If Hai Yue is only going to hinder my father, it would be better to let him be captured to prevent him from causing more trouble in the future. Besides, Hai Yue acted on his own will. I, the Prince, have repeatedly advised him to think twice before acting, but he, greedy for credit, insisted on teaming up with Qi Jingyuan to capture the Yugan Emperor. Even if this matter were brought to my father's attention, I would be blameless. Now, with the city defense troops in front of us, Han Shaomian's army behind us, and Qi Jingyuan's 100,000 troops threatening us with covetous intent, I am in a difficult position and cannot afford to make a single mistake. You are actually letting me sacrifice my soldiers' lives in vain for a prince who is more likely to cause trouble than help. I am somewhat suspicious of your intentions. There's no guarantee that this isn't Hai Yue's trick, trying to trick me into falling into your trap."

This casual analysis made the guard's face flush red with anger.

But the guard suddenly stood up, pointed at Hai Chenxi without regard for rank, and angrily shouted, "You are slandering me! If this place wasn't the closest to the valley, why would I risk my life to come here and report this? If I knew that the prince had no kinship, I would never come here to ask for help even if I had to die on the battlefield with the prince! The prince is so cruel, he even put his own brothers in danger. Do you think the prince will let you go?"

"I, the prince, have no right to ask how my father handles things! But you speak wildly, disrespect me, commit treason and disrupt the morale of the army! Come, drag him away and execute him according to military law!" Not moved at all by the guard's angry words, Hai Chenxi slowly put away the sneer on his face, his face frosty, and in a deep voice, he ordered the soldiers guarding outside the tent, and then buried himself in military affairs, no longer paying attention to the guard who was so angry that he jumped to his feet but could do nothing.

Seeing the two soldiers rushing into the tent and tying him up, the guard yelled at Hai Chenxi with a red face and thick neck. By now, he had understood Hai Chenxi's determination to kill him, and he also knew that it was impossible for Hai Chenxi to rescue Hai Yue. He no longer had any scruples and actually opened his voice to curse at Hai Chenxi: "Hai Chenxi, how can you treat me as you please? I am the personal guard beside the prince, how can you have such qualifications? Not only do you have no brotherly love, you are also harming the country! Do you think that if you push the prince into danger, the throne will be yours in the future? Don't dream..."

However, before he could finish his words, the soldiers gagged him with a cloth and eventually dragged him out.

Not long after, a soldier came into the tent carrying a human head and reported, "Prince, that man has been dealt with by military law."

"Throw the body and the corpse into the mountains to feed the wolves." Hai Chenxi gave the order in a cold voice without even raising his head.

"Yes." The soldier responded in a low voice and quickly left the tent.

The deputy general smelled the bloody odor that filled the tent and frowned slightly. Seeing Hai Chenxi's completely indifferent expression, he couldn't help but said worriedly: "Prince, this matter..."

By daybreak, the Crown Prince hadn't returned all night, and Qi Jingyuan's army had vanished, clearly indicating the Crown Prince's precarious situation. Yet, the Prince had executed the guards who had come to report the incident and request assistance. If the Prince knew of this, he would likely blame the Prince, which would be of no benefit to the relationship between father and son.

Hai Chenxi threw the memorial aside, his half-closed eyes flashing with a cold light. After listening to the deputy general's hesitant words with concern, he couldn't help but sneer: "Even if Hai Yue is captured alive, what does it matter? He was ambitious first, and then he didn't listen to my advice. Now he has ended up like this, it's his own fault, no one else's fault! Isn't it enough that he has implicated thousands of soldiers? He also wants to take away the 50,000 troops in my hands? Besides, even if we want to move, Han Shaomian and others may not let us do what we want. Qi Jingyuan only led 20,000 troops to capture Emperor Yugan. Firstly, he was very confident in his own fighting methods, and secondly, he probably left 80,000 troops to watch over me, so that we could not rescue Haiyue immediately. But this fool thought he had the upper hand, but he didn't expect that the yellow wolf would catch the cicada and the oriole would be behind. Now he was caught on the spot, he really deserved it. Why should I be responsible for his stupid behavior? Since Qi Jingyuan has done this, he will naturally send people to negotiate with my father. Why should we rush to intervene?

The deputy general couldn't help but nod in agreement when he saw that Hai Chenxi's analysis was very reasonable.

Hai Chenxi, however, didn't seem to be in the mood for work. He simply dropped the brush in his hand onto the table, stood up, and walked out of the tent, heading towards another inconspicuous tent...