Enemy at the Gates

Emperor Qingfeng's question echoed across the wilderness, but received no response. The other party seemed to have not heard him and remained motionless. Emperor Qingfeng spoke again in a deep voice, "Since there is nothing wrong, clear the road and let us pass!"

"Why are you allowed to travel freely on the road of Daqi?" The man in silver armor finally spoke.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qingfeng laughed and asked, "Who are you, Excellency?"

"Qiguo, the Grand General, Shangguan Yichen."

Emperor Qingfeng nodded in understanding, raised his arm and clasped his fists towards the other party, saying, "I have long heard of your great name, and I never expected that your country's Emperor Hong would specially send His Royal Highness the Wise Prince to greet you personally. I am very pleased."

Shangguan Yichen snorted, "I've always remembered the people of Qing as being forthright, open-minded, and upright, never flattering or doing anything despicable. Why is it that when they come to Emperor Feng, they become so different? Could it be that you're not of authentic Qing royal descent?"

Emperor Qingfeng raised his eyebrows, "Oh? What do you mean by that, Your Highness? I don't quite understand."

"When there is a great struggle, it is normal for all nations to be in a low profile. Since they want to fight, they just talk about war frankly, send letters and envoys, and do all these things in a coy and pretentious manner. They don't have the demeanor of a great power at all! I remember that Emperor Huan of Qingguo was an upright and upright person. He conquered several countries and marched for years, and was respected by all the countries. Now the territory of Qingguo is all over China, and it is all due to the great achievements of Emperor Huan. He is truly a sage monarch! I heard that Emperor Feng and Emperor Huan are brothers, but I don't see any similarities between them, so I felt so emotional just now." Shangguan Yichen stood proudly on his horse, looking down at Emperor Feng.

Emperor Qingfeng's hidden illness was exposed, and the corner he had hoped to bury forever in the dark seemed to be dug out. The corners of his mouth twitched twice, and he said angrily, "The evil ones are the first to complain! Qi State imprisoned my Qing State envoy Dingyuan Marquis for no reason. Is this what a great power does? If I don't lead my army to flatten Qi State and rescue Dingyuan Marquis and return to Qing today, it will be a disgrace to the name of Qing State!"

Shangguan Yichen burst into laughter on his horse. Seeing him like this, Emperor Qingfeng felt even more guilty. He tightened his reins with both hands and looked at Shangguan Yichen angrily. But he heard him say, "Emperor Feng is really good at twists and turns. He just sent Marquis Dingyuan to Qi to lobby, and then someone secretly sent a letter to Qi, accusing the royal family of Qing. If Marquis Dingyuan falls into the trap and becomes the prime suspect, Emperor Feng can legitimately march south to attack Qi. He can not only have a legitimate reason to go to war, but also gain a title of benevolence and righteousness. Such a move that harms others and benefits oneself really makes this king disgusted!"

Emperor Feng was exposed by Shangguan Yichen in public. He was in a state of panic and shouted angrily, "Don't talk nonsense! How do you know that the hidden arrow was sent by the Qing Kingdom?"

Shangguan Yichen angrily said, "Confusing right and wrong, seizing power by trickery, and trampling on the corpses of others to ascend to power is simply your nature!" Suddenly, his anger turned to laughter, "Besides, when did I ever say that the letter to Qiguo was sent by a hidden arrow?"

Emperor Feng was stunned, all the blood in his body flowed backwards, and he was stranded on his horse. Shangguan Yichen raised his finger and pointed at him and said, "If it weren't for your instructions, how could I know the details!" After that, he shouted, "Zi Shuduan! Prepare to die!" With a wave of his hand, he led 200,000 strong soldiers to charge forward.

The dry grass was instantly flattened by the horses' hooves, and the swirling sand formed a thick fog, casting a barrier between heaven and earth. In this austere season, the roaring, neighing, and groaning of horses, tinged with blood, devoured the tranquility of the wilderness. Two giant pythons coiled together, biting and tangling, unwilling to stop until they had devoured each other.

The yellow sand gradually turned blood red. In the twilight, it was impossible to distinguish whether it was the glow of the sunset or the glow of blood. The helmet of Emperor Qingfeng had long been knocked to the ground and disappeared. His messy hair was stuck to his cheeks and shoulders. He was in a miserable state, but still struggling. The oncoming sword was too sharp and too fast. He could not dodge in time and was pressed down by the opponent's sword. He used both hands to hold the sword with all his might, but he saw that the opponent was looking straight into his eyes and asked, "You killed your brother with your own hands to seize the throne. Aren't you afraid that others will know?" The emperor was terrified and his whole body was cold. In his extreme panic, he exerted brute force and pushed the opponent away with a sword, shouting, "I want to kill you!" He chopped forward, heading straight for the opponent's door, but was blocked by the opponent. Emperor Feng, sword in hand, had already reached the opponent, but heard the opponent say again: "You have plotted to murder Emperor Huan and Marquis Dingyuan, and almost wanted to exterminate the royal family of Qing Kingdom. Zishuduan, you are unworthy of being called this name! You are not from the Zishu family at all!" Emperor Feng's past was exposed. He collapsed and went mad. He picked up the sword and rushed forward recklessly, "Ah! You are talking nonsense!" He heard the other party's words again, "Since you know that everyone in the Zishu family has a mark on their body, why don't you dare to reveal your identity? Do you dare to let me see where the mark on your body is?"

"I want this throne! I want this world to be mine alone! You don't need to know who I am!" Emperor Feng's hair was completely disheveled, and he lashed his horse around like a madman, as if he were fighting a hundred enemies alone. When his throat was hoarse from shouting and the strength in his hands was almost exhausted, a sharp sword clanged and knocked the sword in Emperor Feng's hand to the ground. Immediately afterwards, something cold pressed against the left side of Emperor Feng's neck. He was still conscious, and in his chaotic consciousness, he looked forward. Why was the man's face blurry?

Emperor Feng narrowed his eyes and strained to see. The man's face finally became clear. It was his brother! How could it be him? Wasn't he dead? Killed by an assassin, whom he had personally sent to kill him. How could he be here now?

"Zi Shuduan, do you plead guilty?"

He heard his brother's deep voice asking him, and he struggled and shouted: "I am not guilty!!"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise. Emperor Feng's eyes were still wide open with fear. Blood was already gushing out from the fault between his head and neck, and his body was frozen in that funny posture, no longer moving.

Shangguan Yichen grabbed Emperor Feng's hair, lifted his head, and kicked him off his horse. Waving the head in his hand, he said to the crowd, "Emperor Qingfeng is dead! Shouji is here! The battle has been decided! Daqi wins!"

All the generals who were still fighting stopped upon hearing this and turned to look in the direction of the voice, but saw Shangguan Yichen standing on his horse, holding a bloody hand in his right hand, showing Emperor Feng's face clearly to everyone. The soldiers of Qi State immediately cheered and for a moment the blood-red sky was filled with the joy of victory.

Shangguan Yichen then addressed the soldiers of the Qing Kingdom, "Comrades of the Qing Kingdom, I promise you this: if you are willing to submit to me and return to the Qi Kingdom with me, I will report this to His Majesty, and I will spare your lives!"

The soldiers of Qing State looked at each other in confusion, hesitant. The fate of prisoners of war throughout history was predictable. It would be great if they could escape unscathed now, but they were afraid that there was something fishy going on, and it was just a bait.

Shangguan Yichen noticed their hesitation and spoke loudly, "You all heard my conversation with Zi Shuduan before the battle! A wise bird chooses a tree to roost in. He can treat your Dingyuan Marquis like this today, and he will use your corpses as stepping stones in the future. Since this villain proclaimed himself emperor in Qing, what has your situation been like? How have the people of Qing lived? You have all been there, so you should understand it well. Today, I, as the Grand General and the Wise King, promise you that if you surrender to me, I will ensure that you live in peace in the future!"

The soldiers were deeply moved. After Emperor Huan's death, the Qing Kingdom had long been ravaged by Emperor Feng, and the people were living in poverty. These people were entirely relying on the foundation laid by Emperor Huan. Now that this incompetent and ruthless emperor was dead, why not bring their entire families back to live a good life?

The Qi soldiers also lowered their hands and looked at the Qing soldiers. They all put down their weapons and looked at each other. Some in the crowd raised their hands and shouted, "We are willing to support His Royal Highness the Virtuous King!" Soon, hundreds of thousands of people followed suit, and finally, together with the Qi soldiers, they shouted, "Mighty General! Long live His Royal Highness the Virtuous King!"

The shouts were deafening and echoed for a long time in the wilderness filled with rosy clouds.

On the way back to the palace, the prisoners of war from Qing State were only tied up symbolically and were not deliberately troubled. The army marched into the city and the people cheered on both sides of the street. As long as the God of War was there, they did not need to worry about their homes being destroyed. So the crowd gathered on the roadside, shouting the name of the God of War to express their gratitude and excitement.

The prisoners of war from Qing State witnessed Shangguan Yichen's influence in Qi State with their own eyes, and they admired him even more. He has always been known as the undefeated god of war, and now after seeing him today, they realized that his reputation is well-deserved.

As night fell, the ministers, wide awake, waited in the palace with their king for the return of the victorious soldiers. This was a foregone conclusion to the battle, but that did not diminish the joy of the people, especially the young king, whose political career had been extended and brought back to life.

A tattered wooden box lay on the floor in the center of the hall. Its visible signs of wear and discoloration told anyone who saw it that it was a long-gone object, used to store discarded items. Its surface was now stained with dried blood, hanging there with a chilling, eerie look. Ministers who were close enough to see clearly could already guess what was going on. Even those who prided themselves on their experience were still frightened, breaking into a cold sweat, and in the cold night, the chill ran down their spines.

Shangguan Yichen opened the lid of the wooden box. Emperor Feng's frightened eyes were staring motionlessly under his disheveled hair. The official who was leaning forward to find out what was going on was startled and stepped back.

Emperor Hong looked down at the head in the wooden box with a look of disgust. "Just throw it to the wild dogs like the corpse of a heinous criminal."

The guards took the order and carried the wooden box away. Wherever they went, the ministers covered their noses and avoided it, expressing their disgust.

Emperor Hong said from his dragon throne, "The Emperor Feng of Qing has resorted to countless tricks, all because he coveted Qi's territory. Now he's suffering the consequences of his own actions! Although Qing was severely defeated in the Qing-Qi War, its foundation remains. Although the world is currently in a period of great contention, Qing has already conquered eight nations, and its ferocious power remains undiminished. If we confront such a formidable enemy head-on, we will surely suffer losses. This is not a wise move. I believe that for now, it is best for Great Qi to consolidate its gains."