"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
Minister Muto Takeshi, looking flustered, rushed into the main hall.
Upon hearing this urgent shout, Akihito, seated on the throne, raised his bloodshot eyes.
"What's wrong?" Akihito asked in a cold voice.
"Your Majesty! The city is filled with the sound of cannons and flames are shooting into the sky. The Yan army is setting the city on fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a vein throbbed on Akihito's forehead, and his hand clenched into a fist.
Although he was in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, he had vaguely heard a faint rumbling sound earlier, and at that time he already had a bad feeling.
But when he realized that his premonition had come true, anger and resentment surged up from his heart in an instant.
He slammed his fist on the handrail, stood up abruptly, and his face was contorted with rage.
"Baka!"
"Set my city on fire?!"
"Those beasts from Yan Kingdom dared to burn down my city!!"
"Kill them! Kill them!" Extreme anger twisted Akihito's face completely, and he roared hoarsely.
Muto Takeshi wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, if this trend continues, I'm afraid General Yamanaka and his men won't be able to hold out."
"News came a moment ago that the outer city has been captured by the Yan army, and the sound of cannons is getting louder and louder. It seems that the Yan army has now broken into the inner city."
"Our plan to defend the city has completely failed!"
Upon hearing this, Akihito raised an eyebrow and glared fiercely at Muto Takeshi.
"Hundreds of thousands of troops have gathered in both the inner and outer cities today! They will not be defeated! I refuse to believe that the Yan Kingdom has sent so many people to attack!"
Knowing that Akihito was extremely angry and probably not quite lucid, Muto Takeshi immediately said:
"No, Your Majesty!"
"The Yan Kingdom has breached our defenses, and the capital is in grave danger. The only course of action now is..."
"Shut up!!"
Before Muto Takeshi could finish speaking, he saw Akihito rush down like a wild beast driven mad.
"Your Majesty, you..." Muto Takeshi's expression grew increasingly panicked, and he began to back away.
Akihito rushed up to them, grabbed him by the neck, and roared at him:
"We'll fight them to the very end as long as they're not all dead!"
"We'll fight until the Yan Kingdom can't afford to fight anymore, and let them know that we, the people of Fusang, are not afraid of death at all! We'll fight back however they attack us!"
"Their weapons are better, so we'll risk our lives to make up for the difference!"
Then, Akihito pushed hard, and Muto Takeshi fell backward to the ground, clutching his neck and panting heavily.
And Akihito's roar continued:
"So many people have joined the army these past few years, just to go to the battlefield! Otherwise, what's the point of having them? Dying on the battlefield is the honor of every Japanese person!"
"I'll trade my life for theirs! I refuse to believe the Yan Army can keep killing until the very end!"
"I refuse to believe that if we risk everyone's lives to fight them, they can still win!"
Muto Takeshi got up from the ground, panting heavily. He looked at Akihito, trying to persuade him to see the situation clearly and to leave Kyoto and escape to another place.
But when he met Akihito's bloodshot eyes and saw his completely distorted face, he knew that Akihito wouldn't listen to anything he said at this moment.
Even so, as a minister, he could not stand idly by and watch Kyoto fall and the Emperor be killed, so he said in a trembling voice:
"Your Majesty, of course we will fight to the end. As long as there is one soldier left, we will never allow the Yan people to invade the capital and the imperial palace, nor will we allow them to threaten your safety."
"But now..."
"You should leave here immediately; we cannot allow you to be threatened."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a burst of wild laughter suddenly erupted, coming from Akihito's mouth.
Akihito spread his arms and burst into laughter.
"No! I'll stay at the Kyoto Imperial Palace!"
"I'd like to see if the Yan people have the ability to break through here!"
As he spoke, Akihito swung his arm and roared:
Even if they really come to kill us, I'm not afraid!
"Send the order! Everyone, get to the battlefield! Fight the Yan people! Fight them to the death!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
Inside the empty hall, Akihito's roar echoed continuously. Muto Takeshi sighed softly and left dejectedly.
The most capable troops of Fusang had almost all been lost in the previous battles, and although the troops that have come to Edo now are numerous, their combat strength is not as good as those of the previous troops.
Apart from the troops currently stationed in Kyoto, there are still some troops in other places, but what kind of fighting power do they have?
Even if they left Kyoto and fled elsewhere, they would still be powerless to retaliate against the Yan Kingdom, let alone turn the tide and completely defeat the Yan people who had come to Fusang.
In other words, if Kyoto falls today, Japan will be completely crippled!
Of course, this is the most conservative estimate. The Yan people came here with the intention of destroying the country. As long as they are still in Fusang, they will continue to face their pursuit.
The difference between dying first and dying later is simply a matter of time.
It seems that leaving Fusang is the only way out, but the fleet has been destroyed. Although there are still some ships in other ports, what use are they?
If they were to abandon everything and leave by ship with only a few people, where could they go? Before that, could they withstand the pursuit of the Yan Kingdom? Even at sea, with the Yan Kingdom's fleet watching them like predators, how could they possibly escape alive?
When all possibilities were ruled out, Muto Takeya finally understood Akihito's madness at that moment.
He hadn't lost his mind; rather, he knew there was no turning back and that he had no choice but to fight to the death.
That is to say, the jade shattered.
Muto Takeshi, his face ashen, staggered out of the main hall.
Gazing at the night sky illuminated by firelight in the distance, and listening to the ever-approaching sounds of gunfire, Muto Takeshi, distraught, summoned the remaining ministers and announced Akihito's final order.
Inside the hall, Emperor Akihito stood alone, his lips tightly pressed together, his eyes bloodshot, frozen on the ground.
After a long while, he trembled and then turned to look at the sword rack behind the throne.
Immediately afterwards, he slowly walked over there, took out a long sword, then turned around and walked out of the main hall, summoned his ministers, and led them toward the Zhenguo Shrine.
The shrine enshrines the rulers of Japan throughout history, as well as some ministers and generals who made great contributions to Japan.
In the eyes of the Japanese, this is the most sacred place, and they hold a grand ceremony to worship it every year.
Although the time had not yet come this year, Akihito knew he had to go there.
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