The Emperor of Japan rode at breakneck speed, the cold wind howling past, his mind filled with the image of the Imperial Concubine falsely conveying an imperial edict to kill the Empress.
A surge of anger burned within him.
He raised the long whip high and brought it down hard, and the horse galloped across a stream.
Pfft!
An arrow flew and struck a guard in the front row. He fell to the ground and was trampled in the chest by a horse's hoof, dying instantly.
"There are ambushes ahead! Be careful!" the guard shouted.
The Japanese emperor reined in his horse, his eagle-like eyes fixed intently ahead. The moonlight was bright, and he could vaguely see the surging crowd on the other side.
"They're from the southern border!" the guard shouted.
The Emperor of Dongying's eyelids twitched. He glanced at the Second Prince of Nanjiang, who was being carried on horseback behind him, and angrily cursed him as despicable!
No wonder Song Yue let him go so readily.
It turns out that the news had been released long ago, instructing the people of southern Xinjiang to wait here.
"Release the Second Prince, and I'll let you pass today!" came a shout from the other side.
The second prince whimpered and struggled agitatedly, but the Emperor of Dongying knocked him unconscious. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "We must bring him to Dongying. We'll have reinforcements if we go another twenty miles."
The guards responded in unison, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will protect you with our lives and fight our way out of the encirclement!"
"kill!"
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
The stream was stained red under the moonlight, the color was indistinct, but the fishy smell was extremely strong.
Song Yue watched this scene from a distance on a hillside not far away.
"Your Majesty, I have already sent a messenger to Japan. The messenger should arrive before dawn, but I don't know if the Emperor of Japan can wait that long," General Shen said.
Song Yue clicked her tongue: "It is said that General Huo Xi is brave and skilled in battle. Even with such injuries, he can still come out to fight. It's fortunate that the emperor of the Southern Frontier doesn't know his worth, otherwise, things would really be troublesome for my mother."
General Shen nodded in approval.
Huo Xi and the Seventh Prince, the God of War, protected the Southern Frontier for a century, yet the Southern Frontier Emperor used Huo Xi to protect the Second Prince, which was a huge waste of talent.
Such people are born to go to the battlefield and defend the country.
The battle lasted for two hours, with neither side willing to back down. In the end, the Japanese emperor was outnumbered and lost the battle.
The Japanese emperor, mounted on horseback, grabbed the second prince by the neck with one hand, forcing Huo Xi to retreat.
Huo Xi refused to budge an inch. He had suffered such a loss at Song Yue's hands before, and if he backed down, it would mean that finding the Second Prince again would be even more difficult.
If we don't allow it, the worst outcome would be that the second prince would avenge us on the spot.
Song Yue smiled and said, "This Huo Xi really knows how to put his knowledge to practical use."
The Japanese emperor, enraged, demanded, "Why aren't you giving in yet?"
"Put down the Second Prince, and I promise to let you leave. If you don't, I will collect the Second Prince's body and avenge him today!" Huo Xi struggled to his feet, with a large group of soldiers behind him, holding bows and arrows and aiming at the Japanese Emperor.
The Emperor of Japan angrily asked, "Why haven't reinforcements arrived yet?"
"Someone has already informed us, and the deputy general was told before they set off that if they haven't returned by dawn, they will definitely come to meet us." The guard said tremblingly. The only possibility was that the reinforcements hadn't arrived; something had likely happened to them on the way.
He turned around, glanced at the camp in the distance, and had a sudden inspiration: "Go and tempt the Northern Chu people to send troops to help us as soon as possible."
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Northern Chu won't send troops easily." The guard witnessed the negotiations last night and realized that the Crown Princess of Northern Chu wouldn't act without a reason; she would only do so if she received a great benefit.
The Emperor of Japan came to his senses and, after much thought, could not come up with anything he could offer the other party.
I had no choice but to ask for help, hoping it would be worth a try.
The guard quickly responded: "The Northern Chu wants three cities."
"This is outrageous!" The Emperor of Japan was furious. He tightened his grip on the Second Prince, who was nearly strangled to death and his eyes rolled back.
Only after being reminded by the guards did the Emperor of Japan release his grip.
"Your Majesty, Northern Chu's appetite is too great. There has never been such an example in the past hundred years in Japan. Once they give in, the morale of their army will surely waver, and you will definitely become a sinner in Japan's eyes."
“But if His Majesty disagrees, we are outnumbered and no match for the Southern Frontier people. Do you want His Majesty to die at the hands of the Southern Frontier people? If we lose the city, we can take it back later.”
The guards disagreed and started arguing.
The Emperor of Dongying's eyelids twitched violently, and he suddenly realized how formidable Song Yue was; despite her young age, she was incredibly shrewd.
After going around in circles, they used leverage to their advantage.
He believed that the other side must have been fooled by Song Yue as well.
"General Huo Xi, this is not the place to talk. Why don't we sit down and have a chat?" the Emperor of Dongying said. "Rather than fight to the death, why not shake hands and make peace?"
Huo Xi sneered, seeing through the fact that the Japanese emperor was stalling for time and waiting for reinforcements. He said, "If Your Majesty wants to show sincerity, why not release the Second Prince first?"
The Emperor of Dongying dares not easily trust anyone now. The Second Prince is his current lifeline. At least if he doesn't make a move, Huo Xi won't dare to make a move.
What if Huo Xi changes his mind after we release him?
If he let the second prince go, his fourth brother would surely die. He would rather die himself than watch his fourth brother die.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Emperor of Japan chose to fight to the bitter end and refuse to release the prisoners: "Issue my order: break through the encirclement at all costs. If I die in battle, the new emperor will surely launch a campaign against the southern frontier!"
"Yes!" the guards responded in unison.
The Emperor of Japan would rather die in battle than compromise.
On the hillside, Song Yue was incredibly patient.
"Who does the Crown Princess think will win?" General Shen asked from behind.
Song Yue raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Naturally, it's the Southern Frontier!"
She sent men to block the reinforcements. The Southern Frontier had more people, so there was no reason for them to lose. If the Emperor of Dongying died at Huo Xi's hands, the feud between Dongying and the Southern Frontier would deepen.
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