Chapter 166 The King of the Northern Frontier
Of course, his physical condition also played a small part in the reason.
He had spent the first half of his life fighting on the battlefield, and now he only had a few years left to live. Now that he had escaped death, he wanted to live for himself for once, no longer care about worldly affairs, and take his wives and concubines to find a quiet place to live a leisurely and comfortable life.
This idea, though somewhat selfish, is not a big problem.
He already has a successor, and he believes Wen Zhiming will do even better than him.
Cao Ran and the others wanted to persuade King Anshun, but when he brought up his health condition, they couldn't persuade him anymore. After all, after becoming king, he had many things to deal with and too much responsibility to bear. Without good health, it would be difficult to withstand it.
But now they are in a difficult situation.
Ren Yang turned his gaze to Wen Zhiming: "Your Highness, what are your thoughts?"
The other two officials also cast expectant glances at Wen Zhiming.
They hadn't had much contact with Wen Zhiming. Over the years, Wen Zhiming's image as a fool had become deeply ingrained in people's minds. Although he had now returned to normal, they didn't really understand his personality, let alone his thoughts.
If he, like Prince Anshun, were to make all sorts of excuses and insist on not taking on this important task, then the three of them would be committing suicide without a legitimate reason for their defection.
Wen Zhiming looked at Prince Anshun and said seriously, "Father, are you really unwilling?"
The Prince of Anshun nodded with shame and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I can't."
Only half of what he said was true; he was unwilling and unable to do so.
He has always been very self-aware, knowing his own limitations. He has practiced martial arts since childhood and has never understood the ways of a ruler. He has never learned the political strategies of emperors, nor could he.
Even if he were to actually sit in that position, he would certainly be walking on thin ice.
He didn't want to become emperor when he was young, and now that he only has a few years left to live, why would he want to waste his remaining life on something that he can't handle?
Seeing his tired face and thin figure, Wen Zhiming knew that he had suffered a lot in Dongling Pavilion and that his body, damaged by alcoholism, was indeed difficult to recover. So she looked away and had no intention of trying to persuade him anymore.
He had indeed intended to leverage his father's prestige to travel to the border, reclaim military power, and then march back to the capital. But now that his father was unwilling to take on this hot potato, he couldn't simply abandon the situation.
“General Cao, Commander Ren, and Deputy Commander Liu. At that time, my father was imprisoned in the palace, so I was unable to discuss this with him. This plan is entirely my responsibility, and it is understandable that my father is declining the offer. But I, Wen Zhiming, will not shirk my responsibility.”
He said solemnly, “The current emperor appears benevolent and righteous on the surface, but in reality he is suspicious and cruel. He favors treacherous officials, and his corrupt rule is more ferocious than a tiger, causing countless people to suffer. Such an emperor is not worthy to rule the Golden Moon Kingdom. Your risky actions to help me rescue my father are a sign of your trust in me, and I will never let those who trust me down.”
"Whether for the public good or for personal gain, I will not shirk my duty. Therefore, I will become the leader of the rebels and the King of the Northern Frontier. I will unite with you all and storm the capital one day. If we succeed, we will overthrow the tyranny. If we fail, we will have no shame before heaven and earth."
"Good!" Cao Ran was the first to clap his hands and shout, "I have not followed the wrong person. I am willing to follow the King of the Northern Frontier and fight alongside him to restore peace and order to the Golden Moon Kingdom!"
Upon hearing this, Ren Yang and Deputy Commander Liu were relieved and smiled. They both declared that they would follow the King of Northern Frontier to the death.
When the Prince of Anshun saw that his son had indeed done as he wished, he was secretly delighted, but he remained outwardly calm.
Ren Yang looked at him and said, "Since Your Highness has made a vow and is unwell, we cannot force you to do something against your will. But now that the King of Northern Frontier is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility, you will not stop him, will you?"
Prince Anshun shook his head and said, "Of course not."
From the moment Wen Zhiming and Cao Ran rescued him, there was no turning back. If he were to stop his son from declaring himself king now, it would be tantamount to cutting off everyone's path to survival.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Wen Zhiming and said, "My son has grown up and I will not control his thoughts and actions, but I also cannot serve you. I will travel with you for now, and when we reach a safe place, I will leave with my wives and concubines."
Cao Ran said worriedly, "But the dog emperor will definitely send troops to hunt you down. The King of the Northern Frontier went to so much trouble to rescue you. If you are captured by the emperor again, won't we be at his mercy again?"
“The world today is divided into five kingdoms. No matter how far his reach extends, it cannot reach the other kingdoms,” King Anshun said calmly. “I know a safe place that he will never find.”
He had clearly made his decision, and Cao Ran no longer insisted on persuading him.
Wen Zhiming said, "This is a family matter, and I will discuss it with my father."
The Prince of Anshun nodded in agreement, and then said, "Since you have important matters to discuss, I will not stay here and disturb you any longer."
Since he didn't want to suffer these troubles, there was no reason for him to stay here and listen to everyone's battle plans.
Wen Zhiming did not stop him. After he left, he adjusted the plan with Cao Ran and others. The three ministers reassigned their duties to better manage the Tiger Soaring Army under their command.
Although he now has 60,000 elite troops, he is still far from being a match for the emperor. Not counting the troops defending against other countries, the 200,000 troops stationed in the capital alone are almost three times his number.
After discussing it, Wen Zhiming and the others finally decided to start with the northern frontier battlefield.
The Northern Frontier Battlefield is located at the border between the Golden Moon Kingdom and the Blue Feather Kingdom.
After King Anshun's great victory over the Kingdom of Lanyu, the other side took the initiative to seek peace, originally intending to cede the city and pay tribute of precious gems, jade, horses, and weapons every year. However, the emperor imprisoned King Anshun, and the Kingdom of Lanyu also learned of this.
With the loss of this formidable enemy on the battlefield, the Blue Feather Kingdom regained its confidence.
They have reneged on the conditions they previously agreed to. The officials sent by the Emperor to negotiate have been discussing the matter with them for several months, but the final terms for the negotiations have not yet been determined.
There are two roads to take to get here.
Firstly, the soldiers stationed here were all soldiers who had followed Prince Anshun before. Although the court has now sent another general, these soldiers were very loyal to Prince Anshun before. Even if Prince Anshun did not go, they would still give Prince Anshun's son some face.
If they could persuade these soldiers to join them, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Alternatively, they could privately negotiate with the Blue Feather Kingdom to reach a cooperation agreement and use their military strength to attack the capital together.
Of course, this is their only option as a last resort.
After all, they didn't want to unite with other countries to attack their own, and they also had to guard against the Blue Feather Kingdom interfering and taking advantage of the conflict between the two sides to reap the benefits.
The group discussed for an hour or two, finalizing all the details before dispersing.
Wen Zhiming returned to his room, only to find Princess Anshun waiting for him there.
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