The Fifth Prince had never seen what Lu Baichuan looked like before, not even a portrait. He looked down on Lu Baichuan, a general from humble origins, and felt that the other party was no match for him.
However, he had seen the portrait of Prince Jing of Beiyan. As a member of the royal family, it wouldn't hurt to know a little about him.
Therefore, after confirming that his opponent was Prince Jing, his expression turned very ugly.
"What do you mean by this? This prince is challenging Lu Baichuan, what are you doing here?"
This Prince Jing of Beiyan doesn't have a very good reputation either. He is brave but lacks strategy. He failed in his struggle for the throne and took the initiative to guard the border to protect himself, but he accomplished nothing. As a fellow member of the royal family, the Fifth Prince looks down on him.
He felt that such an unambitious person was not qualified to fight against him.
Thinking about how Jiang Jiuniang had trampled him underfoot that night, he was so angry that he was determined to regain his sense of superiority over Lu Baichuan.
"Let's talk about it after you get past me."
Prince Jing twitched the corner of his mouth. He was initially a little apprehensive, after all, this was his first time fighting head-on, representing the face of Bei Yan, and he was afraid that he would make a mistake and cause Bei Yan to lose face.
But now, seeing the Fifth Prince of Dongting like this, acting like a complete idiot and looking down on everyone, how could the Emperor of Dongting feel at ease letting him out?
Is there no one left in Dongting?
Fortunately, the Fifth Prince didn't dwell on it too much. He was a very open-minded person and thought that this was fine. He would kill the Prince of Beiyan first to dampen their arrogance, and then take Lu Baichuan's head in one fell swoop. His position as crown prince would be secure!
With that in mind, he took the initiative to launch an attack on Prince Jing.
Prince Jing spent more than two years on the border. Although he didn't have much practical combat experience, he trained with the soldiers every day, following Lu Baichuan's training manual. So his skills were not bad.
The Fifth Prince, having always lived a life of luxury in the capital, did possess some martial arts skills, but he did not necessarily train every day, and what he practiced were mostly fancy moves, which were very different from the real fighting style on the battlefield. After only a few moves, the Fifth Prince panicked.
In terms of strength alone, I am no match for Prince Jing of Beiyan!
I don't know what this guy ate to grow up like this, but when he hits down with his long spear, it feels like it weighs a thousand pounds, and he can't defend against it at all.
At the same time, Prince Jing also realized the disparity between them and felt that his previous preparations had been too much. He could easily kill this weakling!
Realizing this, he did not underestimate his opponent. Knowing that the battle could not be dragged out for too long, he used all his strength to deliver fatal blows.
The Fifth Prince was being suppressed and forced to retreat repeatedly on the battlefield, and the soldiers of the Eastern Court were all worried for him.
Didn't the Fifth Prince claim to be very powerful before? How come he's so weak?
Their initial enthusiasm instantly cooled down.
The Fifth Prince was frightened and wanted to escape. He turned his horse around and ran away, but Prince Jing raised his long spear, aimed at the Fifth Prince's back, gathered his strength, and then threw it straight at the Fifth Prince's back, passing right through his heart.
The fifth prince's eyes widened, blood gushed from his mouth, and before he could utter a single word, he fell from his horse and died on the spot.
Prince Jing smiled, stepped forward, and cut off his head. He then shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Kill!"
In an instant, the two sides clashed, throwing the small black balls one after another, the deafening sound seemingly celebrating their victory.
The Eastern Court soldiers were either dead or wounded, or some even deserted; the whole place was in chaos.
Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian, who were watching from the shadows, exchanged a glance and both smiled.
"Wouldn't this count as a successful retirement?"
Lu Baichuan said, "It's still early."
As long as Dongting has not surrendered, they can continue fighting.
If this situation continues, they might even be able to attack the capital of Dongting directly.
However, the soldiers of Beiyan also get tired, and they must leave themselves some leeway, so as not to make the people of the other two countries feel intimidated.
The Northern Flame have never been the kind of people who seize by force. They fight wars only to protect themselves, and their ongoing sieges are actually aimed at forcing the Eastern Court to surrender.
The battlefield still needs to be cleaned up, and there is still a lot to be done, but Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian do not intend to take action. This is the time for Prince Jing to demonstrate his abilities, and he should handle everything himself.
On the Eastern Court's side, the old general was forcibly kept in the military camp by the Fifth Prince and could not go to the battlefield to observe, but he kept a close eye on the situation. When he heard that the Eastern Court had lost and the Fifth Prince had been beheaded, he felt dizzy and shouted, "Heaven is going to destroy me!" before falling into a coma.
The Fifth Prince's head was taken away by the Northern Yan people; this was a meritorious deed by Prince Jing.
Dongting barely managed to bring his body back, and the morale of the army was extremely low.
The fact that a prince was beheaded on the spot, leaving not even a complete corpse, would inevitably make him the biggest laughingstock.
With the Fifth Prince gone and the old general in a coma, there was no one in the army who could take charge, and many soldiers began to consider deserting.
Given the current situation, there's no point in fighting anymore; we're bound to lose no matter what. Yet, the imperial court won't allow surrender, clearly forcing them to risk their lives.
The imperial court doesn't care about them, so why should they risk their lives for the court?
So when the old general woke up, most of the soldiers had deserted.
"General, what should we do now?!"
His subordinates were very anxious. The man in his forties wiped away his tears helplessly. How could they fight this battle now that things had come to this?
The old general, having fought countless battles, naturally knew what situation was best for our side. His previous strategy of holding back was excellent, but the soldiers were all stubborn and insisted on questioning him, which led to the current situation.
Regardless of the circumstances, the Fifth Prince died in battle. Even if it had nothing to do with the old general, as the only general here, the old general was bound to take the blame.
His subordinates were heartbroken; the old general was utterly innocent!
The old general closed his eyes in sorrow. For some reason, he suddenly remembered what the goddess in his dream had said: the Eastern Court had become like this because it had committed too many sins.
Thinking of their emperor, although he didn't show it on the surface, he had been taking elixirs with Wu Jiaming for many years, and it was probably because of that that he ruined the country's fortune.
Therefore, the defeat of the Eastern Court was inevitable.
"Let's lower it."
After a long pause, the old general gave this reply.
The subordinate panicked even more: "But the imperial court..."
"If we really have to wait for the imperial court's surrender edict, all of these tens of thousands of soldiers on the border will be wiped out."
The old general had tears in his eyes; he was old and powerless.
"General, you mustn't! Surrendering without permission is a capital offense!"
The subordinates were hoarse and exhausted, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.
"I'll take the blame. Go now."
The old general gave him a shove and roared with all his might, "Go!"
After saying that, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
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