"All generals, listen up and advance eastward along the river!" Chen Yunxuan gave the order immediately.
The mighty army moved eastward along the river and arrived at the territory of the neighboring country.
As one of the ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, Ke Xunzhu decisively launched an attack to consolidate his position as general.
However, the Xiang army was extremely powerful, and the Lin army suffered countless casualties.
"General, let's retreat to Xunsang. The enemy has the upper hand here." A general advised.
"No! This is the first battle between our two armies. How can we retreat?" Ke Xunzhu roared, "This general doesn't care about your own death. I just want you to defend Qianming!"
“…” Ji Xushi said nothing. He had already given up hope on Lin Jun.
Ever since the prince started yelling, Ji Xushi became silent.
"Ji Xushi, you will be the vanguard and attack the enemy's flank from the north!" Ke Xunzhu ordered.
A vanguard?... He's sending his own men to die again.
"Yes." Ji Xushi answered indifferently, the light in his eyes gone.
Just as the Xiang army was advancing, Yue Lingyun received Ji Xushi's request for surrender.
In order to prevent the Puchuan naval battle from happening, Yue Lingyun specifically asked the enemy to surrender to the shore and meet with Wei Zhaoshan who commanded the army.
"What... Ji Xushi surrendered?" After receiving the news, Ke Xunzhu was so angry that he tore up the battle report.
"General, this place is about to fall... If you don't retreat now, you may be captured by the enemy." The counselor beside him advised.
Ke Xunzhu had no choice but to retreat.
As soon as he returned to the court, his political enemy Xie Yongtong launched an attack, seized his military power and took over the command.
However, the Xiang army was unstoppable and attacked Huanglong directly. Even if a new commander was replaced, they would not be able to resist.
Lin State moved its capital frequently and eventually retreated to Yueyin County.
One night, General Feng Yuancheng came to the Yangxin Palace to pay a visit to the young emperor Xie Guanfei.
"Your Majesty!" Feng Chengyuan saluted.
Xie Guanfei is still young, but he is precocious, which is similar to Xie Wenzhou.
"General, please stand up... The late emperor left me three ministers to take care of the young prince, and you, my dear, are the most capable..." Xie Guanfei lamented, "It's a pity that you participated in the Crown Prince's Rebellion. The late emperor's suspicion of you has never ended, and instead made you a minister in name only."
"I don't care about power. I just want to serve my country wholeheartedly." Feng Chengyuan replied.
"Well... if the late emperor had given you the power, how could Linzhou have suffered such a devastating defeat?" Xie Guanfei then expressed his thoughts: "Now Xie Yongtong has monopolized power and is fighting to the death. In order to fight against Xiangzhou, he has repeatedly implemented harsh policies, bringing disaster to countless people in Linzhou."
"General, please lead your troops to ambush in the palace and eliminate this evil thief."
"As for what happens next... Lin State cannot escape its fate of destruction. I intend to surrender to Chen Yunxuan to spare the people of Linzhou some suffering."
Feng Yuancheng sighed. He had long felt that the Lin Kingdom was doomed, but he never expected to hear such words from the young emperor. He could only reply, "Your Majesty, I obey your command."
…
In the Lie Kingdom Palace, Ding Siyu felt bored and walked out to look at the starry sky.
"Call my beloved Zhou over to observe the celestial phenomena for me at night." Ding Siyu missed Duanmu Xin and thought of Zhou Nanyun, who also knew astrology.
Zhou Nanyun was called over and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"My dear, what does this celestial phenomenon mean?" Ding Siyu asked.
Zhou Nanyun glanced at it and shook his head: "I dare not say anything."
"...Why not? Did Wei Wenyi give you some orders?" Ding Siyu was puzzled.
"No." Zhou Nanyun continued to shake his head.
"Then just say that as long as I'm here, no one will make things difficult for you. Just think of it as me asking you for advice." Ding Siyu continued to give orders.
Zhou Nanyun closed her eyes, sighed a few times, and then opened them to reveal the shocking truth: "The stars in the east are completely dim, while those in the west and north are gleaming faintly. Only the star in the center is the brightest."
"Your Majesty, this means that China will soon be unified again," Zhou Nanyun replied.
“…” Ding Siyu knew what the other party meant. This was a hint that the Lie Kingdom was going to perish and the three families would all return to Xiang.
Some time ago, a mutiny broke out in Longzhou. The defending general Zhang Mougu rushed into Fengdu and killed the culprit Yi Yanggong.
Wei Yuelin led his troops back to defend and temporarily repelled the rebels, but was unable to wipe them out.
Helpless, Ding Siyu had to ask Chen Yunxuan for help in suppressing the rebellion in exchange for food and other things.
In the end, Lie State took back Longzhou, and Zhang Mougu died in the battle.
Wang Yanjiang believed that he had failed to handle the factional dispute well, so he resigned. The position of general was taken over by Wei Yuelin, and the government affairs of the court were handed over to the second candidate favored by Duanmu Xin - Wei Wenyi.
However, Wei Wenyi came from the Xiangzhou faction and was at odds with Wei Yuelin of the Longzhou faction.
The recent conflict between the two people focused on the issue of the capital. Wei advocated moving the capital to Xingtian County, which was located at the junction of Long and Chuan states, while Wei Wenyi opposed moving the capital on the grounds that it would consume people's strength.
In addition, the two often disagreed on other issues, which made Ding Siyu even more disgusted with being emperor.
"I intend to submit to Chen Yunxuan. What do you think, Lord Zhou?" Ding Siyu said softly, adding, "Just think of it as a student asking for advice from the teacher."
"The people of the two states are fortunate that Your Majesty can think of this." Zhou Nanyun nodded and then sighed.
"Well, thank you sir. I have an idea. Please go to Fengdu with me then." Ding Siyu ordered.
Afterwards, Ding Siyu went to Fengdu on the pretext of inspecting Fengdu.
There, he received the envoy and expressed his submission.
The two sides hit it off immediately, and Ding Siyu surrendered to Chen Yunxuan's forces while Wei Yuelin was reorganizing in Longzhou.
The situation of the world being divided into four parts is about to end, and now only Xiahou Yan in the north is left!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
