As a martial artist, Wu Sanjia naturally knew that the seemingly fierce duel between him and Chen Huai'an, which appeared to be evenly matched, was actually just Chen Huai'an deliberately letting him win!
Actually, Wu Sanjia had played a little trick before the duel.
Not only did he not reject Chen Huai'an's goodwill, but he also seized on Chen Huai'an's weakness that he could not break his promise, and from the very beginning he used his ultimate move that he had been practicing for 25 years - the Three Styles of Breaking the Wind.
They attempted to kill Chen Huai'an, thereby throwing the rebel army in chaos.
The result was that his "Three Wind-Breaking Techniques," a marksmanship skill he had painstakingly practiced for twenty-five years, failed to harm Chen Huai'an in the slightest.
From that moment on, even the proud and arrogant Wu Sanjia had to admit that Chen Huai'an's martial arts were superior to his own in the face of absolute strength.
Despite this, he still harbored a treacherous ambition to fight Chen Huai'an to the death.
However, in the end, all of his moves were easily neutralized by Chen Huai'an.
Even when he made fatal mistakes during the duel, Chen Huai'an only gave him brief reminders, pointing out the tip of his halberd several times.
With just a little force, he could have pierced through Wu Sanjia's body; but Chen Huai'an did not do so!
Although Wu Sanjia had the desire to win, he still retained the dignity and backbone of a martial arts practitioner and the last martial arts champion of the Great Xin Dynasty.
If we say that the essence of a scholar is to not accept charity, then...
Therefore, the backbone of a martial artist lies in surviving in the world without being pitied.
Therefore, after Chen Huai'an gave up the chance to kill him with one blow for the third time, Wu Sanjia took the initiative to throw away the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear in his hand and admitted defeat to Chen Huai'an.
His decision shocked the group of Dragon City naval officers and soldiers who were watching outside the naval camp.
After throwing away the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear, Wu Sanjia straightened his disheveled hair and calmly said to Chen Huai'an, "Chen Huai'an, I, Wu Sanjia, am not ashamed to have been defeated by you!"
Then, continuing to mutter to himself, "All the court officials of this great new dynasty believe that the late king was a tiger father and a dog son, having given birth to a weak and spineless good-for-nothing like you;"
"Even before I achieved the title of Grand Martial Arts Champion, when I first saw you on the banks of the Qinhuai River, I knew you were no longer the useless heir the officials in the court spoke of."
"At that time, I was secretly worried, wondering if you were also a student who came to take the martial arts exam. If so, then I might have one more powerful opponent!"
hehe!
Wu Sanjia laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "Now it seems that I, Wu Sanjia, have a narrow mind. As the heir of the Prince of Jin, how could you possibly care about the mere empty title of a martial arts champion?"
"What you're after is the throne and the empire of the Zhao family in the Great Xin Dynasty!"
"However, this saying comes up again!"
Wu Sanjia changed the subject, continuing, "Looking across the entire Great Xin Dynasty, since the Second Emperor, the tyrannical Zhao Gan, ascended the throne, deceiving superiors and concealing the truth, and being fond of grandiose achievements have become the prevailing atmosphere in the court;"
"With a tyrant ruling the court and a treacherous minister governing the country, even if you, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, do not raise an army, other heroes and powerful figures will."
"If our roles were reversed, I, Wu Sanjia, would probably be the one who raised an army to quell the rebellion..."
As the saying goes, a dying man's words are often the best.
Chen Huai'an held the halberd with one arm and listened quietly to Wu Sanjia's story.
Wu Sanjia continued, "I thought that by passing the martial arts exam and becoming the top martial arts scholar, I would have a chance to change everything. But alas, that tyrant Zhao Gan is not one to listen to advice!"
"It wasn't until I sat on the sidelines in the Ministry of War for two and a half years that I truly realized that changing the corrupt practices within the Great Xin court was an impossible task for me."
"Then, Emperor Jian'an and Tumu Fortress passed away in a chaotic manner, and the Longcheng Jingnan army advanced unstoppably straight to Youyun. I finally got my chance to serve the court, and I finally achieved my wish of defeating the Longcheng rebels at the foot of Mozhou City;"
"Until then, I naively believed that I could single-handedly lead my elite Tiger Army to save the crumbling new dynasty and become a legendary general who turned the tide..."
At this point, Wu Sanjia gave a bitter laugh and spoke again: "Chen Huai'an, do you know how dark and chaotic the court of the Great Xin Dynasty has become?"
"Our Tiger-Ben New Army soldiers are fighting bravely against the enemy beneath the walls of Mozhou, while the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui and his faction in the imperial court are still scheming to figure out how to control the Tiger-Ben New Army."
"Of the twelve million taels of silver raised by the Empress Dowager, after passing through the hands of Qin Ruhui and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, only a mere one million taels remained in the hands of my Tiger-like New Army."
"The country is on the verge of collapse, yet the treacherous officials in the court are still thinking about enriching themselves, still vying for power and profit, and still engaged in endless infighting!"
Wu Sanjia's emotions gradually began to fluctuate: "How can such a court not lead to the downfall of the country?"
"To be honest, I have read your 'Proclamation to Pacify the Rebellion and Subdue the Traitors' countless times, and I finally understand why you proposed eliminating treacherous officials and consolidating the foundation of the nation."
"With treacherous officials in power, even if we loyal ministers and generals shed our blood on the front lines, we cannot save this Great Xin Dynasty, which is already rotten to the core!"
Hahaha!
Wu Sanjia suddenly burst into self-deprecating laughter, saying, "Now, the cronies led by the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui have orchestrated the Lingwu coup, pushing the son of the Prince of Fu to the forefront and establishing this so-called Hongxi regime;"
"Two dragons reigning in the same court—this must be considered one of the most spectacular sights of all time, right?"
Finally, Wu Sanjia suddenly stared intently at Chen Huai'an.
The once sharp and determined gaze has now dimmed.
Wu Sanjia said, "Chen Huai'an, now it seems that the only person who can clean up this mess of the Great Xin Dynasty is you."
"Promise me you'll be a good emperor!"
"Wu Sanjia, no!"
However, Chen Huai'an's exclamation to stop him came too late.
After Wu Sanjia finished speaking and asked Chen Huai'an to promise him to be a good emperor, he drew his short knife with lightning speed.
The sharp blade slashed across his neck, and he staggered backward.
Sunlight shone in front of him, and the gushing blood even reflected a faint crimson rainbow.
Just as Chen Huai'an rushed over, Wu Sanjia finally collapsed with a loud thud.
Today is the second day of the eighth month of the second year of the Lingwu era of the Great Xin Dynasty.
Wu Sanjia, a renowned general, the last martial arts champion of the Daxin Dynasty, the commander-in-chief who controlled all the military forces in the country, and the mighty general, committed suicide in front of the Daxin naval camp in Jiangyin in such a tragic and dramatic way.
Looking at Wu Sanjia, whose eyes were still wide open even after he fell to the ground, he recalled this formidable opponent who had repeatedly caused him trouble on the southern expedition of the Longcheng Jingnan army.
His death did not bring Chen Huai'an any pleasure or satisfaction.
On the contrary, a feeling of compassion arose in my heart.
To be fair, Chen Huai'an still admired Wu Sanjia.
Although Wu Sanjia was an ambitious and cunning warlord, and even his loyalty to the Daxin Dynasty was all an act.
But this man, who was disguised as a loyal and virtuous general, never took off that disguise until his death. Isn't that also a kind of true loyalty and courage?
At least, Wu Sanjia is hundreds or thousands of times better than treacherous ministers like Qin Ruhui in the Great Xin Dynasty.
His life can be described as upright and honest.
Ultimately, he sacrificed his young life for the beliefs he held dear.
Chen Huai'an squatted down next to Wu Sanjia and personally closed his eyes.
However, after several attempts, they were still unable to close Wu Sanjia's open eyes.
Until Chen Huai'an solemnly whispered in his ear, "Wu Sanjia, I promise you, I will definitely be a diligent and benevolent emperor in the future!"
Strangely enough, after Chen Huai'an finished speaking, Wu Sanjia's wide-open eyes closed on their own.
A serene smile seemed to linger at the corners of his mouth.
Chen Huai'an summoned Xiao Po and instructed him, "Xiao Po, give Wu Sanjia a grand funeral befitting a deputy marshal of the Longcheng army!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
With the death of Wu Sanjia, the most valiant general of Daxin, the Longcheng naval officers and soldiers who landed at the Daxin naval camp no longer faced any obstacles in their advance.
Under the command of Admiral Qi Jiguang, more than 25,000 officers and soldiers of the Longcheng Navy quickly sealed off all exits of the camp and, in accordance with the instructions of Prince Chen Huai'an, searched for the whereabouts of Emperor Lingwu of Daxin and Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
At this moment, outside a side hall of the naval camp, He Kang, the deputy commander of the Tiger-like Navy who had rushed to the aid of the emperor, was leading several hundred personal guards in a standoff with several thousand personal guards of Fang Tianyao, the King of the Four Seas.
Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Su, who was holding the young Emperor Lingwu, had already been taken into custody by Fang Tianyao's naval officers and soldiers.
Along with him was He Changdong, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
As for the other Imperial Guards, they had already been ordered by Fang Tianyao to be killed.
He Kang, the vice admiral of the Tiger Fleet, looked indignantly at the scene outside the side hall of the naval headquarters and shouted sternly, "Fang Tianyao, you traitor to the Great Xin Dynasty!"
"Our General is outside the camp gates, desperately holding off the traitorous Chen Huai'an's Longcheng navy to buy time for the Emperor and Empress Dowager to escape."
"And you, you actually led the naval forces of the Great Xin Dynasty to take the Emperor and Empress Dowager into custody!"
He Kang drew his sword, glaring angrily: "Fang Tianyao, what you're doing is tantamount to rebellion!"
snort!
Upon hearing this, Fang Tianyao snorted disdainfully.
If it weren't for the three to five hundred Tiger Warriors under He Kang's command, the high and mighty King of the Four Seas, Fang Tianyao, wouldn't have bothered with this mere third-rank military officer.
Fang Tianyao sneered, "General He, you can't say that. I've led my troops here specifically to protect the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!"
"Who knows if the rebel army from Longcheng that attacked the naval camp was actually colluded with your Tiger Fleet? Now you're crying wolf in front of the Emperor and Empress Dowager."
Pooh!
He Kang spat and roared angrily, "Fang Tianyao, you're spouting nonsense! I now suspect that Chen Huai'an's Dragon City naval fleet is reinforcements you brought in!"
"Guards! Follow me and rescue the Emperor and Empress Dowager from the naval rebels!"
"I'll see who dares to lay a hand on me!"
Fang Tianyao was not to be outdone and shouted sternly, "All naval officers and soldiers, protect the Emperor!"
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In an instant, the sound of swords being drawn filled the air, and a fierce battle was about to break out.
"Report—"
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! General Wu Sanjia of the Tiger Army has been killed in battle, and the rebel naval forces of Longcheng have broken through the camp and are heading towards the side hall!"
Suddenly, a messenger under Fang Tianyao's command rushed in on horseback to report.
At the same time, it also brought bad news to everyone—General Wu Sanjia had died in battle!
"What?"
Upon hearing this news, all the soldiers present were extremely shocked.
Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, who had already placed all her hopes for the Great Xin Lingwu Dynasty on General Wu Sanjia, was struck dumb upon hearing this news.
Her vision went completely black, and if her maid hadn't caught her quickly, Su Wan'er would have collapsed with the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu in her arms.
Fang Tianyao's expression was also not good; Wu Sanjia's death was a significant blow to him.
Everyone knows that Wu Sanjia was the last martial arts champion of the Great Xin Dynasty, the top military general of the Great Xin Dynasty, and a truly valiant general.
Even he died at the hands of Chen Huai'an. Among the naval commanders under his command, who could withstand Chen Huai'an's unstoppable sharpness?
Fang Tianyao's mind raced as he searched for a good way to save his life!
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, an idea popping into his head.
At this moment, Fang Tianyao took the initiative to walk towards He Kang, the deputy commander of the Tiger-like Navy, and said as he walked, "General He, you heard it too, didn't you? Chen Huai'an's rebel army is rushing towards the side hall;"
"General Wu has now died on the battlefield, sacrificing his life for his country!"
"You should all join me in protecting the Emperor and Empress Dowager and rushing out. What does General He think?"
After saying that, Fang Tianyao was only ten steps away from He Kang.
He Kang, who was straightforward and not very shrewd, was completely disoriented after hearing the news of General Wu Sanjia's death.
Hearing Fang Tianyao say that he would protect the Emperor and Empress Dowager and break out of the camp, he seemed to have found his pillar of support and asked, "Your Highness, is this true?"
"I'm absolutely not kidding!"
Fang Tianyao spoke in a serious tone, and the distance between him and He Kang was very close.
Just as He Kang was pondering and hesitating, Fang Tianyao, as if by magic, flicked a short knife from his sleeve and held it in his hand. Taking advantage of the moment when He Kang lowered his guard, he plunged the short knife into He Kang's heart without hesitation.
puff--
With the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, He Kang, the vice admiral of the Tiger Fleet, stared in disbelief at Fang Tianyao, the King of the Four Seas, and said with difficulty, spitting out blood, "Fang Tianyao, you—"
snort!
Fang Tianyao snorted coldly, shoved the surely-death He Kang aside, and quickly retreated towards his personal guards.
Almost simultaneously, Fang Tianyao's personal guard commander also gave the order to fire arrows.
"Release the arrows!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
A barrage of arrows rained down, instantly killing most of He Kang's elite naval guards.
Only then did Fang Tianyao speak in a chilling tone: "General He, haven't you ever heard the saying, 'A wise man submits to circumstances'?"
Then, Fang Tianyao loudly ordered, "Someone, go and contact His Highness Prince Jin immediately, and tell him that I have found the Imperial Seal of the State and am willing to present it to him!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
No sooner had the messenger left than Fang Tianyao turned around and looked at the Empress Dowager Su, who was completely disoriented, and said with a sinister smile, "Your Majesty, you don't want the Emperor to suffer the agony of being torn to pieces at such a young age, do you?"
"so--"
"You'd better hand over the Imperial Seal obediently. These naval soldiers under my command are all rough men. Don't force me to use force against you!"
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