Chapter 122

A few of the envoy's attendants lifted the heads of the Crown Prince and the envoy, dared not take the two corpses, and fled, rolling and crawling away.

Until they vanished from sight, the ministers remained in extreme shock, unable to believe what had just happened.

Xiao Qidi, as if nothing were wrong, said, "Gentlemen, you may withdraw."

"His Majesty!" an elderly minister knelt on both knees, "His Majesty, do you realize… how big a trap you just set?"

Xiao Qidi raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What trap?"

The elderly minister lamented, "That Yu Guo Crown Prince is so important; he can serve as a crucial bargaining chip in dealing with Yu Guo! Let Yu Guo offer sufficient conditions for exchange, or keep him in our hands to make Yu Guo wary, or use this chance to befriend Yu Guo… There are far too many ways to consider, to let Daxuan gain the greatest benefit!"

"But the elderly minister never imagined that His Majesty would be so reckless, so rash! To have killed the Yu Guo Crown Prince! To have cut off his head! Even… even the Yu Guo envoy as well!"

"Finally, they even brought the two heads back and vowed to annihilate Yu Guo!"

"His Majesty! You have forced our entire Daxuan onto a dead end, cutting off every retreat!"

The elderly minister grew increasingly agitated, his heart full of regret; had he known this would happen, he should never have sat by, watching Xiao Qidi handle the envoy.

But now, any further regret is already too late.

Xiao Qidi said calmly, "If I had told you beforehand that I intended to attack Yu Guo, to destroy Yu Guo, you would have obstructed me repeatedly; I must cut the tangled rope with a swift sword, leaving you no chance to block me."

Upon hearing this, several ministers nearly blacked out.

This reckless young monarch truly treats state affairs as child's play!

Especially the elderly minister who just spoke, collapsed onto the ground, his expression one of utter despondency.

Xiao Qidi deliberately said, "Unifying the world has been the wish of successive Xuan Guo monarchs; now Daxuan's national strength ranks among the top seven nations, and you are so lacking in confidence?"

The elderly minister, weak and breathless, said, "Allow me to speak frankly… His Majesty, you think too simply… This time, Daxuan may be forced into a life‑or‑death war; regardless of the outcome, our vital energy will be severely damaged! If the other nations then seize the opportunity… the consequences are unimaginable!"

"His Majesty, I have a proposal!" another minister, his expression solemn, said, "Daxuan still lacks the strength to take on six at once, so we cannot engage Yu Guo in a fight to the death! Though blood feuds exist between the two states, if we offer sufficient sincere compensation and find a way to appease the Yu Guo monarch's anger, we may yet avert the war."

Immediately another minister said, "I second the motion! Even if compensation is massive, it is better than a mutually destructive war with Yu Guo!"

"I second the motion!"

"I second the motion!"

The remaining ministers present also expressed the same stance at once.

The people who came to accompany the reception of the envoy were only a small fraction of all ministers, but these were heavyweight powerholders, and their attitude essentially represented that of all officials under them.

Xiao Qidi looked at the few kneeling on the ground and said, "In the end, you don't trust me, right?"

The ministers lowered their heads and said nothing, which naturally counted as tacit consent.

Xiao Qidi added, "If I told you I was absolutely certain I could destroy Yu Guo without harming Daxuan's national strength, you probably still wouldn't believe me, would you?"

The ministers in unison said, "His Majesty, please reconsider!"

"I have already reconsidered," Xiao Qidi's eyes narrowed slightly, "I also have no time to waste words on you; withdraw."

"His Majesty!" the leading elderly minister sprang to his feet, "If His Majesty insists on going my way alone, I… I will crash my head and die in this great hall!"

Xiao Qidi's gaze hardened.

He knew that this elderly minister had always devoted himself to Daxuan; his reaction now was also out of concern for Daxuan, and he certainly could not let him lose his life.

But given the current situation, verbal persuasion was impossible.

Moreover, it was clear the minister had already embraced a resolve to throw himself into the abyss.

There was no choice; he had to intimidate him first to save his life.

"Listen to me," Xiao Qidi said coldly, "If you dare to die, I will exterminate your nine families."

The elderly minister froze instantly.

Xiao Qidi pointed at the others, "You are the same. Of course, I am not an unreasonable person; if you do not trust me, you may resign and leave, even go to the other five nations to seek office, livelihood, or refuge; I will not pursue you at all."

Having said that, before any of the ministers could speak, Xiao Qidi turned and left.

The ministers' expressions were complicated; they exchanged glances, sighed one after another, each harboring their own thoughts, and gradually left the hall.

That day, Xiao Qidi issued a troop mobilization edict, dispatching one hundred thousand soldiers, ordering them to march lightly and set out immediately for Xi Tun Guan.

Within the Royal City, the court officials were greatly frightened upon hearing the news.

One hundred thousand troops, marching lightly?

Without any logistical preparation, rushing so hastily toward the barren lands of Xi Tun Guan?

Is this meant to go meet Yu Guo's inevitable invading army, or to strike Yu Guo preemptively? Either way, such recklessness is unacceptable! How does this differ from sending one hundred thousand troops to die in vain?

For a moment, ominous clouds shrouded the court.

Officials were anxious, all believing that their young His Majesty was driving Xuan Guo toward the abyss.

As the hundred thousand troops were gradually dispatched, some officials began to flee with their families in secret.

Although Xiao Qidi had explicitly told the court officials that anyone wishing to leave could submit a resignation, and he would not pursue them.

But these fleeing officials dared not trust such a chaotic madman, and all chose to slip away covertly.

Three days later, all who intended to flee had fled.

And Xiao Qidi also obtained a roster reported by Li Yao, clearly listing which officials had fled.

"His Majesty, they are all here, sixteen in total, three of whom are pillar ministers," Li Yao furrowed his brows, pondering, "Do you truly not pursue them? As soon as His Majesty orders, I can at any time lead the men of Qingyou Platform to—"

"No need," Xiao Qidi burned the roster outright, "I am actually pleased; even though ten fled, Daxuan does not need such officials."

"Yes, His Majesty."

——

Several more days passed.

The heads of the Yu Guo Crown Prince and the envoy were finally, after the envoy's attendants traveled day and night, brought back to Yu Guo's Royal City.

When the Yu Guo King saw the two heads, he vomited three liters of blood on the spot, his grief and fury having nowhere to vent, and he killed the few envoy attendants who had risked their lives to rush back and report the situation to vent his anger.

"Send the orders down..." the Yu Guo King, slumped on the throne, eyes reddened, said, "Mobilize all of Da Yu's troops; I will blood‑wash Xuan Guo!"

A minister, risking the danger of angering the king's life, knelt and said, "His Majesty, previously the Crown Prince led two hundred thousand elite troops to attack Xi Tun Guan, resulting in heavy losses; now the troops we can muster total less than one hundred thousand."

Yu Guo King roared: "Then conscript! All male citizens of Yu Guo who are sixteen years old—no—fourteen years old, even if they are the only son at home, must go! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy! With this, how many soldiers can we have?"

The minister's expression grew grave, "This… should be able to recruit about three hundred thousand in a short time."

"Fine!" Yu Guo King's eyes turned fierce, "Then first gather a four‑hundred‑thousand‑strong army! Mobilize the whole Da Yu nation to supply them with arms and provisions! Every Da Yu citizen, even the old, the young, women and children, as long as they can move, must place support for the campaign first! Disobey, and be killed! Spare no cost, fight Xuan Guo to the end!"

None of the Yu Guo ministers present dared to object.

Soon, edicts from the king spread, and within a few days they reached every corner of Yu Guo.

The curtain on the nationwide mobilization for war in Yu Guo has already been drawn…

On the other side.

Xuan Guo's hundred‑thousand troops are also about to reach the Xi Tun Guan area.

Because it has been a forced march all the way, the soldiers and warhorses are exhausted to the limit.

The commander leading the march saw that night was falling and the nearest Lin Xian Village was still half a day's ride away, so he ordered a halt to rest.

As night fell.

On the desolate ground, tents rose one after another; torches lit across the endless camp glimmered against the star‑filled sky.

A Deputy General, his face heavy, entered the commander's tent.

"General…" the Deputy General clasped his fists, gritted his teeth and said, "I have some words, I wonder… whether I should speak them."

The General chewed the half‑piece of hard dry rations in his hand, cleared his throat and said, "Speak, it does no harm."

The Deputy General saw the General nearly choke, instinctively drew the water flask from his waist, but when he lifted it realized it was empty.

He sighed inwardly, angrily saying, "General, don't you think His Majesty's order for us one hundred thousand to rush here is childish and absurd?"

The General furrowed his brows, saying nothing.

The Deputy General continued, "He impulsively forged a mortal feud with Yu Guo, ensuring the two nations will clash, that part is understandable. As Daxuan soldiers we must charge forward without hesitation! But… but he ordered us to march light, with no supplies at the rear; what does he think we are?"

"Enough… stop speaking," the General's face showed helplessness, "I suppose His Majesty has his own plan."

"I spit!" the Deputy General grew angrier, unable to hold back, "What arrangement could he have? He doesn't even have a scrap of basic warfare sense! He was crowned not long ago and now acts on a hot head, truly a tyrant!"

The General's complexion darkened, "Silence! No more reckless words!"

"Even if you punish me, General, I must speak!" the Deputy General's eyes reddened, his voice choked, "General, haven't you noticed we soldiers have no water nor food? Even the horses are starving to the point they can barely move! I tried to lead a party to find water, but the farther we go toward Xi Tun Guan the drier it gets! Not even grass or tree roots can be dug up!"

"I fear even when we reach Xi Tun Guan, the conditions awaiting us will be even harsher."

"Moreover, autumn has arrived, the weather grows colder, especially at night… the soldiers lack even thicker clothing, they are hungry, thirsty, freezing…"

"General, His Majesty is sending our one hundred thousand to die in vain! If we die on the battlefield conquering the enemy, we would accept it, but… if we die pointlessly, no soldier will close his eyes in peace!"

After the outburst, the General's eyes reddened.

He was silent for a while, then struggled, "So… do you have any suggestion?"

The Deputy General wiped his eyes, giving a wry smile, "General… forgive my incompetence. Though I am full of anger and grievances, I cannot think of any way to solve the soldiers' current plight. In the end, you and we soldiers are the same; even knowing it's a meaningless death, we would not retreat. The only regret… our Daxuan army now lacks a good king."

Upon hearing that, the General could no longer hold back, tears soaking his eyes.

The Deputy General knelt on the ground weakly; aside from sobbing and sighing, he had nothing left to say.

At that moment, another Deputy General rushed into the tent.

Seeing the scene and the oppressive atmosphere, he froze for a moment, but unable to ignore it, he hurriedly said, "General, someone is coming to fetch us!"

The General quickly asked, "Who is it?"

"It is I." A deep voice sounded as a tall, upright, dark‑cloaked figure stepped into the tent.

The reporting Deputy General immediately bowed his head and stood aside.

The General's eyes widened, "Your… Your Majesty? How are you here?!"

The Deputy General on his knees looked up in disbelief.

When he met Xiao Qidi's deep, boundless eyes, his mind went blank.

Xiao Qidi said, "I arrived a few days before you and have already prepared what you need. Worried that your rations might run short en route, I came to meet you. Please wait a bit longer; food and water will be delivered shortly."

The General was shocked; His Majesty had arrived days before them?

How could this be? Could His Majesty fly?

Stunned, he could not bring himself to ask, so he bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Qidi said nothing more, turned, and left the tent.

The kneeling Deputy General furrowed his brow, rose slowly and said, "Strange… as we marched here, the land grew drier and desolate. Where could he possibly obtain food and water for us?"

The General pondered, "It must be stored somewhere within Xi Tun Guan… it seems there are villages near Xi Tun Guan."

"That makes it even more contradictory," the General, full of suspicion, "I have heard that the Xi Tun Guan region is an extremely barren borderland, and since the beginning of this year a once‑in‑a‑century drought has struck. How could any food or water be stored?"

The General was stumped; he scratched his head but could not devise a reasonable explanation.

The Deputy General pressed his chin, thought carefully, then his complexion changed dramatically, "General, you say… could this actually be… a grand conspiracy deliberately set up by Xiao Qidi?"

The General was startled, "Absurd! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The Deputy General, pacing nervously, replied, "I'm not speaking nonsense. If the earth‑shattering plot we just imagined is true, then all his odd actions since returning to Royal City to be crowned and assume power make sense."

The General, seeing he wasn't babbling, lowered his voice seriously and asked, "Then tell me, what conspiracy does he have?"