Chapter 269

The Great King issued another notice to all the people after several days, informing them of the approximate arrival time of the Xianbei army, allowing those outside the city walls who were uneasy to choose to take refuge inside the city.

The Great King also heard from the Chancellor that the people in the small counties and market towns outside the city were still panicking; besides Secluded Prefecture, only one major county had built a decent wall.

Thus, the confident Great King finally remembered that there were also the timid.

Once this notice was spread, the number of people inside the city noticeably increased.

That evening, the Great King had some free time and planned to go to the ferry to look at the humpback whale, give a dose of this month's beast feed pill, and wait for the Xianbei to arrive, not knowing how long he would be busy.

Just after he left the city, he saw countless people with small bundles streaming into Secluded Prefecture; most were adults, with only a few holding children.

The Great King wondered, could it be that these people fleeing disaster had abandoned the elderly?

No way?!

Upon asking, he learned that avoiding war was second nature to the people of Secluded Prefecture. The elderly didn't come because they believed the Great King would reach the Eastern Xianbei king's city; another reason was that the villages decided to send young people into the city to help, so even if fighting broke out they wouldn't go to the battlefield but could assist with preparations.

The Great King felt a bit moved; he ought to put on a good show and see just how much the people trust him!

The Great King pointed at the child the young man was pulling and said, 'Why are you still bringing a child?' Just weaned, what help could he be?

'Ah? He? My aunt's family is in the city; the child's mother is still scared, so she had me bring him to my aunt's place to hide, hehe~'

Great King: ……

He retracted his feeling.

The Great King could learn every day of the Xianbei allied forces' movements: they had entered Wing Prefecture, seized Wing Prefecture City, and replaced the defenses with Xianbei troops, and so on.

During this period, Zhuti was also not idle, sending the Great King a joke from the Great Jin every day.

First, the Jiangxia King rebelled.

The Jiangxia King said that Emperor Ningde had disappointed his father's expectations, occupying the throne yet being muddle-headed and incompetent, achieving nothing, causing the Great Jin to lose vast northern territories. Although he is now gone, his son is unworthy of that position. He told the outside world that it was Baili Jin who had full authority to sign that humiliating land‑cession treaty with the Xiongnu alliance.

Scholars in the south began to curse Baili Jin, saying he was unfit to inherit the throne.

Next, the Guangling King declared that his father Emperor Ningde's death was suspicious, and the edict naming Baili Jin as crown prince was also suspicious; in short, he refused to recognize it.

Because on Emperor Ningde's birthday he personally said that he should first gain experience in Guangling for a few years, after which the crown prince position would still be his. Baili Heng is the legitimate son of the empress, while Baili Jin is merely a concubine's son.

The Jing King said the same.

He too is a legitimate son, and the empress's legitimate son is also a legitimate son.

Unlike the King of Jiangxia, the Ningde Emperor's son would not implicate his father; public opinion's cannon was aimed at Baili Jin, who was said, both openly and implicitly, to have tampered with the Ningde Emperor's death and even usurped the crown prince's position.

When the King heard that the King of Jiangxia had rebelled, he was shocked for a moment, then gradually calmed down.

Everyone sat down, standard procedure.

The King sat cross-legged on the drill field, slowly picking his fingers, "I was superficial before; previously it hardly counted as any troubled era. Now look how lively it is, plus the Marquis of Hanshou, just the rebel kings alone number four; Baili Jin's throne looks like it's floating in the clouds, extremely unstable. He doesn't even know which to attack first."

Wei Shen was utterly speechless, "Reporting to the King, you forgot yourself—there are five."

The King stared, "Me, this quickly… I'm also a rebel king?"

Wei Shen: "…Do you want to recall, the letter you wrote to Baili Jin? Plus not responding to the summons, you are already a rebel in Chang'an." Give up the fantasy!

The King pouted, "Alright! I believe Baili Jin also received my declaration of rupture with Chang'an. Sigh! When the Marquis of Hanshou rebelled, I never imagined today would come."

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The three Xianbei tribes quickly took over Yizhou, alas the city was empty inside; they soon turned their gaze to Youzhou, with news saying everything in Youzhou was normal, even the guards on the walls were on routine patrol, only Youzhou's city wall was a bit high.

Normal is fine; they just like stubbornness.

Not fleeing means it's not an empty city; the three Xianbei tribes got excited.

As for whether Youzhou is hard to crack, it's not even in their consideration; they've already taken Chang'an, so what's a little Youzhou to fear?

Chang'an has hundreds of thousands of defenders, yet they didn't seek peace by ceding territory; they just paid silver to send them away.

This time not only the Xiongnu are pleased, but the Xianbei tribes behind, picking up military exploits, are overconfident.

The Great Jin is no longer what it used to be; after they go back to rest and recuperate for a while, we'll see, after all, you have to eat bite by bite.

The King heard that the main force of the three Xianbei tribes was coming to Youzhou, he smiled, "Finally here; if they didn't come, I'd have been anxiously waiting. Someone! First hang Wanniuyu and the Eastern Xianbei nobility on the west city wall!"

After giving the order, he then began to change clothes, putting on armor.

The Fifth Princess heard the news and ran over; the King, full of himself, sent her away—defending the city is a piece of cake.

After everyone left, the King took out his wolf-tooth spear and wiped it again; he wiped it slowly, Wei Shen entered and at a glance saw he was thinking, "What's up, what are you thinking about? Don't tell me you're still nervous?"

"How could I not be nervous? I heard the three Xianbei tribes still have over a hundred thousand left, and the main force coming is also a hundred thousand."

"Everything's been arranged; I feel it's foolproof. Today I'll let the Western Xianbei and the Bald Xianbei see for ourselves—our Youzhou cavalry is number one under heaven; what Xiongnu cavalry, just empty fame!"

The King raised his head: "The enemy's numbers are several times greater, and they've been winning easy battles for months; we can't be careless." He worried his cousin would get arrogant, and that weighed on him.

Wei Shen noticed, pat-patting his small shoulder, "Rest assured, how could I not be steady? Our goal is that not a single living person escapes! We'll definitely follow the plan, not underestimate the enemy. Come on, let's go up the city wall—today we'll collect some interest on your father's grudge."

The King: ……

Steady.

The Xianbei scout reported that from afar, the Youzhou city wall appeared to have some people hanging outside, still alive.

Tuoba Yao led the laughter, "Could it be that little brat from the Bai Li family? Isn't he still in Youzhou? Or did the Youzhou populace tie him up and defect?" Those around him joined in the laughter.

As they charged on horseback, the Youzhou city wall drew nearer; laughing and laughing, the Eastern Xianbei prince couldn't laugh anymore.

Beside him, Qimu Ling, whose face had been grim since setting out for Youzhou, now looked even worse. To Qimu Ling, Youzhou was really not a good place.

On the city walls beside the west gate of Secluded Prefecture City, twenty or thirty people were hanged; the two individuals on the left and right of the gate tower were very familiar, and the Eastern Xianbei Crown Prince, shocked, discovered that they were his parents.

Although he had become thin and ragged now, he still recognized them at once.

He almost snapped his whip!

Qiu Mulong said from the side, gloomily: "I said that little bastard wasn't simple; the King actually fell into his hands! Could he have... gone to our royal city?" When did this happen?

In fact, the King went through all that trouble, but the news never reached the battlefield.

The King has been back in the Secluded Prefecture for so long, yet the Second Prince still hasn't informed his elder brother of this.

Tuoba Yao, who had been laughing loudly and arrogantly beside them, finally noticed that his ally's complexion was off. He asked the Crown Prince's trusted aide and learned that the person hanging above was none other than the Eastern Xianbei King Wan Niuyu.

Only two women were present: one was the mother of the Crown Prince beside him, the other was the mother of the Second Prince. No other noblewomen got a turn; the rest were all notable nobles from the royal city, strung up one after another, too many to count—over thirty in total.

The Eastern Xianbei Crown Prince's head was really buzzing at this moment… Has the royal city fallen?!