Chapter 712
Chapter 712
The two young lords were once again locked in a frenzied struggle. Not long ago, these two had been sharing wine and conversation. Although the relationship between their two nations wasn't good, the State of Yue was always required to send a representative whenever a major event occurred in the State of Chu, such as the King of Chu’s birthday celebration or the Crown Prince of Chu's wedding. If Ning Yi, the Crown Prince of Yue, did not go, then Ning Qi had to.
Seven years ago, in the capital of Chu, the Crown Prince of Chu personally hosted Ning Qi. As both were fond of martial arts, they even sparred under the moonlight. No one witnessed the duel, but the Crown Prince of Chu had won. In truth, however, Ning Qi had deliberately held back. Besides, the Ning Qi of that time was not as strong as the Ning Qi of today.
As the duel stretched on for a hundred rounds, the number of warriors beside them dwindled. Both men fought like madmen, their hair disheveled, their bodies bathed in blood. Ning Qi should have won this fight long ago, but he was already heavily wounded, blood streaming from various parts of his body, and he had been slaughtering enemies for over two hours. In contrast, the Crown Prince of Chu's combat strength and stamina were still at their peak. Initially, the two were evenly matched, but gradually, Ning Qi's footing began to falter.
*Clang.*
During an exchange of techniques, the greatsword in Ning Qi’s hand suddenly shattered.
*Thrust.*
The Crown Prince of Chu plunged his sword into Ning Qi’s chest, feeling a surge of immense joy.
*I’ve finally won!*
He had finally won. But in the next moment, a searing pain shot through his own chest. A slender blade had suddenly sprung forth from within Ning Qi’s broken greatsword. Soon, the intense pain in his chest turned to numbness, and the Crown Prince of Chu staggered, kneeling to the ground. Ning Qi pulled the slender blade from his chest, grabbed him by the hair, and held the sword to his throat.
“The Crown Prince of Chu has been captured!”
“The Crown Prince of Chu has been captured!”
The Crown Prince of Chu shouted.
“Soldiers of Chu, pay me no mind! Slaughter every last soldier of Yue!”
Then, he threw his own neck against Ning Qi's sharp blade with all his might. In an instant, crimson blood gushed from his throat, and he collapsed. Was the Crown Prince of Chu dead? No. While he had truly thrown himself onto Ning Qi’s sword, he had aimed the back of his neck at the blade, not his main artery. Was he truly such a courageous man?
He was brave, of course, but that wasn't the entire story. He had to shout those words to display his fighting spirit. His action of throwing himself onto the blade seemed like suicide, but it was a necessary act. A crown prince who becomes a captive has no hope of inheriting the throne, but a crown prince who would rather die than be captured would be revered by all. Even if captured, he would not lose the people's hearts. Thus, at that critical moment, the Crown Prince of Chu had to overcome his fear and feign suicide by lunging at the sword.
In an instant, crimson blood spurted from his neck, a gruesome sight to behold. Ning Qi once again lifted the Crown Prince of Chu’s body high and bellowed.
“Soldiers of Chu, your Crown Prince’s life is in danger! Out of righteousness, I must save him immediately. Do you truly wish for your prince to die? Withdraw at once!”
At Ning Qi’s cry, the Chu soldiers’ eyes welled with hot tears.
*Why has Heaven done this to us? His Majesty the King died suddenly, and we are all still in shock, but His Highness the Crown Prince stepped forward with unparalleled bravery to steady our crumbling nation. Must His Highness now die as well? If the Crown Prince dies, who will be the hope of our State of Chu?*
The Crown Prince of Chu’s earlier actions had undoubtedly won the hearts of all the Chu soldiers. He was no surrendering captive. He had been wounded and captured, but he had immediately tried to take his own life rather than remain a prisoner. What more could they ask of such a prince?
Ning Qi shouted again.
“I will treat the Crown Prince of Chu immediately. You will fall back! Do you intend to watch your prince die?”
The Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Grandmaster Li Xuanji of Chu, was seething with rage. He and Xue Che had yet to settle their own battle, and now the Crown Prince’s life hung in the balance. The State of Chu was in its most perilous situation. The capital had been taken by Shen Lang, the King of Chu was dead, and now the Crown Prince’s fate was uncertain. In these circumstances, the battle before them was no longer the priority; preserving the Crown Prince’s life was paramount.
“Cease the fighting! Retreat!”
The Grand Tutor Li Xuanji led the grand army in a retreat.
“Ning Qi, if our Crown Prince dies, we people of Chu will annihilate the State of Yue, even if it costs every last one of us our lives!”
Ning Qi responded loudly to Li Xuanji’s shout.
“If the Crown Prince of Chu dies, I, Ning Qi, will be buried alongside him!”
“Cease the fighting! Cease the fighting!”
The Grand Tutor Li Xuanji yelled at the top of his lungs. With the King of Chu dead and the Crown Prince’s life uncertain, Li Xuanji was the highest-ranking official among the Chu forces. Though he held no direct command over the troops, his status and title were high. At his command, several generals on the command platform exchanged glances and finally gave the order.
“Sound the gongs to cease the battle and recall the soldiers!”
As the gongs rang out, the nearly two-hundred-thousand-strong Chu army receded like a tide. Ning Qi’s legs trembled, and his vision blurred.
*It’s finally over.*
The nightmarish battle was finally over, and he had endured to the end. Although he would face a hellish political trial ahead, he had at least survived today's battle. Jinxi Fortress had not fallen, and the Zhong Clan was not annihilated. Ning Qi had even managed to capture the Crown Prince of Chu. He had ruined the spectacle of shooting the King of Chu dead, but he had managed to recover from the subsequent predicament. Capturing the Crown Prince of Chu might not thrill the world as much as felling the King of Chu with an arrow, but it was still a significant achievement.
*Shen Lang, you truly are something else. To think you could kick me into the abyss with a single blow. But even in despair, I clung to the cliff’s edge and refused to fall.*
As the Chu army retreated, Xue Che moved to save the Crown Prince of Chu’s life, ensuring at the very least that he would not die on this battlefield. Afterward, Ning Qi led the remaining several thousand soldiers back into Jinxi Fortress, bringing the battle to a complete end.
***
The Crown Prince of Chu quietly awoke.
“Your Royal Brother, are you awake? How do you feel?”
The one asking, Ning Qi, looked even more wretched than the Crown Prince of Chu. He had more than ten wounds on his body.
“I’m quite well.”
The Crown Prince of Chu showed none of his previous rage. There was not even a hint of hostility in his eyes as he looked at Ning Qi.
“Lord Xue, thank you for your exceptional skill in saving my life.”
The Crown Prince of Chu said to Xue Che. Xue Che replied.
“Your Highness is too humble. The hopes of Chu rest upon Your Highness. How could I dare not give my all?”
This was no lie. The Crown Prince of Chu’s Grand Tutor, Li Xuanji, was still outside Jinxi Fortress with dozens of generals, watching the fortress without leaving, waiting for news of the Crown Prince. Through this action, they were making it clear that if Yue did not release the Crown Prince, they would attack the fortress with all their might.
“I will immediately inform Lord Li Xuanji that Your Highness’s life is no longer in danger. Furthermore, I must clarify one thing: Your Highness was never captured. You fainted due to your injuries, and we of Yue, out of a sense of righteousness, brought you into the fortress for treatment.”
After speaking, Xue Che immediately left, leaving only the Crown Prince of Chu and Ning Qi in the room.
“Did you truly collude with Fudao Mountain to assassinate my royal father? Are Consort An and An Liang truly the culprits?”
Ning Qi nodded.
“It is true that Fudao Mountain sought to assassinate the King of Chu, and they had been preparing for it for some time. I intended to seize that opportunity to stage a world-shaking performance with the King of Chu’s death and achieve an unparalleled merit. But in the end, as you saw, Your Royal Brother, I nearly brought a fatal disaster upon myself.”
“Then what about Consort An and An Liang?”
“I do not know if those two are Fudao Mountain’s people. I don’t even know how the King of Chu died. I only know that my arrow was the signal, and that when it exploded above his head, he would die suddenly.”
The Crown Prince of Chu recalled his father's death. The sight had been truly gruesome, unbearable to look at. He had coughed up a mixture of green and red blood, and countless tiny holes had appeared on the back of his head and neck. In truth, it was the mark of being devoured by countless venomous insects, but at a glance, it looked as if he had exploded from within, leaving numerous holes. The Crown Prince of Chu sighed and said.
“Actually, someone hinted to me long ago. An act my royal father committed long ago angered His Majesty the Emperor, and recently, a major conflict arose with Fudao Mountain over territory. My royal father appeared deferential on the surface, but inwardly, he refused to yield an inch.”
Why did Fudao Mountain have a territorial dispute with Chu? Fudao Mountain’s territory was a high-altitude lake called Fuhai, which bordered several nations, including Chu. But for various reasons, the water level of Fuhai had been continuously rising, and in just ten years, the water level had risen by several feet. Fudao Mountain acted tyrannically, declaring that any land submerged by Fuhai was their territory. In other words, Fudao Mountain was encroaching on the territories of several nations every day.
The State of Chu was situated to the southeast of Fudao Mountain and had a relatively low elevation, so it had the largest area of land submerged by Fuhai. The King of Chu, naturally unwilling to lose his territory, built dikes on the border to stop the lake from spreading. Fudao Mountain had negotiated with the King of Chu several times, but they had always parted on bad terms.
The Crown Prince of Chu asked.
“Ning Qi, may I ask you one thing?”
“Please speak.”
“Did you make a secret pact with His Majesty the Emperor?”
Ning Qi did not answer.
“What was the pact?”
Ning Qi still said nothing, but the Crown Prince of Chu seemed to have found his answer in Ning Qi’s silence.
“To receive an investiture from the Emperor of the Great Yan Empire, changing the title of King of Yue to Prince of Yue of the Great Yan Empire?”
It was not difficult for the Crown Prince of Chu to deduce the contents of the secret pact. He had heard rumors, and envoys from the Great Yan Empire had repeatedly made similar proposals to the King of Chu, sounding out his intentions, but the King of Chu had refused every time. Changing the title from King of Yue to Prince of Yue seemed like a minor issue, but in reality, it was a very serious matter. According to the original rules, the Great Yan Empire and the vassal states of the world jointly formed the Great Yan Dynasty. The Empire was the suzerain state that all revered, and the vassal states were brother nations. However, if the King of Yue became the Prince of Yue of the Great Yan Empire, it would signify that the State of Yue had become a subordinate state of the Great Yan Empire. A vassal state and a subordinate state were not the same concept.
To give an example, the crown prince of a vassal state could be appointed by the state itself; the Emperor of the Great Yan Empire had no authority to decide the matter. But if it became a subordinate state, the country's crown prince would have to be invested by the Yan Emperor to assume his position. Not only that, but later on, the prime minister of a subordinate state might have to be appointed by someone sent by the Yan Emperor. Of course, the State of Yue already showed a preliminary form of this. In the past, to preserve his throne, Ning Yuanxian had sought help from the Zhu Clan, which led to Zhu Hongzhu becoming the Grand Guardian. On the surface, Zhu Hongzhu was a minister of Yue, but his true loyalty lay with the Great Yan Empire.
The Crown Prince of Chu said, “Ning Qi, you are setting a bad precedent.”
“If you were in my position, Your Royal Brother, what would you do?”
The Crown Prince of Chu sighed.
He was right. If he were in Ning Qi’s shoes, could he have thought of a better way? It was impossible. Ning Qi had already chosen the best possible path. The might of His Majesty the Emperor was terrifying. Moreover, the New Policies implemented by the Great Yan Empire were nearing their final stages. The abolition of the Department of State Affairs was imminent, and its restructuring into a Cabinet was proceeding with fiery urgency. Once the New Policies were complete, imperial power would be highly centralized, and the Great Yan Empire’s national strength would rise to another level. At that point, if His Majesty the Emperor wished it, he could crush more than three of the surrounding vassal states simultaneously. When His Majesty the Emperor’s gaze fell upon Ning Qi, could he possibly withstand it?