The Great Yue Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
The Chief Eunuch's shrill cry startled Emperor Mingde so much that the jade-bone fan he was toying with clattered to the floor.
Crack—
A clear fissure appeared at the base of the fan.
Emperor Mingde's face turned as dark as ink, his gaze sinister as he looked at the Chief Eunuch. "This had better be important, or I'll send you to mourn for your parents."
"Your Majesty, Great Qi is mobilizing its army to attack Great Yue."
"What?!"
Emperor Mingde's vision went blank.
"Prince Min cast a secret art on the Great Qi Emperor—said to be a unique art of the Great Yue royal family, the 'Eyes of Love and Hate'—causing the Great Qi Emperor's health to deteriorate rapidly day by day," the Chief Eunuch reported, silently cursing Rong Lingchen in his heart. "Now, Great Qi has established a new Crown Prince, and this new Crown Prince intends to send troops to attack Great Yue to seek justice for his father."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingde felt as if struck by lightning.
"That scoundrel Rong Lingchen actually dared to disregard our ancestors' decrees and recklessly use the secret art."
"Summon all officials to the palace immediately."
When Chancellor Cheng Guang and the other court ministers arrived at the palace, Emperor Mingde's face was ashen, bearing an expression of profound bitterness.
"My ministers, what do you think? Should we sue for peace or prepare for war?"
Cheng Guang's heart sank upon hearing this. At a time like this, the Emperor still harbored thoughts of negotiation?
From what he knew, this new Crown Prince of Great Qi... was not one to sit down for peaceful talks.
Yet, the majority of the court ministers supported seeking peace.
"Your Majesty, this incident was entirely provoked by Prince Min. As long as we hand Prince Min over to Great Qi completely, allowing them to deal with him as they wish, there is room for negotiation."
"Indeed, Great Yue is currently in a period of recuperation. It is not advisable to go to war."
Emperor Mingde nodded repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, I believe that going to war is Great Yue's only viable path."
Cheng Guang's statement plunged the entire hall into silence.
"Chancellor, your words are rather alarmist, are they not? Regardless of the fact that Great Yue and Great Qi have comparable military strength, making our chances even in a war, we still don't know the scale of Great Qi's forces this time. How can you call it the 'only viable path'?" Emperor Mingde spoke, directly challenging Cheng Guang.
Just as Cheng Guang was preparing to debate the entire court single-handedly,
Another urgent military dispatch arrived via express courier:
"The Great Qi Crown Prince's forces have reached Yongping County."
Yongping County, the border region between Great Qi and Great Yue.
Adjacent to it is Great Yue's Licheng.
......
Yongping County.
"Men."
In the military camp, Song Yu's voice, carried by a gentle breeze, resonated amidst the gleaming eyes of the assembled soldiers.
"This battle, we aim to swallow the entirety of Great Yue whole. Not just that, we will devour it in one gulp."
"Great Yue has insulted our Great Qi Emperor. Such wolfish ambition is something Great Qi absolutely cannot tolerate."
The Song Yu of now was no longer the prince who once trembled with fear upon visiting the military camps.
"Once we win this battle, Great Qi will become the most powerful nation under heaven. No one will dare to bully the people of Great Qi. Your parents, wives, and daughters will enjoy greater peace and security."
"I, along with my only daughter, will fight alongside you to win this war."
Song Yu raised his wine cup high and drained it in one go.
Beside him, Song Shihuan also wore well-fitted armor, her long hair tied up, looking valiant and heroic.
"Long live Great Qi!" Gu Zheng raised his arm and shouted.
A tidal wave of cheers followed. A smile of certain victory spread across Song Yu's face. "Deploy the troops. Let's take the first city."
Great Yue was caught completely off guard; all its mobilized forces were still en route.
Song Yu, clad in a yellow robe, stood on the city wall like a stabilizing pillar. Gu Zheng deployed troops and arranged formations with seasoned expertise.
Song Shihuan...
Raised the drumsticks high and beat out the rhythm of war.
Combined, these elements left no possibility of defeat.
By the time they encountered Great Yue's main forces, Great Qi had already captured six cities in succession.
"Impossible..." Emperor Mingde stared at the military report before him, his gaze fierce and ruthless.
"Great Qi has gone mad, completely disregarding that Great Yue is also a powerful nation."
"Great Qi appeared at our border like ghosts, suddenly and without warning."
Listening to the discussions of the ministers below, Emperor Mingde tightened his grip on the report.
"I want the Great Qi Crown Prince to come never to return."
Having said that, Emperor Mingde looked at his eldest son beside him. "You, go to the front lines personally. If you return victorious, I will name you Crown Prince."
"Father, your son will not fail this mission."
The atmosphere was instantly stirred by Emperor Mingde's actions. Only Cheng Guang wore a bitter, distressed expression.
That Gu Zheng... was notoriously difficult to deal with.
"Chancellor, you have faced Gu Zheng in battle before. Tell me, what is his fatal weakness?"
Emperor Mingde's eldest son, Prince Rui, addressed Cheng Guang.
......
"Prince Rui is skilled in underhanded schemes, the conduct of a petty man."
Gu Zheng offered this assessment of the so-called Great Yue prince without the slightest restraint.
As he spoke, Gu Zheng couldn't help but glance at Song Shihuan. Several of the recent siege formations had been provided by the Princess. They were truly... alarmingly effective.
The Princess truly was a genius.
"What are your plans next, Princess?"
"Great Yue is beginning to fight back." Song Shihuan stared at the military map. "Let's keep Yu Fan's position unchanged for now. Gather intelligence while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with certainty."
Yu Fan was hidden too well. It would be a shame to act rashly.
Song Yu only had a superficial understanding of troop deployments and battle formations, so from the start, he had correctly positioned himself as a morale-boosting figurehead.
But seeing Gu Zheng seek Song Shihuan's advice on every matter, Song Yu began to feel uneasy.
"Gu Zheng, do you have no mind of your own?"
Song Yu asked seriously.
If not for Song Yu's expression, Gu Zheng might have thought the Crown Prince was mocking him.
"Your Highness, my own ideas are not worth mentioning compared to the Princess's."
Gu Zheng replied with equal seriousness.
A few moments later.
Song Yu left the command tent to get some air.
The sky was painted with the fiery red of the setting sun. Song Yu took several deep breaths.
In this war, who exactly was the commander-in-chief?
The next day.
The two armies faced each other from a distance. Gu Zheng and the opposing commander each rode at the forefront of their forces, while Song Yu and Song Shihuan stood atop the city wall.
"Gu Zheng, it's been years, but you're still as shameless as ever."
The enemy commander's opening salvo was potent.
But Gu Zheng seemed completely unfazed, replying with a smile, "Likewise."
"Your Prince Rui hasn't even arrived yet. Why not wait for him before starting the battle? Otherwise, the disgrace of losing another city will fall on your shoulders." Gu Zheng's tone was almost considerate of the enemy commander.
Watching the two commanders trade insults below, Song Yu looked up at the sky in exasperation.
"Military men cursing is still rather vulgar."
He felt like covering A'Huan's ears.
After several rounds of verbal sparring, the enemy commander suddenly turned his gaze toward Song Shihuan on the city wall, his tone strange and mocking.
"Has Great Qi run out of men, that you bring a mere girl to make up the numbers? Send the little girl home quickly, lest she starts crying for her mother all over the battlefield."
Gu Zheng's expression changed abruptly. Not just Gu Zheng, but all the Great Qi soldiers behind him had murderous intent burning in their eyes.
Song Shihuan picked up the drumsticks.
Boom—
The familiar beat of the war drums began to sound.
Gu Zheng tightened his grip on his longsword and shouted,
"I'm going to rip your lying mouth apart today."
