Chapter 423 - 354: What If This King Proclaimed Himself Emperor?
Chapter 423: Chapter 354: What If This King Proclaimed Himself Emperor?
Through Xiao Mo’s efforts, news of Xiahou Nan’s surrender to the Northern Wilderness Army spread rapidly throughout the Wei Kingdom.
Many generals had already considered surrendering but were still hesitant. Now that General Xiahou had capitulated, they no longer had any reason to delay.
Consequently, more and more generals surrendered. The Northern Wilderness Army’s four columns broke through city after city, accepting surrenders all along the way as they marched straight for the Wei Capital!
Inside the Wei Kingdom Royal Palace, upon learning that Xiahou Nan had surrendered with his entire army, the Sovereign of Wei erupted in a tirade at the Imperial Court and, this time, actually fainted from rage.
But when he awoke, he had to face reality. He still had to find a way to resist the Northern Wilderness Army.
But the question was, what bargaining chips did they have left? Aside from the Wei Kingdom Imperial City’s grand Array, which was bound to fall sooner or later, all they had were the two hundred thousand men of the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Palace Honored Guest Elders.
Once the four columns of the Northern Wilderness Army converged, his city was doomed to fall.
The Sovereign of Wei was filled with regret. He shouldn’t have hesitated; he should have surrendered immediately. ’This outcome is truly not what I wanted!’
「Five days after Xiahou Nan’s surrender, Xiao Mo ordered the assault on the city.」
Xiahou Nan personally led his surrendered troops to attack the south gate of the Wei Capital, while Xiao Mo assaulted the east gate.
Under Xiahou Nan’s command, the surrendered soldiers no longer had divided loyalties. They simply followed orders, thus fighting with their full, original combat effectiveness.
Furthermore, because Xiahou Nan was familiar with the defensive layout of the Wei Kingdom’s Imperial City, the pressure of their assault was immense.
Some of the defending generals in the Imperial City were even old acquaintances of Xiahou Nan. When he called for their surrender, their already wavering resolve began to crumble completely.
The civil officials in the Imperial Court, for their part, thought only of self-preservation, trying every means possible to flee.
’As for the greater good of the kingdom, what does that have to do with me?’
「Thirty-three days later, the Wei Kingdom Imperial City’s Array shattered, and Xiao Mo and Xiahou Nan stormed into the capital.」
Xiao Mo ordered that no one in the army was to disturb the common people, on pain of severe punishment!
Although Xiahou Nan reached the Imperial Palace gates a step ahead of Xiao Mo, he did not enter, instead waiting for him to arrive.
Once Xiao Mo arrived, he and Xiahou Nan stormed into the palace together.
Unwilling to suffer humiliation at the hands of the Qin Kingdom, the Sovereign of Wei decided to hang himself. But he was too cowardly and hesitated multiple times. When Xiao Mo finally found him, the Sovereign was still standing on a stool...
Xiao Mo captured the entire Wei Royal Family.
There, Xiao Mo also met the Princess whom the Sovereign of Wei had originally intended to betroth to him.
’I have nothing to say,’ Xiao Mo thought. ’After all, one shouldn’t judge a person’s appearance by worldly standards.’
But Xiao Mo still had to admit he wasn’t into tanks.
After securing the entire Wei Royal Family, the second thing Xiao Mo did was order an inventory of all of Wei’s important documents: the roster of officials, geographical survey maps, household registries, and so on.
As for the officials of the Wei Kingdom, Xiao Mo took Xiahou Nan’s advice and had a large number of them executed.
Xiahou Nan even drew up a list of officials.
These were capable officials who were loyal to their country.
However, these officials held no goodwill toward Xiao Mo and were unwilling to serve him.
Xiao Mo did not make things difficult for them. Instead, he let them go, even giving them a sum of money for their troubles.
Whether they could ever hold office again, however, would depend on His Majesty.
「Ten days after Xiao Mo conquered the Wei Kingdom’s Imperial City, Xiao Shi and the other army columns arrived one after another.」
When Xiao Shi saw that everything in the Imperial City was running as usual and that order was stable, he knew his son had already taken care of everything.
Now that his father had arrived, Xiao Mo wanted to immediately march to intercept the Chu Army.
But Xiao Shi told him that the Sovereign of Qin had already ordered the Eldest Prince, Qin Jingsu, to lead an army to war.
Qin Jingsu did not disappoint the Sovereign of Qin. He successfully halted the Chu Army’s advance, buying the Qin Kingdom precious time to mobilize a larger force.
Just five days prior, the rest of the Qin Kingdom’s forces had assembled. They now held a clear advantage on the battlefield and were steadily driving the Chu Army out of Qin territory.
During the few days the Northern Wilderness Army was resting, Xiao Mo also met his eldest brother.
Xiao Mo had only heard stories about his eldest brother, Xiao Yichuan. He was supposedly a cultivation genius, highly regarded by the Sect Leader of the Taoshan Sect, and had gone to train on the mountain from a young age.
However, thanks to his experience with Xiao Yishen, Xiao Mo suspected that Xiao Yichuan was probably cut from the same cloth and wasn’t anything special.
But Xiao Mo discovered he was mistaken.
In appearance, his eldest brother had the look of an honest, burly man. His muscles were solid, and his arms were thicker than a normal man’s thighs.
Upon meeting Xiao Mo, Xiao Yichuan even gifted him some of the Taoshan Sect’s precious Elixirs, which were excellent for replenishing one’s qi and blood.
Xiao Yichuan even sought Xiao Mo out from time to time to drink or to spar.
’If this isn’t all an act,’ Xiao Mo thought, ’my eldest brother truly sees me as his real brother, completely without reservation.’
「One day.」
As Xiao Mo was meditating with his eyes closed in the courtyard, Xiao Yichuan arrived with two jars of wine to drink with him.
The two sat in the courtyard, drinking and chatting about various trivialities concerning cultivation and military life. As always, though, Xiao Mo avoided mentioning Xiao Yishen’s name.
But as they were talking, Xiao Yichuan sighed and lamented, "If Yishen were still here, how wonderful it would be for the three of us brothers to drink together and fight on the battlefield."
Hearing his eldest brother’s words, Xiao Mo silently took a sip of wine.
Xiao Yichuan stood up, looked at Xiao Mo, and cupped his fist in a salute. "Third Brother, though our Second Brother is no longer with us, I am here. I apologize to you on his behalf."
"Brother, why do you say that?" Xiao Mo stood and returned the salute. "I’m just glad you don’t blame me for tying up our Second Brother and dragging him back to camp."
Slightly tipsy, Xiao Yichuan shook his head. "When I first joined the army, I heard Yishen speak ill of you. I thought you were a deeply calculating person, a manipulator who plays games of power. But after hearing of your deeds and getting to know you, I realized you’re not at all like our Second Brother described."
"Our Second Brother, by contrast, was always consumed by the matter of Prince Zhenbei’s Hereditary Title."
"It was for the sake of that Hereditary Title that he sought Father’s approval. That’s why he failed to defend Huating; his reckless pursuit of glory almost caused the entire front to collapse."
"All of that was his own fault. It had nothing to do with you."
"In fact, with your talent, you could build your own legacy if you wanted. What need do you have for the ’Prince Zhenbei’ title?"
"Besides, is the title ’Prince Zhenbei’ really so important?"
"But there are no ’what ifs’ in this world."
"..." Xiao Mo lowered his head, remaining silent.
"Enough, enough. Let’s not talk about this. Drink up, drink up!"
Xiao Yichuan picked up the wine jar and continued to drink, and Xiao Mo naturally drank with him.
Late that night, a soldier came to Xiao Mo’s courtyard, reporting that Prince Zhenbei had summoned both generals to the main hall of the Imperial Palace.
Xiao Mo and Xiao Yichuan exchanged a look, then used their internal energy to dispel the effects of the alcohol before walking out of the courtyard.
When the two arrived at the main hall of the Wei Kingdom Royal Palace, the first thing they saw was Xiao Shi, sitting high upon the Dragon Throne, his hands stroking the carved dragon heads on its armrests.
Both Xiao Mo and Xiao Yichuan frowned simultaneously, but they still stepped forward, cupped their fists, and said, "We pay our respects to Prince Zhenbei."
"Mm."
Xiao Shi nodded, looking at his two proudest sons.
"There is no one else here, just the three of us—father and sons. There’s no need for such excessive formalities."
"Understood." The two of them straightened up.
"Father, for what reason have you summoned my brother and me?" Xiao Yichuan asked.
"There is a matter on which I would like to hear your opinions."
The corners of Xiao Shi’s mouth curled up, his lion-like eyes fixed on his two sons.
"My Northern Wilderness Army has conquered the Wei Kingdom’s Imperial City, and we also hold the Three States of Northern Wilderness."
"If I were to declare myself emperor..."
"What then?"