Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 263: The Unfathomable Thoughts of the Prince of the County

Fifty-eight days!

Perhaps for the people in other parts of Da Zhou, it was just an ordinary two months, filled with leisurely pursuits and fleeting romances. But for the people of Xing Lingzhou, the only remaining province, and the hundreds of thousands of troops from Western Qin, it was a dual torment of the mind and body.

For nearly two months, the Western Region army had launched increasingly frenzied attacks, employing various cunning tactics. The scenes of fierce and massive sieges and battles grew more intense with each passing day.

The three major passes changed hands several times, and the city walls were destroyed countless times, only to be rebuilt again and again by the Western Qin army and the commoners of the five prefectures.

In the span of two months, over 60,000 soldiers of the Western Qin army were killed in battle, including 172 deputy generals, fierce generals, and renowned warriors. Over 90,000 commoners, aristocratic youths, merchants, and practitioners also lost their lives.

Of course, the Western Region army also paid a heavy price. According to incomplete statistics, nearly 190,000 elite infantry soldiers had been killed in battle.

This was an extremely terrifying casualty count!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that lives were as insignificant as grass and mustard seeds!

Both sides were fighting for their lives, and countless people died every day.

Tragic heroic deeds were happening everywhere.

The fighting was chaotic and messy, like a pot of porridge.

The commoners of the five prefectures went from hope to disappointment, then from disappointment to despair, and finally to numbness.

In places unseen by the commoners and soldiers, Xin Zhuo's plans were proving to be effective, even surpassing expectations.

The enemy countries behind the Thirteen Kingdoms had begun to betray and attack.

The emperors and officials of the Thirteen Kingdoms, who had been deceived by the Western Qin army's envoys, were left in a daze. They were then bombarded by a group of Confucian scholars led by Tai Xun Gong, completely confusing them. They issued several orders and imperial edicts in a hurry, desperately calling for the withdrawal of their armies.

The harem of the Thirteen Kingdoms' emperors was filled with cries, with the consorts cursing and scolding.

The provisions of the Thirteen Kingdoms' armies had been burned countless times.

The commanding generals of the Thirteen Kingdoms were in a state of panic, their mouths foaming and their eyes bloodshot.

At this point, the Western Region army was trapped in a quagmire, and their combat strength had reached an extreme low.

Qinghu Bay, the joint camp of the Western Region army stretching for eighty miles.

Hundreds of horses galloped forward, and when they arrived in front of the command tent, the riders dismounted one after another. They were none other than the top generals and princes of the Thirteen Kingdoms.

A group of people squeezed into the huge command tent, where over a hundred generals had already gathered.

On the commanding seat, three figures sat—General Si Lu Qi from Gui Fang, General Sai Si Na from Gu Mo, and General Gou Hei De from An Xi.

Gou Hei De had met Xin Zhuo once, and there was no need for further explanation. Si Lu Qi was a sturdy middle-aged man with distinct Western Region noble features—high nose, eagle eyes, and blond hair. He was the son of the national teacher of Gui Fang, forty-eight years old, a Martial Dao Grand Great Master. He was strategic and especially skilled in leading troops. He had fought many fierce battles with Jiang Wen in the past, never experiencing defeat in his thirty-eight campaigns.

Sai Si Na was a typical middle-aged female general of the Western Region, with a big belly and thick lips. With her blue eyes, she looked like a plump grassland herder. However, no one dared to underestimate her, as she was the older sister of the empress of Gu Mo, a iron-blooded general and a renowned military leader of the Western Region. She had fought in all directions for twenty-seven years, with sixty-seven battles and no defeats.

But at this moment, the three great generals had a terrifyingly gloomy expression.

"These three major passes of the Western Qin army are like the anus of a mouse—dirty, smelly, and poisonous. We can't capture them, and we can't bite them. The soldiers below are already losing morale!"

"So many people have died, we can't continue fighting!"

"And that's not all. His Majesty, the clan leaders, and the prime ministers have sent over a dozen orders. Some people in the country see us as rebels!"

"The Western countries have already invaded our territory and captured our people!"

"Our provisions have been burned countless times by those bastards!"

"The consorts in the palace are crying and accusing us of causing the deaths of eleven princes and princesses!"

"Three great generals! We can't hold on any longer! We should retreat!"

"We suspect that we are being used as pawns by the officials of Da Zhou!"

"There is an ancient saying in Da Zhou... 'When the chicken flies, the eggs are broken!'"

...

Inside the command tent, hundreds of Western Region generals wore expressions of anguish and pain, each recounting their grievances.

Si Lu Qi, Sai Si Na, and Gou Hei De, the three renowned generals, had faces as dark as water. They knew that what the generals were saying was true, but as the commanders of a million-strong army, even the slightest move would have far-reaching consequences. They were not free to act as they pleased. Western Qin, their archenemy for ten generations, was about to swallow them whole. How could they be willing to accept this?

No matter how great the pressure from above, they had to persevere.

Seeing the generals in the tent filled with anger and helplessness, Sai Si Na asked in a deep voice, "What was the response from Prince Jiang Yuqing of Western Qin to the surrender letter we sent him?"

"We didn't even see him in person. It was only his servants who said... said..."

A strategist from the Western Regions had an unpleasant expression on his face and stammered, "He said we are all fools. He is in Xingling Prefecture and wants to die!"

The three generals took a deep breath and pondered before saying in unison, "In two days! The final battle. We will send our million-strong army to capture Jiang Yuqing and execute him by Lingchi!"

"Yes!"

...

Xingling Prefecture.

Government office, side hall.

"Jiang Yuqing! You unfilial child, what are you planning? Why don't you talk to your uncle? The Western Qin Army is running out of resources!" Jiang Hu had already recovered a lot and could walk without a cane. However, in these past two months, he hadn't even seen his nephew's face. His hope for a highly skilled martial dao expert to appear in his family had gradually been consumed by the intense battles of the Western Qin Army, leaving only panic and fear.

The Western Qin Army was the foundation of the Jiang family for hundreds of years. Once it was exhausted, everything would be completely finished! What nonsense about easily annihilating a million-strong army with a wave of the hand? It was all nonsense from children!

Unfortunately, no matter how he cursed and questioned, his nephew remained hidden in the hall, refusing to see anyone. It had been more than ten days since he last appeared. After cursing for half an hour, the doors of the hall still showed no signs of opening. He could only dejectedly return to his own courtyard and look at his three elder friends from the three major sects, sighing to the sky, "I am lost! I can't understand what my nephew is thinking!"

The three elders exchanged glances and also felt confused. They still remembered Jiang Yuqing's words about easily annihilating a million-strong army. As time passed, their curiosity about the war grew greater than their fear of Jiang Yuqing's terrifying talent and seemingly unaffected soul. They had waited for two months and were unwilling to leave.

Inside the side hall.

A blood-red golden lotus danced in the air, emitting an extremely mysterious aura that combined magnificence, vastness, evilness, and terror perfectly!

Suddenly, the blood-red golden lotus flashed and appeared on Xin Zhuo's cuff. His face showed a hint of fatigue, but his eyes were filled with excitement!

After more than two months, the "life treasure" was complete! He even had the urge to find someone to fight immediately!

He let out a sigh of relief, sat down at the desk, and reviewed the documents, people's sentiments, food and grass reserves, and the hearts of the people in the entire Western Qin region over the past two months.

In fact, although he hadn't left the house for half a month, he was well aware of the situation in the entire Western Qin region and the thirteen countries of the Western Regions.

The decisive battle! The opportunity to conquer the thirteen countries was approaching!

"Hongshu!"

"I'm here, my lord!"

Hongshu hurriedly entered the Great Hall and looked at her own prince with a complicated expression. After two months of contact with the Western Qin Army, she had completely integrated into the future and honor of the Western Qin Army. But now, not only her, but also the old generals, the generals, Cui Ying'er, Xiong Zhang, Murong Xiu, and the people of the five prefectures, and the tens of thousands of remaining Western Qin Army soldiers, no one could understand the prince's thoughts!

So many people had died, and he didn't say a word of comfort.

It seemed as if he ignored so many lives! Treating countless lives as ants!

Everyone knew that he was preparing to do something, but they also wondered if he was too focused on cultivating the martial dao and had forgotten about it?

This joke was too much!

"How many days of food and grass do we have left?" Xin Zhuo asked.

Hongshu lowered her head and replied, "There are only two days left. The tens of thousands of soldiers will be completely starving. Western Qin is about to be destroyed!"

Her tone carried some resentment.

Xin Zhuo walked down the steps of the desk and looked at the strange medicinal fragrance and jars on the corner of the table. Even though the medicine residue was gone, it still emitted a frightening and strange color. "Have the herbs already been administered to Zhang Guangpu, Sun Miaor, Li Juguan, and the nineteen military colonels?"

Hongshu blinked her eyes and said, "They have all been completely administered, but they still don't know!"

After a pause, she lowered her voice, "Is it a plague?"

Xin Zhuo remained expressionless. "Summon them!"

Hongshu hurriedly left and returned with Zhang Guangpu, Sun Miaor, Li Juguan, and nineteen fierce-looking Western Qin Army colonels. The group looked at Xin Zhuo in confusion, their expressions tense and anxious as they bowed, "Prince!"

Xin Zhuo played with the two small swords, his personal elite soldiers, and smiled. "Are you loyal to Western Qin?"

The twenty-odd people looked at each other and gritted their teeth before bowing again, "We are loyal to the prince and loyal to Western Qin. Heaven and earth can bear witness!"

Zhang Guangpu, Sun Miaor, and Li Juguan were even a little unable to hide their excitement. After being idle for two months, were they finally going to be used again?

Xin Zhuo leaned forward, "Very well! I don't need your loyalty anymore. Go surrender to the Western Regions Army. Remember to curse me in front of them, the harsher the better. Set off immediately!"

"Uh..."

Prince, have you gone mad?

Chapter 7 tomorrow! Let's make up for it! Let's have a high c! (End of this chapter)