novelraw Chapter 833 - 811: By Any Means Necessary
Chapter 833 - 811: By Any Means Necessary
The Great Prince was merely venting his anger. The King of Sannan was accustomed to his son’s violent temper and was too lazy to reprimand him. Truly killing Xie Jue would indeed be preparing for mutual destruction.
The Third Prince secretly cursed "idiot" in his heart, but showed nothing on his face, "The resentment between the Beining Xie Family and the Beiman Dugu Family spans decades and countless lives. Xie Xun is lenient towards the Beiman Royal Family, Prince Jingbei and Duke Wu’an coexist peacefully in the capital. Indeed, Duke Wu’an is engaged with the Marshal’s daughter. If Sannan were to surrender, with Xie Jue’s connection, the treatment should be better than Beiman. Father, at this moment, we need to prepare for the worst. If Xie Xun truly intends to attack Sannan, should we fight or surrender? Only by preparing for the worst can we plan for a better situation."
"What do you mean, Ol’ Three? Are you planning to defect? Even if the Sannan Royal Family perishes with Mudan City, we would never surrender!"
The Third Prince frowned, too lazy to pay him any mind. In fact, he didn’t know what plans Father truly had. He had never mentioned it to anyone, maybe only Han Ziqi knew!
The King of Sannan also sank into contemplation, the worst plan!
Sannan’s worst plan, is it mutual destruction or retreating for a broader horizon?
He has always been indecisive!
Han Ziqi said, "Father, it’s time to make a decision."
"Princely Heir, Ol’ Three, what do you think?" The King of Sannan asked wearily, looking visibly older. He had tried all means, but Xie Jue didn’t care, nor was moved. The situation wasn’t yet at its worst, but indeed a decision must be made.
Han Ziqi and the Third Prince fell silent. This decision was tough to make. No matter what they chose, they were wrong; they would be sinners of Sannan. But apart from the Great Prince, who would dare speak of perishing together with Mudan City?
"What do you think? Father is asking you, have you all turned mute? Are you still considering surrender?" The Great Prince sneered, "No wonder the blame for poisoning Xie Jue falls on me. I don’t know which of you two is responsible. It appears I’m the best scapegoat indeed, given I’m the only one keen on Xie Jue’s demise, right!"
The Third Prince said indifferently, "This matter has nothing to do with me, Brother, don’t drag me into it."
"I have no involvement either. My sole intention was to escort Xie Jue safely here, securing the best treatment for Sannan." Han Ziqi snorted, "This matter is of no concern anymore, why bring it up again, brother?"
"The real culprit roams free, naturally wishing I, the scapegoat, wouldn’t bring it up," the Great Prince glared at them with anger. "I never thought you two would be such cowards, nurtured by the Sannan people for decades, yet now that Sannan faces a critical battle, you consider defecting."
Indeed, Han Ziqi and the Third Prince’s worst plan was to surrender.
They aren’t craving safety, just recognizing the power disparity. Same clan, and Xie Xun’s kindness towards Beiman implies he would also be kind to Sannan. There’s no need to bring about a bloody confrontation.
The King of Sannan looked at his sons, seemingly hoping they would argue back.
The Third Prince said, "Father, the Sannan army and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry have a power disparity. Not to mention the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s fierce fighting skills, they outnumber us by twice. Our military supplies depend on Beining transport; how can we win this battle? We tried before and failed. Even if naval warfare could be victorious, our borders are land-connected. Ningzhou Iron Cavalry can invade, Beiman and the Xie family held grudges for years, yet they remain kind to the Imperial Family and common people. If we were to surrender, Xie Xun and Xie Jue wouldn’t annihilate us, we can maintain our current status, only unable to govern Sannan’s dozens of cities. Citizens and clansmen alike can live peacefully and worry-free, but if war breaks out, everyone would indisputably face death, no survival path."
"Cowardly trash, never led the army, never seen comrades perishing on the battlefield, only contemplating defection, you are unworthy as Prince of Sannan." The Great Prince retorted furiously.
The Third Prince was caught between shame and anger, "Brother, I am merely weighing pros and cons. As you seek revenge to clear your shame, do you prioritize your pride or the soldiers’ lives? Go to the army and ask how many are willing to join you against Ningzhou Iron Cavalry."
"Even animals know to guard their territory and would rather die than yield. Yet you consider defecting, you are unworthy of being a Sannan citizen!" The Great Prince berated in fury.
The Third Prince no longer wished to argue with him, "Father, I harbor no ulterior motives but wish for the people’s welfare. Please consider clearly, for Sannan’s matters, I will follow orders. If Father says fight, we fight; if Father says surrender, I surrender."
The difficult decision was thrown to the King of Sannan; he understood his sons’ intentions. Apart from the Great Prince, none of them wanted to fight; surrender was their wish!
"Allow me to think!"
Han Ziqi and the Third Prince walked out of the Royal Palace together, both feeling heavy-hearted. Han Ziqi said, "I didn’t expect Third Brother and I would both be unwilling to fight."
"There’s no need for bloodshed, who wants to fight besides Brother? Father has been comfortable in Sannan for so many years, do you believe he wants to fight? When we failed the raid on twelve states, Sannan had no qualification to fight Beining. When the troops were dispatched, I already said, losing means cutting off our path. Once Beining unifies, Sannan must surrender, but no one listened to me." The Third Prince coldly smiled, at that time seizing a share while Beining was divided was correct, but they erred in overestimating their strength and underestimating Beining soldiers’ desire to protect their territory.
Troops stationed in Jiangnan defied imperial orders to intercept them in Lanzhou, preventing their advance into twelve states.
"Third Brother, at that time, I also advised Father not to send troops, and assist the Xie brothers in seizing the country, but Father thought it was an excellent opportunity for independence. As sons, we could only follow orders, I had to gamble. I admit to harboring luck, what if we won? As long as the West State was seized, inside and outside collude, we could occupy twelve states within a short time. Xie Xun and Xie Jue couldn’t attend to both the south and north; who could anticipate... the Beiman climate being harsh, making survival difficult, and the Marshal preferred defying orders to intercept us at twelve states. And Fengyu, a frail woman, facing our raids, not only not escaping, but leading troops to defend the city, boosting morale. I can only say everything is fate, Xie Xun is the chosen king, blessed with fortune. Now, apart from surrendering, Sannan has no choice."
"So, you poisoned Xie Jue, blamed Brother, wanting Father to deal with Brother? As long as Brother was demoted, no one would obstruct the surrender of Sannan, and Father would listen?" The Third Prince looked at his ruthless brother, "You really dare to act!"
"Third Brother, the unfounded matter, please don’t slander me!" Han Ziqi hurriedly shook his head, "I didn’t do this."
"In this matter, besides you, who else could? Brother doesn’t have such guile, even if he wanted to kill Xie Jue, he would do it openly, not secretly poison, harming Sannan." The Third Prince said calmly, "Xie Jue not pursuing doesn’t mean the truth will be buried. We know Brother’s character; if he did it, he would have confessed already."
Han Ziqi smiled without a word, not admitting to the act, "I say again, the unfounded matter, Third Brother, don’t wrongly accuse me."
"Say what you will, it won’t be investigated further. I’m just curious why you dared to act, aren’t you afraid of Xie Jue’s death leading to Sannan’s tens of thousands of soldiers being buried?" The Third Prince said, "You never cease to use unscrupulous means in matters."