On the 23rd of May, a war broke out at the border between the Celestial Empire and the Blackstone Empire. Chen Yu, the Second Prince of the Celestial Empire, led 5,000 elite soldiers to attack Jinyun Pass.
There were only 10,000 soldiers defending Jinyun Pass, but they didn't succeed after a day of hard attack.
At night, Chen Yu gave the order to set up camp five li outside of Golden Field Pass. The soldiers were dispirited by the light of day, and Chen Yu's face was ashen. He sat in the central tent with a worried frown.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew past. Liao Yang had arrived.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Liao Yang, come and sit. What did Headmaster Han Yuan say?" Chen Yu was very anxious.
"Uncle said that he can't send people to help Your Highness yet."
"Why?" Chen Yu was shocked.
"It's very simple. Uncle is the leader of the Celestial Extreme Sect. Every decision he makes is related to the life and death of the 30,000 disciples of the Celestial Extreme Sect. Second Prince is just a prince, not even a crown prince. Uncle can't bet everything on Second Prince."
"This …" Chen Yu gritted his teeth. "How can Headmaster Han Yuan not tell right from wrong? Damn it … damn it! "
Liao Yang laughed. "Your Highness, aren't you being too impatient? They launched an attack during the day. On my way here, I saw that the camp was almost overcrowded. We must've suffered a lot today. "
"They mobilized the militia." Chen Yu frowned and said, "The defending general of Jinyun Pass was originally a mediocre person, but he actually mobilized nearly twenty thousand militia to participate in the battle. Rocks rained down, otherwise we wouldn't have been defeated."
"How many soldiers did we lose?"
"More than 1,800."
"So many …" Liao Yang was startled and said, "I think we should take our time to think about it. Your Second Highness, don't worry. Although Uncle can't send people to help Your Highness, but … Uncle told me that he will naturally appear when it's time. Moreover, he wants to make Your Second Highness make a decision that will change the history of the Heaven Jue Empire. Otherwise, the Heaven Jue Sect will not help Your Highness with all their strength.
"The decision to change the course of history?" Chen Yu was dumbfounded.
"Your Highness, don't think too much. Have some tea, hahaha …"
But right when Liao Yang hadn't sat down, the sound of a gong being struck sounded out abruptly from outside, and it was an expanse of clamorous noise as a sharp voice shouted loudly. "Bad news! The Darkstone Empire's bandits have attacked the camp!"
"Attacking the camp?"
Chen Yu shuddered. "Their losses today are higher than mine. Where did they get the troops to attack the camp?"
As he spoke, he pulled out his sword and flew into the sky, piercing through the tent. He stepped on the clouds and looked into the distance. There was an endless stream of torches coming from the direction of Jinyun Pass. The sound of cavalry trampling on the ground could be faintly heard. There were at least 30,000 people coming!
"Bastard … bastard …"
Chen Yu looked into the distance and saw the words' Chunyu 'written on the enemy's war flag. He couldn't help but murmur, "Chunyu, which general is it?"
"Chunyu He." Liao Yang said indifferently, "Chunyu He is the general guarding Black Wind Pass. He is a famous general of the Blackstone Empire. He has 30,000 elites under him. It seems that Your Highness lured him here when you attacked the pass during the day. Your Highness' remaining 3,000 soldiers are no match for him. Moreover, Chunyu He is a Saint Martial King with 58 heavens. It's better to avoid him! "
"This is infuriating!"
Chen Yu's heart was filled with fire. The entire Tian Jue Empire had 1.5 million regular troops, but he could only bring 5,000 troops to attack, and he had even suffered such a humiliating defeat. This was all caused by his father, who wanted to live a peaceful life as the Eastern Region's Emperor, and his brother, who was addicted to sensual pleasures. The seed of hatred had been deeply planted.
"Send the order to retreat. Retreat towards the direction of Yulin!" Chen Yu shouted.
But he knew that there wouldn't be much of this army left.
… …
The pursuit continued until the next morning. Thick smoke billowed in the Yulin. Chen Yu was in a daze. He even lost his sword. If it wasn't for Liao Yang's protection, he would have died under Chunyu He's steel blade. Looking back, there were less than a hundred people following him. The legendary strongest private army of the imperial capital, the Second Prince's army, had already become history.
Chen Yu's heart ached. He gritted his teeth. Even his fists were bleeding.
At this moment, the old cowherd's singing came from the forest. The singing was very melodious, and it was a poem. Chen Yu couldn't help but listen carefully.
"Holding a golden spoon in one's mouth without fetters, great ambitions are difficult. An emperor, a dream, thousands of troops return the song. "
Listening carefully, the song was full of ridicule. Wasn't it talking about him?
For a moment, Chen Yu was infuriated. He shouted, "Who dares to mock me like this?"
"It's just a cowherd," a guard said.
"Take him down!"
"This …"
While the guard was hesitating, Chen Yu spurred his horse past. He pulled out the guard's sword and rushed into the forest. He raised his sword and slashed at the old man. He shouted in a low voice, "Who are you? Show yourself!"
The old man was still herding the cowherd. He didn't even look back. However, Chen Yu's sword was repelled by a strong shield. The Divine Wall. That faint golden light must be the Divine Wall!
Chen Yu's hand went numb. He instinctively knew who this person was. He didn't care about the rain on the ground. He knelt down and said, "Sect Leader Han Yuan, please save me, Chen Yu!"
The old man slowly turned around. His bamboo hat instantly shattered. He smiled and said, "Second Prince, you are the future emperor. How can you kneel to an old man like me? Quickly get up. "
Chen Yu slowly got up, "Sect Leader … what should I do now?"
"His Highness is about to be killed!"
"Ah, why?" Chen Yu was shocked.
"You were defeated at Jinyun Pass. Once you return to Sweet Spring Palace, don't tell me the Emperor won't put the crime of being greedy for grandiose achievements and underestimating the enemy on your head? Your Second Highness, you should know very well that your elder brother Chen Qian has always wanted to get rid of you, and your father has long been blinded by wine and women. He only wants to live a peaceful life and has never thought of attacking. You have always advocated going to war, and your father is very afraid that you will be able to outdo him! "
Chen Yu's heart was in a mess, "Then … then what should I do?"
"A man walks the world with a clear conscience." Han Won smiled and said, "You should know better than me which one is more important, the Emperor's hegemony or two useless relatives. Your Highness, what you lack is nothing more than an encouragement and an opportunity. If you don't act decisively, you'll end up in trouble. How could someone as intelligent as Your Highness not understand this? "
"But … they are my brother and father after all …"
"An empire is built with blood. If Second Prince can't even overcome this, then you don't deserve to be the future emperor of the Celestial Empire."
"This …"
Chen Yu's eyes flickered. He pondered for half a minute and said, "Father has three experts by his side. Huang Tao and Zhou Yan are both Sacred Martial Kings. One is in the 52nd Grotto-Heaven Stage, the other is in the 49th Grotto-Heaven Stage. There is also Zhang Lu, a Sacred Martial Venerable with the 28th Grotto-Heaven Stage. Not only are they God State Experts, but they are also dragon riders. With them around, I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed."
Han Yuan smiled, "I will kill a mere Sacred Martial King for Second Prince. The only thing I need Second Prince to do is to make a decision."
"Fine!"
Chen Yu clenched his fists, and a cold light shot out from his eyes. He said, "When we return to Sweet Spring Palace tonight, I'll see if Father will punish me. If Father does, then you're heartless and I'm unjust. If Father doesn't punish me, then I'll have to think about it at length. Lord Han Yuan, if … if you help me, the position of commander-in-chief of the Celestial Empire will be yours! "
"I don't care about that." Han Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, "I only hope that after you unify the Celestial Pole Continent, you will only worship my Celestial Extremity Sect. That will be enough."
"No problem!"
…
As night fell, the scattered cavalrymen returned to the Palace of Sweet Spring. Everyone was listless, but if one were to look carefully, they would discover that there was a white-bearded old man among the group of guards. However, his face was hidden in the iron helmet, so it was difficult to discover him without looking carefully.
"His Second Highness is back!"
Amidst the shouts of the attendants, Chen Yu led the three guards into the palace hall. As usual, the hall was filled with songs and dances. However, when the dancers saw Chen Yu and the others' miserable appearances of having thrown away their helmets and armor and being bathed in blood, all of them tactfully retreated. Otherwise, they would inevitably be reprimanded by Chen Yu again.
"Yo, Second Brother is back!"
Chen Hai, who was holding a beauty in his arms, said with a smile, "Second Brother, what happened to you? Could it be that His Second Highness, who is known as the hope of the Celestial Empire's military, was defeated in the attack on Jinyun Pass? "
He had probably received the news long ago.
Chen Yu's face was ashen. He knelt on one knee and said, "Father, I was defeated. The attack on Jinyun Pass was unsuccessful, and the main force of the enemy attacked our camp at night. We suffered a great defeat. Of the five thousand prefectural soldiers, only less than a hundred are left."
"What?"
Chen Hai was taken aback. "Chen Yu, my son, Imperial Father told you long ago not to underestimate the enemy, but you didn't listen. If it weren't for your arrogance, how could you have suffered such a defeat? You must be tired. Go back to your quarters and rest! "
"Father!"
Chen Hai's eyes were sharp. "Those five thousand prefectural soldiers are also soldiers of the Celestial Empire. How can we not punish Chen Yu for his defeat because of his carelessness?"
"But he is still my son," Chen Hai said.
"A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Father, please reconsider!"
"Very well."
Chen Hai waved his hand. "Men, send Second Prince Chen Yu to Wind Forest Garden to reflect on his mistakes for three days. His salary will be cut for half a year, and he will not be allowed to command any troops for the next three years."
Chen Yu knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with reluctance. Chen Hai's decision would probably cause chaos in the empire.
…
Late at night, a pillar of fire rose into the sky in the bedroom.
Both Emperor Chen Hai and Crown Prince Chen Qian of the Celestial Empire had been assassinated!
A day later, more than a hundred civil and military officials, led by Dongcheng Wang and other generals, crowned Chen Yu, the legitimate heir of the empire, to the throne. Thus, the Celestial Empire opened a new chapter of militarism.
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