The Prince of Xiang had not defected to Xuelao City.
Even if he wanted to, none of his subordinates would follow him.
Therefore, to be precise, he was not a traitor, but a rebel.
Taking the 20,000 soldiers that were preparing for war at Yongxue Pass, he came to Jingdou and asked the Emperor to abdicate.
Because of this news, the camp became very chaotic. Many mounts appeared on the plains and many gazes fell on a certain tent of the Western Army.
Wasn't the Prince of Xiang heavily injured and recuperating? How could he suddenly appear in the capital tens of thousands of li away?
Other than the cavalry commander monitoring Xuelao City, on the evening of the same day, all the commanders of the human army, the important figures of the Orthodoxy, and the representatives of the cultivation sects gathered in the central tent.
Divine General He Ming stood in front of the sand table, his face flickering with uncertainty.
Chen Chang Sheng and Xu You Rong sat at the back and didn't say anything.
The tent was unusually quiet, and the atmosphere became more and more oppressive until a sound came from outside.
A middle-aged man in disheveled clothes was escorted in. It was the Prince of Xiang.
Everyone was shocked. Upon closer inspection, they realized that this person's appearance, build, and demeanor were extremely similar to the Prince of Xiang, but this was only a substitute.
The Prince of Xiang was an expert of the Divine Domain. Beneath his comically plump appearance was a hidden aura of an expert, but this substitute did not.
"Liar!"
A hateful curse could be heard coming from somewhere.
From the moment they confirmed that the Prince of Xiang was a substitute, they confirmed that the news of the southern rebellion was true.
Only now did many people recall that in the battle to the north of the Starry Gorge a few days ago, the Prince of Zhongshan had bravely fought and was unfortunately heavily injured, being sent back to the south.
The people in the tent looked at each other, wanting to determine who besides the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Zhongshan had left and who had stayed behind.
Three princes of the Chen clan were in the tent, their faces rather pale. They were not worried that they were suspicious, but were certain that they had been abandoned by the Prince of Xiang.
Peng Shihai and the others had particularly nasty complexions. They had a close relationship with the Prince of Xiang, even close. Who could have expected that the Prince of Xiang would be able to hide this from even them?
He was leading his soldiers in a bloody battle on the front lines while the Prince of Xiang and his people were leading rebel soldiers in preparing to attack the capital. How could he not be angry at this contrast?
"What do they want to do? Do you think it's that easy to change dynasties? "
Daoist Siyuan's gaze was deep and serene. He looked at Peng Shihai like a ghost.
Peng Shihai snorted coldly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
"Why is there no letter from Xunyang City?"
Someone suddenly thought of a problem.
Xunyang City was the main camp of the demons on this northern expedition. From the armaments, provisions, and soldiers, everything began here. Its position was extremely important, and after much consideration before the war, it was ultimately decided that the Divine Domain expert Cao Yunping, who was trusted by all sides, would personally oversee it.
For the Prince of Xiang to fake his injuries and secretly return to Snowhold Pass to organize the rebel army was not too difficult, but if the rebel army wanted to reach the capital, they had to pass through Xunyang City. With Cao Yunping's strength and the garrison of Xunyang City, even if they could not exterminate the rebel army, they could at least delay them for a very long time. There was no way they wouldn't even have enough time to send out a warning.
The rebellion had probably occurred some time ago. Xunyang City's silence could only mean that there was an extremely bad possibility.
"Someone personally saw Cao Yunping and the Prince of Xiang together."
Divine General He Ming continued to look at the sand table and casually said, "Just outside the capital."
Hearing this, the tent fell silent again.
All the armies of the Great Zhou Dynasty were in front of Xuelao City, as were all their experts. Now that Cao Yunping had thrown his lot in with the Prince of Xiang, no one could stop the rebel army.
The capital had no walls.
If they wanted to exterminate the rebellion and save the emperor, then retreat was their only choice. But Xuelao City was right in front of them, the city gate broken, and the demons on the verge of extinction. If the human armies retreated, the demons would have a chance to catch their breath. Who knew how history would develop?
Who would dare to take on this responsibility?
It had to be said that the Prince of Xiang had chosen the perfect time to launch his rebellion, or perhaps it was too bad.
"He wants to become a sinner for all of history?"
The sound of wheels grinding over gravel came from outside the tent, accompanied by an elderly voice.
The Tang Old Master walked into the tent and looked at the Prince of Xiang's substitute. His eyes were very indifferent, like he was looking at a dead man.
Everyone knew that no matter what the outcome of this matter was, this person would never survive.
The Prince of Xiang's substitute got up from the ground, tidied his clothes, and smiled at the Tang Old Master. "Your Highness is wrong."
He had naturally prepared himself for death, but for him to remain so calm, one had to admit that he was rather dashing.
"His Highness is naturally not willing for his own matters to affect the foundation of the Human race."
The Prince of Xiang's substitute looked around and said, "He entrusted me to tell all of you that before all of you enter Xuelao City and burn down the Demon Palace, the army will not take a single step into the capital."
Peng Shihai harshly said, "Then what if we immediately return south? Is he going to do something disgraceful and heinous? Is he going to threaten us with this? "
The Prince of Xiang's substitute sternly said, "Wrong again! His Highness has said that if all of you choose to return south, he will allow himself to be captured, but he will look down on all of you. "
A few dry laughs came from the tent, but they quickly stopped. This was not the time to laugh, and there was a chill in these words.
"Does His Highness really believe that he will succeed?"
Divine General He Ming raised his head and stared into the substitute's eyes. "Do you also believe that he will succeed?"
The substitute faintly smiled. "At the start, I also thought that these were the ravings of a madman, but His Highness convinced me."
All the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty was currently gathered in Xuelao City. If the Prince of Xiang's goal was only to break into the capital, occupy the Imperial Palace, and force the emperor to abdicate, then it truly would be very easy for him to succeed. The problem was, how many people would he be able to obtain after this?
Chen Changsheng would assuredly lead the Orthodoxy in a counterattack, and he would have the support of the cultivation sects represented by Holy Maiden Peak and the Mount Li Sword Sect, as well as the noble clans represented by the Tang clan. Even if the Prince of Xiang temporarily did not need to worry about his teacher-student relationship with the future Empress of the Demi-humans, this was still very difficult to resist.
So why did the Prince of Xiang dare to start this rebellion? Only if he was confident that Chen Changsheng, the Li Palace, and those other factions would not affect him in any way.
Just where did his confidence come from?
No matter how one looked at it, the first condition was for Shang Xingzhou to declare his position and stand on his side.
Many gazes fell on the small carriage outside the tent.
The Prince of Xiang's substitute smiled. "His Highness, please be at ease. He will definitely place the world above all else and will not act recklessly."
It seemed like the Prince of Xiang truly had placed his hopes on Shang Xingzhou.
Truly, only Shang Xingzhou could intimidate Chen Changsheng after the matter was over, whether it was through his status as a teacher or his seniority in the Orthodoxy.
And the entire continent knew that Shang Xingzhou did not like Chen Changsheng.
As long as the Human race could unite the world, as long as Taizong's descendant remained on the throne, it did not seem important who became emperor.
Yuren was dead, so the Prince of Xiang was unquestionably the most suitable candidate for the new monarch.
But the entire continent knew that Shang Xingzhou liked Yuren.
Why would the Prince of Xiang bet on Shang Xingzhou's support?
The tent became extremely quiet. Everyone stared at the small carriage, waiting for Shang Xingzhou to make his decision.
The Tang Old Master suddenly left the tent, because he knew what Shang Xingzhou would do. If it were him, he would also make the same choice.
The young Daoist boy lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage. He looked at the generals and experts in the tent and said in a young and uncertain voice, "Ancestor said that the city is about to fall. Those unimportant minor matters can be discussed later."
Several gasps could be heard in the silent tent.
Everyone was stunned.
His most beloved student was about to die in a shameless rebellion, but he was so indifferent …
In the eyes of the venerable Daoist, the extermination of the Demon race was truly more important than anything else.
Respect was one thing, obedience was another. Not everyone would listen to Shang Xingzhou's opinion. Many generals turned to Divine General He Ming.
Divine General He Ming was a commanding general personally appointed by the emperor, so many people had guesses as to how he would choose.
"His Majesty personally said that when a general is outside, the sovereign's orders may not be obeyed. He will not blindly give orders."
Divine General He Ming added, "And the capital has not sent an imperial decree."
The tent fell into an uproar. No one had expected this sort of attitude from him.
The corners of Xue He's forehead slightly bulged, clearly furious to the extreme.
Linghai Zhiwang's face was even gloomier, his hands trembling in his sleeves. He was already prepared to strike.
Someone turned to a certain corner. Wang Po had been quietly standing there the entire time, the Wu clan head and the elders of Mount Li's Sword Hall standing nearby.
They had maintained their silence this entire time, not even glancing at Chen Changsheng. But everyone knew that they would stand with Chen Changsheng, perhaps with Xu Yourong.
Chen Changsheng did not look at Xu Yourong, but at the young Daoist boy next to the carriage. He seemed to be thinking about something, and his mind seemed to be wandering.
Someone coughed.
He came to his senses and said, "That's it then." (To be continued …)
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