Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2126 The Throne Changes Hands, the Sword Emperor Flees West

Xie Jun made a huge mess of things for the Great Sword Dynasty, shocking and disgusting the Great Wu side.

Similarly, the so-called "reinforcements" from Da Wu turned the tables on Da Hao, shocking and disgusting Da Han.

They had indeed prepared for a partial battle with Da Wu. However, they hadn't expected the battle to unfold this way.

However, Su Dingfang left the headache of Da Wu's strategic policy change to the court officials behind him; he only needed to focus on fighting his own battles.

Therefore, after annihilating the 30,000 troops of the Great Sword, taking over Huangniu City, and also dealing with the 10,000 reinforcements that the Great Sword had sent to the front line, Su Dingfang brazenly boarded the troop transport vehicle and headed straight for the capital of the Great Sword.

General Su Xiangtian of the Great Sword Army felt utterly unlucky. With the Han army pressing in, he was sent to the front lines with only 10,000 soldiers who were practically greenhorns. After all, at this point, the Great Sword Army itself didn't have any combat-ready troops available.

The remaining combat-capable troops were all stationed in the north to defend the Golden Horde.

However, Su Xiangtian set off without sleep in the troop transport vehicle, believing that he had not wasted a single moment, but just as he was about to reach the front line, he received news that the enemy had been almost completely annihilated.

With no other choice, he had to change course and head towards Huangniu City to rest and recuperate.

However, what made things even more tragic for him was that when he arrived at Huangniu City, he happened to witness the changing of the banners on the city walls.

Next, Hulü Guang charged forward, scattering Su Xiangtian's 10,000 troops into disarray.

These 10,000 soldiers were mostly new recruits, and they were only brought to the front lines to assist in defense. However, they were now being forced into open field combat, facing the valiant Han army, and had absolutely no chance of resistance.

A single charge, with casualties barely reaching 10%, had already pushed these soldiers to their breaking point.

Although Su Xiangtian was not an outstanding commander, he could only be described as mediocre.

However, compared to Xie Jun, this person at least had more integrity. Unlike Xie Jun, who, despite having the most elite troops under his command, surrendered without resistance once he realized he was in a dead end.

In contrast, Su Xiangtian's soldiers were scattered and broken, but he still fought bravely. During the charge, he was shot and killed by a group of archers led by Hulü Guang.

It can only be said that even the most skilled marksman cannot compare to a barrage of firepower.

Su Xiangtian himself possessed considerable strength and courage; he might not have been able to kill Hulü Guang with a single arrow. However, with thousands of archers and crossbowmen attacking together, Su Xiangtian didn't even make a ripple.

Although Su Dingfang had not yet taken control of the cities along the route from Huangniu City to Dajian Capital, he still swaggered onto the troop transport vehicle and headed straight for Dajian Capital.

Troop carriers are mostly used for transporting troops before they reach the battlefield. Once they arrive at the battlefield, they basically have to rely on their own two feet.

That's because the tracks for troop transport vehicles in each region are fixed, or even just one. If troop transport vehicles are still used once they're already on the battlefield, the route is impossible to hide, making it easy for people to guess their purpose and for them to be ambushed along the way.

However, Su Dingfang doesn't need to worry about this now.

Even if he led his troops openly towards the Great Sword capital, where would Great Sword find troops to ambush them along the way? Unless Great Sword's forces in the north were to capture them, and Su Dingfang was even waiting for that part of Great Sword's forces to move south.

Meanwhile, Su Dingfang, who was about to arrive in the capital of Great Sword, first received news that Great Wu had turned the tables and swallowed up Great Hao. At the same time, he also received news that the emperor of Great Sword had changed his throne.

The story goes back to when Emperor Yuan Ji of the Great Sword had just received news that his troops at the front had been completely annihilated. Upon hearing the devastating news, Yuan Ji turned pale with fright and collapsed onto his throne.

"Bang..."

Behind the screen of the throne, a thud was heard. Yuan Ji fell face-first out of the room. He quickly adjusted his hat and covered his face with his sleeve before hiding back inside.

The assembled officials exchanged glances, all pretending not to have seen it.

"His Majesty……!"

A mournful, aged wail, like the tolling of a death knell, rang out! The white-haired old prime minister, as if all his bones had been removed, collapsed onto the cold, gold-brick floor, his forehead hitting the ground with a heavy thud!
"Your Majesty! The situation is dire! The Han invaders' iron hooves could reach the city in an instant! Jiandu is in imminent danger! The army's morale is low, and the people are in turmoil! This is a matter of life and death! Your Majesty should open the treasury and arm the entire city and all its surrounding towns, vowing to resist the foreign invaders!"

"Secondly, we must summon the northern troops to march south and provide reinforcements!"

"Furthermore...Furthermore, it is possible to have local officials and gentry raise militias, making the entire population soldiers!"

"The war has begun. No matter where the land is, no matter how far apart we are or how old we are, we all have the responsibility to defend our homeland and resist the enemy. We all must be prepared to sacrifice everything!"

"Every inch of our land is bought with blood, ten thousand swordsmen and ten thousand soldiers!"

"..."

"This battle,"

"We will follow the old prime minister's advice," Yuan Ji replied instinctively.

At this time, Yuan Ji was completely at a loss, and he agreed to the old prime minister's suggestion without even thinking it through.

"No! No!"

"If the northern army marches south, what if the northern barbarians invade?" an old minister asked in a fit of anger.

In his view, every one of the old prime minister's suggestions contained hidden dangers.

"Hmph! The swords are almost gone, so what good is protecting the North?"

"Moreover, if the Golden Horde intends to invade, can those 30,000 troops really stop them?"

The old prime minister was well aware that every suggestion he made had problems, but it was simply a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

To put it bluntly, if their 30,000 troops were useful, why would they need to give so much grain to the Golden Horde as annual tribute for no reason?

If the Golden Horde wanted to take the lands of the four minor dynasties, they would have done so long ago. The reason they haven't taken them is simply that they don't want to face the combined attack of two major dynasties at the same time.

After all, even if they didn't take this place, they could still get a large sum of tribute every year for no reason!

If they were to send troops, their intention wouldn't be to conquer the land; at most, they would just plunder it. But any military action would inevitably result in losses, no matter how small, and it would also be a waste of resources and manpower.

Why wouldn't he be happy to gain the same benefits without sending troops?
"Are we just going to abandon the people of the North?"

The officials below started arguing amongst themselves.

However, the officials caught up in the argument failed to notice that Yuan Ji's expression had become increasingly contorted. He looked down at the assembled ministers, their pointless bickering filling him with annoyance.

He also saw the unfathomable fear in the eyes of those ministers, a fear that spread like a plague and instantly engulfed him.

He could almost see the scene of the fall of Jiandu City, the ferocious faces of the Han army, the towering fire, the destruction of ancestral temples, the looting of treasures, and himself... He dared not think about it!
A chilling coldness shot from his tailbone straight up to the top of his head, completely freezing the last trace of his imperial aura.

"No... I absolutely cannot be a ruler who destroys his country!" Yuan Ji roared in fear and resentment.

A selfish scheme was completed in an instant, fueled by extreme fear. The dragon throne, the symbol of supreme power, had become, in his eyes, a death trap!

He needs a substitute! A substitute who can immediately step in and take the brunt of this colossal wave for him!
All the attachment to the throne that he once had vanished in an instant at this moment.

"Huan'er!" A hoarse, urgent, and undeniable shout rang out in the deathly silent hall!
It was no longer a gentle call, but a naked command, with the frantic urge of a drowning person grasping at a straw.

As long as the Great Sword is destroyed, Yuan Ji will not be the emperor.

Therefore, Yuan Ji was not a ruler who brought about the downfall of his country!
Crown Prince Yuan Huan stood like a shadow beside the curtain. He was dressed in the crown prince's usual robes and stood tall and straight, but at this moment his face was as pale as paper and his body was as stiff as a stone statue.

When Yuan Ji's venomous gaze fixed on him, and when that sharp shout lashed down like a whip, he trembled violently and instinctively raised his head.

Those young, still somewhat scholarly eyes instantly filled with immense, unbelievable astonishment and a fear of being pushed into an abyss! He saw in his father's eyes an undisguised madness, an eagerness to shirk responsibility!
"Crown Prince, come to your father!"

Yuan Ji's voice rose again at this moment due to extreme urgency, almost roaring, and even carrying an irresistible arrogance.

Next, he roughly pulled Crown Prince Yuan Heng up and pushed him onto the emperor's throne where he had been sitting.

Yuan Ji didn't even look at the expression on his son's face at this moment; all his attention was on the heavy twelve-tassel crown that symbolized imperial power.

With his other hand, he pulled off the red tassel tied under his chin with a hint of disgust, his movements hurried, as if he were taking off a burning garment!
The emperor ripped off the heavy crown, causing the jade beads hanging from it to shake and collide violently, making a series of rapid and chaotic sounds!
"Put them on! Quickly!"

Yuan Ji's voice was hoarse and urgent, carrying a suffocating sense of pressure.

He didn't even give Zhao Huan any time to react. He held the heavy crown, which still carried his body heat, in both hands and almost forcefully pressed it down on Zhao Huan's lowered head in an extremely awkward posture!
The position I've always dreamed of is now finally mine.

However, Yuan Heng felt no surprise as he had imagined; instead, he was enveloped in a chill.

Damn it!
He has always wanted this position, but not in this way.

At this moment, the position that once represented supreme power was no longer supreme; instead, it seemed to have become his death warrant, and his instinct was to struggle to rise up.

However, he was met with Yuan Ji's cold eyes.

He understood the meaning in Yuan Ji's eyes.

He has no choice but to take the throne. If he doesn't, he'll be walking out of this palace today.

To be fair, Emperor Huizong of Tang (Yuan Ji) was not a foolish or incompetent ruler.

At least during his reign, the strength of the Great Sword was steadily increasing.

Although the Golden Horde in the north was stabilized through marriage alliances and annual tributes, this method may sound somewhat humiliating.

However, at least for the past ten years or so, the Golden Horde has not launched any large-scale invasions into the Great Sword again; at most, they have only carried out some small-scale raids on the border.

The number of civilian casualties is much lower than before.

Given the location of the greatsword, its three neighbors are all of vastly different strength, to the point that they have no power to resist. Even if it were a great emperor of all time, he might not be able to find a way out.

However, Yuan Ji still harbored great ambitions before this, and his attempt to launch the Hedong War by uniting four minor dynasties was an example of this.

He wanted to take advantage of the internal strife in Da Cang to invade Da Cang's territory and expand his national strength, but unfortunately, he was completely defeated in this battle.

At the same time, this defeat seems to have crushed his spirit. Since that defeat, he seems to have abandoned all his former ambitions and only wants to maintain the status quo.

Even now, when the Han army is about to attack, his first thought is to shift the blame to his son.

"Here you go! From this moment on! You...you are the Greatsword Emperor!"

Yuan Ji tossed his once-cherished imperial seal to Yuan Heng as if it were trash.

At this moment, he no longer even glanced at Yuan Huan, his body hastily shrinking back, his eyes frantically scanning the direction of the side door of the main hall, like a frightened bird.

“Father…” Yuan Huan held the cold, heavy jade seal, feeling as if it were a piece of ice that instantly froze his blood, chilling him to the very marrow of his bones.

He tried to speak, but his throat felt frozen, and he could only utter a broken syllable.

He felt a sudden dizziness; the magnificent Zichen Palace twisted and distorted in his eyes, and the solid gold bricks beneath his feet seemed to turn into quicksand, threatening to swallow him whole.

His body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, each tremor making the jade seal in his arms even colder and more piercing.

That wasn't the weight of power; it was the shackles of a fallen nation, cold, fear-soaked shackles that his father had personally placed on him.

Damn it!
You don't want to be the ruler of a fallen kingdom, but does he want to take the blame?
"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

Just as Yuan Huan was stunned and almost lost his footing by this sudden and brutal "abdication," the dark mass of kneeling figures below the steps, as if they had practiced it a thousand times, burst into a deafening roar!

Thus, less than an hour after the news of the Han army's complete annihilation of 30,000 troops arrived, the throne of the Great Sword changed hands so hastily and dramatically.

On that very day, under the protection of Xiang Feilong and two thousand sword warriors, the retired emperor Yuan Ji of the Great Sword hastily fled the capital, fleeing westward and leaving the mess to the new emperor Yuan Heng of the Great Sword.

At this moment, we will not discuss what Yuan Heng was feeling.

However, upon receiving the news just before arriving in the Great Sword Capital, Su Dingfang learned of the absurd scene in the Great Sword and was momentarily at a loss for whether to be angry or amused!

Previously, among the four minor dynasties, Yuan Ji always considered himself the eldest brother, appearing to be leading the rise of the Great Sword.

However, when he pacified the Dasheng and Dalan, the emperors of those two countries did not make such a fool of themselves!