If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

The atmosphere in the military camp on the hillside was one of utter dejection.

Whether they were patrolling or guarding, the Wolf Kingdom soldiers were all slacking off.

Their morale was shattered not only by the cannon fire, but also because the Seven Wolves had not shown up for a long time, which had loosened the order considerably.

Inside the central command tent.

Xiaoyue Jinshang slumped in the main seat, his face full of languor and dejection.

He held a wine glass in his hand, gulping it down, looking just like a middle-aged unemployed man.

"Zhao Yu... Xiaoyue Jinquan..."

"They stole my red cannon, they took my name... the Wolf Lord's inheritance, gone, everything gone..."

Xiaoyue Jin still complained weakly, then picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp, followed by a hiccup.

At this moment, the tent flap was lifted, and Tuoba Hu walked in.

When he saw Xiaoyue Jinshang sitting dejectedly in the main seat, he paused for a moment, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Your Highness."

Xiaoyue Jinshang raised his head, glanced at it, and asked indifferently:

"What are you doing here?"

Tuoba Hu ignored the impatience in his tone and walked straight forward.

"Your Highness, there is good news."

"Good news?" Xiaoyue Jinshang scoffed, asking self-deprecatingly, "What good news could there be? That bastard Xiaoyue Jinquan got blown to bits by cannons?"

"That's about it."

Xiaoyue Jinshang stopped pouring the wine, his face clearing up a bit.

He sat up and asked:

"What do you mean?"

"News has just arrived. His Highness the Second Prince's attack has failed."

And it was a crushing defeat! All the Liang people he had captured earlier were rescued by the Liang emperor.

A glint of light flashed in Xiaoyue Jinshang's eyes.

But the light only lasted for a moment before it quickly dimmed, and he collapsed again.

"So what if I fail?" He laughed self-deprecatingly. "My red cannon is still in his hands. My father has always favored him. I'm destined to lose this match."

"If that's all there is to it, of course we have no chance."

Tuoba Hu interrupted, staring intently at Xiaoyue Jinshang, and added, "However, the second prince made a fatal mistake—he brought a woman into the military camp."

Xiaoyue Jinshang's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.

"What?! He brought a woman into the military camp?!"

"That's right." Tuoba Hu nodded firmly. "The Second Prince must have thought victory was assured, so he openly ignored the Wolf Lord's prohibition."

"So what if victory is assured? That's the Wolf Lord's decree! Disobeying the Wolf Lord's order is a capital offense! Otherwise, why haven't I touched a woman in so long!"

"That's exactly right." Tuoba Hu's tone held a hint of excitement. "Xiaoyue Jinquan has made such a serious mistake; he might not win this succession battle. Your Highness, perhaps we still have a chance!"

Xiaoyue Jinshang stood there, stunned, Tuoba Hu's words echoing in his mind.

There's still a chance... there's still a chance!

His listless body slowly awoke, and a look of wild joy welled up on his face.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

"Thank the Wolf God! The Wolf God is still on my side!"

.....................

Inside the Tianji Pavilion.

The central celestial mirror emitted a faint halo.

The mirror clearly reflected Xiaoyue Jinshang's wildly joyful laughter.

Zhao Yu sat in front of the mirror, a smile playing on his lips.

I never expected Xiaoyue Jinshang to be so naive.

The Wolf Kingdom's system appears to be an ironclad rule, but in reality, everything revolves around the will of the Wolf Lord.

When the wolf lord is not around, the system is the ultimate authority; but when the wolf lord is around, it's all up to the wolf lord's word!

Given Xiaoyue Jinquan's standing in the Wolf Lord's eyes, bringing a woman into the military camp is a matter of varying importance, and most likely nothing serious.

However, that no longer matters.

The important thing is that Xiaoyue Jinshang is ready; it's time to plant a seed in him!

"Next."

Zhao Yu spoke calmly.

The image on the Celestial Mirror flickered and switched to another scene.

...............

Inside the wooden house at Erzilang Army Village.

The calligraphy works that were originally hanging on the wall are now scattered messily on the ground, some even with footprints on them.

Xiaoyue Jinquan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, smoothed his messy hair, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

"I underestimated you, Emperor of Liang!"

I never imagined you could make something like this. But it's alright, all of these things will eventually become my wedding dress.

A group of generals stood in front of him, but they all kept their heads down and remained silent. After all, as direct subordinates of Xiaoyue Jinquan, they knew better than anyone which of the ten wolf cubs was the most ruthless!

"Pass down the order: continue arresting the people of Daliang!" Xiaoyue Jinquan's voice was icy. "This time, we're prepared. I want to see what tricks he can pull this time!"

"yes......"

"That's enough. No more arresting people from Daliang!"

Just as the generals were about to accept the order, they were interrupted by a dignified voice.

Everyone looked toward the gate, following the sound.

squeak-

The door to the wooden cabin was pushed open.

A middle-aged man wearing a huge wolf fur coat walked in, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the generals' expressions changed drastically. They quickly stepped aside and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Lord Wolf!"

Xiaoyue Jinquan was also stunned; he never expected his father to appear here.

"Father, what brings you here?"

The wolf lord ignored the others, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

He walked up to Xiaoyue Jinquan and looked at him calmly.

That's enough for now.

Your plan was excellent. Unfortunately, you've encountered a Liang emperor capable of crafting all sorts of rare and exotic treasures.

"Father! Please give me another chance! I was caught off guard last time! Otherwise, I would never have lost to him!" Xiaoyue Jinquan immediately became anxious.

The Wolf Lord shook his head and said calmly, "You've already lost."

"Unbeknownst to you, the Emperor of Liang had already spread the word to the Qin and Mang kingdoms about your use of the common people as human shields."

"Now, the two countries have formed an alliance under this pretext and deployed troops to the border of my Wolf Kingdom."

"The tactic of using human shields must never be used again!"

Xiaoyue Jinquan's face was full of disbelief.

"How could this be? This is impossible!"

My scouts have surrounded the area within a five-mile radius, so the message couldn't possibly get out!

Even if word got out, why would the Qin and Wang Mang kingdoms bother with something as small as Daliang...?

His voice stopped abruptly as a thought flashed through his mind.

Xiaoyue Jinquan suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment, and uttered two words.

"cannon!"