Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Emperor Xia never expected that his eldest son would go to the northern kingdom after he went missing.

Not only did they run off to the North, but they also won over that rebellious son, Lu Chen; the two of them actually colluded together.

Lu Chen's attack on Heyang County was probably not for his own conquest, but rather to lend troops to the eldest prince and then use him as a pawn, letting the eldest prince and the court continue to wear each other down, while that rebellious son Lu Chen would just watch from behind.

Emperor Xia had a very keen intuition. Just by seeing the intelligence reported by the Shadow Guards, he basically guessed what the Northern Kingdom's purpose in sending troops was.

After the morning court session, Emperor Xia went directly to the Imperial Garden, where Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou were already waiting.

After hearing about Lu Yi's collusion with the Northern King, Yu Changqing said with a smile, "It seems that the Northern King will probably lead his troops south soon."

Emperor Xia asked, "Why does Elder Yu think that way?"

"He's currently supporting the eldest prince, using him as a pawn to weaken the court. How could he possibly march south anytime soon?"

Yu Changqing said, "With the support of the former Palace Master of Xuan Yue Palace, the Northern King cannot drag this out indefinitely. In my opinion, his lending of troops to the First Prince to help him build his power is partly to test the strength of the court, and partly to prepare for his future southward advance under this pretext."

"If the Crown Prince really manages to reach the capital, I guarantee that he will immediately march south under the pretext of defending the emperor."

After hearing Yu Changqing's words, Emperor Xia thought about it and felt that there was some truth to them.

If that's really the case, then he only needs to wait in the capital, then let the Prince of Zhao lead his troops into the capital, and finally let the rebel army led by the eldest prince pass through. Before long, the Prince of the North will think that the rightful opportunity has arrived, and then lead his troops south.

In this way, he wouldn't have to worry about the Northern King staying in the Northern Kingdom and him being unable to do anything about him.

As long as that rebellious son leaves the Northern Kingdom, he will surely be able to get rid of him.

Thinking of this, Emperor Xia said, "I hope that rebellious son will really do as you say."

At this moment, Yu Changqing said, "Since the Northern King has taken action, we must also speed up our actions."

Emperor Xia said calmly, "The speed at which that weapon absorbs essence blood has clearly slowed down. It should be usable again soon."

Yu Changqing said, "In that case, I can rest assured."

Now everything is basically ready, just waiting for the Northern King to go south. As long as the Northern King goes south, the old palace master of Xuan Yue Palace will definitely follow him south. At that time, the various forces will inevitably have to determine a winner.

Emperor Xia thought to himself that as long as that rebellious son died, he would be able to become a celestial being in a short time. Then he would take action to deal with Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou, and then immediately send troops to attack Xuan Yue Palace.

In this way, no one in the entire Great Xia Dynasty will be able to threaten his throne, and other dynasties will surely submit to him.

Thinking of this, the corners of Emperor Xia's mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

Those two fools, Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou, certainly didn't expect what his conditions for achieving Dao were.

If the two of them knew the conditions for him to achieve Dao, they wouldn't have come to him to cooperate.

At this moment, Emperor Xia felt very happy.

I will ultimately be the winner!

……

at the same time.

Shun'an City was the capital of Heyang Commandery.

Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, a stout man was drinking wine, watching the dancers' graceful movements, with a beautiful woman on each of his left and right sides.

Just then, a guard rushed in and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Upon hearing this, the dancers in the hall stopped dancing, and the music ceased.

The obese man's face instantly darkened. He slammed his wine glass on the ground and said fiercely, "What's all this fuss about? Can't you see I'm eating?!"

The guard was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading, "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"

The man then waved his hand and said to the two beautiful women beside him, "You may leave. I have lost all interest in this now."

Upon hearing this, the two beautiful women beside him quickly left his side.

After the dancers and musicians in the hall had all left, the man finally spoke, asking, "Tell me, what happened?"

The guard hurriedly said, "The Crown Prince has borrowed 200,000 troops from the Northern Kingdom and is preparing to attack Heyang County. They are now only separated from Heyang County by a river."

Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed drastically, and he became extremely panicked.

"How...how could this happen..."

"I've only been enjoying a few days of peace, how come someone is already causing me trouble again..."

The man was the third son of King Huai. King Huai was originally his father. After King Huai was defeated and killed, Lu Yong led some of King Huai's men to escape from his fiefdom. Without the permission of the court, he occupied Heyang County and declared himself king.

Lu Yong originally thought that the imperial court was currently preoccupied with internal strife and the entire Great Xia Dynasty would not send troops to suppress them, so he could enjoy himself in Heyang County.

Not long after, the crown prince, whose coup had failed, actually went to the northern kingdom and borrowed 200,000 troops to attack him!

Those are soldiers from the North!

He had heard that the soldiers from the North were so fierce in battle.

Several times, the barbarian invasions to the south were thwarted by the northern kingdom. Even when the powerful Great Wu dynasty waged war against the northern kingdom, it suffered a crushing defeat.

How could their small number of soldiers possibly withstand the soldiers from the North!

Just as Lu Yong collapsed to the ground, trembling, a guard tentatively asked, "Your Highness...why don't we surrender?"

"The Crown Prince borrowed troops from the Northern Kingdom to attack Heyang County. He must be unwilling to accept the failure of the coup and is preparing to start over. If we join the Crown Prince, he should not make things difficult for us."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yong suddenly came to his senses and immediately retorted, "Surrender? What are you talking about! How could I possibly surrender!"

"If I surrendered, would I still be living such a good life?"

"No matter how skilled the soldiers of the North are, they are separated by such a large river. As long as we set up defenses along the river, I do not believe they can attack!"

"Summon the generals immediately!"

Soon, the former subordinates of Prince Huai arrived at the hall. When they heard that the eldest prince was borrowing troops to attack, they were all very panicked. However, like Lu Yong, they suddenly remembered that there was a large river between Youping County and Heyang County.

If the Crown Prince wants to attack Heyang County, he will inevitably cross the river. They only need to set up defenses on the riverbank, and no matter how powerful the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom are, they will not be able to get across.

If those northern soldiers tried to force their way across the river, they would likely end up drowning.

Thinking of this, King Huai's subordinates instantly became incredibly optimistic.

……

On the banks of the Quanping River.

On one side of Youping County.

The soldiers in the north were busy building artillery positions. Lu Yi didn't know how artillery was used. When he saw the great river in front of him, a look of worry instantly appeared in his eyes.

To advance from Youping County, they would have to cross the river, but with such a wide river, once they crossed, they would become easy targets on the other side.

At this moment, Lu Yi looked at Xuan Yuan Chen beside him and asked, "General Xuan Yuan, how do you think this battle should be fought?"

Although Xuan Yuanchen was helping Lu Yi conquer territory, he was still the commander of the war. Lu Yi wanted to see how Xuan Yuanchen planned to solve the problem of crossing the river.

Xuan Yuan Chen glanced at the river before him, about to speak, when a soldier approached him and said, "Your Highness, General, the boats for crossing the river are ready!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Chen turned to Lu Yi and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, we will be able to reach the other side in less than three days."

Xuan Yuan Chen did not answer Lu Yi's question directly. Lu Yi asked him how to fight this battle, which clearly showed that he was unaware of the power of the Northern Kingdom's artillery.

They brought a lot of heavy artillery this time. The range of these heavy artillery pieces far exceeds the width of the river. With the artillery as cover, the northern soldiers will have no problem crossing the river.

Seeing that Xuan Yuan Chen didn't answer him directly and still looked so confident, Lu Yi frowned, but he didn't know what to say, after all, Xuan Yuan Chen wasn't one of his people.

Just then, Xuan Yuan Chen took out a telescope and looked at the situation on the opposite bank of the river.

The other side seems to have realized what's happening and is building defensive fortifications.

Seeing Xuan Yuan Chen holding a strange object and looking into the distance, Lu Yi was curious and wondered what it was. Just as he was about to ask, Xuan Yuan Chen handed him the binoculars. "Your Highness, this is a pair of binoculars. You can see the situation on the other side clearly. Please take a look."

Hearing this, Lu Yi was stunned for a moment. However, after seeing so many strange and wonderful things in the North, especially after seeing such a behemoth as a train, Lu Yi no longer had the same surprised reaction as before when he saw new things.

He took the binoculars from Xuan Yuan Chen and looked into the distance like Xuan Yuan Chen did. He found that what was happening on the other side of the river was as if it were happening right in front of him, and it was incredibly clear.

Lu Yi thought to himself, "This thing is really useful; it's perfect for scouting enemy positions."

Thinking about this, Lu Yi felt particularly unbalanced. Lu Chen, a universally acknowledged good-for-nothing, had managed to create so many useful and strange things after arriving in the Northern Kingdom.

The North is still a harsh and cold land. If they can produce these things in such a poor place, then if his father had enfeoffed the Northern King to a richer place in the South, the Northern King would probably be able to fly by now.

Just as Lu Yi was wondering how the Northern King could possess these things, Xuan Yuan Chen said from the side, "Your Highness, I plan to launch an attack on Heyang County tomorrow. What do you think?"

Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Chen's words, Lu Yi moved the binoculars away from him, then turned to look at Xuan Yuan Chen and asked, "General Xuan Yuan, are you confident?"

Xuan Yuan Chen said, "I still maintain what I said before: we will be able to occupy the other side within three days."

Lu Yi said, "Then I will await General Xuanyuan's good news!"

Lu Yi didn't think Xuan Yuan Chen could reach the other side in three days. He had just looked through his binoculars and saw that the other side had already stationed a lot of soldiers, and the fortifications and even catapults were ready. Taking it in three days was no easy task.

But since Xuan Yuan Chen had already spoken, Lu Yi didn't want to say anything more, since Xuan Yuan Chen wasn't one of his own anyway.

The more arrogant the Northern King's subordinates are, the better for him. If one day he and the Northern King fall out and war breaks out, these arrogant generals could very well become a scourge to the Northern Kingdom.

However, Lu Yi soon discovered that Xuan Yuan Chen was not arrogant; on the contrary, Xuan Yuan Chen's estimated time was somewhat conservative.

at the same time.

The opposite bank of the river.

A general clad in armor surveyed the northern soldiers' encampment and confidently declared, "I've long heard that the northern soldiers are brave and skilled in battle, truly formidable. Let me experience their prowess firsthand. I'd like to see just how powerful they really are!"

……

Early the next morning.

Lu Yi was still sleeping in his tent when the deafening sound of drums woke him up. When he woke up, his face looked very pale.

He asked the guards outside the tent, "Chen Lie, what happened?"

The guard immediately entered the tent and reported, "Your Highness, General Xuanyuan has launched an attack!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi's face instantly darkened.

Although Xuan Yuanchen and the others were not his subordinates, they were still sent by the Northern King to help him occupy Heyang County. However, these guys didn't even tell him before launching an attack, and just started beating drums as if he didn't exist at all.

Despite his displeasure, Lu Yi didn't say much. He got up, dressed, skipped breakfast, and headed straight to the front lines. He wanted to see how the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom fought.

As soon as Lu Yi arrived at the front line, the artillery positions erupted with deafening roars. Lu Yi was not far from the artillery positions, and each shell seemed to directly impact his internal organs, causing his body to tremble involuntarily with the sound of the shells.

Soon, Lu Yi noticed that mud was being kicked up all over the opposite bank. He quickly asked someone to bring him binoculars to observe the situation on the other side.

When he saw the iron balls fired from the cannons explode and send Huai Wang's soldiers flying everywhere, Lu Yi's legs couldn't help but tremble.

Is this the power of these weapons?!

very scary!

Lu Yi finally understood why the barbarians and the Great Wu were no match for the Northern Kingdom. The power of these cannons was comparable to that of a Grandmaster, and the key was that there were enough of these weapons.

As long as the Northern Kingdom can keep producing, even if a certain country or power has enough Grandmasters, it may not be a match for the Northern Kingdom. The constant consumption of these cannons might even wear down a Grandmaster to death.

Seeing the shells relentlessly reaping the lives of soldiers on the opposite bank, Lu Yi's face turned deathly pale. This was no war; it was a one-sided massacre.

With the power of this cannon, would it take three days to hit the other side?

No, it probably won't even take an hour!

Lu Yi soon discovered that warships from the Northern Kingdom were already crossing the river.

These warships were all temporarily modified, but the night shift on board carried some small cannons such as mortars. When the warships were about to approach the opposite bank of the river, some of the remaining soldiers of King Huai still tried to put up a stubborn resistance, but they were sent away by a few shots.

The shelling lasted for only about half an hour, and soon the flags of Lu Yi's personal guards were planted on the opposite riverbank fortifications.

Xuan Yuanchen and his group were only helping Lu Yi occupy Heyang County, so they could not use the flags of the Northern Kingdom.

Upon seeing the flag fluttering on the flagpole, Lu Yi plopped down on the ground.

Logically, now that the northern soldiers have successfully crossed the river, he should be able to capture Heyang County soon and make a comeback. He should be happy, but at this moment, he is not happy at all.

The thought of possibly facing the cannons of the North filled Lu Yi with fear.

If he had led a traditional army to launch a river-crossing campaign, it would probably have taken several months to get across. However, the northern army annihilated the defending forces on the opposite bank in less than an hour.

This is hardly a war...

If one day the Northern King leads his troops south, will he be able to capture the capital and change the dynasty in less than a month?

Lu Yi's personal guards quickly helped him up, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Your Highness..."

Lu Yi's eyes were glazed over, as if he could no longer hear the sounds of the outside world. He sat on the ground, watching the gunfire and smoke on the other side of the river.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yi was finally able to hear the voices of his guards again. He said weakly, "Help the orphan up."

The guards quickly helped Lu Yi up and escorted him back to his tent.

What Lu Yi witnessed today deeply shocked him; he had never imagined that war could proceed so swiftly.

After Xuan Yuan Chen sent his troops to occupy the other side of the river, he came to Lu Yi's camp. He originally intended to give Lu Yi a symbolic report on the battle situation, but Lu Yi's personal guards stopped Xuan Yuan Chen and said, "General Xuan Yuan, His Highness is unwell. He has entrusted you with full responsibility for this war. You can tell him after we have captured Heyang County. There is no need to report to him in the meantime."

Xuanyuan Chen did not press the matter further. He cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands. Your Highness, please rest well."

……

One day later.

Inside Shun'an City.

Lu Yong was enjoying the service of the beautiful concubine when a group of generals rushed into the hall.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

"Your Highness, the First Prince has attacked!"

……

The sudden influx of generals startled Lu Yong, causing his body to stiffen instantly, and his obese body clung to Mei Ji, unable to get up.

Lu Yong exclaimed in horror, "How is this possible!"

"Impossible! With the Quanping River as a barrier, how could the northern soldiers have crossed the river so quickly!"

Seeing Lu Yong lying face down, looking panicked and unable to get up, the generals became even more flustered.

They were already a defeated army, and they had finally found a safe place. They thought they could continue their extravagant life here, but the Crown Prince shattered their illusions so quickly.

Just then, a general suddenly said, "You all saw the weapons the Northern Kingdom used just now. If this continues, we will surely die."

Another general said, "Why don't we surrender? The Crown Prince needs men right now, he certainly won't make things difficult for us."

Upon hearing their words, the fat pig Lu Yong, who was lying on top of Mei Ji, chimed in, "Yes, surrender! This king surrenders!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Lu Yong, and they revealed a fierce killing intent.

The next moment, a general drew his sword and pierced through Lu Yong and Mei Ji with a single strike.

Lu Yong couldn't understand it at all. These were the very people who had supported him in succeeding his father, yet they had killed him. (End of Chapter)