I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"What are you laughing at?"

Upon hearing the sound, Emperor Xuan quickly snapped out of his daze and stopped smiling.

He held a broom in both hands, his back hunched, and said:

"Master, please calm down. I was not laughing. I was just thinking that if the Northern Barbarians were to fall entirely to my Great Zhou, I would feel extremely honored as a citizen of Great Zhou."

Qin Han saw through it but didn't say anything. He waved his sleeve and said, "This is none of your business. Hurry up and go in to clean. Before noon, this humble monk wants to see you clean the entire hall spotless."

"Yes, yes."

Upon hearing the order, Emperor Xuan quickly responded twice and hurried back to the main hall.

But the moment he turned around, he couldn't help but curse inwardly...

Traitors and rebels, just you wait! One day, I will deal with you all!

……

Xuanque Pass!

The Northern Mang army camp outside the city was constantly reinforcing its troops, without ever ceasing its efforts.

The tents were pitched one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Its scale is larger than the entire Xuanque Pass city, setting a new historical record.

This indicates that the Northern Mang emperor, Murong Qingcang, has made up his mind.

Alternatively, his two sons emerged safely from Xuanque Pass.

Alternatively, he could lead his troops to break through Xuanque Pass.

There can only be one winner in this battle.

At this moment, in the central command tent built on the high platform, there was only the Northern Mang Emperor Murong Qingcang and a few of his trusted generals.

Murong Qingcang sat on a wolf-skin chair behind a large table, one hand on his forehead, looking distressed.

The generals, meanwhile, were discussing the matter amongst themselves in the main tent, none of them able to convince the others.

The best outcome at present would be for them to agree to some of the conditions set by the Great Zhou, and for the Great Zhou to release the two young masters.

But this time, the Great Zhou was determined and refused to let the two young masters return, wanting to fight them to the death.

"We can't fight, and we can't not fight. So what do you suggest we do? Both young masters are currently in their hands. Do you dare to attack the city? If you dare to attack, they'll kill them on the spot!"

"What are you afraid of! The two young masters died for their country and should feel honored! Let's do as I say: the army will immediately attack the city, take Xuanque Pass in one gulp, and then march south to occupy the entire Great Zhou!"

"Keep dreaming! Do you still think the Great Zhou is the same as before? They're no longer lambs to the slaughter, but wolves!"

"..."

The generals' arguments gave Murong Qingcang a headache.

He slammed his hand on the table in front of him and said, "Shut up, all of you!"

With a sharp shout, the generals fell silent and bowed to Murong Qingcang in respect.

Murong Qingcang swept his gaze over the generals and shouted, "I summoned you here to discuss countermeasures, not to argue."

"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead the army and breach Xuanque Pass within three days!"

A burly general immediately clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and volunteered.

"Three days?"

Murong Qingcang sneered, "Give me three months, and I might not even be able to conquer Xuanque Pass before me. You dare to say three days? You have some nerve! Guards, drag him away and give him thirty strokes of the military rod!"

With a whoosh, two soldiers lifted the tent flap and dragged the burly general out without saying a word.

Soon after, the sound of sticks hitting flesh could be heard from outside.

Throughout the entire process, the other generals didn't dare to utter a sound.

They knew that Murong Qingcang was serious.

"Does anyone have a solution?"

"Murong Qingcang said."

The generals looked at each other, none of them daring to step forward.

They do have a method, but they can't guarantee success.

If they anger Murong Qingcang again, they'll be in big trouble.

Therefore, remaining silent is the best approach.

"Baye, how's the matter I asked you to handle going?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Murong Qingcang took the initiative to look at a tall, thin general.

This general was not dressed like a typical Northern Mang general; he wore many elements and decorations from the Central Plains, because his mother was from the Central Plains.

Because of his background, he faced a lot of discrimination in the military.

However, due to his outstanding abilities, he was still highly valued by Murong Qingcang and became a strategist-type general.

Ba Ye stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general is incompetent and truly cannot find the weakness of Xuanque Pass."

The task Murong Qingcang had given him was none other than to find a way to rescue the two young masters from Xuanque Pass.

Whether it was bribing a general of the Great Zhou to act as an inside agent, or digging tunnels and other methods.

But these days, Xuanque Pass is like an iron barrel, and his men can't get in at all.

Not only did he manage to rescue the two young masters from the city, but he also lost many of his men.

Those who had placed high hopes on him all said they were incompetent, and Murong Qingcang sighed deeply.

Is this yet another major tribulation in his life?

When he was young, a Taoist priest from the Central Plains cast a divination for him, saying that he would face several major tribulations in his life, and that the previous tribulations had all come true, and this one would probably be no exception.

But he didn't believe in fate. He couldn't believe that he, already the emperor of Northern Mang, would have two more sons die.

He didn't want to experience the pain of a parent outliving their child again, especially since two children had died this time, which he couldn't accept.

"Dohachi, and you?"

Ba Ye was not the only one on whom Murong Qingcang placed high hopes.

The one who stepped forward was a tall, imposing general who didn't look very bright.

He stepped forward, huffing and puffing, and said:

"Your Majesty, I have already mobilized all the troops that can be summoned from our Northern Mang. If we fail to capture Xuanque Pass within a month, our Northern Mang will be the first to collapse."

For this battle, the Northern Barbarians almost exhausted the entire nation's resources.

This is essentially a high-stakes gamble.

Before the stakes are placed, everything is still open to discussion.

Once the bets are placed, it's either win or lose.

Murong Qingcang nodded, knowing the seriousness of the matter.

"Your Majesty, I have suddenly thought of a way."

Suddenly, someone among the generals spoke up.

Murong Qingcang didn't see the person, so he stuck his head out and asked:

"Who? Who's speaking?"

A person slowly stepped forward, dressed not in armor, but as a civil official.

It was none other than Temuhun, who had just returned from the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

At the same time, he also brought back news of Qin Li's personal expedition.

"Do you have a solution?"

"Murong Qingcang asked."

Temuhun clasped his hands and said, "According to my estimation, the Emperor of Great Zhou will not arrive at Xuanque Pass for several more days. Why don't we ambush him on the way and kidnap him?"

"With the Emperor of Great Zhou in our hands, we don't have to worry about them harming the two young masters. Moreover, our bargaining chips are heavier than Great Zhou's, so the initiative is in our hands."

Upon hearing this, the generals' eyes lit up.

Murong Qingcang narrowed his eyes and began to think carefully.

This is a good method.

The reason why Da Zhou is so arrogant is simply because he has two hostages in his hands.

If they can rescue the Emperor of Great Zhou now, Great Zhou will absolutely not dare to act rashly.