I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

"His Majesty!

The Northern Barbarians broke the alliance and invaded with an army of 200,000. The Northern Liang Prefecture has fallen!

The entire northern frontier defense line is in dire straits. The barbarian army is advancing with unstoppable momentum... Without reinforcements, the northern frontier may be completely lost!

The messenger knelt on one knee and loudly reported the news.

The words fell silent.

Prime Minister Zhang An stepped forward, his brows furrowed, and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the northern border, every word of which is written in blood."

The northern barbarians, with their wolfish ambitions, took advantage of the internal turmoil in our Great Qian Dynasty, betrayed their promises, and launched a large-scale invasion.

With the fall of Beiliang, the northern border is wide open. The twelve prefectures are interdependent; if no action is taken, the northern border of the Central Plains will be indefensible.

Emperor Qian sat motionless on the dragon throne.

He was nearly fifty years old, his temples were already streaked with white, and although he wore a dragon robe, he could not hide the weariness and haggardness between his brows.

Upon hearing this, his face darkened and his chest heaved violently.

"This is outrageous!"

"They tear up alliances and start fighting so easily! Do they really think I'm weak and easily bullied?!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Minister of War Li Wu strode forward.

"I have long said that the northern barbarians are uncivilized barbarians, greedy and treacherous by nature!"

"Trying to get something from a tiger will only result in being devoured! They dare to act so brazenly precisely because they saw our dynasty in turmoil and our forces scattered!"

"The twelve prefectures of the northern frontier are the shield of our Central Plains!"

Once the city falls, the barbarian cavalry will advance unimpeded, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake!

Countless people will be enslaved, and countless refugees will flood into the Central Plains. At that time, the Central Plains will be in chaos, and the nation will be in grave danger!

"Minister Li is absolutely right!"

"Your Majesty, the northern border must not be lost!"

"Send troops! We must send troops!"

All the ministers agreed.

In an instant, shouts arose from all sides inside the hall, and the crowd was filled with indignation.

Emperor Qian turned around, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, the anger in his eyes gradually replaced by helplessness.

How could he not know the importance of the northern frontier?

How could I not want to lead my troops north and wipe away the shame of the past?

But what about the soldiers?

Where is the grain?

The Great Qian Dynasty was no longer the prosperous era it once was.

Natural disasters, man-made calamities, internal and external troubles had already dragged this dynasty into a precarious and desperate situation.

With the national treasury empty, food supplies scarce, and the army exhausted from suppressing rebellions on all sides, they were already overwhelmed.

Now that the northern barbarians have once again raised arms, it is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the Great Qian Dynasty.

He looked at Li Wu, his voice low: "Minister Li, how many troops does the court currently have that it can mobilize?"

Li Wu remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said.

"Your Majesty, rebellions have broken out in various places, and the troops around the capital have all been dispatched to the front lines to quell the rebellions. However, it is difficult to provide immediate relief from the crisis."

The only force that can be mobilized now is the 200,000 Imperial Guards protecting the capital region.

Emperor Qian said in a deep voice, "Dispatch 100,000 imperial guards and send them north to provide reinforcements."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Prime Minister Zhang An immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"The capital is the foundation of the nation! The 200,000 Imperial Guards are the last force protecting the capital! If 100,000 are diverted, the capital's defenses will be weakened. If rebels or ambitious individuals seize the opportunity to cause chaos, the capital will be in grave danger! If the foundation of the nation is shaken, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Then what should I do?!"

Emperor Qian suddenly raised his voice, "If we don't mobilize troops from the capital, where will we mobilize troops from?"

The situation in the northern border region was constantly changing. By the time the troops from other regions returned to reinforce the front, the northern border region had already fallen entirely into the hands of the barbarians!

"Am I to stand by and watch the people of the north be slaughtered, and watch our land be lost inch by inch?!"

Zhang An said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the 100,000 troops must not be moved! At most... 20,000 can be transferred!"

Twenty thousand elite troops marched north to hold their ground and await reinforcements, thus delaying the inevitable.

Your Majesty, please issue an edict ordering the elite troops from various regions to march north day and night to join the rebellion.

Although 20,000 troops are few in number, they are enough to demonstrate the imperial court's determination to resist the enemy and to stabilize the morale of the people in the northern border!

Emperor Qian remained silent.

He looked at Zhang An, then at Li Wu, then at the assembled officials in the hall, and finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Granted."

"By imperial decree, 20,000 elite troops shall be drawn from the Imperial Guards of the capital and immediately assembled to march north to reinforce the northern frontier!"

Emperor Qian's gaze swept over the ranks of military officers below. "My lords," he asked, "who is willing to lead the troops into battle?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

The generals who had just shouted for the troops to march down now all lowered their heads, their eyes darting away, and no one responded.

The main force of the barbarian army consisted of iron cavalry, who were brave and skilled in battle, highly mobile, and invincible in open field combat.

The Qian army was mainly composed of infantry, and could only barely resist by relying on cities.

Sending 20,000 people north was tantamount to throwing eggs against rocks, with a slim chance of survival, or even sending them to their deaths.

Nobody wanted to take on this deadly job.

As Emperor Qian looked at the silent figures below, his face gradually turned ashen, and his eyes became icy cold.

He also knew that sending 20,000 troops north was indeed a drop in the ocean.

But he had to send someone, even if it was just for show!

If foreign enemies invade and the emperor doesn't even dare to send troops, how will the people of the world view him?

How will the people view him?

Just then.

A figure strode out from the ranks.

All eyes turned to that direction.

It is the sixth prince, Chu Yun.

He had just turned twenty this year. He was tall and straight, wearing a magnificent prince's robe in a rather plain color. Standing among a group of princes dressed in fine clothes, he was not particularly noticeable.

"Father."

"Your subject is willing to lead troops to the north to fight against the barbarian army."

These words were spoken.

Inside the hall, chaos erupted instantly.

The five princes in the front row suddenly turned their heads, their eyes fixed on Chu Yun, their pupils shrinking, their faces filled with shock, astonishment, and disbelief.

The eldest prince was shocked: Has the sixth prince gone mad? Has he taken the wrong medicine? A good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun actually dares to talk about leading troops to resist the barbarians?

The Second Prince's lips twitched: Holy crap, did Sixth Prince get his brain slammed in a door today? Stepping forward at a time like this, does he want to die even faster?

The Third Prince thought to himself: "It's over, it's over, Sixth Prince is doomed." His father was furious; if he dared to make such a joke, he'd be severely reprimanded!

The fourth prince's eyes held a complex expression: What makes him so special? Is it his meager strength, which can't even draw a bow? Or is it his skill in frequenting brothels?

The Fifth Prince shook his head and sighed: "He's gone mad, completely mad. To say such things in this situation, isn't that courting death?"

The civil and military officials were also stunned, staring wide-eyed at Chu Yun with astonishment on their faces.

"The Sixth Prince? Why did he step forward?"

"Is this still the sixth prince we know?"

"Besides eating, drinking, having fun, cockfighting, and dog racing, what else can he do?"

"Has he lost his mind today? Is the battlefield some kind of child's play?"

"This is insane, absolutely insane..."

A buzz of discussion arose, not loud, but clearly heard by everyone.

Emperor Qian was stunned on the dragon throne.

He stared intently at Chu Yun below, his eyes sharp as knives, as if he were seeing his son for the first time.

That sixth brother who idles his days away, does nothing productive, and only knows how to cause trouble.

That useless prince who finds riding a horse tiring and whose hands tremble when shooting arrows.

How dare he say such a thing at a time like this?

Emperor Qian's chest heaved violently, his anger instantly reaching its peak. His face turned ashen, and he pointed at Chu Yun, his fingers trembling.

"Chu Yun!"

"Do you know what you're saying?!"

"The war in the northern frontier concerns the fate of the nation, the lives of countless soldiers, and the very survival of the Great Qian Dynasty! How dare you, someone who has never even read a military treatise or seen a battlefield, presume to lead troops?!"

"What do you take matters of national importance for?! Do you treat them like your daily cockfighting, dog racing, and pleasure-seeking?!"

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

Emperor Qian was so angry that he trembled all over. If they weren't in the Golden Palace, he would have rushed down and slapped this arrogant brat to death.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Oh no, the Sixth Prince is really in trouble.

However, despite the Emperor's angry rebuke and the doubts and ridicule from the court officials, Chu Yun remained outwardly calm.

In reality, he was already extremely nervous.

His soul is not Chu Yun of this world at all.

He came from the 21st century, an ordinary office worker who worked overtime until late at night. While crossing the road, he was hit by an out-of-control truck. When he opened his eyes again, he had become the sixth prince of the Great Qian Dynasty.

For the past week since he transmigrated, he has been extremely cautious, playing the role of the original owner's "useless prince".

He just wanted to live a quiet, carefree life as a prince, leading a peaceful existence.

But just now, a mechanical voice suddenly rang in my mind:

[Ding! Transmigrator detected. System activation conditions met.]

[Mission: Propose to lead troops north.]

[Task Reward: Activate the system and receive a newbie gift pack.]

[Task failed: No penalty, but the system will be permanently shut down.]