knife

Chapter 470 Is it all my fault?

Jebe knelt in the Buddhist hall, head bowed, eyes closed, murmuring to himself.

High up ahead, a magnificent golden Buddha statue stands with a compassionate expression. To the left and right, two neat rows of monks chant Buddhist scriptures while striking wooden fish. The hall is filled with the smoke of incense.

Hurried footsteps could be heard outside.

"Where is Your Highness? Where is Your Highness?" The cries of inquiry echoed through the Buddhist hall.

Jebe prostrated himself, kowtowed three times, then stood up, turned and walked out of the hall, casually picking up his deadly broadsword that stood beside the hall.

The bloodstains on it were still wet.

"Your Highness, Xiao Changche has arrived. The scouts have already engaged his vanguard!" The general's eyes were filled with panic. "The scout who returned reported that the Northern Court cavalry, divided into left and right wings, number at least twenty thousand!"

In normal times, 20,000 Northern Court cavalrymen would not have caused these generals much psychological distress; at most, it would have been a tough battle. But today's situation is different.

Tens of thousands of troops are trapped in the city, fighting and killing everywhere, but they can't find soldiers or generals. They are all caught in each other's crossfire. Since the latter half of last night, Jebe has issued the order for the entire army to assemble, but now that it is already broad daylight, there are only two or three thousand people gathered around the prince.

Although some people returned one after another, it didn't help at all.

"Xiao Changche has come in person?"

Jebe's reaction puzzled the general.

"Yes, a scout reported seeing the enemy commander riding a black horse, carrying a silver spear, and wearing a mask. In Beiting, only Xiao Changche would be like that!"

Jebe muttered a few words under his breath, but the general didn't hear them clearly. Instead, he saw Jebe carrying a sword and striding out.

Behind them, the chanting of Buddhist scriptures grew louder.

Jebe stepped out of the Buddhist temple gate, and with a bang, the gate slammed shut behind him.

"Your Highness!" Another rider galloped up, dismounted upon seeing Jebe, and knelt down, his face filled with grief: "News has come from the Eastern Camp that General Yeli has been killed in battle!"

Jebe paused in his step, then continued forward.

"Your Highness, you should leave now!" The general followed closely behind him, saying, "Otherwise, once Xiao Changche's large cavalry force arrives, it will be difficult to leave!"

Jebe stopped, turned to look at his subordinates, and said, "Leave? Where can we go?"

Looking at Jebe's extremely calm face, the general felt a chill creep up from the bottom of his heart: "Your Highness, the world is vast, where can't we go? Ugudilie, and your loyal people!"

Jebe sighed and said, "The essence of the Great Yuan Dynasty is all here, and now they are fighting each other. Indeed, the world is vast, but what belongs to me is disappearing little by little."

"Your Highness, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!"

“The Yuan Dynasty is about to fall. Where will the green hills be? If the mountains are gone, where will we find firewood?” Jebe strode forward.

"Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"I'm going to the palace! I'm going to see Aktun!" Jebe said. The originally closed gates of the imperial city were wide open, and the garrison troops guarding the city were all mobilized at the order of Shalevin to counterattack. At this moment, they were also caught up in the melee in Yandu. On the city wall, two or three groups of soldiers wandered around in shock. After seeing Jebe's banner and figure in the distance, they immediately turned around and went down the city wall. However, they did not go to the inner palace. Instead, they ran along the base of the imperial city wall and disappeared in a flash.

Jebe brought only two or three thousand men, but in the current chaotic and war-torn Yandu, they were still a formidable force.

It was at least much more than the current number of guards in the palace.

Only a few hundred palace guards remained around Akdun.

Even though he issued several orders to Charlevin to immediately mobilize enough troops to defend the palace, he received no response from Charlevin. In the end, his palace guards could hardly find Charlevin anywhere!
Akdun had no choice but to completely abandon the imperial city and retreat back to the palace.

Even the palace is not something that a few hundred palace guards can defend.

Even if everyone stood hand in hand on the palace, it still wouldn't be full!
Jebe looked up at the tightly closed palace and shouted sternly, "Akhdon, come out and see me!"

After shouting several times, Akdun, fully armed, finally appeared on the city wall.

"Akhedun, is this what you wanted to see?" Jebe asked, pointing to the billowing smoke over Yandu, his eyes filled with tears.

Akdun said coldly, "Is my eldest brother blaming me? Isn't it because you and my second brother joined forces to attack me that this situation has come to this?"

"Xiao Changche has arrived!" Zhebie said.

Akdun laughed loudly, "Once the army of the Northern Protectorate arrives, your defeat is imminent! Hahaha, brother, are you here to beg for mercy?"

Jebe slowly shook his head: "Akhedun, how have you become so confused? Do you really think Xiao Changche came to save you?"

"Is not it?"

"Xiao Changche has come to annihilate our Great Yuan!" Jebe said in a heavy tone. "In the past, they saved you because of me and your second brother. We were here, therefore you were here, and conversely, you were here, therefore we were here! But now, everything is over! Our armies are currently fighting each other in the city, and Xiao Changche's army is about to arrive in Yandu. What a perfect example of the snipe and the clam fighting, while the fisherman benefits! Akdun, you want me dead, don't you? But have you thought about how you will survive if we die?"

On the palace walls, Akdun roared in fury: "Everything is my fault, it's always been like this since I was a child. Is this my fault again? The struggle for the throne has always been ruthless, wasn't it the same for A'da back then? What's wrong with me following A'da's example? But you, you lost but refused to admit defeat, instead splitting the Great Yuan, giving our enemies an opening. Now you've lost miserably, yet you still come to blame me. If you had submitted to me after I ascended the throne, would the Great Yuan have split apart?"

Aktun's accusations silenced Jebe.

Yes, Akdun was short-sighted and incapable of governing, but did he not bear any responsibility for the Yuan Dynasty's current state? Did the second prince not bear any responsibility?
If they had submitted back then, the result would have been certain death.

This is a tradition of the Yuan Dynasty.
Are you and your second son willing to accept this?
Jebe suddenly felt utterly dejected.

"Akhdon, I'm about to die, and your second brother probably won't live much longer either!" Jebe said with a bitter smile, "You certainly don't have the resolve to die for your country. If the Northern Court doesn't kill you, remember to burn more incense for your father and mother in the future!"

After saying this, Zhebie turned his horse around and walked away, looking somewhat dejected.

"Jebe, even at a time like this, you're still insulting me!" Akdun screamed, "Where are you going?"

“The descendants of the Mamba should die on the battlefield!” Jebe turned his head, a rare smile appearing on his face: “I’m going to kill Xiao Changche. If heaven favors me and I succeed, you might still be able to continue being the king of the Great Yuan!”

(End of this chapter)