With the cannon fodder script in hand, it is easy for the king to change his fate

Both the states of Liang and Chu were on edge, unsure of the outcome of the battle.

Those in power naturally wanted to win, but the common people had mixed feelings.

"It is said that Yunzhou is particularly good."

“A friend of mine once visited Yunzhou. If his wife, children, and business hadn’t been established there, he probably would have wanted to stay in Yunzhou. Given the current situation, he might as well have moved his whole family back then.”

"I've heard that the King of Canglan is very good to our people."

"It must be good, otherwise why would so many people go to King Canglan to help her open the city gates?"

At this point, the family hiding in the house suddenly fell silent, and no one said anything more.

Everyone was thinking about many things.

Their family is barely making ends meet, and given their proximity to the border town, they could become citizens of Yunzhou at any moment. If Yunzhou is truly as wonderful as the legends say, it's hard not to have high hopes. However, hearsay is just hearsay, and they remain worried that Yunzhou might not be as good as claimed.

These ordinary people don't ask for much; they just want to be well-fed, clothed, and have a stable life.

War is bad, of course it's bad. The government just came to collect grain a while ago, otherwise they wouldn't be on the verge of starvation.

Everyone was expectant, worried, and waiting.

A few days later, news finally came out.

The Liang and Chu armies were utterly incapable of fighting, suffered a crushing defeat, and fled in panic.

"I heard that our Chu Kingdom has been defeated." It was the same family hiding in the house. They were all hungry today. With things so chaotic outside, they didn't dare to go out. They just found some wild vegetables nearby to fill their stomachs, but it didn't help much.

They were all so hungry that they had lost all their energy.

Is it over yet?

"It's almost over. I reckon our village will soon belong to King Canglan."

Silence fell again in the room until the clatter of hooves approached. They dared not go out, but still pressed their ears against the door, listening to the sounds outside.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves outside stopped.

The leading general looked extremely disheveled. He stared at the small village in the distance, remaining silent for a moment.

"General, shall we rest here?"

“No,” the leading general’s voice was icy, “go check if anyone is there, and if so…” He gestured towards his neck, sending chills down the spines of the surrounding soldiers. This was…

The general sighed, "Now that our Chu Kingdom has suffered a great defeat and has been forced to flee in panic, Yunzhou's morale has soared. We can't let them have it so easily. Doesn't the King of Canglan value a good reputation? If we want to change the public's impression of her and create some trouble for her, we'll have to be ruthless."

"I have no choice but to do this, so that our Chu Kingdom can have some breathing room." As he said this, the general's face was full of heartache, and he had no choice but to do it.

The soldiers around him were swayed, and although they were somewhat reluctant, they decided to listen to their general.

The group exchanged glances for a moment, then drew their knives and hurried toward the village.

Before the people inside could react to the footsteps, the door was flung open. When they saw the soldiers from the State of Chu, they were all stunned and blurted out, "Sir, are we having a meal?"

Several soldiers looked somewhat reluctant, but ultimately picked up their swords. The leader said, "Your sacrifice was worthwhile. We're sorry!"

The people inside realized something this time and turned to run away, though they were already filled with despair.

At the critical moment, an arrow flew from afar, piercing the foreheads of the Chu soldiers who had taken action, killing them instantly.

"Is this the Chu army?"

"They were beaten so badly they fled in panic, and now they want to use the lives of the Chu people to smear my Yunzhou. No wonder they lost so many cities in such a short time; it proves they're a bunch of useless trash." Azhen led her people in. She had anticipated this and had arranged for people to be on guard from the beginning. Her appearance here was just on her way.

Seeing the Chu people trembling with fear inside the house, she said, "This place now belongs to Yunzhou. As long as you live peacefully and abide by the rules, you are citizens of Yunzhou."

"There's no need to be afraid."

Azhen waved her hand, signaling for the area to be cleaned up: "I'll leave two people here to keep an eye on things and register you. Don't worry about anything like this happening again."

"My lord, they must have been starving for several days." As Yinshuang spoke, she took out some dry rations and distributed them to them.

Seeing the food, even the most frightened person couldn't help but swallow hard. In the end, it was a child in the house who took the dry food and wolfed it down.

The family found Azhen to be a kind face, and besides, it was she who had intervened earlier, otherwise they might all be dead.

As the head of the family, the man pulled the child along and led the whole family. He was about to kneel down in front of Azhen when someone helped him up.

"Kneeling and bowing are not customary in Yunzhou."

The family was visibly stunned for a moment, then bowed to Azhen and said, "Thank you, benefactor."

"May I ask your honorable name, my benefactor? I am so grateful to you today, otherwise my whole family would be in the afterlife. Thank you, my benefactor, thank you, my benefactor."

“Yu Zhen,” A Zhen said.

Yinshuang spoke with a touch of pride: "My lord is King Canglan."

Having done such a thing, one should naturally seek fame.

Besides, the Chu army was harming their own people and trying to frame them for this, so they should help spread the word.

Before the family could react, Azhen had already left.

A few days later, just as A-Zhan had predicted, similar incidents occurred in both Chu and Liang. Because A-Zhan had made preparations beforehand, she was able to avoid many tragedies.

Once the news spread, chaos ensued in both countries, with many civilians even packing their belongings and fleeing overnight.

Although neither country was willing to let the matter rest and they continued to struggle, they could not withstand Azi's attack.

On the day Yuan Cheng learned that the Chu army had harmed the people and was trying to frame them, he was lost in thought on the dragon throne for a long time.

"How dare they do that?" Yuan Cheng said with a helpless smile. The key point is that after doing this, they actually got caught red-handed.

Both countries repeatedly sent envoys to negotiate peace, but to no avail. Even when they offered to cede territory, it was to no avail, as their land was shrinking continuously.

Finally, someone suggested moving the capital.

On the Chu side, some people again urged Yuan Cheng to use that treacherous scheme, but because Dou Yuexin was present, Yuan Cheng refused. Besides, given the current situation, wouldn't that just make him take the blame? Even if everything calmed down by then, his reign as emperor would be over; he wasn't that foolish.

Now, he is trying to persuade Dou Yuexin to go with him.

"If I don't leave, where can I go?"

“Cheng’er, the Canglan King’s power is unstoppable. There is no place for us, mother and son, to hide now. I am the Empress Dowager of Chu, and you are the Emperor of Chu. How can you flee in panic?”

"Mother, only by living can we have a chance to make a comeback." Yuan Cheng said anxiously.

Dou Yuexin shook her head and said, "The people of this world do not need the State of Chu to rise again."

Yuan Cheng staggered, somewhat incredulous that Dou Yuexin had said those words. He was filled with anger, but it was all true. Finally, he collapsed to the ground, powerless. (End of Chapter)