I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 644 Even if the sky falls, your master will hold it up for you! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
These words, like the final catalyst, completely shattered Sergei's remaining hesitation and self-reproach, replacing them with a madness of being "approved" and an extreme desire for power.

I, Sergei, did nothing wrong. The fault lies with you all; it's because you didn't listen to me!
After being swayed by Li Chen, the confusion and dejection in Sergei's eyes vanished, replaced by an almost obsessive confidence and a burning ambition.

Seeing his disciple regain his composure, Master Urge nodded in satisfaction and once again instructed, "Very good. Remember what I said. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis again in the future, you can activate the talisman. You must cultivate diligently on a daily basis and not slack off. If you have any difficult decisions, you can also try to call upon your master."

Having said that, Li Chen didn't linger any longer. His figure once again disappeared into the wind and snow like a ghost.

Sergei bowed deeply once more in the direction where his master had disappeared. At this moment, his heart was no longer filled with hesitation, but only with an infinite desire for power and an unwavering belief that "I did nothing wrong."

After getting up, he immediately gave the order: "Pack your belongings, break camp immediately, and retreat to Father's fiefdom!"

Upon hearing this, a surviving lieutenant hesitated and reminded him, "General, shouldn't we first go to Khan Tuoba Zhen to report the military situation?"

His meaning was clear: having suffered such a crushing defeat, he should first go to the commander-in-chief to apologize.

Sergei whirled around, his eyes cold and sharp as knives. With a swift movement, he drew his sword and pressed it against the lieutenant's throat, his voice chilling: "You talk too much. Remember, I am the supreme commander here! Do you need to question my orders?"

The lieutenant was so frightened that his face turned ashen and his body stiffened. He could clearly feel the chilling killing intent emanating from the tip of the sword.

He stared in disbelief at Sergei, who seemed to have been reborn. The arrogant but easily broken nobleman had vanished, replaced by a ruthless and murderous-looking tyrant.

"This humble general misspoke! Please forgive me, General!" The lieutenant swallowed hard and quickly apologized.

Even if the deputy general was furious, he calmed down and realized that he was just an ordinary officer, while Sergei was the eldest son of Grand Duke Andrei. He was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Sergei snorted coldly before slowly sheathing his sword.

He didn't really want to kill to establish his authority; he just needed to immediately solidify his unquestionable authority.

He was certainly not stupid. Having studied military strategy thoroughly, he knew that leading his defeated troops to find Tuoba Zhen at this moment would be tantamount to inviting humiliation.

That tyrannical Tuoba Zhen will surely seize this opportunity to punish him severely, even stripping him of all his power, making him lose face, and ensuring he never has a chance to recover.

To reverse the defeat and even seize the opportunity to gain greater power, the only way out is to return to his father's sphere of influence.

He needed his father's support, but even more so, he needed the help of his mother, the one who loved him the most and had a great influence on his father.

As for how to explain this defeat, he had already prepared a perfect explanation on the way: it was all Tuoba Zhen's fault! He was jealous of talent and deliberately gave him only a small number of weak troops; his command was inappropriate, which prevented the main force from responding in time.

It was his poor judgment in choosing his subordinates; the generals he sent were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant and disobedient! In short, Sergei had done nothing wrong; it was all the responsibility of Tuoba Zhen and his disobedient men!
Several days later, Sergei led the remaining defeated soldiers to the heart of his father Grand Duke Andrei's rule, the important northern city of Winterhold.

This is a magnificent city standing atop a vast snowfield. Its towering walls seem to be constructed from millennia-old, unmelting ice and massive gray rocks, shimmering with a cold and mysterious luster under the aurora borealis. The city's architecture is rugged and sturdy, with towering spires topped with enormous ice crystals. The streets are wide, and everywhere you look, huge furnaces blaze with fire, providing warmth to the city.

It possesses a uniquely northern fantasy quality, both magnificent and imbued with a chilling sense of oppression.

After entering the city, Sergei did not go to see his father immediately, but went straight to the palace area where his mother lived.

His mother, named Catherine, was a noblewoman of high birth and still possessed great charm.

She wore a gorgeous long dress made of the finest snow fox fur and embroidered with silver thread, with azure magic gems inlaid at the collar and cuffs. Even though the room was warm as spring, she was still dressed in heavy clothes, but this could not hide her voluptuous and graceful figure and mature and beautiful face.

Her face was fair, with the cold elegance unique to northern nobles. Her azure eyes were like deep, icy lakes. Time seemed to have been exceptionally kind to her, leaving only a few subtle traces at the corners of her eyes that added to her charm.

Upon seeing her son's sudden return, Catherine was both surprised and delighted. She quickly dismissed everyone else, took Sergei's hand, and asked with concern, "My dear Sergei, shouldn't you be serving the Empire at the front? Why have you suddenly returned?"

Upon hearing his mother's concerned inquiry, Sergei immediately put on a dramatic act, his eyes reddening as he threw himself at his mother's knees and began to sob, his voice choked with emotion: "Mother! Son, son almost didn't make it back to see you! That Tuoba Zhen, he had no good intentions at all!"
He was jealous of my background and talent, and ostracized me at every turn! He gave me only old, weak, and disabled soldiers, and the worst equipment! He even sent me to the most dangerous and remote Han Tie Guan to die!

His subordinates are all his spies; they don't listen to my orders at all, they just pay lip service to them.

He passionately denounced Tuoba Zhen's "crimes," portraying himself as a victim who was bullied and whose talents were not recognized, while attributing the crushing defeat entirely to Tuoba Zhen's suppression and his subordinates' lack of cooperation.

Lady Catherine, her eyebrows furrowed in anger, stroked her son's hair tenderly and exclaimed, "Outrageous! That barbarian from the snowy plains! He's nothing but His Majesty's lackey, yet he dares to humiliate my son like this!"

He's clearly jealous of my son's talent and afraid that if you achieve great things, it will threaten his position!

Sergei was secretly pleased to see that his mother had been successfully provoked, but a worried look appeared on his face: "But Mother, we have suffered a defeat this time and lost a lot of troops. If Father finds out, he will be furious. Will he be angry if I come back like this?"

“He wouldn’t dare!” Catherine the Great exclaimed protectively. “Don’t worry, my child, your mother is here! This is not your fault; it’s all Tuoba Zhen’s fault for being cunning and vicious!”

"When your father returns, I'll speak to him myself! I want to see whether he believes that outsider or us, mother and son!"

Hearing his mother's words, Sergei finally felt relieved; the plan was already halfway to success.

With his mother's intervention, his father wouldn't punish him severely immediately, which gave him room and time to maneuver.

That evening, Grand Duke Andrei returned to Winterhold, weary from his journey.

(End of this chapter)