Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The quarrels and chaos in the capital's court eventually came to a temporary end in an extremely awkward manner.

With the old emperor falling into a coma again and the stalemate between Prince Yong and the Crown Prince, in order to maintain the last shred of dignity of the court and to test Xiao Chen's true intentions, the court finally decided to send an imperial envoy to Han Yuan again to "pacify" the area.

The imperial envoy this time was neither a member of Prince Yong's faction nor a neutral party, but rather a Vice Minister of Rites from the Crown Prince's faction, named Chen Wenyuan.

This person has a reputation for integrity, is tactful, and eloquent.

The mission the court gave him was nominally to "proclaim the court's benevolence, appease the Prince of Jingbei, and inquire about the Northern Border Alliance," but in reality, it was a three-pronged approach: first, to find out the truth about Hanyuan; second, to put pressure on Xiao Chen and force him to restrain himself; and third, if possible, to secretly win over Xiao Chen and counterbalance the Prince of Yong.

Chen Wenyuan, accompanied by a retinue of hundreds of people and guards, headed north.

The further north he went, the heavier his mood became.

Along the way, he saw wide, smooth roads, people living in peace and prosperity, a constant stream of merchants and travelers, and an orderly military. This stood in stark contrast to the impoverished, bandit-ridden, and undisciplined Central Plains region he had passed through on his way here. The prosperity and order of Hanyuan filled him with dread.

Upon arriving in Zhenbei City, Chen Wenyuan received an extremely grand, even "presumptuous," reception.

He was greeted not by ordinary officials, but by Han Lie, the chief secretary of the Jingbei Prince's Mansion, and Wang Dashan, the chief clerk of the Military Affairs Department.

The grandeur of his entourage far exceeded the standards for a second-rank imperial envoy like himself, and was even comparable to that of a prince.

The ceremony upon entering the city left Chen Wenyuan speechless.

On both sides of the wide cement road, elite cavalrymen from the Cold Abyss, clad in black armor and wielding steel swords and crossbows, stood in formation, exuding a murderous aura.

On the city wall, the huge "Jack Raven" crossbows and catapults gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.

The workshops within the city were filled with chimneys, the roar of machinery, and mountains of goods.

All of this silently demonstrated to the imperial envoy Han Yuan's powerful military strength and solid economic foundation.

The welcoming banquet that evening was held in the main hall of the newly built "Jingbei Prince's Mansion".

Xiao Chen did not attend in person, but was accompanied by important civil and military officials such as Han Lie, Wang Dashan, Zhang Meng, and Zhao Tie.

The banquet was lavish, far surpassing the imperial cuisine of the capital, yet the atmosphere exuded a condescending and unquestionable pressure.

"Lord Chen, you've come from afar, you must be tired."

Han Lie raised his glass, smiling amiably, but his words were barbed. "Your Highness is busy with military affairs, so we will entertain you on your behalf today. Tomorrow, Your Highness will review the troops at the drill ground, and we will discuss this further then."

Chen Wenyuan tried to remain calm and attempted to read the imperial edict, but Han Lie interrupted him with a smile: "Your Excellency has had a long journey. As for the imperial edict, we can announce it when we meet the Prince tomorrow. Today, let's talk about matters of the heart and not state affairs."

The next day, Chen Wenyuan was "invited" to the "Military Academy Training Ground" outside the city. On the training ground, 30,000 elite troops from Hanyuan were lined up in neat square formations, with swords and spears like a forest and banners that blotted out the sun.

Xiao Chen, dressed in military uniform, stood on the high platform with his hand on his sword. He did not descend the steps to greet him, but simply nodded slightly: "Lord Chen, please come up to the viewing platform."

Chen Wenyuan braced himself, climbed the platform, and sat below Xiao Chen. As Xiao Chen waved his command flag, the military parade began.

The heavy infantry phalanx, clad in heavy armor and wielding long-handled swords, advanced like a wall, each step causing the earth to tremble.

The light cavalry formation moved swiftly like the wind, their archery precise, raining down arrows that instantly shattered the targets.

The crossbowmen's square formation unleashed a thousand crossbow bolts simultaneously, sending armor-piercing arrows whistling through the air. Iron targets a hundred paces away were pierced as if made of paper.

The engineering corps demonstrated bridge-building, fortification, and demolition techniques at an astonishing speed.

Special operations teams, like ghosts, climb, stealthily move, and raid, instantly "destroying" the simulated enemy camp.

Finally, the grand finale was the charge of three thousand heavily armored cavalry. The thunderous sound of hooves and billowing dust, the sheer force of which made Chen Wenyuan pale, his legs go weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. He had no doubt that this army was capable of sweeping away any so-called "elite" force in the Great Xia Dynasty.

After the military parade ended, Xiao Chen did not dismount. Instead, he rode to the reviewing stand, looked down at Chen Wenyuan, and asked calmly, "Lord Chen, what do you think of the military bearing of my Hanyuan soldiers?"

Chen Wenyuan broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "A strong... a strong army... a world-class strong army..."

Back in the main hall of the Prince's Palace, Chen Wenyuan finally had the opportunity to read the imperial edict.

The imperial edict was strongly worded, accusing Xiao Chen of "arbitrarily forming an alliance and usurping the throne," and demanding that he "dissolve the alliance, return the vassal state, reflect on his mistakes in seclusion, and await the court's decision."

Xiao Chen accepted the imperial edict, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the table, coldly sneering, "The court wants to punish me? Then I'd like to ask the court: Prince Yong, Xiao Jing, colluded with traitors, fabricated evidence, framed a prince, and intended to wreak havoc on the northern border and shake the foundations of the nation. What is his punishment?!"

Chen Wenyuan was taken aback: "Your Highness... what makes you say that?"

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Chen sent Zhao Tie to present a large stack of files and physical evidence, which he then placed heavily in front of Chen Wenyuan.

"This is a secret letter personally written by Prince Yong in collusion with the bandit leader Liu Biao, and it bears Prince Yong's private seal!"

"These are forged military blueprints and a secret edict sent by Prince Yong to the northern border!"

"These are pieces of evidence from the scene of the transaction between the Prince of Yong's envoy and the bandits at Ghost Cry Gorge!"

"This is the confession of the captured bandit leader Liu Biao. He has signed it here!"

"This is a copy of the account books detailing Prince Yong's embezzlement of border troops' rations and his illegal sale of military equipment!"

The irrefutable evidence presented to Chen Wenyuan was shocking and irrefutable.

Chen Wenyuan's face was deathly pale, and he was sweating profusely.

He never expected that Xiao Chen would not only not defend himself, but would instead drop such a bombshell.

Once this evidence is confirmed, Prince Yong will be guilty of treason. He won't be able to compete for the throne, and he won't even be able to save his life!

"This...this..." Chen Wenyuan stammered.

Xiao Chen stood up, walked up to Chen Wenyuan, and said with a sharp look in his eyes, "Lord Chen, go back and tell the court, tell the Crown Prince, and tell Prince Yong."

I, the King, guard the northern border, protecting the people and ensuring their safety. I have no regrets in my heart, nor in my country.

As for this "Northern Alliance," it was for the purpose of resisting foreign aggression and stabilizing the border, not for personal gain.

If the court wants to abolish the treaty, it can, but first punish the Prince of Yong, cleanse the court, and restore justice to the northern border!

Otherwise, I will not only make this alliance, but I will make it deeper and broader!

Chen Wenyuan lingered in Zhenbei City for two more days, attempting to secretly meet with Xiao Chen, even hinting that the Crown Prince was willing to "cooperate," but Xiao Chen avoided meeting him, only sending Han Lie to convey the message: "Han Yuan shall decide its own affairs. The court shall handle its own affairs."

Seeing that things were hopeless and intimidated by the might of Han Yuan's army, Chen Wenyuan dared not linger and had no choice but to lead his delegation back to the capital in a hasty retreat.

Xiao Chen did not stop him, and even "gifted" him a "generous gift" - a copy of all the evidence of Prince Yong's collusion with bandits, as well as a detailed picture book of the Han Yuan Army's military parade and a military strength assessment report.

The imperial envoy returned home in silence.

Chen Wenyuan knew in his heart that his mission had not only failed to accomplish anything, but he had also brought back "explosives" that could turn the capital upside down.

Han Yuan's strength far exceeded the court's expectations, and Xiao Chen's attitude was so unyielding that it was utterly disheartening. Before Han Yuan, this awakened lion, the Great Xia court appeared so weak and laughable.

After seeing off the imperial envoy, Xiao Chen addressed his ministers, saying, "The court is like a grasshopper in autumn; it won't be able to hop around for much longer. Seeing this evidence, the Prince of Yong and the Crown Prince will surely be driven to desperation and fight to the death. We only need to observe the situation, strengthen our military forces, and wait for them to weaken each other, or... wait for them to come begging to us."

"Your Highness is wise," the generals said in unison.

The imperial envoy's return not only failed to intimidate Han Yuan, but also thoroughly exposed the weakness and incompetence of the imperial court.

Han Yuan's forceful response was like a resounding slap in the face to the Great Xia Dynasty, and it also awakened the people of the world: the Northern Border was no longer under the control of the Dynasty; Han Yuan had become a player in the grand scheme of things, not a pawn.