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

The "Imperial Edict to Punish the Rebellion" was like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond. Apart from creating a few self-deceiving ripples within the capital, it hardly stirred up any significant waves in the vast world.

The southern warlords were busy tearing each other apart, while the neutral forces watched coldly. Xiao Chen in the north turned a deaf ear to it all and went about his business.

This embarrassment and helplessness was like a silent slap in the face of the "court" of Shenjing, led by Zhao Chong, causing a burning pain and a deep-seated fear.

This can't go on! Absolutely not!

Zhao Chong tossed and turned on his sickbed, plagued by nightmares.

He dreamt of Xiao Chen's Xuanjia Iron Cavalry breaking through the gates of the capital, dreamt of the ferocious wolf-head banner being planted on the roof of the Zichen Palace, dreamt of his own head being separated from his body, and the entire Zhao family being slaughtered... Every time he woke up, he was covered in a cold sweat.

He knew that the empty imperial edict could not frighten Xiao Chen, nor could it stop the growing threat from the north.

Xiao Chen is undertaking massive construction projects in Youzhou, and his navy is sailing the Bohai Sea. His intention to move south is as clear as day!

If he doesn't do something substantial soon, then when Xiao Chen fully digests Youzhou, sharpens his claws, and marches south, it will be their doom!

"We must fight! We must take the initiative! While they are still establishing themselves, the people of Youzhou are not yet won over, and their navy is just beginning to take shape, we must catch them off guard!"

Zhao Chong sat up in shock once again, and roared hoarsely at the dim candlelight, as if to encourage himself and the crumbling court, "We cannot let him grow stronger so easily! We cannot sit idly by and wait for our demise!"

Once this thought arose, it grew wildly in his mind like a poisonous weed.

He immediately forced himself to overcome his illness and, ignoring the imperial physicians' advice, convened another "court assembly"—which was in reality another difficult and ugly power struggle between him, the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Jin, all within the suffocating atmosphere of the Zichen Palace.

"A Northern Expedition! We must launch a Northern Expedition immediately!"

Zhao Chong slammed his fist on the table, his voice weak, but his eyes burning with a desperate, almost frenzied madness. "The traitor Xiao Chen has already amassed troops in Youzhou, threatening the capital! If we continue to tolerate this evil, the collapse of the nation is imminent! This old minister implores Your Majesty to issue an edict, personally lead the army, and mobilize all the troops in the land to march north and punish the rebel!"

The "imperial expedition" was obviously a pretext. What did a six-year-old emperor know about personally leading an expedition? This was merely an attempt to elevate the "Northern Expedition" to the highest level, trying to use the last bit of "imperial power" to unify the forces of all sides.

Zhao Chong's real purpose was to force the Crown Prince, the King of Qin, and the King of Jin to provide troops, provisions, and manpower!

As expected, the hall fell into a deathly silence upon hearing this.

Crown Prince Xiao Jue's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling. A personal expedition? Send him to the north to fight Xiao Chen, that god of death? What a joke! Prince Qin, Xiao Rui, and Prince Jin, Xiao Ming, had their eyes flickering and their minds racing.

Sending troops to attack Xiao Chen? They had considered it.

Xiao Chen's rise seriously threatened their core interests. But they knew even better that Xiao Chen was not one of those warlords in the south; he was a true tiger, commanding a battle-hardened elite force capable of directly defeating the Northern Barbarians and sweeping across the northern border!

Go fight him? Who will lead the charge? What if we lose strength? What if we get stabbed in the back?

"What Lord Zhao said...is not without reason."

King Xiao Rui of Qin spoke slowly, his tone deliberate, "However, the Northern Expedition is a major national undertaking that requires thorough preparation. The supplies of provisions, weapons, and funds will all be enormous. Furthermore, who will command the troops? How will the various armies coordinate? These are all matters that need to be carefully considered." He played the game of Tai Chi, neither expressing opposition nor support, but instead laying out the difficulties and problems.

Prince Xiao Ming of Jin was even more direct: "A northern expedition? What are we going to use for a northern expedition? How much grain is left in the granaries of the capital? How much silver is left in the treasury? The troops of the capital garrison have been out of practice for a long time. Can they really be sent out to fight the northern wolf cavalry head-on? Don't let the northern expedition fail and we end up letting them march all the way to the gates of the capital!"

Crown Prince Xiao Jue quickly echoed, "Yes, Lord Zhao, my third brother is right. This matter must be handled with utmost care, with utmost care!"

Looking at the three men's faces as they shirked responsibility, Zhao Chong felt a chill in his heart, yet it was also something he had expected.

He had long known that getting these three wolves to work together was nothing short of a pipe dream.

But he had his leverage and his calculations.

"Your Highnesses," Zhao Chongqiang suppressed his anger, his voice softening but carrying a chilling threat, "Xiao Chen's threat is no longer a minor ailment, but a deep-seated danger! He has seized Youzhou and is training his navy; his next move will undoubtedly be south! At that time, no matter who controls the capital, they will likely be unable to withstand his onslaught! If we cannot unite and fight together today, we will surely be defeated one by one, and die without a burial place!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three men: "As for provisions and manpower, this old minister has devised a plan. We can levy a special 'Northern Expedition tax' in the name of the court to raise provisions. At the same time, we will issue a recruitment order; with such generous rewards, there will surely be brave men! As for the commanders..."

Zhao Chong's gaze slowly fell upon Prince Qin, Xiao Rui, and Prince Jin, Xiao Ming: "Your Highness Prince Qin excels in warfare, and Your Highness Prince Jin is exceptionally brave; both are the best choices. We recommend that you two serve as the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, respectively, leading the army to victory! Your Highness the Crown Prince can remain in the capital to oversee the state and manage logistics as support. With this united effort, how can we not annihilate the rebels?"

Appointing them as commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief? The King of Qin and the King of Jin sneered inwardly. Were they planning to send them to the front lines, to fight to the death, while Zhao Chong and the Crown Prince reaped the benefits? Dream on!

However, Zhao Chong's next words stirred something within them.

"If we can recapture Youzhou and defeat Xiao Chen in this northern expedition," Zhao Chong's voice carried a tempting tone, "then the generals of the northern expedition will undoubtedly be granted fiefdoms and titles! Youzhou, and even the fertile lands of the north, will all be divided among those who have made contributions! The imperial court will not be stingy with its rewards!"

Grant them land and titles! Divide the northern lands among ourselves!

These four words were like the most potent poison, instantly striking at the deepest greed in the hearts of the King of Qin and the King of Jin.

Yes, Xiao Chen is a tough nut to crack, but also a piece of meat to fatten up! If we can take advantage of his unstable foothold and gather our strength to take a bite... no, if we are lucky enough to defeat or even eliminate Xiao Chen, then the vast foundation he left behind—the lands of several states in the Northern Territory, the military workshops of Han Yuan, the ports of Youzhou, and even that nascent navy... what astonishing wealth and power that would be!

The risks are enormous, but the rewards are equally tempting! More importantly, if I don't go and let the other side go, and they actually succeed, wouldn't I just be watching my opponent grow stronger?

The atmosphere inside the hall began to become subtle.

The eyes of the King of Qin and the King of Jin, which had been shifting from evasiveness to burning with calculation and ambition, gradually became more intense.

They glanced at each other, both seeing eagerness and deep wariness in each other's eyes.

Xiao Jue became anxious.

If the King of Qin and the King of Jin launch a northern expedition, regardless of success or failure, their strength and prestige will greatly increase, posing a huge threat to him as the crown prince!

He hurriedly said, "This matter...this matter needs careful consideration! The Northern Expedition is no small matter; what if it fails..."

"Your Highness!"

Zhao Chong abruptly interrupted him, his tone stern, "This is a critical moment for the survival of the nation! How can we show any more womanly mercy and sit idly by while the traitors grow stronger? If the Northern Expedition fails, this old minister is willing to stake his life on it! Your Majesty, this old minister humbly begs Your Majesty for a wise decision!"

He turned his gaze once again to the drowsy young emperor on the throne.

This time, he no longer "requested," but rather carried an undeniable sense of coercion.

The young emperor was so frightened by his ferocious expression that he burst into tears.

But to Zhao Chong and the other two princes, the crying was interpreted as tacit approval.

After several days of heated arguments, compromises, and exchanges of interests, driven by Zhao Chong's coercion and enticement, as well as the ambitions of the King of Qin and the King of Jin, a fragile alliance called "Northern Expedition" was barely cobbled together in an almost absurd way.

In the winter of the first year of Yongning, a "Proclamation for the Northern Expedition" and a "Decree for Recruiting Soldiers" issued in the name of the "Emperor" were once again sent out from the capital and spread to all directions.

The proclamation added dozens more charges against Xiao Chen, calling on "all the loyal and brave under heaven" to join the fight against the national crisis.

At the same time, it was announced that Prince Qin, Xiao Rui, would be the Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition, and Prince Jin, Xiao Ming, would be the Deputy Grand Marshal, in overall command of the Northern Expeditionary Force.

Xiao Jue remained in Shenjing to oversee grain and provisions.

Zhao Chongzong was in charge of governing the country and coordinating various parties.

In order to bolster their momentum, intimidate Xiao Chen, and boost morale for themselves and the people, the proclamation boasted that the forces they had assembled were an astonishing number—500,000!

The proclamation declared that the imperial court had assembled 500,000 heavenly soldiers, who were about to march north to wipe out the rebels of Hanyuan, restore peace to the northern frontier, and restore the imperial court's prestige!

However, only a few key figures know the real story.

King Xiao Rui of Qin deployed 30,000 of his most elite Shence Army troops, along with 20,000 troops he had controlled in the vicinity of the capital through various means, for a total of 50,000.

Prince Xiao Ming of Jin did the same, drawing upon the elite troops of the capital garrison under his command and some former troops from the border towns, gathering more than 40,000 men.

Under Zhao Chong's coercion, Xiao Yu gritted his teeth and squeezed out 15,000 men from the six guards of the Eastern Palace and the small number of city defense troops under his control.

Zhao Chongze used his "regency" power to forcibly conscript and recruit about 30,000 new soldiers and laborers from Shenjing and nearby prefectures and counties.

In addition, about 50,000 miscellaneous troops were forcibly assigned and drawn from several prefectures and counties in southern Hebei that were not yet completely out of control and harbored fear or hostility towards Xiao Chen.

All things considered, pieced together from various sources, this so-called "Northern Expeditionary Army" barely reached a strength of 200,000.

Moreover, the composition is extremely complex, with numerous factions, a wide variety of equipment, uneven training levels, and low morale.

Of these, only the core forces of the two kings of Qin and Jin, numbering around 80,000 to 90,000, were truly capable of fighting; the rest were mostly a motley crew.

In terms of food supplies, they were in dire need.

The "Special Tax for the Northern Expedition" was almost impossible to collect in the chaotic south, and even the forced collection in and around Shenjing was just a drop in the ocean.

Zhao Chong had no choice but to divert the already depleted national treasury silver and forcibly "borrow" the assets of several wealthy merchants with whom he had a falling out. He also levied several kinds of "wartime taxes" on the people in the city in order to barely raise enough food and supplies for the first batch of troops to be dispatched. Subsequent supplies were completely unknown.

Thus, a "Northern Expeditionary Army" that claimed to be 500,000 but was actually only 200,000, riddled with internal conflicts, lacking supplies, and low morale, set out from the city gates in a chaotic manner as the cold winter of the first year of Yongning arrived. Under the numb, fearful, or mocking gazes of the people of Shenjing, the army marched north along the official road, heading straight for Youzhou.

Banners fluttered, obscuring the sky and the sun.

The sound of drums and horns filled the air, shaking the surrounding fields. On the surface, it did indeed have the air of "the royal army pacifying the north."

But anyone with a little knowledge could see the army's fragility and weakness from its scattered formation, the soldiers' bewildered and weary eyes, and the subtle distance and wariness between the generals.

King Xiao Rui of Qin and King Xiao Ming of Jin rode tall horses in the center of the army, gazing at the seemingly endless marching troops ahead. However, their faces showed little excitement at the prospect of achieving great deeds; instead, their brows were furrowed, and they appeared preoccupied.

"Five hundred thousand...heh."

Prince Xiao Ming of Jin chuckled softly, "It would be quite good if they could reach the walls of Youzhou City and still have 300,000 left."

King Qin, Xiao Rui, said coldly, "Xiao Chen is not someone to be trifled with. This northern expedition is likely to end badly. But... it also presents an opportunity. If we can catch him off guard and quickly seize Youzhou, we might be able to decide the fate of the world in one battle. If we prolong the conflict..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but they both understood.

If the war goes badly or becomes deadlocked, Zhao Chong and the Crown Prince in the rear will never miss the opportunity to stab them in the back.

Even among themselves, there's no guarantee that they won't scheme against each other or stab each other in the back at crucial moments in order to preserve their strength.

"Pass down the order to speed up the march! We must reach the gates of Youzhou before Xiao Chen can react!" King Qin, Xiao Rui, took a deep breath of the cold air and issued the order.

Xiao Chen looked at the latest secret report sent by Night Owl, which detailed the true nature of the "Northern Expeditionary Army," its internal conflicts, and the truth about the so-called 500,000 troops, which were actually only 200,000.

His face showed no surprise, no fear, only a deep, unfathomable calm, and a cold, knowing understanding that the prey had finally fallen into his trap.

"Two hundred thousand...five hundred thousand..."

He gently put down the secret report, his gaze falling on the red arrow on the sand table that stretched from Shenjing to Youzhou, representing the enemy army's march.

"It's finally here."