An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Two hundred thousand? Even if I break my bones, I still can't come up with two hundred thousand!" The emperor was so angry that he was shaking all over, and the tassels on the Nine Dragon Crown clattered.

But when the four bloody words "corpses everywhere" appeared before his eyes during the 800-mile rush at the border, he collapsed back on the dragon throne like a deflated ball, and his bright yellow dragon robe was wrinkled on the chair back.

"Your Majesty, please understand! The capital camp currently has 150,000 men, plus the 60,000 garrison troops, which is more than enough..."

"Your Majesty, we must act swiftly in this emergency! There are still 30,000 imperial guards in the capital..."

Elder Feng and Secretary Qin practically fell to their knees. The dull thud of their foreheads hitting the ground, the pale face of the emperor slumped on the throne, and the memory of Prince Hong's description of the barbarian invasion, the court erupted in chaos.

First, the Minister of Rites, a veteran of three dynasties, knelt down tremblingly, and then, like falling dominoes, all the officials in the hall fell to the ground.

Amidst the resounding cries of "Your Majesty, please reconsider!", the left and right prime ministers suddenly slammed their heads to the ground, their gray beards stained with the dust of gold bricks. "Your Majesty! Even if Prince Hong has the courage of Wei Huo, you cannot let him go into battle empty-handed!"

"I hereby issue a military order!" Prince Hong knelt heavily on the ground. The sound of his knees colliding with the gold bricks made several civil servants in the front row tremble. "If you cannot recapture the seven cities of Yunzhong within a year, I will hang my head on the Meridian Gate!"

"Good, very good! You are trying to force me to abdicate!" The emperor dug his fingers into the carvings on the armrests of the dragon throne, and traces of blood seeped out from between his nails.

This throne, snatched from his brothers and sisters at the cost of his father's life, now felt like a red-hot iron. He remained silent for a long time, until an old minister began to sway from his knees. He finally managed to speak through gritted teeth: "I...will allocate a maximum of 100,000 troops. If all the defenders of the capital are transferred..." His cold gaze swept over the princes and the others, "The first to suffer will be those of you who advised me!"

Prince Hong suddenly stood up with one hand, carelessly brushing the nonexistent dust from his knees. "In that case, I'd better wait until my father's condition stabilizes before discussing this." A smile played on his lips as he spoke, but his eyes were frozen. "After all, it's difficult to be both loyal and filial, Your Majesty!"

The court suddenly fell silent, the sound of dripping water from a copper clock piercing the air. The emperor stared at Prince Hong, his cloudy eyes bulging with bloodshot, his raised right hand trembling like a leaf in the wind. He had intended to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but he had been outmaneuvered.

"Your Majesty! The border sent another emergency document yesterday!"

"If we wait until the Tatars reach Baihe, it will be too late to mobilize troops!"

The generals who knelt to make a protest this time all knelt straight - they were all old subordinates who had fought bloody battles with Prince Jing or several generals of the Jing family.

The civil officials thought of the emperor's recent threat and followed suit in their advice. The Minister of Revenue even calculated the food and fodder accounts for the emperor on the spot.

The emperor felt dizzy, and Eunuch Li quickly asked someone to bring him ginseng soup and helped him swallow a scarlet pill.

After the heat in his chest dissipated, the emperor gasped and compromised, "One hundred thousand troops will be stationed in the capital, and the sixty thousand from the garrison will be given to you. The rest..." He glanced at the ministers kneeling in the hall, "You will guard the nine gates. This matter has been decided. Food and fodder must go first. Prince Hong must set out the day after tomorrow! Li Dewang will be the military supervisor!"

His tone was very resolute, and it seemed that he was unwilling to give any more.

This is also to place his people next to Prince Hong. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this shows that they are extremely worried about Prince Hong.

In fact, he secretly calculated: there are still 50,000 elite soldiers hidden in the capital, plus 20,000 imperial guards and 5,000 secretly trained Jinwu guards...

He caught a glimpse of Eunuch Li kneeling on the steps, his eyes filled with poison - this old dog knew too much, it was not easy for him to do it himself, it would be better to use Prince Hong's knife and let him go with that evil creature.

"Your Majesty, take the order."

Prince Hong knelt down again and took the special tiger talisman. His fingertips stroked the bronze military talisman, and a smile of determination flashed across his heart.

"Old slave... obey your order."

Eunuch Li kowtowed with a fawning smile on his face, but cold sweat broke out on his back. He knew all too well that this mission was a road to hell—whether Prince Hong won or lost, he would die.

Who would keep a vicious dog that only knows how to tell tales?

...

"Father, Mother, can this be accomplished? Will the Ding Gang be in danger?"

At the dinner table, Princess Hong's slender fingers gently stroked her slightly bulging belly, her brows filled with unrelieved worry.

The celadon bowl in front of her was filled with thick white chicken soup, with a few golden oil stars and emerald green onions floating on top, but she only took two sips and put it aside.

In the candlelight, her face looked particularly pale, and even her favorite pearl earrings were dull.

It has been three days since Prince Hong received the order to go to war. He personally led an army of 160,000 to the northern border, and victory or defeat was inevitable.

Upon hearing this, Princess Jing lowered her silver chopsticks, a flicker of pain in her eyes. Her well-maintained fingers trembled unconsciously, and her knuckles turned bluish-white.

The youngest son was finally found but could not be recognized. The grandson was still in the womb and had not yet been born. Now the eldest son has to go into battle again.

This was a chess game they had carefully planned, but when the chess pieces fell into place, the old princess, who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, still felt a piercing chill running up from the soles of her feet.

She looked at the plaque bestowed by the late emperor hanging in the middle of the hall, and thought of the struggle for the throne thirty years ago. A fishy and sweet taste suddenly surged in her throat.

Success or failure depended on this one move. These royals, who had come through blood and rain, understood this truth better than anyone else. But when their own flesh and blood were at stake in this game of chess, even the calmest chess player would find it difficult to remain calm.

"Don't be afraid, it's okay. My son is a coward. The Jing family army is there to support him." Prince Jing's voice suddenly broke the solemn atmosphere. He placed his broad palm on the back of his wife's trembling hand, and feeling the cold body temperature, he couldn't help but tighten his grip.

Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looking up in surprise, he told them how Jing Changjiang learned the news in advance and avoided the disaster of extermination of his family, and how he was now secretly reorganizing his old subordinates and returning to the northern border.

When he got to the point, he lowered his voice deliberately. He dipped his finger in the wine and drew a topographical map of the northern border on the table, pointing out several strategic locations. He said, "The two powers have joined forces. The King of Yan has also guaranteed that the grain and fodder will not only be sent by the court, but he has other backup plans."

"Amitabha! It is really destined that our palace should be tied to the Jing family." Princess Jing let out a long sigh, and the Buddhist beads in her hand turned rapidly. Her shoulders, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed.

Princess Hong's eyes sparkled with tears as she heard this. The heavy weight that had weighed on her heart for days seemed to lift a little. She picked up the bowl of chicken soup again and sipped it. The warm broth flowed down her throat, and the worry that had been lingering in her heart for the past few days also eased a little.

"But," Prince Jing suddenly changed the subject, startling Ling'er so much that the ivory chopsticks in her hand fell to the green jade floor tiles with a clang, making a crisp sound.