We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The streets of Kyoto were deserted and shops were closed.

As the Fengtian Army got closer, supplies in Kyoto became increasingly scarce, and fear spread to every corner of the city.

In the imperial palace, Emperor Ninna sat upright on the throne. His small body was wrapped in the overly large crown, which made him look particularly funny.

A face that was already extremely ugly due to genetics, now under the pressure of the catastrophic disaster, the facial features were twisted together, the lips were trembling, the face was as pale as paper, and the fear on the face was almost overflowing.

Below the imperial steps, Japanese nobles and ministers gathered together, but the huge palace was dead silent.

There were no passionate speeches, no mature statecraft strategies, and even the low whispers disappeared.

The ministers were like clay puppets whose souls had been taken away, with their heads lowered and their eyes staring at the floor with empty eyes.

The air was as heavy as lead, and even breathing seemed heavy.

The Fengtian Army was getting closer.

The tragic news of cities being reduced to ashes kept coming, and the Japanese finally felt scared.

"My lords..." The young Emperor Ninwa's voice was thick with childishness, but the tone was distorted by fear.

The small body leaned forward, and the tiny eyes glanced frantically at the lifeless ministers below:

"That King Feng...what...what does he want?"

"Whatever he wants, I'm willing to show him. Gold, silver? Jewels? Land? Cities?"

"As long as...as long as he agrees to withdraw his troops, everything can be discussed. Nothing...nothing is off-limits!"

The little emperor just wanted to survive and get rid of the fear that tormented him day and night.

However, these words, which sounded like begging for surrender, only aroused even greater dissatisfaction among the military officials.

"His Majesty!"

An elderly military commander wearing old-style gorgeous armor and with his hair and beard standing up raised his head and stared at the young emperor on the throne with red eyes.

This man was the commander of the Kyoto garrison, an old-school Japanese general known for his stubbornness and blind loyalty.

"Do you know what you're talking about?!"

The old Japanese general's voice trembled with extreme anger. He took a step forward, his finger almost pointing to the imperial steps:

"That evil villain Li Che has openly declared many times that he wants the sacred treasures of our country—the sword of Ame-no-Kame, the mirror of the Eight-foot Mirror, and the Yasakani no Magatama."

"These three sacred artifacts were given by Amaterasu. They are the foundation for the continuation of the divine lineage of our Japanese nation and the prosperity of our national fortune. Do you want to give them to him too?!"

The little emperor trembled all over at the sudden roar.

"Three...three sacred artifacts?" He subconsciously grasped the armrests of the throne, as if grasping a life-saving straw. "Give...give it to him! Give it all to him!"

"As long as he can withdraw his troops, he will give me anything he wants. If the artifact is gone, I will find another way..."

"His Majesty!!!"

The old Japanese general's eyes were bloodshot, and with a "swish", he pulled out half of the wakizashi that symbolized his status from his waist.

"You are going to hand Japan over to the enemy. You... you are rebelling!"

The little emperor was completely confused: "Me? Rebellion?"

The ministers looked at the old Japanese general in confusion. Some staunch royalists glared at him, but in the end no one spoke up to stop him.

It is true that Japan is a theocracy, but it is mostly ordinary people who blindly worship the locusts.

Having reached this height, who wouldn’t understand what the so-called locusts in the sky are?

It is nothing more than a symbol of maintaining Japan's rule. To say such brainless words is undoubtedly a rebellion.

If Li Che had not killed his way here, many ministers in the palace would have wanted to kneel down and beg for surrender like Xiao Tianhuang.

However...the young prince of Daqing seemed to leave Japan no room for choice.

Seeing that no one in the hall spoke for him, Emperor Ninna burst into tears: "I... I didn't... I just wanted to... wuwuwu... Mother... Mother..."

Looking around, he saw that the ministers in the hall were either keeping silent with their heads down, or had cold eyes, or had hints of sarcasm in their expressions. There was not a single one of them that he could rely on.

As for the Queen Mother of the Japanese Kingdom, she is still imprisoned in the Fengtian Army and no one knows whether she is alive or dead.

The overwhelming feeling of helplessness almost crushed his young and ugly soul.

at this time......

"enough!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on the source of the sound - a figure hidden in the shadows in the corner of the hall.

Kaifu Munesada.

He slowly walked out of the shadows, his face haggard from a long journey, with high cheekbones and sunken eye sockets.

But in those deep eye sockets, there were two heart-pounding flames burning.

Kaifu Munemasa stood still, neither looking at the crying little emperor nor at the old Japanese minister who had drawn his sword.

Those eyes, burning with mad flames, slowly swept across the faces of every minister in the hall.

Anyone whose eyes passed by him lowered their heads involuntarily.

"General Takeda's anger is understandable," said Kaifu Munemasa in a cold and hoarse voice. "But the Emperor's fear... is even more real."

"However, do you think that Li Che only wants a few cities?"

"Or is it the surrender of Japan?"

"Or are they the three objects whose symbolic meaning is greater than their practical significance?"

The corner of Kaibu Munezana's mouth twisted into an extremely twisted arc:

"Look at the mountain of corpses in Hiroshima! Look at the vast ocean in Okayama! Look at the charred charcoal in Mita! Look at the dozens of cities he crushed to dust along the way! Look at the mountains of corpses!"

"What Li Che wants is clear as day! He doesn't want surrender! He wants our nation to be destroyed! Our race to be exterminated!"

"They want to completely wipe out the Yamato people from this land! They want to make the name of Wa disappear forever in the dust of history!"

The four words "national destruction and genocide" hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. Everyone knew that Kaibu Munemasa was right.

But until now they still can't figure out what kind of hatred there is between Japan and the King Feng, and why the other party is so heartless and cruel.

“So, we have no choice!”

Kaifu Munemasa turned around and stared at the trembling Emperor Ninwa on the throne:

"There is only one path before us—to fight to the death with all our might! Either we perish together! Or... it's all over!"

"Therefore, from today onwards, everyone in Kyoto, regardless of status, must join the war."

"All adult men immediately took up arms, climbed onto the city walls, and prepared to meet the final attack of the Fengtian Army."

"Women and the elderly are responsible for carrying supplies and preparing military rations. They must not stop for a moment. Even children must be organized. When necessary..."

He didn't finish, but everyone understood the meaning of what he left unsaid.

The young Emperor Ninwa seemed truly foolish, and actually asked, "What shall we do when necessary?"

Kaifu Munemasa looked at him with red eyes, and the crazy aura scared the little emperor so much that he almost fell off the throne.

He stared at the little emperor intently, his words uttered from gritted teeth: "If necessary, I will perish together with that bandit!"

"There's an old saying in Daqing: It's better to die with honor than to live in disgrace!"

"Not just civilians! Not just samurai!"

Kaibu Munezana's voice suddenly became sharp:

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of the Yamato people, you must personally go to the front lines and climb the city walls!"

When these words were spoken, the little emperor was dumbfounded.