Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Xiao Ce and Xiao Yang heard what Da Lei said in a hurry.

Both of them were stunned.

After all, in their eyes, the dog emperor was like a giant turtle, extremely difficult to kill.

Hearing that someone's life is hanging by a thread is truly astonishing.

Da Lei stared at the two people, frozen in place, without saying a word.

Da Lei repeated, "Your Highness, did you not hear me clearly? I said the Emperor of Xiao Kingdom is critically ill."

Xiao Ce finally came to his senses and said to Da Lei, "Critically ill? He was perfectly fine when we left... It's only been less than a year? What illness is it?"

Da Lei shook his head and said, "I don't know the specifics of the illness... but this information is being kept under wraps."

Then Da Lei looked at Xiao Yang and asked, "Second Prince, have you received any news from Consort Hui?"

Xiao Yang shook his head firmly and said, "No, but we've been in the Western Regions for a while now. Even if there were news, my mother's messenger probably wouldn't be able to find me! But how could that dog emperor, who is usually so careful about his life, suddenly become critically ill? That's quite unexpected."

As Xiao Yang spoke, he grinned at Xiao Ce and said, "Your Highness, it seems this really is very good news?"

Xiao Ce's expression, however, was not good.

"This might not be good news!"

Seeing Xiao Ce's worried expression, Xiao Yang asked in confusion, "Brother, why isn't this good news? It's clearly good news! His death is a good opportunity for us!"

Xiao Ce shook his head and said, "As long as that dog emperor is alive, we only need to deal with him. Moreover, although that dog emperor is a scoundrel, in order to protect his position, he will create a balance of power among the princes. Now that the dog emperor is critically ill, given his condition, it is very likely that what he has is not an illness, but poisoning."

"But if it was poisoning, then it's very likely that the person who poisoned you has made thorough preparations. Without any checks and balances, there's only one way for me to help you seize the throne: a coup!"

"In Xiao Kingdom, what is most important is legitimacy... If a crown prince is appointed, our legitimacy will be compromised, which will be very disadvantageous for us."

Xiao Yang listened to Xiao Ce's analysis and nodded repeatedly: "Brother, what you said makes perfect sense."

Xiao Ce didn't respond to Xiao Yang, but turned to Da Lei and asked, "Has anyone said who will be the crown prince?"

Da Lei shook his head: "There isn't much concrete evidence for this. This information is top secret within the Xiao Kingdom!"

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, "Let's go explore again!"

Then he said to Xiao Yang, "Let's go back now and see if there's any news of your mother or your clansmen at the border?"

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Your Highness, I'll go right away... But what about our brother, what should we do next?"

Xiao Ce pondered for a moment and said, "No rush... let's see what happens next. The most important thing now is to get back as soon as possible."

Xiao Yang nodded as he listened.

To prevent any unforeseen complications, Xiao Ce did not stay there and left overnight.

Before leaving, I gave Nanxi some instructions.

He then entrusted Nanxi with the task of compiling a summary of the development of the Western Regions during this period.

As long as Nanxi follows the instructions in this book, there will definitely be no problems.

In three to five years, the national strength of the Western Regions could expand to at least ten times.

Although Nanxi was reluctant to see Xiao Ce leave, she was also very clear about the situation.

A man of Xiao Ce's stature would not be content to remain confined to a small corner of the world.

Nanxi offered to give it to Xiao Ce, but Xiao Ce refused.

Xiao Ce then instructed the instructor, Wu Wei, and Lin Bang to listen to Nan Xi's instructions.

He told them he could forgive them once. If they betrayed him again, even if there were extenuating circumstances.

He will certainly not let them off easily.

The three of them nodded very firmly.

Xiao Ce said all this for Nan Xi to hear, in order to gain Nan Xi's trust.

Xiao Ce trusted the three of them very much. Generally speaking, Xiao Ce believed in the principle of "once disloyal, never trusted again".

However, the three of them were an exception.

After bidding them farewell, Xiao Yang instructed his subordinate Guo Kai to immediately set off with the army.

Xiao Ce and Xiao Yang went ahead and arrived at the Nushan Pass in less than three days.

Nanxi and his Western Regions Alliance were very adept at handling things; they returned all the territories that Xiao Kingdom had previously rented to them.

The Nanxi people gave it to Xiao Ce, not to the Xiao Kingdom.

Xiao Ce went directly to Nufeng City. When the old city lord of Nufeng City, Lian Zhan, saw Xiao Ce, he was very excited.

Although he was in Nufeng City, he was very well aware of the news in the Western Regions.

This time, Lien Chan played a very significant role in helping Xiao Ce achieve his goals, that much is true.

Without Lien Chan's help in transporting those weapons, they wouldn't have been able to do it so smoothly.

Furthermore, when Xiao Yang led his troops through the Nushan Pass, Lian Zhan also played a very important role, causing many of the veteran Tiger Legion soldiers to offer no resistance.

Otherwise, even if they had firearms, it would still be very difficult for them to attack this Nushan Pass.

“Your Highness, I knew you were no ordinary person… In such a short time, you accomplished with your help what the people of the Western Regions had not been able to do for generations.”

"Not only that, you also brought back our lost territory..."

Lien Chan was very excited because Xiao Ce had handed over all the cities that Nanxi had decided to lease to the Western Regions to Lien Chan for management.

So Lien Chan went from being a city lord to being a prefect of a prefecture.

Lien Chan has spent half his life here, so he has a special affection for this place.

He was very pleased with the generous gift Xiao Ce had given him.

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "Hey, it's nothing, I didn't do anything. It was just a small favor. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to get to where I am today."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lien Chan invited Xiao Ce to his residence.

Xiao Yang then asked Lian Zhan if anyone had come looking for him.

Lien Chan said very firmly that there was no such thing.

Then, Lian Zhan asked Xiao Ce and Xiao Yang, "Your Highness, has something happened within the Xiao Kingdom?"

Lien Chan's words piqued Xiao Ce's interest: "Old City Lord Lien Chan, do you know something?"

Lien Chan glanced at Xiao Ce and said, "I'm not entirely unaware of the situation either. However, I have some old acquaintances in the armies of Xiao Kingdom. They say that their troops have been frequently being mobilized towards the capital recently."

"Moreover, these armies belong to the forces of the maternal clans of various princes... As the saying goes, ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring, so we soldiers are aware of it?"

Xiao Ce looked at Lian Zhan and continued to ask, "Old City Lord, what forces does your army have?"

Since getting to know Xiao Ce, Lien Chan has completely let his guard down around him and hasn't given him much thought.

"First is the Fourth Prince, Xiao Tao, who has been biding his time. His uncle is the Grand Marshal of the Central Plains Army, who commands nearly 200,000 soldiers."

"Also, you know the Eighth Prince, Xiao Xiangqing. They support Wang Yuanzheng, and they also control 150,000 Jiangnan troops in the Jiangnan region."

"There is also the Ninth Prince, Xiao Zhan. His maternal grandfather had 200,000 troops from Sichuan. Those troops were very skilled in battle and were known as the strongest infantry in the Xiao Kingdom."

"And then there's Wang Guanzhong, the 'Scholar-General' who's on good terms with the thirteenth prince Xiao Wenqin's maternal clan, and whose army in Guangdong and Guangxi numbers two hundred thousand..."

"Almost 80% of the national military is mobilized! It really does feel like a storm is brewing!"

Xiao Ce was quite surprised after hearing this: "Is there no news about the Second Prince's army?"

Lien Chan looked at Xiao Yang, who said with a face full of embarrassment, "Your Highness, others may not know about my mother's army, but don't you know?"

Seeing Xiao Yang's resentful expression, Xiao Ce slapped his forehead.

Their maternal clan's power had been almost completely depleted by Xiao Ce.

Even if they still have some influence, it's all insignificant and insignificant.

Xiao Ce said to Lian Zhan, "Old City Lord, what do you think they're trying to do?"

Lien Chan looked at Xiao Ce, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "Your Highness, you probably already know the situation... There is only one possibility, and that is to seize the throne... Moreover, their restless nature suggests only one thing: the imperial power is unstable. And it is said that the emperor has not attended court for some time."

Xiao Ce listened to Lien Chan's analysis and looked at him with some admiration.

"Old City Lord, experience truly matters; that saying is absolutely true... Your guess was correct. A few days ago, we received news that the Emperor was critically ill. Based on this journey and the time that has passed, the Emperor might already be dead..."

Lien Chan showed no surprise after hearing Xiao Ce's words...

Clearly, he had anticipated this.

After all, he's an old man and has seen too many changes.

"Your Highness, Second Prince, what should you do now?"

Xiao Ce said, "I was thinking of going back, but it seems that's definitely not going to happen now."

Then, Xiao Ce asked Xiao Yang, "Have you reported back on your attack on the Western Regions?"

Xiao Yang waved his hand: "Brother, I didn't tell anyone. I even told those people at the camp, and told them to pretend there... So, no one should know what happened in the Western Regions!"

"Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some businessmen who come and go might leak the information."

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "Those things are unimportant...and no one will believe these words anyway."

Xiao Ce then turned to Lian Zhan and asked, "Old City Lord, I ordered them to transport firearms over earlier. How many do you still have here?"

Lien Chan said to Xiao Ce, "I have been following your orders to store half of the quantity that came and transport the other half to the Western Regions. Moreover, the storage locations are all as you instructed, in some dry caves in the mountains, and I have taken measures to prevent moisture according to your method. Now I have stockpiled tens of thousands of boxes of firearms."

"Production capacity in the northern desert region has actually increased!"

Xiao Ce muttered to himself.

Seeing Xiao Ce inventorying the weapons, Xiao Yang assumed that Xiao Ce was also preparing to arm himself and join them in their fight.

"Your Highness, shall we also infiltrate them and have a good fight with them?"

Xiao Ce waved his hand, glanced at Xiao Yang, and said, "What's the point of fighting! All you know is fighting? Once they start fighting, whoever gets in last will benefit the most, understand?"

Xiao Yang said, "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits?"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "You could say that... Although we're still unsure about the situation in the capital of Xiao Kingdom, we can glean some information from what the old city lord said!"

"Currently, it's the Fourth Prince Xiao Tao, the Eighth Prince Xiao Xiangqing, the Ninth Prince Xiao Zhan, and the Thirteenth Prince Xiao Wenqin who have gotten involved. They don't get along with each other, do they?"

When Xiao Ce asked Xiao Yang about the things that happened in the palace, Xiao Ce admitted that he had never really known much about them.

Xiao Yang nodded and said, "That's right, Fourth Brother, you saw it too. This guy is ruthless. He usually keeps a low profile and doesn't show his true colors. I think he's the most vicious. He's usually very aloof and doesn't get close to anyone, but he doesn't offend anyone either..."

Even when we bullied you back then, he didn't participate...

He immediately realized his slip of the tongue and said, "Brother, I didn't mean that..."

Xiao Ce waved his hand, stopping his apology, and said, "Alright, I know you didn't mean it that way... Keep talking. You've been with me until now, don't you know what kind of temper I have? I don't look back, I only look forward... I always settle scores on the spot, but if I go too far, it means I don't care anymore..."

Xiao Yang smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Xiao Ce, still seated, said, "Continue."

Xiao Yang nodded and glanced at Lien Chan.

Lien Chan, the old city lord, was a shrewd man and understood immediately.

"Your Highness, Second Prince, I have some matters to attend to. If you wish to discuss these matters, then..."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "Alright, Lord Lian Zhan, what could you possibly have to do? Just sit here quietly... You're one of my own. Although we haven't had much contact, I'm good at judging people! Once I've chosen you, I'll trust you unconditionally!"

Then, Xiao Ce asked Xiao Yang, "Is everything alright?"

Xiao Yang nodded repeatedly. "Of course there's no problem. Besides, I didn't mean anything by it. I just glanced at Old City Lord Lian Zhan... Your Majesty, I know very well that not only you... but I also trust Old City Lord very much."

Just as they were talking, Da Lei ran over again, but this time he wasn't as nervous as before.

Xiao Ce looked at Da Lei and asked, "Is there any definite news?"

Da Lei nodded: "Your Highness! It's confirmed that the Emperor is dead!"