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

Compared to when I heard he was critically ill.

Xiao Ce appeared much calmer now, having already prepared himself mentally.

If Da Lei had directly followed Xiao Ce and said, "The dog emperor is dead."

Therefore, Xiao Ce would still be somewhat surprised.

Xiao Ce's biggest regret now is that the dog emperor didn't die at his hands.

Xiao Yang then excitedly asked Da Lei, "Who did he pass the throne to after he died?"

It was clear that there was a hint of anticipation in Xiao Yang's eyes.

Looking at his expression, Xiao Ce thought to himself, "This guy still seems to have some untimely expectations."

However, it's quite normal for Xiao Yang to have such thoughts.

After all, in the early stages, the emperor still showed him some favoritism.

Now, Xiao Yang has accumulated numerous military achievements, so it's not impossible for him to inherit the throne.

However, Da Lei's words still left Xiao Yang somewhat helpless.

"Before his death, the emperor issued an imperial edict, designating the thirteenth prince as the crown prince, to ascend the throne upon his death."

Xiao Ce was not surprised, because he had already noticed it when he was in the capital.

All that the emperor did before was a prelude to the thirteenth prince.

The reason Xiao Yang was brought up earlier was to deal with Xiao Ce.

After Xiao Ce was deposed, the emperor secretly supported Xiao Xiangqing and encouraged them to fight against him.

Xiao Ce knew very well that he would not actually let a prince inherit the throne.

Xiao Yang couldn't hide his disappointment, a venomous expression appearing on his face. He then muttered under his breath, "Pah, you dog emperor...you're really something...no wonder you died so young..."

Xiao Ce continued, asking Da Lei, "Da Lei, what's the reaction in the capital?"

Da Lei said, half-laughing, half-crying, "The Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Ninth Prince—all three of them produced imperial edicts, all stating that the Emperor has appointed them as Crown Princes to inherit the throne. The most absurd thing is that these edicts are all genuine..."

"Therefore, they each refuse to acknowledge the other's imperial edicts... Kyoto is in complete chaos. However, Kyoto has many civil officials, and they generally support the thirteenth prince! But the other princes don't approve..."

"Moreover, the thirteenth prince received support from the emperor's imperial guards, so he took control of the palace. The princes seem to have fled the capital with their respective imperial edicts."

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "It seems a great war is about to break out in Xiao Kingdom! By the way, what about the Prime Minister's father-in-law? Who does he support?"

Da Lei cupped his hands and said, "In the early stages of the emperor's serious illness, Prime Minister Yin claimed to be ill! I also sent someone to inquire, and it turned out that Prime Minister Yin packed his gold, silver and valuables that very night, saying he was going to die peacefully and recuperate, but in the end he went straight to the northern desert."

After hearing Da Lei's words, Xiao Ce grinned from ear to ear.

"My father-in-law must have sensed something... Is there any other information?"

Da Lei subconsciously looked at Xiao Yang, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Xiao Yang said to Da Lei, "Da Lei, what's wrong? Tell me directly... I can handle it. Is something wrong with my mother?"

Da Lei nodded: "We can't say what happened, but they've been placed under house arrest. The mothers of the other princes were also taken out of the palace before the emperor's death..."

"Consort Hui probably didn't realize things would develop this way, so she didn't have time to escape... And even if she had tried, she probably wouldn't have been able to..."

Seeing this, Xiao Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said to Da Lei, "Da Lei, when did you learn to talk like that? You scared me to death... Being under house arrest is fine! As long as you're not killed by Little Thirteen..."

Xiao Ce nodded and said from the side, "That's right, Xiao Yang, don't worry. Your mother isn't stupid. On the contrary, she's smarter than anyone else. With all the maneuvering she's done in the palace over the years, there's no way she couldn't escape... He's not coming out now because he doesn't want to, not because he can't..."

Xiao Yang listened, becoming much calmer: "That's right. I've been favored in the palace for many years, and so has my mother... Not to mention the imperial guards, even the palace maids and eunuchs have received favors from my mother. It wouldn't be difficult for her to escape... The only reason she hasn't escaped is that she doesn't want to..."

Xiao Ce continued to ask Da Lei, "Was there any bloodshed in Kyoto?"

Da Lei shook his head and said, "There has been no bloodshed so far. However, whether it is the Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince, or the Ninth Prince, they have all stated that if the Thirteenth Prince dares to ascend the throne with a 'fake imperial edict,' they will send troops to kill the rebels."

"Because it is currently a period of national mourning, the thirteenth prince has not yet ascended the throne and is making arrangements for the emperor's funeral. In addition, the princes who are abroad have been summoned back to the country to keep vigil and hold a funeral for the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce asked Da Lei, "Did they come to invite us?"

Da Lei shook his head and said, "I don't know if they invited you or not. But His Highness the Second Prince Xiao Yang definitely invited you."

Seeing this, Xiao Yang asked Xiao Ce with some concern, "Brother, what if he summons me... should I go?"

Xiao Ce glanced at Xiao Yang and asked with a half-smile, "What do you think? Do you want to go?"

Xiao Yang gave a bitter smile: "Your Highness, I don't know whether I should go or not... If I go, it's obviously a trap! If I don't go, my mother is still there. I'm really in a dilemma!"

Then, Xiao Yang asked Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, are you going or not?"

Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow and said, "I definitely won't go. That Xiao Wenqin has been testing me all along. I feel like he's heard some rumors and believes them! If I go then, wouldn't I be walking into a trap?"

Xiao Yang said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness... if you don't need to go, then I won't go either!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said to Xiao Yang, "If you don't go, Xiao Wenqin will definitely group you with Xiao Xiangqing and the others... At that time, Xiao Wenqin will definitely classify you as one of the rebels..."

Xiao Yang looked aggrieved and asked Xiao Ce, "What about you, Your Majesty...aren't you also not going?"

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Are you stupid? My current status is that of a hostage. If the king of the Western Regions doesn't release me, I can't leave. In that case, I'll have Nanxi send a reply saying that I can't go back. They won't be able to say anything... So what reason will you come up with?"

Seeing this, Xiao Yang's mind worked very quickly. He said to Xiao Ce, "Then...then I'll say I'm going to guard the border...I'll say the Western Regions are eyeing us covetously...I won't go. If I go...that little thirteenth prince might just use me as a pawn."

Xiao Yang's mind was working very fast at this moment.

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "Your idea is indeed a good idea, but your mother is in the capital after all... I think you should still make a trip there."

Although Xiao Yang was slightly puzzled, he still nodded: "Brother, if you want me to go... I'll go! Even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I'll go..."

Upon hearing Xiao Yang's words, Xiao Ce immediately laughed: "It's not as serious as you make it out to be. If you go back now, that thirteenth prince won't make things difficult for you; in fact, he'll try to win you over!"

Xiao Yang looked slightly embarrassed: "What are you trying to win over? What if he asks me to go and beat up Xiao Xiangqing and the others? What am I supposed to do then?"

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Can't you mediate? I'll send you over to see what your mother is up to. Besides, the news that the Western Regions have formed an alliance will definitely spread. At that time, Xiao Wenqin will definitely need you to guard this area! You don't need to worry too much."

Xiao Ce then waved his hand and said, "Of course, no one else has come looking for you yet, so it's still far from settled."

Xiao Yang nodded: "I'm not worried, I'll listen to my elder brother now!"

Xiao Ce asked Xiao Yang, "After this battle, are you still issuing arrest warrants for your army?"

Xiao Yang listened to Xiao Ce's words and nodded with a smile: "Brother, thanks to you, we have now expanded our army to 250,000. You even left some in the Western Regions, otherwise, we would have 350,000!"

Xiao Ce nodded: "Leaving some in the Western Regions is to let the people of the Western Regions support you. Moreover, no one can guarantee that there won't be any mutiny under your command. At that time, there will be a guarantee. In addition, you have 350,000 troops here, and it is said that there are now 500,000 troops in the Northern Desert. A total of 850,000 troops will have to be supported by me... Losing 100,000 means losing a lot of money and food."

Xiao Yang nodded repeatedly in agreement, and asked in surprise, "Brother Emperor? You have 500,000 troops in the Northern Desert! Why don't you send troops directly to the capital to mediate? With your troops, including my 250,000, plus 100,000 reserve troops, and at least 600,000 in the Western Regions, and the Turks are also your people, it wouldn't be a problem to ask them to send 200,000."

"If you calculate it this way, with an army of nearly 1.7 to 1.8 million, wouldn't their few hundred thousand troops be able to crush them?"

Hearing Xiao Yang's calculations, Xiao Ce gave a wry smile: "That's not how you calculate it. The people of the Western Regions are in dire need of rebuilding themselves. Moreover, if you withdraw all their troops, won't there be remnants of various countries among them? If they see the Western Regions are vulnerable, won't they take the opportunity to cause trouble?"

"And as for the northern desert, needless to say, Pan'er wanted to reduce the army, since a large army is a huge burden on the government, especially for someone like me with high welfare. But Pan'er still exaggerated the army to 500,000. Do you know what that means?"

Xiao Yang said, "So that means things aren't peaceful in the northern desert? Wait a minute, aren't the Turks your people? How come..."

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Do you remember what I told you before? There are always people more capable than you?"

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "Of course!"

Xiao Ce said, "North of the Gobi Desert, north of the Black River, there is a group of Slavs. They have a people called Tsarist Russia! Those people used to come and plunder, but they were not as threatening as the Turks. However, now that the Turkic threat has been resolved, those Tsarist Russians are still constantly invading."

"Moreover, it is said that within the territory of Tsarist Russia, their Tsar also achieved unification, and they established a country that was in no way inferior to the Kingdom of Xiao."

Xiao Yang's eyes widened after hearing this: "Slavs?"

Xiao Ce continued, "That's right! So the army in the northern desert is there to prevent the Slavs from entering. Moreover, the Slavs know that we in the northern desert have a lot of refined salt, as well as sugar, cement and other things. They are eyeing us covetously. Once the army in the northern desert makes any move, the Slavs will definitely take advantage of the situation. Then, all the results that I had Pan'er manage in the northern desert for nearly two years will have to be handed over to them."

"Furthermore, the Turkic border borders India, a country with a land area comparable to Xiao's and a much larger population. Although they are somewhat backward, the Turkic Kingdom alone is no match for India... Because I opened up trade, the people of India discovered the wealth of the Turkic region. By the same token, if they dare to send their entire forces out..."

"India will also take advantage of the situation, so although I seem to have so many troops, I can only actually muster about 200,000. Moreover, my soldiers are here to defend the country and prevent foreign enemies from taking them for granted. I don't want them to die in political struggles!"

Xiao Ce's words surprised Xiao Yang.

This completely upended Xiao Yang's worldview. In his eyes, the Xiao Kingdom was the largest country in his world, and its furthest reaches were only the northern deserts and the Western Regions...

No matter how far away the place was, in his eyes, it was all a wild land inhabited by savages!

In fact, it wasn't just Xiao Yang who had this idea; 99% of the people in the entire Xiao Kingdom shared this thought.

Xiao Ce, being a time traveler, naturally knew how vast the world was.

He knew all too well that falling behind meant being vulnerable to attack.

Therefore, he did not want the people of Xiao to be worn down in the civil war.

Not only was Xiao Yang surprised, but Lian Zhan's eyes were also shining: "Your Highness, are you telling the truth? There are countries abroad?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right. There are countries not only abroad, but also overseas. So we must strengthen ourselves. Otherwise, when they invade, if we don't have enough strength, we will be just like those in the northern deserts before, at the mercy of the Turks!"

Lien Chan nodded: "Your Highness, you are right... then we cannot afford to waste our energy in a civil war!"

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "Brother, whatever you tell me to do, I'll do..."

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Of course, this matter is also an opportunity. I have been struggling to take over the entire Xiao Kingdom! If I really want the Xiao Kingdom to become strong, it is not enough for me to control only a corner of the northern desert! So I need you, Xiao Yang, to become the emperor and develop it vigorously! Our Xiao Kingdom has been suffering from internal strife for too long."