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

Tojo Shōki withdrew the disdainful look from his face.

Based on the current situation, it was indeed Takeda Nobunaga's impulsiveness on his side that led to this result.

Tojo Shōki pulled Cai Hui into his arms: "Madam, I don't mean to blame you. I just hate that Takeda Nobunaga for being so irresponsible. I've warned him repeatedly... but he still acts so recklessly."

Cai Hui nodded, then said to Tojo Shōki, "Lord Shōki, I warned you beforehand... that Xiao Zhan is quite a capable general, and that Xiao Ce is particularly cunning; they cannot be underestimated... Not only have we suffered heavy losses, but five thousand of your Fusang warriors have also perished... This loss is too devastating..."

"During this period, various forces have been stirring up trouble... If news of our crushing defeat gets out, it might embolden those who are already making moves! Once everyone thinks we're weakened, I fear they'll all come to encroach on our territory..."

Tojo Shōki frowned and said to Cai Hui, "Cai Hui, I will accompany the Emperor to report this situation truthfully... This time, I will send our people personally! We will settle the matter in one fell swoop!"

Seeing Tojo Shōki's confident expression, he was filled with astonishment, then excitedly exclaimed, "Lord Shōki... really? Can we really send the warriors of Fusō Province there in person? If so, we're sure to be able to turn the tide in one fell swoop..."

Tojo Shōki nodded: "That's right. Even with our weapons, your soldiers still aren't enough... You're right, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ce, and the Slavs have now formed an alliance... If we can't deliver a crushing blow, we'll truly be at a disadvantage..."

Cai Hui nodded: "So, how many troops are you planning to send?"

Tojo Shōki was silent for a moment, then said, "We have already sent 100,000 troops, so let's send them all in. This time, let our men set an example and show your men how a real battle is fought."

Cai Hui smiled excitedly at Tojo Shōki and said, "That would be wonderful!"

Tojo Shōki said with a ruthless look, "If those people hadn't harmed our people, they might still be alive. But now, at this moment, they absolutely have no chance of survival. Blood debts must be repaid in blood... I will make them pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

Upon hearing Tojo Shōki's words, Cai Hui excitedly said, "Lord Shōki, this should have been done long ago. Should I send them a letter and tell them to prepare early and do a good job of logistics to welcome the warriors from Fusang?"

Tojo Shōki nodded: "Of course... I need to go and apply with our Emperor! But he will definitely approve it!"

Cai Hui nodded without saying a word.

"Should we still pay attention to Xiao Tao's side?"

Tojo Shōki shook his head and said, "He's already holed up over there; there's no need for us to deal with him..."

"Once we eliminate Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ce's group of rebels, they will naturally lose... There's no need to waste time on them..."

Cai Hui said, "I just want to know, we've already tested this Xiaoyao Pill and confirmed it's effective... so why are those people over there..."

Tojo Shōki said, "Is it possible that they bought it secretly?"

Cai Hui's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "That's possible. After all, under your instructions, we've started selling these Xiaoyao Pills to the common people... If they want to buy them, it won't be difficult."

Tojo Shōki nodded: "Madam, don't waste your energy on these meaningless things... What we need to do now is wage a war that will shock the Xiao Kingdom, and even the Slavic people!"

Cai Hui nodded: "Lord Xiao Ji, please feel free to provide more details. I will definitely cooperate fully with you!"

...

Meanwhile, in Panlong City, those pills were being produced.

However, under Xiao Tao's call, these soldiers began to quit this thing in batches.

Although the process of quitting was extremely painful, Xiao Tao had repeatedly warned about the dangers of the Xiaoyao Pill within their city.

They, the Japanese, want to use the "Xiaoyao Pill" to control the entire country.

In fact, the people and soldiers of Xiao Kingdom are all very principled.

Seeing that some people had successfully quit the addiction to the drug, they all joined in.

The results were excellent, and the city lord of Panlong City also brought in many doctors to use herbal medicine to alleviate their pain.

As they practiced and explored, they actually found some herbal remedies that helped alleviate the pain.

These herbal decoctions have no side effects.

After several improvements, they have been able to reduce the suffering of addicts by at least half.

Moreover, Panlongcheng is located here.

At Xiao Ce's prior instruction, he summoned all the officials who had been dismissed from their posts and were at home.

After all, those people, though somewhat pedantic, were still considered talents of the Xiao Kingdom.

Xiao Ce learned this while in the Northern Desert Prince's Mansion, and it was something Yin Weiyong had advised him to do.

Yin Weiyong followed Xiao Ce's words and said that those old ministers had shed their corrupt air, and many of them were still very capable.

And under the bullying of these people from Fusang, they have all changed their appearance.

Yin Weiyong had told Xiao Ce that although the Xiao Kingdom was now riddled with problems.

However, these war-torn countries will one day restore peace.

This will be where those veteran officials come in handy.

So Xiao Ce asked Xiao Tao to help him with this task.

Xiao Tao then sent invitations to those veteran officials.

Many of the former officials of the Xiao Kingdom, upon hearing the invitation, came to join him.

Although these veteran officials are all retired and staying at home, the territories now occupied by Cai Hui are in complete chaos.

In their eyes, this was utterly rebellious, and they had long disliked it.

But there's simply no way to do it.

After they found Panlong City and saw what they had done, they all praised Xiao Tao highly.

However, Xiao Tao also laid it all out: Xiao Ce had taught them all of this.

The ministers were initially surprised.

Xiao Tao then recounted all the things Xiao Ce had done, one by one.

This includes Xiao Ce asking Xiao Tao to invite them over for protection, saying that they are the future of Xiao Kingdom and the cornerstone of Xiao Kingdom.

After hearing this, all the ministers wept bitterly.

They exclaimed in alarm, beating their chests and stamping their feet, saying that they themselves were pedantic.

They were all involved in impeaching Xiao Ce.

Looking back now, they realize that if they had insisted on making Xiao Ce the crown prince back then...

The Xiao Kingdom wouldn't be like that now.

But there's no going back in this world...

They wanted to bring Xiao Ce back to the throne, but Xiao Tao said that Xiao Ce had no interest in becoming emperor.

These ministers felt that Xiao Ce must be arguing with them out of spite.

They had intended to personally go and ask Xiao Ce to ascend the throne, but Xiao Tao said that the world was in chaos and he did not have the ability to send them there safely.

Xiao Tao quickly came up with a solution, telling them not to think about going to find Xiao Ce for the time being.

After all, there's no point in them going to find Xiao Ce now.

Instead, they should work together to identify the problems in the Xiao Kingdom and list them out.

Next, let them address these issues...

This tactic proved effective; after all these events, the problems of the Xiao Kingdom had already become apparent.

They argued and fought almost every day.

First, the problems were identified, and then reforms were discussed...

Xiao Tao didn't interfere in their affairs, as long as they didn't cause trouble by leaving to find Xiao Ce.

In Xiao Tao's eyes, if these people went to find Xiao Ce, they would definitely cause trouble for Xiao Ce...

Xiao Ce is extremely busy right now, and Xiao Tao feels that it's better to trouble himself than to let them bother Xiao Ce.

Therefore, Xiao Tao's daily task was to bring them together to discuss matters.

Once they've tired themselves out arguing, they won't even think about going to find Xiao Ce.

On this day, Xiao Tao propped his head up and sat in the main seat, while the officials below him all had red faces and thick necks.

Xiao Tao heard it as a bored yawn.

Just then, he saw the city lord appear at the door.

Xiao Tao felt as if he had seen a savior, and let the ministers continue arguing, as he had some matters to attend to.

The ministers were arguing so fiercely that no one paid any attention to him.

The city lord looked at Xiao Tao as he walked out and said, "Your Highness, you put yourself in the situation so that they wouldn't have to trouble the Northern Desert King."

Xiao Tao gave a wry smile and said to the city lord, "Your Majesty, I'm just idling around anyway... I don't have anything to do right now. Although they're arguing, they've actually come up with some pretty good solutions through their arguments."

"Perhaps one of our suggestions will be adopted by the Emperor in the future. Then we will have done something for the country."

The city lord nodded after hearing Xiao Tao's words.

Before he could answer, Xiao Tao, seeing the city lord rushing over, asked, "City lord, how is it? Has the emperor sent a letter?"

The city lord shook his head and said, "It wasn't a letter from the Northern Desert King's Mansion, but a message from the capital."

Looking at the city lord's expression, Xiao Tao smiled and said, "Judging from your expression, city lord, it must be good news."

The city lord nodded and said to Xiao Tao, "Your Highness, you are right. News from Kyoto says that Xiao Xiangqing and Tang Ji's army, as well as the famous Japanese general Takeda Nobunaga, have already engaged Xiao Zhan in battle, and as a result, they suffered a crushing defeat!"

"Tang Ji and Xiao Xiangqing's army suffered over 100,000 casualties, and the 5,000 Fusang soldiers were completely annihilated!"

"What? Completely wiped out!"

Before Xiao Tao could speak, the officials who had been arguing inside all stuck their heads out and exclaimed in surprise.

The city lord looked at the surprised expressions on the faces of his officials.

He didn't intend to hide this; this kind of news should be widely publicized to inspire people...

The city lord nodded.

"It must be His Highness the King of the Northern Desert who is secretly helping us!"

"Indeed, although Prince Xiao Zhan is skilled in battle, without Prince Xiao Ce's support, they would never have been able to achieve such a great victory!"

"Your Highness, the King of the Northern Desert, truly is the hope of our Xiao Kingdom..."

"Yes, long live His Highness the King of the Northern Desert!"

As these ministers talked, they got carried away with their own words.

One by one, they knelt on the ground, their expressions filled with excitement, facing the direction of Xiao Ce's location in the northern desert.

"Long live the King of the Northern Desert! Long live the King! Long live the King!"

"We are incompetent and trapped here! We truly wish we could personally congratulate you..."

"Yes, we are incompetent...unable to share Your Highness's burdens..."

Xiao Tao's face twitched a few times as he watched these ministers putting on such a show.

Seeing how emotional they were, their next move would be to clamor for Xiao Ce to ascend the throne.

Xiao Tao quickly said, "My ministers, His Highness surely knows your hearts! However, do you think you can offer His Highness the King of Mobei any help right now?"

"You have already identified the problems that Xiao Kingdom currently faces... Xiao Kingdom has countless problems. If you were to give all of these problems to His Highness the King of Mobei, wouldn't you be burdening him with too much work?"

"Now His Highness the King of the Northern Desert is helping us fight on the front lines. We in the rear should try our best to find solutions to these problems."

"Once His Highness has driven the Fusang people away, we will compile the issues you raised and their solutions into a booklet and submit it to His Highness the King of the Northern Desert. That would truly be helping His Highness..."

Everyone was taken aback at first, then nodded vigorously, saying to Xiao Tao, "Your Highness, you're right..."

As they spoke, almost seamlessly, each of them found their own adversaries and began arguing.

Upon seeing this, the city lord gave Xiao Tao a thumbs up.

He then smiled and said, "Your Highness, you really know how to deal with them!"

Xiao Tao smiled and said, "Haven't we been spending a lot of time together? By the way, after such a crushing defeat, aren't Tojo Xiaoji and Cai Hui going crazy?"

The city lord nodded: "It is said that the army of Fusang is already assembling. All the Fusang troops that came here have assembled. It seems they want to launch a major attack!"

Xiao Tao's eyes lit up slightly: "If they really pull out all the stops, isn't our chance coming?"

The city lord nodded: "That's right, Your Highness, that's exactly what I meant. Although there's been no news from His Highness the King of the Northern Desert, shouldn't we start making preparations as soon as possible?"

Xiao Tao nodded: "Okay, you tell Xiao Yang what you've learned... Once they set off, we can move in too!"

The city lord nodded: "Yes, sir!"

Xiao Tao asked, "By the way, how many people on our side have already given up the 'Xiaoyao Pill'?"

The city lord said, "Your Highness, half of them are already here! There are still a few more, and they should be almost done in a few days... If we really have to take action, I think we can use about 70% of them!"