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

Xiao Ce nodded: "Even so, before that Nikolayevich Reis left, I had a private conversation with him..."

"He's a smart man. If he's smart, it's a win-win situation for us. Of course, if he's not smart, unless I can't get past this... I'll make trouble for them sooner or later!"

With a firmer look in his eyes, Xiao Ce said, "However, no matter what, I'm sure I can get through this!"

Da Lei had no doubt about this: "That's for sure... Your Highness, you've encountered so much trouble along the way. But I've never seen any difficulty stop you from moving forward."

"Even though it's a mess right now, you've only taken three years to come back!"

"And this time, you are the one everyone hopes for!"

Xiao Ce gave a wry smile: "Does this count?"

Before Da Lei could answer, Xiao Ce said with a smile, "However, I've done everything I could... Actually, having lived this long, I understand one principle very well: man proposes, God disposes! We've done everything we could... Now we should listen to fate..."

Da Lei nodded.

...

At this time in Japan, all the cabinet members, generals, and the emperor were gathered together.

Because they had also received a letter from Xiao Ce.

Tojo Shōki's crushing defeat left them extremely frustrated, as they had thought their entire army had been annihilated.

However, they learned that there were still nearly 20,000 prisoners.

They were still extremely cautious.

After all, although it was a crushing defeat, they felt that it had nothing to do with their soldiers.

Their Emperor sat in the main seat: "Gentlemen, how do you feel now?"

"Should we send someone over to continue the talks?"

A cabinet minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's unnecessary. Even if he has captured some of our people, he has killed far more... This is a blood feud. If we talk to those vermin from Xiao Kingdom, they will think we are afraid of them!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty! The merchants who returned from Xiao Kingdom have already said that Xiao Kingdom is currently in an extremely weak state, and their gold, silver, treasures, and grain have all been transported back by us."

"Yes, as we businessmen have said, without our support, nearly two hundred million of their people would have starved to death!"

"They're approaching us to negotiate now simply to gauge our attitude..."

The people here are very resolute; they are completely united in their stance: they will not agree.

The Emperor nodded: "Should we send someone over?"

A cabinet minister said, "Your Majesty, I think it's possible... We can go openly and show our firm stance! We can make them unconditionally release the hostages and submit to us! We can make their entire nation surrender to us, and in this way... we can alleviate their famine..."

"Otherwise, let those people starve to death... Hahaha!"

The Emperor nodded, then said, "Alright, who is willing to go on the mission?"

A shrewd-looking man stepped out from the side: "We, the Tojo family, are willing to go! Tojo Shōki is our servant; the mess he made, we'll naturally take responsibility for..."

The Emperor glanced at the person who came out.

This person belongs to one of the major families in the country of Fusang.

The affairs of Xiao Kingdom were also handled by the Tojo family.

The Emperor addressed Tojo Seisuke, saying, "Very well, Head of the Tojo Clan! The affairs of Xiao Province are now in your hands... I hope you will see them through to the end!"

Tojo Seisuke's face was cold and stern: "Your Majesty, rest assured. The purpose of emptying Xiao's assets back then was precisely to prevent them from retaliating. Although they have retaliated now, all they have gained is an empty shell of a country and a whole bunch of burdens."

"For them, this was a losing proposition... Your Majesty, I will definitely defeat them!"

The Emperor nodded: "Very good! Head of the Tojo family, you should know that our Fusang Kingdom has other battlefields! At present, we cannot spare too many troops to continue to be deployed to the Xiao Kingdom battlefield."

Tojo Seisuke nodded: "Your Majesty, the Xiao Kingdom, though seemingly unified, has actually fallen. Without food, they face only one option: disintegration."

"Their emperor had no other choice but to compromise with us!"

The Emperor asked Tojo Seisuke, "Head of the Tojo family, have you ever considered... there is another Slavic country..."

Tojo Seisuke chuckled and said, "The Slavic countries helped them before precisely to deal with us. Now, the Slavic people probably wish he were dead..."

Seeing Tojo Seisuke's confident demeanor, the Emperor said, "Alright, Head of the Tojo Clan, since you're so confident, then, as before, I'll leave this matter to you."

Tojo Seisuke nodded: "Your Majesty, please trust me one more time. The previous defeat was an accident... In fact, if it weren't for the support of the Slavic people, we wouldn't have lost..."

The Emperor nodded: "I agree with that..."

A lord from Japan said, "Your Majesty, if the Tojo clan head still cannot conquer Xiao this time, then our Tokugawa clan will have to take responsibility."

The Emperor did not give an answer, but instead looked at Tojo Seisuke to one side.

Tojo Seisuke nodded: "Alright! No problem. Give me another six months. If I can't take over Xiao Kingdom, I'll hand it all over to you. Our Tojo family will no longer interfere in Xiao Kingdom's affairs!"

A round, chubby man standing nearby smiled and said, "Okay...it's settled then!"

This person is named Tokugawa Heiyasu, the head of the Tokugawa family, one of the six great families of Fusang.

Tokugawa Heiyasu then addressed Tojo Seisuke, saying, "Of course, we still hope you can take it down in one fell swoop. After all, I've heard that you, head of the Tojo family, have been planning this for a long time..."

"Now that you've conquered Xiao Kingdom, it will be much easier for our Tokugawa family to attack that Slavic Empire..."

Tojo Seisuke nodded with a forced smile: "I hope so too..."

The Emperor nodded: "Head of the Tojo family, the Xiao Kingdom plays a very important role in our strategy in East Asia! Therefore, you must also be cautious. This incident shows that there are still intelligent people within the Xiao Kingdom..."

Tojo Seisuke nodded: "Your Majesty, we will only make the same mistake once, not twice."

The Emperor nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then announced the end of the meeting.

...

The people here also had their own thoughts about going back.

After rushing back, Tojo Seisuke immediately went to find his retainers.

And his children.

They all knew about what was happening in the Xiao Kingdom.

Tojo Seisuke addressed the crowd, saying, "You must have heard about what happened... Next, who is willing to go to Xiao Kingdom?"

The group looked at each other.

Finally, it was Tojo Koichi, the third son of Tojo Seisuke, who spoke up: "Father, I am willing to go!"

When Tojo Seisuke heard Tojo Koichi speak, he nodded and said, "You know what we're going to do."

Koichi Tojo said, "Of course, we'll rescue the hostages and make them surrender willingly..."

Tojo Seisuke nodded: "Are you confident?"

Koichi Tojo couldn't hide his confidence: "Of course, Father. Although they've won the war, they have no food. If they don't follow us and beg for mercy, their people will die off in droves... Once their people are all dead, their country will be practically extinct..."

"So, they had no choice!"

Tojo Seisuke listened and nodded: "Very good, then you know. Things haven't gone so smoothly."

Koichi Tojo said to Seisuke Tojo, "Father, you must believe in my abilities..."

Tojo Seisuke said, "Okay, but you need to be careful."

Tojo Koichi raised his head slightly and then said, "Father, even if they had a lot of guts, they wouldn't dare to do anything! The letter they sent us shows their attitude... they've chickened out!"

“Father, I know my limits... Besides, they're trying to play mind games with me... Humph…”

As Koichi Tojo spoke, a look of disdain appeared in his eyes.

Tojo Seisuke then remembered his son's various behaviors and smiled: "Alright, then you can go... We will try our best to satisfy whatever you want! If you handle this matter smoothly, you will be the one who does the most good job... As long as you make that Xiao Ce over there a dog wagging its tail by your side, you will have completed the mission."

Koichi Tojo said confidently, "Father, just you wait. It's actually a very simple matter, but it's been demonized in our country... Just watch me..."

After they reached an agreement, they first replied to Xiao Ce and then set off.

...

For the next few days, Xiao Ce was in a good mood.

Firstly, it was because he received replies from both countries, namely Fusang and Slavic countries.

Moreover, according to the information they received, the Slavic people did not come empty-handed.

Following closely behind them was a convoy that stretched as far as the eye could see. Although the convoys were all covered, it was clear that they carried grain.

They estimated that there were at least tens of millions of shi (a unit of dry measure), but that was just an estimate.

This made Xiao Ce extremely happy. It seemed that what he had said to Nikolayevich Ries of the Slavic country earlier had not been in vain.

If they really did provide tens of millions of shi (a unit of dry measure), and then exchanged prisoners for tens of millions of shi.

Therefore, their food crisis can be considered to have been resolved.

Now, the Northern Desert Royal Palace has sent a lot of its stored grain to provide support, and the Kingdom of Tianzhu has also contributed a portion.

The Turkic Khaganate did not have much food reserves due to previous wars with the Slavic countries.

However, the current predicament has been resolved.

A full month passed, and various places gradually returned to normal from that chaotic situation.

The current situation is exactly the same as when we went to the northern desert.

Xiao Ce used the same method to begin inspiring the people.

If we were invaded by Japan, the only good thing would be that these people would force those powerful families and clans to break up.

Therefore, his decrees were issued quite smoothly.

After Yin Weiyong arrived, he began to implement the policies of the Northern Desert Prince's Palace.

Learning from the experience of the Northern Desert King's Palace, they avoided many detours.

Furthermore, Xiao Ce joined forces with Xiao Tao to help Xiaoyao Wan (a type of pill) to cure his addiction.

Not only can those who can quit their jobs receive tax breaks, but they can also accumulate residency points, which can be redeemed for welfare benefits in many countries.

These were all tested at the Northern Desert Royal Palace.

After the potato seeds were distributed, the first batch of potatoes was planted.

Everything proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.

Xiao Ce estimated that if all went well, they could overcome the difficulties in six months and the people could return to normal life within a year.

Of course, war must not break out again during this period.

During this month, Nikolayevich Ries and her brother Eva also arrived here.

During Xiao Ce's investigation, he found that these Slavic people were truly sincere this time.

They brought a full 100 million bushels of grain, completely relieving their urgent crisis...

So, I heard that their delegation arrived early this morning.

Xiao Ce, accompanied by his civil and military officials, was greeted outside the city.

Nikolayevich Ries and Eva approached and saw the people standing at the city gate.

"Brother, isn't this quite a large entourage? So many people have come!" Nikolayevich Eva had expected them to be warmly received.

But I didn't expect it to be this big.

Nikolayevich Ries smiled: "Actually, this is to be expected... We've provided so much food, which has already solved the biggest problem. We can accept this kind of treatment."

They could see clearly along the way that, under Xiao Ce's series of decrees, everything was developing in a thriving manner.

However, all of this is under the condition that everyone has food.

They were able to see that after the plunder of Fusang, the people there were actually starving.

Almost everyone was hungry...

Fortunately, they had brought their own food, so they didn't eat the unpalatable food.

At Eva's suggestion, Rhys also discussed with Xiao Ce that they could provide some food to alleviate their immediate crisis.

Halfway there, they also gave 20 million shi (a unit of dry measure).

Otherwise, if they wait until they reach Kyoto and then discuss the matter, some people will inevitably starve to death.

Therefore, what Rhys said—that they were also saviors of the Xiao people—is not entirely untrue...

As the two of them were talking, the group drew closer to Xiao Ce and his companions.

Xiao Ce greeted him with a warm smile...