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

"Living here is miserable, but dying is also unbearable... I have to fight for everyone. As long as I can escape and see our Third Young Master, I will have won!"

Those nearby saw Tojo Shōki's expression of resignation to death.

Then she said to him, "Okay... then I'll do as you say..."

"I'll go and tell everyone right away... Lord Xiao Ji, should we have a few more people?"

Tojo Shōki stopped the Japanese man's suggestion, saying, "No need... If too many people run away, it will easily arouse suspicion... I can go alone and remain silent. I have already figured out their defenses very well... The reason I didn't run away was because I had nowhere to run... Now that I have a place to run, I have a target!"

"Now I need some of your evening rations, because I might need to hide somewhere for a while..."

Upon hearing Tojo Shōki's words, the Japanese replied, "No problem... As long as Lord Shōki has a chance to escape, we'll give you not only a meal, but also our rations for the next few days... I'll continue to tell everyone... that no one should eat tonight, we'll give it all to you."

Tojo Shōki waved his hand: "We don't need that many. With so many, we can't run away even if we wanted to..."

The Japanese man standing nearby said to Tojo Shōki, "Then, Lord Shōki, I'll cooperate with you... I'll be in charge of talking to the others."

Tojo Shōki listened and nodded, "Then I'll leave everything to you..."

What happened next was passed down by word of mouth among them, and the story spread from one person to another...

After hearing this, the prisoners from Fusang seemed to have grasped at a straw.

They immediately agreed to the plan, and at mealtimes, they saved some of the not-so-tasty cornbread mixed with dirt.

Then he secretly handed it over to Tojo Shōki.

They believed they had done everything perfectly.

However, the guards on the side had already noticed the strangeness of these people.

In reality, these people from Fusang simply think that others don't understand.

Those guards were the elite of the elite, and their every move was under their watchful eyes.

They were like this before, and they are like this today.

Everyone was whispering amongst themselves; the guards didn't even need to watch them, they knew they weren't up to anything...

They went to find their team leader.

After listening, the team leader simply told them not to expose them and to let them do what they wanted...

It wasn't until evening, at the leader's instruction, that they continued.

They kept watching, waiting for them to discover it, and some people even gave their already meager rations to Tojo Shōki.

They then reported this to the team leader.

After listening, the team leader said, "It must be that Tojo Shōki is up to something."

One of the guards asked the officer in charge, "Captain, should we arrest that man first? I have a feeling they're going to cause trouble tonight..."

The team leader shook his head and said, "It's better to guide than to suppress... You managed to suppress him once, but let him escape. Then send people to keep a close eye on him..."

The guard nodded.

The team leader continued, "Those who cause trouble should naturally be dealt with properly."

The guard continued to nod.

At night, more guards were secretly added to the area.

The riots arrived as expected.

Those people from Fusang first set fire, and then attracted people to put out the fire.

The guards followed the instructions of their captain and acted out their assigned role.

Tojo Shōki seized the opportunity and secretly slipped out.

The path he was looking at was indeed a very hidden one, usually overlooked by the guards.

Just as Tojo Shōki was gloating over his escape.

Little did he know that he had been targeted by someone all along.

Their situation was reported to higher authorities one by one.

They were not far from Xiao Ce, so Xiao Ce heard the news the next day.

Listen to Da Lei, who came to report this matter.

"What do you think Tojo Shōki is trying to do?"

Without a second thought, Da Lei echoed Xiao Ce, saying, "It's obvious they've come to ask Tojo Koichi for help."

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "Tell them they don't need to follow him... If he can come and see Tojo Koichi, that's his ability..."

Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, you don't seem to care that they came to find Tojo Koichi. Moreover, I've noticed that your attitude towards Tojo Koichi has become somewhat cold these days."

Xiao Ce smiled and said to Da Lei, "Good eye... Not bad, that Tojo Koichi is no longer of any use. In order to get his father to provide him with substantial financial support, he has already sent a letter stating that we have already engaged in battle with the Slavic people and achieved great success..."

"Once he sent that letter, he was worthless... If he had insisted on sending more letters later, perhaps he could have been happy for a few more days... Now, he has squeezed every last drop of value out of himself... So, he can't blame me..."

"Send him there now. Tell our people here that if Tojo Shōki comes looking for us, don't stop him... Just let him tell Tojo Koichi..."

"Since this journey is going to be rather dull and tedious anyway, taking the dog for a walk is a pretty good option..."

Da Lei nodded: "Okay... I'll give the order right away."

In the following days, during the march and meals, Xiao Ce no longer went to see Tojo Koichi.

The food standards for Tojo Koichi and his group also dropped sharply, and they ate almost the same food as ordinary soldiers.

The staff members were the first to break down: "Young Master Gu Yi, what's going on? We're giving them more and more food and weapons... but why are they giving me less and less food? And is this even fit for human consumption?"

"Yes, Young Master Gu Yi, what's the meaning of that Northern Desert King? He used to come and report to you every day, morning and night... but now we can't even see him..."

"Do they think they're all grown up now...? Don't they know that we can take back what we give them?"

Seeing his staff members' indignant expressions, Tojo Koichi was equally displeased.

However, he is only thinking positively about Xiao Ce right now.

"Gentlemen, with a great battle imminent, His Highness the King of the Northern Desert must be extremely busy. You see him brimming with confidence, but he is determined to prove his abilities to us, so I imagine he is under a lot of pressure."

As he spoke, he looked at the indeed meager meal before him and said, "These things aren't bad, but this is what ordinary soldiers eat... Xiao Ce's every move must have his reasons. He'll definitely give us a satisfactory answer in the future. I guess he wants to tell us that the food we give them is a bonus for their soldiers."

"After all, these things are meager to us, but for these soldiers, they are already too good, too good..."

After Tojo Koichi explained it this way, the resentment of the staff members standing nearby was somewhat relieved.

...

They would inform Xiao Ce about everything that happened on their side as soon as possible.

So, while Xiao Ce was enjoying his meal, he listened to these reports.

"Hahaha, this is the idiot from Japan, getting sold out and still helping the seller count the money..."

Da Lei, standing to the side, said, "It's obvious, Your Highness, that you acted too well before, and he got too immersed in the role..."

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "You're still stupid."

Da Lei looked at Xiao Ce with some doubt and said, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, you're not going to fight the Slavic countries this time, are you?"

Xiao Ce was not surprised by Da Lei's words.

Da Lei was his confidant, always by his side, and he received all sorts of information from him.

Da Lei will also receive the news immediately.

"good..."

Da Lei asked with some doubt, "So you came all this way just to scam those supplies?"

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "Well, I'm not that bored."

Da Lei asked doubtfully, "Besides Slavic countries, what other countries could we fight? Is it India? Isn't Hu Yidao supposed to be leading some kind of revolution there, and it's been very successful!"

Xiao Ce looked at Da Lei's curious expression and said, "No rush... We'll find out in a few days."

After traveling for several days, Koichi Tojo could no longer bear it.

The reason is simple: Xiao Ce had completely forgotten about him. Eating that kind of food was like recalling the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present.

But eating it every day had long become unbearable for them.

Most importantly, they seemed to be under house arrest as well, surrounded by fully armed soldiers.

After their guards were transferred again, they never returned.

It was only then that Koichi Tojo gradually realized that something was wrong.

He wanted to break through their blockade directly.

However, they were still stopped by the guards.

Tojo Koichi said with a grim expression, "You dog! Do you know who I am? You know that even your Northern Desert King has to bow and scrape before me. Wherever I want to go, he will send me there... What, you dare to stop me now? Are you looking for death?"

The guard standing nearby said without batting an eye, "Mr. Koichi Tojo, our orders are to protect your safety and not let you leave our protective perimeter..."

Seeing this, Koichi Tojo said, "What if I insist on leaving?"

The guard on the side raised his hand, and the soldiers behind him drew their guns and pointed them at Tojo Koichi.

Koichi Tojo witnessed this scene, his face filled with disbelief, before he erupted in fury, shouting, "What do you mean? You bunch of bastards... You dare to stop me, and you even dare to point guns at me... Do you know where these guns you have come from?"

"You bastards, all these guns of yours are from us! We provided them to you! Every grain of food you eat now is from us... If it weren't for me, you would have starved to death long ago... You bunch of ingrates, you dare to stop me... Try touching me and see what happens... I don't believe it today."

As he spoke, Tojo Koichi walked forward.

The leading guard quickly pulled back the bolt of his rifle, making a synchronized sound.

Then the leader of the guards said something that almost drove Koichi Tojo to the brink of collapse.

"Young Master Gu Yi, the King of the Northern Desert has ordered that you arrive at the war zone immediately. To ensure your safety, no one is allowed to approach you. Furthermore, you are not permitted to leave the safe zone we have provided, or you will be executed without mercy! Including you!"

Koichi Tojo's eyes widened in shock, then he practically roared, "You fucking...you fucking...are you protecting me? Or are you going to kill me...?"

The staff member standing to the side looked at Tojo Koichi's impulsive behavior and then at the crew-cut soldiers around them, each of whom exuded a murderous aura.

Judging from their expressions, if Tojo Koichi really made any sudden movements, they would actually shoot.

What devastated the staff even more was a single sentence from the commander of the leading guards.

“Mr. Koichi Tojo, we certainly won’t kill you… but we will kill your staff. You certainly don’t want to leave… You’re a person who considers the bigger picture, and it was these staff who instigated you, wasn’t it? Or… I’ll kill one first…”

Before he could finish speaking, his staff were terrified and hurriedly waved their hands, saying, "No...no...no...we're not leaving...we're not leaving..."

Then, the advisors said to Koichi Tojo, "Young Master Koichi, they are right. They are only concerned for your safety... Let's go back. Let's go back."

Koichi Tojo was pulled back again.

In their lodgings, Tojo Koichi's face turned deathly pale with anger. He had been holding back his rage, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became...

"Damn it... No way! What does Xiao Ce mean by this? Is he kicking me to the curb after I've served my purpose? Or is he discarding me after I've done my bidding?"

To save his own life, the advisor quickly said, "Young Master... I suspect this wasn't Xiao Ce's idea."

Once one aide started, the others followed suit.

“That’s right…that’s right…I also think this wasn’t Xiao Ce’s idea…I think there might be an internal problem.”

"That's right! It's been so long since we've seen Xiao Ce. Do you think there's been a mutiny within their ranks... that Xiao Ce has been sidelined?"

"Kishimoto, what you're saying is very possible... You know, although Xiao Ce is trying to please us in Xiao Kingdom, many people there still hate us... This time it will definitely be like that..."

"We haven't seen Xiao Ce in a long time. Could he be being controlled by someone...?"

The advisor's words really convinced Koichi Tojo.