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Ziyang City.

The autumn wind whistled, and Imperial General Du Yongyuan stood atop the city walls, his eyes fixed on the distant fluttering flag of the North Country, his heart filled with worry.

Although he had never personally experienced the combat strength of the North Country soldiers, the few wars that the North Country had engaged in since the North Prince's arrival revealed a military force that the Great Sum Army could not match.

The North Country not only defeated the Barbarian Tribe to the north but also overcame the formidable Great Wu, even forcing Great Wu to cede territory and pay reparations. The North Country was already more than just a feudal state of a dynasty.

Moreover, this time the North Country's army headed south, and it wasn't just the soldiers of the North Country that were moving south—the North Prince was too. If it were only the army, the North Country was likely pursuing some political objective, but the North Prince's joint presence implied that he was aiming to contend for the throne.

Any enemy standing in the North Prince's path would be utterly swept away by the North Country's Imperial Army.

In Du Yongyuan's heart, there was also another deeply unsettling matter.

As he headed north, the Sum Emperor had someone hint to him that he should offer symbolic resistance upon encountering the North Country's army, but he must not actually hold out against them. Ultimately, they had to create the appearance of the Imperial Army's defeat.

As a wise man, Du Yongyuan knew all too well what the Sum Emperor's intentions were. The Sum Emperor wanted to lure the North Prince to the Capital city.

It was bad enough that the Sum Emperor wanted to draw the North Prince to the Capital city, but then to send their two hundred thousand strong army north to a certain death? It would have been better not to deploy them at all; they could have simply stayed in the Capital city and waited for the North Prince to lead his army south.

What was the point of such actions?

Doing so would not only waste Imperial troops but also demoralize their soldiers. By the time the North Prince reached the Capital city, the Imperial court's chances of victory would decrease even further.

It was at this moment that a deputy general approached Du Yongyuan and said, "General, according to the scouts, there are only two hundred thousand North Country soldiers near Anping City. Shall we launch a preemptive attack?"

Hearing this, Du Yongyuan let out a snort of laughter, "An offensive? You do have quite the imagination."

"It's rumored that in the battle at Yongan County, the North Country soldiers routed Great Wu's three hundred thousand strong army in less than a day. Do you really believe our green recruits have more combat strength than Great Wu's battle-hardened veterans?"

The two hundred thousand Imperial soldiers under Du Yongyuan's command were not the elite of the court; they were recruited within the last one or two years, many of whom had never seen battle. They had little to no combat ability.

Du Yongyuan couldn't help but suspect if the Sum Emperor deliberately sent their two hundred thousand strong army to certain death, making the North Country believe this was the true strength of the Imperial soldiers, thereby loosening their vigilance.

If elite troops were initially dispatched to withstand the North Country's assault, the North Prince would have surely been exceedingly cautious on his march south.

Not dispatching troops wouldn't work either; if the Imperial court did not send a single soldier, even a fool could guess that the court had dug a large trap for the North Prince.

Regardless of the reason, Du Yongyuan felt extremely frustrated.

After all, Du Yongyuan was a General; a defeat would tarnish his reputation.

But he was also aware that his twenty thousand day-filling recruits stood no chance against the North Country's grand army, and he was merely a tool in the Sum Emperor's hand.

With this thought, Du Yongyuan sighed. It was pointless; he was just a General, unable to change anything. He would just follow the Sum Emperor's orders.

Meanwhile.

In Anping City, where Lu Chen was staying temporarily.

After a period of preparations, all the pre-battle arrangements had been completed, just waiting for Lu Chen's command.

At this time, Xuanyuan Chen arrived in the makeshift office where Lu Chen was dealing with affairs of state, "Your Majesty, we're only awaiting your command now."

Lu Chen glanced at the map on his desk and said indifferently, "There's no rush. Send someone to deliver this letter to the commanding officer at Ziyang City."

Having said that, Lu Chen pushed the letter he had just finished writing across to Xuanyuan Chen.

Looking at the letter before him, Xuanyuan Chen instantly understood Lu Chen's intention: Lu Chen planned to persuade Du Yongyuan to surrender. After all, both Du Yongyuan and his two hundred thousand strong army were from Great Sum, and Lu Chen himself was a Seignior of Great Sum, so avoiding battle was preferable.

Xuanyuan Chen took the letter and immediately said, "Your servant will arrange for someone to deliver the letter right away."

With that, Xuanyuan Chen left the study and sent someone to deliver Lu Chen's handwritten letter to Du Yongyuan.

By evening.

Du Yongyuan was still analyzing the map by the faint candlelight, attempting to locate the best retreat route.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Just then, a soldier spoke at the door, "General, an envoy from the North Prince Faction has arrived!"

Hearing this, Du Yongyuan was taken aback.

He immediately walked out of his room and asked the soldier at the door, "Who did you say sent an envoy?"

The soldier replied, "Reporting to the General, it was the North Prince."

After pondering for a moment, Du Yongyuan said, "Bring the envoy to my study immediately."

"Yes, General."

Shortly, a North Country soldier dressed in the garb of an ordinary civilian arrived at Du Yongyuan's study and personally handed him the letter, "General Du, this is a personal letter from our Great King. He hopes General Du will prioritize the well-being of the state over factional loyalty and not become a party to traitors." Stay updated through empire

Hearing this, Du Yongyuan scoffed internally. The North Prince had the gall to call others traitors, when it was apparent his own march southward was a bid for the throne.

Du Yongyuan then took the letter from the soldier's hands and read through it carefully.

The message from Lu Chen was simple: he was urging him to surrender without getting involved in the struggle for the throne.

Du Yongyuan thought to himself, if he surrendered outright, wouldn't he be effectively siding with the North Prince, still entangling himself in the battle for the throne?

Besides, the Sum Emperor was still alive, and the North Prince's march south was a clear challenge to his authority. Surrendering now would make him a rebel too.

Should he betray, his relatives and friends in the Capital city would suffer the consequences.

Thereupon, Du Yongyuan said to the North Country soldier, "You go back and thank the North Prince for his kind intentions, but my family and friends are in the Capital city. I do not wish to be a traitor, nor can I afford to be one."

After hearing Du Yongyuan's response, the soldier didn't say much else, merely a messenger, "I understand."

Latter, Du Yongyuan had the North Country soldier who delivered the letter escorted out of Ziyang City.

Once the North Country soldier had left Ziyang City, Du Yongyuan stared blankly at the letter in his hand.

Who would emerge as the final victor was something Du Yongyuan wasn't sure of; the power of the North Country was indeed formidable, having even defeated Great Wu.

However, the Prince Lu Yi of the south and the Zhao King also possessed considerable strength, both standing a chance to vie for that position.

Of course, the crux of the matter still lay in the fact that his relatives and friends were in the Capital city; under no circumstances could he betray the Imperial Court at this juncture.

Once he surrendered, his loved ones would likely become immediate casualties.