The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

Chapter 113 Jing Kingdom's Conditions

Ye Jiuchen watched Xiao Zixuan's departing figure and shook his head helplessly. Then, he turned to Dongfang Wan'er and said gently, "Wan'er, if you feel bored, you can go for a stroll in the city. I have some important matters to attend to."

Dongfang Wan'er smiled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking too." She had long wanted to go out for a walk, but she had never had the chance. Now that Ye Jiuchen had given her this freedom, she was naturally very happy.

So, Ye Jiuchen and Dongfang Wan'er got busy with their own affairs. Ye Jiuchen went to handle his own business, while Dongfang Wan'er prepared to go out shopping and enjoy some rare leisure time.

"Dark Night, send men to Jing Kingdom to mine iron ore..." Ye Jiuchen stared coldly into the distance, giving Dark Night his icy command.

“Yes…” Dark Night replied respectfully, then turned and went out to carry out his duties.

Ye Jiuchen then left the room and went to the military camp.

The military camp was bustling with activity as soldiers trained diligently and systematically. They brandished their weapons, shouts of battle rose and fell, and morale was high.

Upon seeing Ye Jiuchen arrive, the soldiers all stopped what they were doing and bowed to him: "Your Highness..."

"Your Majesty..."

Ye Jiuchen nodded slightly, a satisfied look on his face. He walked up to a soldier, carefully examined the weapon in his hand, and asked, "Is this weapon easy to handle?"

The soldier was flattered and quickly replied, "Your Highness, it was very easy!"

Ye Jiuchen nodded and continued walking forward. Just then, a soldier ran up to report, "Your Highness, the Jing Kingdom has invaded. Commander Wu is in his tent discussing countermeasures with several officials..."

"Okay, I understand..." Ye Jiuchen strode towards the military camp, his steps firm and powerful, as if each step resonated with everyone's heartstrings.

"Your Highness, you've finally arrived!" a soldier exclaimed excitedly, his voice filled with reverence and reliance on Ye Jiuchen. Ye Jiuchen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding soldiers, his eyes filled with majesty and confidence.

"Your Highness, you've come at the right time. For some reason, the Jing Kingdom has suddenly attacked, with hundreds of thousands of troops coming in a fierce manner, but they haven't come out of the city and have just set up camp outside the city walls..." Commander Wu said anxiously, his brows furrowed and his face full of worry.

Ye Jiuchen understood...

"Yes, Your Highness, now that General Lu has returned to the capital, there are only a few of us left to count the troops..." General Zhang echoed, his tone tinged with helplessness. Ye Jiuchen remained silent for a moment, fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the need for a calm response.

"Your Majesty..."

"My lord..."

Ye Jiuchen waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to say anything more.

He believed these generals were all loyal men, but given the urgency of the situation, their anxiety was understandable. Ye Jiuchen took out a contract from his robes and handed it to Commander Wu.

"This is the agreement between the Jing Kingdom and me, take a look..." Ye Jiuchen's voice was calm...

The generals took the documents and read them carefully, their expressions gradually becoming serious. Ye Jiuchen sat quietly to the side, observing their reactions.

"Is this true? That's wonderful! With iron ore, our Celestial Empire's weaponry can be upgraded to a new level!" a general exclaimed excitedly.

Another general frowned: "Your Highness, what does the Crown Prince of Jing mean? Does he perhaps have some kind of request?"

Ye Jiuchen listened to their discussion silently without saying a word. After a while, he slowly spoke: "I was assassinated on my way here."

"What? Is His Highness injured?" Everyone became anxious.

Ye Jiuchen nodded: "I was seriously injured. The capital has already received news of my death."

After hearing what Ye Jiuchen said, all the generals fell silent.

Ye Jiuchen continued, "It's my elder brother, the Emperor, who wants my life. And the Emperor of Jing is my maternal uncle. I'm considering whether to return to Jing." As he spoke, he casually fiddled with the ring on his finger.

"Your Highness, how can you be so calm? The Emperor actually did such a thing, isn't he afraid of being ridiculed by the world?" A general slammed his fist on the table in anger.

“Yes, Your Highness. You have been guarding the border all these years, making great contributions to the country. But the Emperor…” another general chimed in.

Ye Jiuchen sat on the tiger-skin chair, his face ashen, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"No matter what choice Your Highness makes, we will follow you to the death!" Commander Wu suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said.

Seeing this, the other generals also knelt down and shouted in unison, "We are willing to live and die with Your Highness!"

Ye Jiuchen took a deep breath and stood up…

Just then, a general suggested, "Your Highness, if we want that position, let's march straight into the capital, overthrow the emperor, and declare ourselves emperor!"

“That’s right, and the throne originally belonged to the prince, so why should it be given to someone else?” another general chimed in.

Ye Jiuchen waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down. He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I understand everyone's thoughts, but this matter is of great importance, so please allow me to consider it further. Right now, the most urgent task is to deal with the Jing Kingdom's army. Does anyone have any plans?"

The group exchanged glances, and one of the generals spoke up: "Your Highness, we can hold our troops and observe the Jing Kingdom's movements. At the same time, we should strengthen the city's defenses to prevent a surprise attack."

Ye Jiuchen nodded, gave the general an approving look, and then asked, "Any other suggestions?"

Another general stood up and said, "Your Highness, we can send envoys to the Jing Kingdom to try to resolve the issue through negotiations. After all, war will only bring more casualties and destruction."

Ye Jiuchen frowned, considering the feasibility of the suggestion. Finally, he nodded and said, "Alright, let's send an envoy to try it out first. However, we must also be prepared for battle, just in case."

The generals unanimously agreed and began discussing specific strategic plans.

Ye Jiuchen stood quietly to the side, listening to the discussion of countermeasures. In reality, he just wanted to see if these generals could handle things on their own without him. It seemed that everyone was doing quite well…

Another general suggested, "We can also send envoys to negotiate with the Jing Kingdom and find out their true intentions."

Ye Jiuchen nodded. "These ideas are all good. But the Crown Prince of Jing told me that he wants these cities. Then he'll give us the iron mines..."

Ye Jiuchen stood up and pointed to several cities on the map…

The generals looked at the cities on the map, their faces showing reluctance.

“These cities are the key points of our defense line. If we hand them over to the Jing Kingdom, our defenses will be greatly affected,” Commander Wu said worriedly.

"But if we don't agree to their conditions, we may face even greater pressure," another general analyzed.