Mo Jingli learned of the Prince of Zhennan’s unusual movements immediately. Even if Mo Jingli was foolish, he still remembered that Jiangnan was his true capital for establishing himself. Moreover, Mo Jingli was never truly a fool – he was simply not as clever as some others. Therefore, upon receiving word of the Prince of Zhennan’s movements, Mo Jingli immediately used his authority as Regent to order Murong Shen, who was leading troops northward, to block the Prince of Zhennan from heading south with all his might. Murong Shen’s northward campaign was originally because the northern forces had been thoroughly defeated by the Prince of Zhennan. Since he was already going to settle accounts with Lei Zhenting, it didn’t matter where he confronted him. After receiving Mo Jingli’s orders, he immediately led his army that was headed north to turn southeast instead, intending to block the Xiling army’s advance.

Even after making these arrangements, Mo Jingli still couldn’t rest easy. He secretly ordered his trusted subordinates to quietly prepare for moving the capital south, completely disregarding the fate of the soldiers still fighting against the Northern Territory and Northern Rong. However, Mo Jingli’s actions didn’t truly escape everyone’s notice. Soon, a secret letter was dispatched toward Zijing Pass northeast of the Chu capital.

At Zijing Pass, the increasingly difficult battles had aged and thinned Leng Huai considerably over this past month. The Northern Territory’s army, seeming to sense that Great Chu was at its limit, had begun increasingly frenzied attacks since Northern Rong forces entered the pass. Leng Huai had reason to believe that Northern Rong and the Northern Territory had long since secretly allied. However, the supplies and military provisions sent from the Chu capital to Zijing Pass grew less and less each day. Since the new emperor’s ascension, this month’s provisions were already delayed by ten days. If another ten days passed without supplies arriving, Great Chu would fall without the Northern Territory even having to attack.

“Father, what did you summon me for?” Called suddenly to the study, Leng Xiaoyu looked at his deeply furrowed-browed father with a carefree expression, as if completely unable to understand the source of his father’s worries. His composed demeanor only served to anger Leng Huai further. He didn’t know when it started, but this son always maintained this devil-may-care attitude in front of him, as if nothing mattered and someone else would handle any problems. Although he now knew that Leng Xiaoyu wasn’t truly a good-for-nothing noble youth, seeing this attitude still made Leng Huai want to lose his temper.

“What kind of appearance is that, grinning like a fool!” Leng Huai said sternly.

Leng Xiaoyu pursed his lips. Did one have to be like Leng Da, wearing a sour face all day as if someone owed him millions in silver and wouldn’t repay it, to be considered proper? Rolling his eyes, Leng Xiaoyu said, “Father, what’s the matter? I still need to go play with Ting’er.” A vein throbbed on Leng Huai’s forehead. “Play? At a time like this, do you still have time to play with your wife? What’s wrong with your wife? If you don’t understand the situation, does she not understand either? Making mischief all day!”

Leng Xiaoyu was typically indifferent when criticizing himself, but speaking ill of his beloved wife was another matter. Leng Xiaoyu said displeasedly, “What’s wrong with my wife? She can manage the household, bear children, help me with business, and even accompany me to the battlefield. Even if she’s not comparable to Prince Ding’s wife, she’s not bad, is she? How about your wife? How about your eldest daughter-in-law?” Toward the end, Leng Xiaoyu grew increasingly proud again, as if truly feeling his wife was quite excellent.

Leng Huai’s mouth twitched at this retort. He said helplessly, “I didn’t call you here to listen to you brag about your wife!”

“Am I bragging? I’m just stating facts, alright?” Leng Xiaoyu grumbled dissatisfiedly under his breath, thinking silently, Weren’t you the one who brought it up? Why didn’t you just get to the point earlier? “What’s the matter, Father? Just say it directly.”

Leng Huai frowned and said gravely, “What exactly is happening in the capital? Don’t say you don’t know. I know you have other sources of information.” Leng Xiaoyu smiled at him and asked, tilting his head back, “Then Father, do you know where my information comes from? Do you want to use it? What will you use to repay it?”

“This…” Leng Huai was at a loss for words. Although Leng Xiaoyu had never said anything explicitly, through their interactions these past few months, and since Leng Xiaoyu hadn’t particularly tried to hide it, he had more or less guessed what his son had been up to all these years. While one part of him was shocked and angry at his son’s boldness and willfulness, as a father, he also felt some pride and comfort that his son could achieve such capability and success without relying on family help. Leng Xiaoyu wasn’t in a hurry, smiling as he waited for his father to decide.

After a good while, Leng Huai glared at him with some embarrassed anger and said, “You’re my son. As your father, do I need to pay money just to ask you for information?”

Leng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and looked at him somewhat mockingly, but didn’t make things difficult. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “Actually, it’s nothing much. The Prince of Zhennan’s path back to Xiling was cut off by Prince Ding. He’s planning to abandon his homeland and seize Li Wang’s territory in Jiangnan. Li Wang naturally isn’t willing to easily give up his territory, so he’s secretly preparing to return to Jiangnan. To return to Jiangnan, he’ll naturally need to take many things and even military forces back with him, so how would he have time to care about your little Zijing Pass? After all, Li Wang isn’t the emperor – even if he loses the capital, he still has the prosperous Jiangnan region. For him, there’s not much loss.”

“What?” While Leng Xiaoyu spoke casually, Leng Huai’s face turned ashen as he listened. “How is this possible? Doesn’t Li Wang know that once the capital falls, half of Great Chu is finished!”

Leng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and said, “If you don’t believe me, why ask? Even if Li Wang doesn’t give up, what difference would it make? Northern Rong has already entered the pass. Before long, they’ll fight their way to the Chu capital. At that time, how long can your Zijing Pass hold out? If they retreat then, I fear Mo Jingli won’t even be able to keep Jiangnan. Of course, he has to leave first. Once in Jiangnan, he won’t need to be just a Regent. After the young emperor is killed by either Northern Rong or the Northern Territory, he can directly ascend the throne as emperor.”

Leng Huai was speechless. Although Leng Xiaoyu’s words were crude and unadorned, they undoubtedly hit the mark. But to just abandon Zijing Pass that they had defended for so long, especially knowing the consequences of abandoning it – how could he possibly accept that?

“Then why did you come? Prince Ding sending you here must have some purpose, right? Does Prince Ding truly intend to watch Great Chu fall with his eyes wide open?” At this point, Leng Huai no longer avoided the subject of Leng Xiaoyu’s allegiance.

Leng Xiaoyu’s expression immediately turned ugly. He sneered, “Why did I come? Who told you to be so reckless, rushing to the battlefield at your age? I came to see whether I’d need to collect yours or Leng Qingyu’s corpse! As for Prince Ding, give up hope. Right now Prince Ding is in Xiling. Even if he changed his mind, he couldn’t grow wings and fly back.” Regardless of Mo Xiuyao’s thoughts, Leng Xiaoyu’s presence here was genuinely due to concern that his old man might accidentally get himself killed on the battlefield. Unexpectedly, the other party showed no appreciation at all, so it was no wonder Leng Xiaoyu’s expression turned sour.

Leng Huai knew he had spoken too hastily in his anxiety and didn’t mind Leng Xiaoyu’s harsh words. Looking at his son’s dark expression before him, he couldn’t help but sigh, saying, “Enough. In a few days, take Ting’er and quickly return to the capital.” Leng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, “What does this mean?”

Leng Huai said irritably, “You also said Zijing Pass can’t be held. Your brother and I are Great Chu’s generals – dying in battle is our duty. Don’t tell me you want to join in the excitement too. While the situation is still somewhat manageable, leave quickly. The Leng family… if you have the ability, take care of it somewhat.” Even if he was loyal to Great Chu and the royal family, he hadn’t truly planned to sacrifice all his sons. Leng Xiaoyu wasn’t originally a Great Chu official, so naturally, Leng Huai felt no pressure to tell him to leave quickly.

However, Leng Xiaoyu didn’t accept this kindness, rolling his eyes and saying, “Take care of your wife, children, and grandchildren.” I begged the prince and rushed to Zijing Pass, but it wasn’t really to collect your corpse, Leng Xiaoyu silently complained in his heart.

Leng Huai assumed he had issues with the Leng family and shook his head helplessly, saying, “Fine then, each has their fate. Do as you wish.”

Leng Xiaoyu frowned and looked at Leng Huai, saying, “Haven’t you thought about retreating? Do you plan to have these hundreds of thousands of soldiers die with you at Zijing Pass?” Leng Huai smiled bitterly, “Retreat? Retreat where? The Chu capital is right behind us. We might be able to retreat, but where can these ordinary citizens go? In my life, I’ve never fought any earth-shattering battles, but I’ve also never been a coward who abandons their city and flees.” Leng Xiaoyu could only roll his eyes and wave his hand, saying, “Fine, I won’t manage you, and you don’t manage me. When it’s time to leave, I’ll naturally leave.” When it truly becomes unavoidable, I’ll just knock this old man out and package him off to the northwest. Although he found this old man disagreeable, he hadn’t planned to arrange his father’s funeral so early. Moreover, the prince still wanted a capable military general. Hmm… just over fifty years old, not too old yet, could still lead troops for a few years!

Leng Huai felt very uncomfortable under his son’s strange appraising gaze, but couldn’t guess what he was thinking for the moment. He could only wave his hand to dismiss him.

Speaking of Zijing Pass, while Leng Huai’s steadfast defense temporarily blocked the Northern Territory army’s advance, the other side wasn’t having it so easy. Most of Northern Rong’s forces were cavalry, and the harsh climate beyond the pass had not only made Northern Rong soldiers more fierce than Great Chu’s people inside the pass but their warhorses could be said to be the finest among all nations. Among neighboring countries, only the Mo family army’s Black Cloud Cavalry could be mentioned in the same breath as Northern Rong’s cavalry in terms of mounted forces, but the Black Cloud Cavalry’s numbers were far fewer than Northern Rong’s cavalry. Moreover, the Black Cloud Cavalry excelled at long-distance raids, striking and withdrawing quickly. In a face-to-face battle, they might not necessarily be able to defeat Northern Rong’s army. So one can imagine the scene after hundreds of thousands of Northern Rong’s iron cavalry entered the pass.

The Northern Rong people were quite different from those of the Northern Territory. Though most people from the Northern Territory were also considered barbarians from beyond the borders, Ren Qining, or rather Lin Yuan, was from the Central Plains, and he had gathered many capable people from the Central Plains under his command. He also knew that his goal was to rule the Central Plains, not destroy it. Therefore, while the Northern Territory army’s passage couldn’t be called completely harmless, it didn’t result in major massacres. However the Northern Rong people were different – they were purely nomadic people, and their invasion of the Central Plains was driven by the desire to seize its fertile lands and abundant resources for themselves. Thus, they showed no mercy in slaughtering the Great Chu civilians who originally owned these resources. In the wake of Northern Rong’s advance through the north, one could say the land was filled with suffering, with rivers running red with blood. Seven or eight out of every ten people along their path perished.

The atmosphere in the Regent’s mansion in the Chu capital was heavy with tension. The Duke of Hua glared furiously at the composed Mo Jingli before him. The Duke’s wish to guard the border ultimately went unfulfilled, not because Mo Jingli didn’t trust the Duke’s abilities, but because, like Mo Jingqi, he was wary of the Duke of Hua. Though no one said it openly, Mo Jingli had a good idea of where the missing empress had gone. He naturally had reason to believe that the Duke of Hua’s household had already secured their escape route. What worried him was that the Duke might lead Great Chu’s army to defect to the northwest.

“Your Highness, Northern Rong’s forces have entered the pass, and the Northern Territory’s army is pressing our borders. Why do you still refuse to send supplies to General Leng?!” the Duke of Hua demanded harshly.

Mo Jingli’s eyes flashed with surprise as he said coolly, “The old Duke’s intelligence network is quite impressive.”

The Duke of Hua snorted lightly and said calmly, “I’ve spent half my life on campaigns; I still have a few old acquaintances in the military.” Although the Hua and Leng families had never gotten along particularly well, when Leng Huai first entered the battlefield, he had served under the Duke of Hua for some time. So, it wasn’t strange for the Duke to inquire about this now.

Mo Jingli certainly didn’t believe the Duke’s words, but he didn’t show it. He merely said softly, “The old Duke should know that since the Mo family army’s split with Great Chu, the north… was bound to fall sooner or later.” Speaking of this, Mo Jingli wasn’t truly free from dejection. Even though he wasn’t emperor yet, he was Great Chu’s actual controller. No ruler wants to see their territory invaded, but facts were facts and he had no choice but to acknowledge them.

The Duke of Hua gave a cold laugh and said, “Without supplies, without reinforcements, naturally it can’t be held. I know Prince Li’s foundation is in the south, and hearing that the Regent of Xiling is marching south has naturally made you anxious.”

“Duke of Hua!” Mo Jingli’s face flashed with anger as he said sternly, “Mind your words!”

The Duke didn’t back down at all. “Am I wrong? Isn’t Your Highness withholding General Leng’s supplies and denying northern reinforcements because you want to head south?” A look of embarrassment flashed in Mo Jingli’s eyes as he said angrily, “The South has always been more important than the North. If Lei Zhenting takes Jiangnan as well, the north won’t be able to hold either. How are we supposed to handle being attacked from both front and back while caught in the middle? This is all Mo Xiuyao’s doing. If he hadn’t gone to attack Xiling and blocked Lei Zhenting’s retreat route, why would Lei Zhenting turn his attention to Jiangnan?”

Hearing this, the Duke of Hua looked at Mo Jingli blandly, as if looking at an ignorant child. Mo Jingli also understood he was being unreasonable – Prince Ding’s household had already clearly severed ties with Great Chu. Whether it was Mo Xiuyao attacking Xiling or cutting off Lei Zhenting’s retreat route, it was all for his interests. Whose interests might be harmed in the process wasn’t Mo Xiuyao’s concern anymore. As a ruler, one would never consider others’ interests more important than one’s own. Moreover, if Great Chu had shown some competence, they could have completely united with Prince Ding’s household to trap Lei Zhenting. Letting Lei Zhenting lead his forces south unopposed was their incompetence. But Mo Jingli couldn’t help wanting to blame others – if it weren’t for Mo Xiuyao, none of this would have happened.

Collecting himself, Mo Jingli didn’t want to continue discussing with the Duke of Hua who was right and who was wrong. Most of the old officials at the court still stubbornly favored Prince Ding’s household. Even now, when Prince Ding’s household had abandoned Great Chu and even brought great disaster upon it, these people would still speak up for Mo Xiuyao. This situation filled Mo Jingli with jealousy, hatred, and helplessness.

“The old Duke rarely visits my residence. Surely you didn’t come just to discuss this matter with me?” Mo Jingli adopted a calm expression and asked.

The Duke of Hua glanced at him. Now that things had come to this point, he hadn’t come to discuss supplies and military needs – did Mo Jingli think he’d come to drink tea?

Mo Jingli said, “Actually, the old Duke need not worry about these matters. The court officials will naturally handle them. Unless the old Duke thinks all the court officials are good for nothing?”

The Duke of Hua sneered. Over these years, Mo Jingli hadn’t developed any real abilities, but he’d certainly learned to speak like an official well enough. The court officials weren’t useless, but none of them had resolved the border situation either. Instead, like Prince Li, many were secretly busy packing up and preparing to head south. The Duke of Hua looked at Mo Jingli and said gravely, “Since Northern Rong entered the pass, they’ve been slaughtering civilians all along their path. The areas they’ve occupied are already filled with suffering and devastation. Has Your Highness heard about this?”

Mo Jingli started, then nodded saying, “I have heard some reports. However… the rumors may be somewhat exaggerated. The old Duke is overthinking.”

The Duke of Hua laughed in extreme anger, “Rumors? Exaggerated? Whether they’re just rumors or not, I don’t believe Prince Li doesn’t know the truth. South of the Chu capital is all flat terrain – may I ask where Prince Li plans to retreat to? South of the Yunlan River? It’s a good idea since Northern Rong’s cavalry isn’t good at water warfare. But let me ask: what does Prince Li plan to do with the millions of civilians in Great Chu’s north?” Seeing Mo Jingli’s silence, an expression of desolation appeared on the Duke of Hua’s aged face as he stared at Mo Jingli painfully and said, “Prince Li, those murdered civilians are all Great Chu’s people, all subjects of your Mo family!”

Mo Jingli’s face darkened as he stared at the Duke of Hua and said, “Is the Duke of Hua accusing me?”

The Duke of Hua smiled bitterly and said, “What virtue or ability do I have to dare accuse the Regent? I only remember that years ago, Regent Mo Liufang said something – ‘He who wins the people’s hearts wins the world!’ Prince Li, you treat your subjects as disposable objects, how can you expect them to be loyal to you? When the Regent first took power, Great Chu’s situation wasn’t necessarily much better than now…”

“Enough!” Mo Jingli brutally cut off the Duke of Hua’s words. The Duke’s well-intentioned advice sounded more like mockery to his ears. Looking coldly at the elder before him, Mo Jingli sneered, “I don’t have Mo Liufang and Mo Xiuyao’s abilities, so what? Would you like me to invite Mo Xiuyao back, or should I directly ask His Majesty to abdicate to Mo Xiuyao?” The Duke of Hua was so angered by this that his whole body trembled. If the late emperor could be considered a rather scheming hero, the brothers Mo Jingli and Mo Jingqi were truly anomalies of the Mo family. Even in such a situation, they refused to reflect on themselves and instead pushed the blame onto others. With such descendants, Great Chu truly was… at the end of its fate, wasn’t it?

The Duke of Hua took several deep breaths to calm his anger. Then he stood up and said, “Very well, if Prince Li won’t listen to my words, I won’t waste more time. I request that Prince Li quickly dispatch supplies and reinforcements to support the frontlines against the Northern Territory and Northern Rong!”

Though the Duke of Hua had swallowed his anger, Mo Jingli’s fury hadn’t fully dissipated. He looked coldly at the Duke and said, “Duke of Hua, I remember you retired long ago. Whether to send supplies and reinforcements and when to send them, are my decisions. The Duke should return home and rest well. Perhaps in a few days, we’ll be setting out south, and if something were to happen to the Duke’s health along the way, I wouldn’t know how to explain it to the Hua family.”

“I will not leave the capital,” the Duke said seriously.

Mo Jingli was unconcerned – whether the Duke of Hua left the capital wasn’t up to him to decide. Although the Duke hadn’t led troops for many years, there were still many old acquaintances in the military. Mo Jingli absolutely would not leave him in the capital. Rather than benefit Mo Xiuyao, he would rather give the Chu capital to Northern Rong and the Northern Territory!

As for the Duke of Hua’s wishes, they weren’t even a consideration for Mo Jingli. If the Duke really wouldn’t cooperate, he wouldn’t mind using force.

“Prince Li!” How could the Duke of Hua not see Mo Jingli’s intentions? Not just his plans, but even his thoughts the Duke could guess somewhat. This made him even more distressed – with Mo Jingli’s character, forget about these chaotic times, even in peaceful prosperity he wouldn’t be fit to rule. The Duke steadied himself and said solemnly, “I absolutely will not leave the capital. If Prince Li insists, why not try to carry my corpse out of the capital!”

Mo Jingli frowned in displeasure. Although he found the Duke extremely disagreeable, given that the Duke was one of the last remaining officials who had served through four reigns in the capital, he didn’t dare to drive the Duke to death. Moreover, persuading those old officials to agree to move the capital was a major task – if the Duke openly opposed it, many old officials wouldn’t agree. Frowning, he said, “Duke, I’m thinking of your welfare. At your advanced age, why not enjoy your remaining years in Jiangnan? As for the Chu capital… we will return one day.”

The Duke of Hua gave a cold laugh, “Enjoy my remaining years? When I dream of the wrongfully killed civilians crying out, I cannot sleep, cannot find peace! I’m just an old bag of bones, I’ve lived long enough – I swear to share the Chu capital’s fate!”

Mo Jingli rose in anger, staring at the Duke of Hua for a long while before coldly throwing down the words, “I will not give you a single soldier!” Then he stormed off.

Left sitting in the flower hall, the Duke of Hua was stunned for a long while before finally looking up to the sky and sighing deeply, “Fool! The great Chu has such a fool…” A stream of old tears slid desolately down his aged, wrinkled face. Looking at the surrounding carved towers and painted ridges of the magnificent Regent’s mansion, he could only slowly rise and hobble toward the exit.

Great Chu… was finished…