“Report! None of the five northern prefectures could stop Prince Yao — the governor of Dubei Prefecture voluntarily allowed Prince Yao to pass through! The news has spread throughout the region north of the capital, and the people are in an uproar!”
“Report! Prince Yao has reached the northern frontier!”
“Report! Prince Xiang of Western Chu has withdrawn troops from the Three Realms Territory as agreed. Prince Yao has gathered three tiger armies and marched them right up to Western Chu’s border, demanding the return of the Princess of Prince Yao. War is on the verge of breaking out!”
…
Dispatch after dispatch poured in, and the Xuanwu Hall of Great Zhou grew increasingly uneasy. Emperor Tianhui’s aged face had gone pale for days on end.
He’d never imagined that Jun Beiyue wouldn’t just refuse to surrender the White Tiger Army, but would dare to leave the capital without permission and march to the northern frontier to declare war outright!
If Great Zhou and Western Chu went to war, it would mean pouring the entirety of the nation’s strength into this single conflict. If they lost, it wouldn’t be a matter of losing a few cities or paying reparations — the entire nation would fall.
“Prince Yao’s audacity knows no bounds — he shows no respect for imperial authority whatsoever! Father, please issue a decree stripping Prince Yao of his title and confiscating his tiger tally!”
The Second Prince spoke furiously. Having just gained control of General Ouyang’s western frontier forces and several key fortress cities, his voice at court had grown considerably louder.
Unfortunately, no one echoed his sentiment. Everyone present was a seasoned court official, well aware of the gravity of the situation — Prince Yao had left the capital alone, without taking his thirteen elite riders with him!
What did that mean? It meant that if Jun Beiyue were provoked into anger from the capital’s side, the forces commanded by his thirteen riders, stationed across the capital’s north, south, east, and west, would be more than enough to overwhelm the combined garrisons of the surrounding fortresses. If war broke out here, the capital itself would be the very first to fall.
“What, has everyone turned into a cowering turtle at the critical moment? If Jun Beiyue dares start a war, this prince isn’t afraid of his thirteen riders in the least — we should set fire behind his lines, cut off his supply routes, and see how he deals with that then!” Jun Beichen snapped furiously again.
Chancellor Han sneered inwardly, stepping forward. “Your Majesty, Prince Yao’s rage over the woman he loves was indeed reckless — but the Princess of Prince Yao has been abducted by Western Chu. If Great Zhou does nothing, would that not make us the laughingstock of the entire world?”
The moment he finished, Jun Beichen erupted furiously. “Chancellor Han, you’re still taking his side even now! He’s clearly using this as an excuse to provoke war and seize sole control of the military. If we let him succeed, then when he—”
Just as Jun Beichen was about to continue, Emperor Tianhui cut him off sharply. “Enough. Let the Chancellor speak.”
What Jun Beichen said was, in fact, true. If Jun Beiyue were allowed to go to war, he would inevitably demand support of every kind from the capital, and under the pretext of war, could seize control of the capital itself with ease.
Put plainly, even he, the Emperor, would become nothing more than a puppet ruler.
But if that was the truth of the matter, what could Emperor Tianhui do about it? He knew better than anyone exactly how capable his own son was — otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so eager to seize back control the moment General Ouyang fell.
That his son had dared to leave such a critical force as the thirteen riders stationed in the capital surely meant he’d calculated this carefully. With General Ouyang dead, no one of note remained in the court, and Jun Beichen was hopelessly incompetent — even with tens of thousands of elite troops at his disposal, he’d likely never match the thirteen riders Jun Beiyue had personally assembled and trained.
For now, the only option was to make peace.
Chancellor Han was clearly offering the Emperor a way to save face, dressing up Jun Beiyue’s military mobilization as nothing more than a lover’s righteous fury.
“Your Majesty, this old servant humbly suggests mobilizing the western Xijing forces’ troops and provisions to support the northern frontier, to bolster our army’s might!” Chancellor Han said earnestly.
The moment he said this, the veins on Jun Beichen’s forehead bulged instantly, and the other princes exchanged uneasy glances. The Seventh Prince’s lips curved with a cold, unreadable smile.
“Chancellor Han, what are your true intentions here! The western frontier only has two armies as it is — if we redirect support to the northern frontier, and the west is caught off guard, who will bear the consequences?” Jun Beichen demanded.
“Second Prince, you’ve only just taken command of the western forces. Surely you’re aware of the true purpose behind General Dugu Xianyun’s mission to Xiliang?”
At this, Jun Beiyao, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly stepped forward, asking earnestly — a question that left Jun Beichen momentarily speechless.
Everyone was taken aback. Among all the princes, the Seventh Prince had always been the most low-key — yet here he was, speaking up on his own initiative, and seemingly quite well-informed about the western frontier situation.
Jun Beichen clearly hadn’t expected to be checkmated so suddenly by Jun Beiyao. Just as he was about to argue back, Jun Beiyao got there first, addressing Emperor Tianhui directly. “Father, keeping one army stationed on the western frontier is sufficient. Not only would Xijing not easily mobilize troops, but even if they did, Great Zhou could urgently redeploy our southern forces!”
North of Great Zhou lay Western Chu and Eastern Qin. West of Great Zhou lay Xijing, and further west still lay Xiliang. Xijing had once been far less restrained than Western Chu, frequently harassing Great Zhou’s western frontier without provocation — but ever since Xiliang’s rise to power, Xijing found itself threatened from the west and had grown considerably more subdued.
“Father, if managed properly, one army alone is more than enough to hold Xijing in check!”
The moment Jun Beiyao said this, not a single official in the court raised any objection — in fact, many voiced their praise, with some even openly championing Jun Beiyao as a military commander.
For the ever-understated Jun Beiyao to speak up for the first time and immediately earn such backing from the officials was clearly no accident — considerable groundwork had been laid behind the scenes.
Emperor Tianhui’s keen instincts immediately sensed something amiss. He studied this son he’d long overlooked and asked, “One army would be sufficient? Can you actually manage that?”
Jun Beiyao shook his head. “Reporting to Father, this son lacks the ability…”
Before he could finish, Jun Beichen snorted coldly. “Empty words, spoken so eloquently!”
Jun Beiyao ignored him, continuing. “But Fourth Brother can manage it! Father, an army’s strength lies not in numbers but in quality — not in numbers but in its commanders. If war breaks out on the western frontier, would Fourth Brother truly stand by and do nothing? Would his generals truly stand by and do nothing? We are all Great Zhou’s territory, all brothers of the Jun clan alike. This son is willing to stake his life on it — please send western frontier reinforcements to support the northern front, to help Fourth Brother uphold Great Zhou’s honor, in whatever small way this son can contribute!”
These words left the entire court thoroughly convinced. They left Jun Beichen suddenly enlightened. They left Consort Yi, waiting outside the hall, trembling with fear. And they left Emperor Tianhui absolutely delighted.
Who would have thought that among all his sons, such talent had been hiding in plain sight — able to see through the true nature of this military crisis at a glance, and in a single statement, point to the only viable solution: extend goodwill, win Jun Beiyue over, and give him no opportunity or excuse to establish an independent power base.
“Excellent! We are all Great Zhou’s territory, all brothers of the Jun clan alike — you two brothers must work together in perfect unity!” Emperor Tianhui declared, overjoyed. He finally had leverage again. But just as he was about to issue the order, another dispatch arrived. A guard rushed in urgently to report. “Your Majesty, Prince Xiang of Western Chu has withdrawn three she of troops and agreed to exchange the Princess of Prince Yao — he’s arranged a banquet at Three Realms Cliff to formally apologize to Prince Yao!”
Three Realms Cliff. The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall gasped. This place was, without question, the most treacherous cliff on the entire continent of Longyuan — located at the southernmost point where Western Chu bordered Eastern Qin, at “Innocence Gorge,” the meeting point of the Three Realms Territory and the gorge itself. It rose thousands upon thousands of zhang high, with wind so fierce that only someone of extraordinary skill could hope to stand there at all.
For Chu Tiange to arrange a banquet there of all places — what exactly was he plotting?
“Has Prince Yao agreed?” Emperor Tianhui asked hurriedly.
“Prince Xiang of Western Chu has already made the news public throughout the realm. If Prince Yao refuses to go, he’ll not only invite the mockery of the entire world, but will also damage morale and lose the support of his troops,” the guard reported honestly. Under these circumstances, Jun Beiyue would certainly go.