Chapter 565

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A gust of wind blew in from outside the main hall.

The refreshing coolness brought Xiao Ming back from his contemplation. Now, with his soldiers fighting for him outside, he could only diligently manage internal affairs and develop industry in his fief to provide them with strong support.

At the same time, to face the current situation and future external wars, he decided to implement conscription.

This conscription was somewhat similar to modern compulsory military service, meaning that all common people within the fief must serve in the military for two years.

For him, this was not only for reserve soldiers but also to elevate military service to a new level, making the common people realize that serving in the military was a glorious thing.

Thinking of this, he began to draft the “Conscription Law,” preparing to promote it alongside agricultural taxation, to instill this concept in the hearts of the common people.

That night, he and Pang Yukun met again. After discussion, the two went to the newspaper office and had both the agricultural tax and conscription matters published in the newspaper, to be promoted to the people of the fief the next day.

While the two were busy with internal affairs, Yue Yun, having received orders, led half of his warships from Tongzhou and headed towards Jinling City along the Yangtze River. This time, they were going to give the Prince of Wei a taste of his own medicine.

And to cooperate with Ye Qingyun, Lu Fei also dispatched five thousand cavalry from Pengzhou City towards Huaizhou. For a while, there was an atmosphere of impending storm.

After the fall of Tongzhou, the Prince of Wei was unusually furious, but as he was preparing to gather his army, news of Lu Fei’s movements and the warships in the Yangtze River arrived one after another.

This immediately put him in a dilemma.

“Is heaven truly going to destroy me?”

In the main hall of the Prince of Wei’s residence, the Prince of Wei sat at the head of the table, with his civil and military household retainers below him. The situation in Wei’s territory was worsening by the day, and now people were panicking.

“Your Highness, King Qi’s military might is unstoppable. We are simply no match for him. Both Pengzhou City and Tongzhou City fell in a single day. This is enough to demonstrate the formidable power of King Qi’s army.”

“That’s right, Your Highness, if this continues, our Wei state will be destroyed. We cannot continue to fight King Qi like this. Now is still not too late to mend relations with King Qi.”

“Your Highness, for the sake of Wei’s people, please think twice!”

“…”

The officials in the main hall one by one spoke of seeking peace, and the Prince of Wei’s face gradually became unsightly.

At this moment, the young man standing at the head of the officials stepped forward and said, “Father King, now all the officials see clearly that we are not King Qi’s opponent. We cannot continue to fight King Qi like this. Please, Father King, send an envoy to Wei’s territory to seek peace.”

The young man was precisely the Prince of Wei’s eldest son, Xiao Han. Seeing Wei’s territory being eroded day by day, the officials nominated Xiao Han to state the matter clearly to the Prince of Wei.

“Han’er, even you!” The Prince of Wei felt a surge of sadness in his heart, seeing his own son now standing with a group of officials seeking peace.

Gasping violently, the Prince of Wei said, “Xiao Qi has already embarked on a diplomatic mission to ally with the Prince of Yan, the Prince of Zhao, and the Prince of Liang. Are you all scared out of your wits already?”

“Father King, not to mention that Xiao Qi might not succeed in forming an alliance, even if he does, the time it takes for these four sides to prepare their armies will be enough for Xiao Ming to reach Jinling City. Tongzhou has already fallen, and Qingzhou’s fleet is heading towards Jinling City. What if the Qingzhou Army lands below Jinling City? Can we hold out?” Xiao Han said.

In his heart, he had always held a deep prejudice against Xiao Qi. He was the Prince of Wei’s heir, but Xiao Qi had overshadowed him for years, making him almost non-existent.

This time, from the very beginning, he opposed going to war with King Qi and strongly advocated allying with Xiao Ming, but his suggestions were all rejected.

Now, due to the continuous victories of King Qi’s army, a group of officials and generals gradually sided with him, and his influence grew unprecedentedly strong.

“No need to discuss this matter further. Until Xiao Qi returns, I will not surrender to Xiao Ming.” The Prince of Wei flicked his large sleeve and walked directly out of the main hall, no longer paying attention to the civil and military officials.

After the Prince of Wei departed, the officials gathered around Xiao Han. The Prefect of Huaizhou said, “Your Royal Highness, what should be done? King Qi’s cavalry is now hovering outside Huaizhou City, and could attack at any time. If we wait any longer, Huaizhou City will be gone.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Our Yangzhou is very close to Tongzhou, and we are also constantly facing the threat of King Qi’s army from Tongzhou,” another official said.

Xiao Han sneered, “Father King won’t shed tears until he sees the coffin, won’t turn back until he hits a brick wall. Hmph, what else can be done now? We can only wait for Xiao Qi to return.”

Many officials were still uneasy. An official said to Xiao Han, “Your Royal Highness, as long as you can make King Qi cease hostilities, all of us will support you.”

A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Han’s mouth. He understood what these officials meant.

These people were sons of powerful families in the prefectures and counties. What they cared about most now was their own small plots of land. The example of Pengzhou City was right before their eyes. After losing Pengzhou City, powerful families like the Mi family and Lu family were like stray dogs, and Mi Wenyi was even directly beheaded.

The tragic fate of the Mi family made them feel a sense of shared misfortune. Now, the only thing they wanted was to preserve their own territory. So, their subtle words were actually meant to tell him that as long as he could make peace with King Qi and cease hostilities, they would be willing to support him in ascending to the position of Prince of Wei.

The example of Chang’an was right before their eyes, and these officials could naturally think of following suit.

“Thank you all for your kindness. I know what to do. If the situation becomes critical, I will have to rely on all of you.” Xiao Han’s words were equally veiled.

Many officials had now departed, leaving only those who shared the same thoughts.

As everyone was speaking, a “rumbling” sound suddenly came.

This sound seemed like distant thunder, but gradually, they discerned the difference. Xiao Han said, “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. King Qi’s fleet has arrived as promised.”

The officials had long since turned pale with fright. Now, King Qi’s army was like a nightmare, haunting them and making them restless in their chambers.

Jinling City, like Tongzhou, was also built by the river, but unlike Tongzhou City, Jinling City was further from the river.

Leading a group of officials, Xiao Han ascended the city wall. From the city wall, he gazed at the river. Twelve huge warships were bombarding the pier on the bank. From the city wall, he could clearly see white smoke and flames erupting.

The Prince of Wei also ascended the city wall at this moment. Looking at this scene, the Prince of Wei’s face was extremely grim. Now, he could only watch helplessly as these warships paraded their might, while he could not mount any counterattack.

“Father King, now you believe that King Qi’s army can directly attack Jinling City from here, don’t you?” Xiao Han persuaded, “Father King, it’s still not too late to ally with King Qi.”

The Prince of Wei’s expression remained very firm. He said, “What’s done is done. Even if I seek peace now, do you think Xiao Ming, with his character, would spare me?”