Chapter 452 The Visitor

Chapter 452: The Visitor

The snow continued to fall, and the fierce battle raged on.

Zha Tai and General Ba Lu sat beneath a makeshift tent, enjoying their lunch.

Suddenly, someone entered and saluted, "Your Highness."

Zha Tai glanced up at the newcomer, his face showing interest.

"What has the princess done?"

"The princess sent out two letters with her guards," the man replied respectfully, handing them over.

Zha Tai took the letters, opened them, and read with amusement.

"Complaining to her mother and accusing this prince? Interesting."

After finishing the first letter, he set it aside and picked up the second.

"Asking Xiao Lin to come get her?" Zha Tai sneered. "Pathetically naive."

Ba Lu grinned maliciously. "It seems our princess still hasn’t faced reality."

Zha Tai threw down the letters, cut off a piece of golden-brown roasted lamb with his knife, and chewed as he spoke. "This prince has been too lenient with her. It’s time for some discipline when we return."

"Hahaha…" Ba Lu laughed heartily, raising his cup in a toast to Zha Tai.

As the two were enjoying their meal, another messenger rushed in urgently. "Your Highness, General, Daizhao may have reinforcements."

Zha Tai’s face darkened. "What do you mean, 'may'? Explain clearly!"

The general replied, "The commander leading this assault is someone we’ve never seen before. The Daizhao troops under him are also completely fresh."

After prolonged fighting, both sides had grown familiar with each other’s commanders. Moreover, Daizhao’s forces had suffered heavy casualties, with lightly wounded soldiers mixed in among the able-bodied.

Thus, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar commander and fresh troops was glaringly obvious.

"It must be the garrison forces from Ancheng and Fucheng!" Zha Tai declared coldly.

With cold fury, he added, "That Daizhao Crown Prince—this prince underestimated him!"

Ba Lu, realizing the gravity of the situation, frowned. "It seems breaking through the border city will require much greater effort now."

Initially, they had believed their two-to-one advantage would allow them to easily capture the city within days. But with Daizhao’s reinforcements, the situation had gotten more difficult.

"Find out exactly how many reinforcements Daizhao has," Zha Tai ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The general saluted and departed.

The news ruined their appetites. They had the food cleared away and pulled out a map to plan.

Outside the tent, battle raged, and the falling snow had already piled up. Only the battleground remained bare, trampled underfoot and soaked with blood.

The icy snowflakes pelted Yu Cheng’s face relentlessly, turning his skin red and making him cough intermittently.

"Drink some warm broth," Yang Quan offered, handing Yu Cheng a waterskin.

Yu Cheng’s gaze remained fixed on the battlefield as he took it absentmindedly and sipped.

Yang Quan put away the water pouch and noticed the brazier beside Yu Cheng was dimming, so he hurriedly added a few pieces of charcoal.

Shen Changze analyzed the battle situation and said, "Though the garrison troops from Ancheng are elite forces, they're green and unseasoned. Their first engagement is bound to struggle."

Yu Cheng sighed. "I hope they adapt quickly."

We train soldiers for years, but they fight in a single moment.

All the book drills in the world can't compare to one round of real combat.

But combat... it's a matter of life or death.

After today’s battle, the Ancheng garrison will surely improve significantly.

Yu Cheng kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield. When he noticed the Ancheng garrison getting slaughtered, he immediately ordered their withdrawal.

Moments later, Di Ming came up to the wall to meet Yu Cheng.

"How'd it go? Scared?" Yu Cheng asked him.

Di Ming, drenched in blood, panted and replied, "Nope."

The ferocity of the Mobei warriors had indeed exceeded his expectations—they were tough bastards. But this also made Di Ming realize what would happen to Ancheng if the border fell.

Had they not come to reinforce the border, once the Mobei breached it and marched on Ancheng, the inexperienced garrison there would be like lambs to the slaughter, outmatched and helpless against the disparity in numbers and strength.

"That's the spirit," Yu Cheng praised, seeing the determination in Di Ming’s eyes.

Di Ming said humbly, "I don’t hold a candle to Your Highness and the border troops."

As the Crown Prince, Yu Cheng was born with a silver spoon. He could have avoided the battlefield, stayed safe in Shang Jing, and enjoyed comfort.

But he did not.

Despite his frail health, Yu Cheng threw himself completely into defending the border, disregarding personal hardship and danger without retreating.

Such a prince earned genuine loyalty and willing allegiance.

"Go and rest," Yu Cheng said.

After days of travel and immediate combat, Di Ming was clearly dead on his feet.

"Yes, Your Highness," Di Ming responded, but instead of leaving, he planted himself by the wall, observing the battle.

Yu Cheng glanced at him but said nothing, letting him stay.

The bloodbath below continued. As Yu Cheng watched intently, someone approached Yang Quan on the wall and muttered something.

Yang Quan quickly left and returned shortly, bringing someone with him.

He had been called away before to verify the newcomer’s identity.

Upon seeing Yu Cheng, the man behind Yang Quan dropped to one knee. "Zhuiyun greets Your Highness."

Yu Cheng's eyebrows shot up, and he whirled around.

It was indeed Zhuiyun!

Recalling Yu Zheng’s letter mentioning Zhuiyun’s scouting mission up north, Yu Cheng understood. "What did you find out?"

Zhuiyun nodded.

Yu Cheng's expression turned grave as he said in a low voice, "Rise and speak."

Zhuiyun stood up and reported the information he had gathered.

"The Northern Desert has indeed colluded with Nanyan and even married the Fifth Princess of Nanyan as princess consort."

"This time, in the attack on the border, the Northern Desert has mobilized a total of three hundred thousand soldiers..."

"Additionally, the King of the Northern Desert has been imprisoned."

Each of Zhuiyun's revelations was more shocking than the last, causing Yu Cheng's expression to shift repeatedly.

"Why was the King of the Northern Desert imprisoned?" Yu Cheng asked urgently.

Zhuiyun replied, "The exact reason is unknown, but I discovered that the King favored the Fourth Prince, Ge Tu, granting him command over a hundred thousand troops and giving him control of twelve tribes."

With command over a hundred thousand troops and control of twelve tribes, the Fourth Prince, Ge Tu, controlled at least two hundred thousand soldiers.

With such military might and enjoying the King's favor, the Fourth Prince was clearly a threat to the Crown Prince.

By imprisoning the King, forming a marriage alliance with Nanyan, and leading an army to attack Daizhao, the Crown Prince of the Northern Desert's plans became obvious.

The Crown Prince must have feared the Fourth Prince and done something that displeased the King, leading the King to consider handing the throne to the Fourth Prince.

Thus, the Crown Prince made the first move, taking advantage of the Fourth Prince's absence from the capital while stationed in the twelve tribes to imprison the King.

Then, he launched an attack on Daizhao, aiming to secure major victories that would win the allegiance of the Northern Desert's people and claim the throne.

After all, with the Fourth Prince controlling such a large force, a direct confrontation might not guarantee the Crown Prince's victory.

By attacking Daizhao, he could not only achieve major victories to earn respect but also use the war as a pretext to force the Fourth Prince to surrender his troops...

Yu Cheng was certain that once the border fell, the Crown Prince would immediately demand the Fourth Prince hand over his army.

And under political pressure, the Fourth Prince would have no choice. Once surrendered, he would never regain control.

At that point, the Crown Prince could dispose of the Fourth Prince as he wished.

"What a brilliant and ruthless plan!" Yu Cheng exclaimed in shock.

Zhuiyun added, "On my way to the border city, I also came across something significant."

Yu Cheng had a strong intuition it was related to the Crown Prince of the Northern Desert and pressed urgently, "What happened?"