Chapter 660: Soldiers Approaching the City
Ling Chuxi finally knew why Zhou Zhidong was willing to be a part of Jiang Wuhen’s and Li Shaoqiu’s cheating and scamming schemes given his bold and direct character, and also why he was so respectful towards the both of them. Seeing Jiang Wuhen’s and Li Shaoqiu’s clothing looking a little worn, it seemed as though all the money they had managed to cheat out of others was used to treat Zhou Zhidong’s injuries.
Ling Chuxi’s impression of the two of them underwent a big change. Although one was a cheat and another was an ignorant rich kid, the both of them were people who valued relationships. Even though they were all at the end of their respective roads, they did not abandon a companion in need and escape by themselves.
“Then, how are things in Nan Xia Country at the moment?” Ling Chuxi asked.
“Not too good. I heard that Ding Lin Country sent out a million soldiers and within less than ten days, they had taken over ten of our cities and then directly approached the capital city to do the same there,” Zhou Zhidong replied.
“Less than ten days to get close to the capital? How is this possible? Nan Xia Country’s defenses wouldn’t be that weak, right?” Ling Chuxi knew that Ding Lin Country was strong, but she never thought that Nan Xia Country would be so weak for them to actually only need ten days to muscle their way towards the capital.
“If the emperor was still around, he would know how to fully utilize Nan Xia’s army prowess to its maximum capacity. Even if we cannot compare to Ding Lin Country, we are not so lacking to this extent. However, the night before Ding Lin Country deployed their troops, His Majesty unfortunately suddenly passed away due to a hidden disease. The court ministers were all in a state of chaos and as the emperor did not establish a crown prince, all the princes and princesses became scattered like sand trying to establish their own governance.
“Hearsay, only the fifth princess and the ninth prince immediately called in the border guards from all of Nan Xia’s borders as reinforcements, however, as their orders were not in accordance with protocol, not many dared to provide reinforcements. You see, leading troops out or mobilizing soldiers personally without an order by the royal court is a heavy crime calling for the annihilation of all nine generations of the perpetrator. The troops only assembled and attacked three days later once members of the royal family and the officials of the royal court gave a joint military order to the border guards at various borders.
“It was just that by that time, Ding Lin Country’s troops had already broken into a few important Nan Xia fortresses along the way and they had just directly marched into the capital. Our troops fell like crumbling mountains. We were unable to withstand the might of Ding Lin’s invasion. Now our troops have all retreated to the Metal Stone Fortress three hundred li from the capital. Once the Metal Stone Fortress falls, so will Nan Xia Country,” Zhou Zhidong said worriedly.
“So the emperor passed away suddenly…” Ling Chuxi’s gaze was solemn. She had met the emperor before, and he appeared to be healthy. When did this hidden disease come into the picture? Furthermore, during his last birthday celebration, Ling Chuxi even gave him an Ambergris Pill. Even if he really did have a hidden disease, he would have recovered by using that pill. How did he suddenly pass on suddenly like this? And how was it that his passing coincided with such a critical time? If her guess was not wrong, this had to do with Chu Fengyun. Thinking about this, Ling Chuxi’s heart sank even further. The situation had already reached such a dangerous level. However, the good thing was that Nan Xia was still holding fast and had not yet been annihilated.
“Then, has Mister Mo returned? And, how is the fifth princess?” Ling Chuxi continued to ask all the questions she had in her mind.
“It was a good thing that Mister Mo managed to rush back in time. Otherwise, with the sudden passing of the emperor timed so fortunately for Ding Lin, I don’t even know how many of our officials and military leaders would still be left and how Nan Xia Country would have held on until now,” said Zhou Zhidong. It seemed as though he had also guessed at the truth behind the sudden passing of the emperor given his wording.
Hearing that Mo Kongyuan was fine and that he had even managed to rush back in time, Ling Chuxi’s heart finally relaxed a little.
“As for the fifth princess, I didn’t hear much about her. However, since Mister Mo has returned, she shouldn’t be in too much danger?” Zhou Zhidong continued.
“The fifth princess should be fine. With the cultivation of the Ninth Prince and her swiftly rising poison skills as of late, it would be very difficult for most people to think of trying to harm her,” Li Shaoqiu said in agreement. They all knew that the fifth princess had an important place in Ling Chuxi’s heart, so they all spoke words of comfort for her sake.