Chapter 203: King Guangchuan

Lizhou, the fiefdom of King Guangchuan.

The moment Regent King Rong Yin set foot on this land, King Guangchuan had already received the news.

He knew what was coming would eventually come. ’But for the Regent King to arrive alone... is he looking down on me?’

King Guangchuan immediately arranged for a ’grand reception.’ However, before his men could act, the Regent King raised an imperial edict.

"An edict from Her Majesty! King Guangchuan is summoned to receive it. Refusal will be considered treason. The army will descend, and there will be no turning back."

With the examples of King Huainan and Marquis Wucheng before them, no one doubted the Emperor’s capabilities.

Just as King Guangchuan hesitated about whether to act, a scout rushed to report, "My Prince, the Black Dragon Cavalry has appeared about a mile out! Ye Shao and Xiao Lan are leading them, and they’ve brought cannons."

The enemy’s overwhelming military might always has a way of bringing a man back to his senses.

King Guangchuan had no time for ambition, only shock. "When did they arrive? How could you only report now, when they’re just a mile away?"

The scout was also bewildered. "We’ve been keeping a close watch, but we saw no sign of an army. It’s as if they appeared out of thin air."

"Appeared out of thin air..."

A cold sweat broke out on King Guangchuan’s back.

’They were only spotted because they chose to reveal themselves. What about the ones still hidden?’

He had suffered few losses in the previous two battles, but he had participated in them and witnessed the events firsthand.

’If the Emperor intends to subdue me with military force, I don’t stand a chance of winning.’

In the time it took King Guangchuan to hesitate, the scout reported again that the army was now just half a mile away.

"My Prince, what should we do now?"

King Guangchuan was nearly forty. He had a lean figure but a sharp mind, and his elegant, scholarly attire could not conceal the ambition practically spilling from his eyes.

Compared to Marquis Wucheng and King Huainan, he was more cunning and cautious, with a stronger grip on power.

He was a king, but he yearned to be an emperor. He possessed the wealthiest fiefdom and the finest private army. With the main line of the Xiao Family dwindling and the Empress Dowager previously in power, the court had fallen into chaos and Imperial Power was collapsing. He had seized the moment to build his strength, just waiting for the right opportunity.

But the heavens were not on his side. That Little Emperor was just a girl, yet the courtiers had willingly submitted to her, and she had even been blessed with countless capable ministers and fierce generals. ’The heavens are unfair!’

King Guangchuan walked to the top of the city wall. He saw the young Regent King, and he also saw the army halted five hundred meters away.

’Our arrows can’t reach the Emperor’s cannons, but their cannons can reach us.’

"If I go out there... will I live?"

The atmosphere was already somber, but it could not improve; it could only grow heavier.

King Guangchuan’s strategist, who was also his brother-in-law, let out a long sigh. After a lengthy silence, he said, "If you go out, My Prince, the entire city will live. If you do not, the fields will be littered with corpses."

By sending the Regent King to deliver the edict, the Emperor had shown that she did not want war and was willing to offer a way out.

But King Guangchuan himself surely could not be spared. The crime of rebellion would inevitably be paid for in blood.

If King Guangchuan were to resist, the outcome would be a city engulfed in the flames of war, crushed by the enemy’s firepower. He would still die, and his entire household, his clan, his confidants, and countless soldiers would all die with him.

No matter the outcome, King Guangchuan could not escape death. The only question was whether he would face it alone or drag everyone else down with him.

"Father."

King Guangchuan’s eldest son, Xiao Qing, approached. "Father, we are ready."

King Guangchuan turned to see that his son was clad in armor. "What is the meaning of this?"

Xiao Qing’s face was resolute. "Our troops are strong and our preparations are ample. Even if they have cannons, it doesn’t mean we don’t have a fighting chance. If their cannons are so powerful, then we will simply capture them first!"

King Guangchuan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed. "HAHAHA! Good! That’s my son!"

He clapped Xiao Qing firmly on the shoulder twice, then turned to his brother-in-law. "Senior Brother, look at my son. Doesn’t he have my spirit from back in the day?"

Wen Rang looked at his nephew with gratification. "Yes, he is just like you, My Prince. A tiger father will not beget a dog of a son."

He seemed to understand the decision King Guangchuan had made.

King Guangchuan placed both hands on Xiao Qing’s shoulders, his gaze deep and intense. "Good! Good! Good! My good son!"

Xiao Qing, utterly bewildered by his father, looked to Wen Rang. "Uncle?"

Wen Rang smiled as he watched them, but there was a bleak sorrow in his expression. "Your father is praising you. Aren’t you happy?"

Xiao Qing was happy, of course, but the situation felt very strange.

"Father, what’s going on with you two?"

King Guangchuan turned to Wen Rang, his eyes filled with emotion and a faint smile on his lips. "Senior Brother, I’m counting on you."

He was entrusting his son to him.

Wen Rang clasped his hands in a solemn bow. "I would not hesitate, even if it meant ten thousand deaths."

Xiao Qing grew even more bewildered. "Father... Uncle, what are you two doing?"

King Guangchuan turned and walked away. Xiao Qing rushed to follow but was pulled back by Wen Rang.

Panic seized Xiao Qing’s heart. "Uncle, where is Father going?"

Wen Rang pressed down gently on his shoulder. "Ah Qing, kowtow to your father."

Xiao Qing was pushed to the ground. He kowtowed, still dazed, but as a slow, horrifying realization dawned on him, he scrambled back to his feet. "Father!"

Wen Rang shouted, "Stop him!"

Two retainers grabbed him and held on tight.

Xiao Qing struggled desperately. "Let me go! Let me go! Father! Father, come back!"

Xiao Qing’s voice was so filled with anguish that it cast a shadow over the hearts of all who heard it.

Xiao Qing turned back, crying out, "Uncle, call him back! Talk to him! Please, talk to him!"

Wen Rang closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer.

He and King Guangchuan were fellow disciples and brothers-in-law; they were family. He did not want the king to die either.

But given the situation, if the old ram didn’t die, the little lamb wouldn’t be able to live.

If Xiao Qing had been the least bit cowardly or afraid of death, King Guangchuan might not have been able to make this decision. But Xiao Qing was full of fiery spirit and deeply loved his father.

This paternal love was the final weight that settled on King Guangchuan. For the sake of his child, he chose to go to his death.

The city gates opened, and King Guangchuan emerged alone, riding his horse out slowly.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came from behind; his most trusted confidants were following him.

"My Prince, we brothers will accompany you. We will face life and death together."

King Guangchuan wanted to tell them to go back, but a lump caught in his throat. He was filled with both sorrow and gratitude. Though he was resolved to die, he could not bring himself to be completely stoic.

"To have brothers like you in this life... is more than enough. You all... will accompany me on this final stretch of road."

The group of twenty men escorted King Guangchuan as they advanced.

When they were still about thirty feet away, they all dismounted. King Guangchuan looked up at the young, forbidding man still on horseback.

"Regent King Rong Yin... I have long admired your reputation."

Rong Yin dismounted. "King Guangchuan. A pleasure."

’A pleasure?’

King Guangchuan found it deeply ironic. How could a meeting like this possibly be called a pleasure?

But since he was the one who had rebelled first, he was in no position to object.

"Read the edict."

With that, he flicked the hem of his robes and knelt on both knees, awaiting his sentence.

The others were deeply resentful, but they knelt down as well.

Rong Yin took up the imperial edict but did not hurry to read it. Instead, he asked, "I hear King Guangchuan has a son named Xiao Qing."

King Guangchuan’s expression changed in an instant, his eyes turning fierce. "Regent King, I am here to calmly accept my death, to offer my neck to the blade. Is that not enough to spare my son’s life?"