Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Haichen

The Crown Prince Huangfu Haichen of Prince Cheng’s family is said to have a face as handsome as jade, extraordinarily beautiful. Although not yet of age, clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear, he is extremely brave and fierce.

After the supply lines were cut and his father died in battle, the Prince Cheng’s Heir took over command, managing to annihilate more than eight thousand elite enemy troops with less than five thousand remaining soldiers.

Hit by arrows, he cut them off and continued to fight, undaunted by swords and axes.

He alone killed nearly a hundred enemies.

They fought so valiantly that the soldiers of the Fire Flame Country were terrified!

The Prince Cheng Mansion’s guards all died in battle; not one surrendered, not a single person survived!

From the body of Huangfu Haichen, a bucketful of arrowheads was dug out!

When the city fell, Consort Cheng and their only Commandery Princess Huangfu Liye chose to jump off the city wall rather than be dishonored, thus the entire family perished for the country.

Yanxia Country’s new emperor, who personally led the expedition, admired Prince Cheng’s loyalty and dedication to the country, the unmatched heroism of the young heir, and the virtuous integrity of Consort Cheng and Commandery Princess Huangfu Liye, and arranged for people to specially escort the family’s remains back to Nanxia City, honoring them with the highest military tribute to the enemy.

When the deeds of Prince Cheng and his heir were relayed back to the Capital City, Xia Wenjin, who had never met Prince Cheng’s family, sighed and held a special memorial service to express his admiration.

Even Huangfu Yuxuan was deeply moved.

He was the only Imperial Uncle who did not participate in the struggle for the throne, yet he used all his strength to protect the land of Nanxia, until he shed his last drop of blood.

But this was a matter of four years later. At that time, the Prince Cheng’s Heir should not have been more than twelve years old.

Meanwhile, the king of the Fire Flame Country, who had unified the tribes of Sun-cutting Country and others, now remains unknown, his whereabouts undiscovered.

Mentioning this later new ruler of the Fire Flame Country, his background is quite strange. When the Fire Flame Crown Prince was still just a prince, he traveled the world, fell in love with a woman, and privately promised a lifelong relationship. However, in the heart of this Fire Flame Crown Prince, the kingdom was more important than beauty. What’s more, she was a commoner from another country?

The Fire Flame Crown Prince resolutely left, unaware that the woman was carrying his child. So this child, abandoned, wandered the outside world.

Many years later, when the Crown Prince became king, he originally had five grown sons under him. These sons fought openly and secretly for his position, resulting in either death or disability, causing chaos within the Fire Flame Country. In the midst of his memories, he recollected the woman he had abandoned, reminiscing about those days free from scheming, where happiness and sweetness were plentiful, and sent people to search for her.

The people sent out returned with news, and he finally learned that he had a son out there. This son became later known as the Seventh Prince of the Fire Flame Country.

After returning to the Fire Flame Country, the Seventh Prince resolved the chaos caused by the five princes fighting for the throne within a year, and became the new king. Two years later, he subjugated the Sun-cutting Country and unified the desert tribes. By the fourth year, he advanced towards Nanxia, later reaching the central part of Yunzhou.

At that time, East Tang and Beiqi both perceived Nanxia’s situation as akin to a large, juicy piece of meat, with lots of fat, left unguarded for anyone to bite at will.

No one missed this opportunity.

Huangfu Yuxuan was deeply involved in the fierce competition for the throne. Xia Wenjin urged him to prioritize external threats before dealing with internal ones, to unite the various princes to protect the gateway of Nanxia. However, at that time, Huangfu Yuxuan insisted on quelling internal turmoil first, and he would reclaim lost land only after ascending the throne.

She understood that he simply didn’t want the advantageous struggle for the throne to be nullified by external troubles; what he cared about was the throne itself!

All of his efforts were focused on eliminating forces within the struggle for the throne.

Without any scruples, various countries invaded, as governors strained to defend the borders. Yunzhou, Yan State, Ningzhou, Qingzhou, and Liangzhou all got swept into the flames of external war.

Meanwhile, Qianzhou, Jinzhou, and Jiazhou were also affected by internal strife, leaving the entire Nanxia devastated.

He wished to ascend the throne.

And she, on the night of his ascension, was sentenced to death by him, to die from poisoning, and her body consumed by fire.

Therefore, she didn’t know what fate befell Nanxia in the end, nor whether those lost lands were ever recovered.

Now, Fire Flame and Sun-cutting, along with all the desert tribes, are still a scattered mess.

If it weren’t for the internal chaos from the throne struggle tearing Nanxia apart, severely depleting its resources, how would they dare launch an invasion?

If Prince Cheng hadn’t been left without reinforcements and depleted of supplies, his entire family would not have been forced to sacrifice themselves.

If one went to Yunzhou, they would wonder if they could meet the admirable Prince Cheng and his heir!

There are four more years, there is still time!

In her past life, she was dragged along by fate, trapped within its confines, unable to do anything.

But in this life, she can exert her own small strength.

Even if things still develop in a negative direction, with the eastward invasion of the Fire Flame Country, and Beiqi and East Tang taking advantage of the situation, she is no longer the sword in Huangfu Yuxuan’s hand. She will stay away from the court’s disputes, away from the Imperial Family, and in these four years, do something in her own way.

Seeing Xia Wenjin walking along silently, and her previously smiling face now bearing traces of sorrow and heaviness, even though still a growing teenager, in this moment her gaze seemed to penetrate through millennia of vicissitudes, carrying an ancient, accumulated melancholy that puzzled Huangfu Jingchen.

He asked, “Have you been to Yunzhou?”

Xia Wenjin shook her head, saying, “I’ve never been there!”

“Then it’s just as well; let you see it for yourself. Yunzhou, though distant, is a place where the people live in peace, rich in resources, comparable to the fish and rice lands of Jiazhou.” Huangfu Jingchen spoke with pride, glancing at her sideways.

Snapping out of her old memories, Xia Wenjin observed the proud young face before her and couldn’t help but laugh. The little kid, with such a demeanor of pride, anyone who didn’t know better might think he was Prince Cheng’s son!

Even though she is now only sixteen years old, having the experience of her past life, Huangfu Jingchen, who wasn’t yet of age, appeared to her just like a little kid!

She deliberately teased, “You’re praising Yunzhou so much, are you perhaps related to the Yunzhou Governor?”

A person who would desert in battle and ignore the entire city’s people and national righteousness was likely not a good official normally.

Sure enough, Huangfu Jingchen’s face froze, and he said lightly, “No!”

Xia Wenjin chuckled internally, there’s no harm in teasing the little child!

No matter where she went, as long as it was away from Jinzhou and the Capital City, she would be willing.

Seeing Xia Wenjin so obedient, even Huangfu Jingchen didn’t realize the slight upward curve of his lips.

Haotian Village.

On the empty Martial Arts Square, sword lights flickered as two people exchanged moves, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

The man in green moved naturally, his street-style long-fist intertwined with sword moves, and rogue-leg techniques at his fingertips, a smile gracing his lips. Amidst ordinary moves, there would occasionally be a brilliant strike, making the fight thrilling, yet he remained unperturbed.

The man in white carried himself with an air of nobility in every move. Even in battle, he maintained a rigor as though trained by a master, his moves well-structured and methodical, clearly having learned extremely advanced swordsmanship.

Both were handsome figures, and their exchange of moves was remarkably exciting, earning waves of applause.

The one in green was Xia Sichen, and the one in white was Huangfu Yuxuan.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep