At a time like this, he could still crack jokes. Yang Zhao admired his thick skin.
No wonder everyone in Jiao Ren listened to him now. Though it was merely a small territory, they dared to attempt to swallow Da Jin.
Prince Ding did not speak, merely cast him a glance, then said indifferently,
"Third Prince truly has great skill. You've managed to make Nan Yue loyal like a dog all these years."
As soon as these words were spoken, both the Third Prince and the King Consort felt offended.
To them, the foundation of their alliance was not strong to begin with. Now that it had been exposed so directly, both of them lost face.
Unfortunately, Prince Ding was not one to give anyone a chance to breathe.
He continued to mock them.
"If the King of Nan Yue and the Crown Princess were here, you wouldn't have colluded with Jiao Ren even if you held a knife to their throats. Just like back then, when they were heavily defeated by me and the Ding Wang Army, they never showed such subservient behavior."
The King Consort's face flushed with anger and embarrassment, unable to retort.
They had finally managed to restrain the Crown Princess and the others. Now that he had taken over, he was being insulted worse than a dog. How could this stand?
But in terms of martial prowess, they were no match for Yang Zhao, so words were useless.
Filled with anger and hatred, he almost couldn't bear it.
In contrast, the Third Prince of Jiao Ren, though his expression remained unchanged, showed his emotions.
However, when he looked at Prince Ding, his apprehension grew.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from outside. The King Consort's heart leaped with joy.
He thought perhaps his people had returned to fight, but to his surprise, the one who lifted the curtain was the Crown Princess, who was supposed to be imprisoned.
Her face was still stained with blood, and her gaze towards the King Consort was like that of an eternal enemy.
"How did you get out?"
"If I didn't come out, I fear Nan Yue would have been ruined by you!"
For so many years, Nan Yue had never been able to recover its former position, all because of Jiao Ren's machinations from behind the scenes.
Yet, her own King Consort had aided them and even attempted to encroach upon Da Jin.
It was madness.
Therefore, even though they had a child together, he could not be spared now.
Behind her followed Nan Yue's most elite unit, the Blood Blade Division. They had returned to completely eliminate the King Consort and his faction.
Upon seeing the emblem of the Blood Blade Division, the King Consort knew the tide had turned.
His position in Nan Yue had never been high; he was merely a puppet for the royal family to continue the bloodline. Though he and the Crown Princess had been on relatively good terms over the years, they had never deeply loved each other.
Thus, when interests clashed, his reaction was as it was.
Therefore, in his heart, he did not blame the Crown Princess, only felt a sense of desolation, like a defeated contender.
Seeing the King Consort's demeanor, the Third Prince knew the situation was lost.
Just as he was preparing to flee, he saw Yang Zhao staring at him intently, leaving no opportunity.
"Third Prince, where are you planning to go?"
At this moment, he suddenly felt that his brain must have short-circuited to have provoked Da Jin. As long as this Prince Ding was alive, Da Jin would not fall.
Now, he was truly in a predicament, unsure of how to proceed.
Jiao Ren had essentially committed all its forces. They had hoped to carve out a piece of territory, but instead, they had lost their wife and soldiers.
Yet, he was unwilling to accept defeat. Surely, he still had a chance!
He didn't know if the spies he had placed in the King's army had succeeded. If they had, the situation might still be reversed.
Alas, he would not live to see that day.
After the King Consort was killed on the spot by the Crown Princess, she then turned her attention to him, her sword wielded with fierce intent.
"What do you want?"
"What do I want? Jiao Ren took advantage of our weakness and trampled on Nan Yue. Now you have deceived my King Consort, causing so many sons of Nan Yue to perish here. How can I not avenge these new and old grievances?"
The Third Prince was now starting to panic.
He still had some value in negotiating with Da Jin.
But when it came to Nan Yue, he was as good as dead.
The people of Nan Yue were known for their ruthless methods; they wouldn't give him a chance to negotiate.
As expected, after the Crown Princess finished speaking, the Blood Blade Division surrounded the Third Prince.
Not long after the fight began, his head was severed.
It rolled and stopped beside the corpse of the King Consort, making them true brothers in death.
Yang Zhao raised an eyebrow, looking at the Crown Princess. She was indeed a formidable character.
She had made her decision without regret, directly killing the Third Prince of Jiao Ren, unafraid of Jiao Ren retaliating against them.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Princess walked up to Prince Ding and said,
"Nan Yue is willing to submit to Da Jin and become a vassal state, but the prerequisite is that Your Highness must send troops to help me flatten the territory of Jiao Ren!"
She was quite bold to make such a request. However, her words silenced everyone, as they awaited Prince Ding's reaction.
After a moment, he slowly replied,
"The Crown Princess's thoughts are perhaps too simplistic. You killed the Third Prince, and your King Consort colluded with him. Da Jin was passively involved in this matter from beginning to end. If I were to agree to your proposal, wouldn't it appear as if we had secretly conspired to frame Jiao Ren? The Crown Princess truly dares to suggest such a thing."
The Crown Princess, her true intentions exposed by him, did not feel embarrassed.
She knew the possibility of success was slim before speaking, so she did not feel a great sense of disappointment. However, with the Third Prince dead, their conflict with Jiao Ren was irreconcilable. Thus, it would be wise to return and make plans.
Strike first to gain the advantage; this was an immutable principle.
Therefore, she ordered her men to take the Third Prince's head and send it back to Jiao Ren at full speed.
On one hand, it was to establish authority; on the other, it was to completely escalate the conflict. The war had dragged on until now, and they had not truly clashed with Da Jin, but instead, the two sides had started fighting fiercely amongst themselves.
The Blood Blade Division killed all the generals brought by the Third Prince. An army without a leader lacked cohesion and combat effectiveness. Some even changed their allegiance on the spot.
Regardless of anything else, the grain and fodder were certainly controlled by the Nan Yue people. With these provisions, the Jiao Ren soldiers brought by the Third Prince either starved to death, were killed, or surrendered. The fifteen thousand strong army that marched out, left only seventy to eighty thousand, who were then incorporated into the Nan Yue army.
The Crown Princess then led her army at the fastest pace towards Jiao Ren. Within a month, she had routed Jiao Ren, causing the royal family to flee in all directions, and the King of Jiao Ren died when his palace was breached.
However, a Ninth Prince remains unaccounted for. For this reason, the Crown Princess dispatched the Blood Blade Division to ensure his death.
Prince Ding, who was already on his way back to the capital, received this news and could not help but let out a disdainful smile.
The people of Nan Yue were indeed capable. Even a Crown Princess was so valiant and skilled in battle. It seemed they would be difficult to deal with in the future.
Then, he instructed Xu Lin.