The northern front of the Great Qian was still blanketed in heavy snow, rendering the land white and incredibly cold.
Chen Dahai stood on the long fortress built of blue bricks, gazing towards the direction of Great Jin with a worried expression.
His Majesty had ventured alone deep into the Great Jin Dynasty, causing him immense anxiety that something might happen to the Emperor.
"General, His Majesty has been in the Northern Territory for five hours," a soldier reported from the side.
Chen Dahai frowned upon hearing this. "Five hours, nearly half a day. I wonder how His Majesty is doing now?"
Before entering Great Jin, His Majesty had told him not to worry and that he would return in about half a day.
Now, with less than an hour left until half a day passed, would His Majesty return on time?
Chen Dahai pondered with concern.
Suddenly, a soldier nearby spotted something and shouted excitedly, "G-General, His Majesty is back! And he's carrying someone! It looks like... that remnant太子!"
Hearing the soldier's shout, Chen Dahai looked up abruptly and saw Xu Mo descending from the sky. His face immediately brightened, and he quickly knelt on one knee to welcome him.
"Your subordinate greets His Majesty, Long live His Majesty, long live, long live!"
His voice was rough and powerful, instantly echoing throughout the entire military camp. All the soldiers emerged, excitedly welcoming their Emperor, their spirits soaring!
"All you soldiers, rise." Xu Mo landed from the air, waving his hand to signal everyone to get up. At the same time, he tossed Hao Jiao, whom he had been carrying, to Chen Dahai.
"This is the mastermind behind last night's invasion. I have captured him. How he is to be dealt with is now up to your decision," Xu Mo said, looking at Chen Dahai.
The thousands of soldiers who had died last night were all under Chen Dahai's command, like brothers. Therefore, it was most fitting to hand Hao Jiao over to Chen Dahai for disposal.
Enemies meeting, their eyes blazing with hatred. Upon hearing His Majesty's words, Chen Dahai's eyes instantly bloodshot. He glared fiercely at the bound Hao Jiao on the ground, gritting his teeth,
"It was you, you damned beast, who killed my thousands of brothers? I will make you kneel before the graves of the fallen warriors for a hundred years to atone for your sins!"
Facing Chen Dahai's murderous gaze, Hao Jiao's face turned pale. Knowing his fate was sealed, he wanted to utter some harsh words, but in front of Xu Mo, not a single word could escape his lips.
Chen Dahai wished he could draw his saber right then and dismember Hao Jiao into a thousand pieces, skinning and flaying him. But with His Majesty present, he could only restrain himself for now.
"Your Majesty, your subordinate thanks you on behalf of the fallen brothers! If they knew that Your Majesty personally took action to avenge them, they would have no regrets even in death!"
Chen Dahai's eyes were slightly red as he bowed deeply to Xu Mo.
He was deeply moved, not expecting His Majesty to personally intervene, venturing deep into Great Jin to capture Hao Jiao and avenge the fallen soldiers.
The other soldiers also had flushed faces, tears welling up in their eyes, all kneeling and thanking His Majesty for avenging their comrades.
"Rise, this is all I should do. They are soldiers of Great Qian, and thus they are my soldiers. If I do not avenge my soldiers, what dignity would I have?" Xu Mo waved his hand, telling everyone to rise.
Chen Dahai and the other generals then stood up, their hearts filled with even greater reverence and admiration for His Majesty!
At this moment, if His Majesty ordered them to enter a dragon's den, they would do so without hesitation.
Following this, with Xu Mo's approval, Chen Dahai directly took Hao Jiao to Wangnan Mountain and forced him to kneel before the graves of thousands of martyrs!
"Kneel properly! These soldiers all died because of you. Now, kneel here and atone for your sins!" Chen Dahai said fiercely.
At the same time, he formed hand seals and used a spell to restrain Hao Jiao, preventing him from moving and forcing him to remain kneeling before the graves.
Seeing this, Xu Mo waved his right hand and reinforced the restraint. After all, Chen Dahai was only at the Half-step Divine Rope realm, while Hao Jiao was a cultivator of the Divine Rope realm. With such a difference in cultivation, the restraint cast by Chen Dahai was somewhat fragile. If it lasted too long, Hao Jiao could still break free.
Chen Dahai also knew this and was moved, expressing his gratitude to His Majesty once more.
Xu Mo spoke, "There are still many war criminals in Great Jin whom I did not bring back. We will have to wait for Gongsun Rou to lead officials to take over Great Jin before those war criminals will be escorted to Great Qian. At that time, you will still be the one to deal with those war criminals!"
"Take over Great Jin?" Chen Dahai was a little stunned upon hearing His Majesty's words, thinking he had misheard.
But he quickly realized that he had not misheard. His Majesty had indeed said that Gongsun Rou would lead the officials to take over Great Jin.
This immediately sent shockwaves through Chen Dahai, the commander of the northern defenses. His breathing quickened, and his voice became somewhat agitated, "Your Majesty, you mean? You want Lord Gongsun to go to the Northern Territory to take over Great Jin? Was Great Jin conquered by you?"
Xu Mo nodded calmly, "That's right. Great Jin now belongs to my Great Qian Dynasty, and the Empress of Great Jin has abdicated. From this day forward, there will be no more Great Jin in the Northern Territory, only the Great Qian Dynasty."
Upon hearing His Majesty's confirmation again, Chen Dahai was utterly stunned.
His Majesty was not joking; he was serious.
One person, venturing alone into Great Jin, not only captured Hao Jiao but also casually annexed the Great Jin Dynasty? This was too outrageous!
For a moment, Chen Dahai felt a sense of unreality. He had been confronting the Great Jin army on the northern front for nearly a century, from the era of the old Emperor to the era of the Empress of Great Jin, facing them all along.
In terms of military strength, Great Jin and Great Qian were roughly equal, with Great Qian being slightly stronger. But it was only slightly, and it was almost impossible to conquer Great Jin with a cultivator army.
Yet now, their Emperor had personally acted and, in less than half a day, had directly taken over Great Jin. This outcome was simply heaven-defying!
Chen Dahai's emotions shifted from shock to excitement and elation. He looked at Xu Mo and said, "Your Majesty, with Great Jin now part of Great Qian, what about the Empress of Great Jin? What was her reaction? Did you kill her?"
Xu Mo shook his head, "No, Great Jin was willingly handed over to me by her. How could I possibly kill her?"
"The Empress of Great Jin willingly handed it over?" Chen Dahai was stunned, unable to comprehend. Why would the Empress of Great Jin willingly give up the Great Jin Dynasty?
This was an entire immortal cultivation dynasty, possessing immensely rich resources and supreme power. Was the Empress of Great Jin willing to give it up?
Chen Dahai couldn't figure it out, and Xu Mo naturally wouldn't tell him the reason. After giving Chen Dahai a few instructions, he directly rose and headed towards the imperial capital.
As for Hao Jiao, his future fate was to kneel before the graves of the fallen soldiers of Great Qian and atone for his sins, with no hope of release.
...