The scouts hadn't returned, and the Crown Prince already knew the outcome—something was definitely wrong. But if he were to directly execute the families of Gao Deng and his men now, it would only provoke their even greater rage.
The Crown Prince wasn't actually sure if Gao Deng and his men were still alive. If they were dead, and he still had to kill their families, those remaining might betray him.
But since they weren't dead, he was now in a passive position, and time was running out; the possibility of dying here was high.
"Surrender and you won't be killed. You've all seen the Crown Prince's character. As the saying goes, 'Discretion is the better part of valor.' Surrender, and I won't mistreat you if you follow me," the Northern King said slowly as the group walked up the city wall.
These words caused a commotion among the people below. Several warriors capable of defeating ten thousand men knew very well that there was a super strongman in the Northern King's mansion who could easily kill them; they were completely outmatched.
They didn't want to die, especially martial artists of this level. They wanted wealth and honor, to enjoy life. Besides, in this war-torn world, sometimes surrendering wasn't shameful. A wise bird chooses its tree; it's a right of the strong.
The Crown Prince's character had chilled their hearts. They followed him when they had no other choice, and now that they had a choice, even under these circumstances, to brazenly proclaim their integrity was foolish.
No one would admire you for your integrity. A man's integrity is reserved for when it's useful, like risking his life for his family, for his children, or for the greater good. But today, no one would find you valuable, not even worthy of being called blind loyalty.
This was just one sentence, yet a slight commotion had already begun below, a clear indication that the Crown Prince was now completely panicked.
"I am the Crown Prince! Betray me, and I will exterminate your entire clan! I am the true Son of Heaven!" the Crown Prince roared, his voice hoarse with rage.
"Mr. Qin, I am the Crown Prince! If you help me, I can give you unparalleled glory. Once I become Emperor, you will be the Imperial Tutor, second only to the Emperor!" the Crown Prince shouted to Qin Chuan on the city wall.
Even now, he was still trying to recruit Qin Chuan. His previous attempts to recruit him had failed, so he sent assassins, but they all died.
But now, unwilling to give up, he tried again, gave it his all. What if he succeeded? He now clearly understood how terrifying Qin Chuan was.
With Qin Chuan, he even felt he could easily unify the Bright Moon Kingdom. He now envied his brother; with Qin Chuan's help, the Northern King could not only unify the Bright Moon Kingdom but also restore it to its ancestral peak.
Resentment, envy, jealousy, madness—he was the Crown Prince, why was he like this? This stage of his life made him want to destroy the world.
Clearly, with just one person helping him, everything he wanted would be within his grasp, yet that person wouldn't help him. He could give the Northern King twice as much, but the Northern King wouldn't help him, instead helping his rival.
If no one helped him, the Northern King would definitely be no match for him. It was all because of him, so now the Crown Prince hated Qin Chuan to the core.
It's said that people die with resentment, and the Crown Prince felt that if he died now, he would die with resentment, never letting Qin Chuan go.
"You've all seen it, an army of 800,000, yet utterly powerless to resist. You all know this, I'll say it again: lay down your weapons and surrender. I, the Northern King, am in dire need of capable men. I will ensure that each of you rises to prominence and brings blessings to your descendants." The Northern King spoke again.
"I surrender!" a centurion suddenly shouted.
The Crown Prince was about to order the execution of this man, but it was too late, for this shout would be the beginning.
As the saying goes, "The beginning is always the hardest," but once you start, you'll find it's actually quite easy, very effortless.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
"Me too! Me too!" Weapons clattered to the ground, then people knelt. Even those like the invincible warriors hesitated for a moment before throwing down their weapons, dismounting, and kneeling on one knee. "I surrender!" Surrender is
not shameful; what is truly harmful is being out of touch with reality, failing to see the situation clearly, and bringing disaster upon oneself and one's descendants. Since ancient times, the victor is king, the loser is villain; in war, envoys are not killed, and those who surrender are not killed. Especially in battles between two armies, each fighting for their own master, surrender usually doesn't result in execution, unless one has committed heinous crimes and is therefore ineligible to surrender. Some may have made mistakes, but some can atone through meritorious service; generally, surrendering isn't shameful. Many great generals in history served several masters before finally realizing their ambitions and achieving lasting fame. Thus, a ruler chooses his ministers, and ministers choose their rulers. The Crown Prince didn't even have the urge to curse. He stood blankly amidst the vast army, now alone, a feeling of utter betrayal and isolation rising within him. Utter despair, everything was over. He looked up at the Northern King on the city wall, his younger brother, exuding confidence and a sudden, powerful aura of royalty. He seemed to see that same feeling in his father and grandfather at their peak, the aura of an emperor—he had succeeded. The Crown Prince, in a daze, picked up his sword and ended his life. He didn't want to be a prisoner; he couldn't accept being a prisoner of the Northern King. Living like that is worse than death. Since there's nothing left in this world for him to cherish, why live a wretched existence, only to add to his sorrow? The Northern King hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so decisive. His face betrayed his undisguised grief, which wasn't feigned. He had no intention of killing the Crown Prince, nor of making him a prisoner. He could live a carefree life as a prince; he still had that magnanimity. But now it was too late. His imperial ambitions would require countless deaths. Qin Chuan, observing the Northern King's changing expressions, gradually felt that this man wasn't so bad after all. At least his humanity appealed to Qin Chuan; he disliked cold-hearted, ruthless people. With reorganization and acceptance, the Northern King suddenly possessed over a million troops, nearly two million. Compared to the millions of troops of other vassal states, this was still weak. However, it gave him the qualifications to compete. Moreover, with Qin Chuan and Yu Qing present, even enemies several times their size wouldn't be a problem. The main focus now was governance; it's said that conquering a kingdom is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. Indeed, conquering a city is relatively easy, but governing a large city involves many aspects, such as city order and security. This also involves powerful families, sects, and so on. It requires a lot of management talent, and you also need to give powerful families your full support, grant sects special privileges, and maintain a balance. Otherwise, they might secretly sabotage you, and the entire city could riot... However, Wang Xu doesn't need to worry about these things. He just needs an identity, a stage to step onto. If the Bright Moon Kingdom becomes powerful, he can rise to one circle after another and enter the circle of the Nine Heavens Land.