Chapter 325

He finally saw through the ambitions of the Harik family. On the surface, they came to support him and help him fight against the noble families, but in fact, they probably wanted to reap the benefits.

Let him, the emperor, and the aristocratic family fight to the point of mutual destruction, and then they will take the opportunity to rise up and control the entire Sun and Moon City.

Feng Xiaochen tightly grasped the battle report, veins bulged on the back of his hand, and his heart was filled with anger and regret.

He never imagined that the Harik family, whom he had always regarded as an ally, actually had such ulterior motives.

He originally thought that the Harik family wanted to be his loyal followers, but he didn’t expect that the Harik family actually wanted to be another Xu family!
However, it’s too late to regret now.

The war was over, and he had to face the situation. He knew that the power of the Harik family had been greatly expanded in this war, and if they were not contained, they would probably become the next force threatening the peace of Sun Moon City.

Therefore, Feng Xiaochen did not care about anything else and hurriedly summoned his confidants and generals to discuss countermeasures again.

There was no time to return to the palace. In the meeting hall in the city mansion, the atmosphere was so solemn that it was hard to breathe. The ministers looked at the emperor’s gloomy face and did not dare to speak easily.

“Everyone.”

Feng Xiaochen broke the silence, his voice low and suppressed.

“Although we won the war, we suffered heavy losses. The ambitions of the Harik family are obvious. We must find a way to curb their power, otherwise, Sun Moon City will never have peace.”

A general stood up and said with a fist.

“Your Majesty, the Harik family is now very powerful. If we act rashly, we may not be their opponent. I suggest that we stabilize them first, secretly accumulate strength, and wait for the opportunity.”

Another minister nodded in agreement.

“Your Majesty, I think we can first pretend to be friendly with the Harik family, express gratitude and trust to them on the surface, and secretly strengthen the training and equipment update of the army. At the same time, we can win over those forces that were oppressed by the aristocratic families in the war and are now willing to support Your Majesty to fight against the Harik family together.”

Feng Xiaochen listened to the ministers’ suggestions and fell into deep thought.

He knew that these suggestions, though sound, would take time, and during this time, the Harik family would likely continue to expand its power and pose a greater threat to his rule.

But now, he had no better solution and could only agree with what these confidants said.

On the battlefield where the smoke had not yet dissipated, Emperor Feng Xiaochen followed the advice of his confidants, suppressed his inner anger and vigilance, and called over the people from the Harik family in the army. His words were full of praise and affirmation, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, but he had to pretend to be enthusiastic.

There was a hypocritical smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a barely perceptible sinisterness, which was the anger and unwillingness after being betrayed.

The work of cleaning up the battlefield was carried out in a depressing atmosphere. The soldiers wearily shuttled between the corpses and ruins, their faces filled with fatigue and trauma from the war.

The ground was soaked in blood, emitting a strong smell of blood, mixed with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke, which permeated the entire battlefield, like a haze of death that would not dissipate for a long time.

Those incomplete corpses, some with their eyes wide open, seemed to be telling of the cruelty of war; some with twisted limbs, showing painful postures, witnessing the struggle before life disappeared.

Feng Xiaochen rode on a tall warhorse, looking grimly at the devastated battlefield, feeling mixed emotions. He knew very well that this victory was hard-won, but it also came at a heavy price.

But now, the ambitions of the Harik family have gradually surfaced, making him feel an unprecedented crisis.

His hands unconsciously clenched the reins, his knuckles turning white from the effort, and he secretly thought about how to deal with the coming storm.

As the army slowly marched towards Sun Moon City, Feng Xiaochen’s mood became heavier. He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar city ahead, and an inexplicable uneasiness surged in his heart.

This city, which has been the site of countless power struggles and conspiracies, now seems to be hiding a deeper crisis, waiting for him to step into the trap.

When the army arrived at the inner city of Sun and Moon City, the scene before them stunned everyone.

The gate of the inner city was closed tightly. The heavy gate seemed like an insurmountable barrier, keeping them out.

On the city wall, there were few guards, and instead there was dead silence.

For a moment, an ominous premonition surged into Feng Xiaochen’s heart, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if an invisible hand was tightly strangling his throat.

Feng Xiaochen quickly sent someone to call the guards at the inner city gate. His voice echoed in the silent air, but there was no response at all.

Those cries seemed to fall like a stone in the sea, disappearing without a trace, leaving behind only endless silence and fear.

At this moment, the soul guides suspended on the inner city walls suddenly started up, and the cold muzzles slowly turned, aiming at the emperor’s army under the wall.

The sunlight shone on the metal casing of the soul guide, reflecting a dazzling light. The light seemed to be an omen of death, making people shudder.

At this moment, everyone understood that the Harik family had taken control of the inner city and wanted to take this opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop.

Feng Xiaochen’s face turned pale in an instant, and his eyes were filled with anger and despair.

He never imagined that the Harik family would be so impatient to attack them at this critical moment without giving them any room for buffer.

Not only Feng Xiaochen, but even the confidants who had discussed the matter together before were stunned.

They stood there, at a loss, with shock and fear written all over their faces.

It’s not that they hadn’t thought about the Harik family’s ambitions, but they hadn’t expected that the Harik family would act so swiftly and decisively.

Just as Feng Xiaochen was filled with grief and anger, a figure appeared on the city wall. The figure was tall and dressed in gorgeous clothes. It was the patriarch of the Harik family, Norton.

As soon as Norton appeared, Feng Xiaochen’s anger was instantly ignited. Feng Xiaochen raised his head, glared at him, and asked loudly.

“Norton, what do you mean? We were allies. Why did you betray me?”

His voice echoed in the air, filled with anger and unwillingness. The voice seemed to break through the clouds, but was ruthlessly blocked by the city walls.

Norton sneered, with a sneer of contempt on his face. He looked down at Feng Xiaochen under the city wall, as if he was looking at a lamb to be slaughtered.

His eyes were full of pride and arrogance, as if he was announcing his victory to Feng Xiaochen. He spoke slowly, his voice cold and mocking.

“Feng Xiaochen, you are too naive. In this game of power, there are no eternal allies, only eternal interests. Now, the situation in Sun Moon City is under my control, so just surrender obediently!”

After hearing Norton’s words, Feng Xiaochen’s anger reached its peak. He waved the scepter in his hand and cursed loudly.

“Norton, you despicable villain! Do you think you can succeed like this? I will never let you do that!”

His voice was full of determination and firmness, as if he was declaring war on Norton. Even in desperate situation, he would never give up.

However, Norton turned a deaf ear to Feng Xiaochen’s scolding. He smiled coldly, and then ordered the soldiers to activate the soul guide. With his order, the soul guide made a low roar, like the roar of a demon. The sound echoed in the air, making people shudder.

The soldiers on the city wall became busy. They skillfully operated the soul guides and adjusted the angles of the gun muzzles.

Every action was filled with coldness and ruthlessness, as if they were facing not their former allies but sworn enemies.

Feng Xiaochen was extremely anxious when he saw this. He knew very well that if his army was attacked by these soul guides, it would suffer heavy losses.

He quickly ordered the army to retreat quickly and seek shelter.

The soldiers moved in panic. They retreated hastily. The sounds of footsteps and shouts mixed together. The whole scene was in chaos.

At this moment, Norton ordered again: “Fire!” As his order was issued, dozens of soul guide cannons roared in unison, and the huge roar shook the earth. The shells dragged long tails of flames, like meteors, streaking across the sky and whistling towards the emperor’s army.

Suddenly, flames shot up into the sky, smoke filled the air, and shells exploded in the emperor’s army, raising a cloud of dust and blood.

Screams and shouts were heard everywhere. Soldiers fell one after another in the explosion, and the ground was dyed red with blood.

Those soldiers who were hit by the shells were instantly blown away by the blast. Their bodies were like kites with broken strings, drawing arcs in the air, and then falling heavily to the ground.

Some soldiers were left with limbs mutilated by the explosion, a horrific sight; some were buried under the rubble, their life or death unknown.

Feng Xiaochen watched his army suffer heavy damage in the artillery fire, his heart filled with pain and helplessness.

He clenched his teeth and his eyes flashed with anger.

He knew that now was not the time to despair, and he had to find a way to deal with this crisis.

He quickly calmed down and began to command his troops to counterattack. He ordered the archers to quickly draw their bows and shoot at the enemies on the city wall.

The archers took their positions, drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the enemies on the city wall.

Following Feng Xiaochen’s order, a dense rain of arrows poured down on the Harik family soldiers on the city wall like locusts.

Those arrows flashed cold light in the air, carrying the breath of death, and shot towards the enemy.

The soldiers of the Harik family on the city wall were not to be outdone. They took up weapons and fought back.

For a moment, arrows rained down from the city walls and the two sides engaged in a fierce shooting.

Arrows flew through the air, making whistling sounds, and people were constantly being shot and falling down.

Some soldiers were shot in the throat by arrows and fell to the ground and died instantly; some soldiers were shot in the chest by arrows and struggled in pain.

On the battlefield, the sounds of shouting, weapons clashing, and screaming were intertwined together, like a crazy symphony.

In this fierce battle, the soul masters in the emperor’s army also displayed their martial spirits and joined the battle.

For a moment, all kinds of lights flickered on the battlefield, and powerful soul power fluctuations permeated the entire battlefield.

Some soul masters summon huge beasts, roaring and pouncing on the enemy; some soul masters release powerful elemental forces, such as fire, ice, and lightning, to envelope the enemy.

A soul master who was good at fire danced with his hands and muttered something. A blazing flame instantly ignited in his hands, and the flame burned more and more vigorously, forming a huge fireball.

He shouted and threw the fireball at the enemies on the city wall.

The fireball, with its scorching heat, whizzed towards the enemy, and wherever it went, the air seemed to be ignited.

Seeing this, the enemies on the city wall dodged one after another. However, some soldiers were hit by the fireballs and were instantly engulfed by the flames, making miserable cries.

Another soul master who was good at ice waved his hands and a gust of cold air blew in his face.

Suddenly, a thick layer of ice appeared in front of him. It quickly spread and covered the enemies on the city wall.

Those enemies covered by the ice were instantly frozen and unable to move.

There was an expression of horror on their faces and despair in their eyes.

On the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly. Both sides go back and forth, neither side gives in.

Every attack and counterattack was accompanied by countless blood and loss of life.

The ground was stained red with blood, and the air was filled with the strong smell of blood and gunpowder. The bodies of the soldiers lay on the ground in all directions, some were incomplete, and some were unrecognizable.

The battlefield was in a mess, like hell on earth.

Feng Xiaochen moved freely on the battlefield. He waved the scepter in his hand and released powerful soul power to provide support to his soldiers.

His eyes were firm and calm as he looked at the fighting on the battlefield without any fear in his heart.

He knew very well that this war concerned his fate and the future of the entire Sun Moon City. He could not lose, and could not afford to lose.

However, as the battle continued, the emperor’s army gradually fell into trouble.

They were outside the city, without the protection of the city walls, and seemed very passive when facing attacks from the enemies on the city walls.

Moreover, they had already consumed a lot of physical strength and energy in the previous war with the aristocratic families, and now they had to face the betrayal of the Harik family, and their morale suffered a great blow.

On the other hand, the army of the Harik family has the advantage of the city walls and possesses powerful soul guides as weapons.

Moreover, they were well prepared and had set up strict fortifications on the city walls.

Faced with the counterattack of the emperor’s army, they responded with ease, launched continuous attacks, and caused huge losses to the emperor’s army.

In this fierce battle, ordinary people once again became innocent victims. Their homes were destroyed by the war, their loved ones were separated and they were displaced. The streets were filled with cries and wails.

The children hid in the corner in fear, their eyes full of fear and helplessness.

The women cried desperately, their tears soaking their clothes.

The old people sighed helplessly, looking at the land baptized by war, their hearts filled with sadness and helplessness.

(End of this chapter)