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Imperial City, the weather, gloomy.

Inside the Imperial Palace, the Ice Emperor and the Fourth Prince sat at opposite ends of the Political Affairs Hall, with the State Preceptor and the War God seated beside them.

The atmosphere in the Political Affairs Hall was extremely solemn.

The Ice Emperor distributed the memorials and battle reports for everyone to read, though in reality, only the State Preceptor hadn’t seen them before.

After everyone finished reading, the Ice Emperor slammed the memorials onto the table angrily, exclaiming, ”Hmph, the Demon Clan is having trouble and wants to withdraw their troops! That Demon King is treacherous and untrustworthy!”

The Fourth Prince said, ”Father, I’ve heard that on the Demon Clan’s side, several cities have rebelled, leaving the Demon King too preoccupied to care. Along with the alliance of the Demon Clan and Qin Tian, the Demon King’s army conquered several cities south of the Demon God River, but was defeated by Qin Tian at Beilang Mountain and retreated. I estimate that their chances of attacking Qin Tian from behind again are low.”

The War God, with piercing eyes, said, ”Whether to attack or not, we must attack. We have to cooperate with the Demon Clan, or else advancing against Xu Kuan’s Iron Bucket Formation in Yueya City will be troublesome, with heavy casualties.”

”Conversely, as long as the Demon Clan is willing to occasionally harass and raid the West State from the rear, making it difficult for Qin Tian to manage both ends, the pressure on our front lines will be greatly reduced.”

The Ice Emperor snorted coldly, ”That Demon King is always arrogant and conceited. Can we still keep him as an ally?”

”We’ll just have to offer more benefits.”

The Fourth Prince said, ”To utterly annihilate Qin Tian, we must compromise. We could consider offering the Demon Clan all the Demon Clan territories if they help us eliminate Qin Tian and then the Demon Clan.”

This proposal made the Ice Emperor’s eyes light up: ”They help me eliminate Qin Tian, we help them eliminate the Demon Clan?”

The Fourth Prince nodded, ”Now that Qin Tian and the Demon Clan are allied, as long as we defeat Qin Tian, defeating the Demon Clan—ha, a place ruled by a woman—will be easy.”

”Good, it’s settled!”

Currently, Qin Tian had become a thorn in the Ice Emperor’s side. To eliminate Qin Tian, he would stop at nothing and immediately sent emissaries to negotiate with the Demon Clan.

Once matters with the Demon Clan were settled, their focus turned to the West State battlefield.

Currently, the West State battlefield was under siege by the Imperial City.

However, after twenty days of siege, besides reclaiming Tiger City, there had been no progress.

In fact, reclaiming Tiger City cost them twice the price that Qin Tian paid.

Thus, the current state of war left the Ice Emperor a bit at a loss.

”This Xu Kuan, once under my command, was called the General of a Hundred Defeats, having never won a single battle. Later, he even retreated into seclusion. Hmph, how is it that under Qin Tian’s command, he’s so capable of warfare? Don’t we have plenty of Generals in our army? Are they all inferior to one Xu Kuan!”

The Ice Emperor couldn’t understand how someone who was a failure under him could become a formidable Great General under Qin Tian’s leadership.

Forty plus thousand troops in Yueya City managed to hold off the advance of the Imperial City’s seventy thousand troops!

The War God said, ”This Xu Kuan shouldn’t be underestimated. He may not be good at attacking, but when it comes to defense, especially familiar with the West State, he’s unmatched. Without a doubt, Qin Tian knows how to utilize his people, and he has successfully made use of Xu Kuan.”

”War God, what do you think should be done next?” The Ice Emperor didn’t want to hear any more analyses. He only wanted to know how to quickly eliminate Qin Tian.

The War God thought for a while, glanced at the Fourth Prince, and said, ”If all else fails, perhaps I must go once more myself.”

”Haha, if you go, that would be wonderful. You defeated the West State before, drove off Qin Tian, and West State soldiers are terrified at the mere mention of your name. If you go to the front lines, eliminating Qin Tian will be as easy as turning over your hand!”

The Ice Emperor was delighted at these words, for he had directly asked the War God because this was the answer he desired.

”Father, the Imperial City is unstable now with Long Yin causing continuous chaos and assassination attempts. We’ve already lost a dozen officials; the War God can’t leave the Imperial City, or it will likely face turmoil!”

The Fourth Prince quickly stated.

His intention was clear: the War God must not leave the Imperial City.

Currently, the Fourth Prince relied heavily on the War God, and if the War God were truly to leave, the Ice Emperor or even the Fourteenth Prince might make a move, leaving him without support.

”Hehe, if the War God doesn’t go to the front lines, who will eliminate Qin Tian?”

The Ice Emperor, upon hearing the Fourth Prince’s words, showed displeasure, ”Long Yin is just a clown, not worth fearing. Qin Tian is the real threat to my rule!”

”I have a way to deal with Qin Tian.”

To prevent the War God from leaving the Imperial City, the Fourth Prince devised a plan: ”Xie Feihong is currently the frontline commander. Our Vanguard Great Commander General has repeatedly been ineffective in attacks. I suggest we replace him.”

”Hehe, replace him? Changing the general won’t help! Zhong Chao is a valiant general, having served as Vanguard General for over a decade, with numerous accomplishments. If we replace him, who can capture Yueya City and help me eliminate Qin Tian?”

”There is someone.”

The Fourth Prince smiled slyly.

The Ice Emperor asked, ”Who?”

”General Murong Tiancheng.”

The Fourth Prince’s words caused the Ice Emperor to frown, ”Murong Tiancheng? His cultivation has stagnated, and his fighting spirit has long since dissipated. I believe Zhong Chao is more competent; if Zhong Chao can’t succeed, can he?”

The Fourth Prince replied, ”In terms of combat ability, Murong Tiancheng is not equal to Zhong Chao, but, Father, the supreme art of war is to defeat the enemy by strategy. We send Murong Tiancheng as Vanguard Officer, not to capture territory but because... Father, don’t forget, Murong Tiannan’s treasured daughter, Murong Fei, is Qin Tian’s woman. Having Murong Tiancheng, who is Murong Fei’s uncle, lead the charge, would Xu Kuan dare to kill him?”

This question made the Ice Emperor suddenly realize.

The State Preceptor Sima Tianchen, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, ”Your Highness Fourth Prince, your move is ruthless enough.”

The Fourth Prince sneered, ”A real man doesn’t shy away from ruthlessness! Murong Tiannan’s daughter ran off with Qin Tian; now Qin Tian has rebelled, and we’ve been merciful in not holding the Murong Family accountable. Now, we’ll make them redeem their value; they dare not refuse!”

”Hmm... your suggestion is indeed good. I’m willing to spare no effort as long as Qin Tian is eliminated!” the Ice Emperor pondered.

The Fourth Prince continued, ”To prevent Murong Tiancheng from defecting to Qin Tian during the battle, we should monitor and detain all members of the Murong Family while appointing him as Vanguard Officer. By then, how could Murong Tiancheng not exert himself? If he doesn’t, we’ll annihilate his entire family!”

”Your Highness, Murong Tiannan was one of the four great generals of our dynasty and made significant contributions for you to ascend the throne and stabilize the empire. Making such a decisive move after his death seems unwarranted...”

The State Preceptor spoke, but before he could finish, the Ice Emperor interrupted, ”As the Fourth Prince has said, ruthlessness is the way of a real man! State Preceptor, the officials of our dynasty should possess the awareness to dedicate everything for our great cause! The Murong Family has no choice!”