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Chapter 461 The Surrender of Zhao King_2

Therefore, Lu Chen decided to give Zhao King an opportunity to choose for himself. If Zhao King had thoughts of avenging the Sum Emperor, then Zhao King would be sent to accompany his late father.

If Zhao King chose to surrender, then he would be detained in a location and have his fiefdom revoked, never again allowing him to interfere with politics.

Zhao King looked at the letter in his hand and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he sighed.

It seemed that the dream his elder brother, the Emperor, had failed to achieve would now have to be fulfilled by Lu Chen. It was just uncertain whether Lu Chen was a pawn of some power.

But now, it was not up to him to ponder over much. Regardless of whether the words in Lu Chen's letter were true or false, his only option was to surrender. Continue reading on empire

With this in mind, Zhao King looked up at his subordinates and said, "The new Emperor has sent a letter. He says as long as I willingly relinquish my military power and my fief, he will not hold past actions against me, and you will all remain soldiers of Great Sum."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard fell silent, realizing that the new Emperor's letter was undoubtedly an attempt to convince them to surrender.

But whether the promises made in the letter would be kept was another matter. As a newly enthroned Emperor, he would certainly not tolerate anyone who posed a threat to his rule.

In other words, once Zhao King surrendered, it was very likely he would face retribution.

Seeing his subordinates fall into silence, Zhao King continued, "You have followed me for decades, and you know that I am not so selfish as to drag you down with me."

"Since the tide has turned, I have decided to surrender. If the new Emperor wishes to kill me, then so be it."

"You are soldiers of Great Sum, and I believe the new Emperor will not purge you. He harbors great ambition and will want to unify the Celestial realm in time. You will still have a chance to distinguish yourselves in battle."

Hearing Zhao King's words, one of his subordinates stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you must not do this!"

"Once you truly surrender, the new Emperor will surely go back on his word. You are now the most significant threat to his throne, how could he possibly spare you!"

Zhao King replied, "There is no need for further discussion, my mind is made up."

"So be it. Those who wish to surrender with me, stay; those who do not, head south to join Prince Lu Yi."

"Since Prince Lu Yi chose to go south from the beginning, it shows that he is still not willing to let go and still has aspirations for that position. Now is the time when he needs people. If you go south to join him, he will surely value and utilize your service."

This...

The people in the courtyard exchanged glances, but in the end, no one stepped forward to say they would head south to follow Prince Lu Yi.

They all knew very well that with the support of four Celestials, Lu Chen's imperial seat was secure. Even if they went south to follow Prince Lu Yi, it was unlikely they would end up with a good fate.

Rather than that, it was better to surrender now with Zhao King, as he said. The new Emperor aimed to unite the land under one rule, he would need them to conquer other dynasties in the future; they would be of use to him, so it's very possible he wouldn't purge them.

Seeing that no one came forward, Zhao King continued, "Since you have all made your decision, follow me to the city gates."

Thereafter, Zhao King stood up and led his subordinates to the city tower.

At that moment, Mu Changtian was already waiting outside the city. He did not order an attack, believing that Zhao King was no fool; after all this time, he should know how to choose.

When he saw Zhao King appear on the city tower through his telescope, Mu Changtian immediately shouted loudly, "Zhao King, have you made up your mind?"

"The new Emperor has been enthroned and has granted amnesty to the realm. You do not want to miss this opportunity."

"If there is no answer today, I will attack the city tomorrow."

Zhao King glanced at the vast army of the North Country; then he turned to his soldiers and commanded, "Raise the white flag!"

The soldiers were stunned at these words, but they quickly understood and briskly hoisted the white flag.

For those Zhao soldiers who had seen the weapons of North Country, they had no wish to fight; hearing Zhao King's decision to surrender, they were incredibly thrilled, as this meant they no longer had to face the mysterious weapons of North Country.

Ah no, there was no North Country anymore. The North Prince was the new Emperor, and now they would be facing the court.

Seeing the white flag raised on the tower, Mu Changtian smiled faintly, but he did not immediately order his troops to advance until the city gate opened and Zhao King came out. Only then did Mu Changtian truly believe that Zhao King had surrendered.

Mu Changtian then led the army to the city gates. After dismounting, he looked at Zhao King opposite him and said, "Zhao King, you have made the right choice."

Zhao King chuckled and then said, "Whether it is the right choice remains to be seen. Who knows, upon my return to the Capital city, the new Emperor might 'reward' me with a cup of poisoned wine."

Mu Changtian replied, "I don't know about poisoned wine, but as far as I know, the new Emperor is not a man of bloodthirst. Even the family of Qi Prince is living well now."

"Not just Qi Prince, but also those Princes of the Capital city are all alive, and even the Palace Maids and Consorts of the Imperial Palace were all released. The new Emperor even abolished human sacrifice."

Hearing Mu Changtian's words, Zhao King still did not take it seriously and replied, "The new Emperor has just taken the throne; isn't it expected of him to show some kindness?"