Realistic governance games for both male and female audiences

Chapter 43 Gu Xiaoxiao Begging for Mercy

"Kill! For His Majesty! For the title!"

Among the soldiers surrounding General Huo Zhong and Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao, someone shouted first, and then... the soldiers under Huo Zhong and Gu Xiaoxiao's command instantly erupted in cheers!

Those Imperial Guard soldiers who were already injured, some even with broken legs or missing arms, seemed to have been injected with some kind of violent drug. With their eyes red, they charged towards the elite cavalry of the Western Frontier, carrying broken swords and blades, without regard for their lives!

Prince Su, Gu Suyue, instantly narrowed his eyes—he finally understood Huo Zhong's intention!

Huo Zhong... he's basically gambling!

He was gambling with the lives of everyone under his command, as well as the lives of Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao and General Huo Zhong himself!

He didn't care about the life or death of Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao or Huo Zhong himself; all he cared about was whether he could hold them off!

If he can use these remnants to hold off his elite cavalry from the Western Frontier for another half an hour, by then the garrisons in various parts of the capital will have arrived!

Once they arrive, and the palace, and even the emperor himself, are not under Gu Suyue's control, then the palace will inevitably become Gu Suyue's burial ground!

"Huo Zhong! You madman!" Gu Suyue roared, his riding whip pointing directly at Huo Zhong. "You dare to joke with the emperor's life? Aren't you afraid of being infamous for eternity?"

Huo Zhong remained expressionless, his long sword pressing down slightly, forcing Gu Xiaoxiao to shrink her neck even further... facing her younger brother in an extremely humiliating posture!

"Your Highness Prince Su!" Huo Zhong finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice, "The victors are kings, the losers are villains; history is written by the victors! Today, it's either you die or I perish! As for His Majesty… as long as the Great Liang dynasty stands, I don't care who becomes emperor!"

These harsh words made Gu Suyue tremble with anger.

He looked at Gu Xiaoxiao's pale face on the imperial carriage, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Huo Zhong, you don't care about His Majesty's life, do you think I, a traitor, would care? Are you really not afraid... that I'll shoot him dead with an arrow?" Gu Suyue threatened Huo Zhong through gritted teeth, while waving his hand to signal the archers behind him to prepare.

"Please proceed, Your Highness."

Huo Zhong responded coldly, and even pushed Gu Xiaoxiao forward.

"If His Majesty dies at the hands of the Prince, then the Prince will be a traitorous usurper who murders the emperor, deserving of universal condemnation! If the Prince does not act, once reinforcements arrive, he will have no chance of escape!"

Upon hearing Huo Zhong's words, Prince Su, Gu Suyue's expression grew even more unpleasant!

Because he realized that the current situation seemed to have become a dead end!

Gu Suyue... inevitably found himself in a dilemma.

If he were to take action, he would bear the infamy of regicide. Not to mention whether Huo Zhong would retaliate before his death, the Imperial Guards, driven mad by their desire for titles, would be enough to give him a hard time.

Waiting for reinforcements without taking action? That's wishful thinking!

"You think this small force can stop me?" Gu Suyue sneered, then quickly made up his mind. "Huo Zhong, you underestimate my Western Frontier Iron Cavalry... Kill!"

At Gu Suyue's command, the elite cavalry of the Western Frontier surged forward like a black tide.

The two sides clashed instantly, swords flashing and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

However, Gu Suyue soon discovered that although this group of Imperial Guard remnants were poorly equipped and outnumbered, they were all fearless and valiant.

They didn't defend at all, only focused on attacking, even at the risk of losing an arm, they were determined to cut a gash in the Western Frontier Army's warhorses!

This is a desperate act!

Meanwhile, Huo Zhong, who was also standing on the imperial carriage, coldly watched everything unfold in order to better control Gu Xiaoxiao.

The long sword in his hand was still against Gu Xiaoxiao's neck, but his gaze remained fixed on Gu Suyue.

If Gu Suyue dares to make the slightest move, he will not hesitate to slit Gu Xiaoxiao's throat!

"Your Highness!" Huo Zhong spoke again, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching Gu Suyue's ears, "Do you think your Western Frontier army can flatten this place within half an hour?"

Gu Suyue felt a chill run down his spine.

He stared intently at the palace gate before him, which remained empty, devoid of any sign of reinforcements or the movement of ambushers…

So... did Huo Zhong really bet everything on stalling for time?

"Huo Zhong, what exactly do you want?" Gu Suyue shouted sharply, his eyes bloodshot.

"It's very simple!" Huo Zhong said calmly. "Your Highness, withdraw your troops and take your men back to the Western Frontier. Let's pretend today's events never happened—Your Highness has not rebelled. From beginning to end, Your Highness has always been a loyal subject of the Great Liang!"

"Dream on!" Gu Suyue roared. "Since I'm here, I don't intend to leave empty-handed!"

"Then let's give it a try." A ruthless glint flashed in Huo Zhong's eyes. "At worst, we'll both perish! Your Majesty, what do you say?"

The last sentence was spoken by Huo Zhong as he bowed his head to Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao in his arms.

Whether it was intentional or not, when Huo Zhong lowered his head, he lost his grip on the sword, causing the blade to move slightly, and then... a thin line of blood immediately appeared on Gu Xiaoxiao's neck!

"Royal brother..."

Gu Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked pitifully at Gu Suyue in front of her, her eyes filled with pleading.

"Brother, I don't want to die... I don't want to die!"

"You...you should retreat now!"

"If you withdraw your troops, I...I...I can pretend that what happened today never happened!"

"Furthermore, I... I can also bestow upon you the title of a peerless king and grant you half of the empire..."

"If you withdraw your troops...if you withdraw your troops...all of this is yours! All of this is yours!"

…………

Such pleas for mercy, if made under normal circumstances, would surely be ridiculed by the world.

But at this moment, on this battlefield where swords clash and shadows flash, Gu Xiaoxiao can no longer care about anything else!

Looking at his brother's tear-streaked face, Gu Suyue felt a strange sense of pleasure rising within him.

Is this what the emperor, high above all, is like?

Is this the emperor who holds the power of life and death?

At this moment, he's nothing more than a pathetic wretch who has to defer to his own mood and make his own decisions!

"Huo Zhong!" A sly glint suddenly flashed in Gu Suyue's eyes. "Do you really think you can hold me off?"

Then, amidst Huo Zhong's slightly puzzled expression, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, suddenly pulled a signal flare from his pocket and quickly detonated it.

"Bang!"

A sharp explosion rang out over the palace.

Huo Zhong's pupils suddenly contracted.

That was an emergency mobilization signal for the Western Frontier Army!

Could it be... that there are hidden soldiers outside the palace?

No, not possible!

He only brought three thousand men with him when he came to Beijing this time. Where could he possibly reserve any reinforcements?

wrong!

He really did reserve some!

At the back gate of the palace, there were two flanking positions he had arranged!

In addition, there were still some Western Frontier soldiers remaining in the western gate of the capital, which had already been captured by his Western Frontier troops...