It was June now.

In another month, it would be July when the temperature begins to rise with the heat wave.

The battlefield on the western front was set ablaze.

Several armies advanced simultaneously, as if they were sharp swords, ruthlessly thrusting into the heart of Great Qi.

Despite the desperate attempts by Great Qi to delay, even with their Marshall, Kong Zhongda, personally fighting on the frontlines just like a common soldier; they still couldn't stem the tide of defeat on the battlefield of Great Qi.

The loss at the Skybreaker Mountain was too severe for Great Qi to bear!

The blow was so heavy that Great Qi was finding it impossible to breathe. The impact of the death of over a million soldiers was like a relentless downpour hanging over the skies of Great Qi, refusing to dissipate.

Especially due to the increased militarization and conscription by the military, the royal family increased taxes which lead to widespread resentment amongst the people of Great Qi, and their complaints about the ongoing war continued to grow.

Although it hadn't reached the point of collapse, it was nearing it if the current situation persisted.

Kong Zhongda's capabilities were universally recognized. As the Marshal of Great Qi's armed forces, he was one of the rare renowned generals in hundreds of years.

However, facing the current situation, he also felt powerless.

On the side of Great Xia, the most dazzling performance was by the Third Prince Xia Hao, who was reappointed by the Emperor.

After he replaced Fan Wudi and became the general of the army, he decidedly removed more than a dozen of Fan Wudi's most loyal officers. He didn't kill them, but stripped them of all their military ranks and directly discharged them from the army.

This action almost resulted in a mutiny within the army.

However, Xia Hao had a powerful father!

The Emperor directly dispatched three masters at the Golden Stone level to Xia Hao, who promptly executed several mutinous officers on the spot, brutally suppressing the possible mutiny with the harshest means.

Later, Xia Hao started to insert his own people into the team.

He had also served in the army for many years and obviously had many loyal officers. In just half a month, most of the high-ranking officers in the army that Fan Wudi had built and trained over decades were replaced.

Then, Xia Hao began to co-opt the middle-ranking officers and young generation of generals with immense vigour!

It must be said that, from the perspective of status and position, Xia Hao undoubtedly had the advantage. Because he was the prince!

Everyone knew that Senior General Fan would likely not return this time!

Life has to go on. Although they may be a thousand times dissatisfied with the Third Prince in their hearts, they had to yield in face of his strong measures and persuasive tactics.

Although Xia Hao lacked the ability to do this himself, the strategists at his side were more than capable of doing so.

In the case of the Miner Corps, there was a surprising turn of events. Regardless of how Xia Hao threatened or tempted, the strongest army of Great Xia had only one attitude.

"We can cooperate in the war, but you are you, and we are us. Don't think about winning us over!"

"We are under the Emperor, not the royal family!"

However, such an attitude was sufficient for Xia Hao!

So, in the ensuing war, he directly led his department and used the Miner Corps as the vanguard.

This tactic was quite shameless!

But it was incredibly effective!

With the ability of the Miner Corps, all battles within the territory of Great Qi were virtually over before Xia Hao's main force had to make a move.

However, Xia Hao was not Chu Mo; he did not credit all the exploits to the Miner Corps. On the contrary, Xia Hao unabashedly credited all the military merits to himself.

"Although the Miner Corps fought the war, I, Xia Hao, was the commander and the decision-maker!"

In this way, to the uninformed people, the Third Prince Xia Hao created the image of an invincible war god in a very short time!

And coupled with the intense propaganda of the royal family touting the iron-blooded prince leading the charge on the forefront, Xia Hao quickly outshone Chu Mo, who had once made great contributions to the country.

This was exactly what the Emperor of Great Xia wanted!

He needed a hero of Great Xia who he could completely control, not a dangerous young man full of unknowns.

Especially, now that this young man, Chu Mo, had lost his biggest value to him and might bring great trouble to Great Xia.

So naturally, the further away this trouble was, the better.

But before that, as the Emperor, he must put on a good show!

At least, he couldn't give the impression to the people that he was a heartless ruler.

Sixth of June, a day of great luck!

Imperial Capital of the Great Xia, Yanhuang City.

In the royal banquet hall, it was bustling with activity as noble families from all over Great Xia, dressed up in their finest attire, strived to outshine each other in their appearance.

Here, there was no one of low status. Each one among them held significant power and influence.

But today, they all gathered in the royal banquet hall, chatting and laughing joyously. It was quite lively.

Today, two weddings were to be held here.

The first wedding was of the old General Fan Wudi, who bravely fought on the battlefield!

"Old General Fan is like a tree that has blossomed in its old age, marrying the long-lost sister of Minister Xu, quite miraculous."

"I don't understand, Minister Xu's sister is marrying General Fan Wudi, it's like they're doubling their familial connections. But why did he banish the Tenth Young Master Xu from the Xu Family?"

"Yes, I heard about this too. The other wedding today is of Tenth Young Master Xu. There seems to be some mystery in this...."

"I heard that it was the Emperor himself who personally approved to hold Old General Fan's wedding here! The Emperor said that since the Old General rendered great meritorious service, his first wedding should be lively and the whole expenditure will be borne by the royal family. But the wedding of Tenth Young Master Xu is self-financed!"

"Self-financed? What does that mean? Isn't the status of Tenth Young Master Xu high enough to warrant this requirement?" questioned someone.

"Tenth Young Master Xu is now... merely Xu Fufu, the best buddy of King Chu Mo. He has absolutely no relation with the Xu Family anymore!"

"God... Is this really happening? What on earth happened?"

In the banquet hall, everyone kept a courteous smile on their faces, but their conversations were filled with curious questions.

Yes, some time had passed, but numerous mysteries rested in people's hearts, preventing most of them from seeing the truth clearly.

As for why Xu Fufu broke ties with his family, many people speculated that the closest to the truth was seemingly linked with Xu Fufu's newlywed wife — Liu Mei'er.

The erstwhile most popular courtesan. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Users of mobile phones, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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