World's End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Chapter 324: Loyalty is harder than death

chapter 324: loyalty is harder than death

liu yi'an left that very night, but the innate experts he brought along stayed behind under the pretense of protecting the princess.

du ge didn't mind the dozen or so innate experts left behind. before fourth prince gu shiming gave a clear response, these people not only wouldn't dare to harm luo shuang but would also protect her well.

by the time the so-called fourth prince realized he couldn't control the situation, du ge's power would have grown so much that they wouldn't be able to act even if they wanted to.

moreover, with his ability to make friends, it wouldn't be long before he could turn them into his own allies.

...

huangfu xing was tricked into coming.

the reason was simple: huangfu yue sent him a letter saying that luo shuang had been captured. without doubting his daughter for a moment, huangfu xing brought his personal guards to take over yutang pass.

he would never have imagined that the emperor's own brother would be a traitor.

yutang pass was too important a place for him to leave it to huangfu yue, who had no combat experience.

had it not been too late at night to mobilize troops, he would have marched his army directly into yutang pass.

but there are no "ifs" in life.

as soon as huangfu xing entered yutang pass, he was captured by a dozen innate experts.

when he saw huangfu yue standing next to luo shuang, he was so furious that his beard and hair stood on end, and he cursed loudly.

huangfu yue felt both ashamed and wronged.

caught between the two armies, she couldn't explain herself to her father and feared that du ge might really kill him.

as he xu had said, staying alive was the only way to have a chance.

"father, don't blame me. chongming kingdom has been infiltrated by qingwu kingdom to the core. even the people around fourth prince are qingwu kingdom spies. father, surrender. following chongming kingdom leads nowhere..."

huangfu yue knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she tried to persuade huangfu xing, explaining the reasons for their failure.

liu yi'an and du ge had their conversation far away.

except for wu chang, no one knew what they talked about. throughout, huangfu yue believed that liu yi'an and his men were spies from qingwu kingdom.

huangfu xing's cursing abruptly stopped. he looked at huangfu yue and said angrily, "even so, you should not have surrendered. no one in the huangfu family has ever been a coward. even if we fight to the last man, you should not have surrendered, nor should you have tricked me into yutang pass. our family's honor, built over generations, is now ruined by you..."

huangfu yue was speechless, tears streaming down her cheeks as she trembled with shame.

"general huangfu, do you also look down on women?" du ge glanced at huangfu yue and shifted the focus with a single sentence.

"she has done more harm than good," huangfu xing said. "if she had died in battle, i would have respected her more. as it stands, i wish i had never had this daughter."

huangfu yue was stunned, looking at huangfu xing in disbelief, her heart growing cold.

huangfu xing's emotions stabilized. he looked at du ge in surprise, "what do you want to do?"

"pretend to agree with fourth prince, deceive him into providing more troops and supplies, then counterattack qingwu kingdom and thwart his plans," du ge smiled. "once we withdraw our forces from chongming kingdom, fourth prince will have to bear the consequences alone, unable to admit he supported us.

at that time, i will send a letter to chongming kingdom's emperor in the name of the fourth princess, explaining everything. no matter how he deals with fourth prince, it will be better than a fraternal conflict."

"why are you telling me this?" huangfu xing asked.

"because to accomplish this, i need your full cooperation," du ge said. "if you die, it will be difficult for me to incorporate the troops outside the city. but if you live, it will be much easier."

huangfu xing frowned.

"general huangfu, dying is easy," du ge continued. "you don't need to provoke me; i can easily kill you and fulfill your so-called loyalty. but ask yourself, is that really loyalty?"

before huangfu xing could respond, du ge laughed, "that's just an excuse to avoid your responsibilities. to put it bluntly, it's the act of a coward."

huangfu xing swallowed hard.

"if you die and refuse to cooperate, i might really take a risk and collaborate with fourth prince, plunging chongming kingdom into chaos and waiting for an opportunity to reclaim qingwu kingdom," du ge said. "at that point, chongming kingdom would truly suffer."

"you can't do that," huangfu xing said.

du ge smiled, "true loyalty means enduring humiliation, being misunderstood and cursed by the world, yet persisting. before the truth comes out, it will be painful and torturous. not everyone can endure it. general huangfu, do you want to be that truly loyal person?"

huangfu xing looked at du ge and fell silent again.

"maybe you're thinking of finding an opportunity to kill me and the fourth princess, then returning to expose fourth prince's plot, right?" du ge asked, smiling at huangfu xing.

huangfu xing was shocked.

"you're too naive," du ge shook his head. "if you kill us, there will be no evidence. when you accuse the emperor's brother, your huangfu family will be doomed. and you might even force fourth prince to rebel early."

huangfu xing closed his eyes, his brows furrowing and relaxing repeatedly. after a long time, he sighed, "how should i cooperate with you?"

in this short time, his voice had become hoarse.

"just follow orders," du ge smiled. "once we gather enough troops through fourth prince, we will counterattack qingwu kingdom. after helping the fourth princess reclaim her kingdom, i promise she will personally send a letter to chongming kingdom's emperor, providing all evidence of her dealings with fourth prince, clearing your family's name. at that point, you can choose to return to chongming kingdom or stay in qingwu kingdom."

"how can i trust you?" huangfu xing asked.

"you have no other choice. i can't give you any guarantees. the path the fourth princess and i are on is difficult; we can't even guarantee we will succeed," du ge said. "this is the painful part of the path of loyalty. you might die in disgrace before reaching the end. it's a hard path. do you want to walk it or die? either way, i can fulfill your wish."

"it's really hard. a general should die on the battlefield, but..." huangfu xing smiled bitterly, looking suddenly older. after a long pause, he said, "alright, i'll walk the path you've given me."

"general huangfu, you won't be disappointed," du ge smiled. "liu yi'an has gone to report to fourth prince. he might return in a few days, and you can hear the evidence of fourth prince's treason yourself.

but you must not reveal it. right now, neither huangfu yue nor the fourth princess knows about my dealings with fourth prince. they still think liu yi'an and his men are qingwu kingdom spies. i don't plan to let them know."

"understood," huangfu xing said, his expression complex. finally, he nodded, "i understand."