Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2862

Chapter 1375: Turnaround

Despite the countless powerful figures in the Annihilation faction, the magical artifacts used by the Conqueror King to conquer countless worlds were simply too powerful. Three days later, the young prince still died.

Wang Xuanjin was devastated. This was the child born to his most beloved Consort Dong’e.

For years, he had been suffocated by the Conqueror King, everyone treated him as a puppet, and he could sense that even those who were outwardly respectful harbored an undeniable contempt in their eyes.

Only in the presence of this beautiful and gentle woman did he feel truly upright and invincible.

She was truly gentle and considerate, worshipping him like a god.

He had already made up his mind to let their child inherit the throne. He

never expected that the child would die so soon after birth.

That hateful Conqueror King, even in death he was still so detestable!

At this time, a minister suggested that since the source of smallpox had not yet been found, it would be better to take the other prince out of the palace and raise him in the royal villa, where there were few people and the virus would not spread.

Wang Xuanjin readily agreed. After all, the child was born to an unfavored concubine who had been severely mistreated by the Conqueror King. Enraged, the prince drowned his sorrows in alcohol and took his anger out on a random concubine in the harem, who unexpectedly became pregnant.

If it weren’t for this incident, he might not even remember this son.

Since he didn’t particularly like him, giving him away was fine.

So, a wet nurse and several palace maids took the prince out of the palace.

Next, while comforting Consort Dong’e, Wang Xuanjin angrily ordered a thorough investigation into why the Conqueror King’s magical artifact had fallen into disuse and who was secretly responsible.

The many powerful figures of the Annihilation Army were accustomed to great storms. Although smallpox was dangerous, they dealt with it effectively, finally suppressing it after several years.

Although many died during the process, including some high-ranking officials, the situation remained under control.

The only regret was that although they had found the artifact that spread smallpox, they had never been able to find out who had used it.

It was likely a counterattack by the remnants of the Conqueror King. Since the Conqueror King was dead and his remaining followers had been completely wiped out over the years, this matter naturally faded away.

Besides, other places were also experiencing good fortune. The Yongli regime was being steadily defeated by Wu Sangui and would soon be completely pacified.

The remaining forces of the Order in Jiangnan were also gradually being eliminated, and the Zheng family’s influence on the mainland now consisted only of Xiamen and a few surrounding cities.

One day, Wang Xuanjin suddenly decided to personally lead an expedition. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a well-considered one.

Although he initially felt great about defeating the Conqueror King, over the years he had gradually become horrified to discover a problem: power vacancies didn’t disappear, they were only filled.

Jirhalang, Aobai, and even Suksaha, who had surrendered and helped them defeat the Conqueror King’s remnants, had begun to seize those powers.

He gradually felt a sense of suffocation; given time, perhaps another Conqueror King would emerge, and he would once again become a puppet.

Ultimately, it was because he was too young and lacked prestige within the Order camp; many of his brothers were stronger than him.

The reason he was able to ascend the throne in the first place was simply because the Conqueror King and the Reversal of Fate were locked in a power struggle, and the weakest among them was used as a puppet acceptable to both sides.

When the Ancestor of Annihilation descended again and saw how weak he was and how he was being manipulated, he would never choose him as the next divine messenger. He had to achieve results.

And now the best way was through military merit. Although he disliked the Conqueror King, the Conqueror King’s ideology was correct: the more you conquer, the stronger you become.

The entire Annihilation camp valued the strong on the battlefield.

Of course, personally leading the army was risky; if he failed, his prestige would be ruined.

That’s why he only proposed personally leading the army now, after all, the Order camp was almost finished.

After a series of defeats, the Zheng family only had a few isolated cities left on the continent, which were not enough to withstand the attack.

There was no great risk, and he could achieve great military merit. The key was that he could win over middle and lower-ranking officers during the war, making it easier to promote his confidants and build his own faction in the future.

Once he had a group of confidants, those powerful ministers would no longer be able to use him as a puppet.

Although many in the court opposed his personal command of the expedition, his mind was made up, and he ultimately went ahead.

To ensure everything went smoothly, he took the Imperial Guards of the Upper Three Banners with him. The Upper Three Banners were the most elite and powerful armies among the Eight Banners, usually under the control of the emperor.

Of course, for Wang Xuanjin, he had not truly controlled the Upper Three Banners in recent years; most of their generals were either conquest princes or confidants of other powerful ministers.

This personal expedition was also an opportunity for him to truly seize control of this force.

Dasu, the commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner, led Manchu and Han cavalry to Quanzhou, preparing to cross the sea to attack the north side of Xiamen.

Laita, the commander of the Plain White Banner, and the Qing army of Guangdong gathered in Chaozhou, coordinating with the navy from Tongan to attack the south side of Xiamen.

Wang Xuanjin, together with Namusange, the commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, led the main force of the navy in a frontal assault with overwhelming force.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the Jiemie army, the Zheng clan was filled with panic, and fierce infighting broke out within them.

Now that the Zheng Group is under Zheng Chenggong’s command, most of his subordinates advise him to temporarily avoid the enemy’s advance and retreat to Taiwan.

He is hesitant and decides to consult his sister.

Over the years, her beauty and power have earned her a formidable reputation both within the group and among the enemy.

Within the group, she is privately known as the Ice Queen, while the Silent Annihilation faction calls her the Ice Queen Demon.

Looking at the beautiful woman in her ice-blue dress, Zheng Chenggong asks for her opinion.

“Xiamen was indeed indefensible, and retreat was the rational choice. But now that the Emperor is personally leading the campaign, it’s an excellent opportunity. If we can defeat them in one battle, it will shake the world!” The woman in the blue dress is naturally Chu Chuyan; years of battlefield experience have only made her more aloof.

Zheng Chenggong smiles bitterly, “I know this all too well, but this time the Tartar army is simply too powerful. Outnumbered and outgunned, we’d be lucky to avoid total annihilation, let alone hope to deal with the dog Emperor.”

Even with their naval advantage, the enemy’s warships far surpass their own in both size and number.

“I have my own way.” Chu Chuyan’s tone was firm, a flicker of excitement in her eyes.

Zheng Chenggong was somewhat surprised, but ultimately chose to believe her: “Alright!”

After he left, Chu Chuyan, abandoning her previous icy goddess demeanor, ran directly behind the screen and tightly embraced the man: “Azu, I’ve finally met you!”

Zu An also tightly hugged the trembling body in his arms. Yes, after so many years in this world, although they already knew each other’s existence and identities, this was their first meeting.

The two embraced and kissed passionately, their endless longing and love seemingly merging into each other’s bodies.

That night, the ice queen in the eyes of countless people completely melted.

…

The Battle of Xiamen began. The army of Annihilation initially gained the upper hand, achieving victory after victory. Growing increasingly excited with each battle, they pressed their advantage.

Unfortunately, the situation suddenly changed. They discovered the tide had receded, leaving countless giant ships stranded on the beach, instantly becoming easy targets for the Zheng family’s smaller fleet.

“How is this possible? Why is the tide receding at this time?” Wang Xuanjin shouted angrily. With so many powerful members in the Annihilation camp, how could they make such a basic mistake? They had already calculated the timing of the tides; there should have been absolutely no risk at this moment.

The Annihilation camp quickly realized: “The enemy has a powerful water-type ability user!”