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Great Xia, Sufeng City.

Outside the city, the Imperial Army of Great Xia had assembled, countless trebuchets set up in a row, while archers were poised and ready.

Inside Sufeng City chaos reigned, as no one had anticipated that the Imperial Army would be able to defeat the combined forces of the great families so quickly and besiege Sufeng City.

Now, their last opportunity was to have the Grandmasters of the great families take action together against the Imperial Army.

Of course, they also anticipated the presence of the Imperial Grandmaster within the army's ranks, so what would follow was a contest between the Grandmasters of the aristocratic families and the Grandmaster of the Court. If the Grandmasters of the aristocratic families could overcome the Imperial Grandmaster, perhaps they of the South still had a glimmer of hope.

But if their Grandmasters were defeated, then it wouldn't be long before the Imperial Army could storm the city.

At the forefront of the Imperial Army, the Great General Zhao Quan was mounted on his horse, surveying the gates of Sufeng City, before loudly commanding, "Attack!!!"

The next moment, the horn sounded overhead Sufeng City, followed closely by the advance of the Imperial Army. Countless trebuchets launched massive stones, which smashed into the city walls, pitting them everywhere.

On their part, Sufeng City was also employing trebuchets, with just as many massive stones crashing into the midst of the Imperial Army.

Of course, these stones were of little use against the elite troops of the Court, as an average elite solider could easily dodge both the large stones and arrows.

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Meanwhile.

At the Wang Family.

The heads of the South's aristocratic families had once again gathered in the Wang Family's reception hall. The Crown Prince, Lu Shuyun, sat at the head of the family, his expression dark and foreboding.

He seemed to see his future, poisoned by wine, laid out before him.

After hearing the horn echo over Sufeng City, everyone knew the Imperial Army had initiated their assault. Now, their only hope lay with the Grandmasters of their own families.

If their Grandmasters were defeated, they would likely find themselves with no avenues for escape, only a path to death.

The reception hall was deathly quiet, every face was grim, and not a single person spoke.

It was at this moment that Chu Hongfei could hold back no longer. He outright said, "Your Highness, we should try to escape. As long as we keep our base, we need not fear running out of fuel. If we perish now, there will be nothing left."

Chu Hongfei had no desire to die there; he was still so young, and he had many ambitions and ideas yet to fulfill. His mind was on Chu Yuqin, that beauty who could topple empires.

In his heart, Chu Hongfei thought, seeing as his father had already secured a foothold in the North Country, if only he could escape Sufeng City and slip quietly into the North Country, he would once again be a hero.

Moreover, he was his father's only son. If he made it to the North Country, he would still be the young master of the Chu Family there.

Once he took his leave, he would eventually become the Chu Family Master.

Of course, all this was secondary to the fact that being in the North Country would give him the chance to pursue Chu Yuqin.

Just the thought of Chu Yuqin's voluptuous figure made Chu Hongfei's fear of death recede a little.

Upon hearing Chu Hongfei's words, Chu Liang immediately scolded, "Hongfei, do not speak carelessly. The Grandmasters of our families have not yet taken action. How could you know we are not a match for the Imperial Army?"

Hearing Chu Liang's words made Chu Hongfei somewhat disgruntled. Although he had begun by standing with his two uncles, betraying his own father for more power within the Chu Family and to shake off the shackles placed by his father.

Now that the Imperial Army was at the gates, if they waited until the forces entered the city, the entire Chu Family would be doomed. His father had already prepared such a good exit strategy in the North Country, and he had no intention of staying and dying with the rest in Sufeng City.

Though Chu Hongfei was displeased, he held his tongue out of respect for Chu Liang being his uncle and considering the Crown Prince and so many heads of aristocratic families were present. He closed his mouth and ceased to speak, but in his heart, he was already planning his escape from Sufeng City.

At that time, Lu Shuyun spoke, "As the Crown Prince, having chosen this path, I will surely stand with all of you till the end. How could I possibly flee at a time like this?"

Lu Shuyun could see that what the heads of the aristocratic families feared the most was his potential flight. The Imperial Army was already besieging the city, and the people within were in a state of panic. If the pillar that was the Crown Prince ran, the morale of Sufeng City's populace would likely crumble in an instant.

And indeed, Lu Shuyun was the one most easily able to escape because he had no estate in Sufeng City. He had come empty-handed and could just as easily leave unburdened.

But the aristocratic families were different. Their family legacies spanned generations within Sufeng City; they had no path to retreat. If they fled, the work of dozens of generations would be lost.

Of course, it wasn't just about their legacies. Lu Shuyun was a single man, perhaps with a few attendants, but these aristocratic families, wasn't each one comprised of thousands of clan members? How could they all possibly escape?

If Lu Shuyun were to take a few attendants and slip away amidst the chaos, he might indeed go undetected, but it would not be the same for the aristocratic families. With so many people, such a large target, any attempt at escape would certainly be discovered.

Therefore, by declaring his intention to stay, Lu Shuyun was also stabilizing the resolve of the heads of the great families, preventing them from harboring any further thoughts on the matter.