The King of Rui still couldn't bear it. He stopped Feng Xingzhi and said again, "Ye Minghua, do you really have to do this? Your Ye family is a vital official family. Your clan brothers are all watching from above. Do you really want to rebel?"
Hearing this, Ye Minghua paused for a moment, then tightened his fist. "Don't talk nonsense! If they knew how our Ye family has been despised by you people, they would surely think I'm doing the right thing!"
The King of Rui shook his head pityingly. "If you turn back now, His Majesty will surely not blame you. But if you keep being so stubborn, there will be no turning back."
In Ye Minghua's eyes, his persuasion was just like mockery, laughing at him for talking so much nonsense.
"The arrow is on the bow and has to be shot. What's the point of saying these things?" Ye Minghua sneered. "If you're willing to join me and defect to the Northern Di tribe, I, Ye Minghua, will still regard you as my bosom friend, and the female emperor will also treat you as an honored guest. But if you still want to stop me, don't blame me for disregarding our years of friendship."
The King of Rui moved his lips, wanting to say something, but then felt that there was nothing to say.
"Attack!"
Ye Minghua ignored all the sincere persuasion. He drew his sword and signaled the rebels behind him to charge towards the King of Rui.
Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi immediately got on guard and joined the battle. Even Ji Yuchen and Lu Shu joined in. Qing Xuan didn't know when he had followed up and was hiding in the crowd, killing the enemies.
The King's army of the King of Rui came from the imperial city. Most of them were warriors with good spiritual cultivation. When they faced Ye Minghua's army, it could be described as a huge disparity in strength.
The vice - general watched the attacking troops being firmly blocked by a few people. He was a bit anxious for a moment. Turning his head, he saw several people running quietly and then suddenly splashing blood on the spot. His face immediately turned pale.
"General, General! Look what that is! How come someone suddenly..."
Ye Minghua looked in the direction his finger was pointing. Another soldier was running when suddenly someone slit his throat. It was like a ghost was at work.
Ji Yunxi keenly noticed this and knew that the hidden person was Qing Xuan. She immediately shouted, "Those who collude with the enemy and betray the country will not be forgiven by the ancestors of this Southern Yan land!"
The vice - general always believed in ghosts and gods. As soon as he heard this, he began to waver. In fact, in his heart, the moment he saw the King of Rui, he felt that the rebellion was probably doomed to fail.
Ye Minghua saw that he intended to flee on the battlefield. His eyes were filled with hatred. He drew his sword and stabbed the man to death.
"All soldiers! Don't listen to her nonsense! If we bring down the Feng family, the Northern Di tribe will surely protect us!"
When he spoke, the soldiers all understood that now they were all rebels. Even if they surrendered, they were probably doomed. It would be better to go all out. Screw the ghosts. If they succeeded, enjoying wealth and honor for generations was the real deal!
The morale of the army, which had just been suppressed, rose again. Ji Yunxi and the others frowned and joined the battle again.
But unfortunately, there were simply too many of them. Gradually, the few of them began to run out of strength.
Ye Minghua didn't pay attention to Feng Xingzhi. Instead, he went straight for the King of Rui. As the saying goes, "To catch the bandits, first catch their leader." He recognized that all these people were the King's army of the King of Rui. As long as the King of Rui gave the order, this hurdle would be passed.
The two fought for a long time. The King of Rui was getting old after all. He gradually fell into a disadvantage and was knocked off his horse and fell to the ground.
Ye Minghua dismounted and pointed his sword at the King of Rui's neck. "Feng Tinghe, I'll give you one more chance! Are you willing to go to the Northern Di tribe with me?!"
He was red - eyed, and there was a bitter struggle in his eyes when he looked at the King of Rui.
The King of Rui also noticed his change. He knew that Ye Minghua still had a shred of conscience, so he began to persuade him.
"Ye Minghua, it seems I still can't beat you." The King of Rui smiled. "Alas, I couldn't beat you when I was a kid. Now that I'm old, I still can't. It's really ridiculous."
Ye Minghua didn't expect him to say this. His hand paused.
"Don't talk nonsense. I won't listen!"
"Ye Minghua, do you still remember that year when you accidentally entered my mother - concubine's palace? You were supposed to be flogged, but I stood up and saved you. Then you became my study companion."
Ye Minghua frowned tightly, seemingly not understanding why the King of Rui was saying these things.
The King of Rui sat cross - legged on the ground, completely ignoring the fact that Ye Minghua's sword was right next to his neck. "Look at you. You didn't study hard back then. Now you've become a brute. But it's okay. With you as my study companion, I won every hunting competition with Father Emperor every year. Even the Crown Prince couldn't compare. Later, you became a general and I became a prince. But our friendship over the years has never changed."
"If I had children, I would surely make an in - law relationship with you."
Ye Minghua's hand trembled slightly. "Feng Tinghe, stop talking nonsense!"
"Nonsense? Okay, fine. Then I won't talk nonsense. You tell me straight. What exactly do you want to do? Do you really want to rebel or just want the Emperor to fulfill your wishes?"
Ye Minghua was silent. He had been full of pride when he left the city, but he didn't expect to meet the King of Rui.
Earlier, the vice - general had advised him to block the canyon from Rui City, but he hadn't done so.
Ye Minghua knew clearly in his heart that he had now embarked on a path of no return. He had no apologies to anyone, but he was sorry to Feng Tinghe.
"Feng Tinghe, don't have any hopes for me. Once I chose this path, I never thought of turning back."
The King of Rui watched his eyes gradually turn cold. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes also faded away.
Ye Minghua sighed. "I have no way back. If I turn back, my wife, children, and the soldiers behind me will all die. Feng Jiangming is the emperor. He won't and can't forgive me."
He smiled bitterly. "Call me stupid or crazy. It's all over now."
"You've made up your mind, right?"
"Yes."
"You've had ulterior motives for a long time, right?"
"What? Didn't Feng Xingzhi tell you? I thought they came to you because of the arms incident. So what if they caught Sang Yuanyi's son? They're just young people after all." Saying this, he turned his head to look at Feng Xingzhi and Ji Yunxi in the distance, his tone full of contempt.
The King of Rui closed his eyes and made up his mind. "Fine. It was my mistake to be friends with you in this lifetime! Come on! I won't betray the country. You can kill me. I'll go to the Underworld first. When you come, I won't have to see you again!"
His attitude was tough, but Ye Minghua softened his heart because of what had just happened. He paced back and forth a few steps. "You! Do you really want me to kill you with my own hands?"
The King of Rui opened his eyes. "Today, one of us must die. If you don't kill me, I will surely kill you to report back. From the moment you decided to rebel and defect to the Northern Di tribe, this day was doomed for us!"
Seeing the coldness in the King of Rui's eyes, Ye Minghua knew that now they were on different sides. They were no longer comrades - in - arms but enemies. He was immediately stimulated. With red eyes, he raised his sword and stabbed at the King of Rui.