Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Chapter 431 Brothers are fighting against each other

Where the beach and the waves gently meet, tents are lined up in neat rows like loyal guards.

The thick canvas is like a tough armor, keeping the raging sea breeze out.

The sturdy piles are deeply wedged into the sand, supporting a temporary world that carries hope and strength. It is not only a harbor for soldiers to recuperate, but also a wisdom center for planning strategies to defend against the enemy.

Shen Shaodong looked at the injured soldiers in the tent, his eyes full of pity and determination.

The spiritual spring water given by his daughter was a ray of hope in his desperate situation. Without any hesitation, he regarded it as the key to turning the tide of the battle and distributed it all at once.

"This is the magic medicine of Princess Fuxi's master, Xuanfeng Sanren. Everyone can use it with confidence!" His words were loud and clear, reaching the ears of every soldier, making their already firm faith in the governor even more reassured.

The wounded soldiers took the half bottle of spiritual spring water carrying hope with trembling hands, and drank it all in one gulp with a burning expectation of recovery.

Before long, the tent was in an uproar, like a lake into which a huge rock had been thrown.

"Strange! This potion is not bitter at all. It tastes like water, but with a hint of sweetness!" A soldier widened his eyes and shouted in surprise.

Then, another soldier with a bandaged arm suddenly stood up, waved his arms, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "My arm! It's amazing! It doesn't hurt anymore, not at all!"

In an instant, the entire military tent on the beach was filled with exclamations and praises.

The discussions that came one after another seemed to be the prelude to victory, sweeping away the originally depressing atmosphere.

The old general Xiao Zhenting was seriously injured and sat on the soft couch in the tent. His face was as pale as paper. He held a small bottle of spiritual spring water in his hand. He was full of doubts and his brows were twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

At that moment, his deputy general rushed in like a whirlwind, his face flushed and his words incoherent with excitement: "General! General! This... this is truly a miracle drug! After the soldiers took it, their injuries recovered so quickly, it's simply a miracle, incredible! Drink it quickly, drink it quickly!"

When Xiao Zhenting heard this, a light flashed in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he raised his head and drank the spiritual spring water in one gulp.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and everyone held their breath, staring at the old general.

Before long, Xiao Zhenting's originally pale face gradually turned red. His body trembled slightly, and then he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh: "Great! It really is a miracle drug! I feel full of energy again, and I can kill dozens more pirates!"

Laughter could be heard from time to time in the tent.

At the same time, the eldest prince Xuan Chen and the second prince Xuan Heng were also fed the spiritual spring water. The two who were originally unconscious slowly woke up.

Xuan Chen slowly opened his eyes and his sight fell on his empty broken arm. In an instant, pain overwhelmed him like a surging tide.

His eyes were filled with regret and self-blame, his teeth clenched tightly, hating himself for being so careless on the battlefield and not being able to detect the sneak attack from behind. That was the battlefield to protect the country, and he...

Second Prince Xuan Heng stared blankly at his bloody leg. His voice was hoarse and filled with endless sadness as he asked the guard beside him, "Eldest Prince...where is my brother now?"

The guard had previously heard about the Second Prince chopping off the First Prince's arm. Faced with Xuan Heng's question, his legs weakened and he trembled as he replied, "Second Prince, the First Prince is seriously injured... He's still unconscious, in the tent next door..."

Xuan Heng frowned and ordered without hesitation: "Carry me over! I have to go see him!"

The guard was so frightened that he dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, your injuries are still serious. It's not too late to go after you feel better."

Xuan Heng's eyes were red and wide with anger as he roared, "Don't you want to live anymore?! I'm going to see my brother, and you dare to stop me! If you don't come over, I'll chop you down right away!"

The young guard was shaking all over and dared not say a word. He carried Xuan Heng on his back tremblingly and walked towards the next tent step by step.

Seeing this, the guards guarding the tent dared not stop him and hurriedly saluted respectfully. Then, worried about the situation, they followed in carefully.

Xuan Chen heard the noise and looked up to see the Second Prince being carried in. His heart suddenly sank in. He didn't care about his broken arm and stood up anxiously, his voice trembling a little: "Royal brother, why is your leg like this?"

Immediately, he cursed fiercely: "These hateful enemy bandits are truly guilty of heinous crimes!"

As he spoke, he quickly called out to the guards beside him, his tone hurried and concerned: "Hurry, put it down gently, don't touch the emperor's leg injury."

Xuan Heng looked at his royal brother, who had always cared for and loved him since he was a child, and then thought about the unforgivable mistakes he had made. Guilt and regret came over him like a tidal wave.

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard several times, each slap filled with deep remorse, and cried uncontrollably: "Brother! I'm so sorry! I was blinded by greed and bewildered by evil, and did something so unforgivable..."

He gritted his teeth, and as if using up all his strength, he roared out the secret in his heart: "I cut off your arm while you were bravely fighting the enemy! Brother, please kill me to avenge you! Now I have also suffered retribution, and my leg has been chopped off. This is all I deserve..."

Before he could finish his words, he collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

When Xuan Chen heard these words, he was struck by lightning. He was stunned and couldn't believe his ears.

He never imagined that the one who brought fatal harm to him was not those brutal enemies, but his own half-brother!

His body shook violently, as if his spine had been pulled out. He staggered, took a few steps back, and fell heavily on the couch.

He slowly raised his intact hand and covered his eyes with his hands, tears flowing out from between his fingers. His suppressed and mournful cries echoed in the tent, filled with heartbreak, disappointment and unspeakable pain.

After a while, Xuan Chen seemed to have lost all his strength. His voice trembled and he sobbed uncontrollably as he asked with difficulty: "Why... why did you cut off my arm with your own hands! I always thought that I was attacked by the enemy while fighting bravely! But now, you tell me that you are the culprit! Why on earth is this?" At the end, he suddenly raised his voice and asked almost in a roar.

"I only want to charge into battle and drive those hateful enemies out of our territory! Do you know what losing an arm means to a general?

That means the shattering of dreams, it means I can no longer shed blood on the battlefield and defend my country like before! Why did you do this? Tell me!" His eyes were wide and bloodshot, anger, pain and unwillingness intertwined and surging in his eyes.

Xuan Heng slumped to the ground, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, crying heart-wrenchingly, as if he wanted to use this cry to vent all the pain that had been pent up in his heart for a long time.

"Because... because I'm jealous of you!" His voice was almost hoarse with tears, "From childhood to adulthood, you've always been better than me in everything, both civil and military, and you're proficient in everything.

No matter where you go, people praise you highly, and your father dotes on you even more.

Even my mother, the Queen Mother, always compares me to you, saying that I have accomplished nothing and can only meddle with business matters.

In their eyes, the throne will be yours sooner or later, and no one will even look at me!"

He became increasingly agitated. He stood up suddenly, waving his hands in the air and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Grandfather always scolds me harshly, as if everything I do is wrong! I'm tired of being ignored and belittled!"

I just thought, if I didn't have your excellence, they wouldn't keep harassing me like this, wouldn't compare me to you anymore. I could become the crown prince! So, I took advantage of you... while you were concentrating on killing the enemy, and did this unforgivable thing..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Heng seemed to have exhausted all his strength. His legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground again, curled up into a ball, muttering to himself, "I was wrong, I was really wrong..." The voice was weak and helpless, like a beast licking its wounds alone after being injured.

Xuan Chen's face was filled with sorrow, he kept shaking his head, tears streaming freely, his voice full of pain and helplessness: "I never thought of competing with you for anything! From childhood to adulthood, my father has told me countless times to cherish the brotherhood and never repeat the mistakes of his generation." He closed his eyes slightly, as if those tragic past scenes were being played before his eyes.

"Do you know? When my father was young, he witnessed his brothers killing each other for the throne. Their methods were so cruel that they were appalling.

In the end, all the uncles died, leaving only my father alone. At this time of devastation, internal and external troubles, he was entrusted with the responsibility of carrying the entire country. "

Xuan Chen's voice became increasingly choked. "Father often lamented that being an emperor was truly exhausting. Over the years, he exhausted himself and was consumed by worry. He only hoped that we brothers could live in harmony, free from all the bloodshed and strife."

"I've always treated you as my dearest brother, and I sincerely hope you'll have a good life. Whether you're passionate about business or delving into other pursuits, I'll support you.

I thought that we all have our own strengths and that if we work together, we will surely make Beichen even more prosperous. But I never imagined that…” At this point, Xuan Chen could no longer suppress his inner grief. He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking violently, and burst into tears.