May Heaven have mercy and fulfill my father's wish

Ren Tianye felt a bit of turmoil inside.

He had not expected the Duke Ren mansion to have such great influence in the Northern Frontier.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly.

He hurriedly grabbed Wang Hai's hand: You have worked so hard. By the way, how are my father and our clansmen?

Wang Hai's eyes dimmed: After the Female Emperor learned of your rebellion in the Northern Frontier, General, she ordered you to commit suicide. When you refused, she ordered the execution of the entire Duke Ren household.

Now, only Duke Ren and your younger brother, General, have been temporarily imprisoned due to the pleas of the ministers, but their lives are in constant danger.

General Ren, you must save them!

Otherwise, you will be the only one left in the Duke Ren bloodline.

Ren Tianye immediately put on a face full of sorrow and extreme pain.

However, he felt a bit annoyed in his heart.

Damn it, there are still two left?

He thought the Female Emperor would completely wipe out the ten generations of the Duke Ren family!

In the end, the two most important ones were left alive.

He immediately said: Please rest assured, everyone. As the heir of Duke Ren, I received a secret letter from my father long ago, ordering me to reorganize the army, launch a military remonstrance against the Female Emperor, and restore peace and justice to the world.

How could I let down my father's painstaking efforts?

I will definitely prepare my troops and horses. In a few days, I will fight my way into the capital and let Her Majesty know that our Duke Ren household has been loyal for generations and must not be betrayed!

Wang Hai and the people behind him were all stunned upon hearing this.

Wang Hai murmured: General Ren, but if you march on the capital, I am afraid Her Majesty will immediately execute Duke Ren and your brother.

Wouldn't that be harming them?

Ren Tianye immediately said with awe-inspiring righteousness: That is absurd! What kind of man is my father? How could he care about the lives of a mere family?

What he wants is a bright and just world, a stable Great Yu empire, and for the northern barbarians to never dare invade our borders again.

He is loyal, brave, benevolent, and righteous. He used his own life to confuse the Female Emperor, which gave me the opportunity to develop. How can I fail him?

I must slaughter my way into the capital and collect his corpse!

These words left everyone bewildered.

They felt that things were different from what they had imagined, but listening to Ren Tianye's words, it seemed to be a strategy set by Duke Ren long ago, so they accepted it.

After all, their relationship with the Duke Ren family had already faded long ago.

The Duke Ren title was hereditary, passed down from generation to generation. The ancestors of these people had received favors from the Duke Ren family very early on. Moreover, the Duke Ren family still had a very high prestige in the army, which was why they came to serve the descendant of Duke Ren.

If Duke Ren had given such instructions, they would simply obey without much objection. However, Ren Tianye's performance just now still made people somewhat suspicious.

They asked: General Ren, do you dare to swear an oath?!

Naturally! Ren Tianye did not hesitate. He knelt down facing the direction of the capital and said loudly: Father, you once said that you were willing to trade ten years of your life for your son to rise up in the Northern Frontier. Your son has done it.

Father, you once said that you were willing to use your broken body to stop the Female Emperor's absurdity. Although you failed to do so, your son will do it for you.

Father, you once said that you were willing to trade the life and death of our entire clan for your son to attack the capital, change the world, and restore peace and justice. Your son knows your heart for the common people of the world, and your son will definitely accomplish it!

As he spoke, a few tears flowed from the corners of Ren Tianye's eyes: I beg the heavens for mercy, you must fulfill my father's wish!

Then he stood up and said: My father is loyal and brave. I will inherit my father's dying wish, launch a military remonstrance against the Female Emperor, and rebuild the nation!

Only then did everyone hastily bow and pay their respects: Duke Ren is loyal and brave, and General Ren is heroic and martial!

After Ren Tianye comforted these people for a while, he immediately wanted to send someone to escort them to Yunji City. He said: You go first. I am currently pursuing a heinous criminal and dare not delay.

I will talk with you all when I return to Yunji City.

Ren Tianye turned to leave after speaking.

After all, Ye Fan was a major threat, and he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Wang Hai, however, asked: Who is the Great General trying to hunt down? We have lived in the Northern Frontier for generations. Although we do not have many troops, we are well-informed and might be able to help you!

Ren Tianye paused for a moment before realizing it.

Right!

Wasn't this a ready-made source of information?

Why seek far and wide for what lay close at hand?

It seemed that his previous constant thoughts of cutting ties with the Duke Ren family had led him into a misunderstanding. He quickly said: That person's name is Ye Fan...

Ye Fan? That Ye Fan?

There was no need for Ren Tianye to finish his sentence. These people from the aristocratic families of the Northern Frontier were already excited: This is quite a prominent figure!

Ren Tianye's heart skipped a beat. He had not expected Ye Fan to have such a great reputation in the Northern Frontier. However, thinking about it, it was normal.

After all, for someone with the potential of a protagonist who was a nobody three years ago, it would be abnormal if he was still a nobody now.

The Ye family was originally a Northern Frontier aristocratic family like us, with a similar status. But this Ye Fan was originally just an extremely inconspicuous existence in a collateral branch of the Ye family. Yet, for some unknown reason, he suddenly rose to power.

Leading the Ye family, he built up a massive reputation in a short period of time.

He hoarded a large amount of money, grain, and troops, and also recruited countless talents.

Taking advantage of the gap when the Northern Frontier border army was demobilized and returned to farming, and the barbarians occupied Shanhe City, he captured Sifang City in one fell swoop. Using Sifang City as a stronghold, he already has the posture of a regional overlord!

This alone makes people not dare to underestimate him. What is even more terrifying is that Ye Fan has always been flawless in his calculations and accurate in every prediction, which simply chills people to the bone!

Ren Tianye narrowed his eyes slightly.

Sifang City?!

This was considered quite an important town in the Northern Frontier defense line. Since Ye Fan's family was entrenched there, his previous inference should be correct.

Ye Fan must have fled to Sifang City.

In this way, his pursuit of Ye Fan became tricky. It was no longer a matter of many people hunting down a few, but rather that he must conquer Sifang City.

After a brief thought, he asked: What is the situation in Sifang City?

Sifang City is an important military town in the Northern Frontier. Its walls are high and thick, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, the Li family in the city has also pledged allegiance to Ye Fan. Although the Li family is an aristocratic family like us, they are much stronger than we are.

Furthermore, the Li family has three sons. The Eldest son of the Li family is a great general fighting abroad, constantly expanding territory for Ye Fan. The second is a doctor with miraculous healing skills, winning over many people's hearts. The third is a civil official responsible for repairing the city walls and maintaining stability, doing an impressive job. He can be considered the shield of Sifang City.

None of them are to be trifled with!

Moreover, there are many troops and horses in Sifang City, and all of them have been trained, possessing impressive combat strength. Also, under the leadership of the Eldest son of the Li family, they are constantly expanding their territory and subduing scattered border troops. I am afraid...

Right now, there are nearly twenty thousand troops in Sifang City!

Ren Tianye frowned.

Twenty thousand troops!

Normally speaking, it would require two hundred thousand troops to attack.

But right now, he only had eight hundred men on hand!

However, Sifang City had to be conquered, and it had to be conquered immediately!

...