The battle was won, and the city was in chaos.

Xiazhou of the Beiting Dynasty was divided into three prefectures, each of which had five counties under its jurisdiction. The area was very large. Yunchuan Prefecture to the west of Tianye Pass had already fallen into the hands of the Qin army. The officials of Yunchuan Prefecture had already evacuated under Qian Zhen's arrangement, and the people had already handed over the city.

Now, as long as Tianye Pass is taken, the capital, Daxing Prefecture, is to the north, and the most prosperous prefecture in Xiazhou, Nanli Prefecture, known as the granary of the northwest, is to the southeast.

The Qin army's four armies, with 500,000 troops, had been at Tianye Pass for several days, but they were at a loss for what to do with the pass. To the north, they had to go through the territory of the Rouran Dynasty. To the south, there were endless Tianye Mountains, with steep peaks and lush forests and countless wild animals. Even experienced hunters did not dare to go deep into them.

On the first day of arriving at Tianye Pass, the Qin army launched a general attack. It was thought that Tianye Pass could not be defended at all under the full-scale attack of the Qin army. Unexpectedly, Qian Zhen had been prepared. The crossbow carts from nearby cities had already been mobilized here and densely arranged on the wall to block the Qin army.

Moreover, the mountains on both sides were hollow. As long as the Qin army used giant catapults, they would hide people and crossbow carts in the mountains. At the same time, there were ingenious mechanisms, traps, kerosene, etc. on the wall of the pass, and all kinds of methods made the Qin army suffer.

In the Qin army camp, Li Yichen sat in the main seat. All the Qin army generals present were somewhat dejected. They didn't expect that the most difficult bone to chew, the Kamikaze Corps, was taken down, but they were stopped at Tianye Pass.

Outside the tent, Dian Wei walked in cursing and said to Li Yichen: "These imperial troops are like rats in the ditch, hiding at any time. There are flamethrowers hidden in advance on the wall. I don't know how much kerosene they prepared. As soon as they rushed up, the fire continued, and the whole wall was smoked black."

Li Yichen smiled and said: "Why, a little resistance makes you discouraged, as long as we capture Tianye Pass, Xiazhou will no longer be safe, our army can march straight in, and the whole Xiazhou is at our fingertips "Yes."

"Since it is difficult to attack, don't force the attack these days. I have sent someone to send a letter to Yuquan City. In a few days, Wu Song will escort the secret weapons here. Then it will be as easy as taking something out of a bag to capture Tianye Pass."

Outside Yuquan City, Wu Song led 10,000 soldiers of the Anmin Corps and transported hundreds of kite carts to Tianye Pass. After a period of training, thousands of people in the Anmin Corps can skillfully control the movement of kites in the air. Wu Song brought them all to the front line this time, ready to give the imperial army a surprise.

In the palace of the Grand Tutor in Tingjing City, the eldest prince Chen Yunfeng and Grand Tutor Cai Yong were sitting in the study. Cai Yong slowly said, "Your Highness, the emperor may not have much time left. In my opinion, the emperor favors you the most. I'm afraid that you are the only one who can inherit the throne."

Chen Yunfeng shook his head calmly and said, "Not necessarily. My father also favors my third brother. Otherwise, he would not have not appointed a crown prince for so many years. Now the third brother has the support of the Sikong party and has a great chance of ascending the throne."

Cai Yong snorted coldly and said, "The old man Qian Zhen is now on the front line. He has been defeated repeatedly by the Qin army and his prestige in the army has been damaged. More than 60% of the important officials in the court support His Highness. What can Qian Zhen do with a group of warriors? "

Chen Yunfeng is a cautious and intelligent person. He still said with some concerns: "In troubled times, military power is greater than political means. Qian Sikong's prestige in the army is still very fearful."

Cai Yong stroked his beard and nodded: "That being said, the two major imperial guards in Tingjing have been won over by us. He can't make any big waves."

Not only the eldest prince Chen Yunfeng, but also the third prince Chen Yunxuan is also very lively. Zhen Fu, the Privy Councilor who is second only to Qian Zhen among the military generals and is the first rank, is in his mansion at this moment.

Because of Chen Li's illness, his health is getting worse day by day. In addition to those princes who know that they have no hope for the throne, the eldest prince Chen Yunfeng, the third prince Chen Yunxuan, and the sixth prince Chen Yunque all began to conspire and keep a close eye on the throne with the forces behind them.

Although Chen Yunque's supporters in the court are not as good as his two brothers, he is backed by the prominent families in the south of Beiting. Don't underestimate these families. Some of them have been passed down for hundreds of years, even longer than the existence of the Beiting Dynasty.

So there is a saying that the dynasty is changing, but the family is iron. They have a deep foundation and amazing financial resources.
With the full support of , although Chen Yunque's power seemed slightly weaker, it made the battle for the throne more unpredictable.

In the Yangshen Hall of the Imperial Palace, Chen Li lay on the dragon couch with a weak breath, and beside him stood Chen Li's most trusted confidant, Wang En, the chief eunuch of the palace.

Five days ago, Chen Li had been unable to get out of bed, relying on various spiritual medicines to forcibly prolong his life and hold on for a breath.

"Wang En... Do you think that after I leave, will Feng'er and others make the whole Beiting chaotic for the throne?"

Chen Li's voice came intermittently.

Wang En hurriedly stepped forward, bent down, and had a hesitant look on his face. He wanted to speak, but didn't dare.

Chen Li sighed and said slowly: "Just say what you want to say, I don't blame you."

Wang En then said: "In my opinion, the emperor needs to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible, otherwise disputes between the princes will be inevitable."

"Do you know why I haven't appointed a crown prince despite the urging and persuasion of the important officials in the court?" At this time, Chen Li began to reveal his true feelings: "Big brother, the third brother has the support of the Grand Tutor and the Minister of Works, but they are far from being able to stand on their own. If any of them is appointed as the crown prince, it will inevitably make the Grand Tutor or the Minister of Works dominate the court. Over time, the world of Beiting will probably not be the Chen family."

"The sixth brother is vicious and scheming, but because of this, I don't If the sixth prince takes the throne, his brothers will probably have a hard time surviving. Although he has the support of the family, he has no foundation in the capital. It is extremely difficult for him to truly inherit the throne. "

"In fact, in my heart, I want to pass the throne to the ninth prince the most. This child has been very smart, kind and hardworking since he was a child. He is somewhat similar to his mother. Unfortunately, the ninth prince is still young and has no power to rely on. It is as difficult as ascending to the sky to sit on the throne."

Wang En was shocked. Among the nine princes of Beiting, the ninth prince Chen Yunxiu is the youngest. He is only seventeen years old now, about the same age as Li Yichen. But unfortunately, his mother has no help and his family background is ordinary. It can be said that among the nine princes, Chen Yunxiu is the least likely to inherit the throne.

I didn't expect that the one the emperor wanted to pass the throne to the inconspicuous ninth prince Chen Yunxiu.