Proclamation to the kingdom

After the emperor agreed to the second option, it was finally time for the armies of both sides to truly cease fighting. Chu Wu looked towards his troops and shouted:

"This battle has ended. There is no need for anyone to fight any longer." 

Cheers erupted everywhere, and the soldiers were also happy that everything had concluded early. To be honest, they were afraid of death, after all, they are human, who would foolishly choose to die? But it was their responsibility that led them to the battlefield.

The generals of the opposing side also spoke in unison:

"Lay down your weapons. This fight is over, no need to continue battling." 

The enemy forces also lowered their weapons, they too were quite pleased. Although it was unclear which side had won, judging by the demeanor of the generals, the outcome didn't seem too bad.

The only thing left now was to wait for the emperor to proclaim to the world, that everything would be handled. At this moment, Jun Wu Xiao spoke up:

"Emperor, when do you plan to make the proclamation to the kingdom about this matter?"

The emperor thought for a moment, realizing that fighting now would not lead to victory, and escape was also not an option. Moreover, if he fought, he would die, so he saw an opportunity to leave a good name for himself and decided it was best to act swiftly without any reason to wait.

Nevertheless, he felt regretful that after today, he would no longer be the emperor, but there was nothing else he could do. After all, he could not win against his adversaries, and there was no legitimate reason for the conflict. If he claimed it was for the throne that led to the people's deaths, his own demise would be certain.

Suddenly, Chu Wu said:

"Changing the leadership system cannot be resolved immediately. It might take a few months or even a few years, but I will complete this task as soon as possible. During this period, you all can retain your current positions until changes are made."

The emperor and the ministers were very pleased to hear this. After all, keeping their current positions for a while longer was not bad. They had thought they would lose everything today. If there was still time, they could quickly prepare something.

Jun Wu Xiao felt these people were very unreliable and added:

"Keep your positions if you must. But if you commit any egregious acts, then don't ask why I come to kill you."

Hearing this, the emperor and the ministers felt a chill down their spines. But then again, time was short, if they plundered wealth, they wouldn't live to spend it. 

"Give us some time to discuss a bit. In a while, with many people here, I will make the proclamation to the kingdom about this event." said the emperor.

Actually, he needed some time to draft a proclamation himself, he wanted to be revered by the people even if he was no longer the emperor. The ministers also wanted to request the same, they wished to discuss what they would do during the short time they would remain in their official positions in the future.

Chu Wu felt there was no major issue, after all, he had already achieved what he wanted. Allowing them some joy now wouldn't be a loss for him. He said:

"Alright, but remember to hurry up."

Afterwards, the emperor and the ministers left the place. Obviously, Jun Wu Xiao also followed behind to prevent them from escaping. Although they weren't foolish enough to try escaping, after all, they couldn't escape from Jun Wu Xiao if they tried.

At this time, the court officials and flatterers were discussing among themselves, one of them said:

"What do you think we should do in the coming time?"

After thinking for a while, a minister said:

"Now, our time as officials is not long. It's certain that we cannot keep most of our wealth. Why not take the initiative to use most of our wealth to help the people. After all, we can't keep the money, and we will be commoners in the future, but being respected by the commoners isn't a bad thing."

The other ministers nodded in agreement, even though they had not done few bad deeds until now. But now that their power was gone, continuing to do bad things would only lead to death. So why not make an effort to be good for once, after all, being commoners in the future would also be respected by the people, and life would definitely not be too difficult.

"I agree, now is the time for us to create the best way out for ourselves. To avoid it being too late when everything changes."

"I think it's not wrong, if the people respect us, then in the future when we become commoners, we will not be bullied, and perhaps we will receive help from them."

"I also agree. Even the emperor wants to make himself a great person in the eyes of the people, so why shouldn't we do the same."

The ministers expressed their opinions, no one was against this idea because they knew their wealth would no longer be theirs soon.

Now that the ministers had reached a consensus, in the coming time, the people of the kingdom might feel as if they were dreaming. The ones they thought were wicked and greedy appeared like saviors during this period.

No matter their intentions, whether good or bad, it's not important. What matters is that this action of theirs will help the people a lot.

At this moment, the emperor had also prepared what he needed to say to show the residents that he was a truly great emperor, one who sacrificed his own interests for the sake of the country and its people. Even if he was called a worthless emperor, he was not a fool, in the future, when he no longer held power, he would not act recklessly to avoid being killed without understanding why.

The emperor then said to the ministers and generals:

"Gather as many people as possible quickly. Today, I will proclaim to the kingdom that I will abdicate the throne, to give the people a better life."

The loyal ministers felt extremely moved by this. They felt truly fortunate to have followed such a great emperor. However, those who knew the emperor well cursed in their hearts:

"This worthless emperor really knows how to act. If we didn't know you well, we would have been truly fooled."

A while later, the emperor stood atop the city gate, surrounded by the most important ministers and generals of the court. He looked down at hundreds of thousands of people and spoke clearly:

A while later, the emperor stood atop the city gate, surrounded by the most important ministers and generals of the court. He looked down at hundreds of thousands of people (The population is not that small, but obviously on the battlefield it is impossible to gather all the people) and spoke clearly:

"I apologize for not being a good enough emperor. I will abdicate my throne to merge our country with a greater one. I am sorry for not providing a comfortable life for the people. Their country might be able to alleviate the suffering of our people. Perhaps this is the most correct decision in my life. Even though I will no longer be the emperor, I hope to see the day when the people live comfortably and happily."

His proclamation moved many citizens who had never met him to tears. The emperor was giving up his dream position for the well-being of his people. Could there be any emperor as great as him?

That's what outsiders said, but those involved only felt that the acting skills of this worthless emperor were really good. From the time he became king until now, he only indulged in pleasures, never really helping the people, but now he spoke as if he had tried his best but all efforts were in vain. The ministers who knew him well cursed under their breath.

Jun Wu Xiao looked towards Chu Wu and said:

"So it ends, right?"

Chu Wu nodded happily:

"It has to end. With the casualties being none. This is the first time I've managed to do something like this. Thank you."

"Ha ha ha. You're my friend, no need for such formality." Jun Wu Xiao laughed.