Zhao Hongtian ordinarily treated Xiahou Jiuxiao with considerable respect. He never acted arrogantly or rudely on account of his imperial blood; on the contrary, he obeyed orders without question.
But Xiahou Jiuxiao's actions today had truly pushed him beyond endurance.
Although Tang Jiansong was the son of a slave woman, the blood of the Zhao Imperial Clan still flowed through his veins.
His earlier promise to restore the title belonging to Tang Jiansong's branch of the Prince of Yan's line had not been a lie. He had meant it.
Once the Day-Changing Alliance was destroyed, Tang Jiansong could be considered to have found his way back from the wrong path, and the imperial clan would grant him a recognized status.
Of course, that meant only a title and status. He could forget about receiving a fief.
Moreover, Tang Jiansong already possessed the cultivation of the eighth-level Divine Altar Realm despite his exceptional youth. Even among Great Xia's imperial family, someone of his caliber was a rare talent. If he returned to the right path and earned great merit, the imperial clan would certainly nurture him.
Yet now Xiahou Jiuxiao claimed he had deliberately exposed Tang Jiansong, deliberately sent him to his death. How could Zhao Hongtian stomach that?
At that moment, the normally unflappably calm Xiahou Jiuxiao abruptly turned, seized Zhao Hongtian by the throat, and lifted him off the ground. His gaze was icy, his eyes thick with murderous intent.
"The highest art of war is to defeat the enemy's schemes. Only victory or defeat matters!
"Every day the Dingnan Army remains locked in a stalemate with the Day-Changing Alliance consumes astronomical amounts of military supplies, while martial factions like the Nine Abyss Gate stand
"on the sidelines, looting a burning house.
"If this drags on any longer, Yanzhou