Now the Nanyue emperor and his whole court were in a total panic!

If they didn't abandon the city and run now, once Ning Chen's men broke into the palace, they were dead for sure.

But the Nanyue emperor didn't want to be the one to say "run," because then he'd stink for ten thousand years as the most infamous emperor in Nanyue's history.

The officials didn't want to say it either. Later they'd be made to answer for it; they wouldn't just lose their lives, they'd carry the disgrace too.

In the end it was the old eunuch at the Nanyue emperor's side who couldn't stand it anymore.

The old eunuch at an emperor's side is usually one of his trusted men.

He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, the enemy is savage and our troops are too few. Fighting to the death will only cost more lives.

As long as the green hills last, there's no shortage of firewood. I beg Your Majesty to issue a decree ordering Commander Hu Xinghuai and General Ba Shou to pull back and escort you and all the lords out of the imperial city."

The Nanyue emperor shot the officials a vicious glare.

These dogs! On ordinary days they shouted that they'd walk through fire and boiling water for His Majesty, that ten thousand deaths wouldn't stop them... and when it counted, they were less reliable than a eunuch.

The Nanyue emperor put on a look of terrible reluctance and said, as if heartbroken, "This emperor is the Son of Heaven of Nanyue. How can the people of the city be abandoned? They're all this emperor's subjects."

The old eunuch begged, "Your Majesty, as long as you live there's hope. You've done all you could; the enemy is simply too savage... I beg Your Majesty to leave quickly. Only if you live will you have a chance at revenge."

"No..." The Nanyue emperor refused with a perfectly straight face. "How could this emperor abandon the people of the whole city? This emperor vows to live or die with them."