Chapter 994 – Battle of the Northern Border (31)
“With such strong troops advancing, you still think about competing for power and profit?”
A mere Dai Wang, if the Northern Border is lost, what does Dai Wang even count for!
The Third Prince’s words fell on the ears of the other brothers, instead becoming a boast and mockery.
“Third Brother really is standing tall without a scratch—after all, you’re the one who has been Dai Wang, so naturally you can say such things, but the rest of us haven’t even brushed the edges,” remarked one brother. Though the Third Prince had been Dai Wang for only a few days, it put him above the others who had never held that title.
The Third Prince’s face flickered from pale to green, nearly choking on the pent-up frustration in his chest.
If only our master could see the Northern Border still embroiled in this internal strife, I wonder what he would think.
The Third Prince continued, “By doing this, are you not just giving Liu Thief an easy pass—”
The other brothers’ expressions turned cold. Some looked disdainful, others rolled their eyes secretly, while a few let out cold snickers.
The meeting ended on a sour note; the princes’ military strengths were nearly equal, leaving none with a decisive victory over the others.
Leaving the main tent, the Third Prince was followed closely by his blood brother, the Fifth Prince.
“Third Brother, don’t blame me for speaking harshly—”
The Third Prince turned to look at this troublesome little brother, his expression darkening. If it weren’t for the Fifth Prince dragging him down, perhaps he would have become the Northern Border King with Wu Libai’s support, and where would it leave that foolish Ninth Brother to ruin the lives of tens of thousands of warriors?
If he had only been the King from the start, the Northern Border wouldn’t be so deeply trapped by Liu Xi.
“What are you saying?” the Third Prince asked coldly.
“We’re all the king’s sons; no one is born above the others.” The Fifth Prince glanced around to confirm no one was listening before continuing, “You managed to become Dai Wang, so others can too. Why do you act like you’re the only one troubled for the Northern Border, scolding us brothers? I know the minds of the others too—they’d rather give their fortunes to outsiders than let their own brothers gain an advantage.”
After hearing this, the Third Prince’s face drained of all color.
The Fifth Prince added, “Right now, you have no supplies or food, living under others’ roofs, so it’s better to keep a low profile and not jump around too much.”
With that, the Fifth Prince strode away, feeling more invigorated than ever.
His Third Brother was a disciple of Wu Libai and always acted high and mighty around his brothers.
He had long been annoyed with him; now that he had successfully knocked him down a peg, it felt pretty sweet.
Aside from the few princes, there were also other noble tribes in the Northern Border, holding quite a bit of military strength.
The princes used all their wits to win over the Northern Border nobles and increase their leverage, with the Sixth Prince ultimately coming out on top.
After all, the Sixth Prince’s maternal family was the most powerful and had the widest connections.
Once victorious, the Sixth Prince vigorously reorganized the military and called forth his advisors to draft strategies.
The quality of advisors varied greatly, each holding their own opinions, and given that the Northern Border had lax rules, the main tent was as chaotic as a market.
Some thought Jiang Pengji’s earlier victories were mostly luck and thus not to be feared.
Others believed Wu Libai was old, ineffective in commanding troops, and his mistakes were the root cause of the Northern Border’s defeats.
Of course, aside from these two groups, there were also those smoothing things over and those singing praises. The Third Prince had been glum for several days after hearing their discussions.
“Heh, you fools, if Liu Thief were really that easy to deal with, I’d rejoice for you all to return in triumph!”
With that, the Third Prince shrugged off his sleeves and stormed out. Seeing this, the struggling Eldest Prince stood up to follow him.
“Third Brother, don’t you think saying that leaves evidence against us?”
The Eldest Prince was exasperated and quickly blocked the Third Prince.
Realizing it was the Eldest Prince, the Third Prince’s expression softened slightly.
Perhaps it was because they had once “shared life and death” together, their relationship had improved since before.
“What evidence? I’m merely stating facts; they underestimate Liu Thief and will undoubtedly pay a great price for it,” the Third Prince said, unable to prevent memories of his mentor from surfacing, his eyes warmening. “These people—are truly going to ruin my teacher’s efforts.”
The Eldest Prince chose to remain silent.
Compared to the few arrogant and reckless brothers, the Eldest Prince had more trust in the Third Prince’s intellect.
If the Third Prince were dim-witted, how could it be that out of the nine sons of the Northern Border King, Wu Libai chose the Third Prince?
“What’s to be done? Just watch them make mistakes?” The Eldest Prince frowned, still aware enough of his situation; his interests were tied to the Northern Border. If the Northern Border thrived, he would fare well; if it faltered, he too would face ruin. If the Northern Border fell, Jiang Pengji would not spare him either. “Sixth Brother is too indecisive and often swayed by his maternal family—”
Never underestimate the power of the Northern Border’s in-laws; they were often more cunning than those in the central plains, adept at manipulating puppets.
The current Sixth Brother was nothing more than a puppet in his maternal family’s hands.
Without the help of those relatives, how could the Sixth Brother become Dai Wang?
The Third Prince was frowning deeply, “For now, we can only take it step by step. I hope they won’t be too foolish.”
Meanwhile, the Third Prince’s storming exit had also enraged the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince pressured his advisors, pushing them to come up with feasible battle plans as soon as possible.
To be honest, no pressure means no motivation.
After a bout of coercion, the advisors finally proposed a clever plan.
“…Is this really feasible?” The Sixth Prince hesitated.
An advisor replied, “Liu Thief previously accepted the surrendering tribes, indicating their awareness is low. Dai Wang can start from here—command a tribe to fake surrender, gain her trust, and when the time is ripe, strike from within and without, and Liu Thief will surely fall apart.”
The Sixth Prince carefully considered the advisor’s suggestion, and the more he thought about it, the higher the possibility seemed.
Finally, he decisively said, “Alright, let’s do it this way.”
The advisor cautioned, “I’ve heard Liu Thief has a multitude of advisors, many of whom are capable. We must avoid giving ourselves away, so Dai Wang needs to be mindful of some details.”
The Sixth Prince asked, “What details?”
The advisor replied, “The previously surrendered tribes almost all brought their families when they surrendered; that’s why Liu Thief believed them. If Dai Wang wants to orchestrate this, he must replicate this scenario. Otherwise, it will be hard to gain Liu Thief’s trust and may even raise her suspicions.”
The Sixth Prince furrowed his brow and suddenly relaxed.
“Then we’ll do as you say; if we can capture Liu Thief, I’ll make sure to reward you handsomely—grant you a noble title with herds of cattle and sheep!”
The advisor happily accepted.
The Third Prince found out about the Sixth Prince’s plans and felt a surge of surprise.
“Seems he’s not entirely brainless—”
The Third Prince pondered, reasoning that this strategy was quite feasible. Jiang Pengji had already accepted the surrendering tribes, and her awareness had diminished. If another tribe were to surrender at this moment, she would likely not pursue the matter too deeply, perhaps managing to fool her.
The Sixth Prince was rolling up his sleeves, ready to make a big move.
