Chapter 970 – Battle the Northern Border (Seven)
The Ninth Prince glared at his ministers who were whispering among themselves during the court meeting, feeling incredibly annoyed.
If it were Sun Wen, he wouldn’t mince words or dodge responsibilities; what use were these useless fools in front of him?
“…How about… sending someone to negotiate for peace?”
The Northern Border Royal Court was quite poor right now, unable to scrape together the funds needed for war. Wouldn’t they just end up squeezing military expenses from the various tribes?
These aristocrats were too used to their lavish peaceful lives, enjoying feasting and fun, and had no desire for war at all.
If a war broke out, it would hurt their interests. Who would willingly fight?
The Ninth Prince couldn’t help but laugh angrily; the battle hadn’t even begun, but they were already thinking about how to negotiate for peace? Were these people really the spirited citizens of the Northern Border?
“Negotiate for peace? Why don’t you suggest sending someone to Liu Xi to beg for mercy instead?”
The Ninth Prince’s temper flared, and he directly called out the minister who had suggested peace.
Before the Horse Plague, they had been sharpening their swords, ready to march on Central Plains, and now just a few years later, some ministers wanted to negotiate before the battle even started?
The minister’s face turned from blue to pale after being scolded by the Ninth Prince; it was hard to save face.
Though he didn’t express his anger publicly, he kept a note of his resentment firmly lodged against the Ninth Prince.
“Dai Wang, in this old minister’s opinion, this war is unavoidable. Talking about negotiation now is merely helping the enemy grow bold while diminishing our own might.” An elderly official from the Northern Border stepped forward. “The most important thing now is to reorganize the troops and prepare for the enemy—”
Though this elder rambled on about the obvious, it was still better than just jumping to peace talks.
The Ninth Prince wanted to take this chance to reclaim military authority from the various tribes; the minister’s words were to his liking.
“That’s sensible,” the Ninth Prince remarked, “With strong enemies eyeing us, everyone in the Northern Border should unite and fight against this great foe!”
Some of his brothers had gone to their fiefdoms to gather troops, clearly aiming to dethrone him as the acting king.
The Ninth Prince certainly wouldn’t allow that to happen!
He might as well take advantage of the war to simultaneously reclaim their military power.
Without military authority, even if his brothers had skills, they wouldn’t be able to stir much trouble.
The Ninth Prince’s schemes were rattling with excitement.
He knew the Northern Border Royal Court’s finances were tight, but being short on cash was one thing, waging war was quite another.
The cavalry’s strength had taken a hit, but the infantry was still strong; the three tribes of the Northern Border could fight both mounted and on foot.
The warriors were fierce and fearless in battle.
In the Ninth Prince’s eyes, Jiang Pengji attacking the Northern Border was akin to lifting a rock to smash her own foot.
The Northern Border wasn’t even afraid of Dongqing; would they be intimidated by a little noble from Dongqing?
Hitting a brick wall with an egg, now that was pure foolishness.
The Ninth Prince’s plans buzzed like a thousand bees, ignorant of the difficulties in implementing them.
Did he think his brothers would be oblivious to his schemes just because he figured it out?
Don’t assume he was the only clever one under the sky.
Once they surrendered military power, it would be like a fierce tiger without teeth or claws, completely at the mercy of the hunter’s whims.
Surrendering military power meant death! Retaining it could keep the Ninth Prince from having too much power over them. Only a fool would blindly obey orders.
After weighing the pros and cons, all the princes of the Northern Border chose to feign deafness and silence.
As the “acting king,” the Ninth Prince’s very first command was met with various excuses and ended with little to no effect, making his chest ache with frustration.
“Ridiculous—I’m the great king of the Northern Border, how dare they defy my command—”
The Ninth Prince was so angry his teeth itched. If he had known this would happen, he should have let Sun Wen come up with a plan to take their lives instead.
Thinking of Sun Wen only pained him more.
With a long sigh, the Ninth Prince mumbled, “If only the righteous path were still alive, I wouldn’t have to endure their nonsense.”
In the Ninth Prince’s heart, Sun Wen had become nearly divine—a blemish he couldn’t erase.
On the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head.
This year was destined to be extraordinary; after years in hiding, Jiang Pengji was revealing her true claws again.
As spring plowing approached, military movements along the borders of the Northern Border and Chongzhou grew ever more frequent, with occasional small-scale skirmishes erupting.
The atmosphere of war thickened, like a storm on the horizon.
In the same year, the Cangzhou Meng Clan officially broke with Huang Song, and the rivalry between the Xu Pei brothers escalated to a fever pitch, while Yang Tao in Zhangzhou firmly established his footing.
The land of Dongqing was being devoured, piece by piece, by a giant beast named “war.”
“Liu Xi and the Northern Border, Xu Pei and Xu Fei, Huang Song and the Cangzhou Meng Clan… these few families have stirred the entirety of Dongqing.”
Yang Tao furrowed his brows.
With everyone fighting, it meant their development would come to a halt. This was his perfect opportunity for growth!
If they waited for the outcome of battles to decide winners and losers, Yang Tao’s only territory would be Zhangzhou, and he could easily attract unwanted attention from the various nobles.
Only by strengthening himself could he survive in these chaotic times.
But… where else in Dongqing could he possibly fight?
Yang Tao scratched his head, deeply troubled.
However, Yan Lin remarked, “The world is vast; there’s more than just the kingdom of Dongqing.”
Yang Tao was taken aback, “Huh?”
Yan Lin smiled faintly, “Could it be you’re thinking of competing with Liu Xi and her crew?”
Yang Tao stated directly, “If gods are fighting, what can mere mortals do? Even if I wanted to compete, now isn’t the time.”
His foundation wasn’t as stable as Jiang Pengji’s or the others; snatching food from their plates would just end in frustration.
Yan Lin lowered his gaze with a cold remark, “The false emperor with his defeated troops has fled to the borders of Nansheng; this is our perfect excuse to mobilize.”
Though Dongqing’s territory had nearly been devoured by a few great powers, there were still other lands left, especially Nansheng!
The false emperor Changshou Wang had fled to Nansheng, allowing Yang Tao to use this opportunity to attack there.
Yan Lin added, “The various noble families in Dongqing have started to take shape; it’s hard to shake them now, so our lord might as well seek another route. In my opinion, Nansheng is an excellent choice. After the Southern Barbarians conquer Nansheng, the noble families there will rise up, but the Southern Barbarians are strong, resulting in heavy losses on both sides and leaving Nansheng with no chance for recovery. Our lord might seize this chance to take control of Nansheng’s territory, develop in secret… and wait until forces are strong enough to counterattack later. What do you think, my lord?”
The cake that was Dongqing had been heavily divided, and for Yang Tao to stick his foot in would mean a battle with the various noble families—far too difficult.
Rather than that, it was better to choose another cake.
In peacetime, who would casually send troops into another nation’s territory?
Who dares to even try?
But now it was different.
Nansheng had already fallen, and all sorts of false powers sprouted like wild grass; nobody considered themselves the rightful ruler, so who would care if Yang Tao stepped in?
Yang Tao wasn’t without justification; the false emperor Changshou Wang was his enemy, right? Cross-border pursuit of enemies was completely legitimate!
“Fine, let’s go with Shaoyang’s plan.”
Yang Tao was good at fighting but not at strategizing; anyways, he had Yan Lin, his external brain. Thinking about these matters didn’t fall on him.
After more than a month, as spring plowing reached its end, Jiang Pengji had successfully completed the final troop mobilization.
“Is that Northern Border Second Prince still alive?” Jiang Pengji turned and asked.
Qi Guanrang lightly waved his fan, “Still alive; why did our lord suddenly bring him up?”
Jiang Pengji’s tone was icy, but the corners of her lips curled up with a frosty arc. “We need one less person to sacrifice; offering him as a flag sacrifice would be the perfect start.”
