Borrowing Troops

Li Yunqing's condescending arrogance seemed to anger the princess from the sea.

Aurenli's beautiful blue eyes narrowed to almost slits, flashing with a hint of coldness, but her words remained calm:

"I thought His Highness the Third Prince would be different from the others in the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, but it seems I was wrong."

"The respect that our envoys receive comes from the dynasty behind you."

Li Yunqing chuckled softly, his eyes narrowing:

"Princess of the Kingdom of Xien, let me tell you a story. Oh no, this isn't a story; it's a fact that happened just last year."

Aurenli frowned slightly.

"Your Highness, please speak. I am listening."

Li Yunqing slowly raised the fragrant tea in his hand as if lifting a wine glass, gently swirling it under the illumination of the Inscription Lamp, causing ripples to spread across the pale green tea:

"In the northwest of my Great Yan, there is a place called the Great Desert, where there is a Tachao Royal Court. Its national strength is not very strong, but it should be generally stronger than the Japanese demons you are currently fighting against."

"And last year, around the time of the Autumn Equinox, they sent a prince as an envoy to Di'an City."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eye twitched involuntarily, while Li Yunqing's expression turned slightly mocking:

"While that prince was in Di'an City, he offended the son of a high-ranking official in our dynasty, and unfortunately, that son had a rather bad temper."

At this point, Li Yunqing paused, smiled, and softly asked Aurenli:

"Guess what happened in the end?"

"..." Aurenli urged Dai Mei on without replying.

"Don't want to guess? Then I'll just tell you directly."

Li Yunqing held the porcelain cup to his lips and gently blew on it. "That prince was killed outright, while the son of that high-ranking official is just like me now."

After saying that,

Li Yunqing downed the fragrant tea in his cup in one gulp and grinned.

"I'll punish myself with three cups."

Tonight's negotiations ended in discord.

Li Yunqing's words were a blatant threat and an insult to the Xien royal family.

Aurenli left, taking with her the tin can named Huron and the private room that cost a thousand taels.

For a moment, the room was completely silent.

After a long silence, Xu Yuan glanced at Li Yunqing, then stood up, supporting himself on his knees.

Seeing this, Li Yunqing glanced at him, his voice slightly surprised:

"What, you're leaving too?"

Xu Yuan shook his head and walked towards the terrace that came with the room:

"Go get some fresh air."

"Oh."

Li Yunqing chuckled softly, then stopped paying attention and sat on the soft cushion, pouring himself a drink.

Stepping onto the private terrace of the room, the cold winter night wind howled. Xu Yuan glanced down at the myriad lights of the city under the moonlit night in Di'an and asked softly:

What exactly do you want to do?

Li Yunqing put down his teacup, looked at Xu Yuan's back as he stood on the terrace, and smiled leisurely:

"Negotiation is like pursuing a fairy who doesn't eat earthly food. You can't be impatient, and you can't directly reveal your feelings. You have to know how to pull back and forth, and you have to gradually and steadily deepen the relationship."

The moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall. Xu Yuan leaned against the wooden railing, his head half-turned, glancing sideways at Li Yunqing inside the room. His pale golden eyes were particularly deep in the moonlight.

"You know I'm not referring to that. When did your partner become the Kingdom of Xien?"

Li Yunqing paused for a moment, then smiled with slight surprise:

"Heh, you've even started using your Cultivation Method. I don't recall Cultivation Method in this world that can detect lies or hear other people's thoughts."

"My use of internal energy wasn't directed at you."

Xu Yuan turned his gaze away from the distance and replied calmly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Of course, it's to seize more profits."

"What's the meaning?"

"Hehe."

Li Yunqing chuckled softly, stood up from the heavy tea table, which was over ten feet long, and slowly walked towards Xu Yuan:

"My elder brother petitioned our father, which granted me an opportunity to travel to Eastern Isles, but unfortunately, apart from the title, my father gave me very little support."

As he spoke, Li Yunqing stood beside Xu Yuan, leaning against the wooden railing, tilting his head slightly upward to look at the dark sky, his voice low and melancholic:

"What use is a military supply of 500,000 taels of silver plus four battalions of Imperial Guards if I take this little bit of wealth to Eastern Isles? I originally thought I could at least get a battalion of horses."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan instantly understood:

"Can't free your hands?"

"Yes, the war in the Northern Border is already enough of a headache for my father. I don't know if we'll be able to make ends meet if we lose this little bit of our wealth. We've escaped one pit only to fall into another."

"There are benefits after all. This trip to Eastern Isles is like a trapped dragon entering the sea, isn't it?"

"Wow, you trust me that much?"

Li Yunqing turned his head and curled the corners of his lips. "But you're right, compared to being in Di'an City, we can definitely act more freely after going to Eastern Isles."

Xu Yuan smiled upon hearing this, staring into Li Yunqing's eyes:

"Then I wish you success in your plan."

Li Yunqing's eyes were slightly lowered, and his tone was somewhat serious:

"Success is hard to say. My father has given me too little, and the Xien Empire on the sea is quite powerful. Even if everything goes smoothly, I will probably fail."

Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised, raising an eyebrow slightly:

"Aren't you so afraid of death? Since the risks are so great, why do you still insist on going there?"

"Because there, I can control my own destiny."

"What?" Xu Yuan.

Li Yunqing leaned against the wooden railing and smiled leisurely:

"Within the Di'an City, my life and death are not determined by my personal choice. All my efforts may be reduced to ashes by the whim of others, just like my elder brother, who served as the crown prince diligently for decades, only to be ultimately Crown Prince to a single decision by my father."

Speaking of this,

Li Yunqing raised his hand towards the dark sky and clenched it tightly:

"And once I go to Eastern Isles, no matter how many difficulties I face, my life, Li Yunqing's life, will be in my own hands."

"." Xu Yuan.

Staring blankly at Li Yunqing for a few moments, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head, saying softly:

"As a friend, I, Xu Changtian, can assure you that if you fail, I will..."

"Help me get revenge?"

"I'll go offer incense at your grave."

"."

Li Yunqing's expression stiffened for a moment, but he then chuckled and nodded, turning around to look at the full moon, and said with a smile:

"Just offering incense isn't enough; we need to bring some wine, and it has to be spirit wine that costs at least ten thousand taels of silver."

"You're quite greedy, but I'll grant your request."

Xu Yuan made a sarcastic remark, then asked, "But if you really intend to cooperate with Xien, why did you use what happened to me last year to provoke that woman?"

Li Yunqing did not hide anything and replied:

"For the sake of intelligence, and also to find a way to survive if I fail in the future."

"What do you mean?" Xu Yuan.

Li Yunqing smiled slightly and said in a low voice:

"Although that big-breasted blonde princess is very honest, my royal Imperial Shadow Guard have already caught their spies in many places."

At this point, Li Yunqing grinned and said, "It's all thanks to the distinctive appearance of these blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners that we could catch them almost every time."

Xu Yuan gave a cryptic chuckle:

"Hmph, trying to probe the strength of our Great Yan Dynasty. But this kind of thing can't be hidden for long."

The Great Yan is too vast, and its coastline is too long. There will always be some people who will trade with those people for profit.

Li Yunqing nodded slightly:

"So I revealed some information to them at that time. This was my first act of sincerity in cooperating with them, and it could also be considered a bait."

"Until now, we only have a superficial understanding of the Kingdom of Xien that came from the sea. We don't know their cultivation system, let alone how much power their country has. In this respect, they have a huge advantage over us."

Xu Yuan listened to these words, pondered for a moment, then realized something and asked:

"Are you trying to judge the strength of the Kingdom of Xien by the course of the war in Eastern Isles?"

"You understand so quickly, truly a confidant of mine."

Li Yunqing gave Xu Yuan a thumbs-up, smoothed his sleeves, and smiled, "In the initial surprise attack, the Japanese in the north were routed. Later, a coalition led by several of the largest Daimyo managed to hold the line, but the Kingdom of Xien continued to advance until they managed to hold on near the River of Forgotten Paths, taking advantage of the terrain."

Xu Yuan stroked his chin and asked with a smile:

"But I remember you just said that the Japanese mountain people had their own ingenious plan."

"I don't deny that."

Li Yunqing smiled matter-of-factly and said, "At least, that's how it was at the beginning."

At this point, Li Yunqing's tone shifted, and his eyes turned somewhat gloomy:

"But Changtian, you need to know that the war over there has been going on for over a year now."

"You mean reinforcements from the Kingdom of Xien have arrived?"

"There is no relevant intelligence to confirm this, but that is my assessment."

"Reason."

"I have a fat sheep in Eastern Isles. Alas, a partner of mine told me that they need an arms organization for a counterattack, and their arms demand is as high as nearly ten million taels of silver. However, when I inquired about the follow-up, it all disappeared without a trace."

"So, the Japanese counterattack was completely ineffective?" Xu Yuan asked thoughtfully.

Li Yunqing nodded, his words serious:

"Yes, Changtian, you've witnessed real battlefields in the Northern Border. Would this situation occur if the two sides were evenly matched?"

"."

Silence followed, Xu Yuan did not respond.

Because the answer is no.

Unlike the wars of the past and modern times, which involved saturation warfare with troops stationed on every inch of land along thousands of miles of front lines.

The vast land has many gaps in the defensive lines, and if you are not careful, you will be flanked and surrounded. The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant.

Just like when the Barbarian King launched a surprise attack on Beifeng City from the rear.

In other words

"Is the Kingdom of Xien deliberately preserving its strength and keeping the Japanese alive?"

"Uncertain."

Li Yunqing smiled and refuted Xu Yuan's question, saying softly, "Based on the information I have, even after more than a year of fighting, the strength of the Xien on the Dongying Island should be far superior to that of the Japanese, but they most likely do not have the ability to end the war completely in a short period of time."

Xu Yuan gazed down at the bustling, flower-filled streets below:

"So, the Kingdom of Xien is currently observing the attitude of my Great Yan?"

"You could call it observing and waiting, or you could call it paralysis."

"."

After a brief conversation with Li Yunqing, Xu Yuan had a general understanding of the situation in Eastern Isles.

The Kingdom of Xien, having invaded Eastern Isles with unstoppable momentum, was excitedly awaiting reinforcements to sweep through and completely conquer the island nation when they suddenly discovered a colossal creature lying beside them, silently watching them.

They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

That's embarrassing.

Fighting is not an option, nor is not fighting.

After all, the Great Yan was very close to Eastern Isles.

If we don't fight, we've already incurred sunk costs; all our previous efforts will be wasted, and we can't explain it to the domestic audience.

However, if they continue fighting and advance too quickly, they risk alerting the Great Yan Dynasty, which could then turn the tables and push them back into the sea, resulting in even greater losses.

They even had to consider whether this contact would provoke the behemoth to covet their homeland.

Under various scrutinizing circumstances, the person in charge of the Xien royal family in Eastern Isles resorted to delaying tactics.

We'll make plans after we've investigated everything thoroughly.

Now that Li Yunqing has informed Aurenli of a portion of the Dongying Island Great Yan's national strength, the news will undoubtedly make the other side even more hesitant to act rashly.

It's just this delay

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan gazed northward and sighed softly:

"If the Kingdom of Xien had arrived a few decades later, everything would have been much easier to handle."

"Really."

Li Yunqing nodded and smiled, "The current situation is a bit like a stick trying to catch a wolf, afraid on both sides. If we wait until those Xien fully understand the situation in our Great Yan, they should be able to act freely."

Speaking of this,

Li Yunqing suddenly tilted his head and chuckled:

"Changtian, you previously said you planned to sponsor my trip to Eastern Isles. Can you tell me about that now?"

His long-term control of the Imperial Clan Chamber of Commerce had indeed brought him a considerable amount of wealth, giving him a sizable treasury. However, it was still far from enough to implement his plans on the Dongying Island.

Xu Yuan glanced at him and gently shook his head:

"After what you've said, I've changed my mind."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Xu Changtian, what you're doing is a bit unfair. I've told you everything I know!"

Xu Yuan glanced at him indifferently and said in a low voice:

"What's the rush? It's not like I said I wouldn't invest in you."

"Um?"

With a soft question, Li Yunqing smiled as if his expression had changed, and shamelessly moved closer:

"Hehe, Junqing, I knew you wouldn't abandon me, brother."

"."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched, and he silently took a step to the left.

Seeing this, Li Yunqing didn't stand on ceremony and also took a step to the left, rubbing his hands together.

"Changtian, how are you planning to invest in me, your younger brother?"

Xu Yuan glanced at Li Yunqing and whispered two words:

"Borrowing troops."

Li Yunqing's pupils contracted, and then his brows furrowed:

"Borrow troops? Your Prime Minister's Mansion's situation shouldn't be much better than our royal family's. The affairs in various parts of the Great Yan are already enough to give the Prime Minister a headache. Where would you get the Black Scale Army to lend me?"

Xu Yuan looked north and chuckled softly:

"Who told you that when I said I was borrowing troops, I meant borrowing the Black Scale Army from you?"

"And who told you that I don't have my own army?"