The King of Yu Yue summoned all his trusted clansmen into his tent.
One flustered confidant asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
The King of Yu Yue pondered for a moment before saying, "Haven't you already gone over to Shang? Enemies surround us wherever we look. At this point, my only option is to join you in seeking refuge with Shang!"
The falsely accused Yu Yue clansmen stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. We really weren't working for them from the inside! We never went over to Great Shang! Even now, why are you still dumping buckets of shit on our heads?
In truth, the King of Yu Yue knew that too. Otherwise, he would never have argued on their behalf. But the situation had changed in the blink of an eye, and the choice was no longer his to make.
He had been the King of Yu Yue for several years, but his control over the entire Yu Yue tribe was limited. If every clansman supported him, he would naturally have had nothing to fear from Nanyue and Yangyue. In reality, however, he had only a handful of confidants he could trust.
He had to leave, or he would most likely become a prisoner. Even if Gu Insects ultimately cleared his name, the power in his hands would shrink drastically. His tribe might even be swallowed up.
Rather than have a king of his standing voluntarily submit to Great Shang, he could use his clansmen's supposed prior defection as an excuse, claiming he had been forced to follow them. At least that would preserve some of his dignity.
Since he would lose his power either way, he might as well go over to Great Shang. At least becoming the Marquis of Yu Yue would guarantee a lifetime of