Shen and the Rong invaded

Ever since that decree was issued, Haojing City had known no peace. Queen Shen Jiang sent someone to contact Luo Cheng, and he sent back word asking her to remain calm.

Shen Jiang's fate depended on what her father did. If Marquis Shen truly colluded with the Western Rong tribes to attack Haojing, she would certainly die.

What difference would meeting her now make?

The Royal Domain's decree and Luo Cheng's letters reached the various feudal lords one after the other.

Shen State was the first major feudal state to receive news of the queen's deposition.

Throughout Shen State, from Marquis Shen down to the ministers, no one dared believe the news before their eyes.

The most valuable thing a person could possess was self-awareness.

Shen State's ruler and ministers possessed plenty of it. They knew exactly how much weight they carried and how important they were to the Royal Domain.

Thus, even when Ji Nie exiled Crown Prince Yi to Shen State, they merely assumed that Ji Nie disliked the crown prince and did not want to see him.

That did not matter to Shen State. As long as Ji Yi could become the Son of Heaven after Ji Nie's death, that was enough.

No one had ever imagined that Crown Prince Yi would be deposed.

Had Ji Nie gone mad?

How dared he?

Had none of the lords and Dukes and Ministers in the Fenghao Royal Domain remonstrated with him?

Did they not understand how powerful the Western Rong were?

Question after question haunted the minds of every noble in Shen State.

In truth, the Royal Domain's ministers knew that Shen State was important, but their understanding lacked depth.

The Royal Domain had not fought the northwestern Rong tribes for many years, so no one knew the actual strength of the Western Rong.

Only a handful could judge from the goods traded between the two sides each year that the Western Rong's population had grown considerably, which meant their strength had made great strides.

Shen State's bargaining chip was using the War threat to bolster its own importance. But the Western Rong had gone too long without flaunting their military might before the Royal Domain, indirectly bringing about this outcome.

It was hard to say whether Shen State had served too well as a shield, or whether the collective passing of the previous generation of worthy ministers had dealt too heavy a blow to the competence of the Royal Domain's leadership.

Though Shen State's leaders found it somewhat unbelievable, the campaigns of earlier years had long since taught them to guard against the Zhou State's Royal Domain.

Now that an unforeseen situation had indeed arisen, Marquis Shen immediately asked, "My ministers, the Son of Heaven has openly trampled on the Zhou State's lineage laws and humiliated Shen State. What should I do?"

What else could he do?

Teach him a lesson, of course.

Every minister of Shen State thought the same thing.

A senior minister stepped forward and declared proudly, "My lord.

"The Son of Heaven, Nie, has deposed his legitimate heir in favor of a concubine's son, openly trampling on the Lineage System established by our ancestors. How could Heaven tolerate such conduct?

"It was the late King Xuan and the Dukes and Ministers who made a covenant together and sought a noble daughter of Shen State in marriage. Now they have broken their word and betrayed that covenant. Should they not be punished?"

"Shen State is a mighty branch of All Xia. For two hundred years, we have served the Son of Heaven with reverence, only to suffer such humiliation. Who could endure this?

"I regard the Son of Heaven, Nie, as a ruler like Jie and Zhou, a man like Li Huang who brings calamity upon his state. My lord may raise an army to punish such an unrighteous ruler. Even Heaven will favor you."

Marquis Shen asked doubtfully, "Haojing is the king's seat. Its walls are tall and massive, and the Son of Heaven's army guards it. Can Shen State's army breach Haojing?"

Another senior minister stepped forward. "My lord.

"Your kinsman by marriage is the king of the Western Rong. Why not write to him and borrow his troops to breach Haojing and rescue the queen?

"Make Ji Nie abdicate in favor of Crown Prince Yi. You can remain in Haojing City to assist in governing. Then you will achieve feats like those of Yi Yin and the Sage King."

Thinking of the Western Rong's powerful army, Marquis Shen immediately smiled. "As expected of the minister I rely upon most. What you have said is precisely what I should do."

He promptly dispatched an envoy bearing Gold and Silver and jewels to seek troops from the Western Rong. He also promised the lord of the Dog Rong that, after Haojing fell, he would be permitted to empty Haojing City's treasuries.

Within the palace of the lord of the Western Rong.

The lord of the Dog Rong finished reading Marquis Shen's letter and made his decision without hesitation. He had long wanted to wage war against the Zhou State again, but Shen State had remained allied with it and had also restrained the pro-war faction within the Rong tribes, leaving him no opportunity.

Now Shen State itself wanted to attack the Zhou State. Seeing this splendid opportunity to enter Fenghao, he immediately summoned the tribes from every direction to raise their forces alongside Shen State.

Only now were the other states beginning to receive the news.

Jin State, the influential major state of the Ji lineage nearest Haojing, had always featured in the strategic plans of successive Marquises of Luo.

The Marquis of Jin received the Royal Domain's decree first, then Luo Cheng's letter. He had a fairly clear understanding of the situation there and knew it was urgent, but he still hesitated.

After all, coming to the king's aid required an order from the Son of Heaven. If someone rashly raised troops without one, who could know whether he intended to rebel?

He asked his close attendants, "Marquis Cheng of Luo wrote to me saying that the Son of Heaven's deposition of the queen will inevitably provoke Shen State into rebellion, and if Shen State rebels, the Western Rong's troops will surely follow.

"I do trust Marquis Cheng of Luo's judgment. But in this letter, he asks me to lead troops to the king's aid.

"The beacon fires on Mount Li have not been lit. I have some concerns.

"If Marquis Shen has not raised troops, and I lead a great army into the Royal Domain, no amount of explanation will clear my name. What do you all think, Ministers?"

Wei Qing, the minister whom the Marquis of Jin trusted most, saw that his lord wished to go to the king's aid. After a moment's thought, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he stepped forward. "My lord, I noticed just now that the Marquis of Luo's letter bears his seal.

"The Marquis of Luo is the Grand Clan Head. The Rites of Zhou stipulates that the Grand Clan Head has the authority to summon the Ji-Surname Feudal Lords.

"With this letter, my lord would be acting in accordance with the established system. Even if the Son of Heaven asks, you can say that the Grand Clan Head summoned the Ji lords. You would bear no fault."

"The Grand Clan Head has the authority to summon the Ji-Surname Feudal Lords? Why have I never heard of it?"

The Marquis of Jin genuinely did not know. Wei Qing smiled. "For more than two hundred years, the position of Grand Clan Head has remained in the Luo Clan's hands. Successive Marquises of Luo have treated the king with reverence and never exercised this authority.

"Thus, few people know of it. I only came across it by chance.

"But the Rites of Zhou does indeed grant this authority to the Grand Clan Head. There is therefore no risk in going to the king's aid."

Delighted, the Marquis of Jin said, "Quickly, bring me the Rites of Zhou. Let me see it."

The Rites of Zhou was vast. Wei Qing named the relevant volume, and when an attendant brought it for inspection, the provision was indeed there.

"The Mandate of Heaven favors us!"

The Marquis of Jin set down the bamboo slips in his hands and laughed loudly. "My ministers, muster the army! We march to the king's aid!"

As the Marquis of Jin gave his order, everyone's eyes in the hall lit up.

To the king's aid!

No feudal lord could resist that temptation. The last expedition to aid the king had likewise been led by the Marquis of Luo, and Jin State had reaped countless benefits.

Among all the states of the Ji lineage, only Luo State could now stand alongside Jin State.

But Luo State cared too much about its identity as the Sage King's descendants. Its excessive reverence for the king had left the growth of its strength unable to keep pace with Jin State.

The ministers' eyes also shone. If they earned great merit while aiding the king, might they become feudal lords themselves?

Even if they could not win such immense merit, following the Marquis of Jin and securing a major achievement would still be a momentous event for their families.

Jin State's war machine began to turn.

Messengers were still carrying the news in every direction. Many feudal lords scattered around Fenghao received it. Some trusted the Marquis of Luo's reputation and decisively dispatched troops; others were still waiting for the beacon fires on Mount Li near Haojing.

Shen State and the Rong king had already finished mustering their armies and were advancing toward Haojing. They followed the Jing River downstream at great speed.

Although the Rong People were looked down upon by All Xia, they were not actually particularly backward at this point. Their culture was simply entirely different, as were their hairstyles and clothing.

The Rong king stayed beside Marquis Shen. Gazing at the boundless army, he laughed. "King of Shen, you should have done this long ago. The Zhou People occupy the most fertile lands, yet they are utterly weak. There is no sense in that."

Marquis Shen felt some contempt, but he still smiled. "Since the Sage King's time, the states of All Xia have always believed in the Mandate of Heaven. The Son of Heaven of Zhou embodies that mandate. Now he has committed a wrong, and that is why I am leading an army to punish him."

In truth, without Crown Prince Yi in his hands, Marquis Shen would never have considered attacking Haojing.

After the successive crushing defeats late in King Xuan's reign, compounded by the reckless mismanagement of Ji Nie and the Lords of the Royal Domain over the years, the Fenghao Royal Domain's strength was indeed somewhat depleted.

But the collective strength of the states of All Xia was not depleted. Every one of those feudal states was a formidable opponent.

Once the Son of Heaven of Zhou lit the beacon fires and those lords came to his aid, Marquis Shen knew that even their combined forces would be no match.

His aim was to storm Haojing at once and kill the Son of Heaven of Zhou, Ji Nie, along with the current crown prince, Ji Fu. That would make Ji Yi the sole heir to the throne.

Then he would have leverage with which to negotiate with the feudal lords.

"Rong king, once we storm Haojing, you may plunder the treasuries as you please. But you must not kill the Zhou People, or those feudal lords will never let us off."

Marquis Shen spoke with a solemn expression. This was crucial. If they wreaked destruction throughout Haojing, the Lords of the Royal Domain would certainly refuse to side with him.

If they escaped with Ji Fu, there would be trouble later.

A shadow flickered in the Rong king's eyes before he laughed heartily. "Rest assured, King of Shen. The Rong People will always be your friends. Our friendship is more precious than gold."

The two men, each harboring his own sinister designs, spoke with considerable warmth.

A Shen-Rong Allied Army on such a scale could never escape the notice of the beacon towers along its route. Plumes of warning smoke rose into the sky above the Three Rivers Plain.

Within the Royal Domain, the sight of rising warning smoke and the news that Shen State had allied with the Rong People to invade caused an immediate uproar.

In the King's court, Ji Nie flew into a rage and viciously cursed Marquis Shen. "Marquis Shen is a baseborn traitor, nothing but weeds in a ditch.

"Shen Jiang slandered me, yet I did not kill her, precisely because Marquis Shen had rendered meritorious service in holding back the Dog Rong.

"Instead of repaying me with gratitude, he has joined those War bandits in invading. I will make certain he dies without a place to be buried."

Few loyal, upright ministers remained at court after these years. The worthy ministers of King Xuan's reign had passed away, and Ji Nie appointed only men who could amass wealth for him and flatter him.

These men excelled at fighting for power and profit, but faced with an invasion by the Shen-Rong Alliance, every one fell silent as a cicada in winter.

Although Luo Cheng had already sentenced Ji Nie to death in his heart, he could not simply do nothing and watch the Dog Rong army breach Haojing.

That would surely become a hell on earth.

He therefore stepped forward. "King, the Shen-Rong Allied Army is probably about to enter the Royal Domain. Our most urgent task is to resist the invasion of the Shen-Rong Allied Army. How Marquis Shen should be dealt with can wait until afterward."

Although Ji Nie disliked ministers such as Luo Cheng who would not obey his every wish, he knew perfectly well that successive Marquises of Luo had been loyal to the Zhou State.

In a crisis like this, he still needed to hear the Marquis of Luo's advice.

"Does the Marquis of Luo have a sound plan to make the Shen-Rong Alliance withdraw? In years past, Duke Wen of Luo persuaded Xiong Dun's army to retreat single-handedly. Might you possess the same ability?"

"What an extraordinary man my ancestor was. How could I compare with him?

"I would like to ask the Duke of Guo how many troops can be mustered within the Royal Domain besides the Son of Heaven's Six Armies.

I would also like to ask the Dukes and Ministers and nobles how many sons of your houses are in your fiefs, and how many can be brought into Haojing City in time.

"Does the Son of Heaven have a suitable commander in mind? If not, let me command the troops."

The talents of successive heads of the Luo Clan had lain in Statecraft, Political Maneuvering, and Personnel Management—the skills most important to a ruler.

They had little involvement in military affairs. Among Luo Cheng's brothers, however, there was one with considerable military talent, but he had remained in Luo State to guard against the eastern Fang States.

Luo Cheng had originally planned to transfer him over once he gained control of the Royal Domain and was preparing to campaign against the Dog Rong.

He had never expected Ji Nie to cause such a disaster and completely disrupt his plans.

Now he could only see whether the Royal Domain had a commander skilled in campaigning and battle.

Luo Cheng's allies were mostly feudal lords or Dukes and Ministers who had been entrenched in the Royal Domain for years. They were all masters of politics, but in warfare, merely matching Luo Cheng would count as good enough.

After all, with his stats of 80 in command, 74 in martial prowess, and 78 in military strategy, Luo Cheng might not qualify as a supreme commander, but serving as an ordinary general would pose no problem.

Luo Cheng's barrage of questions left Guo Shifu stunned.

Seeing Guo Shifu standing in a daze, Luo Cheng frowned. "Duke of Guo, you are one of the Three Dukes and the head of the Heavenly Office. Do you not even know these things?"

Guo Shifu immediately sprang forward. "Mind your words, Marquis of Luo. How could I not know?

"The Son of Heaven's Six Armies have only recently been rebuilt. They should currently number around thirty thousand. As for how many more combat-ready troops can be raised in the Royal Domain, you must ask the ministers."

Thirty thousand?

"Why are there only thirty thousand?"

Before Luo Cheng could speak, Ji Nie had already jumped up. "Do the Son of Heaven's Six Armies not number seventy-five thousand?"

Guo Shifu bowed down in terror. "Your Majesty, King Xuan suffered several successive crushing defeats in his later years. Combined with the frequent natural disasters of recent years, they emptied the Royal Domain's treasuries.

"The number of vassals serving you is also severely insufficient. The vacancies in the Six Armies have only been filled little by little over these years."

A cold gleam flashed through Luo Cheng's eyes. Guo Shifu truly had the gall to say such things.

Most of the Zhou People who served the Son of Heaven directly were vassals with extremely small fiefs or citizens whose households possessed some assets. After the successive crushing defeats late in King Xuan's reign, many had gone bankrupt.

The lords within the Royal Domain had bought up the fiefs of the Son of Heaven's vassals and absorbed the citizens into their own states, leaving fewer and fewer fiefs directly under the Son of Heaven.

Guo Shifu was among the foremost offenders.

Ji Nie naturally knew none of this. Guo Shifu had been squeezing money out for him all these years, and his own life had not been affected in the slightest. Naturally, he had no idea how much anger those Zhou People at the bottom had accumulated toward their Son of Heaven.

At this thought, Luo Cheng no longer intended to waste words. He immediately asked, "King, matters have come to this. Thirty thousand fighting men it is.

"We must now select a commander to hold Haojing City with these troops and wait for the armies coming to the king's aid.

"I have already requested troops from the various Ji-Surname Feudal Lords in my capacity as Grand Clan Head. They should arrive somewhat sooner.

"As long as we can hold Haojing City, there is still time to put everything right."

"Yes. The feudal lords of the realm will come to my aid. As long as we hold Haojing, the Shen-Rong Alliance will naturally retreat."

Ji Nie knew absolutely nothing about warfare, so he told Guo Shifu, whom he trusted most, "We do not know the strength of the Shen-Rong Alliance rebels. Sorry for the trouble, Duke of Guo, but go and test the edge of their blades."

Luo Cheng frowned slightly. In truth, he did not know how capable Guo Shifu was at commanding troops either.

In terms of character and Statecraft, Guo Shifu clearly fell short.

But character had no bearing on ability, and competence in civil administration had no bearing on military skill.

Since Ji Nie was entrusting command to Guo Shifu, presumably he possessed some exceptional qualities.

Yet Guo Shifu had left such a poor impression on him that he could not feel at ease. He asked, "Duke of Guo, do you understand warfare?"

Guo Shifu was indeed not entirely without merit. His father, Duke Wu of Guo, had been an outstanding commander who ranked first among the ministers of King Xuan's reign.

Guo Shifu had trained in martial arts since childhood and was tall and powerfully built. Whether charging in a chariot or dismounting to fight on foot, he ranked among the best of the Royal Domain's Dukes and Ministers and nobles.

He therefore had great confidence in himself.

Luo Cheng had looked down on him from the moment he arrived in Haojing City, which had infuriated him. But intimidated by the Luo Clan's prestige, he had not dared do anything.

Now, at last, he had an opportunity to display his abilities to the fullest. Brimming with confidence, he said, "King may rest assured. I possess valor that ten thousand men cannot withstand, and you are Heaven's own son. Defeating the armies of Shen State and the Rong People will be as easy as turning over a hand."

Guo Shifu's display only deepened Luo Cheng's concern. Did he really think he was Xiong Dun?

This chapter is 4,600 characters long. It's only because the book is still in its new-release period that I can't post more. Otherwise, I would definitely combine this chapter with the next to make a complete story.

I hate cutting chapters off most of all. When will the book go premium? Then I can write each chapter as long as I want. I'll try some ten-thousand-character chapters too, and really give the story room to unfold.