"Those other twenty or thirty so-called small kingdoms are mostly empty shells propped up by former royal clans, city-state merchant guilds, and oasis tribes."
Tie Zhongtang tapped the edge of the Dark Iron Sand Table, his voice steady.
"Since their old Alliance Pact with Great Jin still stands, the Immortal Dynasty's documents retain their names. In reality, though, they have long existed in name only. If you still treat them as thirty-six kingdoms to divide and win over, you will have gone wrong at the very first step and only made yourself a laughingstock."
Qing Chen gazed at the terrain of the Western Regions, its light and shadow interlacing across the Sand Table, and a dark gleam flashed in his eyes.
"So these seven kingdoms are the only ones left with any real say in the Western Regions."
"Precisely. Seven kingdoms." Tie Zhongtang nodded, his finger first settling on an illuminated area east of the center of the Western Regions.
It was the closest to Great Jin's Northwestern Circuit. Trade routes spread through it like a spiderweb, and phantoms of hundreds upon hundreds of Buddhist temples stood among the oases, faint spiritual light rising from their incense offerings.
"This is the Qiuci Kingdom."
"Of the seven kingdoms, the Qiuci Kingdom is closest to the Northwestern Circuit. It is extremely wealthy and has the most Buddhist temples. On the surface, it is also the kingdom closest to Great Jin. Successive Kings of Qiuci have all declared themselves subjects of Great Jin, submitting an unbroken stream of tribute memorials. Caravans travel back and forth extremely frequently, and members of the royal clan even spend years studying in the Northwestern Circuit and the various prefectures of the Capital Region."
Yet there was not the slightest ease in Tie Zhongtang's tone as he reached