"The Zhennan Dynasty has always been restless, wanting to join forces with us to attack Great Liang. I'm afraid they'll ask us to send troops again."
" Nan Ke is almost sixty years old, how come he still has such a temper? Isn't he afraid of knocking out his teeth?"
" The Zhennan Dynasty has been frantically annexing surrounding small countries, and now that its national power has expanded again, its ambitions have inevitably grown as well."
"This time, they probably saw that the Great Liang forces hadn't returned from the sea yet, so they wanted to take advantage of the situation. This guy really knows how to find opportunities."
The ministers of the Frostwest Empire were in an uproar, pondering the purpose of the Zhennan Dynasty's visit, fearing that they were about to launch another attack on Great Liang.
This old king is really energetic; he doesn't seem to be getting old at all.
"Another joint military expedition against Great Liang?"
Upon hearing this Bill III's expression darkened, and he instinctively wanted to refuse to see the envoy.
Because he had absolutely no desire to fight Great Liang!
Whether he could win or not, he didn't want to fight. He also had two vicious wolves by his side, and he couldn't afford to waste Great Liang. The Great West Empire and the Black Skull Army had become increasingly arrogant lately.
Previously, he would have been wary of the Great Liang attacking the Frostwest Empire, so he took the initiative to unite with the Zhennan Dynasty to eliminate the threat.
But now Great Liang is clearly not interested in me, and they are frequently trading with me. This is obviously an attempt to make peace, so I have no reason to cause trouble for myself.
Besides, a rapidly expanding Zhennan Dynasty could threaten the Frostwest Empire in the future, and it's not exactly a good person to begin with.
He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Send someone to make arrangements for them. Tell them I'm busy with official duties and won't see them today. We can meet again when I have time."
Everyone nodded in agreement, offering little criticism of Bill III's decision.
Getting involved with the Zhennan Dynasty now is not a good thing. It might lead to them targeting the Great Liang, and then the excellent situation would completely collapse.
Now, as long as we stabilize Great Liang, we can leverage Great Liang's trade to revitalize the Frostwest Empire. This is an opportunity.
"Understood!"
The guard nodded and quickly went to report.
Watching his retreating figure, Bill III turned his gaze towards the Zhennan Dynasty and sneered, " The Great Liang poses a huge threat. How could a rapidly rising Zhennan Dynasty be a benevolent force? They clearly just want us to share the burden."
This guy is a local bully on the plateau, clearly even worse than the people of Great Liang. I have no reason to help him.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside.
"Your Majesty, you will surely regret it if you do not see us today."
"Do you know that the Great Liang has issued an ultimatum to my Zhennan? If we don't surrender, they will send a million-strong army to sweep through my Zhennan Dynasty."
"Without my Zhennan Dynasty, your Frostwest Empire would be nothing more than a piece of cake."
The envoys from the Zhennan Dynasty disregarded all etiquette and began shouting and yelling outside.
In fact, his actions had an effect; the contents of his words caused the expressions of everyone in the palace to change drastically. They were astonished.
The reason why the Great Liang did not attack the Frostwest Empire was because they went to attack the Zhennan Dynasty.
Bill III's pupils constricted, and he exclaimed, "A million-strong army sweeping across the Zhennan Dynasty? Didn't the Great Liang have 400,000 troops at sea? How come there's another million-strong army?"
Nearly 300,000 troops are stationed in the Western Regions, 400,000 at sea, and nearly 200,000 Northern Region Barbarians. Now, another million-strong army has emerged.
How many people live in Great Liang?
The other officials couldn't help but feel Great Liang was a complete war machine, with an endless army.
A hint of fear crept into their eyes; who could withstand an army of millions?
It's best not to provoke such beings.
Nishu stepped forward from the crowd, his face serious, and said, "Your Majesty, if the Great Liang really destroys the Zhennan Dynasty, it will likely be very disadvantageous for us!"
He had met Ma Chao and Ran Min, and the madmen in their eyes were definitely not the type to give up easily. His Frostwest Empire could hide for a while, but not forever.
Once the Great Liang Zhennan Dynasty, the Frostwest Empire will inevitably be the next target.
Bill III was in a real bind. He understood the principle, but the fact that the Great Liang could easily field an army of a million men made his scalp tingle and filled him with fear.
He was still somewhat hesitant to go against Great Liang just for a possibility.
Because once you take action, there's no turning back!
He glanced at his advisor, Derby, and frowned, asking, "Advisor, what do you think?" This was his personal advisor, a kind of strategist, who might have a solution.
"Your Majesty, I believe we can ignore Zhennan's plea for help!" Derby pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice.
How so?
Upon hearing this, Bill III was immediately excited. This was undoubtedly a proposal that suited his interests, and it piqued his interest.
You guys fight your battle, I can just lie here and do nothing.
After the battle, we'll suffer heavy losses, and then we'll be safe.
Derby said seriously, " The Zhennan Dynasty is also a wolf-like existence. In just one month, it has swallowed up more than a dozen small countries around it. Letting it get too big for its own Frostwest Empire is not a good thing."
Their military strength has expanded rapidly, now reaching nearly a million troops, which is enough to contend with the Great Liang.
In a clash between two entities with a combined strength of millions, one side will inevitably suffer a significant loss of power and will no longer be able to threaten my Frostwest Empire. So either way, we're the ones who benefit.
oh?
Everyone's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea—let them go on their shopping spree while they lived a peaceful life on the sidelines.
That makes a lot of sense!
A clash of a million-strong army would be no small matter; hundreds of thousands would die, at which point the Frostwest Empire would be completely safe.
Bill III immediately beamed and looked at the Minister of War, Aksu, saying with a smile, "Minister of War, do you have any insights to share?"
This is his own general; he should at least ask for his opinion.
Aksu did not answer immediately, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.
To put it bluntly, going to war would be most advantageous for him, as it would allow him to enhance his prestige as the Minister of War by utilizing multiple battlefields.
But then a problem arises: it would be awkward if they couldn't win.
The Frostwest Empire was already facing several crises. If it completely broke ties with Great Liang, it would be even more miserable, and he would probably be directly purged.
According to the usual practice in Great Liang, they would probably leave no one alive.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't we meet with this envoy from Zhennan and see how they make their choice before we make further plans?"
"Well, that's fine!" Bill III nodded; he had to give him face.
Soon the envoy from Zhennan arrived. Sensing the unfriendly gazes of the surrounding ministers, he braced himself and proposed a joint military expedition.
"Your Majesty, the Great Liang poses a significant threat. We must unite; it's a matter of mutual dependence," he pleaded.