Does Chen Qing have this kind of influence?
To be honest, even the eldest princess was stunned. The Duke of Wei was able to openly rebel against the court, commanding 500,000 blood-related soldiers in the north, possessing cities and the largest horse farm, with a strong and well-equipped army. He was someone who forced the court to cooperate with the ancient northern Ancient Desolation Kingdom.
When did Chen Qing get in touch with the other party?
The princess frowned, suddenly recalling that Chen Qing had once negotiated with her, demanding that she control the grain route from the West Sea. It was said that some merchants had gone north to do business along that route; could it be that they were using that route to contact the Duke of Wei?
But on what basis?
What can he offer the Duke of Wei?
"Could it be grain?" Fifth Master Shen frowned.
The eldest princess was taken aback again upon hearing this. "He still has grain?"
The reason I am able to fight on equal footing with Shen Laoda in the West Sea and occupy six cities in the West Sea is not only because my own troops are elite enough, but also because of the continuous food supply from Chen Qing, which allows me to fight against the West Sea without any worries!
The provisions provided by Chen Qing were not only plentiful but also of high quality. The appetites of those evolved zombies were far greater than those of the living people who were once bloodline descendants. However, about half a pound of Chen Qing's rice was enough to feed a zombie of level four or five. According to Fifth Master Shen, there should be a secret treasure land in Jiangnan that can improve the yield and quality of food.
She hadn't expected that Chen Qing, while providing her with a considerable amount of food, could also supply it to other parts of the north.
She had witnessed Chen Qing's military strength firsthand; he commanded at least several hundred thousand high-quality troops, whose food consumption was terrifying. She had originally thought that providing her with such a large share would be his limit, but she hadn't expected that she had been too conservative; the enemy still had food!
Thinking of this, a glint of greed flashed in the princess's eyes. What Chen Qing held in his hands was probably enough to sustain a million bloodline members. Just based on this, it was the foundation of King. She had to find a way to get it!
"Is that why the Duke of Wei personally led his men to Jiangnan?" The eldest princess still found it somewhat unbelievable. The Duke of Wei was the leader of the Northern Allied Forces, a formidable figure who almost stormed the capital half a year ago. Now, his fame spread throughout the world, and even she, trapped in Jiangnan, had heard of him.
If such a person is only concerned with food supplies cooperation, there's no need for him to come in person; sending a representative would suffice.
Not to mention now they've come to my turf and invited me to go to Chen Qing's place together—what an honor!
Thinking of this, the Eldest Princess looked at Fifth Master Shen: "Our information network is quite congested here. We can only rely on your insects to gather information in the capital, which is very slow. I suspect that since Chen Qing can get the Duke of Wei to help, it's very likely that Yuchi Peng has already been defeated!"
Fifth Master Shen was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at the Princess: "So fast?"
"Only in this way is it possible!" The eldest princess sneered as she stood up, "These days, the fog is getting thinner and thinner, and the actions of that person in the West Sea are starting to change from their usual unwavering expansion. They've begun to shrink their power. If I'm not mistaken, that place should be opening soon, right?"
Fifth Master Shen nodded. "It should be. The Ancestral Worm collected many secret texts and captured many top astrologers from back then, barely managing to calculate the location of the Dragon Palace. At that time, it was only one step away from opening the Dragon Palace, but who knew it would be outmaneuvered by that group of reclusive array masters."
"The power of the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley is about to dissipate. As long as the location of the Dragon Palace remains unchanged, the Dragon Palace will be rebuilt when the mist dissipates!"
"That's right." The eldest princess gazed outside and said quietly, "If I'm not mistaken, Chen Qing has information about the Dragon Palace, and he also has plans for the Origin Ancient Dragon Palace!"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Fifth Master Shen's eyes. This was the only thing he did not intend to share with any other force.
"So, why did Chen Qing summon us here this time?"
"An alliance!" the princess sneered. "No way he'd be even more audacious; he might even want to oversee the opening of the Dragon Palace!"
Fifth Master Shen: "."
"Please invite the Duke of Wei to the city for a chat. I want to see just how big that brat's ambitions really are!"
--
"Father, are we really going to go to the island?"
On the sea, on the deck of a castle-like three-masted ship, Wang Shiyu, the eldest son of the Duke of Wei, frowned as he looked at the island.
Black mist soared into the sky above the island, shrouding the entire island in the bright sunlight. A fierce and malevolent aura could be felt from more than ten miles away, clearly indicating that the former West Sea had become a haunted city!
"Nonsense, it's only right to do things for money, isn't it?" Duke of Wei rolled his eyes at his son, then looked at the large ship behind him. "Tsk tsk, what a fine ship! It hasn't had a single bump on the way here. It's definitely different from those cheap ships made in the East Sea!"
Wang Shiyu: "."
Although my father lived in the north for many years, he always dreamed of becoming the king of an island nation, so he had no resistance to such a fine ship sent by Chen Qing.
This is practically the best gift Chen Qing has sent this year, aside from grain!
"I already told His Majesty," the Duke of Wei said, glancing at the island. " Xiao Mingyue is not a docile person, but His Majesty ultimately softened his heart out because of the bond between siblings."
Wang Shiyu curled his lip upon hearing this. "Is our Emperor soft-hearted?"
He had rarely seen anyone as ruthless as his own emperor. Who was Liu Yu? It could be said that the stability of Great Jin's territory came from Liu Yu. His Majesty killed him without hesitation. If even that was considered soft-hearted, then there would be no ruthless people in the world.
He didn't understand why his father was so loyal to the Xiao Household!
"Three hundred thousand Golden Dragon Guard!" The Duke of Wei sighed, looking at the soaring black mist. "They are truly ruthless."
"Ruthlessness is a family ancestral skill of the Xiao Household," Wang Shiyu couldn't help but mutter. Seeing his father about to glare and explode in anger, he quickly changed the subject. "What exactly is Chen Qing trying to do?"
"He wants to be the host," the Duke of Wei chuckled. "He invited us to invite the Princess to demonstrate his influence, while he himself went to invite that one from the West Sea!"
Wang Shiyu: "."
The one from the West Sea.
The North's current priority is to defend against that monster in the West Sea. The fog in the West Sea is thinning, and the monster can travel down the waterways of Jiangnan. The North is already facing a difficult situation with the combined forces of the Imperial Court and the Kingdom of Ancient Desolation. If that monster gets involved, they really won't be able to hold on.
So long ago, they had been inquiring about the situation in the West Sea. Intelligence indicated that it was an extremely terrifying demon that had wiped out all the people and livestock of the seventy-two island nations that sailed along the West Sea route. It was a ferocious being that had never appeared in the previous dynasty!
Chen Qing actually went to invite this guy over?
Putting everything else aside, the prefect of Liuzhou certainly had a lot of guts.
"The imperial court, the eldest princess, that monster from the West Sea, and us—that brat wants to hold a Spring and Autumn Alliance, make decisions for himself, and force us to cease hostilities!"
"What a big face!" The second son of the Duke of Wei couldn't help but exclaim from behind.
"Shut up!" Wang Shiyu glared at his spoiled younger brother before turning to his father. "Don't underestimate Chen Qing. He forced the Princess to retreat from Jiangnan, provided us with so much grain, and built such a large ship. His power now is probably extraordinary!"
Duke of Wei nodded. He had previously thought that the country capable of supplying so much grain and building such large ships was a powerful maritime nation, but he never expected it to be that minor prefect from Jiangnan who had seized power amidst the chaos.
He simply couldn't understand how a mere prefect, with a power he'd never heard of before, could build such a large force in Jiangnan in just one year.
Such abundant provisions and the craftsmanship of these ships could not have been produced by a single family or clan. He even suspected that Chen Qing was a member of the royal family of a powerful overseas nation, taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to fish in troubled waters!
However, we'll only know the specifics once we arrive in Liuzhou.
"That's exactly right," the second son of the Duke of Wei retorted, "Just a mere prefect of Liuzhou."
"The mere prefect of Liuzhou you speak of defeated the imperial army in just one day, capturing 50,000 men and even taking Yuchi Peng prisoner!"
"Tch, didn't we still defeat the imperial army?" the underling retorted, still unconvinced. "We fought against the imperial elite, and what did Chen Qing fight against? Those greenhorns!"
"You're just a greenhorn yourself." The Duke of Wei slapped his youngest son on the head. "Do you think you're a general just because you've fought a few battles? The court may have sent greenhorns, but they're still legitimate bloodlines, and Yuchi Peng is leading the troops. Even if I, your old man, led my personal guards to meet the enemy, I wouldn't dare say I could capture them all!"
Wang Shiyu nodded. Killing and capturing alive are two different things. What level is Yuchi Peng at? Everyone in their generation knows. He himself couldn't even last ten rounds against Yuchi Peng. In terms of individual combat strength, even his own father would have a hard time against that monster.
capture?
This at least proves that Chen Qing has powerful figures under his command, similar to the Duke of Qin and the Eldest Princess. Based on this alone, they should not be underestimated!
"But what is his purpose?" Wang Shiyu asked, puzzled. "To make us cease hostilities? Putting aside whether he has the ability, the key question is, what benefit would he gain from doing so?"
"It must be about the ancient events in Jiangnan." The Duke of Wei's eyes were filled with reminiscence. "I remember when the King of Qin was still alive, when the Outer Heaven Demon Statue descended, it was he who single-handedly suppressed the forces of dozens of feudal lords, organized us, and together we sealed away that ancient event. I never expected that after so many years, another young man like him would do something so arrogant."
Wang Shiyu: "He also wants to organize us and seal away the ancient times?"
"He doesn't have that kind of prestige," the Duke of Wei shook his head. "This time, it's likely he's using a bribe as bait."
He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "We'll find out the specifics when we get to Jiangnan. If he dares to invite all four of us to Jiangnan, he has to demonstrate sufficient strength and sincerity. If any one of us fails to do so, well, that's playing with fire and getting burned. Don't blame me for being impolite then."
"In the end, you're still after their ship."
"How dare you speak like that?" the Duke of Wei roared. "What about the grain?"
Wang Shiyu: "."
"Let's go ashore, it'll be perfect for a showdown. This Duke of Qin's ship!"
"Yes!!"