Azi Kingdom the Southern Wilderness of Az, the Hou Ye Houye had naturally received the plea for help two days prior, but he remained inactive!
This was the third time they had received a request for help via Fetion.
"Father, are we really going to drag this out like this?"
"Why not drag it out?" The old king, over sixty years old, smiled broadly. "My kingdom of the Azi Kingdom was founded late. Although the territory we occupy is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is also extremely difficult to expand beyond it. Since the founding of the kingdom, we have been confined to this Great Western Basin region. For many years, our territory has not expanded an inch. What do you think is the reason?"
Faced with the old king's test, the prince immediately replied, "The terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, so others cannot enter, and we also find it difficult to leave. In addition, our Azi Kingdom has barren land and a limited population. No matter how hard we try to govern, it is difficult to have a military force as strong as that of the Wutu Kingdom."
"That's right." The old king smiled and nodded. "National strength is the foundation of war. The stronger the soldiers, the more resources they need. The only medicinal herbs that our Azi Kingdom can offer have to pass through the borders of the Wutu Kingdom before they can be sold to the Central Plains. They go through at least two layers of exploitation, and by the time they reach us, there's hardly anything left. The resources we can exchange for are limited, which is why we've never been able to expand beyond our borders. We're good at maintaining the status quo but not good at making progress. This is a predicament that Azi Kingdom couldn't overcome hundreds of years ago."
"This situation would normally be very difficult to change; it's inherently flawed, and trying to compensate for it later in life is incredibly difficult. But this time, it's a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!"
"What does Father mean?" The prince swallowed hard.
" The Ghost and God Temple only requires human sacrifice and doesn't need much resource, unlike the evil gods in the Southern Wilderness. This allows our Azi Kingdom to catch up with the military strength of other countries in a short time. And the fact that the allied forces are stuck in the southeast is even more of a divine help to our Azi Kingdom!"
"Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?" The generals beside the prince all tensed upon hearing this. Did the king actually intend to use this opportunity to betray his allies?
"If not now, when?" The old emperor stood up, trembling. "Every country has its own Ghost and God Temple, so everyone has the same opportunity. Even if these things can strengthen soldiers without resources, it's only temporary. Soldiers blessed by gods and spirits will need resources to maintain their strength in the short term. We can close the gap in military strength for a while, but in the long run, the disadvantages of our Azi Kingdom will still become apparent. Once all the soldiers of other countries have improved, we will still be unable to leave the country."
"If we don't seize this opportunity to annex enough land, how will our Azi Kingdom ever recover?"
"But," the prince said cautiously, "Betraying the allied forces, not only failing to provide support when they attacked the Central Plains, but also taking the opportunity to annex territory—wouldn't that offend all six kingdoms? The consequences would be unimaginable if they were to settle accounts later!"
"Coward!" The old emperor glared at the other party fiercely. "So, according to you, we should just obediently follow behind and be dogs? Didn't you see how we were treated by the allied forces this time?"
The prince remained silent. The seven kingdoms had ventured out of the Central Plains to plunder resources, while their Azi Kingdom's reinforcements, lacking logistical support, were relegated to the rear, awaiting orders. Even if they truly conquered the Central Plains, how much of the spoils would Azi Kingdom actually receive?
"Now that the war is going badly, they've suddenly remembered us. Even if we go along with their wishes and send our hard-won military strength to support Tiannan Pass, what will we gain by suffering heavy casualties and successfully defending the pass?"
"This"
"You," the old emperor shook his head, "This Southern Wilderness is a place where the strong prey on the weak. Our land was easy to defend and difficult to attack before. But in the future, with more Ghost and God Temple and gods, the military strength of the entire Southern Wilderness will reach an unprecedented level. High-level warriors are less affected by the terrain, and we don't have any sorcerer families to build defensive barriers. In the long run, do you really think we can continue to live as we did before?"
"Your subject... Your subject..." The prince was unable to answer for a moment.
Many soldiers blessed by the Ghost and God Temple can rise to the Third Rank rank of martial artist in a very short time. Such people can leap ten zhang high, and ordinary terrain cannot hold them back.
Just as the Emperor said, given enough time, the only advantage that Azi Kingdom once had will vanish!
"But Your Majesty, if we take action now, we will incur the wrath of all six kingdoms. Even if we conquer a large amount of land, how will we face their counterattack in the future?" Several generals beside him frowned and asked.
"As long as we attack quickly enough!" the old emperor said with burning eyes. "Now that the Ghost and God Temple has been built, our main military force is concentrated on the blessed soldiers. You know how it is; blessings take time, it's not something that can be done overnight. Right now, none of the six kingdoms have that time. Their elite troops have suffered heavy casualties scattered throughout the southeast due to their excessive greed, and they are barely surviving at Tiannan Pass. If the six kingdoms had enough military strength, why would they have the audacity to ask us for help?"
"As long as we can occupy a large amount of land and passes in a short period of time, what is there to fear from their counterattack? Especially in the areas with many Ghost and God Temple, the temples there are already in place; we can take them to enhance our military strength. The more we occupy, the stronger we will become!"
Everyone was stunned for a long time upon hearing this, unable to refute it, yet still feeling it was extremely risky. Finally, the prince spoke up, "But Father, what if they become enraged and withdraw their troops directly from Tiannan Pass?"
The six-nation coalition suffered heavy losses, but the fact that they were able to hold Tiannan Pass meant that there should be quite a few soldiers left there. If they angered the six nations, they might actually abandon Tiannan Pass and turn their attention to them!
"This requires coordination from both inside and outside."
"Coordination from both inside and outside?"
"Come out, General Yuchi." The old king looked to the other side of the hall, and upon hearing the voice, a burly man in black armor slowly stepped out.
It was Yuchi Household other than Yuchi Feihu, the youngest son of Xiao Ming, who served under Chen Qing!
As one of the few bloodlines capable of high-altitude flight, they are the best candidates to travel to the Southern Wilderness for negotiations.
" Central Plains person?" The prince recognized the armor immediately upon seeing its style. He became wary and looked at his father with suspicion. When had his father become involved with the Central Plains?
"This general is a valiant warrior under the command of the King of Qin in Jiangnan, and a descendant of the Yuchi Household."
The prince of the Yuchi Household looked at the other party solemnly; that was a very famous family.
When the other generals in the hall saw this person appear, they all became highly vigilant, and several generals stared intently at him.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?" Beside the prince, a burly man dressed in a black military robe frowned and spoke. Yuchi Feihu looked over. The man's black robe was modeled after the style of the Central Plains dynasty in the Central Plains. He was First Rank military officer with the title of National Craftsman. He was clearly a military person of extremely high status.
The other party hadn't spoken until now, but became agitated the moment I appeared, clearly indicating that the Southern Wilderness was still quite resistant to cooperating with the Central Plains.
Yuchi Feihu remained silent, but the old emperor spoke first, " General Yuchi is here to cooperate."
"Does Your Majesty really intend to cooperate with the people of the Central Plains?" The general asked incredulously.
"What's wrong with that?" the old emperor chuckled. "Didn't the Wutu Kingdom cooperate with the emperor of the Central Plains to introduce the Ghost and God Temple and Gods? Now that the Wutu Kingdom has become the leader of the seven kingdoms, back then, when we didn't have the Ghost and God Temple and Gods, the Wutu prince fought fiercely and almost wiped out all our experts, leaving us with no one who has broken through to the First Rank martial artist level except for you. Isn't that a benefit we gained from cooperating with the Central Plains?"
The general was taken aback and hesitated for a moment. Back then, the second prince of the Wutu Kingdom suddenly rose to power and slaughtered everyone. He wiped out all the experts from other countries by himself. This is why Wutu Kingdom is now the leader of the seven kingdoms. Although everyone built the same temples, the difference between a top warrior being blessed by the temple and an ordinary soldier being blessed by the temple is huge. After being schemed against by the second prince of the Wutu Kingdom, all the other countries are now suffering from a shortage of talent, leaving Wutu Kingdom to take the lead.
If it weren't for the fact that the Second Prince arrogantly challenged the King of Qin of Jiangnan a few days ago and was killed in the arena, he probably would have returned now intending to annex the seven kingdoms.
It must be said that the reason why the Wutu Kingdom was able to gain such an advantage was indeed because it cooperated with the imperial court earlier than them.
After hesitating for a moment, the general looked at Yuchi Feihu and asked, "What did they promise His Majesty?"
Yuchi Feihu spoke directly, "As long as you cooperate, we are confident that we can annihilate the garrison at Tiannan Pass. At that time, before the new recruits of various countries arrive, your country will have the greatest advantage. Not to mention annexing the seven countries, it is possible to conquer the Great Western Basin, seize twenty or thirty cities, and double our territory. What do you think, General?"
"You brats!" the general sneered. "You dare to boast about annihilating the garrison at Tiannan Pass!"
I'll be working late into the night tomorrow and the day after; I'll try to finish up all the chapters I owe before the end of the month...