The Wu Kingdom Sends Out Its Troops
After returning to Hundred Stars Village, Ye Fan looked inward at his own body. The Water Spirit Art's cultivation method flowed out of his dantian, traveled through the meridians of his entire body, and finally returned to his dantian. With each circulation, the Spiritual Qi grew a little more abundant.
"This cultivation method is pretty good, paired with my inner world! My body is getting more and more like a fierce beast's!"
In the Wu Kingdom's imperial palace, the Martial Emperor sat upright on his dragon throne. His bearing was imposing, his features dignified. His eyes shone like cold stars, his swordlike brows were thick with killing intent, and his broad chest held the courage to stand against ten thousand men. Though he sat without a word or movement, the presence of a sovereign swept through the court.
"My ministers, I have now obtained the True Dragon Power of three cities in the Qian Kingdom. These three cities are as if in the palm of my hand. If we seize them, the Qian Emperor will surely not let the matter rest. When war breaks out again, who can defend the cities?"
"Your Majesty, two of these three cities are stepping stones for our kingdom's invasion of the Qian Kingdom. Martial Spirit City and Qixia City are of the utmost importance. This old minister believes that the court's veteran generals Yan Fengxiao and Guo Youshan should be dispatched to them respectively."
"Your Majesty, Chancellor Cao is absolutely right. The people of these two cities are prosperous, and their farmland is fertile. If we take them, they will aid Your Majesty's plans to swallow up the Qian Kingdom. As for Sunset City, it borders the Endless Mountains. Taking it would allow us to bring half the territory of the Endless Mountains into the Wu Kingdom's domain. The Endless Mountains are a treasure trove!"
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal."
All the ministers cupped their hands and bowed, calling out that they seconded the proposal.
The Martial Emperor swept his gaze over the ministers. Chancellor Cao's words matched his own thoughts exactly. The Wu Kingdom was founded on martial might. Since they had acted, they would see it through and crush their opponent completely.
"Generals Yan Fengxiao and Guo Youshan, where are you?"
"Here, Your Majesty!"
"I order the two of you to each lead 200,000 troops as the vanguard to seize Wuling City and Qixia City. Hold the cities and await reinforcements. There must be no mistakes!"
"We accept your orders."
"Where is General Chen Haoran?"
"Here, Your Majesty!"
"I order you to lead 150,000 troops to seize Sunset City. Hold it and await reinforcements! High Minister Sima Heru will accompany you."
"I accept your orders."
"I accept your orders."
The Martial Emperor's orders were as immovable as mountains. The various departments began mustering troops, appointing generals, and raising horses, funds, and provisions.
The Qian Kingdom's capital!
"The scoundrels of the Wu Kingdom have stolen the True Dragon Power of three of my cities. If I do not avenge this, I will have failed the people of the realm."
"My ministers, do you have any good plans?"
"Your Majesty, the Wu Kingdom has openly seized the True Dragon Power of three cities on our border. This is a declaration of war against our Qian Kingdom before the whole world! And the Wu Kingdom's aim is certainly not so simple as taking the True Dragon Power. This old minister believes capable generals should be sent with elite troops to those three cities at once, to prevent greater losses."
"Duke Liu is right. Your Majesty, we should send elite troops to their aid at once. At the same time, we should send a surprise force to take the Wu Kingdom's Shang City and seize its True Dragon Power. Let the world see that our Qian Kingdom does not fear the Wu Kingdom."
"Your Majesty, please send out the troops and display our kingdom's might!"
The ministers were indignant. The Qian Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom had fought wars large and small for over a hundred years. Countless soldiers had been killed or wounded, and vast resources expended. The Wu Kingdom was founded on martial might, while the Qian Kingdom was a long-established power. The two kingdoms had traded blows, neither gaining much of an advantage. Now, the old Qian Emperor had passed away and the new emperor had only just taken the throne. The Martial Emperor, taking advantage of the new emperor's inexperience, had already harassed the Qian Kingdom's border twice. How could they tolerate it?
The Qian Emperor looked at the indignant officials, the corners of his mouth rising ever so slightly, imperceptibly. These were the officials he wanted. The old emperor had passed away, and the new emperor had hastily ascended the throne amid peril. To reach this point, he had walked across mountains of corpses and seas of blood. To stand above all others, holding the power of life and death, was enough to make every prince take the gamble. But in the end, he had won and taken the sovereign's seat.
The Wu Kingdom's repeated offenses had given him an opportunity for sovereign and ministers to unite as one. The new emperor had long been rubbing his hands, eager to accomplish something great-something that would shake the world!
"Do not worry, my ministers. Send out the troops? Of course we will! The Wu Kingdom has taken advantage of the turmoil in my Qian Kingdom and challenged me time and again. Do they truly think there is no one left in the Qian Kingdom? This time, we will not only slay the enemies who trespass against our kingdom, but strike the Wu Kingdom hard enough to hurt. We will make that Martial Emperor understand that the Qian Kingdom cannot be bullied at will. There is a price to pay!"
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Qian Kingdom!"
The court session began at daybreak and did not end until noon!
"By the grace of Heaven, the emperor decrees: Since I inherited the throne, the Wu Kingdom has repeatedly violated the borders of my Qian Kingdom, slaughtered my people, and plundered my funds and provisions. The frontier is in turmoil, and the people are unable to make a living. Now they have even seized the True Dragon Power of three of my fortress cities. To safeguard the realm of our ancestors, from this day forth, troops shall be sent to wage war on Wu..."
Orders passed through the Meridian Gate one after another, while ranks of armored cavalry rode off in clouds of dust. Under the Qian Emperor's leadership, the Qian Kingdom sprang into action, deploying troops and generals straight toward the border!
Meanwhile, the old village chief and his party had finally reached the Endless Mountains.
"We're finally here. We've been away from the village for over a month, but thankfully, we've finally settled the matter of relocating the village. Come on, let's hurry into the village and tell everyone the good news!"