Chapter 663
Chapter 663
Even after being captured, Ying Luo was remarkably composed and had not been mistreated in any way. Standing before a mirror, she was still as mature and beautiful as ever. When Prince Gong entered the room, her lovely body flinched, but she didn't know what to say to him.
"Do you wish to return home?"
When Prince Gong asked, Ying Luo gave no answer. She didn't know whether she should return to her home in the capital or not. After such a catastrophic defeat in the Southern Ou Kingdom, what face did she have to return to her homeland?
"What do you want?"
Ying Luo asked him.
"What I want, I can obtain myself, without going through you. My offer to send you back comes with no conditions."
"What is it you truly want?"
"The five commanderies of the south. I have already dispatched an envoy to seek an audience with the King of Yue and have made my intentions clear."
Ying Luo narrowed her eyes.
'Only five commanderies? Right now, the entire Tiannan Province of the State of Yue is empty. You could seize any territory you desire at any time, yet you only want five commanderies?'
"Whenever you wish to return, just let me know."
With that, Prince Gong left her room, and Ying Luo was stunned by his actions.
'He's not going to ravish me?'
In their youth, they had desired each other immensely. Even after nearly a decade of marriage, they had been an exceptionally devoted couple until they came to the Southern Ou Kingdom. But now… Ying Luo's heart was so restless and empty it felt on the verge of exploding. She had an overwhelming urge to have a wild affair with Prince Gong, but he showed no interest in reciprocating.
* * *
"Your Highness, there is something I do not understand."
Prince Gong replied to Su Nan's question.
"You think I am asking for too little?"
"Yes."
In Su Nan's view, now was the perfect time to carve up the State of Yue. If the three states of Wu, Chu, and Southern Ou besieged it, they could destroy Yue within a year. As the greatest victor of the war, Prince Gong could claim all of Tiannan Province, Chu could take Tianxi Province, and Wu could have Tianbei Province. As for Tianyue City, they could simply prop up a powerless member of the Yue royal family to rule over a puppet state.
"A country is not better for being larger. The Southern Ou Kingdom is already large enough. If we were to annex the entire Tiannan Province, the new population would exceed six or seven million, surpassing that of our own kingdom. If the two groups were to clash in the future, how would we resolve it?"
Su Nan fell silent. No one knew the exact population of the Saman tribes in the entire Southern Ou Kingdom, as many lived deep in the mountains, jungles, and caves. According to the kingdom's official statistics, the registered population was approximately three million. Yet the territory of the Southern Ou Kingdom was far larger than that of the State of Yue at its peak; it was a vast land with a small population. If they were to swallow Tiannan Province in one go, the population would instantly increase by six million. In that case, should the Southern Ou Kingdom be centered around the people of Yue, or the Saman tribes?
"That is simple. We can divide them into classes: the Saman tribes as the first class, people from the Western Regions as the second, and the people of Yue as the third. A minority ruling over the majority would create clear social strata."
This was the method Su Nan had previously employed in Tiannan Province, similar to the systems of the Yuan and Qing dynasties. Prince Gong shook his head and said.
"That is tantamount to castrating oneself, severing any hope an individual has for advancement within the state. If there were no other nations around, that method might work. But the neighboring states of Chu and Wu are of the same race as Yue. If we treat the people of Yue as the lowest class and rule over them, will they not rebel and flee to other countries?"
Su Nan's face turned red.
"This old servant was short-sighted and is ashamed."
In the past, Su Nan had rebelled to establish his own rule and unite the Su and Jiang clans. To that end, he had brought in a large number of merchants and warriors from the Western Regions, achieving remarkable results. However, his focus on immediate success and profit led to him being picked apart by Shen Lang, and his power base crumbled.
"The people of Yue lack vigor. Their scholar-officials have trampled them so fiercely that they reek of decay. Our Saman tribes are exceedingly savage, lacking in civilization and development. We can fight, but we are not equipped to develop the nation's strength. Therefore, we must devise a way to embrace both groups and take only their strengths."
"That is too difficult."
"Indeed. It is an exceedingly difficult task. More difficult than ascending to the heavens, but if we succeed, we will have achieved a feat of hegemony that will be remembered for all time!"
Yet, even after hearing Prince Gong's words, Su Nan still felt it was a pity. What monarch in this world would complain that their territory was too large?
"If we, along with Wu and Chu, were to dismantle the State of Yue, what would happen next?"
"The State of Yue would be destroyed, and only three nations would remain in the south: Wu, Chu, and the Southern Ou Kingdom."
"At that time, which nation do you think would be the strongest, and which the weakest?"
"In terms of national power, Chu would be the strongest, and our Southern Ou Kingdom the weakest. But in that scenario, we could ally with Wu to check the strongest power, Chu."
"On the surface, it might seem so. But Chu would face no obstacle in swallowing Tianxi Province once the Zhong clan is eliminated. Wu would also face no hindrance in absorbing Tianbei Province once the Bian clan is gone. This is because they are of the same race. But do you think we would face no obstacles if we were to swallow all of Tiannan Province?"
Of course, the obstacles would be immense. The Southern Ou Kingdom was currently branded as a nation of barbarians.
"In that case, we would be like a great serpent that has swallowed a sheep whole, unable to digest it and unable to move. Do you harbor any hope that Wu and Chu would take pity on us and wait for us to slowly digest our meal?"
That was an impossibility. The two states of Wu and Chu would undoubtedly dispatch their armies to drive the forces of the Saman tribes out of Tiannan Province, and then divide it between themselves. Prince Gong smiled and said.
"Therefore, one who becomes a monarch must be greedy, but must also know how to control that greed. It is hard to starve to death, but trying to eat until you burst will kill you much faster."
Prince Gong's words were an aphorism in the modern business world. Countless domineering corporations in the business world did not starve to death but were ruined by their greed for more. They would expand their stores on a massive scale but be unable to manage the growth, leading to accumulating inventory, a halt in cash flow, and eventual bankruptcy. A wise man always emphasized that one should not accumulate large amounts of inventory and that it is better to go hungry than to be greedy to the point of bursting.
"Besides, the most important task we have is to set the Southern Ou Kingdom on the path of a normal nation. I cannot allow the people who follow me to continue living in caves with their buttocks exposed, can I?"
Su Nan bowed low and said.
"This old servant is truly ashamed!"
"So, for now, the State of Yue must not be destroyed. It is most advantageous for us to let the two states of Yue and Chu fight until they are both exhausted and suffer losses."
"Yes!"
"Privy Council, prepare to dispatch troops to attack the Tiannan Provincial Capital."
"Since we have offered such generous terms, will the State of Yue not readily accept?"
"The decision will depend on that man, I suppose!"
* * *
Inside the grand hall of the State of Yue, everyone was so stunned by Shen Lang that a dead silence fell. In the past, countless people would have already rushed forward to tear into him, accusing him of shameless boasting, empty bragging, and bringing harm to the nation and its people. But now, the civil and military officials of Yue had lost a great deal of face, and no one dared to speak rashly. In fact, Shen Lang's strategy in the war against Prince Gong had been proven correct. Moreover, he had created many miracles before, so at this moment, they couldn't bring themselves to attack him. After a long while, Zhu Hongzhu spoke.
"Shen Lang, how large is the army at your disposal? How many troops will you take with you?"
"Ten thousand!"
Upon hearing this, the hall erupted in an even greater clamor.
'Ten thousand? Are you joking? We fought a war with a main force of two hundred and fifty thousand, and the entire army was annihilated. Prince Gong's army of over thirty thousand treated our two hundred thousand like children, knocking them down and beating them. Shen Lang, we know your two-thousand-strong Nirvana Army is formidable. But it's still only two thousand, is it not? More importantly, your Nirvana Army's Mace and Blade Corps is suited for fighting on the plains, not in the south.'
"And I will not be taking the two thousand from the Nirvana Army."
Hearing this, everyone was even more dumbfounded.
'Shen Lang, are you truly insane? That two-thousand-strong Nirvana Army is the only elite force you possess, and you're not taking them?'
Shen Lang was certain he would not take the First Nirvana Army. In the coming fight against Prince Gong's forces, there would be defensive sieges and mobile warfare, but no pitched battles. The speed and agility of the army were paramount. The First Nirvana Army might be invincible in a pitched battle, but their heavy armor and warblades weighed hundreds of pounds, making them unsuitable for advancing and fighting over thousands of miles. Besides, the First Nirvana Army was needed more urgently elsewhere.
Zhong E asked Shen Lang.
"Then, Shen Lang, what on earth will you use to face Prince Gong's army?"
"Five thousand from the Tianyue City Guard and five thousand of the Jin Clan's private soldiers."
The officials could not believe what they were hearing.
'Everyone knows the quality of the Tianyue City Guard. They are a rear-echelon army, not even a front-line force. And your Jin Clan's five thousand private soldiers are also a rear-echelon force, are they not? The combat strength of these two armies is inferior to the southern border army led by Zhu Lin. When a main force of over two hundred thousand was defeated, you claim you can hold off Prince Gong's hundred-thousand-strong army with a mere ten thousand troops and even achieve a complete victory? This is more absurd than a fool's sleep-talk!'
But Shen Lang had created so many miracles in the past that, although they scorned him in their hearts, they dared not voice it. This reaction, however, was not the fault of the civil and military officials in the hall. Shen Lang's words were simply too exaggerated and shocking.
'Prince Gong's army is so powerful. Shen Lang, if you take ten thousand troops, all from the rear echelon, to fight them, you wouldn't last as long as it takes Prince Gong to pick his teeth. Your entire army would be annihilated in less than half an hour. You say you'll fight Prince Gong and win? Is that even possible? It has already been proven that Prince Gong is devastatingly strong. Shen Lang, if anyone else had said what you just did, everyone would have suspected them of being insane.'
After a long pause, Royal Uncle Ning Ji finally spoke.
"Shen Lang, are you aware that the ceasefire terms offered by Prince Gong are not harsh at all?"
Shen Lang nodded.
"Then are you also aware of what it means to reject Prince Gong's proposal?"
As Royal Uncle Ning Ji said, rejecting Prince Gong's proposal meant that his hundred-thousand-strong army would invade the State of Yue, and the entire Tiannan Province, or even the entire southern part of Yue, would fall.