Chapter 696
Chapter 696
In truth, the King of Wu in the north only gave up on marching his grand army south at the very last moment. For some time, this young King of Wu had been under unprecedented pressure—pressure from the Hidden Yuan Society and the Great Yan Dynasty. He did not wish to compromise, but as the State of Wu shared a border with the Great Yan Dynasty, he felt a pressure as if Mount Tai was bearing down on him. Of course, there was no Mount Tai in this world.
It was fortunate enough that His Majesty the Emperor had not expressed his stance. Had His Majesty expressed even an ambiguous stance, the King of Wu would have been truly unable to resist. Before the Great Yan Dynasty, the State of Wu was like a helpless child that could be easily crushed. However, the King of Wu was still unwilling to give up on the war, stalling for time without accepting any of the Third Prince Ning Qi's conditions.
He was waiting for Su Nan's grand army to capture the capital of Yue. Once that happened, the situation would spiral into complete catastrophe. Ning Yuanxian would commit suicide, and the court of Yue would be all but annihilated, causing the political landscape Ning Qi had painstakingly built to vanish like smoke. At that point, no one could stop the King of Wu from leading his troops south. With the State of Yue destroyed, there would be no room for negotiation, and he would not have to abide by any of the previously discussed terms. After all, if the State of Yue fell, Ning Qi would become worthless in the Emperor's eyes. However, he had never expected the Qiang army to suddenly withdraw its forces.
The situation had changed completely in an instant. Of the three nations that had agreed to besiege and attack the State of Yue, one pillar had pulled out, leaving only Wu and Chu. Of course, the King of Wu could still march his grand army south and attack Yue, but doing so would incur the wrath of the Great Yan Dynasty and the Hidden Yuan Society. But even though the King of Wu had temporarily halted his army's southern advance, he had not signed any formal agreement with Ning Qi. Nevertheless, there was nothing to stop Ning Qi from proclaiming victory. The mere fact that the King of Wu's grand army did not march south was, in effect, a victory.
Soon after, the Third Prince of Yue, Ning Qi, immediately changed his previously humble demeanor, ceased negotiations with the King of Wu, and left the State of Wu.
“Has Ning Qi left?”
The King of Wu was puzzled. Previously, Ning Qi had disappeared from the State of Wu for several days before reappearing. And when he reappeared, he was accompanied by an envoy from the Great Yan Dynasty and an imperial prince. The imperial prince had personally offered to mediate the conflict between Wu and Yue, which was why the King of Wu had been unable to bring himself to march his army south to attack Yue.
But even with the mediation of the Great Yan Dynasty's imperial prince, Ning Qi had maintained a humble attitude, calling him 'Royal Uncle' at every turn and constantly speaking of fostering friendship between Wu and Yue. Furthermore, he reported daily on the status of the Xue Clan's fleet and the progress of the people from the six commanderies of Tianbei Province migrating south. In other words, Ning Qi was trying to show the King of Wu that he was doing everything in his power to cede the six commanderies of Tianbei Province. But as soon as news arrived that the Qiang army had ceased its campaign, Ning Qi's attitude changed instantly. He wrote a farewell letter to the King of Wu and promptly left the State of Wu to return to Yue. Ning Qi's message was exceedingly clear.
‘Royal Uncle of Wu, if you still wish to march your grand army south to attack the State of Yue under these circumstances, then do as you please.’
“Argh!”
The enraged King of Wu slammed the ink stick in his hand, shattering it.
“What in the world happened? Why did the Qiang army withdraw for no reason? Did they reach a new agreement with Ning Qi? That can't be possible. If he had made a new deal with Ning Qi, wouldn't it have been to cede all or half of Tianbei Province?”
Wu Zhi said.
“Perhaps it is because of him again.”
The King of Wu sighed and said,
“Shen Lang, you mean? Is there anything that man cannot do? If I could, I would truly disregard everything, issue an edict immediately, and march my three hundred thousand troops south to occupy all of Tianbei Province.”
The King of Wu clenched the tiger tally in his hand. He felt a strong impulse to truly issue the edict and march his army south. Just then, the Crown Prince of Wu suddenly interjected.
“Father, are the promises Ning Qi made before still valid?”
Previously, Ning Qi had promised the King of Wu the six commanderies of Tianbei Province and that after the Xue Clan dispatched its fleet to capture Raging Tide City, the Leizhou Archipelago would be handed over to the State of Wu and the Hidden Yuan Society. So, would that promise still be valid now?
Privy Councilor Wu Zhi asked.
“Does Your Highness the Crown Prince believe it to be valid?”
The Crown Prince thought for a moment before replying.
“It seems we must wait and see the outcome of the war between the State of Yue and the King of Chu. If Yue loses, the promise will stand. If Yue wins, everything we discussed before will be invalid.”
Wu Zhi said.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise.”
“If Shen Lang was truly behind the Qiang army's withdrawal, then the biggest beneficiary of this affair is not Ning Zheng, but Ning Qi! Now Ning Qi will no longer see our State of Wu in the north as a threat and can focus all his efforts on dealing with the King of Chu. If the King of Chu is defeated, who can stop Ning Qi from ascending the throne? Does Shen Lang seem like such an unwise person?”
In response to the King of Wu's words, Wu Zhi replied,
“Let us wait and see. The State of Yue might just do something surprising.”
* * *
Great news came from the south, and good news came from the north. Instead of being overcome with frantic joy, the people of the Yue capital were rather unsure of what to believe.
‘Is this news real or fake? Before, it was nothing but bad news every day. Cities were falling one after another, and it felt like the country could collapse at any moment. But now, two great victory reports arrive at once? In the south, Prince Ning Zheng repelled the Qiang army of one hundred thousand, and in the north, Prince Ning Qi subdued the King of Wu, stopping his three hundred thousand troops from invading and even forcing them to retreat thirty li? Both princes have achieved unparalleled merits?’
In the past, the people would have been ecstatic, but now they were cautious. This was because they had been deceived by false victory reports twice before. The first was the report that Zhu Lin and Nangong Ao's grand army had defeated the main force of the Qiang army and defended the Southern Gull Kingdom. The second was the report that Crown Prince Ning Yi had completely crushed the main Qiang force, nearly annihilating the enemy. How overjoyed the people of the capital had been at the time? But later, they all lost face spectacularly. The situation reversed in an instant: the Yue army was annihilated, Zhu Lin was killed in battle, and the Crown Prince and Nangong Ao surrendered to the enemy, bringing the State of Yue to the brink of collapse.
And now, another astonishing victory report had arrived. Both Ning Qi and Ning Zheng have declared a great victory, so how are we supposed to believe you again?
However, as time passed, more and more accurate news began to spread. The Qiang army had truly signed a truce with the King of Yue and had withdrawn from the state without receiving a single city or commandery. And in the north, the King of Wu had pulled his three hundred thousand troops back by several dozen li. So, both victory reports were indeed true! At last, the people of the Yue capital cautiously allowed themselves to feel joy. The reason they were 'cautiously' joyful was that the State of Yue had not yet fully escaped the crisis of destruction. The King of Wu's army had only retreated a few dozen li; the hundreds of thousands of troops had not been disbanded and could march south at any moment.
But soon, the topic of conversation among the capital's citizens shifted from the victory reports to something else. Almost everyone was saying that Crown Prince Ning Yi was completely finished. So, who was more suitable to inherit the throne? Prince Ning Qi? Or Prince Ning Zheng? Both princes had achieved unparalleled merits this time, but who was slightly more outstanding?
“It must be Prince Ning Qi!”
“Probably Prince Ning Qi!”
“I think Prince Ning Zheng is good too.”
“Prince Ning Zheng is certainly good. At the moment of Yue's crisis, he led ten thousand guards south to hold off the Qiang army of one hundred thousand. That courage is truly remarkable. But I still think Prince Ning Qi is more outstanding.”
“There must be a reason we don't know about behind this war. Prince Ning Zheng couldn't have defeated the Qiang army with just ten thousand guards. But he is still amazing!”
This was the opinion of most people in the State of Yue. It couldn't be helped. Ning Zheng's power base was too weak. He had only risen to prominence less than two years ago, while Ning Qi had long held a status equal to the Crown Prince. Everyone instinctively felt it was only natural for the Third Prince, Ning Qi, to become the Crown Prince and inherit the throne in place of the finished Ning Yi. Ning Zheng had now secured a place in the hearts of the Yue people, but it was still far smaller than Ning Qi's.
* * *
Compared to the common folk, the officials of the Yue court could see the nation's situation much more clearly. They knew the situation had already entered a new phase, and what would follow was not just a war between Chu and Yue, but also a struggle for succession between the Third Prince Ning Qi and Ning Zheng. It would undoubtedly be a fight to the finish for one of them. If Ning Qi won, Ning Zheng would surely die, and the Jin Clan would be destroyed. If Ning Zheng won, not only the Zhong and Xue Clans, but Ning Qi himself would be finished. And the focus of their succession struggle rested squarely on the war with the State of Chu.
Xue Xue said.
“That damned Qiang King! He could have signed a truce with us, so why did he sign one with Shen Lang and Ning Zheng? What on earth happened?”
Everyone fell silent. What was the point of discussing that now?
“The key now is the war with Chu. If Prince Ning Qi defeats the King of Chu's three hundred thousand troops, he will have achieved a truly unparalleled merit! Public sentiment is like a scale. This time, Prince Ning Qi stopped the King of Wu's invasion, and Ning Zheng repelled the Qiang army of one hundred thousand. Both declared victory, but the people must suspect in their hearts that there's some falsehood in it all!”
Zhong E pointed out the crucial point. Both Ning Qi and Ning Zheng had achieved great merits this time, but neither could be considered a true victory, as they failed to convince everyone.
Zhong E continued.
“However, defeating the King of Chu's three hundred thousand troops is an entirely different matter. It would be a concrete achievement. All the civil and military officials of Yue support Prince Ning Qi, so compared to Ning Zheng, His Highness holds an absolute advantage. If he can also defeat the King of Chu, he will secure the position of Crown Prince without a doubt.”
Xue Che said.
“Shen Lang will definitely try to steal the credit this time. He'll surely try to claim a piece of the great merit of eliminating the Chu army.”
“It's a foregone conclusion that the Qiang army will march north to attack Chu, but it will be useless! No matter how great a merit they achieve, it cannot compare to defeating the King of Chu on the battlefield.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Zhong E's words. The Third Prince had the support of the Zhu, Zhong, and Xue Clans, as well as the Great Yan Dynasty. His current standing far surpassed that of the former Crown Prince Ning Yi; the only thing he lacked was the title of Crown Prince. Therefore, if he could defeat the King of Chu's three hundred thousand troops on the battlefield, no one in the world could stop him from becoming the Crown Prince. Unless, of course, Ning Zheng could achieve a comparable merit.
Suddenly, Xue Che asked Ning Qi,
“Your Highness, should we continue with the preparations to attack Raging Tide City?”
Ning Qi said.
“Continue the preparations!”
“To help Ning Zheng in the succession struggle, Shen Lang will surely commit all his forces. Therefore, Raging Tide City will remain empty.”
Zhong E added to the explanation, and then Ning Qi once again ordered Xue Che.
“Once the King of Chu is defeated, immediately dispatch troops to attack Raging Tide City and seize the Leizhou Archipelago. We must eliminate the Jin Clan to cut off Ning Zheng's retreat.”
“Yes!”
“Uncle Xue, is the stance of Mount Budao certain?”
“With His Majesty the Emperor's tacit approval, Mount Budao has shown a very firm stance! The day the King of Chu is destroyed will be the day Your Highness Ning Qi becomes Crown Prince, and the moment the Jin Clan is annihilated. We should be grateful to Shen Lang for creating the miracle of victory over the Qiang army. On the surface, it seems Prince Ning Zheng is the biggest beneficiary of the Qiang army's withdrawal, but in reality, it is Your Highness. Ning Zheng's power is so meager that even if the fruits of victory were handed to him, he would be unable to receive them. Unable to receive them or make them bear fruit, he has only done Your Highness a favor.”
The words were very reasonable. The Qiang army's withdrawal was the direct cause of the King of Wu pulling back his grand army and halting his southern advance. Thanks to this, Ning Qi could now focus all his heart and strength on dealing with the King of Chu.
“There is no more time to delay. Your Highness the Third Prince, please rush to the battlefield in Tianxi Province, defeat the King of Chu, and create a new miracle. That is how you will win this war for the throne decisively!”