Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1592 - 1587: Defending to the Death

"Eldest Young Lady, are you trying to scare the Tianfeng Kingdom, or do you really intend to start a war?" Bai Qingjue rubbed his fingers behind his back. "Once the Yan Kingdom surrenders, Zhou will be free to act. If you truly wish to eliminate the Tianfeng as a threat, you can have Shen Kunyang lead the Bai family army back to the southern border to prepare!"

"Does the Tianfeng Kingdom have the capability to contend with Zhou now?" Bai Qingyan mentioned the Tianfeng Kingdom with disdain in her expression. "If we send them a battle declaration, would they dare to accept it? Moreover... the lands of Tianfeng are becoming increasingly barren, swallowed by the desert, and there’s an impassable snow mountain between them and Zhou. There’s no need for Zhou to embark on a long expedition against Tianfeng!"

Furthermore, Sal Khan, as the Monarch of Tianfeng, does not think about strengthening his nation and enriching his people. He is always focused on relying on time to gain the upper hand, and using warfare to sustain itself—this kind of country won’t last long. Just trapping Tianfeng in its desert is enough.

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The Minister of Revenue from Yan Kingdom sent a message on horseback to Murong Li, urging that it must be delivered to the Emperor and the Regent Prince within five days. Along the way, five soldiers relayed the message without rest, killing several horses, but finally delivered it to Murong Li and Xiao Rongyan on the fifth day as requested by the Minister of Revenue.

After reading the message, Xiao Rongyan immediately understood what Bai Qingyan intended to do.

"Does my elder cousin—the Ninth Aunt mean for us to pass this information to the Vassal Kings?" Murong Li also realized, looking up at his Ninth Uncle.

Xiao Rongyan nodded: "The King of Xiping who hurt the Emperor of Zhou is dead, and the other Vassal Kings are, after all, vassals of the Yan Kingdom. If Zhou accepts Yan’s surrender now, it would be as if accepting the surrender of the Vassal Kings. If they don’t act... Zhou cannot act. In the future, reducing the fiefdoms won’t be as smooth as it is now."

Murong Li thought for a moment and nodded: "Right now, Zhou’s main force is entirely gathered in Yan Kingdom. If we really start cutting down the fiefdoms, the Vassal Kings possibly can’t withstand it. But if Zhou accepts Yan’s surrender now and later returns the main forces to Zhou before dealing with the fiefdoms, if the Vassal Kings resist, additional forces would need to be deployed to eliminate them, which would be time-consuming and laborious! Ninth Aunt thinks that since the troops have already been dispatched, the hidden threats should be thoroughly dealt with."

"Then send someone to deliver the message to the Vassal Kings!" Xiao Rongyan said.

The message first reached the King of Jian. Murong Li sent someone to take over the King of Jian’s military command, ordering the King of Jian to bring his family to the capital of Yan to await surrender to Zhou.

Upon seeing the Imperial Edict from the Emperor, the King of Jian’s face turned pale. He said nothing at the time and only arranged lodging for the people sent by the Emperor.

Once Murong Li’s dispatched people left, the King of Jian kicked over the table in front of him: "I’ve seen weak emperors but never one so weak! He trusts a regent prince who has become a consort of another nation without suspicion, and not only surrenders to Zhou but doesn’t even bargain for benefits for himself. Instead, he’s quick to cut down the vassal fiefdoms just because Zhou’s Emperor expressed it, seemingly afraid that Zhou’s Emperor won’t accept his surrender!"

"Prince, calm your anger!" The counselor beside the King of Jian bent to pick up scattered bamboo slips from the table. Once the servant straightened the table, he began to replace the bamboo slips while speaking, "The Young Emperor has a Regent Prince by his side, and he’s just a child. Naturally, it’s whatever the Regent Prince says!"

"The King of Jiujiang is a useless fool! He can’t even kill Murong Yan! If Murong Yan were on our Jian territory at the time, he probably wouldn’t know how many times he’d’ve died!" The King of Jian sat down furiously. "Useless! They’re all useless!"

The counselor, once the bamboo slips were organized, kneeled opposite the King of Jian, speaking calmly: "When the Emperor of Zhou ascended the throne, he reduced the fiefdoms with thunderous methods, so Zhou has no Vassal Kings. Even now... the Emperor of Zhou hasn’t granted any lands to his brothers and sisters—it’s apparent that Zhou plans never to have Vassal Kings! Therefore, the Emperor of Zhou is deliberately setting a difficult task for the Young Emperor. If the Young Emperor dares not reduce the fiefdoms due to their pressure, Zhou will have valid grounds to attack! If the Young Emperor does dare, it’s perfect. The Young Emperor does the work, and Zhou reaps the benefits, eventually crediting the reduction of fiefdoms to the Young Emperor. Once Yan surrenders, he would be slightly favored."

The King of Jian, hearing the counselor’s words, looked serious for the first time at the counselor kneeling before him, waiting for further advice.

"The Young Emperor on his side, firstly, hates wars; secondly... is influenced by the Regent Prince nearby, and thirdly... having experienced the affair with the Imperial Clan and Vassal Kings joining hands, is wary and so doesn’t want to use the treasury to deplete soldiers against Zhou. Therefore, the order to reduce the fiefdoms and surrender is sent to you!" The counselor’s voice was gentle but firm, enough to make the King of Jian listen. "The Young Emperor shows the Emperor of Zhou that he is willing to reduce fiefdoms and surrender to Zhou. If we comply... there’s no loss for the Young Emperor, but if we resist, war with Zhou is inevitable. Then... it would be you, Prince, spending the Jian Army’s resources against Zhou, letting the Young Emperor conserve force. If we miraculously win against Zhou, Yan still survives."

Hearing the analysis, the King of Jian showed a more solemn expression: "This Young Emperor is indeed formidable!"

"If he weren’t formidable, how could he have decisively initiated a gamble with Zhou when Yan was on the brink of collapse?" The counselor bowed to the King of Jian. "Prince, never underestimate this Young Emperor."

"So what do we do now?" The King of Jian didn’t want his soldiers being sacrificed for the Young Emperor’s convenience, nor did he want to submit to Zhou’s reduction of fiefdoms.

Which Vassal King desires their fiefdoms cut down?

Though a Vassal King, on their lands, it felt little different from being an emperor.

They’ve seen the fate of Zhou’s Vassal Kings. Surrendering to Zhou means definite reduction.

"Prince, perhaps... you might send someone back to Yan’s capital with the Young Emperor’s envoy, stating you will follow the Emperor’s orders and plan to move your family to Yan’s capital, but handing over military command will take time! You can have the Princess head to Yan’s capital for first to mourn the Empress Dowager, meanwhile covertly gather forces. When Zhou least expects, ambush and damage a part of their forces!" The counselor tapped his fingers on the table. "Once we battle Zhou here, the King of Huangshan will definitely join us, and the Young Emperor will also choose to watch. Once he sees we might contend with Zhou, he will certainly aid us, because... ultimately, choosing between leaving the Vassal Kingdoms intact or reduction leading to its ruin isn’t hard for the Young Emperor."

The King of Jian felt his counselor made perfect sense and lowered his eyes to speak: "Fortunately, we’ve prepared, and the stored grain in each city is sufficient! Firstly, let’s ambush Zhou’s army in secret, and then we will defend within the cities!"