I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 429 Whoever wins is the emperor, and the loser takes the blame! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Zhu Yingxiong saw Dai Xiaoyao kneeling in front of him, his eyes somewhat dazed.

I remember when Dai Wuchang begged him for help in ascending the throne, he looked just like this.

They also had great ambitions and lofty ideals.

These two brothers are practically identical.

But once you become emperor, there are many more things to consider.

Dai Wuchang is doing just that now; in order to consolidate his position, he turns his back on everyone.

Zhu Yingxiong didn't actually want to get involved in this mess; it was tantamount to rebellion!
Besides, Zhu Yingxiong's rank is already the highest that can be bestowed in Xingluo Kingdom.

To put it bluntly, even if Zhu Yingxiong helped Dai Xiaoyao become emperor, Dai Xiaoyao wouldn't be able to give him anything.

If he fails, Zhu Yingxiong will suffer a very high price.

But now is a time of life and death. As a native of Xingluo Kingdom, he has a deep affection for this land and cannot bear to watch the country perish.

Zhu Yingxiong sighed and finally reached out to help Dai Xiaoyao up.

"Since you have this determination, I still have some old subordinates in the army."

Dai Xiaoyao was overjoyed upon hearing this, knowing that Zhu Yingxiong had tacitly agreed.

The two immediately began plotting and launching a plan to save Starfall Kingdom.

Dai Wuchang has ruled Xingluo Kingdom for some time now and has a strong control over the court. It won't be so easy for them to rebel.

At this moment, the one who was even more panicked than them was King Dai Wuchang of Xingluo Kingdom.

He used to be able to swagger around because he had the Yongzhou Empire's troops stationed in his country.

But now he realized that those so-called "garrison troops" were actually "military governors"!
Today, the general of the Eternal Day Empire directly ordered him to send a large army to aid the Uloya Empire and drive away the army of the Hundred Brahma Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, it's not just us; more than a dozen neighboring countries are also sending troops," the minister reported tremblingly.

What made Dai Wuchang even more furious was that the generals of the Yongzhou Empire took the opportunity to sell him another batch of "advanced military equipment" at a high price.

Although these equipment are better than what Xingluo Kingdom currently has, they are simply garbage compared to the Tian Ce standard equipment of Baifan Kingdom!
To put it bluntly, the Eternal Day Empire is having a "clearance sale," and they have no choice but to buy.

"I've heard that the Tasha Kingdom has acquired military equipment from the Tian Ce Dynasty and is making moves."

The minister's words made Dai Wuchang break out in a cold sweat.

He finally realized that the Eternal Day Empire didn't treat them like human beings at all. They wanted them to contribute money and labor, while the Eternal Day Empire itself was making a fortune from the war!
"It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away."

Dai Wuchang muttered to himself.

Those troops stationed by the Eternal Day Empire can no longer be driven away even if we wanted to.

After much deliberation, Dai Wuchang decided to restart relations with the Tian Ce Dynasty.

At that moment, a messenger from the vanguard reported that the Tian Ce army outside the border was slowly advancing, covering another kilometer.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only a kilometer away; we haven't even reached the border of Starfall Kingdom yet, and in fact, we're still quite far away.

As the emperor of a small country, he could naturally feel that immense pressure.

Since we can't openly pledge allegiance to the Tian Ce Dynasty, how about we secretly pledge allegiance?
With this in mind, Dai Wuchang summoned the envoys into the palace and began to discuss countermeasures.

When the envoy entered the palace, he saw his king looking like an ant on a hot pan and was speechless.

I told you to play it safe and be a fence-sitter, but you insisted on taking sides for expansion. Now, the Tian Ce Dynasty's army hasn't even invaded yet, and you already know you were wrong?
But he only muttered a few words to himself before starting to offer suggestions to Dai Wuchang.

Normal tributes are no longer useful; the Tian Ce Dynasty has no interest in such things.

The best solution would naturally be for Dai Wuchang to personally kneel down and beg Li Chen to show leniency, and then find a scapegoat to say that he was the one who did it.

In this way, as long as the scapegoat is executed, His Majesty Li Chen might calm down and ignore them.

Upon hearing the envoy's opinion, Dai Wuchang pondered and said, "This is a good idea, but who should take the blame?"

The envoy cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, the person who takes the blame cannot have low power and status; otherwise, it will be difficult to gain people's trust."

He hinted meaningfully, "For example, the carefree prince would be very suitable; he is of royal blood and also commands a large army."

“That’s my own brother!” Dai Wuchang slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.

The envoy immediately fell silent, but inwardly he thought: You can't bear to part with your own brother, so are you going to take the blame yourself? You can't expect me, an envoy with no real power, to take the blame, can you? Emperor Tian Ce isn't stupid!

If you say I did it, Emperor Tian Ce will think you're deliberately mocking him; anyone can see that.

Dai Wuchang paced back and forth in the hall, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

On one side is brotherly affection, on the other is the fate of the nation.

Dai Wuchang hesitated. It wasn't that it was difficult to make a move against his own brother, but his brother had Zhu Yingxiong backing him up and also had considerable influence. He needed to be prepared before taking action.

And so, the two brothers began to fight each other in secret. Neither of them knew what the other was up to, but it seemed like they were really fighting amongst themselves. Whoever won would be the emperor, and the loser would take the blame.

It could also be said that Dai Xiaoyao was somewhat lucky, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

Thousands of miles away, Li Chen and Zhu Zhuying stood on a hill on the border of the former Uloya Empire, looking down at the battlefield below.

The army of Baifan Kingdom is highly disciplined, and its military formations and tactics fully demonstrate the style of Tian Ce.

Zhu Zhuying couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty, I often saw cultivators from Baifan Kingdom studying at the academy when I was in the capital. I never imagined that after they returned home, they would be able to transform a small country into such a place."

Gazing at the banners of the Kingdom of Baifan fluttering in the distance, and thinking of the plight of her own motherland, she felt a mix of emotions: "If the Kingdom of Xingluo had sincerely submitted, things wouldn't be like this."

In her view, King Starfall's defection to the Eternal Day Empire was nothing short of suicide.

Li Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and far-reaching: "Although the Hundred Brahma Kingdom is strong, it has only learned the basics. The true way to survive lies in choosing the right path."

This is absolutely true. The Kingdom of Baifan is known as the "Little Tian Ce," but don't forget, Li Chen is the emperor of Tian Ce.

As an emperor, he must know which countries are relatively loyal, and this loyalty is certainly relative.

Because the Kingdom of Baifan needs the protection of Tian Ce, they are certainly loyal.

The Tian Ce Dynasty certainly didn't give away military equipment and supplies to the Bai Fan Kingdom and the Ta Sha Kingdom for free; that would cost money. The Tian Ce Dynasty and the Yong Zhou Empire were just playing a game of strategy; they hadn't actually started a war.

To put it another way, Li Chen's order for Xu Zifeng to lead his army to advance one thousand meters per day is, in a sense, the same principle as the Eternal Day Empire sending its army to other countries.

The purpose is to deter these countries.

Before Xu Zifeng set off, Li Chen gave him a little "training" to make him obedient.

So far, Xu Zifeng doesn't even know what Li Chen wants him to do, because there is no clear combat objective for this operation.

Li Chen did not specify which country to attack; he simply instructed him to advance the campaign.

(End of this chapter)