Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 193 Compass (Part 2)

At this time, Lü Shang was unaware that the Southern Yan rulers and ministers held him in such high regard, describing him as having the spirit of Xing Tian.

Xingtian was a ruthless man who could rival the Yellow Emperor. Xingtian fought the Emperor for divinity, and the Emperor severed his head and buried it on Changyang Mountain. Xingtian then used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, and wielded a shield and axe to dance.

As dawn broke, the dripping of water from the bronze water clock could be clearly heard in the silent palace.

The bronze hinges of the Xudu Palace creaked as eight halberd-wielding warriors pushed open the heavy doors. Inside, rows of human-shaped lamps were already lit, their oil mingling with the scent of camphor in the air.

Lu Shang, dressed in a black robe, sat on the couch. His gaze swept across the hall, and when he saw Wu Wenhe standing at the head of the line, looking sharp and energetic in a brand-new purple robe, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Did you sleep well last night, Prime Minister?" Lü Shang's voice echoed in the hall, carrying the clear and crisp quality unique to young people.

Wu Wenhe said in a loud voice, "Thank you for your inquiry, Your Majesty. This old minister bathed and changed his clothes, ate venison soup, and slept soundly all night."

He paused, then took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve. “This is the alliance document of the State of Jiao. The Duke of Jiao has agreed to marry his eldest daughter, Meng Jiang, to Your Majesty. He will soon send his ministers to escort her to the wedding. The list of betrothal gifts is also here.”

The palace servants presented the bamboo slips, which Lü Shang unfolded and examined closely. He saw that the marriage contract terms were written in ancient seal script on the bamboo slips, and the jade seal of the King of Jiao was stamped at the end.

Jiao Guo was indeed extremely wealthy, but the list of gifts he returned was double the amount he had received.

He nodded and handed the bamboo slip to the palace servant beside him, saying in a deep voice, "The states of Jiao and Xu share the same ancestral origin. It is a great blessing for the country that they can now form a marriage alliance. I hereby issue this decree that the Ministry of Rites immediately prepare for the wedding and welcome Meng Jiang into the palace with the rites due to a principal wife of a feudal lord."

"Your subject obeys the emperor's command!" The Minister of Rites and the Chief Minister stepped forward and solemnly acknowledged the order.

After the Minister of Rites and the Chief Minister of State withdrew, Wu Wenhe took out another scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, when I was in Jiao State, news of the defeat of the four states reached the western corner. Taking advantage of the victory, I traveled to the western states and persuaded them to lend military supplies to Xu State.”

"The Jiao Kingdom borrowed the most, with 200 chariots, 3,000 sets of armor, and 20 carts of medicine. Next was the Dongliang Kingdom, with 100 chariots, 1,000 sets of armor, and 10 carts of medicine. The rest were other states, with 150 chariots, 2,000 sets of armor, and 10 carts of medicine."

The hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, save for the soft crackling of the bronze lamp wick. The courtiers were initially taken aback, but then a cacophony of whispers erupted from them.

"Four hundred and fifty chariots, six thousand suits of armor, and forty carts of medicine,"

Lü Shang sighed softly, "The western kingdoms are certainly willing to spend a fortune."

This is indeed a huge investment. War chariots are vital national assets, and 450 war chariots are more than the current number of war chariots in the Xu Kingdom.

Lu Shang turned his gaze to Wu Wenhe and smiled, "They're not afraid that I won't repay the loan; their gift is far too generous."

Wu Wenhe stroked his beard and smiled, a sly glint in his aged eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, what is borrowed must be returned, but when it will be returned is still up for discussion."

Lü Shang understood and nodded with a smile, saying, "This batch of military supplies can indeed solve my urgent problem."

In fact, while chariots and armor are important to the Xu Kingdom, what the Xu Kingdom urgently needs right now is those forty carts of large quantities of medicine.

Just as Lü Shang was pondering this, a palace servant hurriedly entered the hall.

"Your Majesty,"

The palace maid's voice trembled slightly as she held up a scroll of water-stained bamboo slips, saying, "A scout from the vanguard has sent word on horseback that Prince Chong has dispatched an urgent report to the palace gates, requesting Your Majesty to review it."

Lü Shang tapped the table with his fingertips and said, "Bring it here." The palace servant held the bamboo slips high above his head and handed them to Lü Shang.

Lü Shang unfurled the bamboo slips, the ink characters gleaming coldly in the candlelight. His gaze swept over the bamboo slips, his knuckles suddenly turning white as he gripped them tightly. The murmurs of the courtiers, witnessing the king's sudden change in expression, froze in mid-air, the only sound the soft crackling of the copper lamp wick growing ever clearer.

“Nan Yan,”

He stared at the small seal script on the bamboo slips, his expression growing increasingly cold, and said, "Gentlemen, another great battle is about to begin."

The assembled officials, seeing the king's suddenly solemn expression, subconsciously lowered their breathing. Only Wu Wenhe paused in stroking his beard, his aged gaze like that of a hawk as he looked at the bamboo slips and asked, "Your Majesty, could it be that Southern Yan has raised an army? How many troops has Southern Yan mobilized this time? Have you found out who the commander is?"

Lu Shang slammed the bamboo slips heavily on the table, the bamboo slips vibrating with a dull thud. He said, "I would rather it be the Southern Yan that has raised an army. Prince Chong has urgently reported that he has learned that the Southern Yan has sent envoys to fifty-nine countries with the surname Ji, intending to form an allied army of fifty-nine countries to attack Xu."

The flame of the bronze lamp in the hall flickered suddenly, and the sound of the wick exploding in the deathly silence broke the stillness. The officials gripped the jade pendants at their waists, and some even subconsciously took a half step back. The pressure of fifty-nine kingdoms attacking Xu was too heavy.

"This, a coalition of fifty-nine nations," the Minister of Rites nearly dropped his jade tablet, exclaiming, "The states of the Ji clan are deeply entrenched, yet Southern Yan managed to persuade them all?"

Wu Wenhe frowned and said, "If the Ji clan states join forces, it will be a big problem."

Lü Shang's gaze swept over the pale faces in the hall, his fingertips tapping the bamboo slips on the table, and he suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter didn't reach his eyes, but it carried a cold, sharp penetrating power, cutting a crack through the panic in the hall.

"It is indeed a big problem,"

After he stood up, the hem of his black robe swept across the cold blue stone, and his voice suddenly became calm as he said, "However, it takes at least a month and a quarter for the Southern Yan to send envoys to the various Ji-surname states from the delivery of their letters to the alliance meeting. At this moment, the war chariots of the fifty-nine states are probably still in their respective cities and have not yet made a move."

Wu Wenhe abruptly stopped stroking his beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his aged eyes, and said, "Does Your Majesty mean that Southern Yan is still making connections?"

"yes,"

Lü Shang turned to look outside the hall, the candlelight casting distinct shadows on his profile, and said, "The various states of the Ji clan each have their own selfish motives. It is not easy for them to unite. Without unity, the fifty-nine states may seem powerful, but in reality, they are like a pile of loose sand."

The Minister of Rites' hand, holding the jade tablet, gradually steadied. He tentatively asked, "Is this what Your Majesty intends?"

"Pass on my order,"

Lu Shang interrupted him, his voice already carrying a sense of determination, and said: "Order the vanguard scouts to be increased to a thousand men, and to infiltrate the borders of the Ji clan states in three routes to ascertain the troop movements of each state and the true nature of the alliance. Order the Ministry of War to immediately inventory the armor borrowed by the Jiao state and distribute it to each brigade within three days."

His gaze fell on Wu Wenhe, and he said, "Prime Minister, your return is just in time."

The deathly silence in the hall gradually dissipated, and the high-ranking officials looked at each other, slowly drying the cold sweat from their palms.

Wu Wenhe stroked his beard and chuckled, his eyes gleaming, and said, "Your Majesty is wise; you have indeed returned at the perfect time."

"The states with the surname Ji have always harbored their own agendas. Although Southern Yan wants to instigate a coalition, it is difficult to silence public opinion. This old minister is willing to accept the mission to go to states such as Eastern Liang and Jiao, which have already borrowed military funds, and use the pretext of 'discussing resistance against Yan' to appease them."

"After all, if the coalition succeeds, the western countries will be the first to suffer. Once our scouts have ascertained the situation, we can take advantage of the divided hearts and minds of the various states to break the deadlock one by one, and turn crisis into opportunity!"

(End of this chapter)