Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 4 North Sea Affairs

The vast mountains and seas,

Xu State Palace

The night was silent. Lu Shang slowly opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a long, muffled breath like thunder that lasted for a long time. Wind blew around him, blowing up the curtains with a whistling sound, and his clothes, robes, and rings and pendants jingled.

"Wonderful, really wonderful,"

Lü Shang silently sensed his own state. The perfection of his two true spirits had brought him a huge surprise. Dahuang Lü Shang and Yanfu Lü Shang were still independent entities, their autonomy not lost by the perfection of their true spirits.

Outside the gate, Lü Shang of the Great Wilderness still labors to govern the kingdom of Xu, while within the gate, Lü Shang of the Yamafu still devotes his energy to seeking the immortals and the way. These two lives, these two worlds, are like two rivers that never intersect, each with its own splendor and its own waves.

If there is any difference, it is that after the two true spirits are perfected, they can share everything with each other, whether it is bloodline, bones, cultivation, knowledge, or even strength and physique, all of which have been incredible improved.

After receiving all the essence and spirit from Yanbu Lu Shang, the body of Master Lu Shang, and the blood of Gonggong seemed to become more lively. Between breaths, there was a faint tsunami wave hidden deep inside, and infinite energy seemed to be about to burst out.

It is obvious that he has gained a huge benefit, but Yanfu Lu Shang's foundation is a little weak. Dahuang Lu Shang holds the imperial seal and is a real person who has been reborn, and his own foundation is extremely profound.

If Yanfu Lu Shang was not originally a part of Dahuang Lu Shang, and the two had extremely special significance after their completion, Yanfu Lu Shang's energy would not be enough to make Dahuang Lu Shang any progress.

Compared with Dahuang Lu Shang, Yanfu Lu Shang obtained all the accumulation of Dahuang Lu Shang, which can be said to be a step to heaven. Gonggong's divine body plus his original physique immediately gave birth to the strength of a divine elephant.

If he got another weapon, he would be a match for ten thousand men. He hated the sky for not having a handle and the earth for not having a ring. With just his strength, he could defeat ten with one blow, leaving all the warriors in the world helpless. He might even have a chance to compete with Li Yuanba, the reincarnation of the golden-winged Roc.

Of course, at this time, Lu Shang was just thinking about competing with each other and had no desire to compete.

After all, Li Yuanba in "Shuo Tang" is simply an extraordinary existence. The power of the Four Symbols is no match for him. He can kill gods and Buddhas if they stand in his way. No one is not afraid of him. Only the Nine-Heaven Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun can lead the thunder of the nine heavens to kill this freak.

At his peak, in the Battle of Siming Mountain, Li Yuanba single-handedly inflicted heavy damage on eighteen rebel kings. A total of 1.8 million soldiers were defeated by him in just one day and one night, with as many as 1.2 million dying at his hands.

This record is completely different from that of the generals of the same period.

Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, also gods descended to earth, did not possess this kind of martial prowess. One of them was Zuo Tianpeng, the other the reincarnation of the Black Demon God. Both were marshals of the Four Holy Ones of the North Pole, and were already top-tier gods in the Three Realms.

But after coming down to earth to respond to the calamity, although he is still a first-tier divine general, even if the two of them are tied together, they cannot achieve the same results as at Siming Mountain.

It can only be said that Li Yuanba's impressive record is not just because he is the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Dapeng. It is also because he is a rare freak in the world, and with the support of the Golden-Winged Dapeng's spirit, he has such earth-shaking abilities.

"My Lord, can you please rest?"

Outside the palace gate, Wu Wenhe said solemnly, "Old minister, Wu Yun, please see the king."

Seeing the Prime Minister stop, the palace maid immediately went in to announce it. After a while, the palace maid trotted out of the palace gate, bowed and whispered: "Prime Minister Wu, the King summons you, please come in."

Inside the cold palace, Lü Shang straightened his clothes and sat at his table, waiting for Wu Wenhe to arrive. Wu Wenhe was the prime minister of Xu State and a senior member of the Xu State. When the late emperor Lü Chu was alive, he always treated him with courtesy. When he passed away, he chose an old minister to entrust the family and the country to him.

When Lu Shang ascended the throne, he always called Wu Wenhe "Father Prime Minister" and regarded him as the pillar of the country.

After a while, Wu Wenhe walked slowly into the palace. The palace gate slowly closed behind him. He bowed and said, "Old minister Wu Yun greets His Majesty."

"It is better to kill the prime minister's father."

Lü Shang hurriedly stood up to help Wu Wenhe up. After helping Wu Wenhe to his feet, he said, "Before my late father passed away, he told me that the Prime Minister is the pillar of the country and cannot be lost. The state of Xu can do without Lü Shang for a day, but it cannot do without the Prime Minister for a moment. After my late father passed away, the Prime Minister has become my father."

Wu Wenhe whispered, "Old minister, I am deeply grateful to the late emperor for his kindness. He did not regard me as humble and promoted me from a humble position. The late emperor's kindness is so great that it is beyond words. I, old minister, will repay you with all my heart."

Lü Shang smiled and pressed Wu Wenhe's shoulders, pushing him down onto the seat. He turned around and sat opposite him, saying, "The Prime Minister must have some urgent business to enter the palace in the middle of the night. I will issue an imperial decree to the palace guards. From now on, the Prime Minister will not need to be summoned when he enters the palace."

"Father, the Prime Minister, we must act swiftly!" Wu Wenhe was slightly moved and lamented, "Your Majesty has treated me with such sincerity, how dare this old minister not do his utmost! Your Majesty, I do not wish to disrupt the palace order, but this matter is of such importance that I dare not act on my own. That is why, after receiving the exact information, I hurried to the palace to present this to Your Majesty."

Seeing Wu Wenhe's expression was a little uneasy, Lu Shang's heart suddenly sank. He asked, "What happened that made the Prime Minister rush into the palace in such a hurry?"

Wu Wenhe said bitterly, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a disaster. I have just received an imperial edict from Emperor Qiu. A great demon has gathered its people in the North Sea to rebel. The Emperor of the Xiahou clan is furious and wants to mobilize all the troops of the Gonggong clan to suppress the rebellious demon. It seems that our Gonggong clan's doom has arrived."

"To recruit the troops of Gonggong clan?"

Lü Shang's face darkened. He finally understood why even such a composed and steady minister like Wu Wenhe was so panicked. This was truly a major event. The so-called gathering of Gonggong's troops meant that all states belonging to Gonggong would serve as vanguards for the Xia Dynasty.

This naturally also included the Xu State, one of the branches of the Gonggong clan, which could not be avoided.

However, when it comes to conquering the North Sea monster, those who can be called monsters are at least gods and immortals with divine bodies. Moreover, they have the advantage of geographical location and stir up trouble. Even if the gods in heaven come in person, they dare not say that they can subdue them.

The Xia emperor ordered the Gonggong clan to lead the army. Gonggong was a water deity, and using water deities to subdue water monsters was indeed effective. However, a campaign to the North Sea, regardless of victory or defeat, would severely damage the Gonggong clan's vitality. Naturally, the Gonggong clan states would be dissatisfied, and Gonggong was not the only water deity.

This solo expedition against Gonggong may have been a deliberate targeting and suppression by the Xia Dynasty.

Lü Shang snorted coldly, "The Xiahou clan is clearly trying to exterminate the descendants of Gonggong. They've forgotten how the two clans were once considered the Four Mountains when the Taotang clan ruled the world!"

"That's right. Now that he's the ruler of the world, he naturally doesn't need to consider past friendships and can kill his former colleagues without any scruples. Is the Xiahou clan's rule truly eternal? Will the Xiahou clan's Golden Crow never fall?"

In the past, when the Taotang clan ruled the world, the Xiahou clan and the Gonggong clan were both confidants of the Taotang emperor. They were appointed by the Taotang emperor as the Four Mountains, the leaders of the ten directions of the feudal lords. As a result, the Gonggong clan prospered again.

But later, the You Yu clan became the ruler of the world and liquidated the old people of the previous dynasty. The Gonggong clan and the Xia Hou clan were suppressed together. At that time, the Gonggong clan and the Xia Hou clan had to stick together to resist the maliciousness around them.

However, now that it was the Xia Dynasty's turn to rule the world, instead of supporting their former ally, the Gonggong clan, they turned around and began to suppress the Gonggong clan, which made many Gonggong clan states dissatisfied. Now they are asking them to conquer the North Sea. Do they really think the Gonggong clan has no temper?
Wu Wenhe said quietly, "After all, we are at a disadvantage. Otherwise, how could the Xiahou clan dare to bully the Gonggong clan like this? Your Majesty, should we comply with the Diqiu edict or not?"

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Lu Shang seemed to have heard the hidden meaning in Wu Wenhe's words. His expression relaxed slightly and he said directly: "Should I? What if I don't? What should I do?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, be prepared to lose your army. Xu is a small state with six brigades. The Xiahou Emperor's decree calls for the conscription of all the troops of the Gonggong clan. These six brigades will be used to attack the North Sea. No matter the outcome, only eleven of the six brigades will survive."

"Then, shouldn't you?"

Lu Shang was silent for a moment and said through gritted teeth.

The Shanhai military system was five armored soldiers per squad, ten armored soldiers per decanter, fifty armored soldiers per squad, one hundred armored soldiers per battalion, five hundred armored soldiers per brigade, two thousand five hundred armored soldiers per division, and twelve thousand five hundred armored soldiers per army. Small states formed brigades, large states formed divisions, and the emperor formed armies, each with its own system.

Don't underestimate the six brigades of the Xu State. At the peak of the Xu State, there were tens of thousands of households. The ten brigades of the Xu State were known as the little tyrant. Just relying on these ten brigades, the big countries dared not underestimate it.

The so-called Chinese and barbarians are different. Chinese are born with divine blood, while barbarians have only mortal blood. The two have different life essences. Therefore, it takes a thousand Chinese households to raise a brigade of soldiers. This is indeed a significant burden, and each brigade of soldiers is a symbol of national strength.

The six brigades of Xu State today are the wealth accumulated by Xu State over the years. Lu Shang could not make up his mind to use them to fill the bloody hole of Beihai.

"If not, then be prepared for the worst."

Wu Wenhe lowered his voice and said, "However, Emperor Zhuxia of the Xia Dynasty is no longer the arrogant Emperor who pacified the Nine Barbarians and wiped out the rebellious."

"Although he still has the Mandate of Heaven, he is too old to command the princes like he did in his youth. We can choose to delay it for as long as we can."

"It would be best to wait until the rebellion in Beihai grows bigger and bigger, until Emperor Zhuxia can no longer control the situation. Then perhaps it can be put to rest. However, it's difficult to find the right timing. I'm afraid the other Gonggong states will not be able to withstand the pressure from Emperor Qiu and will respond to the call to Beihai."

"They're too weak to go. Let them go if they want. My country, Xu, won't go," Lu Shang thought for a moment and humphed, "Of course, we won't say we won't go outright. We'll just pretend to go and see how those powerful, legitimate kingdoms react."

"I've always wondered if some powerful clan was behind the rebellion of the North Sea demon. Without support, even a powerful demon, while powerful, wouldn't be able to stir up any major disturbances. It's hard to say who's behind this massive commotion in such a short period of time."

(End of this chapter)