Chapter 109: Desperate

The envoy from the north, of course, refers to the envoy from the Cai Kingdom! The Cai Kingdom has signed an agreement with Anyang and even made an oath; however, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to act. For example, inciting chaos within the Great Xia!

After a brief discussion, the two reached a decision. Contacting the Crown Prince is still a great idea; however, contacting the Cai Kingdom is much more pragmatic! The conditions offered by the Cai Kingdom for plotting against the Great Xia are exceedingly generous!

The Cai Kingdom only needs… Anyang! Indeed, the idea of the Cai Kingdom is to have the two collaborate to capture Anyang and then give it to the Cai Kingdom, and that’s all there is to it. It’s important to note that Anyang is nominally a county, yet it actually encompasses only a small area, being merely a fraction of the size of an average county, perhaps even one-fiftieth of it.

If the two agree to the conditions set by the Cai Kingdom, they will immediately receive support worth hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, as well as assistance from the strategists and weaponry of the Cai Kingdom. Furthermore, they can even “purchase soldiers.”

Yes, the Cai Kingdom agrees not to invade the Great Xia, but if the people of the Great Xia actively “purchase soldiers,” that’s a different matter! This celestial realm has existed for countless years, and various strategies are naturally plentiful.

With the plan set, the two men, motivated by the interests of their local factions, decided to send representatives to meet with the envoy of the Cai Kingdom. This envoy is Ye Mingquan; he can be considered the full representative of the Cai Kingdom in the Great Xia.

The envoys first inquired about the initial intentions of the Cai Kingdom, and then Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan finally paid a personal visit to Ye Mingquan.

“I’m glad you two gentlemen chose the Cai Kingdom. Please have a seat. Here are the conditions we have drafted; take a look, and if there are no issues, we can swear to heaven.” 

Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan took the paper that Ye Mingquan handed over and examined it carefully. After confirming that there were no problems, the two immediately took their oaths.

Subsequently, Ye Mingquan also swore on behalf of the Cai Kingdom and requested that the Emperor of the Cai Kingdom personally write and seal the oath, then burn it to heaven to complete the vow.

Once the solemn oath was concluded, Ye Mingquan immediately cheered, “Gentlemen, from now on, we are friends. Tell me, what assistance do you need? Don’t be shy; feel free to speak.”

Shi Chengsong thought for a moment and said, “For now, we have enough soldiers, but the warehouses are a bit empty due to having too many soldiers. What do you think about this matter…”

“That’s easy; thirty thousand taels of gold will be delivered to Zhongshan County within five days. What about you, Lord Zhao?”

Zhao Guoshan smiled somewhat “embarrassingly,” saying, “The same, the same! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone looking for An Yang.”

“Then it’s settled. Within five days, my Cai Kingdom will certainly present each of you with thirty thousand taels of gold as a token of goodwill.”

“Thank you very much!” Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan exclaimed in unison.

After the two left, Ye Mingquan suddenly wore a mocking expression, “You two think you can carve out your own territory and plot for power? Hmph! Go ahead, fight hard; sixty thousand taels of gold will bring the deaths of sixty thousand soldiers from the Great Xia! Once you’re all dead, the east of the Great Xia will belong to my Cai Kingdom!

Is this control? Is this the power of wisdom? Is this the power of money? This feeling is exhilarating!”

Meanwhile, after Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan emerged, they immediately contacted the second prince, who is now the Crown Prince, expressing their willingness to surrender.

Upon receiving the surrender from these two, the second prince was indeed overjoyed, just as Xu Ren and the others had anticipated! 

Unlike the first prince, Xia Xu, and the third prince, Xia Guang, the second prince, “Xia Shu,” had no one around him and lacked the fortune of someone like Li Xian or the counsel of a strategist like Xu Ren. The only people surrounding the second prince were relatives from his mother’s side.

Xia Shu’s maternal grandfather, Yue Tianya, is the richest merchant in the Cai Kingdom. He is wealthy but lacks military power.

Her uncle, Yue Qingfeng, possesses some strategist-like intellect but is not a true strategist or a national advisor like Xu Ren or Beichen Yuqing; he leans more towards business.

Xia Shu also has a cousin, Yue Baoxia, a typical spoiled young master! All things considered, among the second prince’s circle, only uncle Yue Qingfeng has a bit of political wisdom, but it seems limited.

However, there is one person who cannot be underestimated, and that is the second prince’s biological mother, the “beauty” Yue Zhaohua. Despite her low status, her ability to make the second prince the crown prince shows that she is no ordinary person. It’s just that due to her status as a consort in the harem, Yue Zhaohua is constantly constrained.

Therefore, when the second prince received the allegiance of Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan, he did not seek out his mother for advice but instead directly approached his uncle, Yue Qingfeng.

Yue Qingfeng thought from a commercial perspective. “Right now, we are isolated and vulnerable. If we can get two counties to pledge allegiance, even if it’s just nominal, that would be great! Of course, we should accept it. However, they must show some intention first.

As for the pressure from Anyang, it’s straightforward. You are now the crown prince with the power to oversee the kingdom. Just issue an order to Anyang, stating that the Zhongshan County and Luiliang County are already under your supervision. Tell Anyang not to interfere.”

“Then I will issue an order immediately, commanding Anyang not to interfere.” The second prince was overjoyed to finally have loyal support, feeling ecstatic.

“Wait, hold on. Let’s not rush. We need to wait until Shi Chengsong from Zhongshan County and Zhao Guoshan from Lvliang County make their intentions clear. What we need to do now is to wait quietly. We must keep the initiative in our hands.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right, uncle!” The second prince quickly agreed.

Yue Qingfeng rubbed his brow. The second prince had suddenly become the crown prince, and Yue Tianya had sent Yue Qingfeng to assist this hopeful star, which truly troubled Yue Qingfeng. Although commerce and politics have some common ground, they are not the same; sometimes, a single misstep could lead to irreparable consequences.

After thinking for a long time, Yue Qingfeng finally asked, “Your Highness, how has your recent communication with the Yuan and Shangguan families been? We are not lacking in money, but we do lack military power. We must, by all means, win over a military leader. Currently, aside from Grand Chancellor Yuan Yong, the only independent military leader is General Shangguan Guang.”

“Uncle, the Shangguan family’s attitude is ambiguous, and I suspect they have already made contact with the Wang family and the third prince. However, Yuan Yong has clearly stated that he ‘respects His Majesty’s wishes.'”

“‘Respecting His Majesty’s wishes’ should mean supporting you, Your Highness. Find an opportunity for me to meet with Yuan Yong; I’d like to talk to him.”

“Uncle, Yuan Yong’s eldest son, Yuan Cai, is currently serving under the first prince. Wouldn’t that be a bit…”

Yue Qingfeng chuckled, “Don’t worry; it’s not a problem. Not putting all the eggs in one basket is something many prominent families do. You can’t always consider every angle.”

“Alright, I will go find Yuan Yong to discuss it.”

But the second prince was too carried away with joy; Yuan Yong was not the inexperienced second prince. When faced with the second prince’s invitation, Yuan Yong plainly declined.

This left the second prince feeling anxious. Could it be that Yuan Yong was not supporting him? This realization was quite serious.

But Yuan Yong was an old fox. Seeing the second prince’s expression, he quickly added, “Your Highness should be by His Majesty’s side, fulfilling your filial duty, while also taking the opportunity to gain control over Dongyuan County.

Dongyuan County is located in the southeast of the Great Xia Kingdom. To the east is the sea, to the north is Luiliang County, to the west is Nanyang County, where the Kong family resides, and to the south is the Jin Kingdom.

If the northern Luiliang County and Zhongshan County pledge allegiance to you, Your Highness, then you will be able to control the three southeastern counties of the Great XiaKingdom in one fell swoop.”

Upon hearing this, the second prince calculated in his mind and was immediately overjoyed; if handled properly, he would transform from a nominal crown prince into the governor of the southeastern Great XiaKingdom in an instant!

Once the second prince happily floated away, a hint of disdain flashed in Yuan Yong’s eyes. “The first prince is incompetent, the second prince lacks talent, and the third prince is still underage. The nation has no successor!

In contrast, the ministers are not to be underestimated. The Li family goes without saying, and the Wang family is no simple matter either. General Shangguan’s son, Shangguan Yong, and the Minister of Revenue’s son, Zhang Quan, are all exceptional individuals!

Great Xia Kingdom, ha! Zhao Guoshan and Shi Chengsong are getting anxious, and so is this crown prince.”

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