Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 227: Encirclement
Xu Ren firmly grasped the concept of “business”—everything they were discussing was purely business. Besides softer dealings, Xu Ren also had hard assets—airplanes and cannons—which they would only sell within the territories they had purchased. If the State of Cai did not need them, it did not matter; they could just as easily sell weapons to other nations, including those behind the State of Cai.
What’s wrong with business? Business can manipulate wars as well.
If any country understood Anyang’s military weapons best, it was the State of Cai. Tens of thousands of lives had proven the overwhelming power of these weapons. Unless they could mobilize a large force of Golden Core-stage experts for a surprise attack, a regular army simply could not withstand the onslaught of modern firepower.
After more than a day of negotiations, an agreement was finally reached: Anyang would purchase six small cities from the State of Cai, each about seven to eight miles in diameter, for a total payment of 240,000 taels of gold. However, instead of accepting gold, the State of Cai opted for an equivalent value in airplanes, artillery, bearings, internal combustion engines, fuel, industrial wiring, stainless steel, springs, ballista components, and other supplies.
Additionally, the repaired war artifacts were to be retrieved by the State of Cai themselves—if they lacked spirit stones and could not transport them, Anyang would not be responsible.
The 240,000-tael military trade agreement was to be completed within two years. If Anyang failed to deliver on time, the State of Cai would reclaim all the cities, and Anyang would not be reimbursed for any weapons already supplied.
This was a blatant power play, but Xu Ren had no choice but to accept it for now. After all, Anyang was still relatively weak. Regardless, the State of Cai was a fully established nation, not just one of the fragmented warlord factions within the Great Xia Empire.
After Xu Ren left, the Emperor of Cai Kingdom burst into laughter. “That fool from Anyang! In two years, the State of Cai’s military power will reach its peak. By then, we will crush Great Xia in one decisive strike and might even invade Chen Kingdom. 240,000 taels of gold worth of weapons! If I weren’t worried about arousing suspicion, I’d have traded 60 cities for all their arms and then turned back to wipe them out!”
Huang Fu hurried forward. “Your Majesty, you must not be careless. There’s no way Anyang hasn’t considered this possibility. Besides, we have a five-year treaty with Great Xia.”
The Emperor laughed again. “What’s there to worry about in five years? Just find some people from Great Xia and have them declare that the country is already reduced to ashes. The Great Xia Empire is nothing more than a land divided among feuding warlords—problem solved.”
Huang Fu advised cautiously, “Your Majesty, we should wait a little longer. Now is not the right time to attack Great Xia.”
“Why not? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?” The Emperor’s eyes flashed with irritation.
“Please allow me to explain, Your Majesty.”
…
Xu Ren leisurely boarded a plane back to Anyang. Li Xian had already returned ahead of him. Young Master Li was in a great mood—he had successfully persuaded Ge Zhengfeng, and Anyang had secured the talents it needed for the future.
By the evening, Xu Ren arrived back in Anyang. The moment he saw Li Xian, he said directly, “Young Master, we still have two years to develop.”
“Why?” Xu Ren’s sudden statement confused many people.
The Great Xia Empire was already in chaos. Various armies were steadily advancing toward the imperial capital. The Crown Prince and Yuan Zhao’s forces had already passed beyond Anyang’s borders and entered Wu Yang Prefecture, soon to reach the imperial capital.
War was about to break out.
Given the situation, Xu Ren’s claim that Anyang had two whole years to develop seemed absurd. Two months sounded more realistic.
Ling Zhifeng was the first to react. “Old Xu, I know you’re smart, but based on my calculations, we only have a month of stability left. Don’t lie to me—I’m a simple man and get hurt easily!”
Xu Ren maintained his confident smile, but he twitched at Ling Zhifeng’s comment. “Shut up. You spend three times as long reading the hands of young ladies as you do reading men’s palms!”
Ling Zhifeng smirked proudly. “Hey, haven’t you heard the saying ‘A woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the ocean’? Three times longer is nothing—thirty times would still be reasonable.”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Yan Ze’an, however, backed Xu Ren and understood his reasoning best. “Young Master, what Mr. Xu means is that we have two years of development time—meaning our research and industrial expansion will remain undisturbed for two years. He’s not saying all of Anyang will remain stable.
“In reality, while the Great Xia Empire has collapsed in name, thanks to the efforts of the old master, it managed to survive for an extra fifteen years. This delay allowed all the warlords to build up unprecedented military strength.
“Haven’t you noticed the lack of Golden Core-stage experts in Great Xia? It’s not that there aren’t enough—it’s that they’ve all been recruited and hidden away. Many of them have already been absorbed by the warlord factions without anyone realizing it.
“With every faction now possessing formidable armies, the surrounding nations won’t dare to invade right away. They’ll wait until our internal conflict drags on, depleting everyone’s strength to the lowest point before making their move.
“And since the State of Cai insists on a two-year deadline for the arms trade, it means their plan is to launch their attack exactly two years from now.”
“Isn’t there an oath restriction? The State of Cai isn’t allowed to attack the Great Xia Kingdom for five years?!” Ling Zhifeng asked in a somewhat dazed manner.
“Haha…” Xu Ren laughed proudly. “You should just focus on being a fortune teller; scheming and power struggles aren’t for you. The oath restriction prevents attacking the Great Xia Kingdom, but what if the Great Xia Kingdom ceases to exist?
This matter is quite simple to resolve. If it were up to me, I would support a few already declining puppet separatist regimes and have them declare that the Great Xia Kingdom has completely perished. Or they could directly announce their secession from the Great Xia Kingdom and integration into the State of Cai. That way, the State of Cai would have a legitimate reason to deploy troops.”
“It can be done like that…?”
Xu Ren suddenly sighed. “Oaths and agreements between nations always have loopholes. These loopholes are intentional and unavoidable. Whether making vows or engaging in diplomacy, equality in relations must be considered.”
At that moment, Chen Jinbing suddenly came in to report: “Young Master, there is someone outside the gate who calls himself Feiyu Zhenren. He says he wants to join Anyang.”
“Ah…” Li Xian’s eyes lit up with joy. Xu Ren had mentioned this person after returning, and he hadn’t expected it to actually work out. He immediately got up in a hurry. “I’ll go greet him personally!”
In the imperial capital of the Great Xia Kingdom, Wuyang City—once a bustling and prosperous metropolis—now lay desolate and tense, shrouded in the scent of death. All around, banners fluttered, and an overwhelming mass of soldiers had completely surrounded Wuyang City.
The Wang family, in alliance with Shangguan Guang, directly launched a coup and installed the Third Prince as the new emperor. However, actual imperial power remained in the hands of the Wang family, while military control was split equally between the Wang family and Shangguan Guang.
Li Yulong had left, and he left decisively. This meant nothing to the Wang family. In fact, his clean departure was a relief for Lord Wang Chuan—no one liked having a capable enemy like Li Yulong around. So, Li Yulong left smoothly.
But Kong Xiang was different. When he returned to the imperial capital, he was like a source without a spring, a tree without roots. The power of the Kong family had long been relocated outside the capital. His return was too brief, giving him no time to rebuild the family’s strength before the Wang family seized the opportunity to take control of him. Now, Kong Xiang was merely a hostage in the hands of the Wang family.
Yet, having a hostage was not enough. Armies from all directions had already surrounded Wuyang City!