Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 230: Declaration
Return to half a day ago:
When the battle for Wuyang City was about to begin, Feiyu Zhenren took the initiative to visit Li Xian.
Upon meeting, Feiyu Zhenren immediately stated, “I want to join Anyang, and I’m even willing to help recruit friends to join as well.”
A Nascent Soul-stage expert voluntarily expressing a desire to join Anyang was certainly a delightful surprise. They had just been discussing Feiyu Zhenren. Li Xian naturally wouldn’t refuse but still asked, “Senior, do you have any conditions?”
Feiyu Zhenren smiled brightly. “No, I have no conditions! However, I’m used to freedom, so positions like general or official don’t suit me.
I can guard Anyang to prevent troublemakers, or I can stay by the young master’s side as a personal bodyguard. Other than that, I won’t do anything else.”
As a wise person, Feiyu Zhenren did not negotiate any conditions with Li Xian, simply expressing a willingness to join Anyang.
Why not negotiate conditions? The reason was simple—being the first Nascent Soul-stage expert to voluntarily join Anyang meant there was no need to negotiate at all.
Thus, Feiyu Zhenren smoothly joined Anyang and became one of Li Xian’s personal bodyguards. The former “Shadow” continued to secretly protect Anyang City or the Qingyun Valley area.
Li Xian offered Feiyu Zhenren half the treatment of Xiao Yuquan and Yuquan Zhenren. Although both were at the early Nascent Soul stage, Yuquan Zhenren was a formation master and a researcher. Feiyu Zhenren had no objections to this arrangement.
Afterward, they resumed their previous discussion about the current situation.
Anyang could maintain two more years of development, which was naturally beneficial. The longer Anyang could develop peacefully, the better.
As the discussion continued, they shifted to the current state of the Great Xia Kingdom.
Xu Ren pondered for a moment before saying, “Young master, since everyone is deploying troops to the imperial capital, we must also make a statement. We don’t necessarily have to participate in the battle, but we should at least show some response so we don’t appear too unusual.”
“How should we respond?” Li Xian was troubled. Anyang didn’t want to get involved in the war. If they wanted to engage in business, maintaining neutrality was essential. But reality and ideals were often different. As Xu Ren pointed out, since everyone else was ‘crusading against the false emperor,’ Anyang would stand out awkwardly if they remained completely uninvolved.
However, if they did participate, they would lose their neutral stance, causing unnecessary complications for Anyang’s upcoming business plans.
Neutrality was the key to benefiting from all sides and conducting business more effectively.
Moreover, Li Yulong had not made any moves, and Kaiping County had not issued any declarations, making it even harder for Li Xian to grasp the situation.
So, hearing Xu Ren point this out, Li Xian felt even more distressed, unsure of what to do.
Xu Ren smiled confidently. “It’s simple—withdraw! Withdraw from the battlefield. Doesn’t the young master hold the title of ‘Eastern Governor of Great Xia’? All you need to do is publicly announce one thing on the battlefield:
The late emperor only appointed you as the Eastern Governor and never granted any authority as a regent or counselor. Therefore, we have no right to interfere in the imperial succession.
Since we have no right to interfere in the throne, our only duty is to protect the East and ensure the peace of the Great Xia Kingdom’s eastern region—nothing more.
Every action must have a grand justification. With this banner, we can truly maintain neutrality.”
Li Xian thought for a moment before slowly nodding. “But there’s still one issue—my father hasn’t made any moves, and Kaiping County remains quiet.”
Yan Ze’an spoke up, “In my opinion, the old master is likely waiting for our decision.
Besides, the old master was expelled from the imperial capital. If he immediately turned around and attacked, it wouldn’t look good—it would make him seem petty and vindictive.”
They continued discussing for a long time before finally clarifying Anyang’s future direction. Then, Li Xian boarded a plane and flew to Wuyang City. When he arrived, the battle had just reached the point where both sides had exhausted their artillery, transitioning into brutal siege warfare and traditional combat.
Under the protection of Feiyu Zhenren, Li Xian hovered over Wuyang City, looking down at the fierce battle below with an imposing presence. He then greeted everyone with a beaming smile.
For a moment, the battlefield turned eerie as everyone looked up at Li Xian, unsure of what he intended to do.
Suddenly, several experts soared into the sky—generals, governors, and others—flying toward Li Xian. The first among them was Gao Bin, the governor of Songzhou County, who greeted him from afar: “Governor Li, are you also here to crusade against the false emperor?”
Good heavens, one sentence was enough to force Li Xian to take sides.
Li Xian had already prepared for this, working together with Xu Ren in their planning. Compared to Xu Ren’s wisdom, Gao Bin’s intelligence was still somewhat lacking.
Looking around, Li Xian smiled leisurely and said, “Greetings, everyone. The internal turmoil in Great Xia is likely not what the late emperor wished to see. I have decided to take on the role of Eastern Governor, ensuring peace in the eastern region of Great Xia and staying out of the war for the throne.”
Gao Bin was not foolish and immediately refuted, “Governor Li, you are wrong. If everyone were to stand by idly as you suggest, Great Xia would never find peace. The only way to restore stability to Great Xia is to overthrow the false emperor and support the Crown Prince’s ascension.”
Li Xian suddenly sighed and said, “Apologies, but I am merely the ‘Eastern Governor,’ not a minister of state nor an official in the capital, so I have no authority to interfere in the matter of succession. What I can do is protect the peace of the eastern region and safeguard the last pure land of Great Xia.”
Other provincial governors arrived as well. The governor of Nanyang Commandery, Kong Donglai, countered, “Governor Li, what you said is incorrect. If everyone shared your view, Great Xia would be doomed. Since His Majesty has already appointed the Crown Prince, we must support him.”
Seeing more and more people gathering, Li Xian immediately raised his voice and declared, “Everyone, Anyang’s only responsibility is to strictly follow the late emperor’s will and defend the east. Farewell!”
With a crisp and decisive tone, he finished speaking and signaled Feiyu Zhenren to act. Without hesitation, Feiyu Zhenren grabbed Li Xian and, channeling his true energy at full power, shot through the sky like a bolt of lightning, heading toward the aircraft. The plane accelerated immediately.
Seated on the plane, Li Xian leisurely looked down at the approaching crowd and waved, “Farewell, everyone!”
Watching the aircraft speed up and leave them behind, the provincial governors exchanged glances.
Kong Donglai was the first to speak, scoffing, “Cunning Anyang, cowardly Anyang, ungrateful Anyang! It’s precisely because of people like Li Xian that Great Xia has ended up in this situation!”
“Yes, indeed…” A chorus of agreement followed. Though each harbored their own ulterior motives, they had no issue joining in the scolding.
Despite their words, deep down, they were secretly pleased that Li Xian had suddenly appeared, declared his neutrality, and withdrawn from the war. It meant one less competitor—an exceptionally strong one at that.
Everyone had their own reasons for attacking the imperial capital.
For the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince, the goal was simple: to ascend the throne.
For the Kong family of Nanyang Commandery, their proclaimed objective was to rescue Kong Xiang, but in reality, they aimed to conquer territory and expand their domain. The same held true for Gao Bin, the governor of Songzhou Commandery.
Now that Li Xian had declared his non-participation, many of them secretly rejoiced. “You’re not joining, huh? Hmph, just wait until I take control of Wuyang Commandery—then we’ll see how long Anyang can stay out of this. If you don’t seize territory now, you’ll regret it later.”