Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 233: Conspiracy
Anyang. Li Xian sat in a high position, and below him were not only Xu Ren and others but also, at the end of the ranks, merchant representatives. Anyang’s industrial and commercial reforms had deepened significantly, and the status of merchants was rising steadily.
Xia Qingqing sat at Li Xian’s lower right side, wearing a phoenix crown. Her expression was sacred and solemn, tinged with sorrow. She was still dressed in mourning attire, signifying her period of filial piety.
Beside her, Xu Ren and the others had serious expressions. Today’s meeting would determine the future of Anyang.
Li Xian turned his head toward Wu Peng. “Wu Peng, where are the people from Jin Kingdom now?”
“Reporting to the Governor, they followed the railway south to Nanyang County and entered Nanyang Prefecture for a visit. They have not come out since.”
“Wolves with wild ambitions.” Li Xian’s voice was not loud, but a trace of mockery curled at the corner of his mouth. “It seems that because Anyang has remained inactive, others think they can look down on us.”
Li Yuanming stood up. “Young Master, for Anyang to develop, we need a war—an overwhelming, exhilarating victory—a massacre unlike any before! Authority must be built with blood!
In the Immortal Domain, during our early development, we only secured a peaceful space for growth by instilling fear in others.”
Li Xian pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement. Li Yuanming’s methods were ruthless, but he often hit the mark. Perhaps this was another advantage of a poison strategist—because he had no scruples, he could see things clearly!
However, excessive slaughter did not align with Li Xian’s philosophy, and it would also bring unnecessary trouble. He turned to Xu Ren. “Sir, do you have a good plan? We need a war to establish our authority, but to maintain a stable business environment, we cannot attack others outright. At the very least, we need a justifiable excuse.”
Xu Ren smiled confidently. “Young Master need not worry. Opportunities come naturally. Wuyang City can hold out for at most three days. Once the warlords breach the city, they will become leaderless and start fighting over interests.
At that time, the Crown Prince, the Luliang County army, and the Dongyuan County army—who are currently on distant campaigns—will have to return.
Given the Crown Prince’s temperament and our past grudges, he will undoubtedly attack us on his way back.
Once the Crown Prince attacks us, others will sit back and watch like spectators at a tiger fight—or even fan the flames.”
“What do you predict will happen in Wuyang City?”
Xu Ren smiled with certainty. “It will be a chaotic mess.
The Crown Prince and the Luliang County forces are separated from Wuyang County by our Anyang County. The wisest move for them would be to retreat to Luliang County and hold their ground after ascending the throne in Wuyang City.
Nanyang County is separated from Wuyang County by Songzhou County. They will likely plunder some wealth and then retreat to Nanyang County—possibly attacking Songzhou County along the way.
The counties directly bordering Wuyang County include Baofeng County and Xin’an County, where the Eldest Prince is stationed; Guangling County, occupied by the Third Prince, the False Emperor, and the Wang family; and Songzhou County, controlled by Gao Bin.
To the east of Wuyang County are Anyang County and Kaiping County, where you and Master reside.
For now, we will remain inactive while the other three sides fight to carve up Wuyang County.
All we need to do is wait for the Crown Prince to take military action against us.”
“I have something to add,” Yan Ze’an stood up. “If nothing unexpected happens, the Crown Prince will ascend the throne in Wuyang City. Once he does, if he then attacks us, he will at least have some nominal legitimacy, while we will be unable to directly attack or detain him.
Therefore, I believe that after we defeat the Crown Prince’s forces, we should send him back to Wuyang City. Under no circumstances should we allow him to return to Luliang County.”
“Yes, that’s the plan!” Li Yuanming’s eyes flashed with excitement. “The Crown Prince will undoubtedly ascend the throne. We cannot let him return to Luliang County after that, or he will become a bigger problem for us.
We must ‘escort’ the Crown Prince back to the imperial capital, severing his ties with the Yuan family and leaving him completely isolated. That way, we can also force him to cede Luliang County to us.”
Li Xian calculated for a moment before finally nodding. “Li Yuanming, the matter of… ahem… ‘escorting’ the Crown Prince will be left to you.
Additionally, Beichen Yuqing, you will lead the troops to intercept the Crown Prince’s army.”
At this moment, Yan Zhengqing suddenly stood up: “Young Master, we have all anticipated that the Crown Prince would attack us, but what if he doesn’t? The Crown Prince has Yuan Zhao and the Yuan family by his side—they are relatively clear-headed when it comes to analyzing situations. If the Crown Prince suddenly changes his ways and accepts their advice, what should we do?”
Li Xian was taken aback. That’s right—he had been focusing on the Crown Prince’s impulsive personality and had forgotten about Yuan Zhao. Li Xian knew this “good brother” of his all too well. Among the four brothers back then—Zhang Quan, Shangguan Yong, Li Xian, and Yuan Zhao—Zhang Quan was skilled at scheming, Shangguan Yong was adept at hiding his true abilities and pretending to be foolish, and Yuan Zhao had the sharpest foresight.
It was evident from the time they purchased textile machines. Zhang Quan bought two of the most basic models, and Shangguan Yong followed suit. Only Yuan Zhao directly purchased two of the latest textile machines.
Now, Yuan Zhao had gained the Crown Prince’s deep trust—at least, he was the most trusted among the outsiders, and he was also highly capable. If Yuan Zhao was the one making strategic decisions, the Crown Prince would likely follow his advice.
Li Yuanming spoke again: “You’re all overthinking it. As long as the Crown Prince dares to ascend the throne, he will become the Emperor. And an Emperor must, of course, reside in Wuyang City. So, our goal is to welcome His Majesty back to the imperial capital. If anyone dares to obstruct us, they are committing treason—kill them!”
“To achieve great things, one must not be bound by trivial matters; as long as the greater cause is upheld.”
With that, the decision was happily settled. A series of plans were put into motion, ensuring that the Crown Prince would remain in Wuyang City no matter what. Beichen Yuqing led nearly half of Anyang’s elite forces, waiting on the road.
Half of Anyang’s elite forces included:
50,000 regular soldiers, all at least at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, each equipped with a primary-grade magic weapon: one flying sword, one magic shield, and ten printed talisman charms. Their armor was gradually being upgraded to magic-grade equipment.
5,000 elite troops, all at least at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage, each equipped with a full set of primary-grade magic weapons, 100 printed talisman charms, and weapons that were generally mid-grade magic artifacts. Squad leaders wielded high-grade magic artifacts.
2,000 mechanics, possessing a total of 500 cannons, 500 locomotives, 200 machine guns, and 50 sniper rifles. Each individual was armed with a standard firearm and a complete set of mid-grade magic artifacts.
No navy for now, as inland warfare had nothing to do with naval forces.
An air force, however, was available, consisting of 200 personnel, with 20 airships and 80 aircraft. The airships had a speed of 450 km/h, while the planes could reach 600 km/h.
Everything was in place, just waiting for changes on the battlefield.
At the same time, Jin Kingdom’s Prime Minister Sima Xuan, Grand Marshal of the Central Army Li Liusong, and others were visiting Nanyang Prefecture, Nanyang County. The Prefect of Nanyang County, Kong Donglai, was absent, as he had gone to the front lines. However, the young master of the Kong family, Kong Yingzhi, personally received the envoys from Jin Kingdom.
Unlike Li Xian, who was arrogant and merely sent a convoy for reception, Kong Yingzhi personally left the city to welcome them with great ceremony, ensuring that all formalities were observed to perfection.