Kays Translations

Chapter 283: The Four Sides Are in an Uproar

The surrounding ministers frowned. Some of the clauses from Anyang sounded quite domineering, but why did many of them seem rather reasonable? And some clauses even seemed a bit childish. For example, the aviation rights—didn’t cultivators already fly all over the sky? And in the past, when defeated in battle, wasn’t it customary to submit and offer tribute? Why were Anyang’s negotiation conditions so strange?! Compared to traditional negotiations, Anyang directly abandoned some honor-related clauses—like “submitting” and other honorary matters—without even mentioning them.

The only clause related to “honor” was the first one: the Kingdom of Jin acknowledges its defeat in battle. This was a major premise, and there was nothing more to be said about it.

In addition, nearly all of Anyang’s clauses were tied to “interests.” Especially the 53.7 million taels of gold, which was almost the entire fiscal income of Jin Kingdom for five years!

“Li Xian is truly a complete merchant!” someone sneered, also feeling angry.

But the truly wise officials remained silent, carefully pondering the situation. Even His Majesty the Emperor was no exception. He read the clauses over and over again, and the more he read, the more he could appreciate the subtlety within.

After a long while, the Emperor of Jin finally spoke, “Let us take two days to discuss these terms and see what Anyang really means. Also, try to invite some merchants from Anyang to hear their opinions. We should not be ashamed to ask!”

Wait, hold on, something seems to be missing. After saying this, the Emperor suddenly felt like something was lacking. Just then, someone came to report that Li Lisong, leading the officers, had returned.

Prisoners! Yes, prisoners! The Emperor tossed the messenger aside and looked toward Prime Minister Sima Xuan. “What about the prisoners captured by Anyang? How will Anyang exchange prisoners?”

Sima Xuan smiled bitterly, “Your Majesty, Anyang has only acknowledged capturing General Cheng Yunbo’s son, Cheng Liqiu. The remaining prisoners were all handed over to Nanyang and Dongyuan counties. So, Anyang only holds Cheng Liqiu as a prisoner.”

According to Li Xian, once Cheng Liqiu’s injuries recover, he will be sent back.”

The Emperor of Jin was silent for a long time, and finally, he too let out a bitter laugh, “Good one, Li Xian, so young yet full of tricks.”

The ministers remained quiet.

Handing over all the prisoners to Nanyang and Dongyuan counties was an alternative form of “generosity.” Anyang used Jin’s prisoners as gifts, soothing the discontent in Nanyang and Dongyuan counties.

Similarly, with these prisoners, Nanyang and Dongyuan counties gained the qualification to confront Jin. Meanwhile, Anyang could remain uninvolved!

Furthermore, Jin was a large country, and holding Jin’s prisoners was like handling hot potatoes. If not dealt with properly, it could easily reignite the conflict. So, Anyang decisively dealt with the matter by unconditionally handing over all the prisoners to Nanyang and Dongyuan counties, freeing themselves of any responsibility.

Of course, Anyang’s lack of regard for the prisoners also sent a message—”We, Anyang, are not afraid of you, Jin. Try to provoke me, if you dare.”

Once everything was sorted out, the Emperor of Jin spoke to Sima Xuan again, “Go to the East Sea. If Anyang’s ironclad warships are still attacking, tell them to cease fire. If the ironclad ships have already left, then forget it. Also, inform General Cheng Yunbo about his son’s situation.”

…

While Jin was discussing the treaty, the news had already spread across the Great Xia Kingdom.

Anyang actually made Jin soften! They actually won! This was just too unbelievable. It was Jin Kingdom, after all.

Many people began to calculate that Anyang had first defeated Songzhou, then Nanyang and Dongyuan counties, and then finally defeated Jin Kingdom. In the end, they had Nanyang and Dongyuan counties submit, and Jin Kingdom had softened.

Is Anyang so strong that it’s almost unnatural? Many people were discussing it, including ambitious regional powers, and even surrounding countries were talking about it.

In Baofeng County, the First Prince, now one of the four emperors of the Great Xia Kingdom, Xia Xu, had a solemn expression as he discussed Anyang and the Li family with his subordinates.

Currently, the First Prince had several key figures in his circle: General Yuan Cai, the elder brother of Yuan Zhao, and a member of the Yuan family. Wealthy families never put all their eggs in one basket, so Yuan Cai was completely trustworthy. He was temporarily serving as the Taiwei (Grand Marshal).

Zhang Yuan, the former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Great Xia, who had defected to the First Prince and brought him countless wealth. He still held the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhang Quan, Zhang Yuan’s son, one of Li Xian’s “good brothers.” He was shrewd, a bit cunning, and now served as the “Minister of Commerce” in Baofeng County, a position completely modeled after Anyang’s. However, his status was half a level lower than his father’s.

Xiao Liming, the Governor of the Northwest, the First Prince’s maternal grandfather, and the actual ruler of Baofeng County. For the time being, Xiao Liming still supported the First Prince on the surface. No matter what, the First Prince’s banner was still useful. For now, Xiao Liming held the title of Grand Tutor.

There were also some other officials with moderate talents, like the Prime Minister and various ministers. Oh, the Prime Minister’s name was “Ouyang Qing.” Does this name sound familiar? Yes, this is the son of Great Xia’s former Prime Minister Ouyang Wubing, the one who openly scolded Li Xian. He had actually defected to the First Prince.

The changes in the world are always so fascinating. The righteous Ouyang Qing, after his father was imprisoned, gradually fell from grace and was finally caught by the First Prince, who took the opportunity to recruit him.

As Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an had said before, Great Xia’s former Prime Minister Ouyang Wubing wasn’t exactly a “Prime Minister material,” and now Ouyang Qing was also someone without much resolve. But the First Prince liked this about him—he was content to have a figurehead for the position of Prime Minister, while the real power was naturally in the hands of the First Prince.

Of course, Ouyang Qing is not an idiot; after all, he still has some skill.

Now, the First Prince is sitting in the central position. Xiao Liming is absent, and around him are people loyal to the First Prince—at least, it seems that way.

“Today, we will discuss two matters. The first matter is why the State of Cai has not launched an attack on Kaiping County, which is relatively weak in terms of strength, and instead, is putting pressure on us.

The second matter is regarding Li Xian and Anyang County defeating the Jin Kingdom.”

Ouyang Qing stepped forward, “Your Majesty, these two matters are related.

First, regarding the first matter, based on the current intelligence, it is said that when the State of Cai sent people to investigate the border of Kaiping County, two Nascent Soul experts were sitting on the cloud, playing chess at the border defense Great Wall. Also, there are a large number of cannons, and planes are circling in the sky over Kaiping County’s border.

As for the second matter, I believe there are many reasons for Anyang’s victory, but the main reason is the development of industry and commerce. The power of munitions was fully demonstrated in this war.

In addition, Anyang’s legal environment and business environment were also key factors. According to the available intelligence, when the war broke out, merchants spontaneously organized an army of 200,000 to support Anyang’s military.

Also, Anyang has several well-known talents: Xu Ren, Yan Ze’an, Bei Chen Yuqing, Yan Zhengqing, Fang Shijing, Ling Zhifeng, and others. These people may not be the top tier, but they are completely trusted by Li Xian, and their talents were fully utilized.”

“That’s not all!” Zhang Quan also stood up, “Your Majesty, I have had prolonged contact with Li Xian. As far as I know, Anyang’s victory cannot be attributed without considering the role of the ‘Brilliant Star Group.’ Almost all of Anyang’s technology came from the headquarters of the Brilliant Star Group, from Qingyun Valley.

Especially regarding the surrender of the Jin Kingdom, which only occurred after Anyang announced the concepts of ‘subsonic aircraft’ and ‘supersonic aircraft.’ This is something worth pondering.”

Yuan Cai also had something to say, “Your Majesty, a few days ago, my younger brother Yuan Zhao sent a letter. The letter clearly pointed out that Anyang seems to have an overwhelming number of Foundation Establishment experts. In this war alone, Anyang has more than 20,000, possibly 30,000 Foundation Establishment experts!

Anyang’s elite forces number only around 100,000, but among those 100,000, more than 20,000, possibly 30,000, are Foundation Establishment experts; the rest are all elite Qi Refining Stage experts of the seventh level and above, belonging to the late stages of Qi Refining.

Moreover, there are planes, motorcycles, cannons, ironclad ships, and firearms that Anyang has kept secret until now.

Furthermore, Anyang seems to have an unusually large number of talismans. It is estimated that Anyang used at least 300,000 talismans in this war.

Magical treasures and magic tools also seem to be in abundance; almost every elite soldier of Anyang possesses a magical tool. Those in the Foundation Establishment stage almost all have a magic-grade flying sword.

There are even reports of seeing Anyang’s Nascent Soul experts equipped with magical treasures. Anyang jokingly calls it ‘the set.'”

…

The Emperor of Qi was also discussing the matter. “Anyang seems to lack no magical treasures. Could it be that they have found a large amount of spiritual materials? It might be time to send someone to investigate.”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter