Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 300: Pledge Allegiance to the Jin Kingdom
Actually, Kong Donglai had wrongly blamed the First Prince. The First Prince was indeed moved and intended to support Nanyang County; the one who truly acted on his own initiative was Xiao Liming—it was Xiao Liming who played Kong Donglai for a fool.
But regardless, for Kong Donglai now, the situation is extremely critical. He originally planned to wait for the First Prince to launch an offensive from the north, in order to divert the allied forces of Guangling and Song Counties, thereby reducing the pressure on Nanyang—or even to save it. But in the end, the supposed rescue turned into mere spectatorship, and the crisis remained unchanged.
No, after all this commotion, the morale of Nanyang’s troops began to waver severely; meanwhile, the confidence of the Guangling and Song County soldiers was more steadfast than ever.
As one rises, the other falls—Nanyang County seems to be in danger!
“How about… we ask Dongyuan County for help?” Civil officer Guo Hongyan cautiously suggested nearby.
“By the time reinforcements from Dongyuan arrive, we’ll already be overrun!” Kong Donglai sneered. “I’m afraid when Dongyuan’s army comes, it won’t be to save us, but to seize our last remaining territory! Dongyuan is desperate to expand right now.”
“Ah… then… use the last resort?!” Guo Hongyan cautiously asked.
Kong Donglai gritted his teeth. “We have no choice but to use our last resort. After all, Dongyuan has already done so.”
The last resort refers to elite hidden experts from various separatist regimes. This is a change caused by Li Yulong extending the national fortune of the Great Xia by fifteen years. Last time, the 30,000–40,000 elite troops led by Yuan Yong at the critical moment were precisely Dongyuan’s hidden forces.
This is the final card of every separatist regime—meant to be used for grand ambitions, not for the current moment. Kong Donglai didn’t want to use this force just yet. Once exposed, many plans later on would be difficult to execute.
Especially since Kong Donglai was very clear about one thing—he had arranged the assassination of Li Xian in the past, and those who carried it out were part of this hidden force! So, once this hidden force is activated, Nanyang must be ready to face a fallout with Anyang and Li Xian!
Moreover, everyone has their hidden cards. Whoever plays theirs first, loses an edge.
After hesitating for a long while, Kong Donglai finally made a decision, his expression solemn:
“Kong Yingzhi, hear my order. Immediately lead 50,000 Shenlong Troops to reinforce Nangong Zhi! Remember, how this army is used will be up to Nangong Zhi’s command!”
“Yes!” Kong Yingzhi immediately turned and left to prepare for the deployment of Nanyang’s elite Shenlong Army.
As for placing these 50,000 elite troops under Nangong Zhi’s control, Kong Donglai had no other option. Right now, there was only one Nangong Zhi in all of Nanyang. If he couldn’t trust Nangong Zhi, there was no one else with the ability. Talent for command is easy to find; talent for leadership is rare.
It’s worth mentioning that Kong Donglai and Nangong Zhi used to get along fairly well—at least on the surface. But ever since Chen Jin reported directly to Nangong Zhi instead of to Kong Donglai, cracks began to form between them. And we all know, once a crack forms between a “military officer and centralized leader,” it’s nearly impossible to restore trust!
Yet now, there’s no second Nangong Zhi in all of Nanyang, so Kong Donglai could only pretend to be magnanimous—pretend to trust. Talent in leadership is rare; loyal and talented leaders are even rarer!
After Kong Yingzhi left, a personal guard suddenly ran up. “My lord, a prisoner just gave me this.”
It was a letter.
A prisoner? From the Jin Kingdom?
Though puzzled, Kong Donglai still took it and read it. It turned out to be a letter from General Wang Zhouzhi, the surrendered Northern General of the Jin Kingdom. A letter written on a torn piece of cloth—there was truly nothing available in the prison camp, not even paper.
The letter was simple, with only three lines:
I know the situation in Nanyang.
Right now, only the Jin Kingdom can save Nanyang.
If you surrender to the Jin Kingdom now, all past offenses will be forgiven.
Signed: Wang Zhouzhi.
In the past, Kong Donglai would’ve read it and thrown it away. But now, holding the letter, he was clearly hesitant. His fingers clenched around it as his mind struggled with the decision, weighing the pros and cons.
Would surrendering to the Jin Kingdom lead to future retribution? After all, he had once driven a dagger into the heart of the Jin Kingdom’s Grand Marshal, Li Lisong.
Besides surrendering to Jin, there was also the option of surrendering to Qi! Although Nanyang is separated from Qi by Guangling and Jin Kingdom, there is in fact a small thirty-li stretch where they share a border. More precisely, it’s a no-man’s-land along the boundary—but it still counts, and it’s enough.
However, there were problems with both Jin and Qi—there had been almost no contact with Qi, and knowledge about them was minimal. Especially now, when Qi seems to be growing quite close to Anyang!
This one letter left Kong Donglai with three choices:
First, resist to the bitter end—but the losses would be severe, and the future uncertain. Though they’d acquired technology from Anyang, confidence was lacking—Anyang was selling that technology everywhere. Hmph, that bastard Li Xian!
Second, surrender to the Jin Kingdom—but must guard against retribution later. Even if the emperor doesn’t punish him, the bureaucracy might trip him up behind the scenes.
Third, surrender to the Qi State—which may be the best, but is also the most uncertain. And the unknown is the most dangerous!
After careful consideration, Kong Donglai finally decided—to talk to Wang Zhouzhi first. See what his attitude was like, and what conditions he might offer.
Although he was at a disadvantage, Kong Donglai still put on a high and mighty attitude, instructing the guards at his side to go and “bring” Wang Zhouzhi over. Since they were about to negotiate, he naturally had to take advantage of every opportunity.
Wang Zhouzhi was currently quite disheveled, with all his cultivation sealed and his clothes tattered. But upon seeing Kong Donglai, he stood straight, head held high with pride. He then stood before Kong Donglai without saying a single word!
Kong Donglai immediately felt a headache coming on, but he was an old fox himself. He turned to the guard beside him and scolded, “How can you be so tactless? Go get a stool and invite General Wang to sit down.”
The guard searched for a while but couldn’t find a stool, so he had to use magic to temporarily condense a stone stool, finally inviting Wang Zhouzhi to sit. Wang Zhouzhi, knowing when to stop, accepted the gesture gracefully. After sitting down, he chuckled and said, “Lord Kong, your place is truly austere — not even an extra stool available.”
This was clearly mocking Kong Donglai’s current unfavorable situation.
Kong Donglai seemed completely unfazed by the sarcasm. “The general is truly quick-witted! I wonder, is the general satisfied with his current lifestyle?”
“Very satisfied. Completely satisfied,” Wang Zhouzhi replied with a faint smile. “Watching the fire from across the river — what’s there to be dissatisfied about?”
Kong Donglai smiled as he spoke words filled with threat: “General Wang may not know, but someone advised me to push your country’s brave warriors (prisoners) to the front lines as human shields. I wonder what the general thinks of that idea?”
That idea was utterly outrageous! Upon hearing it, Wang Zhouzhi’s first instinct was to drag Kong Donglai out and execute him a thousand times, then grind his bones to dust another thousand. To push powerless, unarmed prisoners with sealed cultivation to the front lines as shields — that deserved divine punishment.
Of course, while it was a terrible idea, it wasn’t entirely without basis. Currently, Nanyang County held 250,000 Jin Kingdom prisoners. If Nanyang County pushed all these prisoners to the front lines, Guangling County and Songzhou County would certainly hesitate before taking action.
Though Anyang had forced the Jin Kingdom into submission, that didn’t mean Guangling County and Songzhou County had the same strength! In fact, Anyang’s victory over Jin Kingdom was due to many factors: partly because of its military supplies, and partly because Jin had enjoyed peace for too long and was lax in war preparations. But after the stimulus from Anyang, the Jin Kingdom had undoubtedly undergone drastic changes.
So, if Nanyang County truly placed the prisoners at the front, Guangling County and Songzhou County would surely be cautious or even retreat. Though other possibilities weren’t ruled out.
Wang Zhouzhi’s expression kept shifting. While Nanyang County was unlikely to go that far — since it would completely enrage Jin — he couldn’t rule out the possibility of them going crazy at the last moment. After all, there were many who would go out with a bang in desperation.
Thinking this through, Wang Zhouzhi was forced to speak first. “Lord Kong, surrendering to the Jin Kingdom is Nanyang County’s best option right now.”
A trace of mockery appeared on Kong Donglai’s face. “Oh? Then may I ask General Wang to explain?”
Wang Zhouzhi slowly began, “Please listen carefully, Lord Kong.”