Shan Yuhou said, "A mere five thousand men are not to be feared. What I fear is that this Lord Xie might actually dare to stir up a hornet's nest."
No, he can't repeat the mistake he made in Weidu. His defeat in Weidu has already cost him the King's trust. He only recently regained the King's attention because of his conquest of Luochuan. He can't afford to lose the King's trust again.
Dan Yuhou contacted Alna and instructed him to report back to the king that they should not underestimate the enemy. Alna heard that Lord Xie had led five thousand men to Huayin Kingdom and even seemed poised to head north. He immediately laughed, thinking it impossible.
Alna had already taken up residence in the Yu Palace and was sleeping in Li Li's bed. He thought that Huayin Kingdom only had 10,000 newly recruited soldiers, plus 5,000 more, making a maximum of 15,000. Besides, their motherland knew best about Huayin Kingdom's miscellaneous troops. They were nothing to fear.
At most, they're a burden of 100,000. They're simply not fit for a fight. The reason the King didn't march south from Huayin Kingdom is because Feng Ning has established layers of defenses in the central region, intending to stretch the defensive lines and wear down their motherland.
The king then adopted a strategy of heading directly south.
However, Arna wasn't entirely careless. He remembered that Li Li and Xie Ji led 25,000 men, totaling 40,000. They were not to be underestimated either.
Arna thought of his simple-minded older brother, Artu.
The hatred for his brother's murder made him clench his fists: "Xie Ying!!!"
When Al-Na compiled intelligence for his homeland, he also harbored some personal grudges and reported it to Aqina.
Xie Lanzhi had just arrived in Huayin Kingdom. She originally intended to go to Jinghua Prefecture, but she hadn't expected that Jinghua Prefecture had already moved down the mountain. Unbeknownst to her, two more main roads had appeared in Jinghua Prefecture. They were smooth and steady, with many carriages coming and going.
Xie Lanzhi went directly to the main palace in Huayin.
She had barely stepped into the palace when she suddenly felt a figure rushing towards her with a gust of wind.
Xie Lanzhi instinctively turned to the side, and the figure was immediately thrown out of the doorway.
Accompanied by a cry of "Ouch, brother-in-law, why did you dodge?!"
An Yi's voice came through with a strong and resonant tone.
Xie Lanzhi's lips twitched. She bent down to help An Yi up, looked her over, and noticed that her chin had become much rounder.
Ah Zi arrived shortly afterward and bowed respectfully to Xie Lanzhi, saying, "Brother-in-law, you've arrived."
Xie Lanzhi nodded to her: "It's been a long time, Azi."
Not to be outdone, An Yi asked her, "Sister, what happened last time...?"
She was actually referring to Xie Lanzhi's sudden coma. They had just received news of trouble in Huayin Kingdom, and her sister urgently asked them to return to take charge. After half a year, the uprising in Huayin Kingdom was finally suppressed.
The new ruler of Huayin Kingdom, Anqing, has been assassinated multiple times and is now too afraid to leave his home. He spends his days weeping and wailing in front of Anyi.
In order to protect his younger brother, Anyi took the initiative to negotiate with the rebellious people, which reduced the number of assassinations.
Xie Lanzhi explained to her that she was alright. An Yi then pulled her into the hall. Tea was prepared.
The three chatted for a while, and then Li Fuyi sent a letter informing them that Xie Ji and Li Li were already in the State of Lu.
Xie Lanzhi wanted to see Xie Ji, and An Yi was eager to show her something.
Azi stopped An Yi in time: "It's not time yet."
“Since we’re all here, how can we not tell my brother-in-law?” An Yi clearly disagreed. She wasn’t one to keep secrets. She couldn’t wait to tell Xie Lanzhi.
Seeing the young couple arguing, Xie Lanzhi took the initiative to say, "I plan to meet with the Crown Prince and Xie Ji in Huayin Kingdom."
"We'll talk about your matter later."
“Yes! Since you’re already here,” An Yi said.
Azi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and rolled her eyes at An Yi, thinking that this person just couldn't keep a secret.
Xie Ji and Li Li were already on their way by boat.
Li Li was in poor spirits, clearly devastated by the change of ruler in Luochuan. What angered him even more was that not a single minister in Luochuan was a man of integrity who would stand up to Yelü Wen, that lackey.
Those who opposed it were almost all killed.
Xie Ji kept comforting him: "Let's go see the marshal now and see how he plans to launch a counterattack?"
"I don't think she'll counterattack." Li Li thought of His Highness's long-term plan to abandon the war effort; otherwise, he wouldn't have withdrawn 30,000 troops from the Delta. The Marshal hadn't expressed his opinion, clearly supporting His Highness's strategy.
Xie Ji said, "The Marshal is different from His Highness. However, I must admit that His Highness's method can expedite the war."
"Furthermore, the outer islands have been defended as much as possible, and Xie Feng's men are just blocking the exit of the Deer Canal!"
Your Highness is temporarily besieging the area without killing them. The aim is to cut off the Northern Xiongnu's logistics. Now that the Luerqu area can no longer access the open sea, the Northern Xiongnu have been effectively contained.
The losses in the northern region were quite significant.
Li Li immediately lowered his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "Does Your Highness intend to sacrifice the Northern Region to win her victory?"
Xie Ji wanted to complain about his hardworking and conscientious nature. He didn't even consider how the former Khan, Bei Luo, had been so cunning and opportunistic, trying to have his cake and eat it too. Even as an ally, he was unreliable. That's why His Highness had directly severed ties with the Northern Region.
Not to mention that Beiluo mistakenly trusted Yelü Wen and was instead taken hostage by him!
Chapter 210 The Fragile Central Alliance
After a day of slaughter by Arna, the Hu people who had flocked from Luochuan were either killed or fled. The once bustling commercial capital was reduced to a sea of corpses.
The Hu people had fled to who-knows-where, their homes destroyed, their rulers changed, and apart from the ministers of Luochuan, no one recognized Yelü Wen's legitimacy.
The forces led by Lady Yelü immediately rallied troops in rebellion. Yelü Wen asked Shan Yuhou to help him retain his position as Khan, thus betraying Lady Yelü's interests once again. He captured Wu Shang to write down Lady Yelü's name.
Lady Yelü learned that her second son had been arrested and that her eldest son had gone to the State of Lu with the Crown Prince.
Lady Yelü was heartbroken and repeatedly sent troops to rescue her son, but to no avail. Finally, she appealed to the capital, Xin Tianjing, for help.
The new Tianjing, led by Si Xitong, issued a punitive order against Yelü Wen. They did not recognize Yelü Wen as the legitimate ruler. The entire Southern Central Plains would not acknowledge Yelü Wen as the Khan of the Northern Regions.
Furthermore, an official document was issued condemning the Northern Hu and Xiongnu for wantonly trampling on other people's homes and countries. Together with the entire Southern Central Plains and its vassal states, a blockade was imposed on the Northern Hu and Xiongnu.
The vassal states, seeking refuge in the new Tianjing (Heavenly Capital), actively cooperated with it to jointly prevent the Northern Xiongnu from invading southward. They made every effort to keep the Northern Xiongnu confined to the northern regions.
However, even small countries have their ambitious members. Three small countries, instigated by the Northern Hu and Xiongnu, accepted bribes and opened land routes to invite the Northern Hu and Xiongnu into their territory.
These three small countries are South Korea, Nyon-gu, and Zhou-gu.
The world was shaken. Compared to the strength of the Northern Hun, the betrayal among allies was even more alarming.
In the new Tianjing, the officials and ministers condemned the small country for disregarding morality and alliances, focusing only on immediate gains. They argued that its fear of power and lack of gratitude would lead to its eventual decline.
Just when the ministers felt that neither allies nor vassal states were reliable, those small countries were sure to try to bargain with His Highness at this critical juncture, and His Highness might have to spend a huge sum of money to win over these unreliable small countries.
In the imperial court, all the ministers believed that the failure of the Central Alliance was not directly related to His Highness. No one had expected that the small nation would resort to such a desperate measure, risking its own survival to bargain with the superior nation—a narrow-minded approach that failed to see any long-term benefit.
A cold, imperial decree suddenly proclaimed: "Small countries are without righteousness, fearing power but not cherishing virtue. Those who carry firewood should not be allowed to freeze to death."
"General Ma, immediately send troops to the three kingdoms and kill the ruler who violated the alliance in his palace. Let the world take this shameless scoundrel as a warning!"
Ma Hong stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and shouted in a loud voice, "This humble general obeys the imperial decree!!"
Ma Hong immediately strode out of the Golden Palace. The officials were all astonished and hadn't reacted yet. Once they did, the entire Golden Palace erupted in a clamor.
The three rulers of South Korea, Nian Kingdom, and Zhou Kingdom were still indulging in the idea that they could play both sides between the major powers, or use this as leverage to get more benefits from New Tianjing.
Unexpectedly, 10,000 imperial guards arrived at the city gates that afternoon.
They divided their forces into three routes and razed the capitals of the three kingdoms to the ground that same day. The rulers of Han, Nian, and Zhou were taken to their respective execution grounds and beheaded on the spot.
The Three Kingdoms also had enemies who stubbornly resisted.
After receiving His Highness's secret order, Ma Hong began to catch up with Si Xitong, and the two worked together seamlessly.
Ma Hong massacred the royal families of the three kingdoms. A few days later, Si Xitong abolished the three kingdoms and transformed them into counties: Han County, Nian County, and Zhou County. These three counties became the new territory of the new Tianjing in the central region.
The three counties have good soil and water conditions and can serve as a major granary for the central defense line.
The massacre of the royal families of the three kingdoms by Ma Hong shocked the entire world. Although the vassal states were terrified, they were all glad that they had chosen the right side.
In the new Tianjing, some ministers jumped out to accuse Ma Hong of being too ruthless, but Si Xitong used the excuse that generals in the field are bound to be dismissed, and protected Ma Hong. He also removed the ministers who had impeached him from their posts.
The ministers were actually quite confident; in the current war, the fewer troublemakers there were, the better their chances of victory would be. Only the new Tianjing truly understood the strength of the Northern Xiongnu. Smaller states had no sense of crisis whatsoever.
Since the small countries lack a sense of crisis about being annihilated, let General Ma remind them. Their countries are no match for the new Tianjing; they can be destroyed in an instant. His Highness is a benevolent and wise ruler, but certainly not a foolish monarch!
The news of the Three Kingdoms being destroyed and reduced to county towns circulated between the states of Huayin and Lu. Some began to sow panic, saying that the new Tianjing was trying to unify the Nine Provinces, emulating the Northern Hu and Xiongnu. They claimed that only one nation would exist in the future, and the other states currently cooperating were merely pawns.
The smaller countries believed it to some extent, but none of them dared to be the first to take the lead.
The ruler of Lu was somewhat hesitant. However, before the day was over, Xie Lanzhi addressed the ruler of Lu: "We share the same ancestor in the Central Plains; no foreigner can replace us."
Compared to their own people, foreign tribes show no mercy to the Central Plains. It's a given that once they invade the south, they will commit massacres and exterminate entire races. Will the new Tianjing (Nanjing) do the same?
Xie Lanzhi deliberately left a rhetorical question here, which was then spread to other countries through the words of the King of Lu, thus quelling the panic caused by the rumors.
After Xie Lanzhi spoke, there were no further objections from any country.
Li Li and Xie Ji were both in the main hall, dealing with their respective armies. Now that the army and the Hu people had migrated to Lu, a certain level of order needed to be maintained. Li Li, burdened by grief, wore a stern face all day.
Xie Ji was pondering how to launch a counterattack. If Luochuan hadn't been breached, they wouldn't have needed to flee to Lu. Conversely, if they hadn't fled, they would have been attacked from both sides by Arna and Shan Yuhou.
As the only force in the Northern Region capable of resisting the Northern Xiongnu, they must be preserved. Li Li understood this as well. That's why he had been holding back these past few days. Every time he heard that his people were being slaughtered by Al-Na, he felt an urge to tear Al-Na to pieces.
Xie Lanzhi noticed that both generals looked unusually somber, lost in their own thoughts. She felt a pang of regret that neither of them had noticed that Little Phoenix had already been slowly boiled like a frog in warm water.
And the water has already boiled.
An Yi sat to the side, cracking sunflower seeds, as if the war had nothing to do with her.
She would occasionally sip her tea and complain: "I think your second prince is wrong not only for letting the wolves into the house, but now his actions to protect the Hu people for the throne of the Khan are also reasonable. If he hadn't let the Northern Hu and Xiongnu go, I guess he would have killed even more people."
"They have so many guns and cannons, no matter how many of you there are, you won't have enough to kill."
Upon hearing this, Li Li glared at her. An Yi was also oblivious to the situation, still rambling on and on: "And those three kingdoms deserve to die too. Of all things to learn, they had to learn from the Northern Frontier Khan, trying to have their cake and eat it too. Now look what happened, they've been fed shit by both sides. They couldn't even keep their thrones."
This time, it was Xie Ji's turn to look up at her. Such an overconfident statement! He was utterly disgusted, thinking, "Don't you have any self-awareness about the state of your own country? And you have time to worry about others?!"
Li Li simply snorted coldly and ignored An Yi.
Xie Ji kindly reminded him, "King Anzen, you can't say that."
"What's there to hide? If it weren't for your sister asking you to send 30,000 men to the Delta, you'd still be standing there like an idiot!" An Yi's mouth seemed to be blessed today.
The double blast is about to be detonated.
Before Li Li could react, Xie Ji slammed his waist knife on the table and yelled, "If you're a man, come out and fight me! Otherwise, shut your mouth in front of me!"
An Yi immediately rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to get to work. Then she rolled up her sleeves again and continued eating sunflower seeds.
Xie Ji: ......
Xie Ji held this oblivious former king in utter contempt. He even began to doubt how Anyi had managed to win the war to protect the nation. With his abilities?