Chapter 183 - 142: Plotting Against the 7th Prince
Chapter 183: Chapter 142: Plotting Against the 7th Prince
The Seventh Prince was determined to take the buffer zone this time, but his own forces had consistently failed to grow. The factions secretly cultivated by the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince were already set to surpass his own.
Therefore, the Celestial King Stronghold was arguably his only hope.
After the envoy left, the Seventh Prince sat alone in the great hall drinking wine, his eyes filled with sinister gloom.
Before he came to the border, the Yong Emperor had summoned him, hinting that this was his last chance. He had to seize it; otherwise, the position of Crown Prince might truly slip from his grasp.
The main reason was that the supporters behind the other princes were also quite formidable.
Even the Yong Emperor had to take them into consideration.
So now, the Seventh Prince was essentially going all in.
While the princes of Dayong were on the verge of a decisive confrontation on the Northern Border, Lu Yuan, after traveling for several days, finally returned to the Celestial King Stronghold.
The stronghold had been completely transformed into a city. Its high walls were built entirely of bluestone, and atop them stood Village Soldiers clad in armor.
The ironwood gates were studded with bronze nails that glinted with a metallic sheen.
Lu Yuan had just arrived when Wu Han and the others came out to greet him. All the top leaders of the stronghold were present.
Standing outside the city gates, they shouted in unison, "Greetings, Village Chief."
A fervent light shone in everyone’s eyes.
After all, back when Lu Yuan was expanding their territory, he had personally slain a Gathering Pill Realm expert with his own hands.
This had earned him the deep admiration of everyone in the stronghold.
Some even speculated that Lu Yuan had reached the Divine Palace Realm.
After sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he said in a low voice, "Let’s go inside before we talk."
His warhorse’s hooves clopped crisply against the bluestone pavement.
As he rode inside, many eyes turned to look at him.
The Celestial King Stronghold had practically become a military city. Every household had Village Soldiers, and its inhabitants were all their family members.
The houses were also quite new, likely having been built not long ago.
Noticing the curiosity in Lu Yuan’s eyes as he periodically glanced around, Wu Han immediately explained, "The stronghold now has a population of about two million."
"We can field an army of three hundred thousand Village Soldiers."
"During your absence, many smaller strongholds were wiped out, and some of their scattered soldiers and wandering warriors came to join us."
"So we spent silver to build this city."
Lu Yuan glanced at him. "Can we afford to support them?"
’Three hundred thousand men, at three taels of silver each per month, would come to nearly a million taels. And that’s just the basics. The forging and maintenance of armor, fodder for the warhorses, and so on—those are the major expenses.’
’It wasn’t enough just to keep them fed.’
’They also need to be a capable fighting force. Elixirs are a big problem, too. We can perform Alchemy ourselves, but what about the medicinal ingredients? We still have to buy them.’
Wu Han nodded. "We manage quite a few trade routes now. We can bring in over ten million taels of silver a month, but our expenditures are also significant."
"We’re lucky if we have a million taels left over each month."
"But even though the costs are high, the results are clear. We now have an Entry Level force of fifty thousand, all clad in iron armor. Twenty thousand of them have reached the Bone Forging Realm. Another three thousand are at the Tendon Refining stage. They’re almost comparable to the Dayong Imperial Guard, but there are just too few of them," Wu Han explained.
A hint of pride unconsciously showed on his face.
’With an army of three hundred thousand, even a Divine Essence master would have no choice but to flee.’
"You’ve done well." Lu Yuan clapped Wu Han on the shoulder.
As they spoke, the group arrived at a massive manor.
Wu Han scratched the back of his head. "This is the Celestial King’s Palace we built for you."
"Heh, let’s take a look then," Lu Yuan said with a laugh. A soldier stepped forward and pushed open the great gates, revealing a rather striking garden.
Though it was a little crude, and the winter had draped the trees in snow and frost, the modest lake within had frozen solid.
The manor contained many courtyards, a hundred of them at least.
Lu Yuan entered the main hall. It was luxuriously decorated, though it still possessed a certain Jianghu atmosphere.
He strode to the head of the hall and took his seat on the tiger-skin throne.
Then, he waved a hand, motioning for the others to take their seats.
Then, he spoke softly, "Tell me everything. What is the current situation? I heard the Dayong princes’ factions have started fighting in the buffer zone, and that we’ve suffered significant losses. Is that true?"
"Village Chief, it’s true. Last month, we fought a battle against Ice Mirror Lake, which is secretly backed by the Eldest Prince. We lost several thousand men, including a Void Manipulation expert," Wu Han said slowly after taking a sip of tea.
A Void Manipulation expert was definitely considered a top-tier powerhouse in the Celestial King Stronghold.
"How strong are they?" Lu Yuan frowned.
"He should be at the Gathering Pill Realm. He’s a reclusive master who has lived Beyond the Passes for a long time. I have no idea how the Eldest Prince dug him up," Wu Han said helplessly, slapping his own thigh.
In a place like the buffer zone, it’s mostly Jianghu folk. Masters from the imperial court don’t come here, so you rarely see a true expert.
After all, a typical Gathering Pill Realm expert would hold a respectable position in any Imperial Dynasty. There’s no reason for them to be slumming it in a place like the lands Beyond the Passes.
The ones who come here are usually wanted by various imperial courts and have nowhere else to go in the Jianghu.
Just as Wu Han finished speaking, Yang Xiao added, "Village Chief, there’s more. Half a month ago, the Third Prince sent an expert to assassinate Vice-Village Chief Wu Han."
"The assassin’s cultivation was at the Divine Palace Realm. If we hadn’t discovered him early and surrounded him with our army in the Outer City, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"But even so, he managed to kill several thousand of our men before escaping with ease."
’In the end, this place still lacks true masters.’
’But in these lands Beyond the Passes, finding an expert stronger than the Gathering Pill Realm is just too difficult.’
Lu Yuan didn’t say much. He nodded, then glanced at Wu Han. "So, what’s your plan?"
"Village Chief, we have no other choice. We have to fight the other factions and come out on top. Judging by the situation in Dayong, they’re becoming less and less concerned about the threat from the Northern Barbarians."
"The Village Soldiers these factions have secretly raised are constantly killing each other. Even if we do nothing, the others will eventually come for us," Wu Han said.
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
"Looking at the map, the territory closest to us should be the Eldest Prince’s. It’s already bordering the Celestial King Stronghold. What’s their strength, specifically?" Lu Yuan pointed to the map at his feet.
"Their troop numbers are similar to ours, but they have a Divine Palace Realm expert overseeing things," Wu Han replied quickly.
It was no exaggeration to say that among the major factions, the Celestial King Stronghold had the weakest foundation.
Both the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince had managed to recruit Divine Palace Realm experts to their cause.
Their foundations were too deep, and their names carried too much weight.
The Celestial King Stronghold was the only one whose number of experts fell so far short in comparison.
Lu Yuan nodded. "Alright. Let’s focus on the Eldest Prince first. We’ll figure out a way to eliminate him, and then we’ll deal with the others. If we’re going to unify the buffer zone, then it can only belong to our Celestial King Stronghold."
Wu Han grinned. "Exactly as the Village Chief says."
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Village Chief, there’s one more thing. The Seventh Prince’s envoy has been staying in our stronghold this whole time. He left for a few days a while back but returned the day before yesterday."
"It seems he won’t rest until he sees you."
"Should we get rid of him?"
Wu Han made a throat-slitting gesture.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, laughing to himself. ’This Seventh Prince is certainly persistent.’
He chuckled and said, "Have him come over. Since he wants to see me so badly, I’ll grant him a meeting today."
Wu Han was surprised by the reply.
After all, he knew the true identity of the Village Chief standing before him.
Back when Lu Yuan was in Dayong, he had been spurned by the Seventh Prince. If not for that, he might never have fled to the lands of the Northern Barbarians.
Now, he actually wanted to meet the Seventh Prince’s envoy. It was a bit strange.
Nevertheless, he gave the order and sent someone to fetch him.
A moment later, a figure rushed into the main hall. It was none other than the Seventh Prince’s envoy.
The excitement in his eyes was unconcealed.
’After waiting for what felt like an eternity, I’ve finally moved this Village Chief to grant me an audience!’
As soon as he entered the main hall, he bowed deeply. "Greetings, Great Village Chief."
Lu Yuan waved a dismissive hand and looked at the envoy. "You’ve been in my Celestial King Stronghold for quite some time. Why haven’t you left? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?"
"Are you unaware of my relationship with Lu Yuan? Am I to take this as a provocation against me?"
His voice had grown exceptionally stern by the end.
The others in the hall rose to their feet, their hands falling to the hilts of their blades.
They looked ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Seeing this, the envoy, who had originally planned to haggle over the terms, immediately blurted out, "Village Chief, don’t be rash! Our Prince has said that as long as you are willing to work for us, anything is negotiable. Please, name your conditions."
"Moreover, he is willing to provide the Celestial King Stronghold with ample resources."
"As for Lu Yuan being your friend, we were unaware at the time. Had we known, we would have treated him with the utmost respect."
"Village Chief, it is better to resolve enmity than to create it. Are you really going to reject so many potential allies over a single friend?"
He wasn’t particularly afraid of being killed by the men of the Celestial King Stronghold; as an envoy operating Beyond the Passes, he had long been prepared for that possibility.
However, if he failed to secure an alliance with the Celestial King Stronghold, his entire family would likely be killed.
So, he had long since thrown any thought of haggling out the window. It was the Seventh Prince’s silver, not his.
His duty was to secure the allegiance of the Celestial King Stronghold.
Hearing the Seventh Prince’s envoy’s words, the corners of Lu Yuan’s mouth, hidden beneath his Bronze Mask, curled up. "Oh? If that’s the case, then perhaps we can talk."
"The Village Chief is wise! Our Seventh Prince is absolutely sincere this time. If you can eliminate the other strongholds, there will be additional support."
"In two years, he can even grant you the title of a City Marquis!" the envoy said, his voice laced with urgency.
He desperately wanted to finalize this deal.
Anything to stop living in constant fear here every day.
"Since that’s the case, let’s try negotiating. I have a few conditions. First, the Seventh Prince cannot interfere in any of the Celestial King Stronghold’s internal affairs. However, I can agree to what you said about eliminating the other strongholds."
"Furthermore, the Seventh Prince must provide for all of the Celestial King Stronghold’s future provisions and cultivation resources. In return, of course, we will fight whomever he asks us to fight. We will cooperate completely."
"And that title of City Marquis two years from now... it must be reserved for me." Lu Yuan finished and looked down at the envoy.
The man’s body trembled, the joy on his face palpable.
He said hurriedly, "I will return at once and convey the Village Chief’s intentions to His Highness. I’m certain our Prince will agree."
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You may return. I’ll be in the stronghold for the next few days."
The envoy below bowed and retreated from the great hall.
Puffing out his chest, he strode outside.
Meanwhile, inside the hall, Lu Yuan dismissed the others. He kept only Wu Han, leading him toward the rear courtyard.
After first visiting his mother from the Lu Clan and having a simple meal...
...he returned alone to his own courtyard and opened his system panel.
He hadn’t given up on his cultivation during the past few days of travel. In fact, he had even consumed a Spirit Flower.
Now, he should be able to use that Heavenly and Earthly Treasure to break through.
Once he reached the Gathering Pill Realm, he would be able to fight even a Divine Essence master, let alone someone in the Divine Palace Realm.
’According to what the envoy just revealed, Dayong will most likely invade the Northern Barbarians in two years.’
’I can use this time to build up the Celestial King Stronghold with the Seventh Prince’s resources. Then, when the war starts, I’ll stab him in the back.’
’I can’t give up on that title, either. If I can’t take it myself, I’ll just have Wu Han accept it.’
’Having a City Marquis helping from the inside would make things even more secure.’
With his plans laid, Lu Yuan focused his mind, and the system panel materialized.
He was ready to officially break through.