Chapter 239 - 163: Threat and Return
Chapter 239: Chapter 163: Threat and Return
Dayong’s foundations ran deeper, but Lu Yuan was unaware. He was already on his way back.
He planned to spend the next period of time focusing on improving his strength.
’My current cultivation in the Divine Palace Realm is still a little lacking.’
’It’s certainly enough for ordinary battles, but when facing an Earth Immortal Powerhouse, there’s still a significant gap.’
’And I need to upgrade the Military Array as soon as possible.’
’It would be best if I could reach the Renowned General level; then there would be no issues.’
As he was rushing all the way back.
Inside Great Qin’s Chaotian Hall, the Xiao Clan sat enthroned with a grave expression.
Below, the assembled court officials were also entirely solemn.
The envoy from Great Yu had just arrived yesterday.
This cast a pall over the ruler of Great Qin and the court officials, who had all been in a celebratory mood.
Great Yu was one of the most powerful among the several imperial courts.
They had delivered a message: next year, Dayong would attack Great Qin.
Furthermore, Dayong had already begun sending envoys to negotiate a partnership with Great Yu to jointly carve up Great Qin’s Wasteland grasslands.
Based on Great Qin’s own confirmations, this matter was not a baseless rumor; it was likely the truth.
Great Yu had proposed a condition: if Great Qin was willing to cede a stretch of grassland to them, they would not cooperate with Dayong. Otherwise, the two imperial courts would launch a joint attack on Great Qin next year.
This was a blatant threat.
Yet Great Qin was powerless. With their current national strength, it would take all their effort just to resist Dayong alone.
But if they faced a pincer attack from two imperial courts.
They would be no match.
Although Great Qin’s power had grown considerably and its neighbors had submitted, they still lacked a Renowned General.
This was the crucial factor.
It was no exaggeration to say that against a Renowned General leading an army of a million.
Even a few more Earth Immortals would be of no use.
Before a Military Array that moved like a deluge, it was undoubtedly a path to certain death.
Only a general of the same caliber could hope to face one in battle.
And publicly, Dayong possessed one Renowned General.
As for Great Yu, they publicly had two.
Three Renowned Generals. Could the current Great Qin possibly contend with that?
The answer was clearly no.
This was why Great Yu dared to come and extort Great Qin.
Currently, Great Qin only had one Quasi-Renowned General: Xiao Xiong.
Lu Yuan was probably at this level as well.
But even though the titles "Quasi-Renowned General" and "Renowned General" differed by only a single word, the actual gap in their abilities was as vast as the heavens and the earth.
"Speak your minds, all of you. Should we agree to their demands?" the Xiao Clan said slowly.
Li Qing’s expression was tinged with worry. He looked at the Xiao Clan and said, "Your Majesty, the most important thing for Great Qin right now is to rest and recover. We just need time for our national strength to increase again.
Sooner or later, Prince Qin will ascend to the rank of Renowned General. It will not be too late to seek revenge then.
If we fight two Imperial Dynasties now, we will surely be defeated.
Only by ceding a stretch of grassland can we focus our efforts on dealing with Dayong. Only then will we have a chance."
"I don’t want to hear this! Ceding the lands our forefathers fought for just like that? If I have the chance to ascend one day, how could I possibly face our ancestors? We absolutely cannot agree to Great Yu’s demands.
Today they come with threats, and we cede territory. What about tomorrow when they come back? Are we supposed to just keep giving up more land?" Xiao Gu said bluntly.
"Grand Minister of Rites, you must understand how powerful a Renowned General is," Li Qing said in a grave voice. "Unless we can successfully assassinate Great Yu’s Renowned Generals, they are invincible on the battlefield. We have many experts now, it’s true, but caught in the midst of a massive army, how much of their power can they really wield?"
Then, he swept his gaze over the assembly. "Everyone here is a pillar of our Great Qin. I trust none of you wish to smash an egg against a rock. If this only concerned me, I would say no more. A fight to the death is a fight to the death; I, this old man, have never feared anyone.
But you must not forget that Great Qin is a nation. We have never been well-regarded by Dayong or Great Yu. If we are defeated, how many of our citizens will suffer a tragic death?"
After he finished speaking, the hall fell into pensive silence.
A moment later, National Preceptor Xiao Mie also stepped forward. "The Prime Minister is not wrong. Facing Dayong alone already requires all our energy.
If we add Great Yu to the equation, we have no chance of victory."
Grand Commandant Fu Chuan said, "Indeed. The over one million soldiers of the Imperial Guard are the foundation we have painstakingly built. They are what Prince Qin risked his life to win for us.
We only have one chance to turn this around. We must cede the land.
If I ever get the chance to meet our ancestors in the afterlife, I will be the one to bear this responsibility.
This matter must be settled quickly, as Prince Qin has not yet returned.
If we wait for his return, given Prince Qin’s temperament, I fear he will not agree. The court will fall into a deadlock once more.
Let’s placate Great Yu first so we can focus on dealing with Dayong. After we defeat them...
we can take back the grasslands."
Fu Chuan’s words made the Xiao Clan’s eyes flicker.
She knew that if Lu Yuan were present, he would never agree. ’But I can’t bear to watch Lu Yuan risk his life again and again.’
’The boy is still young; he must be given time to grow.’
’Right now, what Great Qin must do is go all-out in nurturing Lu Yuan’s potential.’
’When the time comes, he will lead the three divisions of the Imperial Guard and reclaim what was lost.’
Having reached this conclusion, she waved her hand and declared, "We will do as the Prime Minister suggests. Cede a stretch of grassland near Great Yu. However, all of our people there must be relocated."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Upon hearing the Xiao Clan’s decision, Li Qing bowed and responded.
At the same time, expressions of humiliation appeared on the faces of all the officials in the grand hall.
"Very well. If there is nothing else, you are all dismissed. We are tired." After speaking, the Xiao Clan left the hall with her daughter in tow.