183 Forced (1/2)
In the Wu Country's tents, the candles were burning brightly.
As one of the stronger country in the area, Wu Qiankun's news was undoubtedly more detailed than that of Xia Country's.
”The First Prince has invaded Sunset Division and presented Purple Dream Princess to the king. Elated as he was, he invited her into his tent before dying abruptly. Purple Dream Princess is nowhere to be found... is this a revenge plot for the fallen soldiers?”
Wu Qiankun clenched the piece of message and he was in disbelief. ”Their king has spent half of his life fighting wars and has fought a name for himself. In the end, his life was ended by a woman, who would have guessed...”
”He deserved it!”
”This old thief, he's finally dead!”
As the king, he had to be mindful of his words and expression. However, Wu Wudao and General Fei Long had no considerations, and both of them appeared elated.
The Yuan King was a cruel man. He had attempted to invade the South many times and had no restraint in anything that he did. His hands were splashed with blood from countless people, and even the Wu Country had once suffered an invasion which involved 18 cities being taken down by the Yuan Country, and the casualty rate was extremely high.
Most importantly, this person was extremely cunning and was suspicious of everyone. He was like a poisonous snake!
Such an easy death made Wu Qiankun feel as though he was dreaming.
”If not for Ge Ritu, who led his army back to resolve this issue using military force, I would have thought that this might be their plan to confuse us...”
Looking at the ministers below, he smiled bitterly.
”My king! This is a good opportunity! And a rare one too!”
General Fei Long's eyes burned with passion. ”There is internal conflict among the foreigners. If we gather our infantry and create trouble for them in the Dragon City... Even if we cannot destroy Yuan country completely, we can at least cripple them...”
As he spoke, his voice became increasingly soft.
”Hehe... With all the other countries outside, why should we be the first one to strike?”
Wu Wudao smiled coldly. ”I have understood it now. On this piece of land, every country is in defence. Whoever who strikes first will die! Furthermore... what do we stand to gain by destroying Yuan Country? Do you think we can convert the grass plains into farms, and subsequently reward the soldiers with it? If they decide the capital to be at the garrison, then we would need to spend huge amounts of money and effort before being able to take them down. There might even be an impending doom for us in the future, and this has all happened in history before!”
”So do we wait and do nothing?”
General Fei Long replied, unconvinced.
”Of course not!”
Wu Wudao held his fists and bowed at Wu Qiankun. ”King! The chaos in Yuan Country and the fact that they have no leader now means that you can contest the appointment as the alliance leader! Thereafter, you can gather all the countries to come together to take down Dragon City and support the First Prince in becoming their new king!”
”This...”
Wu Qiankun's eyes glittered.
The alliance leader would be the leader in name to lead and bring soldiers into alliance! It was unbelievable to be able to pressure the Dragon City and choose the next king of the Yuan Country!
”That's right!”
General Fei Long answered loudly. ”We stand to gain a lot from this! Firstly, we can pressure the many countries to stand on our side. Gathering our influence, we will become a force to be reckoned with! After gathering our influence, the princes who would want to become the crown prince would have to establish relations with us! Our country can benefit from both sides!”
”And this is only the first advantage!”
Wu Wudao twirled his moustache. ”Based on the power we can gather, the truth is that we still cannot completely exterminate Yuan Country. Supporting the First Prince is in preparation of the future.”
”Wise words, Imperial Advisor!”
Wu Qiankun felt that there was much to be explored.
In getting involved with the Yuan Country's internal affairs, the future for Wu Country would be more or less decided. The grass plains would no longer be prone to invasion. The only thing to do would be to train up a deputy. If well performed, generations of alliance leaders from the Wu Country would become the king of the plains, and the plains would be well protected!
Not just that, everyone would be used to the outcome in time to come!
Once Yuan Country had been taken over completely, and with the current power of the Wu Country, their collective power would be increased by folds! Wu Country would become the strongest in the region, and would be one step closer to becoming the alliance leader!
Of course, all these had to be done slowly, and might even take more than a generation's time.
However, if they were to persevere, they would ultimately be an unmatched power! The most important was that their plans were all gradual and would likely not be met with a lot of resistance.
”This is... a plan to unify the whole region!”
Wu Qiankun became increasingly excited. ”Even if it takes my life, I must complete the first step, as a foundation for generations to come!”
”We will put our lives on the line for Wu Country!”
Wu Wudao and General Fei Long kneeled down, bowed and both of them were burning with passion and loyalty for the country.
...
The second day.
”What? Is the conference re-opening? So quickly?”
In the campsite of the Xia Country, Fang Yuan and company received the news.
It was a messenger from the Wu Country, and his face was gleaning with happiness. ”Regarding the Yuan Country's affairs, my king as already received news, and is intending to discuss with every country over the conference.”
After the messenger took his leave, Xie Lingyun and the rest were lost in thoughts.
”The chaos in Yuan Country is natural. It seems that Wu Country wants to take action now!”
Lan Xiaosheng folded his foldable fan and rhythmically slapped in his other palm. ”Princess and Fang Yuan, what are your plans?”
”We'll react to whatever happens. Let's go take a look!”
Fang Yuan looked in the direction of Dragon City, the capital city of Yuan Country. He could feel a tinge of uneasiness.
He thought of the Eighth Prince from Yuan Country, and his formidable influence and power. Even with so much power, he still became flustered the moment he received the smoke signal.
The Wu Country had an ulterior motive for this conference. Would Fang Yuan let them have their way?
A row of people walked up to an elevated platform. Subconsciously, Xie Lingyun and Lan Xiaosheng's eyelids twitched.
There were many flags being positioned around the platform, and Wu Qiankun was wearing a crown. He was dressed in a dragon's robe and sat in the leader's seat. Many servants surrounded him, and the entire scene was majestic beyond words.
”This is the alliance leader's seat!”
Xie Lingyun shook her head. ”Wu Country did not wait for the voting from the other countries, and claimed the appointment for themselves?”
”Don't say that, Lady Xie!”