Chapter 1214: A Just Cause (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

The envoy lowered his eyes humbly and respectfully, not daring to look directly at Shen Tang.

Unable to discern the other person's emotions from their expression, she felt even more uneasy, her heart pounding with a rhythmic beat.

Before deciding to seek help from Kangguo, her country's understanding of Shen Tang was mostly based on hearsay and information from allied nations, which was mixed, and the envoy's initial impression of Shen Tang also stemmed from this. It was only later that she accidentally found a storybook based on Shen Tang from a merchant, and from the many words, she glimpsed an image completely different from her initial impression.

Gu Chi, who was accompanying the envoy, suddenly looked up.

Seeing that no one had noticed him, he silently lowered his head.

The messenger's inner voice continues to roll forward like a wheel, accompanied not only by sound but also by visuals, and the dialogue even has its own intonation.

Power and status are the ultimate tonics for eternal youth and longevity! This is true for men, and even more so for women. You, my lady, possess unparalleled beauty; by submitting to Wu Zhaode, you have enjoyed years of pampered luxury. But if you wish to follow me today, I can give you everything he can! And I can also give you what he cannot! Can the nourishment you receive from Wu Zhaode be any different from the tonics I can offer you?

The beautiful queen was furious at her frivolous and rude behavior.

Dao: [Distorted and heretical doctrines.]

The seemingly lecherous and dissolute king grasped the queen's chin, subtly forcing her to look him directly in the eye: "How is this heresy? The queens surrounding high-ranking officials are all elegant and wealthy; aren't these qualities nurtured by the power of their men? It's all power, but the nourishing effect of power in a woman's hands is no different from that given by a man. If you follow me, I will not only nourish you with power, but I will also let you share my power—double the nourishment, double the maintenance."

Gu Chi remained expressionless, but inwardly marveled.

Good heavens, this is also a storybook about polishing mirrors.

The idea of ​​a ruler sharing the world with a female protagonist from a fantasy novel is indeed a potent tonic that can keep one forever young. Although the plot of sharing the world with a canary is absurd, the author's ability to perfectly capture the roguish nature of the ruler is commendable.

Gu Chi thought that was about it.

The messenger's message took a sharp turn for the worse.

A large, discordant scene directly confronts Gu Chi.

"Cough cough cough—"

He coughed violently.

Everyone, including the messenger, turned their gaze to him.

Gu Chi's reaction time was impressive. He immediately cracked his throat and deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I caught a cold yesterday from being out in the cool air, and my throat is not feeling well this morning..."

Shen Tang: "..."

Her eyes seemed to ask Gu Chi what he was up to.

What's wrong with my throat?

Gu Chi still remembered his passionate outburst during the court assembly today, his clear and resonant voice almost reaching over the palace walls, so loud that even the morning market could hear it? The seventy or eighty-year-old minister was already heartbroken that his younger generation had gone astray, and being verbally attacked like that broke him down on the spot, making him want to commit suicide!

Even Chen Tang felt a little reluctant to see it.

Now Gu Chi says his voice is hoarse?

Hehe, did you hear some strange thoughts?

Unsure of the envoy's true intentions and worried about its impact on the overall situation, Shen Tang used the pretext of repeatedly examining the confidential documents to secretly exchange messages with Gu Chi. She would then make a judgment based on the envoy's true thoughts.

Gu Chi: "..."

Stop asking, please stop asking.

He felt completely drained.

No matter how erotic the plot, if one of the protagonists is a boss who exploits you every day, it's more disheartening than copying a calming mantra ten thousand times. This messenger must have had the audacity to let his mind wander and recall stories in such a setting.

Gu Chi could only give a vague answer: "Nothing much, except that this envoy's background is rather interesting; she's apparently a supporter of the Emperor. She was originally a lady-in-waiting in the inner court and didn't have the opportunity to be sent on this mission before, but there were rumors that the Emperor has a fondness for beautiful women, so she came."

Sending a female official instead of other officials was a subtle way of currying favor with Shen Tang. Shen Tang knew this little trick, but he didn't expect the envoy to be one of his supporters, so he became a little more friendly.

Gu Chi: [...]

How can someone who loves reading fanfiction about the Lord not be considered a fan?

Shen Tang put down the confidential scroll with feigned profundity: "The contents of this scroll are detailed and do not seem to be a disguise, but precisely because it is too real, I have another question—how did you obtain it? Such a confidential document would not be easily obtained by others."

The messenger was instructed to tell the truth before he arrived.

Without hesitation, she confessed the details of what had happened.

This confidential letter was originally in the hands of a powerful minister in the State of Qi. His residence was heavily guarded, second only to the royal palace, so it wouldn't be easily leaked. But there are always exceptions. Who knows which audacious martial artist stole it and put it up for auction!

"auction?"

The envoy hesitated and spoke vaguely about this part.

It wasn't that she deliberately concealed it, but rather that she didn't know either. When she came, the king personally told her that there was such a place where there were no taboos, and that Shen Tang, as the ruler of a country, had most likely been in contact with it before, and that they just needed to be on the same page.

Some things don't need to be exposed to the world.

Shen Tang did not continue to make things difficult for the envoy.

The members of the Gods Society have always been lawless, and their methods of manipulating power and succession are utterly unrestrained. They exchange interests on this platform—anything goes, living or dead, including confidential information. If someone has the ability to obtain it, and someone is willing to buy, someone is willing to sell! The Northwest branch is Qi Shan's territory, while things are relatively stable in Kangguo.

The Southwest branch is more flexible.

Shen Tang skipped over that topic and went straight to the heart of the matter.

Is the news true?

The envoy recalled the king's anxious expression as he nearly burst into tears and said frankly, "When our king received it, he sent people to investigate the marked locations. Those places were not only heavily guarded, but also had the beginnings of fortresses, and the granaries matched up."

This group almost got their tracks discovered. In the end, they managed to escape by setting a fire to lure the enemy away.

Several trusted ministers in the court initially doubted the authenticity of the letter, feeling that someone was secretly sowing discord and that it was a conspiracy by villains to undermine the alliance of southwestern states from within and drag them into a war of suspicion! But now that the evidence has emerged, they have all fallen silent.

Qi Guo really wanted to kill himself!

How can we tolerate this?

However, after careful consideration, they realized that none of the southwestern kingdoms could save them. Those with the ability wouldn't take the risk, and those without would only suffer the consequences if they intervened. In the end, they could only turn their attention to regions beyond the southwestern continent.

The central continent is definitely out of the question. No country along the route would give way to reinforcements; they'd likely resort to another elaborate scheme of feigning an attack to gain entry. After all the calculations, there's only one suitable reinforcement!

Shen Tang pressed, "Really?"

"really!"

Shen Tang began to play coy with the envoy: "Once the Qi Kingdom discovers that the information has been leaked, they will definitely back down and will not dare to make any rash moves for a while. They will not necessarily have to come all the way here to borrow troops and ask for help..."

The messenger had a bad feeling.

She could tell that the King of Shen was not very interested in the matter.

For the Kang Kingdom, which now controls the entire northwestern continent, the vassalage of a mere small state is not only useless but also a burden, leaving only a hollow title. According to custom, if a vassal state is attacked, the Kang Kingdom must send troops to support it. What's the point?

Before an army moves, its supplies must be ready.

These are all substantial military expenditures.

Thinking of this, the envoy couldn't help but show a sorrowful expression: "The Qi Kingdom may stop for a while, but it can't stop forever! What's the use of a peaceful night? Given the Qi Kingdom's current status, it may be cautious and stop because of the leak of secrets, but it may also tear off the mask of civility!"

They can start a war whenever they want, without even caring about the pretext for sending troops.

At that point, it was truly too late to reverse the situation.

Shen Tang remained unmoved.

With a troubled expression, he said, "The envoy must also understand the difficulties of sending troops. To deter the Qi Kingdom, we would need at least twenty or thirty thousand elite troops, right? In order to ensure that these soldiers have a steady supply of provisions, we would also need to send troops to escort the supply convoy, making a total of one hundred thousand troops in total. If these troops stay in Kang Kingdom, they are like towering trees with deep roots, but once they leave Kang Kingdom's borders, they are like trees without roots. How great is the risk?"

When Shen Tang's troops are fighting, the pressure on the food supply line is always minimal.

However, these details don't need to be shared with outsiders.

She could deceive the messenger with a clear conscience.

After "calculating," Shen Tang felt that this move was too unfair.

The envoy was extremely anxious when he saw that Shen Tang wanted to refuse.

"As long as the king is willing to lend a helping hand, our country will forever submit to Kang!" To put it bluntly, this trip to seek help from others is like begging for survival. We can't lower ourselves to the dust, but we can't be too humble and offend people. Even professionals can't handle it well, let alone the envoy, who was originally just a female official assisting the inner court. She has no experience in diplomatic missions.

Shen Tang showed a look of disappointment.

An envoy has no status or influence in their own country. How can she represent the ruler of a nation to make decisions? Hahaha, even if the ruler of a nation personally signs a written oath, it can be torn up at any time.

"I swear on my life before the Emperor's palace! If there is a single falsehood or deception, may my entire clan be wiped out!"

Gu Chi's whispered words echoed in her mind.

[My lord, this queen is also a member of the royal family.]

Her entire clan is royalty.

This oath is truly ruthless; not only female officials in the inner court, but even the entire court of civil and military officials wouldn't dare to utter it lightly.

Shen Tang: "..."

She appropriately expressed her surprise and appreciation for the envoy's actions. After a moment of hesitation, she seemed to soften her heart: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided in a few words. Don't be impatient. Let me discuss it with my civil and military officials, and I will give you an answer another day."

The messenger was a sensible person.

Or perhaps she had read the cheat sheet beforehand and knew what words would be most persuasive. The reason Kang Kingdom was unwilling to send troops was simply that the losses would be too great, and it wasn't worth the risk. But what if this military expedition could generate profit, or even expand their territory?

She couldn't help but think of a certain storybook.

The young and promising king finally got his wish. As he nestled intimately with his beloved, joy overflowed from his chest. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, clinging to his hair and highlighting the ambition etched in his eyes. When those around her asked why she was laughing, she picked up a strand of hair, sniffed it lightly, and said ambiguously and with a double meaning: "My greatest passion in this life is conquering new territories. How could I not be happy?"

A small country like this cannot satisfy the ambitions of a young king.

Surely Qi Guo can make her happy?

Before she was sent on her mission, the king had made the worst-case scenario plan—if the kingdom could not be saved, at least her life should be saved.

The State of Qi was no different from any other powerful feudal state; it showed no mercy towards the former royal family, fearing a resurgence of their former power and thus choosing to eradicate them completely. In contrast, the State of Kang was much more benevolent. It was said that commoners often saw the former ruler of the State of Gao, Wu Xian, strolling around. When in high spirits, he would even go out with others to practice martial arts, living a peaceful and harmonious life.

Kangguo also bestowed a noble title upon the man and provided him with a life of honor.

Compared to the purge of the entire clan, this life is quite good!

Of course, we're not at that stage yet.

The envoy's country's intention was to divert trouble eastward if necessary, instigating a war between Kang and Qi. If the two states were to fight, they wouldn't be able to spare the attention of this small nation. Even if Kang was ultimately destroyed, Qi wouldn't escape unscathed; they'd fight to the death!

Gu Chi: "..."

This kind of storybook should be banned from the public!

However, one thing is true: the Queen of Kang has her own special catnip, and the temptation to expand her territory is something she can't resist!

What the envoy was unaware of was that Kangguo had already begun preparing for war.

If it weren't for the need to avoid making things too obvious, Shen Tang could have even mustered his troops and set off that very day, instead of following the so-called "troop deployment" procedure. No matter how anxious the envoy was, he dared not urge him.

Tan Ting was also in the army this time.

Besides allowing Tan Ting to demonstrate his strength, it also gave him a chance to achieve merit and establish his career. Only with military achievements could he gain prestige; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to suppress those arrogant and daring martial artists. Tan Ting also knew the true intention of this battle and had been making plans in private.

"We can rescue the elite troops we've dispatched, but—even if we do, there will be big trouble." Tan Ting looked at the situation on the sand table battlefield with a bit of distress. His opponent was Qin Li, and the odds of winning this battle were less than fifty-fifty.

"trouble?"

"What powerful nation would annex a vassal state?" Not annexing it, watching that tiny piece of land not belong to him, was extremely unsettling. He refused to believe that among the court officials, there were many genuinely willing to support him; everyone had their own agenda.

Qin Li looked at Tan Ting meaningfully.

"It all depends on how skillfully you seize the opportunity."

Tan Ting tentatively asked, "Should we delay it as long as possible?"

Qin Li shook his head with a smile: "Their intention in dragging their feet on sending troops is too obvious. Qi Yuanliang and the others cherish the Lord's reputation so much, how could they want the Lord to have such a stigma? We must not only send troops, but also do so decisively and without wasting a moment, so that outsiders can see the sincerity of Kang Kingdom's support. However, we can only manage ourselves, not the enemy, can we?"

What if the Qi state had first destroyed the tiny, insignificant country?

Although Kangguo will not help the small country restore its nationality, it will use the small country as an excuse to reclaim its lost territory, thus having a legitimate reason for its actions. Anyone who obstructs it will be the next stumbling block to be kicked aside! In the future, when the territory is recovered, it will not be returned to the small country, and everything will proceed naturally.

Shen Tang's arrangements clearly went beyond this.

Her words moved the envoy so much that he didn't know what to do with himself. He said, "I know you are very anxious. I have already ordered my general to lead three hundred elite troops, keep everything simple, and go there in disguise. If there is any movement in Qi State, they will be of use."

In reality—

Before Gongxi's enemy even arrived, the news had already reached the State of Qi.

Shen Tang and Liao Jia kept stirring things up from both sides.

|ω`)

Today, the Xiaomi sales representative told me that the SU7 is ready for pickup before the 8th, but I'm in Guangzhou today and won't be back until the 6th. Hopefully, it'll be done in time.