Prince Duan soon received a letter from Prince Jing.
The three kings were always at odds, constantly sabotaging each other, and on many occasions wishing they could kill each other.
After reading King Jing's letter requesting an alliance, Prince Duan felt conflicted. He found it satisfying that King Jing was so eager to write to him, but he also felt the situation was becoming increasingly dire.
He stroked his chin and asked, "Jinmo, what do you think?"
Huan Jinmo felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. Back then, he had said that Lu Shiyan was just a country bumpkin who wouldn't amount to anything, but now, not only had he become influential, but his power far surpassed theirs.
The reason why the three princes had not staged a coup was because the power of the three princes was roughly the same.
It could be described as a three-way standoff, with none able to defeat the others. It was this strange balance that allowed the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty to remain on the throne.
But none of the three kings were willing to give up.
They all felt that the young and incompetent emperor in the capital was not a threat to them. The real threats to their ascension to the throne came from the other two princes who held military power and fiefdoms.
Over the years, while keeping a close watch on each other, they have tried every means to obtain resources from each other.
With the three parties constantly wary of and fighting each other, the final result was that their strengths were roughly equal. None of them were confident that they could defeat the other and seize the throne.
However, this balance was broken after the invasion of the Western Rong.
The Western Rong attacked their territory, and he lost a significant number of troops in his efforts to defend their base. Furthermore, his treasury vanished without a trace.
Now, Lu Shiyan has unexpectedly risen to power and seized control of Prince Rui's forces. He thought anxiously, "Your Highness, at this time, it would be best if we cooperated with Prince Jing to eliminate Lu Shiyan first, and then plan other things."
"How can we cooperate?" Prince Duan said coldly, "That man is the most cunning. He said he wanted to cooperate with us to deal with Lu Shiyan, but he just wanted to take a piece of flesh from me. In the end, we might be attacked from three sides, and after all our efforts, we would lose our lives, and everything would be for someone else's benefit."
Huan Jinmo was at a loss for words.
The current situation is indeed very unfavorable for them. However, cooperating with Prince Jing offers another way out. If they don't cooperate, they might be the first to be dealt with once Lu Shiyan has sorted things out on his end.
In the end, Prince Duan swallowed his anger and chose to cooperate with Prince Jing.
However, the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement on how to cooperate, each feeling that the other is plotting against them.
*
Lu Shiyan's quiet takeover of Prince Rui's territory stunned Zhang Kui and the rest of the people in Puzhou.
Zhang Kui stroked his chin and summoned his trusted confidants to discuss what to do next.
Zeng Wendao said, "My lord, General Lu is a man of extraordinary talent, and he has the aura to become the ruler of the world. We should assist General Lu so that he can lead everyone to rescue the people of our Great Zhou from their suffering as soon as possible."
After Lu Shiyan led his men to take over Prince Rui's territory, the soldiers in the army spontaneously called him General.
In their eyes, Lu Shiyan was like a god descended to earth, and was extremely admirable.
At first, only the soldiers in the army called him that, but gradually, it became the respectful title that everyone in Puzhou used to address him.
Zhang Kui wasn't particularly capable, but he was good at recognizing his own limitations. After hearing his confidant's words, he not only showed no dissatisfaction but also wholeheartedly agreed.
So he discussed it with his confidants.
After taking control of Prince Rui's forces, there are still many things to deal with. Besides discussing the upcoming tasks, it's also about instructing his men to henceforth respect Lu Shiyan.
Even if Zhang Kui didn't say it aloud, his subordinates understood. With Lu Shiyan's exceptional talent, barring unforeseen circumstances, he would undoubtedly become the new emperor of this country.
They were the first to follow him, and after the country was founded, they became the founding heroes.
Instead of trying to curry favor with him, they offended him; they're not stupid.
But Zhang Kui's explanation actually won everyone's favor.
This matter naturally reached Lu Shiyan's ears.
Of course, Zhang Kui used a little trick in this. However, Lu Shiyan didn't dislike his deliberate attempt to ingratiate himself. On the contrary, he thought Zhang Kui was a very reasonable person with a good sense of the big picture.
The rear area was handed over to him for management.
He still has several tough battles to fight.
Previously, he had indeed planned to gradually build up his strength. But the unexpected turn of events in this operation made him realize something.
The longer it drags on, the more the people will suffer.
It would be better to cut the Gordian knot and end this chaotic world as soon as possible, giving the people a peaceful life.
Zhang Kui was the prefect of Puzhou before, so he has the ability to govern a region. Lu Shiyan doesn't need to worry about these trivial matters; he only needs to focus on how to drive out the Western Rong and deal with the two kings.
However, whether they drive out the Western Rong soldiers or deal with the two kings, they will have to mobilize troops. If it comes to a head-on confrontation, they don't have much of an advantage.
Lu Shiyan pondered what to do next and returned to the valley first.
Apart from Jiang Tangtang, no one in the valley knew that Lu Shiyan had already taken over Prince Rui's territory.
However, the craftsmen and their rescued families had already been sent into the valley.
The craftsmen now kowtow vigorously whenever they see Lu Shiyan, calling him gods and bodhisattvas.
Lu Shiyan said, "Everyone, please get up. It's just a small favor."
After kowtowing and expressing their gratitude, the group stood up and inquired about the situation outside from Lu Shiyan.
At that time, Lu Shiyan had his family members sent away first. They only knew that Lu Shiyan was in a dangerous situation, but they did not know what happened afterward, and they were constantly worried.
Lu Shiyan casually mentioned that he had already taken over the power of Prince Rui.
Everyone in Shanggu was stunned.
No one spoke for a long while.
Only about half a minute later, the workers who had been rescued from the black mine let out a thunderous cheer.
They were imprisoned in the illegal mines, forced to work day and night. While the foremen who arrested them were certainly despicable, the most despicable was Prince Rui—the one who issued the orders.
Now that Prince Rui has been defeated, it's as if a huge mountain has been knocked down from their heads. Everyone feels they can finally breathe freely again.
The villagers of Dawancun were completely bewildered. What had Lu Shiyan done? He killed Prince Rui and seized his territory. Was he planning to rebel and become emperor?
The villagers were filled with mixed emotions—excitement and fear.
If Lu Shiyan becomes emperor, their fortunes will be turned around overnight. But if his rebellion fails, will they also be beheaded?
Someone couldn't contain themselves and asked Lu Shiyan, "Where will we live from now on? ...Are we going to fight in the war?"
Lu Shiyan said, "No need, you can still stay in this valley. Although we have added quite a few people to the valley this time, I have instructed them not to talk about what happens in the valley. This is a military order. It is very safe here."
Upon hearing this, the villagers who had been so worried were immediately relieved. They were hiding in this valley, and even if Lu Shiyan failed in the future, it wouldn't affect them.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I felt awkward again.
They enjoyed the benefits brought by Lu Shiyan, but didn't want to take any risks. Isn't that incredibly heartless?
The villager who had just asked the question looked embarrassed.
Many villagers, upon realizing what had happened, dared not look at Lu Shiyan any longer and lowered their heads in shame.
Lu Shiyan didn't think anything of it.
He issued a military order not to reveal the location of the valley, mainly to protect the secrecy of the weapons.
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