Chapter 1196: The Expensive Prisoner (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"I fear that sending troops will turn into a funeral procession..."
The hot potato that Zhenguo threw at them was really hard to handle.
More than a decade ago, the Northwest Continent was embroiled in bloodshed, and it wasn't that they didn't want a share of the spoils. However, the individual nations were weak, alliances were repeatedly broken, and internal strife and turmoil in the Central Continent caused them to miss their opportunities.
A few years later, when they wanted to bring up the old matter again, the fragmented Northwest Continent became more and more stable with each battle, eventually forming a situation where the two kingdoms of Kang and Gao stood side by side. At this point, the chances of winning were almost nonexistent.
Unless several powerful nations in the central continent join forces to conquer it.
As time went on, the Gao Kingdom was eventually annexed by the Kang Kingdom.
Regardless of public opinion in the Northwest Continent, the sheer size of the Kang Kingdom is undeniable. Without doing anything, it can easily exert immense pressure on smaller nations. The rulers of the smaller countries near Kang Kingdom have been suffering from sleepless nights for the past few months, easily startled by the slightest disturbance!
Months passed, and Kang Kingdom showed no intention of waging war. Instead, it promoted biographies of famous ministers and scholars. Some rulers of smaller states discussed with their ministers the intentions behind Shen Tang's actions, and the ministers' opinions tended to converge: "That man surnamed Shen is surely testing us."
What are we testing them for?
Naturally, this was a test to gauge their opinion of the Northwest Continent.
Regional discrimination in this era also has a clear hierarchy of contempt, and the source of this hierarchy is the Thief Star! When the Thief Star descended, the Northwest Continent developed the latest, and during the more than two hundred years that followed, it had the fewest regional unified regimes and the shortest period of recuperation.
Over time, the overall strength of the Northwest Continent has also declined.
While other regions were embroiled in warlord conflicts, they began to reclaim orthodox doctrines of literature and martial arts, giving rise to many novel ideas. The Northwest Continent, however, was still stuck in petty squabbles, with warlords using outdated tactics. To put it simply, it was several versions behind the rest of the region.
The biographies of famous ministers and scholars were intended to reverse the prejudices of other regions against the Northwest Continent! They also laid the groundwork for future military action!
After all, it's a barbaric land; what kind of famous figures could it produce?
The intention behind this kind of publicity stunt is obvious.
Many people present had already seen the contents; it was more sentimental than substantial. It might fool the ignorant masses, but would it be worthy of serious consideration? Hmph, how many of the nine people were qualified? In short, a bunch of fame-seeking opportunists!
Though he felt disdain, he couldn't voice it.
Kangguo was located in the northwest, and compared to the central region, it was considered a barbaric land, but that didn't mean it was weak. On the contrary, the savages of Kangguo were tall and strong, with muscular limbs, and a single punch from them could kill a refined scholar.
Kangguo was inhabited by wild men, and they were scholars.
Their arms are two sizes thicker than their thighs.
Countries around the world find this neighbor, not far away, quite a headache. While they despise its barbarity, they also fear its savagery. No matter how good their war strategies or how unpredictable their military formations, they are helpless against an opponent who prefers to solve everything with violence.
Even a novice can defeat a master.
Not to mention that Kang Guo was also a master of unorthodox boxing.
The envoy from Zhen Kingdom, who had come to seek help, was overcome with grief and wept, saying, "Have you all heard the saying 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? Our country is currently in a precarious situation, like holding a snake and riding a tiger. If we are not careful, we will face the disaster of national destruction. Even so, we still have the courage to fight with our backs to the river and gamble the fate of our country! Today it is our country, tomorrow it will be your country. Who can truly stand aside?"
This is not just a crisis for the Kingdom of Zhen.
It is also a future crisis for Kangguo's neighbors.
"If you turn a blind eye to our nation's plight today, what will you do when a sword hangs over your neck tomorrow?" The envoy's words struck at the deepest fear of our neighbor. Shen Youli was not just a sleeping beast, but a vigorous and ravenously hungry monster!
Shen Tang would attack Zhen Guo without hesitation, and she would do the same to them without warning. In a one-on-one fight, who could stop Kang Guo?
Nobody can!
The neighboring king exhaled a breath of stale air, having made his decision.
In the morning, he agreed to lend troops to the Zhen Kingdom's envoy to help drive away Shen Tang. The next afternoon, he received news of Zhen Kingdom's destruction. Neighboring reinforcements had not yet assembled and left their camp. Upon receiving the news, the Zhen Kingdom's envoy could not bear the blow and screamed before fainting.
The neighboring ruler and his ministers were dumbfounded: "How is this possible?"
This isn't just a day or two ago, it's been a month or two, hasn't it?
Or did time secretly fast-forward without them noticing?
"From the time the Shen family sent troops to the fall of the Zhen Kingdom, only a few days had passed?"
Someone answered in a low voice, "My Lord, three days."
The neighboring imperial court was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
Three days? Only three days!
In a mere three days, a nation that had existed for over twenty years was completely wiped out! Among its neighbors, there were small countries with even weaker national strength than Zhen Kingdom, and they trembled with fear upon hearing this. Who wouldn't be afraid in that situation!
Some were afraid, while others were furious and slammed their fists on the table.
"How is this scoundrel any different from a tyrant?" Even Zheng Qiao back then didn't do anything as immoral as destroying another country without cause. This man surnamed Shen deliberately sent envoys to provoke them and forcibly sent troops to occupy Zhen Kingdom. Isn't he just a bandit and robber?
His voice echoed in the palace, but no one dared to answer.
They dared not speak out against Shen Tang and Kang Guo.
Some cursed and swore, some remained silent, while others thought of the same thing: "The best course of action now is to unite with our allies and challenge Kang to a duel, so that we may have a chance to catch our breath. If we drag this out, Kang will defeat us one by one, and we will have no chance to turn the tide."
The alliance is their only way out. Everyone knows this, but everyone knows it's a difficult path.
Firstly, not everyone has the courage to burn their bridges. Kang has only destroyed Zhen so far and has no intention of pressing their advantage to destroy another country. What if the other country just wants to fight? If they form an alliance and hand over their weakness to the other country, wouldn't that be courting death?
Secondly, the countries are small and their resources vary greatly, making it difficult to mobilize, pool, and utilize them.
Thirdly—
The most pressing question is: can we win?
Currently, only the countries that received Zhen's plea for help are aware of this matter. These countries, even when combined, are only slightly larger than a single state. To put it nicely, it's an alliance of nations resisting; to put it bluntly, it's a single state fighting against a single nation—the odds of winning are visibly slim.
Even if the two sides go back and forth, it will at most delay the process of destroying the country.
"...It's better to play it safe."
How to proceed safely?
"First, send people to stabilize Kangguo, and secretly send people to persuade the powerful central country to join us. We will respect them as the leader of the alliance and attack together."
You definitely need allies to fight a war!
This proposal was supported by most of the ministers.
But the problem is—
How to stabilize Kangguo?
"You can cater to their preferences."
What are the preferences of the King of Kang?
Upon hearing this, the courtiers fell silent once more, for they knew very little about the Kingdom of Kang. As a small, insignificant nation, they had limited territory and resources, and their only allies were other small countries of similar size. The Kingdom of Kang was different; it had stirred up bloodshed from the moment it emerged.
They're either at war or on their way to war.
Faced with such a dangerous country, small, insignificant nations either attach themselves to it or avoid it. Before, being far away, no matter how much Kangguo stirred things up, it wouldn't affect them. But times have changed; now that the other country has moved in! Kangguo can stir up trouble in its own little pond with just a flick of its tail.
For a salted fish, it's still a raging storm!
Therefore, the understanding is indeed incomplete.
The most numerous were those biographies of famous officials and scholars, which were widely despised.
The courtiers: "..."
Someone sighed: "I heard rumors that Kang State's military action against Zhen State may be related to Zhen State sending a man to marry a foreign ruler."
"A marriage alliance? Whom do you want to marry into?"
"It is said to be with the king."
Of course, neither the talented men who came for the marriage nor the dowry intended to become the principal wife. Women are different from men; a man's children can come from different women's wombs, but a woman's offspring all come from one womb. In this case, there is no difference in the status of legitimate or illegitimate children.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see through these schemes.
What no one with eyes can understand is how Zhenguo dared to do that!
When you copy homework, do you not even look at the conditions in the question?
"If this is true, it helps us avoid the wrong answer." To appease Kang Guo, we can't send male beauties. "If we can't send men... to be on the safe side, let's not send women either..."
I've never heard of anyone with the surname Shen having a penchant for polishing mirrors.
What else can we give as a gift?
Left with no other choice, I resorted to copying answers from various sources. Zhen wasn't the only country that had sent gifts to Kang; other smaller states had also paid their respects, yet only Zhen was attacked. By avoiding the wrong answers, even if the remaining answers were incorrect, they wouldn't bring me to my death.
Each country secretly selected an envoy to travel to the central continent to lobby.
They were waiting for Shen Tang's reaction, and Shen Tang was waiting for their actions.
Looking at the gift lists on the table, she smiled slightly: "I didn't make a fortune from this war with Zhenguo, but I'm receiving so many gifts that my hands are sore. After all, it's out of filial piety, so I'll accept them..."
"Does Shen Jun intend to press his advantage?"
Shen Tang pondered for a moment, closed his eyes, and suppressed his murderous intent. He murmured softly, as if answering the newcomer, and also as if convincing himself: "Now is not the time to press our advantage! These small countries are not difficult to deal with, but to eliminate them now would only make things more difficult for ourselves. Leaving them alive allows us to use their territories as buffer zones between the northwestern and central countries, preventing relations from becoming too tense..."
She still wanted to take the Southwest first.
The southwest and northwest regions launched an offensive against the central region.
Back then, building a makeshift organization was incredibly difficult and arduous; now, the ease with which a nation could be annihilated is captivating and addictive. Yet, faced with this temptation, Shen Tang restrained himself, even devoting his energy to suppressing others.
No matter how powerful you are, you can't just destroy another country.
Shen Tang looked up at the other person: "Sir, you have ill intentions."
The person in front of me had a completely new face.
Her hair was as black as algae, her skin was fair, and her features were more defined than those of ordinary people, yet not as sharp as those of people of other races—something in between. Moreover, she was beautiful and alluring, her looks comparable to Zheng Qiao's back in the day.
Her every glance and movement was captivating.
Judging by her face alone, she's a woman.
Judging by his physique, he looks more like a man.
When Shen Tang first saw him, she thought he was a man with a woman's appearance. She figured that even if she didn't kill him, she could keep him as a pretty face. She then looked at Qi Shan, who had brought him, questioningly: "Why did you bring this person here? Is he your nemesis?"
How come this man always seems to have enemies wherever he goes?
Qi Shan pulled Shen Tang into the side hall to talk.
[This person is a member of the Central Branch of the Gods' Guild; we had dealings in the past.] Qi Shan's eyes brightened slightly, and upon hearing the latter part of Shen Tang's sentence, she said with a hint of annoyance, [They're not enemies.]
Shen Tang asked doubtfully: "Really? I don't believe it! I clearly felt he harbored murderous intent towards you; his eyes seemed to want to tear you to pieces!"
Qi Shan coughed and said, "It's just a little past grievance."
Shen Tang gave a knowing "Oh": "I understand."
Qi Shan explained: "[It really was just a minor grudge, and the situation is different from Gong Su and the others. I accidentally saw him bathing in the wild...]"
Shen Tang: [...]
|ω`)
Yuanliang's WeChat Moments: Male/Female, identity unknown.
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