Chapter 365: If we want to fight, we’ll keep fighting; if we want to sever ties, we’ll do so freely!
The civil and military officials present seemed to have come to the same realization, dividing into two groups and showing solemn expressions. Once everything was ready, the Empress spoke loudly, “Announce the entrance of the envoy from the Great Yan Empire!”
The envoy from the Great Yan Empire entered the palace. To everyone’s surprise, it was none other than Great Yan’s Third Prince, Yan Xinghe. He was known for leading the younger generation of Great Yan into battle during the Yan and Wu Competition. Despite his valiant efforts, he was ultimately defeated.
“The Third Prince of the Great Yan Empire, Yan Xinghe, pays respects to the Emperor of Great Wu. I wish you well!” Yan Xinghe declared.
“No need for formalities!” The Empress extended her hand, “Third Prince Yan Xinghe, this is our second meeting. You seem even more refined than last year. Your demeanor is extraordinary, and you’ve certainly excelled in your studies. How is the Great Yan Emperor? Is he in good health?”
“Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy. As for my father… he is in his prime, in good health, and full of vitality. Please rest assured, Your Majesty!” Yan Xinghe responded.
The Empress nodded slightly, “I’m relieved! So, why have you come to Wu this time?”
“I’ve come regarding the matter of Darro!” Yan Xinghe said. The crowd thought to themselves, “Here it comes!”
The Empress chuckled inwardly, maintaining a composed expression on her face. She began, “Oh? You’ve come regarding Darro? The Great Yan Empire, as a major power, involves itself in the affairs of other nations. Isn’t this somewhat lacking in moral integrity?”
Yan Xinghe stood resolutely, “As one of the Three Great Empires in the world, the Great Yan Empire has the duty to maintain order for all living beings. Therefore, whenever there is injustice, we have the right to intervene!”
“Your Great Wu’s vast army invaded Darro, besieged the city, massacred the Darro royal family, and acted brutally and mercilessly. This has ignited anger throughout the realm! I represent the Great Yan Empire to advise you to withdraw your forces quickly, or else you will bear the consequences!”
The Empress slammed the table and stood up, proclaiming, “They were the ones who broke their promises and betrayed their word! When they were defeated, I did not treat them unfairly. In fact, I granted them many benefits and wished for their growth. Yet now, they’ve fattened themselves up and are turning around to bite us. They are completely ungrateful, ruthless scoundrels! Such a nation needs to be dealt with, and if not fought, they won’t learn their lesson!”
“Then why, after defeating them, do you still occupy their lands? Great Wu’s ambitions are clear!” Yan Xinghe retorted.
The Empress’s expression turned bright, and she smiled, “As for absorbing Darro, one could say it was an accident. Even I did not anticipate it! One could argue that the Darro royal family had lost the support of their people, allowing us to take over. It’s the will of heaven! The fall of the Darro royal family was entirely of their own making; they can only blame themselves! Haha…”
Yan Xinghe was furious! Was that really an accident?
It was clearly a well-planned scheme that had been in motion for two years!
Back then, when Darro was defeated and went to negotiate reparations with Great Wu, surprisingly, Great Wu generously declined the reparations and even granted them various benefits. This was all to control the economic lifeline of Darro and to win over the common people. Looking at the situation now, it’s quite evident!
The Darro royal family was slow to realize and eventually saw through the scheme, leading them to break the alliance. However, with Great Wu’s growing power, they directly cut off their material supplies, causing their economy to collapse. Along with some propaganda, Darro fell into chaos. The nobles fled, and the citizens suffered.
Subsequently, a 100,000-strong army from Great Wu marched south without encountering any resistance. Aside from the military strength of Great Wu, the people of Darro harbored dissatisfaction towards the royal family. That’s why they willingly opened the city gates to defect. Afterward, the campaign progressed easily, culminating in the capture of Kang Darro.
And now they claim it was an accident?
How shameless!
What audacity!
“Emperor of Great Wu, we are all intelligent people; there’s no need to pretend! The Great Yan Empire has only one demand: withdraw your troops immediately, or else we’ll meet on the battlefield!” The Great Yan Third Prince’s threat was resolute.
The faces of the civil and military officials turned uneasy.
“Silence! How dare you threaten Her Majesty!”
“Such disrespect!”
“Third Prince, I advise you to apologize immediately, or bear the consequences!”
The Third Prince remained defiant, “I represent the Great Yan Empire, and this is our stance. It will not change!”
“You!” The officials present were outraged, their faces flushed.
The Empress was also angry, but she had to maintain her imperial demeanor. She said, “War is a matter for generals to discuss. Let Supreme Commander speak with him.”
“Supreme Commander?” The Third Prince frowned, puzzled. Was there such a position? How come he didn’t know?
Just as he was about to be sent off, Lin Beifan stepped forward, smiling, “Your Highness, Third Prince, how have you been? Thanks to recent accomplishments, I have just been appointed by His Majesty as the Supreme Commander of the National Army, tasked with overseeing the entire military affairs. Additionally, I also hold the position of Prime Minister!”
The Third Prince’s pupils dilated, overwhelmed by shock!
This guy actually became the Supreme Commander? Wasn’t he just a minor official, almost a year ago?
In just a year, he had risen to become the powerful Prime Minister of the nation. Now, it was even more astonishing—he had become the Supreme Commander too!
When it came to military and political power, second only to the Emperor, he was truly terrifying and intimidating!
“Mr. Lin, your speed of promotion is truly impressive and makes me feel embarrassed.” The Third Prince said awkwardly.
“Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I’m truly unworthy,” Lin Beifan said with a slight bow.
The Empress waved her hand again, saying, “Sir Lin, now you are the Supreme Commander of our dynasty, in charge of military affairs. You should be the one to negotiate with him.”
Lin Beifan replied, “Your Majesty, I suggest a direct approach. Let’s go straight to the point and engage in a real battle! We can openly display our forces, and the victor will claim control over Darro.”
This time, it was the Third Prince’s face that turned anxious. He had thought he was quite audacious, but he hadn’t expected this guy to be even more assertive. Without wasting words, he directly proposed war. The Third Prince nervously wiped his cold sweat.
“Prime Minister, remember that our opponent is the Great Yan Empire, a powerful country comparable to our own dynasty. If these two great nations go to war, regardless of the outcome, both sides will suffer heavy losses. Furthermore, it will affect the common people, which isn’t ideal,” the Empress expressed her concern.
The Third Prince secretly nodded, acknowledging the validity of her words. The Empress had a deep sense of morality.
Lin Beifan, however, smiled faintly, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. When I lead the army, what is there for you to worry about? In all the battles I’ve fought, haven’t I always minimized our losses? As for the common people, you can be even more assured. I will make sure to bring the fight to Great Yan. If anyone suffers, it will be the people of Great Yan, not ours.”
The Third Prince was internally flabbergasted.
This guy was a war merchant!
“Seemingly harmless on the surface, yet harboring such malicious intent inside. I misjudged you,” the Empress said again, “However, war comes with uncertainties. While the idea of a decisive victory sounds good, in case of any unexpected obstacles, the losses might become unbearable. Sir Lin, how confident are you?”
The Third Prince secretly nodded again. The Empress was right. In war, there were winners and losers. Winning was fine, but losing was disastrous. Such matters couldn’t be taken lightly.
Lin Beifan smiled once more, “Your Majesty, the question you should ask is not whether they can fight, but how long they can hold out.”
Lin Beifan said with confidence, “I’m not boasting, but I’ve fought with armies of 100,000, 500,000, 800,000, even a million soldiers. I’ve faced terrifying armies composed of martial artists as well! I’ve fought all kinds of battles and never lost. Combining the results of several major battles, I’ve eliminated over 200,000 enemies, but the overall losses were less than 5,000! I can outlast them just through attrition. So, what’s there to fear?”
Lin Beifan shouted, “If Great Yan wants to fight, then we will fight until they can’t hold on any longer! We’ll fight until they surrender! We’ll fight until they cry and beg for mercy!”
The generals were excited and called out like sharks scenting blood.
“Supreme Commander is right! This battle must be fought!”
“With Supreme Commander commanding the operations, we have nothing to fear! He is the war god of our Great Wu, invincible in battles and undefeatable in sieges! With him leading, we’ll conquer anything. Why should we be afraid?”
“Your Majesty, please give the order now. We are willing to be the vanguard under the Supreme Commander’s command!”
“I’m willing to be the right vanguard!”
Seeing the situation slipping away, the Third Prince of Great Yan was drenched in sweat and said, “Wait! Matters of war are not trivial. We should sit down and have a calm discussion.”
“Third Prince of Great Yan, you were the one who first mentioned war, and now you’re backing down? Aren’t you just trying to fool us?” Lin Beifan angrily said, “I’ll ask you one question right now. Are you going to fight or not? If you’re fighting, we’ll deploy our forces immediately. If not, just surrender!”
Under everyone’s gaze, the Third Prince of Great Yan reluctantly uttered two words, “Not fighting.”
In an instant, the officials looked at him with disdain. It turned out he was all talk and no action!
The Empress and Lin Beifan exchanged a smile. They had seen through his bluff long ago. The Third Prince of Great Yan never had the intention to fight; he was just putting on a show of strength.
A paper tiger, easily torn apart! So, they tricked him in perfect coordination!
The Third Prince of Great Yan forced a brave face and said, “We won’t go to war lightly. However, if Great Wu refuses to withdraw its troops, then Great Yan will unilaterally cut off diplomatic relations, sever all interactions, including trade. This will undoubtedly hurt you!”
Lin Beifan sneered, “Cut them off then! Our Great Wu has immense potential and numerous business opportunities. We don’t need to care about the trivial gains from trade between our two countries!”
The Empress nodded, “What Sir Lin said is true. Those minor trade deals can be severed without hesitation. Our Great Wu is abundant in resources and opportunities to make money. Third Prince of Great Yan, if you have no useful suggestions left, then we’re done here. If you want to fight, we’ll fight. If you want to cut off relations, we’ll let you. In short, trying to get us to withdraw from Darro is absolutely impossible. From now on, Darro is our territory, and its people are our people. They are our Great Wu’s assets and will never be ceded to anyone. Go tell your father to give up on that thought!”
…
