Chapter 430: This Land Is a Mix of You and Me!
“Thank you, Commander!” General Zhao of the Great Peng Kingdom took the brush with a delighted expression. After contemplating for a moment while looking at the blank map, he started to draw seriously, beginning from his country’s border.
However, the result turned out to be a twisted, elongated shape that resembled a worm.
Everyone looked at it quite awkwardly.
“General Zhao, what kind of drawing is this? It looks like something a child would scribble; it’s so ugly!”
“Anyone could draw better than this without even trying!”
“If this gets passed on, it will be a subject of ridicule!”
“Do you want to redraw it? Do you need my help?”
General Zhao put down the brush and smiled, saying, “Thank you, generals, but I haven’t made a mistake. This is precisely the land that the Great Peng Kingdom needs, please understand!”
At this moment, General Liu from the Mo Kingdom exclaimed, “General Zhao indeed hasn’t made a mistake! Look here, he has drawn it along the Black Ink River, and the land surrounding this river is fertile farmland, perfect for growing crops!”
“And, look here… and here… there are iron mines, copper mines, and other important resources in these areas! This old man intends to take advantage of all these riches!”
Everyone realized the truth now and was furious.
“You sly old man! We underestimated you!”
“Seems so honest on the surface but so cunning inside!”
“With such a simple stroke, you’ve greedily taken all the good stuff and left us with nothing but junk!”
They protested vehemently and demanded that General Liu redraw the land.
General Liu, of course, refused. He insisted that he had followed the rules precisely and that there was no need to redraw.
“No, you must redraw it!”
“We won’t let you leave if you don’t redraw!”
Everyone was highly agitated. They couldn’t accept that all the valuable resources were claimed by the Great Peng Kingdom, leaving them with scraps. How could they report back like this? General Liu was adamant, as he had fought hard for these benefits and wouldn’t easily give them up.
Both sides argued vigorously and refused to give in, so they had to turn to Lin Beifan, the Supreme Commander, to settle the matter. Lin Beifan was truly in a dilemma, saying, “Generals, I understand your feelings and difficulties, but rules are rules. Since we have already agreed to follow the rules, we should adhere to them. If we deviate from the rules, chaos will ensue, and it will harm the goodwill between us.”
“Although General Liu’s actions may not be entirely fair, they do align with the rules, so we have to acknowledge it. I, as the Supreme Commander, cannot intervene in this matter.”
“Commander is wise!” General Liu exclaimed with joy, and other generals followed suit.
“Do you see that? Even the Supreme Commander agrees with my approach. You can all go to sleep now.” Everyone was furious, but they had no choice but to accept it.
Next, it was General Liu from the Mo Kingdom’s turn. Initially, he had planned to draw a somewhat unusual shape and be modest about it. However, General Zhao was shameless and claimed many territories that he had his eyes on. If he continued to be modest, the benefits would never reach the Mo Kingdom.
So, he picked up the brush and also drew a twisted, convoluted pattern, resembling the insides of a worm with all its twists and turns, making people feel uneasy.
“General Liu, why did you draw it like this? It’s twisting into our country!”
“That’s right! You’ve twisted it into two countries. Do you want to be neighbors with us that badly?”
“You greedy fellow! You’ve taken all the good land and left us with nothing!”
“Hurry up and redraw it, or I won’t be polite!”
General Liu put down the brush and confidently said, “It was General Zhao who taught me to draw like this. If you want to blame someone, blame him!”
Everyone was enraged, but they had to accept it.
Next, the other four countries divided the land, and they also didn’t follow the rules, drawing lines that were twisted and turned in every direction, trying their best to claim all the benefits for themselves.
In the end, the map was divided into a chaotic mess, with each part intertwined with the others. It was a mix of territories, with one country’s land intersecting with another’s.
Despite being entangled, the friendship among them had dissipated. They viewed each other with suspicion and resentment.
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Congratulations to everyone for obtaining the land you desired and achieving the grand goal of expanding your territories. Later, we will make copies of this map for each of you to take back. I also hope that after returning, you will send people to manage the territories you have claimed and not let our friendship be strained.”
“Yes, Commander!” they all replied.
Lin Beifan said with enthusiasm, “In two days, we will all be heading back, and we don’t know when we’ll meet again. I feel a great reluctance to part ways. Bring the wine; I want to drink with you all until we’re all drunk!”
“Yes, Commander!”
That night, Lin Beifan and the generals drank heartily. Two days later, they all went their separate ways, feeling a mix of emotions.
They returned to take control of the newly conquered land while reporting to the court. About a week later, Lin Beifan finally arrived in Great Wu City.
“Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, have returned with the alliance forces after our campaign against Xia. These are the gains from our expedition, and I invite Your Majesty to inspect them,” Lin Beifan respectfully presented a map.
The Empress opened the map and saw that the entire Eastern Region had fallen into the hands of Great Wu. She was delighted and praised, “My ministers, you have worked hard, and the gains from such a modest price are substantial! Are all of you Great Wu’s loyal servants?”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise. Your humble servants are not worthy,” Lin Beifan and the others replied.
Then, the Empress looked at another part of the map and found it divided into various shapes, with territories overlapping each other. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Because this map had planted the seeds of future conflicts, they were bound to have friction and disputes over these territories.
In this way, the threat to Great Wu was greatly reduced. Moreover, they could take advantage of the situation in the future…
The Empress was increasingly impressed by Lin Beifan! After just one battle, they not only suffered minimal losses but also gained such enormous benefits. It was Great Wu’s fortune!
Next, the Empress rewarded those who had performed meritorious deeds in this campaign. Everyone who received a reward was delighted.
At this moment, Lin Beifan stepped forward and said loudly, “Your Majesty, I have a matter to report!”
The Empress smiled and asked, “What is it, my minister?”
“Your Majesty, now that Great Xia is divided into chaos, with various princes ruling their own territories and the imperial princes fighting for power and profit, it’s time to release the Great Xia Crown Prince back to them!” Lin Beifan reported loudly.
The Empress nodded with a smile and said, “Minister Lin, you’re absolutely right. It’s time to add fuel to their internal conflicts. This matter shall be handled by you. I have complete trust in you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan responded.
After the court meeting, he went to the prison and met with the Great Xia Crown Prince, Xia Tianqiong.
Since their last meeting, nearly two months had passed. The Great Xia Crown Prince had recovered from the grief of losing his father, but his eyes now held a hint of coldness, deterring strangers. As soon as Lin Beifan entered the prison, he was spotted by Xia Tianqiong.
“Prime Minister Lin, you’ve returned. It seems that the campaign against Xia has concluded. How is the situation in Great Xia? How much territory has been fragmented? Can you inform me?” The Great Xia Crown Prince asked in a calm tone.
“Of course, I can. However, the situation is somewhat unfavorable. I hope Your Highness is prepared for it,” Lin Beifan replied. He then proceeded to inform the Great Xia Crown Prince about the situation in Great Xia.
As the Great Xia Crown Prince listened, he could no longer maintain his composure. His body seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer, and he staggered. It was as if his heart had been stabbed, and he felt intense pain.
Although he had anticipated that Great Xia would lose some of its territory, he hadn’t expected it to be this extensive.
Great Xia, once a mighty dynasty, even more prosperous than Great Wu or Great Yan, where nations came to pay tribute and all ethnicities gathered for courtly visits. Now, one-third of its territory had been fragmented. For the Great Xia Crown Prince, this was an unbearable disgrace.
The Great Xia Crown Prince’s eyes turned bloodshot with anger and hatred. His hands clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.
“I never expected that during a national crisis, they would each act independently, attacking each other! If they had united, would Great Xia have become so weak and vulnerable? I hate it!” he exclaimed.
“And those deceitful nations like Great Desert, Great Liang, and Great Peng! They used to be obedient, begging like dogs when dealing with Great Xia. Now they’ve united and taken bites out of our territory. I won’t spare them!” he added.
Lin Beifan shook his head and said, “Your Highness, this is human nature. Please try to understand. I came here with good news for you.”
The Great Xia Crown Prince was surprised, “What good news?”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Your Highness, you can leave!”
“Leave?” The Great Xia Crown Prince was puzzled.
Lin Beifan continued, “I mean, you can leave this prison, leave Great Wu, and return to your beloved Great Xia to continue being its crown prince. You are now… free!”
“Return…” The Great Xia Crown Prince was speechless. He had indeed yearned to return.
Once back, he would be the Eastern Palace Crown Prince, a position with authority over countless others. Right now, Great Xia was like a den of wolves for him, filled with people who wished for his death. Returning would be walking into a trap, a death sentence.
But he said firmly, “I must return! Even if it means risking my life, I must return! I can’t stand by and watch Great Xia be ruined by this group of people! It’s my responsibility as the Great Xia Crown Prince!”
Lin Beifan ordered the prison door to be opened, welcoming the Great Xia Crown Prince with a smile. He asked, “Your Highness, the journey back to Great Xia is perilous. Would you like me to arrange for an escort along the way?”
The Great Xia Crown Prince gazed deeply at Lin Beifan and replied, “No need. I have my own arrangements.”
