Chapter 503: Chapter 247: Confrontation and Breakup _2
But what about Shen Qiu?
After receiving these numerous honors and rewards, he turned against his ruler and began to usurp the throne.
And the merits that Shen Qiu promoted externally were basically achieved by Wuan Marquis, Lu Yuan and others, and had little to do with him.
Only the Battle of Guangling, which is worth boasting about, was where both sides confronted each other across the river, wearing each other down by dragging out time.
Such actions, such merits…
Well.
Thinking about it carefully, this messenger realized that if he only looked at the surface, Shen Qiu was not worthy of the position of Heavenly Son. And if they followed him, would they not be regarded as treacherous villains?
But if they put aside these surface phenomena and only look at the core essence, understanding that the aristocratic families of Linhai County use a nomination system and jointly elect an emperor, then the change of dynasty this time is actually not as serious as it is on the surface.
At its core, it was just these families that held significant stakes in Yue Country replacing the previous unwanted manager and electing a new one.
It’s none of the outsider’s business if a family replaces their manager, right?
The only rough part was the assassination of Hongdao Emperor.
But it was also because he conspired with outsiders, trying to sell out everyone’s interests in exchange for his current position.
It was Hongdao Emperor who first betrayed the rules, and they only made a counterattack.
The other party was unkind first, then the aristocratic families of Linhai County were unjust later.
But these rules, which challenge conventional ethics, can never be brought to the surface.
Hidden rules must always remain hidden.
If exposed, they’ll inevitably be destroyed.
Therefore, facing Lu Yuan’s accusation, although the messenger was resentful, he could not find a way to refute it.
‘It’s all because of that useless Xiao Ji. It would have been better if he had just accepted the arrangement and abdicated earlier.
Things have escalated to this point, not only has the new emperor been stained with the crime of patricide, but it has also caused so many troubles.
This Witchcraft Emperor, who killed his father, is more harmful than helpful. I wish I could bring him back to life and kill him again.’
In his heart, the messenger killed the dead Hongdao Emperor once more, then collected himself, looked up at Lu Yuan, and angrily asked, “Is what you said earlier serious, Your Majesty? Does Changsha Country really intend to rebel and go to war with the court?”
“What does Ning House have to do with me?”
Lu Yuan immediately countered: “Since there is not even a drop of grace between us, how dare I call him my lord? If he is not my lord, how can it be called treason?”
After three consecutive counter questions, he sneered, “As for whether to go to war or not, I am afraid it is not up to you, messenger. You should go back and ask your ruler if he dares to fight me.”
“You…” The messenger below could not hold back his anger any longer, his face red with rage. Just as he was about to explode, he found himself looking into Lu Yuan’s calm eyes and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
This man was the New Generation Military God, known as the second Wuan Marquis.
He was not only extremely skilled at leading troops in battle,
but had also personally killed two Inborn experts on the battlefield.
He had no confidence in the face of such a distinguished individual, and did not dare to say anything provocative.
So in the end, he could only say, “Since King Changsha thinks this way, I, as a diplomat, have no choice but to return to Jinling and report your words to my lord. If you and my lord wish to engage in war, I hope you won’t regret your words.”
Lu Yuan remained indifferent: “Messenger, please do as you wish.”
“Hmph.”
Seeing his attitude, the messenger could not help but dismissively wave his sleeve and leave.
As for Lu Yuan, he just watched the messenger leave without any movement.
His words and attitude today were part of a strategy he had planned long ago, and now he was just executing it.
Ning Country was powerful, with five counties and five Inborn experts.
Changsha Country’s strength was no match for them, so it was not advisable to take the initiative to start a war.
But without going to war, they had to break the master-subject relationship with them and get out of the tribute system under the Jinling court. So they had to find another way.
One way was to contact other vassal states and join them in resisting the Ning Country.
Another was to take advantage of the opportunity when the Ning Country sent a messenger, sever diplomatic relations with them, and break off ties in name.
The former could strengthen themselves, while the latter could clarify their position.
Now, the messengers from Changsha Country have gone to Southsea and Ninghai countries, and good news should be coming back within a month.
On the other hand, in Jinling City, Lu Yuan has shown the Ning Country Emissary that he would not follow the Jinling court and wanted to be independent.
The preparations on both sides have been completed. Next, how things develop will depend on the attitude of Ning Country’s New Emperor.
After the break with Ning Country in front of their emissary, Lu Yuan had already stood on the opposite side of the Jinling court.
Therefore, no matter what the reaction of the Jinling court was, they had to prepare for it here.
So after sending away the Ning Country Emissary, Lu Yuan issued two urgent edicts.
One was to withdraw two more forbidden armies from Changsha and have them join his main force in Baling City. This would bring the total number of troops to five forbidden armies and one hundred thousand soldiers.
Then, he drafted ten thousand county soldiers from various parts of Dongting territory and sent them to Changsha City.
With this arrangement, the temporary capital of Changsha Country had one forbidden army and ten thousand county soldiers, totaling thirty thousand troops.