EFB Chapter 2655 Braving the Rapids!
Chapter 2655 Braving the Rapids!
Chapter 2655 Braving the Rapids!
There are very few people who can make Shuangye sincerely burn paper money.
He Lingchuan smiled and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your kindness."
……
After the palace servants saw Shuangye off, He Lingchuan did not summon the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. Instead, he strolled back to the Imperial Study. The journey was seven or eight miles long, with picturesque scenery along the way. The palace servants all bowed in greeting.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the scenery, but his mind was elsewhere.
When he entered the imperial study, his shoulders were piled high with snow that had fallen from the treetops. A palace maid offered to brush it off for him, but he ordered:
"Bring Du Shan here."
Fifteen minutes later, Du Shan rushed over.
"Queen Shen Guoying is going to take her second grandson He Mingchen to study in Cangyan. They will land at Julu Port in a month and a half at most." He Lingchuan was reviewing memorials and did not look up. "They will stay in Jucheng for a while. I'm entrusting this matter to you."
Du Shan understood the implied meaning and was startled, but his expression remained unchanged:
"Yes! I will arrange it properly."
Has the situation in the State of Shen become so dire that even the dignified King of Shen is in such a hurry to entrust his son to the Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds?
He knew of He Changjue's murder, and had considered how the Emperor would react. The relationship between Prince Shen and the Emperor was delicate; even Du Shan didn't know if they could be considered family.
Now that the King of Shen has entrusted his son to the Emperor, the Emperor has also accepted the responsibility. It seems that there will be even deeper and more dangerous entanglements between the State of Shen and Baling, and between Shen and Beijia.
He Lingchuan then asked, "How many countries and regions in the world are currently mired in conflict, strife, and war?"
“There are at least seventy or more.” Du Shan walked to the edge of the sand table.
This sand table is designed to resemble a mirage. Not only are the mountains, rivers, and snow-capped peaks all different colors, but you can also walk into the sand table as if you're entering a phantom, without any sand sticking to your body. However, the small flags on the side can be easily stuck into the sand table without falling off, which is quite amazing.
There are now sixty or seventy black flags planted on the sand table, each representing a location of war and conflict.
“The conflicts are most prevalent around Bega and the Mu Kingdom, and less so further away, but they do occur,” Du Shan continued. “Many of the conflicts in these regions are instigated by the vassal demon kingdoms, who sometimes even directly participate in the war. This is a new situation; in the past, Lingxu City would send troops first, and the various vassal demon kingdoms would join the battle.”
“Because Lingxu Royal City is more under the control of the Demon Emperor.” He Lingchuan also stood up and walked to the edge of the sand table. “These vassal demon kingdoms have loyalists of the Heavenly Demon. On the one hand, they are driven by their superiors to desperately create nightmare energy in the human world. On the other hand, they use this as an excuse to plunder and gain more benefits for themselves. Look, the vassal demon kingdoms of Xuluo, Eling, and Bolang have been waging wars all over the place recently, making themselves very rich.”
Du Shan also said, "These vassal demon kingdoms serve the Heavenly Demon and hate Cang Yan. In terms of maritime trade, they are not as good as Chi Yan Kingdom; in terms of national strength and people's livelihood, they are not as good as Bao Shu Kingdom. They have been very resentful in recent years. However, in the past few months, they have been thriving by plundering foreign countries."
To make a fortune, you still have to rely on this business that requires no capital.
“They are the vassal demon kingdoms of Bega. Their national strength and military power can easily defeat a bunch of small countries outside.” He Lingchuan pondered, “The fact that they go out and cause trouble means that the Demon Emperor’s ability to control the vassal demon kingdoms has been greatly weakened.”
The relationship between Lingxu City and the various vassal demon kingdoms is somewhat delicate, resembling both a central government and a local power, while also harboring implicit competition among them. Since its founding, Lingxu City has consistently been the most developed, economically prosperous, and militarily powerful nation in Bega. Any vassal demon kingdom that rises too quickly and shows signs of surpassing Lingxu City will be suppressed.
The current situation, with various demon kingdoms brazenly fighting and plundering abroad, doesn't seem like the work of the Demon Emperor. Furthermore, He Lingchuan learned from Fu Shanyue that the demon kingdoms currently only symbolically share a small portion of their spoils from plundering abroad with Lingxu City.
In the past, when Bega launched foreign wars, the spoils of war were first distributed by Lingxu City, and only then could the vassal demon kingdoms get their own small share.
Even within Bega, the old practices no longer apply.
"The delegation led by the Imperial Preceptor Shuangye only represents Lingxu City," Du Shan said with a smile. "I carefully examined the background information of the delegation members, and most of them are from Lingxu City or Baoshu Kingdom, and have nothing to do with those few vassal demon kingdoms."
“The celestial realm is in chaos. How can Bega, as its weapon on earth, possibly remain unscathed?” He Lingchuan pulled out several documents from the desk and handed them to Du Shan. “These are all letters of appeal, hoping that Cang Yan can step forward to uphold justice or even send troops to help in the battle. They come from six small countries and three sects respectively.”
Du Shan took the items with both hands, opened them one by one, and examined them, his doubts only increasing:
Over the past few years, Cang Yan has received dozens of similar requests for help. The weak always hope that someone will stand up for them and uphold justice, but the Emperor never responds directly. Apart from Xuan Yi Kingdom, Cang Yan has never sent troops to assist in battles, which it calls 'self-defense and self-control'.
Not interfering in other countries' wars has been one of the important national policies of Cangyan since its founding.
But now that the Emperor has produced these documents, does it mean...?
"What do you want?"
He Lingchuan stretched, his joints cracking.
"The time has come; it's time to take the initiative."
After years of lying dormant, it's time for Cang Yan to bare its claws once more.
These nine words startled Du Shan, causing him to drop several documents from his hands with a thud.
Realizing he had acted inappropriately, he quickly apologized and bent down to pick it up.
When he stood up and raised his head, his face was flushed red.
“Since its founding, Cangyan has strived to develop and avoid getting involved in wars with other countries,” He Lingchuan said solemnly. “But with the Demon King about to descend, it is impossible for Cangyan to remain unscathed. Panlong in the past and Shen Kingdom in the present are not weak, yet they have both been drawn into the endless war initiated by Bega.”
"With the situation changing, we should take the plunge and forge ahead." He clenched his fist, his voice deep and powerful. "If we continue to bide our time, we will only end up like the Panlong Shen Kingdom."
Finally, Cang Yan is finally going to fully commit himself to the game! Du Shan couldn't hide his excitement:
"Beijia used to be a beacon of the world, with all nations paying homage. Other countries both envied and respected it, and tried their best to please it. For so many years, Cang Yan raised the banner of rebellion against the Heavenly Demon, but they thought it had nothing to do with them and always watched coldly without daring to utter a word. Now, those few vassal demon countries of Beijia are openly plundering everywhere, and all the countries in the human world are silent and suffering terribly from being slaughtered. They finally realize that before and after the Heavenly Demon descends to earth, they will become sacrifices! If they do not resist, their fate will be death!"
When would be the best time for Cang Yan to fully engage in the game? This question has been pondered and discussed not only by Du Shan, but also by countless wise ministers and strategists throughout the land.
But only Du Shan understood that the best time to act was whenever the Nine Nether Emperor decided to make his move!