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“The two of you should not be anxious. Reckless action might lead to disaster. Currently, Prince Qi has not yet rejected our proposal. If we rashly start a war, wouldn’t it mean losing troops and gaining nothing?”
Wang Xi could not withstand Zheng Hao’s and Cui Zhang’s pressure, but at present, Prince Zhao truly could not spare troops to deal with Xiao Ming.
So, when he came, Prince Zhao instructed him to try to coerce Xiao Ming into making concessions. If that failed, he was to drag it out until the war in Shu ended.
“It’s more waiting. If we wait any longer, we’ll miss a golden opportunity. Our vassal states are in danger!” Cui Zhang’s face showed anxiety; among the three, he was the most anxious.
Now that Xiao Ming had swallowed the thirteen prefectures of Wei, Yan, which bordered Wei, was directly affected. When Xiao Ming suddenly took Jinling City, scouts immediately sent the news to Bozhou.
At that time, Prince Yan was greatly alarmed. Although Prince Yan believed that the truce agreement could only restrain Xiao Ming for a while, he never expected him to tear up the agreement in just half a year.
According to Prince Yan’s idea, he planned to use the matchlock guns obtained from Xiao Ming to build a musketeer unit, but in the past six months, he had ordered the conscription of artisans from across the country for forging, and now he had only produced 8,000 matchlock guns, still far from his goal.
So he immediately sent envoys to discuss this matter with Zhao and Liang, attempting to further weaken Xiao Ming or even completely destroy Qi.
“We cannot wait any longer. If Prince Zhao refuses to send troops, Liang is willing to form an alliance with Yan and jointly raise an army to attack Xiao Ming. Now, Xiao Ming is the only imperial relative who poses a threat to us. As long as Xiao Ming lives, we will not have peace for a day. We have served the Xiao family for so many years; it’s time for us to take turns sitting on this throne.” Zheng Hao’s words were very blunt, completely tearing away the three men’s superficial facade.
He knew very well that the imperial family was a faded glory. Within their fiefdoms, they no longer referred to themselves as vassal princes, but directly as kings. The former Yan, Zhao, and Liang territories had clearly become the states of Yan, Zhao, and Liang.
For them, even if they didn’t want the Great Yu Empire’s throne, they hoped to completely shake off the shackles of the imperial family and dominate their own regions.
But as they were dreaming, Xiao Ming became their nightmare. An imperial prince capable of unifying the Great Yu Empire was their greatest threat.
“As expected, Liang is truly righteous.” Cui Zhang laughed heartily upon hearing this. He said unceremoniously to Wang Xi, “Assistant Minister Wang, do not think that just because you have the Thirteenth Prince in your hands, you can command the world. Since the founding of the Great Yu Empire, we have been painstakingly managing our own states. We all know each other’s true intentions. This time, if your state of Zhao sends troops, we would still honor Prince Zhao as our leader. But now that you are dragging your feet, do not blame us for disrespecting Prince Zhao.”
Wang Xi’s expression showed displeasure upon hearing this. He said coldly, “Crown Prince, those words are a bit excessive. Do you think Prince Zhao would stop attacking Shu and turn to attack Prince Qi just because you said you would honor Prince Zhao as your leader? Hmph, Prince Zhao knows perfectly well the intentions of your Yan and Liang families. If Xiao Ming is defeated, these thirteen prefectures of Wei and Xiao Ming’s cities will belong to Prince Yan, and Prince Liang will seize the opportunity to attack Prince Yong and take Jizhou and other cities, while we can only watch helplessly, serving as your thugs.”
Cui Zhang and Zheng Hao’s eyes both flickered. They both felt somewhat guilty.
Just as Wang Xi said, they had long been wary of Prince Zhao and had made some secret deals. They never expected that there were also shrewd people around Prince Zhao who saw through them at a glance.
Seeing the two remain silent, Wang Xi continued, “It’s not that there’s no way to get Prince Zhao to send troops. As long as you send troops to help Prince Zhao take Shu, we will send troops to attack Qi with you!”
Cui Zhang and Zheng Hao both fell silent. What difference would it make if Prince Zhao took Shu and Prince Qi took Wei?
“What? Scared now?”
Wang Xi was relentless. He knew that Prince Yan and Prince Liang had ulterior motives.
“Then Assistant Minister Wang, why don’t you tell us what should be done? Since Prince Zhao sent Assistant Minister Wang to Qingzhou, it surely wasn’t for entertainment and a frivolous time, was it?” Cui Zhang’s face reddened, clearly angry.
“Pfft.” Zheng Hao couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this. He said with a hint of mockery, “Crown Prince, you jest. Assistant Minister Wang wouldn’t go to such places?”
Cui Zhang immediately laughed upon hearing this, while Wang Xi’s face instantly turned as black as charcoal. Who in the world didn’t know he was a eunuch? Among the three, his status was the lowest, and the other two had never looked up to him.
Moreover, the two also knew very well that no matter how much they mocked him, he could only act according to Prince Zhao’s wishes.
Forcing back his anger, Wang Xi managed a faint smile and said, “Prince Zhao’s meaning is that if Xiao Ming doesn’t agree to this condition, your two families can send troops first, and we will come to support you after we occupy Shu.”
“When two fight, a third gets the spoils. Prince Zhao is truly playing a good game,” Cui Zhang snorted.
Wang Xi was neither slow nor hurried. He said, “Crown Prince, I haven’t finished speaking yet. Before that, Prince Zhao will send out the remaining 40,000 cavalry from Chang’an City to show his sincerity. You should believe it now.”
Zheng Hao’s eyes shifted. He said to Cui Zhang, “This is not impossible. In my opinion, Prince Qi won’t shed tears until he sees the coffin. If we jointly raise an army this time, perhaps he will soften up when he sees that we are serious.”
“Hmm, that’s an idea. Tomorrow, we will go and ask this Pang Yukun again. If Prince Qi still avoids us, we will each return and lead our troops to attack,” Cui Zhang said.
The three initially reached an agreement. Wang Xi, feeling displeased, left first. Zheng Hao then also returned to his room to rest.
After the two left, Cui Zhang revealed a strange smile. In fact, everything now was within Prince Yan’s plan.
The first part of this plan was to allow Xiao Ming to annex Wei. Then, he would unite with other vassal princes to jointly attack Xiao Ming and make him hand over the thirteen prefectures. This time, their state of Yan could obtain the thirteen prefectures of Wei without losing a single soldier, while Xiao Ming would have wasted his efforts for nothing.
Next door to Cui Zhang lived Wang Xi. Upon returning to his room, his face suddenly contorted. He fiercely spat in the direction of Cui Zhang’s room.
“You scoundrel, this eunuch will chop you up with my own hands sooner or later.” Wang Xi’s heart was filled with extreme hatred. Although Prince Zhao was prepared to send 40,000 cavalry this time, he had little interest in this alliance, the reason being that it only benefited Yan and Liang.
Compared to targeting Xiao Ming, Prince Zhao was truly anxious to annex Shu. In doing so, Prince Zhao would be like the state of Qin, capable of both offense and defense, and controlling a granary. From then on, conquering the world would be a foregone conclusion.
And when that time came, the first one they would deal with would be the cunning old fox, Prince Yan.
Cui Zhang and Wang Xi had different thoughts, and Zheng Hao also had his own ideas.
Prince Zhao and Prince Liang had both submitted to the barbarians, but Prince Zhao had gained the upper hand. He felt quite resentful about this and intended to use this allied army as an opportunity to seize cities in Yong to expand his own territory.