Chapter 168: Unspoken Words

cart in Jiang Wang's courtyard, Zhuan drove the cart to report to Hu Guan.Little [span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"]Tiny[/span] caressed these fine fabrics, back and forth, unable to let go.Jiang Wa...Chong Xuan Zhu Liangsan refused to surrender, Yang Jiande had no choice but to raise his army and issue an imperial edict calling on the entire country to aid the emperor.

From the standpoint of public opinion, Yang Guo's raising of troops to fight against the enemy forces encroaching on the borders was justified both in principle and in morality.

But at the same time, Qi State sent troops to blockade the plague in order to maintain order in the eastern region and prevent it from spreading further harm, which is also understandable.

>Yangguo was originally a part of the State of Qi. From the perspective of propriety, Yang territory could also be considered Qi land.

Furthermore, Zhong Xuan led his valiant troops to blockade Yang Guo. On the surface, they only aimed at the plague and did not encroach upon Yang Guo's territory even an inch. If Yang's army attacked, retaliating would be within reason.

That is to say, in the "Public Opinion of the World," which is the only aspect where Yang Guo might have an advantage, because Chong Xuan Zhu Liang remained steadfast and unyielding like eight winds could not shake him, both Qi Yang and the other party stood on the same starting line.

The face-off between the two old comrades, the first round, Yang Jiande was already defeated.

When he decided to send troops, he lost the possibility of garnering sympathy in public opinion.

But this is also a helpless choice, still bound by the times and the general trend, it does not mean Yang Jiande is inferior to Chong Xuan Zhu Liang.

The cards in their hands are simply too different in quality.

Moreover, "public opinion" while significant, rarely determines the course of a war in most cases.

If Yang Jiande can defeat Chong Xuan Chu Liang, the diplomatic room will open up immediately.

If it cannot be done, then everything else is abandoned.

After years of peace, war suddenly broke out.

The entire Yang kingdom assembled a massive army in the capital. Yang Jiande planned to perform ancestral and celestial worship at the Tai Temple, and then personally lead the nation's forces to battle Chongxuan Sheng at the border.

There are three counties in Yanggu, namely Hengyang, Rizhao, and Chiwei.

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Hengyang County, being the location of the imperial capital, naturally had most of its able-bodied men mobilized. Within a single day, an army of 150,000 troops was assembled. Of these, 50,000 were the royal guards tasked with protecting the capital, while the remaining 100,000 came from various cities and regions.

However, in Akita County, the response from each city-state was not so enthusiastic. They barely managed to gather 50,000 soldiers and marched towards the capital. It is worth mentioning that among them, 20,000 were volunteers, who brought their own armor, supplies, and provisions. At least 10,000 of these volunteers came from Kurafune City.

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Then, as they reached the county of Rizhao, their enthusiasm dropped even further.

The primary reason for this is, of course, the outbreak of the Varisian plague ravaging Al-Andalus.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were gathered, their military might enough to dispel the plague-like evil spirits. While the soldiers themselves were not in fear of being infected by the plague, the common people of Yang Country still had no proper protection plan to this day.

Every soldier is a human being with blood and flesh, and his own family and friends. While putting the country first is certainly noble, one's family always comes before the nation; that is natural.

There are those who have donated their entire families to the country, and there are those who have closed their doors to avoid disaster. People are different.

However, the real core reason is that Yang Ting’s many years of governance have been chaotic and indifferent to the people's livelihood. Yang Jiande devoted himself to cultivation and ignored national affairs. As for the deceased Crown Prince Yang Xuanji, he was only concerned with seizing power and suppressing his brothers, and he was also very perfunctory in dealing with state affairs.

During this plague orchestrated by the White Bone Dao, Yangting's administrative ineffectiveness and incompetence were laid bare. It can be said that they have long since lost the hearts of the people.

Of course, in Rizhao County, it was largely due to the personal reasons of County Magistrate Song Guang. Even before Yang Jiande's edict calling for assistance, he had already taken action, amassing troops and supplies.

Although Jiacheng's newly appointed Lord, Shi Jing, died unexpectedly, the remaining six cities in the county still provided Song Guang with a formidable army of 80,000 soldiers. Under his relentless efforts, vast amounts of grain and money were collected.

However, he only sent ten thousand elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people to run to Zhaocheng. He claimed that the terrain of Rizhao County was special and close to the State of Qi. He wanted to retain "the strength of the aged, as a barrier for my king," but in reality, he amassed troops for his own security and waited for a favorable offer.

His memorial caused Yang Jiande to laugh in anger.

On the Dragon Throne, Yang Guo's twenty-seventh ruler sighed as he held the imperial edict, "I never thought that after hundreds of years of our Yang dynasty's founding, from Emperor Qi onwards, in just a few generations, we would have lost the people's trust."

Liu Huai comforted him from the side: "At least in Hengyang County, where the capital is located, the court is still favored by the people. Gathering an army of 100,000 is already all-out!"

Yang Jiande shook his head and said, "Right under my nose, facing the sword's edge, I couldn't help but come. How many people can truly be so loyal to their country"

>

Many heroes have sold their properties to alleviate their families' hardship, all to repay the great kindness of your father!

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"Being alone with them, what great kindness could there be It's just their own love for their homeland." Yang Jiande threw the imperial decree in his hand aside. "No need to comfort me, I am not so incapable of facing reality. I just want..."

He sighed: "The morale of both the army and the people is waning. Furthermore, the State of Qi is powerful and has a formidable reputation. Although this battle is fought on our own soil, our army cannot remain here for long. A swift resolution is necessary. If the situation takes a turn for the worse, a catastrophic collapse could occur in an instant."

He was a military man, with every consideration of war running through his mind.

Liu Huai bowed and said, "Your Majesty's benevolence is known to all."

"By the way," Yang Jiande suddenly remembered something and asked, "Besides the city guards leaving their posts in this national campaign to aid the emperor, were there also ten thousand militia raised from Cangfeng City"

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"Yes..."

Yang Jiande nodded. "Cangfeng City has always been a place with abundant grain and enough people to support it."

"Speaking of this, he hesitated a little: "How come... I seem to have a different impression of Cangfeng City"

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Liu Huai knew that cultivating the Mèiqíng Juéyù Xuèmógōng (Blood Demon Art of Extinction of Love and Desire) was gradually causing Yang Jiandé's human emotions to vanish. Today, being ridiculed by Song Guāngqì and sighing over national affairs were already rare displays of emotion.

He thought for a moment, then still reminded: "Little Prince's Heavenly Tower, is built right there."

"Tianxia Lou"

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"That's the killer organization."

“Oh, you mean the thing about me scolding him… It's still going on”

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"The internal account hasn't received any funding. The Little Prince has been covering the expenses himself."

"So this time, the righteous army of Cangfeng City... I suppose he's hiding among them too"

"It... it should be."

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

"Liu Huai ah."

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"The slave is here."

“Go find Xuan Ce and get him out of here.”

"This servant will arrange it right away."

"It's not a matter of arrangement." Yang Jiande looked up at him, "You must go yourself."

"Your Majesty!" Liu Huai knelt down before Yang Jiande at once: "Please, Your Majesty, choose someone else. I truly don't want to leave at this time!"

Yang Jiande said softly, "The empire is collapsing. In this deep and secluded palace, who can I still trust"

He reached out and patted Liu Huai on the shoulder: "Dog slave, this lone wolf's desperate act, you must make sure I have nothing to worry about. Do you understand"

Liu Huai choked back tears and said, "This servant... obeys your command!"

"Hmm…" Yang Jiande seemed to mutter to himself, "There should be something left for him."

At this moment, his emotions seemed to resist the erosion of the Blood Demon's Heart-Extinguishing Technique. His eyes held a faint, unnoticeable softness.

Liu Huai knelt on the ground, only shedding tears.

Yang Jiande reached out and opened the imperial box, tapping and stroking the jade seal within.

In the end, I still let go.

Unclasped the Panlong jade pendant from his waist and placed it in Liu Huai's hand.

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Compared to the jade seal, this jade pendant is delicate, but it lacks any power or sacred significance. It's truly much more ordinary.

But Liu Huai could understand why Yang Jiandé left only this jade pendant for Yang Xuancè.

Because a national seal would attract endless pursuit for Yang Xuance, this jade pendant is ignored by everyone.

This jade pendant itself doesn't hold any other meaning, it's just a father's remembrance left for his son.

"Your Majesty, is there anything you would like to say to the little prince" Liu Huai asked tearfully.

Yang Jiande leaned back on the dragon throne, seeming very tired. He waved his hand, signaling that there was nothing to say.

Liu Huai clutched the Panlong jade pendant, bringing nothing else with him, and hurriedly left the hall, striding away from the palace.

While Yang Jiande sat alone in the main hall, silent for a very long time, he suddenly seemed to think of something and said, "Tell Xuan Ce to say 'I'm sorry'."

>

After he finished speaking, he realized that Liu Huai had already left.

"That's it."It seemed to pose no real threat, yet it was more terrifying than all the previous ones. It had happened without anyone noticing. Despite Jiang Wang having willingly entered this tribulation, he remai...