The new king of Chu sat down in the pavilion and did not say anything.
For the sake of the Chu Kingdom, he could meet Shen Lang for a secret discussion. However, it would be too much to ask him to get along well with Shen Lang.
After all, this person had conquered his capital and burned down the royal palace of the Chu Kingdom.
"I don't have much time. I have to return before daybreak," said the new king.
Shen Lang said, "Your Majesty, the world is about to change."
The new king fell silent. The world had changed.
"His Majesty is about to exert his hegemony. He is about to unify the world." Shen Lang said, "All of us thought that he would prioritize the transition of imperial power. We didn't expect him to be so ambitious. After more than 40 years on the throne, not only did he eliminate Emperor Jiang Li, but he also completed the new policy. Now, he wants to unify the world and hand over the complete Great Yan Empire to the crown prince. "
The new king said, "Firstly, you don't have to tell me that the culprit behind my father's murder is His Majesty."
Shen Lang nodded. Needless to say, everyone in the upper echelons knew about this. His Majesty did not hide it from others.
"Secondly, I know that Ning Zheng's ascension to the throne is more beneficial to the Chu Kingdom."
Ning Qi was cunning and fickle. Allying with him was like asking a tiger for its skin.
Ning Qi's path was clear now. After inheriting the throne, he would probably become the second person to be conferred the title of Great Yan's prince.
Not only that, but he would also use the name of the Great Yan Empire to expand his territory.
In any case, Ning Qi might rebel against the Great Yan Empire. However, he would definitely wait until the Great Jin Kingdom and the New Qian Kingdom rebelled before he made his move.
He would let others be the first to stand out. He only intended to reap the benefits.
On the contrary, after Ning Zheng ascended to the throne, he would do his best to resist the Great Yan Empire's invasion.
To the new king, a King of Yue who resisted the emperor was the most beneficial to the Chu Kingdom.
The new king continued, "However, I am not Ning Zheng. I will not resist the emperor. My path is similar to Ning Qi's."
Hehehe!
Shen Lang said, "There are too many smart people in the world. The emperor's hegemony has already begun to invade the world. But everyone wants to sit back and reap the benefits of others. Everyone wants others to be the first to take the lead. "
The new King of Chu tacitly agreed.
"In the end, they were defeated one by one." Shen Lang said, "In the end, they were annexed by the Great Yan Empire."
The new Chu king remained silent.
Who didn't understand this logic? But what was the point?
Shen Lang understood it all too well.
When the Qin State unified the world, didn't the six states know that they should unite and fight against the Qin State together?
What was the result?
In Su Xun's' Theory of the Six Kingdoms', it was clearly stated that the destruction of the six kingdoms was not due to a lack of military strength or a lack of warfare, but due to the Qin Dynasty.
Currently, the entire Great Yan Empire also had six great empires.
Yue, Chu, Gan, Jin, Wu, War.
The smallest of these six countries was the Wu Country, with an area of about 430,000 square kilometers.
The largest was the War Hounds Khaganate. It was over three million square kilometers, but it was a nomadic kingdom in the north, so it was sparsely populated.
The strongest country was the Jin Kingdom. It had an area of more than 1.5 million square kilometers and a population of more than 35 million.
Even the dismembered New Gan Kingdom still had an area of more than a million square kilometers and a population of more than 20 million.
The combined area of the six kingdoms was slightly larger than the Great Yan Empire.
However, the combined population of the six kingdoms could not compare to the Great Yan Empire.
Therefore, the situation the six kingdoms faced was worse and more hopeless than the Great Yan Empire during the warring states period.
The Great Yan Empire had become so powerful that no one dared to resist it.
Therefore, although the vassal kings resisted in their hearts, they compromised in their actions.
"The State of Liang is the loyal dog of the Great Yan Empire, so it will be tamed first." Shen Lang said, "However, the State of Liang is only a duchy and not a kingdom. Among the six kingdoms, other than Ning Qi, who else would kneel and turn their own vassal state into a vassal state? "
The new Chu king remained silent.
None of the six kingdoms were easy to deal with.
Although the young King Wu had lost the previous battle and retreated at the last minute in this one, it seemed like he did not contribute much. In reality, however, King Wu was not a simple character. He could be considered a heroic ruler.
The New Qian Kingdom's Ying Guang was the most despicable person.
He was originally an abandoned infant who was adopted by the late King of the Great Qian Dynasty. As His Majesty Jiang Li's most trusted sworn brother and the highest commander of the Great Qian Kingdom, he actually betrayed the Jiang Royal Clan at a crucial moment, surrendered to the Great Yan Empire, and proclaimed himself King.
On the surface, Ying Guang was the closest to the Great Yan Empire.
However, he was cunning and powerful. He was the most difficult king to tame.
Shen Lang said, "Among the six kingdoms, no one will compromise and kneel so easily, except for Ning Qi!"
Then, Shen Lang placed the six tiles on the table.
After the first tile was pushed down, the other five tiles were all pushed down.
It was a domino effect.
Shen Lang said, "Ning Qi's compromise may cause an avalanche effect. Then, a second, a third, and finally, all six kingdoms will compromise and be annexed by the Great Yan Empire. His Majesty, the Chu King, should have seen the new policies of the State of Yue. As the leader of the old nobles, Su Nan surrendered unconditionally in the face of the new policies of the King of Yue. This caused all the old nobles to be without a leader, and they were almost defeated by the King of Yue. "
Of course, this was a long story. Su Nan was too ambitious and did not focus on resisting the new policies.
"The consequences of Ning Qi's compromise with the Emperor were much worse than imagined." Shen Lang said, "The six kingdoms were originally a complete wooden bucket. After Ning Qi's compromise, it was like a piece of the bucket was pulled out, and the water in the bucket poured out. It was like a sturdy dam. After digging a hole, it was very likely that it would completely collapse. Because of this, His Majesty risked universal condemnation to save Ning Qi's fate and poured the dirty water on the previous king. After his death, he was still ridiculed by the world. "
At this point, the forehead of the new Chu King twitched.
This was the biggest pain in his heart.
The impact of the Emperor's statement on the Chu Kingdom was even greater than the burning of the royal palace.
The previous king of Chu was murdered. Not only did they not get the truth, they even had to plant a scandal of a son murdering his father and make the previous king a cuckold.
Shen Lang said, "The six kingdoms united to resist the Great Yan Empire. I never dared to dream of such a beautiful dream. But … at least it can make the six kings abide by their conscience and not be the first to kneel, or cause an avalanche effect. "
"Your Majesty, if Ning Qi succeeds the throne and becomes the Great Yan Empire's Prince of Yue, and the Emperor sends a prime minister to the State of Yue. Which kingdom will it be next? "
The new Chu King thought for a moment and said, "The State of Wu or the State of Chu."
Pick the soft persimmon.
In the current situation, the State of Chu was even weaker than the State of Wu.
In this war, the State of Chu had been drained of blood. The casualties in the capital and the battlefield in Heavenly West Province reached nearly 200,000.
Moreover, the royal palace had been burned. It was unknown how long it would take for the country to recover.
Shen Lang said, "So, the next target is you. Where will you go from here? Will you resist? Or kneel? "
The new Chu King closed his eyes.
Once he knelt, he would no longer have the chance to stand up.
He would be the Chu King, and the Great Yan Empire would send the prime minister to the State of Chu.
The new Chu King said, "But if Ning Zheng succeeds, won't the Emperor come to me first?"
Shen Lang said, "That won't happen! There was a saying that went like this, "The initiator will never have a successor." The kings will have to take the initiative to request the Emperor to change the vassal states into vassal states. The Emperor will not be able to make the request. If Ning Qi does not take the initiative, even if the Emperor uses force to force the kings to kneel and compromise, it will only be the neighboring states. "
The new Chu King nodded, admitting that Shen Lang's words made sense.
When the Great Yan Empire was preparing to conquer the world, if political means could not be used, it would resort to military means.
If it chose to resort to military means, it would fall into a disadvantageous position, and the price would be higher.
Moreover, if it wanted to resort to military means, it would naturally choose the states that bordered the Great Yan Empire.
Among the Six Great Kingdoms, only the Chu Kingdom and the State of Yue did not have a full border with the Great Yan Empire.
Shen Lang said, "Your Majesty, think about it. Once you become the Chu King, you will no longer be able to address him as Your Majesty. Instead, you will be addressed as Your Highness."
The new Chu King twitched violently.
"Your Majesty, allowing Prince Ning Zheng to ascend to the throne is not only beneficial to you, it concerns the fate of the entire Chu Country." Shen Lang continued, "To be more direct, Prince Ning Zheng is resolute and unyielding, he would rather die than submit. If he is not careful, he might become the vanguard of resisting the Great Yan Empire's annexation. Isn't that what you have always dreamed of? "
The new Chu King said, "Resist the Great Yan Empire? The State of Yue will be destroyed in less than two months. "
Shen Lang said, "Even if the State of Yue is destroyed, with His Highness Ning Zheng's character, he will likely retreat to the Sand Barbaric Tribe and establish an exile regime to continue resisting. When I led the army to attack the Chu Kingdom, half of the troops came from Prince Jin. Your Majesty, Ning Qi is cunning and fickle. If you wish to form an alliance, it would be better to choose someone like His Highness Ning Zheng or Prince Jin. "
The new Chu King said, "Shen Lang, you and Ning Zheng have occupied my capital and burned my palace. If I cannot kill Ning Zheng, how can I answer to the people of Chu? "
Shen Lang was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, there is no such thing as a win-win situation in this world. If you defeat us in this battle, or even kill Ning Zheng, your reputation in Chu will naturally soar. But will this benefit be enough to offset the loss of Ning Qi's ascension? If Ning Zheng succeeds, you will lose your current reputation, but gain future benefits. Will you choose to enjoy yourself now, or choose the future safety of Chu? "
The new Chu King said, "Future benefits are too illusory. Only the present benefits are real."
Shen Lang said, "Your Majesty, I have to correct you on one point of view. I came to negotiate with you for the future, not for the present, and even more not to ask you to spare me and Ning Zheng. To be honest, we do not need you to spare us. We have nothing to fear from your army of 200,000. "
The Chu King's eyes narrowed, "Shen Lang, aren't you boasting a little too much?"
Shen Lang said, "Your Majesty, I know that in the current situation, you must fight this battle. Even if you don't fight, your generals and troops will fight to wipe out the national humiliation and wipe us out. This is what your army of 200,000 is thinking. So I came to negotiate only after the battle. I have no intention of avoiding this first battle. But after this battle, if you end up badly injured, I hope that you can consider my suggestion. "
"What suggestion?" the Chu King asked.
Shen Lang said, "Sign a truce agreement with His Highness Ning Zheng."
The new Chu King said, "I have already signed it with Ning Qi."
Shen Lang said, "That truce agreement is somewhat humiliating. My State of Yue has to cede 200 miles of territory, and it even deceived the people of the State of Yue. So I want you to sign a new truce agreement with His Highness Ning Zheng, and the one with Ning Qi will be completely nullified. And this time, our State of Yue will not cede an inch of territory. "
The new Chu King said sternly, "You are going too far. This is impossible."
Shen Lang said, "But in exchange, we are willing to pay a sum of money for you to rebuild the royal palace."
The new Chu King said, "How much?"
Shen Lang said, "Two million gold coins. Of course, it is not in cash, but in goods of equivalent value."
There was a lot of leeway.
Goods of equivalent value to two million gold coins might really be exchanged for two million gold coins in the State of Chu.
But on Shen Lang's side, the cost might not even be 200,000 gold coins.
Shen Lang said, "I guarantee that it will be a hard currency, the kind that can be exchanged for gold coins directly. We intend to pay the two million gold coins in five years. "
Then Shen Lang continued, "Not only will we provide you with goods worth two million gold coins free of charge, we will also invest in the State of Chu in the name of the Heavenly Dao Society. The investment will exceed five million gold coins in five years."
The new Chu King continued to be silent.
Shen Lang said, "Your Majesty, your royal palace needs to be rebuilt, right? Look at this jade brick of mine. "
Shen Lang took out a piece of ceramic tile that didn't exist in this world.
The new Chu King took it and looked at it. It was as smooth as jade, and the key point was that there were gorgeous patterns on it.
Shen Lang said, "This is more gorgeous and beautiful than white marble, and more luxurious than marble. How about some of the outer walls of the royal palace be built with it? And we can supply this kind of jade brick unconditionally, so that you can rebuild the royal palace at half the price of white marble. It will be included in the list of two million gold coins free of charge. But in exchange, we hope that this kind of jade brick can be publicly sold in the State of Chu. "
Then Shen Lang said, "We can not only provide jade brick, but also a very magical building material that can let you completely abandon wood. This way, not only can you save money, but it can also withstand fire. Not only that, but it can also increase the efficiency of building the royal palace by several times. You can even build a brand new royal palace in one or two years. "
Then Shen Lang took out a piece of sparkling and translucent glass and said, "Your royal palace can completely abandon the paper windows and replace them with our glass. This way, it will be noble, elegant, bright, and warm, and it will never need to be replaced. All the glass that you need for the royal palace is also on our list. Of course, in exchange, we also hope that you can publicly sell this transparent jade in the State of Chu. "
The new Chu King almost couldn't help but want to smash the jade brick in his hand.
You are using the name of rebuilding the royal palace to expand the market in the State of Chu, and even let the Heavenly Dao Society enter the State of Chu without restraint to suppress the Yinyuan Society.
Shen Lang's calculations are too clever. On the surface, you are unconditionally supporting me in building the royal palace, but in fact, you are trying to make a fortune.
Once the Chu King and Ning Zheng sign a new armistice agreement.
What a slap in the face to Ning Qi!
Ning Qi ceded 200 square kilometers of land, humiliating the country.
But the armistice agreement signed by His Highness Ning Zheng didn't cede an inch of land, maintaining the territorial integrity of the State of Yue.
As for the compensation of two million gold coins to the Chu King, that was in the name of the Heavenly Dao Society, and had nothing to do with the State of Yue.
Then there were two choices in front of the Chu King.
Two million gold coins, or 200 square kilometers of land.
In the long run, of course, 200 square kilometers of land was more useful.
Although the 200 square kilometers of land ceded by the State of Yue was actually a military fortress, it could only bring about military initiative, not much food, and not much tax.
But the Tsar also sold Alaska for 7.2 million US dollars, a total of 1.52 million square kilometers.
The new Chu King looked at Shen Lang and said, "Many of your words are reasonable, but the people of the State of Chu are looking at me, and the 200,000 soldiers are looking at me. This battle is already like an arrow on the bow, and it has to be fired. So no matter what? Let's finish this battle first. "
Shen Lang said, "Sure!"
The new Chu King said, "Shen Lang, there's one more thing. Even if I can think in the long term, the soldiers under me won't care about the long term. Right now, they only want to wipe out the shame of their country and kill every last one of you. So, don't even think about us showing mercy in this battle. If you are wiped out, don't blame me. "
Shen Lang said, "I understand! I've already said that I'm here to negotiate with you for the future, not the present. I have no intention of asking you to spare us. We have nothing to fear against your 200,000 soldiers! "
The Chu King was a little infuriated.
Shen Lang, you're too boastful.
How many soldiers do you have? Only 9,000.
How long is the perimeter of the Chu royal capital's walls? More than 25 kilometers.
That is to say, less than 200 people are defending a kilometer of the city walls.
How are you going to defend with such a sparse formation?
With such a sparse defensive formation, the power of the rain of arrows can't be unleashed at all.
Not to mention that once my army attacks the royal capital, the hundreds of thousands of people in the city will come out and attack you from the back.
When that time comes, your mere 9,000 people will be attacked from both inside and outside, and you will definitely die!
The new Chu King said, "Whether it's a secret alliance or a new truce, let's finish this battle first. The arrow is already nocked on the bowstring, and it has to be released. "
Shen Lang said, "I understand. Only the strong have the right to negotiate and form an alliance! Your Majesty, I'll take my leave then! I'm going to prepare for war. I welcome your 200,000 soldiers to attack. "
Following that, Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu left, returning to the Chu royal capital at the fastest speed possible.
The new Chu King also returned to the army camp without anyone noticing.
"Your Majesty, are you really going to negotiate with Shen Lang?" Li Xuan asked.
The Chu King said, "This battle must be fought, and the soldiers will definitely fight with all their might. If I don't fight, I won't be fit to be king, and I will be despised by the soldiers. If Shen Lang wants to negotiate with me, and if he wants me to sign a new truce with Ning Zheng, we'll talk about it after we survive! "
… …
The next day!
The Chu King's 200,000 soldiers marched majestically towards the Chu royal capital.
Their marching speed was actually even faster.
This was because these 200,000 soldiers were filled with hot-bloodedness, all for revenge, all for cleansing the humiliation of the nation.
"Revenge, cleansing the humiliation of the nation!"
"Revenge, cleansing the humiliation of the nation!"
The eyes of the entire Chu Kingdom, the entire world, were once again focused on Shen Lang and Ning Zheng.
This pair of lunatics were still not retreating.
They were actually trying to use 9,000 soldiers to resist the Chu King's 200,000 soldiers.
It sounded absolutely appalling.
… …
Inside the Chu royal capital!
The Chu King's 200,000 soldiers were only about 150 li away from the Chu royal capital.
"Under normal circumstances, we definitely won't be able to defend," Ku Tou Huan said. "The 200,000 soldiers under the Chu King's command are definitely first-line elites, and their morale is high, and they do not fear death. The crux is that the Chu royal capital's walls are too long, more than 25 li long, and each li can only accommodate 180 soldiers. The advantage of this rain of arrows has been completely lost. And we have hundreds of thousands of Chu citizens behind us. They were obedient previously, but when the Chu King attacks the city, they will definitely launch a sneak attack from behind. When there are enough ants, they can even bite an elephant to death. So, under normal circumstances, we would definitely lose this battle. Moreover, we would be completely submerged, or even completely annihilated.
Shen Lang nodded and said, "So I announce two decisions!"
"First, completely abandon the Chu royal capital's outer walls and retreat to the inner city. The perimeter of the inner city's walls is only 10 li long, and on average there are 800 to 900 soldiers defending each li of the walls, which is more than enough, and the advantage of the rain of arrows can be fully utilized. Most importantly, the inner city is filled with civilians, and the Chu King's 200,000 soldiers will not be able to display their full strength, and our advantage in numbers will be completely reduced. "
"Second, expel everyone from the inner city, and kill anyone who disobeys. This way, we will not have any enemies behind us. "
"Of course, the Chu King's 200,000 soldiers are still 150 li away from us, and there is still time to retreat now. But this place is thousands of li away from the State of Yue, and if we do not subdue the Chu King, our journey back home will not be peaceful, and we will have to deal with endless attacks. "
"If we subdue the Chu King and force him to sign a truce with His Highness Ning Zheng, then Ning Qi's share will be completely nullified, because ceding 200 li is a humiliation to the country. This will be a huge blow to Ning Qi's reputation, and his miraculous victory in Tianxi Province will be for naught."
"His Highness Ning Zheng, do we fight this battle? It is up to you to decide whether to take this risk. "
Ning Zheng said directly, "Fight!"
… …
Following Ning Zheng's order.
A tragic scene unfolded in the Chu royal capital.
Shen Lang's 9,000 soldiers abandoned the outer city walls and retreated to the inner city.
Then, they began to expel the citizens of the inner city.
The total population of the inner city did not exceed 50,000, but they were all either wealthy or respectable.
These people cherished their lives very much, but they were unwilling to give up their luxurious residences or their family businesses.
Thus, conflict broke out.
After Shen Lang's army entered the Chu royal capital, it was considered very restrained, and they had almost never harmed the citizens here.
But now …
They went on a killing spree.
Everyone in the inner city, whether they were nobles or merchants, had to leave.
Completely clear the entire inner city.
But leave food for them.
Once the time was up, all those who had not left would be killed!
Then …
Shen Lang gave the order to kill two dukes and three marquises, all members of the Chu royal family.
Hundreds and thousands of heads fell to the ground.
Blood stained the ground.
All the people in the inner city left weeping.
In just one day, the inner city was completely cleared.
Shen Lang's army no longer had to worry about being attacked from the back.
But this was also a dead end.
Because they had abandoned the outer city walls, it was tantamount to being completely surrounded, cutting off their path of retreat.
… …
The 200,000 soldiers of the Chu king were getting closer and closer.
300 li, 200 li, 100 li!
50 li!
30 li!
Five days later!
The Chu king's army was at the city gates.
Even though he had already received the news, the Chu king was still completely shocked when he saw the empty outer city walls.
Shen Lang and Ning Zheng were really crazy.
Retreating to the inner city was indeed beneficial for defense, but it also completely cut off their escape route.
Ning Qi was a person who would produce miracles after being forced into a corner.
Ning Zheng and Shen Lang, on the other hand, were frantically creating miracles.
Such strong determination and will?
While the Chu king was shocked, he also felt admiration.
If they were to form an alliance, such an ally was truly reassuring, because he had a steel-like will and would not easily change his stance.
Ning Zheng, Shen Lang, I admire you very much.
But I have no other choice.
I have to do my best in this battle.
If you are defeated, then everything will be over.
But if you can really create a miracle and make my army bleed.
Then … we can talk.
Admiration is admiration, but don't expect me to show mercy.
"Army, enter the city!"
With the Chu king's order, the 200,000 soldiers marched into the outer city of the capital.
It took three whole days.
The 200,000 soldiers set up their attack positions in the outer city, surrounding the Shen Lang army in the inner city.
… …
Three days later!
The Chu king ordered, "Army, attack the city!"
Immediately, the 80,000 soldiers attacked the inner city from all four sides of the city walls!
This battle with the greatest disparity in military strength had completely erupted.
Ning Zheng and Shen Lang's 9,000 soldiers against the Chu king's 200,000 elites!
Regardless of the outcome, it was destined to shock the world!
… …
Note: I'm going to eat, then write the second chapter. In the last few hours, pastries are begging for monthly votes, please!
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