216 Northwest Glass City
ooked calmly at the two of them: "Your Highness is joking. This is just what a lady should do. I know that Fourth Miss and Your Highness are fond of each other, but since they haven’t married yet, it’...216. Northwest Glass City
"The Imperial House of Chu killed my father and brothers, disgracing our valiant martyrs. This marks the end of any ties between me, Prince Yao of Mo, and the Imperial House of Chu."
Moshou Yao's resolute voice signified that the iron cavalry of the Mo family, which had guarded the Chu State for over a hundred years, would now have no connection with it. Although the Mo army was still a barrier against Xiling in Northwest Chu, one could no longer see the unyielding black figures along the borders with Nanzhao and Beirong as before. After a century of guarding Chu, the Mo family's declaration had truly come to an end that night. No one could say anything; not even Duke Jingli of Mo or any Chu officials could protest. The entire city gate was quiet, with everyone looking up at the young couple standing side by side in the main seat. Everyone simultaneously recalled a voice: "This chaotic era has indeed arrived."
The subsequent banquet featured usual silk strings and dance performances, but no one present paid attention to the captivating dancers or music. As soon as Moshou Yao and Ye Li left, everyone else followed suit. It was crucial for them to return and deliberate on this matter; none had any interest in drinking fine wine or watching dances.
The next morning, Prince Dingwang's declaration from the previous evening was quickly spread through various channels by all parties to every direction. Although shocked, no envoy from Xiling, Beirong, Nanzhao, and Chu left the city early that day. At Duke Moshou Yao’s residence, a large crowd filled the conference hall right at dawn. Many had dark circles under their eyes, clearly having not slept well. As Moshou Yao and Ye Li entered the hall hand in hand, everyone quickly rose to greet them, "Greetings, Your Excellency; greetings, Lady."
After seating themselves, Moshou Yao calmly asked, "No need for formalities, please take your seats as you wish. General Zhang, Feng San, what’s wrong Didn't sleep well last night"
Feng Zhirao rolled his eyes; it wasn’t only the envoys and commoners who were frightened by their ruler's declaration last night. As for him, Feng San, was he not truly surprised The lord hadn’t given any prior notice; when he received the silk cloth message and opened it, if he didn't have great composure, he would've thrown away what was in his hands. After barely maintaining his composure to read the note, no one knew that Feng Zhirao's hands were still trembling when he returned to his seat. Feng San felt deeply hurt. Smiling at his subordinates with different expressions, Moshou Yao asked, "What Scared"
"Your Excellency should have acted like this earlier; what do we have to fear" Lü Jinxian declared loudly.
Others echoed their agreement, making the hall noisy and lively.
"Your Excellency," Xu Hongyu calmly said, "now that you've decided to sever ties with Chu, misunderstandings between your Highness and Prince Dingwang's residence can be clarified."
Moshou Yao nodded. "What do you think"
Xu Hongyu replied, "Take the initiative; clearly announce the enmity between the Imperial House of Chu and the Mo family to the world. Although many people may not understand politics or literature, they are not ignorant of right from wrong. There will be a fair judgment."
Feng Zhirao agreed, saying, "Mr. Hongyu is correct. We should announce this now; by the time news reaches Chu's capital, all of Mo Jingqi’s nonsense will be known to everyone. I want to see how he’ll manage to turn things around." Everyone echoed their support for Xu Hongyu's suggestion.
Moshou Yao and Ye Li naturally had no objections. Moshou Yao turned to Xu Hongyu: "Mr. Hongyu, please take charge of this."
As a renowned scholar, Xu Hongyu could handle the situation efficiently. He nodded in agreement.
After dismissing all the early morning visitors, only close aides and Zhou Yu, the governor responsible for the city's administration, remained. Although young, Zhou Yu handled official duties well without any major mistakes during recent months. For his age and experience, he was excellent, and his meticulousness pleased both Moshou Yao and Ye Li.
"Governor Zhou," asked Ye Li, "have envoys from Xiling and Beirong said their goodbyes today
Zhou Yu stood respectfully and reported, "My Lady, we haven't received any farewell letters from the envoys of various countries yet. However, this morning, Prince Southern Xi Ling Town, Seventh Prince of Northern Rong, and Li King of Chu all left the city early in the morning to enjoy the northwest scenery."
Ye Li smiled and said, "Let them go then. The envoys from different countries are our guests, so we must make them feel at home here. I hope that Director Zhou will take care of this matter earnestly. If there is any problem, someone should report it to the royal mansion immediately. Of course, if anyone violates the rules and tries to cause trouble in the northwest, Director Zhou doesn't need to be courteous either. The Black Cloud Cavalry's Eagle Division, consisting of 2500 people, will always follow your orders."
When mentioning the organization of the Black Cloud Cavalry, Ye Li couldn't help but frown slightly. She was used to numerical designations and found it dizzying to deal with such varied military titles. The Black Cloud Cavalry had around 50,000 people in total, divided into three armies: Eagle, Lion, and Tiger. Each army consisted of approximately 16,700 people. Each army was further divided into five divisions, each division consisting of about 3,000 people, with the Eagle Division stationed nearby Ruyang.
Zhou Yu was moved by her words; at his age and experience, he had never imagined that he would be so trusted and favored by the King and Queen. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, rest assured. I will not disappoint your trust."
Mo Xiuyao clearly understood Zhou Yu's thoughts and nodded, saying, "I have never liked to appoint people based on their experience or age. In the past, when you were responsible for maintaining the livelihood of Ruyang City, my wife and I entrusted it to you. You just need to focus on your duties."
Zhou Yu suppressed his excitement and respectfully said, "I accept my mission. May I take my leave" Seeing Zhou Yu exit, Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Your Highness is good at managing subordinates, no wonder all the soldiers of Mo Family Army are united."
Mo Xiuyao smiled and replied, "Sir Xu is too kind. The people under me are all rough men; to be honest, there aren't many officials either. Initially promoting Zhou Yu was不得已的舉動。幸好他勤勉嚴謹還算不錯，以後還需要請兩位先生多多費心。”徐清塵挑了挑眉，笑容淡然而寧靜，“王爺信得過徐家？”墨修堯揚了揚眉毛道：“若不信又何必如此？更何況……若是連徐家都不可信任本王還有誰能信？總不能所有的事情都要本王親自去做吧？莫家軍這些傢夥讓他們領兵打仗冇問題，要他們去處理政務隻怕比要了他們的命還難。”
Standing by, Lu Jinxian nodded in agreement repeatedly.
Afther some laughter, everyone's expression turned serious again and they started discussing important matters. Xu Hongyu asked, "Now that the northwest has officially severed ties with Chu State, what is Your Highness' first plan"
Mo Xiuyao said respectfully, "Please advise me."
Xu Hongyu shook his head and replied, "Your Highness need not be polite. Surely you already have a plan in mind, so why ask for my advice My opinion is that the first thing to do might be to standardize the official positions of officials across various regions, as well as... Your Highness' current positioning of Mo Family Army in relation to northwest."
Mo Xiuyao was silent for a moment and said, "Standardizing the official positions is imperative. However, I don't understand your statement about Mo Family Army's positioning in regards to northwest."
Xu Hongyu looked at him and said, "Now that northwest has nothing to do with Chu State anymore and there is no more subordinate relationship between them, how does Your Highness plan for the future of northwest and Mo Family Army Would you maintain the status quo separately or expand your territory... unifying the world" The last phrase 'unify the world' was said very lightly by Xu Hongyu but it sounded like a thunderclap in everyone's ears. Perhaps discussing this right after severing ties with Chu wasn't appropriate, but this was also the most realistic issue at hand. Mo Family Army was situated in northwest surrounded by enemies on all sides. If Mo Xiuyao didn’t have ambitions to expand territory then northwest would eventually have no choice but to choose a powerful nation to rely on. In that case, it might as well revert back to the old road of Ding Wang Manor and even be worse off than before. Therefore, Mo Family Army could only move forward absolutely not backwards. Moving forward, expanding territory and unifying the world, this was what several generations of previous kings and soldiers of Mo Family Army yearned for. But due to royal constraints over many years, they always failed at crucial moments. Similarly, if Mo Xiuyao established himself as emperor now regardless of his reasons, he would inevitably bear the name of traitor in the eyes of the people.
Ding Wang Manor had a deep grudge against the current and former emperors, resulting in its breaking off relations with Chu State. However, if they were to overthrow Chu State, they might end up bearing the accusation of treason. Xu Hongyu calmly looked at Mo Xiuyao; this young Ding King had endured countless hardships but also carried nearly a century's worth of glory and reputation for Ding Wang Manor. Could he bear such accusations and consequences
Mo Xiuyao suddenly chuckled softly, his gaze calm and resolute. He said with a light smile, "Sir Hongyu need not test me. Since I can break off ties with Chu State, why would I hesitate over a mere title The sins of killing my father and brother, I must claim from Mo Jingqi!" After a moment's silence, Xu Hongyu rose and gave Mo Xiuyao a bow, saying, "In that case, please instruct us." Mo Xiuyao pondered for a moment and said, "Change Ruyang City to Li City, the era name will be Yongding." Everyone was stunned; Feng Zhirao reminded him, “Your Highness, what about the national title”
Moxiu Yao gave him a glance and said with an arched eyebrow, "Who says I’m going to establish a national title"
The others fell silent. Changing the era name without establishing a national title was confusing. Xu Qingchen, who had been listening quietly from the side, raised his head and asked, "Does Your Highness mean that you will not ascend the throne for now" Moxiu Yao waved dismissively as he said indifferently, "The northwest is just a small area; I’ll call myself an emperor to amuse myself. Why should I care about such an empty title If I say I’m a king under my jurisdiction, then I’m a king. If I say I’m an emperor, then I’m an emperor!" The others understood that the era name was only to distinguish it from the year of the Great Chu and that without an emperor there was no national title either. Seeing the others still uncertain, Moxiu Yao smiled and said, "Even if I want to establish a country, shouldn’t I do so with some dignity Coronation ceremonies are quite costly. Where is the imperial palace The imperial city It would be embarrassing for me to hold a coronation ceremony in such a small area of the northwest. Let’s just cut costs and save money." Does that mean he has to learn from those fools who dream of becoming emperors, claiming a small city as his own country and declaring himself emperor If he cannot unify the land, how could Moxiu Yao claim to have established a kingdom with his ascension
Xuhongyu sighed lightly and nodded. "It’s good that Your Highness has such ambitions. Let’s proceed according to what Your Highness said."
On the day after the full moon celebration of Crown Prince Dingwang, Dingwang Manor once again dropped a thunderbolt. Using Ruyang City as a base, Dingwang formally announced his rule over the northwest region west of Feihong Pass, including five states and seventeen cities. He changed Ruyang City to Li City and renamed the era to Yongding. From this day on, the northwest region west of Feihong Pass officially declared its separation from the Great Chu.
In the post station, Prince of Southern Peace was taken aback when he heard the report from his subordinate. "Li City… Yongding… Has Moxiu Yao really decided to completely sever ties with the Great Chu" Le Tengfeng, who had just returned hurriedly from outside, put down his tea cup and said disdainfully, "If I were Moxiu Yao, not immediately sending troops to attack Chu Capital would already be good enough." Prince of Southern Peace looked at his son with a faint smile. "Do you look down on Mo Jingqi because you think that if you were him, you would do better"
Le Tengfeng frowned; he knew that his father wouldn’t ask such an obvious question out of the blue.
The Prince of Southern Peace was not really looking for an answer but sighed and smiled. "With subordinates like Dingwang Manor, any emperor would find it difficult to govern. Mo Jingqi himself is a man with lofty ambitions but mediocre abilities, so it’s no surprise that he’s insane." Le Tengfeng frowned and said, "Mo Jingqi, as the emperor, harmed the Mo Family Army for his own selfish reasons. How can this be right" Prince of Southern Peace shook his head and smiled. "Whether you call it right or wrong is debatable. Dingwang Manor looks much more threatening to Mo Jingqi than North Rong and West Ling. To conquer the Great Chu, we have to endure years of bitter battles; now our strength is not very different from South Zhaos’ three countries. However, Dingwang Manor is different. Take Mo Liufang as an example: with his prestige at that time, if he showed any hint of wanting to be emperor, would you believe countless people would rush to support him Such a person could take over the entire Great Chu without even using force. Do you think he’s more terrifying than North Rong or us"
"But…" Le Tengfeng wanted to argue.
Prince of Southern Peace interrupted, "Do you want to say that Mo Liufang and Dingwang Manor don’t have ambitions for the throne" After a brief hesitation, Le Tengfeng nodded. Prince of Southern Peace smiled. "If you were Mo Jingqi, would you believe that such an existence wouldn’t pose a threat to yourself"
Le Tengfeng frowned as he pondered this, putting himself in the shoes of Mo Jingqi for quite some time until his face was pale and his forehead drenched with sweat. Prince of Southern Peace smiled understandingly. "Do you understand now Dingwang Manor’s mistake is not that they have ambitions but that they are too powerful. No emperor can tolerate such an existence. How could one allow others to sleep peacefully next to their own bed If the emperor himself is strong enough, he might maintain a balance or suppress them carefully. Sadly… The Great Chu royal family has been getting weaker with each generation, while Mo Lanyun’s descendants are getting stronger with each generation. This may be fate."
Le Tengfeng lowered his head and said, "Thank you for Your Highness’ guidance; I’m too simplistic in my thinking."
The Prince of Southern Peace sighed softly, “You’re still young,” though he felt a sense of regret deep down. Le Tengfeng was not much younger than Moxiu Yao, but his abilities and influence were far inferior to Moxiu Yao’s. It wasn’t that his son was insufficiently talented; it was because Moxiu Yao was too outstanding.
"Father, Mo Xiuyao's move...
Thunder Wind frowned and said, "It doesn't seem like Mo Xiuyao plans to ascend the throne."
The Prince Regent nodded. "If he were planning to ascend the throne, we would have come here not for Crown Prince Dingwang's full moon banquet but directly for his coronation ceremony. This is also one of Mo Xiuyao’s shrewd moves. Watch and see; once news about Ruyang City spreads throughout Great Chu, everyone will shift their attention to the House of Dingwang. However, if Mo Xiuyao were to ascend the throne now, things would be quite different. Many matters need moderation. This also shows that apart from being exceptionally capable, Mo Xiuyao is also extremely patient. Not everyone in this world can withstand the allure of the imperial throne."
Thunder Wind was speechless. History books are filled with examples of people who declared themselves kings or emperors over a small territory, but such actions only seem ridiculous to posterity. However, if one were truly in their shoes, how many could resist the allure of the throne Thunder Wind knew that he himself couldn't.
"Should we seize this opportunity to mobilize our troops..."
The Prince Regent raised his hand and said, "Send orders back for all border troops at Western Xiling to retreat thirty miles."
Thunder Wind was puzzled. "Father"
The Prince Regent spoke gravely, "We are going to negotiate peace with Mo Xiuyao." Thunder Wind frowned. "Mo Xiuyao's actions will inevitably anger Mo Jingqi. If Mo Jingqi mobilizes troops towards the northwest, we can take advantage of this situation to attack Xiling. Why is Father considering negotiating peace with Mo Xiuyao" The Prince Regent scoffed, "Do you think Mo Jingqi truly dares to fight against Mo Xiuyao If he had such courage, he wouldn't have waited until now. Even if Mo Xiuyao hadn’t changed the era name before, so what It is a fact that the Mo family's army controls the northwest; Mo Jingqi has no shortage of reasons to send troops for a punitive expedition. But do you think he would dare At most, he will dispatch some token forces to make a show of it, and in the short term, Mo Xiuyao won’t take it seriously. When the time comes, if the Mo family's army turns around to deal with us, we’ll be at their mercy."
Thunder Wind said, "Our Xiling isn't afraid of the Mo family’s army."
The Prince Regent smiled and said, “Indeed, we aren’t afraid. Even if the Mo family is incredibly powerful, they can’t conquer all of Western Xiling with just their forces in the northwest. But what about when Beirong and Nanzhao get involved Would you still feel safe” No one is a pushover; taking advantage of other's misfortunes isn't something only we would do.
Thunder Wind was silent.
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Dear readers, please vote for the "Tempest Popularity" option. Everyone should be careful with their points and save them to support me, Phoenix, too. Since I’m not a big shot author, let's focus on participating in these awards. 100 points per vote is really expensive!n the world—Xiao Yao landlord." Han Mingyue bitterly laughed, "Your Excellency Consort speaks too highly of me. Don’t you also understand I won’t run away." Ye Li turned her head to look at Han Mingyu...