Chapter 678: Chapter 675: Self-preservation by Shrinking Back_1

Xiao Rongyan sat in the open window of the study, brow furrowed as he carefully read the secret letter sent by his imperial brother. Just as he set the letter on fire, two birds chirped noisily, flying in and landing on the window, pecking at each other and flapping their wings playfully.

Xiao Rongyan reached out to take one of the birds into his hand, gently stroking its feathers, his eyes deep as he spoke to Zhang Yan. “Wei and Daliang have joined forces, intending to attack our Yan Kingdom from both the north and the south. In truth, this move is to intimidate the Jin Kingdom.”

Previously, when Bai Qingyan led troops, the Jin Kingdom had defeated Daliang thoroughly. With Wei and Xiliang intending to join forces against Yan, it was the Jin Kingdom that sent troops to the Xiliang and Jin borders to deter Xiliang. Wei had been thwarted by the Jin Kingdom at every turn, naturally leading to discontent.

Daliang, having suffered a defeat, also harbored grudges.

Therefore, they did not dare to directly act against the Jin Kingdom but thought to use what they perceived as the weaker Yan Kingdom to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and thus intimidate the Jin Kingdom.

Not to mention, Wei had long been coveting the fertile southern lands of Yan.

Despite Yan secretly growing stronger over the years, it was no longer the impoverished, weak nation that Wei and Daliang presumed it to be, where anyone could come and bully Yan at will.

The current situation forced Yan to unsheathe its sword.

Yan had to let the world know that the Yan Kingdom after more than a decade was no longer the Yan of the past. Anyone who dared provoke Yan had better think twice about whether they could bear the consequences.

Xiao Rongyan made up his mind and raised his head to ask Zhang Yan. “Where is the Yan envoy now?”

“I estimate he should arrive in Dadu City within two days!” Zhang Yan reported respectfully.

“Go and tell the Yan envoy that there is no need this time to seek aid from the Jin Kingdom. Tell the Crown Prince of Jin directly that Daliang and Wei plan to join forces to attack Yan. The Emperor of Yan, upon hearing this, had a fit of rage and is now critically ill. The envoy is here to escort Prince Li back to Yan to see His Majesty for potentially the last time!” Xiao Rongyan spoke steadily.

“But master, this…” Zhang Yan raised his head, his gaze filled with astonishment.

Since Yan had decided to unsheathe its sword, Xiao Rongyan said each word clearly, replying: “Our Prince cannot stay in the Jin Kingdom, lest he be used as leverage against us in the future.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yan understood Xiao Rongyan’s meaning. Yan could no longer grow stronger in secret. If Yan continued to hide its sharpness, other nations would assume Yan was weak and could be easily bullied, using it as a stepping stone to enhance their own power, taking cities from Yan piece by piece.

Especially since Yan had helped the Rong previously, other strong nations saw that a country they considered weak had the margin to assist the Rong, igniting a desire to quash Yan’s spirit and impose dominance so that Yan would retreat and protect itself.

Therefore, Yan must make it clear that the Yan of today was no longer the Yan of the past.

The once strong Yan Kingdom was back.

“I understand! I will go and meet the envoy to deliver your master’s message!” Zhang Yan clasped his fists, retreating from the inner chamber, then exited through the side gate, riding off quickly.

Xiao Rongyan caressed the bird’s feathers, lowering his gaze to its leg, sighing as he found no note from Bai Qingyan. He released the bird.

Even without a letter, the bird’s unadorned leg meant Bai Qingyan had received his message.

The day before, Xiao Rongyan had heard that the nanny from the Crown Princess Consort had visited the Princess of Zhen, who had suddenly vomited blood. Rumors spread that the Princess of Zhen was near the end, and much speculation in the taverns revolved around who would be capable of leading if war arose again in Jin.

Although Xiao Rongyan knew Bai Qingyan’s vomiting blood was likely a performance for the Crown Prince’s household, he was still deeply concerned. He had planned to sneak into Bai Qingyan’s chambers again but was thwarted by the increased presence of Hidden Guards from the Crown Prince’s household sent to protect Bai Qingyan.

Early that morning, Xiao Rongyan visited in person, only to be stopped in the front courtyard by the Bai family’s second madam, Mrs. Liu. Fortunately, the bird he sent was taken to the Qinghui Courtyard by Bai Jinzhi.

Running his fingers over the bird’s head, Xiao Rongyan’s gaze fell upon the ashes in the jade brush washer.

There was a way to break the Daliang and Wei alliance attacking Yan. Xiao Rongyan had made up his mind, and thus felt less urgency.

Last time, Yan, allied with Beirong, attacked Nanrong. Due to Jin Kingdom’s pressure, Yan had informed Beirong that having their Prince in the Jin Kingdom made it difficult to continue the alliance, and so they had to abandon the attack.

This time, using Emperor Yan’s health as an excuse to bring back Ah Li, Beirong could use the Daliang and Wei combination as justification to withdraw Xie Xun.

Ever since Shu Kingdom was conquered by Jin, Daliang had to either seek passage through Jin to attack Yan or go by sea.

Given Daliang desired to intimidate Jin, they couldn’t pass through Jin, leaving the only option of using their navy.

North Daliang had a formidable navy, but when it came to elite soldiers and a united populace, Daliang was no match for Yan.

If Daliang’s navy dared to step on Yan’s territory, Yan would ensure they never returned.

Beirong, having tangled with Nanrong before, had consumed considerable supplies. Winter approached, and with borders next to Jin and Daliang, Beirong’s usual border raids on Daliang and Jin had been restrained due to Yan’s stationed troops.

Removing half of Yan’s stationed troops would tempt Beirong to either raid Jin or target Daliang.

There were two strategies against Daliang. First, letting Beirong raid Daliang to divert their forces but unable to prevent the battle between Daliang and Yan.

Or, Beirong accusing Jin of meddling when they wanted revenge against Nanrong, allying with Daliang against Jin. Directly attacking Jin would be a starker deterrent than merely intimidating it.

Getting Daliang into a skirmish with Jin meant Daliang couldn’t spare resources, especially against the still-strong Jin Kingdom.

Even the current Rong, especially Beirong, had established heavily armored cavalry with the help of Yan. Their robust horses were unparalleled. Beirong would ally with Daliang if properly persuaded, and with precious gifts from Yan, Daliang would find it hard to refuse.

By then, Xiao Rongyan would lead his army, and before the nations could react, he would destroy Wei.

Releasing the bird out the window, Xiao Rongyan watched as two birds circled and intertwined, flying into the tall tree in the courtyard.

Xiao Rongyan squinted, eyes scanning the fragmented light filtering through the branches. The era of Yan being bullied by other nations had ended. The nation’s painstaking journey had brought them to this pinnacle; there was no longer any need to endure.

Over these years, with intricate relations among nations, no nation dared to be the first to destroy another…