Chapter 1161: Beijia's "Mediation"

He Lingchuan interjected, "I see that Panlong City's entry controls are not as strict as before."

The "entry controls" he referred to were the Three Corpse Worms.

"Interaction both inside and outside the city is too frequent now, with merchants from various countries constantly coming and going. It's neither necessary nor feasible to maintain such strict defenses as before," Zhong Shengguang said seriously. "As we grow stronger, we must open our doors for business, embracing both the good and the bad."

Panlong City was once a military stronghold, strictly preventing spies and infiltrators from causing disruption. Now that it is a key economic and trade hub, how can we expect all outsiders to be completely sincere towards Panlong City?

With more people, it's inevitable that some will harbor ulterior motives and personal agendas; there are many who don't feel favorably towards Panlong City. Can we really keep all of them out?

Everything has pros and cons, and the development of Panlong City will certainly bring negative consequences.

Zhong Shengguang could only advise everyone that if they themselves were strong, what was there to fear from petty schemes and underhanded dealings?

That's why General Hong stopped using the Three Corpse Worms.

As a result, it became easy for ill-intentioned individuals to infiltrate Panlong City and spread rumors, influencing public opinion.

Fortunately, information warfare has always been Panlong City's strong suit, and both its military and civilians rarely harbored disloyalty.

"After this incident, Panlong City announced to the entire populace that the new monarch had rebelled and usurped the throne, that he was not the legitimate heir of Xiluo, and that he had ceded sovereignty, invited foreign enemies, and thrown state affairs into chaos. We absolutely cannot obey the orders of this false ruler and leave a regrettable legacy for eternity."

He Lingchuan exhaled. "It's fortunate the new monarch's position is illegitimate; otherwise, Master Zhong would have been in a difficult spot."

"Although the old monarch was... ineffective, he was unwilling to cede sovereignty. Otherwise, how could he have been overthrown?" Zhong Shengguang chose his words carefully when evaluating the former ruler.

He Lingchuan felt it was a pity. "Beijia has still set its sights on Panlong City. From now on, we won't be able to bide our time quietly."

With the frequent occurrences of Imperial Nectar, Panlong City's good fortune couldn't be hidden for even a few hundred days?

Although Beijia occasionally glanced at the Panlong Wasteland before, it never truly paid attention to it. To the vast northern demon nation, Panlong City was merely a small territory belonging to a weaker state; how could it possibly catch their eye?

It was only because the Celestial Gods required 'nightmare energy' from the mortal realm that Beijia instigated Baling and Xianyou to attack this area, continuously generating 'nightmare energy' through war and subtle means. It did the same elsewhere and was too lazy to devote much attention to Panlong City.

Panlong City also wanted to develop rapidly while Beijia wasn't paying attention.

But this plan now seemed on the verge of being disrupted.

The stronger and more prominent they became, the harder it was to remain hidden.

"Wait until we become strong enough to go to war? Where would you find such a good thing?" Zhong Shengguang shook his head. "Enemies never wait for you to be ready."

Just then, a guard knocked and entered to report:

"All the Lords have gathered in the Hall of War."

"You've arrived at a good time; you're just in time for the meeting," Zhong Shengguang told He Lingchuan. "Come and meet your new colleagues."

The Hall of War hadn't changed much, except for the trumpet vines covering its outer walls, blooming profusely. From a distance, they looked like a cascade of orange snow, warming the hall's cold, solemn lines.

The number of attendees was double what it used to be. Besides familiar faces like General Hong, General Nanke, Zhao Xianhe, and Wen Daolun, He Lingchuan also saw many new ones.

Those present at this meeting were all high-ranking officials holding real power.

In less than a year, Panlong City had expanded rapidly, and many personnel had been promoted. The Hall of War, once somewhat empty during meetings, was now packed.

He Lingchuan even saw two demons in attendance: one was a massive vulture, five feet tall even with its wings folded and head bowed; the other demonic representative was a fluffy leopard, grey with black spots, solidly built, and with a face that was serious yet held a hint of clumsiness.

Was it a snow leopard?

When He Lingchuan entered, it merely glanced at him before resuming its paw-licking face wash.

Zhong Shengguang introduced the newcomers to He Lingchuan, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

He Lingchuan's reputation was already well-known in the Panlong Wasteland; those present, even if they hadn't met him, had certainly heard of him, which explained everyone's enthusiastic reception.

Without further ado, Zhong Shengguang raised his hand and made two slight pressing gestures, and the Hall of War immediately became silent, everyone awaiting his address.

"For the past few months, we've been dealing with trouble from the east."

Everyone knew "the east" referred to the motherland of Xiluo.

"I just received news that the Xiluo Kingdom officially pledged allegiance to Beijia a few days ago, with the false new monarch performing a vassal's kowtow to the Lingxu envoy."

A collective gasp swept through the hall.

General Nanke's face changed. "Surely our motherland won't become a vassal state of Beijia?"

Beijia had twelve vassal states, all demon nations. Was a human nation now to be added to their number?

"No, it's merely a client state, also known as a dependent state." Zhong Shengguang left one thing unsaid: "Want to become a Beijia vassal state? Xiluo isn't worthy." He continued, "Subsequently, Beijia dispatched three armies to be stationed within Xiluo's territory."

Everyone's expressions turned grim.

The new king of their motherland had openly pledged allegiance to Beijia, yet Panlong City, as a territory of Xiluo, was at odds with Beijia.

Their position was extremely awkward.

This was also Beijia's deliberate move, to corner Panlong City by shifting the power dynamics.

The vulture spoke in human tongue, "Beijia is a powerful nation in this era. Why is it so focused on Panlong City?"

Zhong Shengguang glanced at He Lingchuan. "As for the cause, it's likely that Yuheng City's defeat of Fushanlie attracted Beijia's attention."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, taking it as a compliment.

Fushanlie was a rising general of Beijia who had distinguished himself in the War of Yuan. Beijia had sent him to stir up trouble in Yuheng City with its own strategic objectives.

He Lingchuan led Yuheng City to defeat and drive him out, disrupting Beijia's plans. How could it not pay attention to this place now?

If covert operations failed, then they would proceed with open aggression.

"I just received a document from Beijia," Zhong Shengguang said, placing an official letter on the table. "For several months, Beijia observed our lack of response to Xiluo's orders, so it decided to 'pacify' us on Xiluo's behalf."

This overreaching act sounded like a joke, yet no one present found it amusing.

General Hong casually picked it up and read it.

After reading it, she passed it down, and after circulating, it reached He Lingchuan.

Just as Zhong Shengguang had said, it was a "pacification" letter, dictated by the Demon Emperor and written by a scribe, bearing a seal at the bottom.

The letter stated that Beijia, with its desire to value talent and bring peace to the people, was willing to mediate the discord between Panlong City and its motherland Xiluo. Xiluo would no longer demand the return of territories "encroached upon" by Panlong City, and Zhong Shengguang would not have to return to the motherland. Furthermore, Beijia would intervene in the future, not only mediating relations between Baling and Xianyou with Panlong City to "cultivate good neighborly relations," but also urging its major merchant guilds to open trade routes westward and actively engage in commerce with Panlong City.

He Lingchuan saw it and thought, "Well, look at that, they're offering plenty of incentives in both economic and military terms."

Of course, Beijia wouldn't do good deeds for free. In exchange, the position of Joint Commander of Panlong City would be appointed by the Xiluo Kingdom; the Panlong Wasteland, as Xiluo's territory, and the Panlong Army, as Xiluo's army, must obey Xiluo's orders to suppress rebellions, pacify territories, assert authority, oversee defenses, and aid the king, without evasion.

"So, we should thank them for their great magnanimity, should we?" General Nanke scoffed after reading it, and the reactions of the other generals were almost identical to his.