Chapter 2136: The Response of Yakoku

Chapter 2117: Ya Nation's Response

King Ya's veins bulged on his forehead as he read the letter.

"What?!"

This is outrageous!

The news was even worse than the Dragon God Army's invasion of Ya Nation. King Ya could no longer sit still. He paced back and forth in the room for a dozen rounds, pondering the situation repeatedly before finally ordering an emergency court meeting.

As usual, the meeting was filled with an uproar. Ministers and tribal leaders alike clamored to crush the Dragon God Army and reclaim Baiqiuyuan.

Some even suggested that since the Great Emperor Jiuyou was deep within their territory with an isolated force, now was the perfect opportunity to trap him and prevent his escape back to Cangyan Nation.

Amidst the clamor, King Ya coldly stated, "Do you know who the Great Emperor Jiuyou has sent to guard Holy Spring Valley?"

No one knew.

"Wanqisi Song."

Silence fell over the court at the mention of that name.

Everyone knew who Wanqisi Song was. This fierce general of the Bailong tribe had been missing for a long time. It was rumored that he had attempted to seize the Yangshan Islands but was defeated by Island Master He, who was now the Great Emperor Jiuyou. No one had expected to hear his name again during a court deliberation.

Could it be that fellow was planning...?

"The Bailong people hate us more than the rest of the Dragon God Army," King Ya continued. "Two prisoners released by the Dragon God Army reported hearing the Bailong offering counsel to the Great Emperor Jiuyou, suggesting they blow up the Holy Spring and fill it in!"

"They wouldn't dare!"

"If that's true, the Great Emperor Jiuyou won't return in one piece. We'll fight to the death to keep him here!"

King Ya took a deep breath, threw the intelligence report that had arrived overnight onto the table in front of them, and said gruffly,

"See for yourselves!"

The generals picked it up and read it. Those who had been most vocal and aggressive just moments before suddenly fell silent.

The urgent report was brief, containing only a single line of hurried script:

"Mou Nation's army of 70,000 has invaded Afohai and Xiana, advancing from the northwest to the southeast, and has already occupied three districts!"

A few days prior, the Dragon God Army had pushed into Ya Nation's border from the northeast;

Now, Mou Nation's army had invaded Ya Nation from the northwest!

What was most alarming was that Ya Nation, anxious to counter the Dragon God Army, had already redeployed most of its western border garrisons. Consequently, the western defenses were now relatively weak.

Unexpectedly, the Mou army seized this opportunity instantly.

Wulu muttered, "Isn't Mou Nation busy fighting Beijia, with no time to spare for the east?"

Ya Nation's decisive defeat of Bailie was predicated on the assumption that the two great nations were locked in fierce combat, leaving Mou Nation unable to open another front against Ya Nation.

Fighting on two fronts was simply too painful.

Yet, unexpectedly, Mou Nation could stand by indifferently while Bailie was humiliated, but immediately deployed troops against Ya Nation when it was invaded by the Dragon God Army!

King Ya sneered, "How many troops does Mou Nation have? There's no way they're all tied up on their western front. As soon as they saw us at war with Cangyan, they immediately thought to seize the opportunity!"

Everyone knew Bailie was a vassal state of Mou Nation. Ya Nation's plundering of Bailie was a direct slap in Mou Nation's face.

Previously, Mou Nation might have tolerated it, but now Cangyan Nation's invasion of Ya Nation was not only ongoing but also subtly gaining the upper hand. What a perfect opportunity for revenge for Mou Nation!

Therefore, while entangled in conflict with Beijia, Mou Nation had also managed to dispatch troops and intervene with surprising speed—

"Wait a minute," someone interjected, "those Mou army units must have been stationed near the border for a while already. Otherwise, how could they have penetrated Ya Nation's border so quickly?"

Another minister immediately said, "It seems Mou Nation and Cangyan had a plan all along. Cangyan would draw all our attention in the northeast, while Mou Nation would attack from our western flank."

King Ya shot him a glare. "Do you need to state such an obvious fact? I summoned you here to ask who has a good plan to help us overcome this current crisis!"

Wulu immediately asked, "Who is leading the Mou army?"

"There should be several generals, but intelligence is incomplete. We know that Lu Ci has brought 20,000 troops."

Lu Ci was the Mou Nation general who had previously led troops to help Bailie resist the Ya army, and he had extensive experience fighting Ya Nation.

If he alone brought 20,000, what about the other Mou generals?

"It seems Lu Ci's recall to Mou Nation's territory was just a feint," Wulu's expression was as grim as the other generals'. For some inexplicable reason, in just a few days, Ya Nation had suddenly reached a critical juncture of life and death!

In recent years, Ya Nation's power had rapidly increased, with its army expanding, territory growing, and neighboring states submitting. The Ya people were proud, firmly believing they would become the region's rising power. It could be said that Ya Nation had the confidence to contend with either the Dragon God Army or the Mou army if they invaded separately, as it was no longer the same nation that was invaded by the Mou army seven, eight, or even ten years ago.

But if both powers attacked simultaneously, it would be like facing hungry wolves from the east and fierce tigers from the west. How could Ya Nation withstand such an onslaught?

Zhao Keduo, King Ya's chief advisor, immediately stepped forward with counsel: "The current situation appears dangerous, but there is still room for maneuver."

In his younger years, Zhao Keduo had studied in Beijia and even conducted business in Mou Nation, giving him considerable understanding of both great powers.

"The last time Mou Nation dispatched troops to aid Cangyan, forcing us to retreat from western Shan Jin, the Yangshan Islands soon after changed hands to Chiyan. This indicates that Cangyan betrayed Mou Nation," Zhao Keduo explained. He was unaware of the specifics, such as Helian Chuan giving Mou Nation eight hundred Dragon Punishment Pillars, or Helian Chuan's agreement with Chiyan. However, he knew: "Emperor Mou must have been very displeased, and the relationship between Cangyan and Mou Nation cannot be good."

King Ya sat down. "What are your thoughts?"

"Even if these two nations are cooperating, they are merely harboring ulterior motives and exploiting each other. If we can persuade one of them to abandon their attack, the rest will be much simpler."

Ya Nation's current predicament stemmed from being stretched thin. If one of the two powerful enemies were removed, it could handle the situation with much greater ease.

Strategically, Ya Nation also needed to find a way to reduce the number of enemies. If only one enemy remained, that adversary, seeing little advantage to gain, might also cease hostilities.

King Ya naturally understood this principle. "Which side should we persuade?"

Although the Dragon God Army was advancing fiercely, none of the Ya Nation's dignitaries present, including King Ya himself, believed that the Great Emperor Jiuyou could ultimately conquer Ya Nation.

But the Mou army... Ya Nation had a history of being invaded by Mou Nation twice. While Ya Nation was growing stronger and more confident, the shadows of those two previous defeats still lingered.

"Why choose?" Zhao Keduo smiled. "We should naturally approach both sides for persuasion! Convincing one is good, but wouldn't convincing both be best? Opening negotiations can also mislead the enemy, making them slow their offensive and buying us more time."

"Negotiating with Mou Nation shouldn't be too difficult, but they are too greedy and demand an exorbitant price!" Ya Nation had dealt with Mou Nation extensively and was very familiar with their temperament. To make Mou Nation retreat, Ya Nation would have to pay a steep price. The thought of Mou Nation's avarice immediately irritated King Ya. "As for the Great Emperor Jiuyou, who seized our sacred land..."

King Ya rubbed his temples. "He's here for revenge this time."