Chapter 2138: Keeping One's Word

"Therefore, it's highly probable he will withdraw while he's ahead," Zhao Keduo continued. "If he has achieved his goals and has no desire to stay, it's reasonable for him to set some demanding conditions."

If Emperor Jiuyou were to make excessive demands, both sides would have to exchange countless letters and envoys for negotiations while the war continued. How much time and how many lives would that cost?

King Ya remained silent.

Zhao Keduo noticed his hesitation and said, "You could wait for a reply from the State of Mu, but I imagine their terms won't be as lenient."

"No need," King Ya decided after hearing this. "Agree to Cangyan's demands and have them withdraw their troops from Baiqiuyuan as soon as possible!"

Every day the Dragon God Army remained in the holy land, it was an insult to the Ya royal family's dignity.

They needed to return Baiqiuyuan as quickly as possible and cause less destruction. King Ya was especially worried about the Bailong tribe guarding the sacred springs!

King Ya knew how volatile Moqisong's temper was; that old scoundrel might well destroy the Kolin tribe's sacred springs on his own!

Moreover, Zhao Keduo was right; the terms offered by the State of Mu could not be more favorable than Cangyan's, so waiting further would be pointless.

This wasn't even a choice.

Afterward, he convened a military council and announced his decision to everyone.

Both civil and military officials were somewhat surprised, but after reviewing Emperor Jiuyou's proposed terms, they had no objections. King Ya then dispatched envoys to the Dragon God Army to finalize the agreement.

This time, the signing of the treaty also clearly defined the border between the State of Ya and Cangyan, to prevent future disputes.

As expected, Emperor Jiuyou kept his word. On the very day the State of Ya fulfilled its part of the agreement, the Dragon God Army withdrew from Baiqiuyuan, retreating northeast into Cangyan territory.

Their departure was even swifter than their arrival; they were completely gone within two days.

The Ya people rushed into the holy land to inspect everything, relieved to find only damaged trees, with the sacred springs and streams perfectly intact.

The State of Cangyan claimed to be "founded on reason and trust," and at least this time, they truly lived up to it.

With the major threat of the Dragon God Army gone, and the capital secure, the eastern threat to the State of Ya was lifted. They could finally free up forces to counter the Mu army.

Though the agreement seemed easily signed, the State of Ya had to swallow its pride regarding the Dragon God Army's invasion. It had lost six or seven generals and suffered over forty-six thousand casualties. The royal main army, in particular, was severely damaged, and the royal family had lost significant face due to the occupation of Baiqiuyuan.

Had the threat from the State of Mu not been imminent, the State of Ya would not have let this matter go so easily.

Suffering such a heavy blow, the army's morale was indeed low. Yet, the State of Ya had no choice; they immediately redeployed their troops to the northwest border to confront the Mu army!

Bailie, the Patriarch's Residence.

It had just rained in the early morning, and several horsemen galloped down the middle of the street, their horses' hooves splashing mud onto passersby.

The swift horse sped to the outside of the Patriarch's residence. Lu Qing'an leapt from its back before it had fully stopped, and strode quickly into the house.

For the past few days, Lu Zhensheng's right eyelid had been twitching incessantly. Today, just as he put a calming pill into his mouth, he heard his eldest son shouting loudly:

"Father, Father!"

"Here. What is it?" Seeing Lu Qing'an striding toward him, Lu Zhensheng's heart sank.

Had they lost the battle in the south?

He had truly not expected that after driving the Ya army out of Bailie territory, the Dragon God Army would actually pursue them into the State of Ya, pushing south all the way!

He had seen audacious acts, but never one this bold!

Earlier, he and his eldest son had discussed the matter, both believing that Emperor Jiuyou was using the pretext of aiding Bailie to exact severe revenge for the State of Ya's previous invasion of Shanjin's western territories.

From then on, the father and son paid close attention to the battle reports from the south.

The Dragon God Army had entered the Ya border;The Dragon God Army successfully seized the banks of the Huru River;The Dragon God Army captured the strategic town of Zhikuang!

The Lu family father and son went from initial skepticism to later astonishment.

On Ya territory, could the Dragon God Army really advance so irresistibly? That seemed impossible!

Bailie knew all too well the strength of those bandits from the State of Ya.

And then, the Dragon God Army captured Baiqiuyuan, the holy land of the Kolin tribe in the State of Ya!

Lu Zhensheng spent an entire day trying to process this information.

What was going on? Was the Dragon God Army truly that powerful, or had something gone wrong within the State of Ya?

Ever since the Dragon God Army entered Bailie, subsequent events had become increasingly surreal and unbelievable.

The Lu father and son had discussed it countless times:

Was the Dragon God Army really that strong? It had only been formed for just over a year!

But no matter how conflicted the father and son felt, they had to admit that the Dragon God Army's repeated victories in the State of Ya were excellent news.

It was also good fortune for Bailie.

Lu Zhensheng feared the Dragon God Army, but he feared a major defeat for the Dragon God Army in the south even more!

When Lu Qingbang shot and killed the King of Ya's son, the State of Ya nearly invaded Bailie's capital;Now, the Dragon God Army had directly penetrated deep into Ya territory, under the pretext of aiding Bailie. If it were defeated, would the State of Ya unleash all its fury on Bailie?

At that point, how would Bailie face the State of Ya's surging wrath?

So, when he saw his eldest son rushing toward him, his heart leaped into his throat.

"Several major developments!" Lu Qing'an exclaimed, as if on fire wheels. "The Mu army has entered the State of Ya via the Afuhai Sea and has joined the war!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhensheng clutched his chest and let out a long sigh of relief:

"That's good, ancestors be praised! That's excellent!"

The Mu army had finally re-entered the war, and moreover, they had actively pushed into Ya territory. This war would likely not end until the world was turned upside down.

Ah, wasn't that the ideal situation Lu Zhensheng had always envisioned?

After a major war between the State of Mu and the State of Ya, the State of Ya would surely be severely weakened and would not dare to act against Bailie for quite some time, right?

This was not wishful thinking on his part, but a fact that had happened before.

"Also, the Dragon God Army has withdrawn."

"Huh?" Lu Zhensheng was startled. "It's over already? Between them and the Ya army, uh, who won in the end?"

"The exact details aren't entirely clear yet. We only know that after the great battle at Baiqiuyuan, King Ya dispatched another large army, but the fighting there wasn't fierce." The intelligence from that region was incomplete, making the overall situation blurry. "Then, the Dragon God Army withdrew."

"Did the Ya army pursue them?"

"It seems... no."

"What happened?"

Lu Qing'an softly explained, "Detailed intelligence from the day of the great battle at Baiqiuyuan just came in. The Ya army suffered a crushing defeat; four commanding generals were killed, including the Ge brothers, one was severely wounded, and another general was captured. The entire army suffered over forty thousand casualties."

These figures made Lu Zhensheng gasp sharply.

Such fierce fighting? "The Dragon God Army is that ferocious?"

Previously, he had only known that the Ya army was defeated at Baiqiuyuan, but he hadn't realized how devastating that battle was.

Logically, with their powerful adversary, the State of Ya, suffering such a severe blow and its strength greatly diminished, Lu Zhensheng should have been pleased.

But he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

Bailie already had two powerful neighbors: the State of Mu to the west and the State of Ya to the south.

The State of Ya was constantly raiding, while the State of Mu was constantly demanding tribute.

Although the State of Mu did not come to Bailie to plunder, the tribute it demanded was substantial.

Now, a new great power had emerged in the east.