Chapter 2160: Change of Heaven

“Ah?” Wu Tijian stared blankly for a few moments before finding his voice. “The lease agreement for Blade Port, what does that have to do with him?”

When the Great Emperor Jiuyou was still Island Master Yangshan, he had dealt with Wu Tijian more than once or twice. This person was always far-sighted and methodical in his work, so why would he suddenly bring up Bailie’s old agreement?

Was he going to stand up for Bailie, just like he drove away the raiders from the State of Ya?

Wasn't this a bit meddlesome?

“Ah, no, no!” King Qing had been shaken a moment ago and hadn't provided all the information. “Bailie has already changed hands; the Great Emperor Jiuyou has succeeded as the head of the Lu clan.”

Just a few words, but the amount of information was immense. Wu Tijian’s mind buzzed, and he blurted out, “When… when did this happen?”

It was indeed terrible news.

“Just last night, absolutely certain!”

Both Qing and Bailie were small in area, so news traveled quickly.

These two pieces of terrible news together had momentarily stunned the King and officials of Qing.

No one quite understood what this "succeeding as head of the Lu clan" move was about. But the Great Emperor Jiuyou’s overnight annexation of Bailie in the name of “inheritance” was already an undeniable fact.

After the sacred land of the State of Ya, the Great Emperor Jiuyou wasn't letting go of Bailie this time either!

Blade Port originally belonged to Bailie, but was later forcibly occupied by Qing. Subsequently, both parties signed an agreement: Qing would lease Blade Port and its surrounding land from Bailie for forty years, paying an annual rent of three thousand taels of silver. During this period, Qing had the right to develop, renovate, collect rent, and conduct other profitable activities in Blade Port.

However, this agreement had expired ten years ago.

Logically, after the agreement expired, Qing should have returned Blade Port to Bailie. However, everyone knew the reality: Qing had simply refused to return it, and Bailie was helpless.

But if one were to truly argue the point, Qing was clearly in the wrong.

King Qing’s statement that Cang Yan wanted to “take” rather than “reclaim” Blade Port showed that deep down, he didn't believe the port belonged to them.

But now that the Great Emperor Jiuyou had become the ruler of Bailie, and Bailie had found a powerful backer, would it be wrong for them to brandish the agreement and demand the return of Blade Port?

No, it wouldn't.

King Qing convened his key ministers overnight to discuss a solution.

“Currently, Cang Yan’s main army appears to be within Bailie’s territory. The last intelligence report I received states that the Dragon God Army is moving towards our border.” King Qing rubbed his face. “Do any of you esteemed ministers have further insights?”

Things were not looking good.

No one spoke, and the ministers remained silent, as if frozen with fear.

In terms of military strength, they were superior;In terms of reason, they were in the right.

This…

King Qing’s eyes were bloodshot. He finally looked at Wu Tijian: “Esteemed Minister Wu, you have always managed Blade Port. What are your thoughts?”

Blade Port contributed thirty percent of Qing’s total annual income, so naturally, he didn't want to let go of this cash cow.

Wu Tijian composed himself: “Your Majesty, the Dragon God Army first swept across the entire Shanjin Plain, then captured Baiqiuyuan, the sacred land of the State of Ya. We… we should not confront them directly.”

Another minister expressed his dissatisfaction: “Are we just going to hand over Blade Port on a silver platter?”

Wu Tijian was equally blunt: “What if reclaiming Blade Port is just an excuse for the Great Emperor Jiuyou?”

The King and his ministers were confused: “What do you mean?”

“When the Great Emperor Jiuyou wanted to conquer the Shanjin Plain, he first devised a plan to destroy the State of Yao. When he wanted to attack the State of Ya for revenge, he first used the excuse of avenging Bailie. It’s clear he likes to use superficial reasons to mask his true motives.” Wu Tijian reminded them, “What if his goal is the entire State of Qing, but he’s merely using Blade Port as a pretext?”

King Qing shivered internally: “Are you saying he's not satisfied with swallowing the entire Shanjin Plain, and he harbors ill intentions towards our state as well?”

As soon as Wu Tijian uttered these words, the Council Hall fell into a deathly silence.

King Qing wanted to curse, but he also felt that Wu Tijian was absolutely right.

Cang Yan’s annexation of Bailie showed that the Great Emperor Jiuyou was extremely greedy for territory. Bailie was a small place, yet he didn't mind the effort or the trouble; could it be that the Great Emperor Jiuyou had also set his sights on Qing, which was similar in size to Bailie?

The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

Immediately, a minister echoed, “Director Wu is right; we cannot fight this war. We cannot give the Great Emperor Jiuyou an excuse to annex us!”

Wu Tijian offered further advice: “The Great Emperor Jiuyou is not someone our state can contend with. Your Majesty, you must quickly write to Emperor Mou. Only the State of Mou can curb Cang Yan’s ambition!”

Status was earned through strength. After the State of Ya was severely taught a lesson by Cang Yan, Cang Yan had subtly risen to become the second strongest power in the region.

King Qing’s gaze wavered.

He had considered this idea as well, but in recent years, Qing had benefited greatly by playing both sides between the State of Mou and Beijia, even seeing a significant reduction in the number of times the State of Ya raided Qing.

The State of Mou was well aware of this and had long been dissatisfied with Qing.

If Qing went to them for help now, would the State of Mou truly respond?

Even if they could persuade the State of Mou to intervene, what price would Qing have to pay? The State of Mou wouldn't provide unconditional help, would it?

King Qing pressed his temples.

His head ached terribly.

“The Dragon God Army is just one step away from Blade Port,” he told Wu Tijian. “You are very familiar with both Yangshan and Jiuyou. While we wait for the State of Mou’s response, you must find a way to do everything in your power to delay the Dragon God Army!”

“Yes.”

To King Qing’s surprise, Wu Tijian agreed quickly, not prevaricating as he usually did.

This was because the Great Emperor Jiuyou intended to seize Blade Port, which was under his administration, and he was naturally obligated to work to prevent that.

Bailie had changed hands, and Commander Wu and three hundred Mou Guards were killed!

This news reached Emperor Mou’s desk just four days after the State of Ya submitted its armistice agreement.

The war between the State of Mou and the State of Ya had not yet ended when the situation in Bailie changed.

It happened so fast that everyone was caught off guard.

Upon hearing this news, the small morning court fell silent, and everyone tried to process it.

How dared Cang Yan do this!

Emperor Mou sat on his throne, propping his chin with one hand: “Cang Yan sent back the coffins containing the bodies of Wu Hang and his two hundred and ninety-three subordinates; Huang Yu is still alive. Heh, Jiuyou is quite benevolent, specially leaving me ten living people. Oh, and Lu Qing’an, the eldest son of Lu Zhensheng, was also sent back.”

The calmer his voice became, the more the officials sweated on their foreheads.

The Emperor was very displeased.

For today’s small morning court, a long table had been specially set up, bearing several documents, glued together at the hinge and all stamped with red finger-marks.

“Including Huang Yu, the testimonies of these eleven people are on the table. You may examine them yourselves,” Emperor Mou continued. “I have read them beforehand; the content of all eleven testimonies is almost identical, and the details match up.”

The Great Emperor Jiuyou left eleven survivors for the State of Mou precisely so their testimonies could corroborate each other and reconstruct the true events, didn't he?

Heh, how considerate.

Now, the ball was in the State of Mou’s court, and it was up to the Mou court to decide how to respond.

The Emperor propped his forehead with his index finger, his tone somewhat playful: “He even wrote me a personal letter, saying that our two states should have a good talk.”