I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 540 - 296: Amassing Ten Million Troops, Movements from All Directions

Chapter 540: Chapter 296: Amassing Ten Million Troops, Movements from All Directions

"Your Majesty, Emperor Long does not recognize the will of heaven and has mobilized millions of Daoist Soldiers to confront Yan Country at the border; this is the perfect opportunity for us. We only need to strike unexpectedly at his rear, and we can take control of many of his provinces. By then, most of the world will belong to our great Da Xi, and the moment for unification will be now," a civil servant joyfully told Luo Chuan.

Luo Chuan coldly glanced at him, then said, "And then what? Who will fight Yan Country?"

"That region of Yan Country only knows exotic tricks and is not to be feared," the other said disdainfully. "It’s truly laughable how Emperor Yan has even made it so the common people can read, and he claims he wants them to have meat in their meals three times a day."

Hearing this, Luo Chuan’s expression grew even darker, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, impulsively picking up a memorandum from the table and hurling it at the civil servant.

The man did not dare to dodge, and the corner of the memorandum cut his forehead open, making him quickly kneel down and tremble.

"You speak so lightly, then why has Yan Country’s great army conquered three of our provinces?" Luo Chuan knew that this man was just flattering him, a result of the Nine-Grades Law, where many who knew only how to flatter those in power rose to the top, inevitably installed by powerful families.

One by one, they reported only the good news and not the bad, and if they could not hide it, they used euphemistic or beautifying methods in their reports. Internally, everything seemed peaceful and prosperous, and externally, they were either holding off the enemy or claiming continuous victories, even managing to portray the loss of three provinces as a display of noble character.

Luo Chuan was no fool, and he could see the problems at a glance.

A group of civil and military officials trembled, and while there were capable ones, Luo Chuan had assigned them to manage different regions. Those like this incompetent man were kept in court merely to give face to their families, treated like parrots.

Normally, a few pleasing words would brighten his mood, but if they spoke out of turn without regard, a parrot remained just a parrot, favored yet still a toy.

"You’re from the Longyang Zheng Family, aren’t you?" Luo Chuan asked, softening his expression.

"Not at all, your humble servant is indeed from Longyang Zheng," the civil servant nearly cried, clearly understanding that Luo Chuan was not intimidated by his family but was telling him to go back.

"Given your age, go back and rest well; let the younger members of your family take over," Luo Chuan said gently.

A parrot that couldn’t amuse was easily replaced, and in such a large family, there were surely those who knew their place.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimous grace." At that moment, the civil servant woke up. He had thought himself highly favored, a celebrity in front of Emperor Xi, unwilling to remain a nominal official. He wanted real power, thus he spoke ill of others.

He wasn’t foolish at all, knowing full well how powerful Yan was and how bold Jiang Lu’s actions were; he was just pretending otherwise, not stupid but merely wicked.

Unbeknownst to him, Luo Chuan was much more awake to reality than he was.

"Your servant, I take my leave," the man said, his figure leaving with a trace of sadness.

Others in the room either took pleasure in his misfortune or mocked him.

To obtain real power, you needed your own military force supported by your family; without that, even his own family didn’t think much of him.

It was not that there were none who had turned their situations around; those individuals had real talent, which allowed them to gain Luo Chuan’s favor, not by denigrating enemies and deluding themselves.

"Jiang Lu’s courage surpasses mine," Luo Chuan sighed. With the full strength of a nation, he had a fifty-percent chance of competing against Yan Country.

However, within Xi, the noble families held too much power, making it difficult even to maintain a balance, let alone rally them together.

If Yan Country were to attack, the noble families within Xi would certainly surrender first rather than resist to the end.

Let it not be forgotten that it hadn’t been many years since Qianlong had been eradicated, yet these families had seamlessly come to serve him, caring not who their immediate lord was, only their familial interests and benefits.

"Your Majesty, we must make a swift decision concerning this matter," another official stood and spoke, not presuming to offer bad advice but leaving the decision to Luo Chuan.

"Let this matter be discussed again later." Luo Chuan did not respond directly, as discussing these matters with this group was pointless; they were there more to stabilize the noble families than to actually offer strategic counsel.

He dismissed them and relayed orders through the imperial chamberlain to call the true influential officials to discuss matters with him.

...

Xu Bu’s skin had developed a layer of scales, making him appear somewhat dragon-like.

"How could the royals of the former dynasty act so recklessly?" Xu Bu’s head was almost dragon-like, but shock was clearly visible on his face.

Among the four nations, his Zhou Country was the weakest. If not for the unique "Dragon Tooth Military Technique," he would have been annihilated long ago.

"Dragon Lord, we must take precautions early. Regardless of whether Long Country or Yan Country wins, they will inevitably consume the world. Xi is declining, and noble families rampant; this is not a sustainable situation," a minister with dragon-like traits spoke.

The speaker was a Dragon Tooth Daoist Soldier. As Xu Bu slowly reverted to a member of the Abyss Dragon Clan, his followers, the Dragon Tooth Daoist Soldiers, naturally underwent transformations as well.

"What measures should we take? My Zhou is weak, we can’t compete," Xu Bu’s dragon eyes gazed into the distance, well aware of his limits—he struggled even against Xi Country, much less contending with two countries.