The state of Yue was in utter chaos at this time.
Si Yunchang had originally controlled most of the territory of Yue, but following his continuous defeats and the combined attacks from Wu, Chu, and Goujian, Si Yunchang had lost control of most of its commanderies and counties.
This was also because Si Yunchang had not been on the throne for long and his legitimacy was somewhat questionable, so his control over the various regions was not very strong. Many local officials were directly appointed by the previous administration without significant changes.
This led to many local officials lacking loyalty to Si Yunchang's court, and many regions surrendered at the mere sight of the approaching forces.
The territory that Si Yunchang had painstakingly built up quickly crumbled, with most of the military power falling into Goujian's hands.
For many of Yue's original officials, surrendering to Chu or Wu was considered a dishonorable act, so many chose to defect to Goujian.
Only in a few important cities did some officials stubbornly resist, but without sufficient reinforcements, their desperate defense of isolated cities was ultimately futile, and these cities eventually fell into Goujian's grasp.
It could be said that Goujian's reputation soared during this period. Not only did his strength grow significantly, but he also held a high position in the hearts of the people of Yue. Goujian could be considered the biggest winner during this time.
While Si Yunchang confined himself to the King of Yue's palace, indulging in wine and women and neglecting state affairs, the armies under his command were not without merit.
On the contrary, Si Yunchang's armies were the main force directly confronting the armies of Chu and Wu.
Si Yunchang's army fought fierce battles against Chu and Wu, depleting a large number of enemy troops and thus curbing the further invasion of Chu and Wu into Yue.
The situation within Yue was now relatively clear. Goujian had gained control of most of Yue's territory, while Si Yunchang was left with only a few cities, with most areas out of his control.
At this point, Goujian's main objective was no longer to eliminate Si Yunchang, but rather how to face the armies of Chu and Wu.
Meanwhile, the Chu army also found itself in a difficult predicament.
The Chu army had initially thought of Yue as a soft target to exploit, but unexpectedly encountered significant resistance during its invasion. The people of Yue fought desperately against Chu.
Of course, Chu had anticipated the risks of this war before invading Yue, so Chu was well-prepared.
Unless they continued to maintain an offensive posture against Yue, they were constantly ready to seize a piece of land in Yue.
The fact that most of Si Yunchang's army was tied down by Chu was also a major reason for Goujian's smooth advance.
Of course, even though Goujian planned to confront the threats from Chu and Wu, he never relaxed his attacks on Si Yunchang, continuing to assault the few commanderies and counties still under Si Yunchang's control.
In contrast, Wu seemed to have been merely playing a supporting role since its attack on Yue.
From the beginning of the internal unrest in Yue, Wu had no intention of taking advantage of Yue. Instead, they sent people to directly congratulate Si Yunchang on his succession.
Even when Chu sent a large army to support Si Yunchang's enthronement and engage in battle with Goujian's forces, Wu made no move.
It was only after Chu expressed a different interest in Yue's territory that Wu seemed to react and arrived late.
In fact, when the civil war broke out in Yue, Wu did not take it seriously, as such conflicts between successors were common occurrences among various states.
Wu had no particular enthusiasm for engaging in conflict with Yue.
It was only later, when Chu intended to annex Yue in one go, that the rulers and officials of Wu began to discuss how to respond to Chu's actions.
Finally, the rulers and officials of Wu unanimously agreed that if Chu were to invade Yue on a large scale, and Yue happened to be in a state of division, it would certainly be unable to resist Chu's invasion and might eventually be annexed by Chu.
However, the rulers and officials of Wu were genuinely unwilling to fight Chu for Yue.
Therefore, Wu reluctantly dispatched a portion of its army to invade Yue's western border, and the army ultimately sent was no more than seventy to eighty thousand men.
Considering that major battles within Yue at this time often involved hundreds of thousands of soldiers, Wu's attitude was quite evident: they did not truly want to interfere in Yue's disputes but merely sought to gain some advantage.
Therefore, at this time, whether it was Goujian, Si Yunchang, or Chu, their attitude towards Wu was one of caution, but they did not take them too seriously.
This was because Wu had always been a rather lethargic state, confined to a corner in the southwest, as if its desire for territory was not that strong.
Wu's combat effectiveness had always been the weakest among the three southern states, so its presence had never been very significant.
Goujian, while considering the war against Chu, could not help but think of Wu.
Yue's current situation was dire. Wu, even if present, was a major state with a stable domestic situation and abundant resources.
If Goujian could obtain Wu's support, he would certainly have a significant advantage in the subsequent battles against the Chu army. Even if Wu did not directly send troops to fight Chu, they could provide some supplies to Yue.
After all, after a series of upheavals, Yue was now in a state of extreme poverty.
As for Goujian's thoughts, Chu did not pay much attention to them at the time. Chu was more concerned about Wei.
Compared to the southern states, Chu's worry had always been focused on Wei.
As the strongest among the southern states, Chu had always been the primary target of Wei's attacks. Wei had repeatedly launched campaigns southward, almost always targeting Chu.
The rulers and officials of various countries were not foolish and saw through Wei's intentions, which was to prevent any single powerful state from emerging in the south.
However, Yue and Wu welcomed this situation. Even when the three southern states joined forces to invade Wei, Wei often attacked only Chu and not Yue or Wu, so Yue and Wu had always feigned ignorance on this matter.
Yue and Wu did not want to see Wei become powerful, and naturally, they did not want to see Chu become powerful either.
Therefore, Chu was closely monitoring Wei's movements at this time.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and the Shao Zai Zheng Dan stepped inside.
Upon seeing Zheng Dan, Prince Shen directly asked, "The news that came some time ago said that the main force of the Wei army had moved north. Is this true?"
Prince Shen was extremely concerned about this news. If the main army of Wei had indeed moved north, then Chu's threat would be greatly reduced, and the Chu army could truly focus on attacking and seizing territory.
Zheng Dan also replied with some joy, "There are intelligence reports indicating that the main force of the Wei army has indeed moved north. Various commanderies and counties along the route have prepared large quantities of supplies, and the movement is significant. It should not be false."
Prince Shen could not help but feel invigorated by this news.