Liangzhou Prefecture.
Yang Hao, Chen Gong, and Zhu Sheng watched the intelligence reports from the Yan Province war. Although there were some discrepancies compared to their pre-war predictions for Yan Province, this did not impede their larger strategic plans.
"Judging by the current situation, the court's position is not optimistic. In the face of Ji Hu's death, King Wu Ji Fa will undoubtedly try to win over Ji Shu. Zhang Yan alone is no longer capable of supporting the overall situation!"
"Neither our lord nor Shan Xiongxin, as outsiders, will be easily employed by King Wu Ji Fa. Upon careful consideration, if King Wu wishes to survive this ordeal, there is only one path forward!"
Chen Gong explained in detail that Ji Shu, in his bid for the throne of King Wu, was cruelly exiled from the capital and lived in seclusion in Yi Province for decades. For years, he remained within the Governor's mansion, not handling any state affairs. Now, holding military power and dominating the lands of Yi and Jing provinces, he was amassing his formidable army and advancing into Yang Province.
His strength was no longer what it used to be. Furthermore, Ji Shu's cultivation had reached an unfathomable level, subtly shifting the balance of power between him and King Wu Ji Fa.
Of course, only Ji Shu and Yang Hao were aware of this. In the eyes of outsiders, Ji Shu was merely a powerful figure with a vast army.
To protect the empire, King Wu Ji Fa would undoubtedly make great sacrifices to win over his own uncle. For Ji Shu to mobilize his troops, it would depend on the concessions King Wu Ji Fa was willing to make.
Yang Hao, hearing Chen Gong's analysis, rubbed his forehead. "Then, it remains to be seen if this King Wu can follow our plan and make his move as we anticipated!"
...
...
The Royal Palace of the Wu Kingdom's capital.
King Wu Ji Fa sat high on his throne, his face a mask of grim determination.
In the empty hall lay two corpses: Ji Hu and Ji Yan.
The assembled officials stared at the two bodies in disbelief. These were pillars of the Wu Kingdom, now bleeding on the battlefield. Even the veteran general was no match for Chen Tai Sheng of the Heavenly Dipper Sect. Who among the court officials could withstand Chen Tai Sheng's might?
"Reporting to Your Majesty, General Ji Yan, before his death, met with the Governor of Yi Province, Ji Shu, in Liang Province. The Governor of Yi Province proposed that to deploy troops, passage through Yu Province would be required for the northward advance!"
The副将, escorting the general's body, his body covered in blood and his armor stained, spoke in a low tone.
As soon as the 副将 finished speaking, the Grand Tutor stepped forward urgently. "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! Ji Shu harbors ambitions. To speak of passage through Yu Province is merely a pretext; his true intentions lie elsewhere!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"At that time, Ji Shu's army will be camped outside the capital, and the empire will be in grave danger, Your Majesty!"
As the Grand Tutor finished, the Grand Eunuch Zhang Yan stepped forward. "Your Majesty, in truth, Ji Shu does not desire passage through Yu Province. If Your Majesty wishes for the Governor of Yi Province to campaign against the Heavenly Dipper Sect, you need only bestow one item upon him, and he will surely mobilize his forces!"
Ji Fa's gaze was icy as he surveyed the court. He knew what Zhang Yan was referring to, but this item could not be easily bestowed.
The late King had repeatedly cautioned that Ji Shu was capable of great patience. Though he appeared tranquil, he was, in fact, more insidious and cunning than anyone.
Unlike those like Chen Tai Sheng, who dared to make everything public and operate in the open,
Ji Shu, while outwardly submissive, harbored devious strategies in secret, his blade concealed behind his back, inflicting wounds on his own skin, one by one.
Though seemingly harmless, his methods were deeply poisonous!
Ji Fa quietly observed everything in the court, his mind calculating how many usable pieces remained at his disposal.
Yang Hao in the northwest; intelligence from Tianmen Pass suggested that Yong Province had very likely fallen to Yang Hao. Tianmen's defending general, Cheng Yaojin, had even slain Ouyang Xiao Xiao, a Grandmaster expert from the Langya Kingdom.
Shan Xiongxin in the northeast, a fourth-level Grandmaster with formidable strength, occupied the lands of You and Ji. These two forces were not to be underestimated. If their assistance could be secured, the Heavenly Dipper Sect might not be insurmountable!
However, he dared not employ them. Yang Hao's intentions were ambiguous, treading a fine line. While ostensibly acting to defend the Wu Kingdom, he had secretly uprooted the court's intelligence network in Liang Province, which was a grave transgression in Ji Fa's eyes!
In King Wu Ji Fa's view, Yang Hao could not be utilized. As for Shan Xiongxin in the northeast, his origins were mysterious, as if he had descended upon the Wu Kingdom from nowhere, possessing fifty thousand elite troops and capable generals. This information led Ji Fa to believe that Shan Xiongxin's background was exceptionally deep. Was he here for the Xuanyuan Token, passed down through generations of the Wu Kingdom's Ji family?
Regarding the Xuanyuan Token, only successive Kings of Wu knew its true purpose. To others, it was merely a token of inheritance from the Wu Kings.
Was this Shan Xiongxin, seemingly like a celestial general, sent by some foreign sect or kingdom to contend for the Xuanyuan Token he held?
Upon this thought, King Wu Ji Fa increasingly felt that Shan Xiongxin was a ticking time bomb.
Considering all this, the only remaining usable force in the entire Wu Kingdom was the Governor of Yi Province, his own uncle, Ji Shu.
Regardless of Ji Shu's thoughts at the time, the most certain outcome was that the Wu Kingdom would remain in the hands of the Ji family.
King Wu Ji Fa descended from his throne step by step, his gaze deep and cold as he looked at Ji Hu's corpse.
"Heed my decree! Confer upon Ji Hu the title of Marquis Zhongyong, to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Bestow upon him burial in the mausoleum district of the former kings. Ji Yan, throughout his life, was loyal and valiant, safeguarding the Wu Kingdom with his very life. Grant him burial alongside Ji Hu in the mausoleum district of the former kings!"
"Confer upon Ji Shu the title of Marquis Anguo, and command him to campaign against the Heavenly Dipper Sect."
"Zhang Yan, I command you to lead fifty thousand troops to battle the Heavenly Dipper Sect. This battle must result in the complete annihilation of the rebellious traitors!"
As King Wu Ji Fa's words fell, he slumped weakly to the ground, spitting blood.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Summon a physician quickly!"
...
...
The royal decree appointing Ji Shu as Marquis swept through the thirteen provinces of the Wu Kingdom. To some, it was a deserved honor; to others, it was merely King Wu Ji Fa's desperate measure.
Upon the delivery of the royal decree, Ji Shu, Governor of Yi Province and Marquis Anguo, immediately mobilized his army northward. Within a day, he swept through Yang Province and, without pause, advanced into Xu Province. His forces were formidable, and his campaigns fierce.
The Heavenly Dipper Sect, at the height of its power, was instantly forced into a defensive posture, shocking the imperial court and beyond.
Liangzhou Prefecture.
"I never imagined that Ji Fa would go this far for the sake of his Ji family's empire. It is truly extraordinary!"
Yang Hao marveled as he examined the royal decree.
"Indeed. This move is both logical and justifiable. No matter who ultimately secures the Ji family's empire, their king will still be of Ji family blood, and the empire will still bear the Ji name!"
Zhu Sheng fanned himself with a feather fan, carefully scrutinizing the royal decree laid out on the table before him.
"With this, these three factions will engage in a final, desperate battle. It is time for the Heavenly Dipper Sect to become history!"
"The constant warfare, the turbulent land, it is time for a rest."