stjorthotic Chapter 142 Scheming Against the Seventh Prince
Chapter 142 Scheming Against the Seventh Prince
The Seventh Prince was determined to obtain the buffer zone this time, but his power had not been able to develop. The power that the First Prince and the Third Prince had been secretly cultivating was already greater than his own.
Therefore, Tianwang Village can be said to be his only hope.
After the envoy left, the seventh prince sat alone in the main hall, drinking wine, his eyes filled with malice.
When he came to the border this time, Emperor Yong had approached him and hinted that this was the last chance and he must seize it, otherwise the position of crown prince might not really belong to him.
The main reason is that the other princes also have very powerful backers.
Even Emperor Yong had to consider their feelings.
Therefore, the Seventh Prince can now be said to be going all in.
Meanwhile, in the northern border region of Dayong, several princes were about to determine a victor.
After traveling for several days, Lu Yuan finally returned to Tianwang Village.
This place has been completely transformed into a city, with high walls made entirely of bluestone, and soldiers standing on them wearing armor.
The ironwood city gate was covered with copper nails, which gleamed.
As soon as Lu Yuan arrived, Wu Han and others came out to greet him; all the high-ranking members of the stronghold had come.
Standing outside the city gate, he shouted, "Greetings, Chieftain!"
A burning desire shone in everyone's eyes.
After all, when Lu Yuan expanded his territory, he personally killed a Core Formation Realm expert.
He was admired by everyone in the village.
Some even speculated that Lu Yuan had reached the Divine Palace Realm.
After glancing at everyone, he said in a low voice, "Let's go inside and talk first!"
The warhorses trod on the bluestone floor, making a crisp sound.
As we walked inside, many people turned their gazes toward us.
Tianwangzhai has now become almost a military fortress, with soldiers in every household and their families living here.
The house is quite new; it must have been built recently.
Seeing the curiosity in Lu Yuan's eyes and his frequent glances around, Wu Han immediately said, "There are about two million people in the village now."
They can send out 300,000 troops.
During your absence, many more small villages were destroyed, and some scattered soldiers also joined us.
They spent money to build this city.
Lu Yuan glanced at him: "Can you afford to support him?"
Three hundred thousand people, each paying three taels of silver a month, would amount to over a million taels. And that's just the simplest part; the casting and maintenance of armor, fodder for warhorses, and so on are the major expenses.
It's not enough to just feed them.
We also need to develop combat power, and elixirs are a big problem. Although we can refine elixirs ourselves, what about the medicinal materials?
I still need to buy it.
Wu Han nodded: "We manage a lot of trade routes now, and we can collect more than ten million taels of silver a month, but the expenses are also quite high."
It would be good if you could save a million taels of silver every month.
However, although it cost more, the results were also very obvious. We now have an inbound force of 50,000 people, all wearing iron armor, of whom 20,000 have reached the Bone Forging Realm.
"There are still three thousand people training their muscles, which is almost comparable to the Imperial Guards of the Great Yong Dynasty, but the number is too small," Wu Han introduced.
A hint of pride unconsciously appeared on his face.
Even if Shen Yuan arrived, an army of 300,000 would have no choice but to flee.
"Well done." Lu Yuan patted Wu Han on the shoulder.
As they spoke, the group arrived at a huge manor.
Wu Han scratched the back of his head and said, "This is the Heavenly King's Palace built for you."
"Hehe, let's take a look then." Lu Yuan said with a smile, and soldiers stepped forward to push open the gate, revealing a rather eye-catching garden.
Although it was a bit rough, and because it was winter, the trees were covered with snow and frost, and the not-so-large lake was frozen over.
There are many courtyards inside, numbering over a hundred.
Lu Yuan entered the main hall, which was luxuriously decorated, but still retained a touch of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) atmosphere.
He strode up to the top and sat on the tiger-skin chair.
Then, he waved for everyone to sit down.
Then she said softly, "Tell me, what's the situation here? I heard that the forces of the Prince of Dayong have started fighting in the buffer zone, and you've suffered quite a few losses? Is that true?"
"Chief, that's true. Last month, we fought against Ice Mirror Lake, which was secretly supported by the First Prince. Thousands of people died, including a Void Realm expert," Wu Han said slowly after taking a sip of tea.
Master Yuxu is definitely considered a strongman in Tianwang Village.
"How strong are they?" Lu Yuan frowned.
"He should be in the Core Formation Realm, a reclusive master who has lived in the borderlands for a long time. I wonder how the First Prince managed to recruit him." Wu Han patted his thigh and said helplessly.
In the buffer zone, it's usually frequented by martial arts practitioners; experts from the imperial court rarely come here, so you'll rarely see any real masters.
After all, a typical Core Formation Realm cultivator would hold a decent position in any dynasty, so there's no need for them to linger in a place like the borderlands.
Those who can come here are all wanted by several imperial courts in the martial arts world.
Just as Wu Han finished speaking, Yang Xiao added, "Chief, there's also the matter of half a month ago, when the Third Prince sent a master assassin to kill Deputy Chief Wu Han."
The opponent's cultivation level was at the Divine Palace Realm. If it hadn't been discovered early and the army had surrounded him in the outer city, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Even so, he calmly left after killing thousands.
Well, this place still lacks experts.
However, in this remote border region, it is extremely difficult to find a powerful expert above the Core Formation stage.
Lu Yuan didn't say much. He nodded, then glanced at Wu Han and asked, "So, what's your intention now?"
"Chief, there is no other way. We can only fight against other forces to determine the victor, because nowadays, the situation in Dayong is becoming more and more disregard for the threat from the Northern Barbarians."
"These secretly trained soldiers are constantly fighting amongst themselves. Even if we don't move, the others will probably attack us too," Wu Han said.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"Looking at the map, the closest territory to us right now should be the First Prince's territory, which borders Tianwang Village. What's their strength?" Lu Yuan pointed to the map at his feet.
"Their troops are about the same size as ours, but they have a Divine Palace Realm expert in charge," Wu Han quickly said.
Among the major powers, it is no exaggeration to say that Tianwang Village has the weakest foundation.
Because both the eldest prince and the third prince had recruited experts at the Divine Palace Realm to oversee their duties.
Their background is too deep, and their brand is too big.
Only Tianwang Village has far fewer experts compared to it.
Lu Yuan nodded: "Alright, let's study this eldest prince first, find a way to eliminate him, and then deal with the others, since we want to unify the buffer zone."
Then this place can only belong to our Heavenly King Village.
Wu Han grinned and said, "The chieftain is right."
Then, as if he had thought of something, he looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Chief, there is one more thing. The Seventh Prince's envoy has been staying in our village. He left for a few days some time ago, but came back the day before yesterday."
It seems they won't give up until they get to you.
"Should we get rid of him?"
Wu Han made a throat-slitting gesture.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "This seventh prince is quite persistent."
Therefore, he said with a smile, "Let him come over. Since he wants to see me, then let's meet today."
Wu Han was somewhat surprised when he heard the reply.
After all, he knew the true identity of the chieftain in front of him.
When Lu Yuan was in Dayong, he was rejected by the Seventh Prince. If it weren't for that, he might not have gone to the Northern Barbarians.
Now, it's strange that they're asking to see the Seventh Prince's envoy.
However, he still gave the order to go find someone.
A moment later, a figure hurriedly entered the main hall; it was none other than the Seventh Prince's envoy.
At this moment, the excitement in his eyes was undisguised.
After much anticipation, the chieftain was finally moved and agreed to meet him.
Upon entering the main hall, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Chief Chief."
Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively and looked at the envoy, saying, "You've been in my Heavenly King Village for some time now, why haven't you left yet? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Don't you know about my relationship with Lu Yuan? Can I take this as a provocation?
Towards the end, his voice became unusually serious.
The others in the hall stood up and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
They looked ready to make a move.
Seeing this, the envoy, who had originally wanted to lower the price, immediately said, "Chief, don't be impulsive. Our prince said that as long as you are willing to work for us, anything is negotiable. Just name your conditions."
Moreover, they are willing to provide Tianwangzhai with sufficient supplies.
As for Lu Yuan being your friend, we didn't know that at the time. If we had known, we would have treated him well.
Chieftain, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Are you really going to reject so many potential friends just because of one?
He wasn't afraid of being killed by the people of Tianwang Village, after all, as an envoy, he had long been prepared for this when he appeared in the border region.
But if he can't reach an agreement with Tianwang Village, his wife, children, and elderly parents might not survive.
Therefore, at this point, the idea of lowering the price had long been forgotten, since it was the Seventh Prince who was paying, not him.
His responsibility was to negotiate with Tianwangzhai.
Upon hearing the Seventh Prince's envoy's words, Lu Yuan's lips, hidden beneath his bronze mask, curled into a smile: "Oh? If that's the case, then it's not impossible to talk."
"The chieftain is wise. Our Seventh Prince is absolutely sincere this time, and if you can destroy the other villages, you will receive additional support."
"Two years from now, I might even grant you the title of Marquis of a City." The envoy's voice was filled with urgency.
He was eager to finalize this matter.
To avoid living in fear here every day.
"Since that's the case, let's try to talk. I have a few conditions. First, the Seventh Prince cannot interfere with anything in Tianwang Village. However, I can agree to what you just said about destroying other villages."
Furthermore, the Seventh Prince will provide the food and cultivation supplies for Tianwang Village in the future. In return, I will fight whoever he tells me to fight, and I will definitely cooperate.
"The title of nobility must be reserved for me two years from now." After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he looked at the envoy below.
The other person shuddered, their face beaming with undisguised joy.
He quickly replied, "I will go back and convey the chieftain's message to His Highness. I believe His Highness will agree."
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, you can go back now. I'll be staying in the village for the next few days."
The messenger bowed and withdrew from the main hall.
He straightened his chest and walked outside.
At the same time, Lu Yuan inside the hall signaled everyone to leave, leaving only Wu Han behind, and led him towards the backyard.
First, he met his mother, Madam Lu, and had a simple meal together.
He returned to his own courtyard alone and opened the system panel.
During the few days he traveled, he did not give up his cultivation; on the contrary, he even ate a spiritual flower.
Now, it should be possible to break through with the help of rare and precious treasures.
Once he reaches the Core Formation Realm, he can even fight against those with Divine Essence, let alone those in the Divine Palace.
According to what the envoy just revealed, it is highly likely that Dayong will launch an attack on the Northern Barbarians in two years.
We can use this time to nurture Tianwang Village with the Seventh Prince's resources, and then stab them in the back when the war starts.
Moreover, that title cannot be abandoned; if necessary, let Wu Han receive it.
If there were a city lord inside to help, that would be even better.
After completing his plan, Lu Yuan prepared to open the system panel in his mind.
Preparing for a formal breakthrough.