Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 434: Borrowing the Passage

Dongyou Kingdom.

One of the Seven Western Rong Countries.

A small country with a population of less than five million, but compared to the other six countries, it ranks at the top.

At the same time, it is one of the four countries unwilling to withdraw its troops after the invasion of Longyou.

Although the official withdrawal was on February 2nd, the Commander-in-Chief responsible for invading Longyou had long been called back to the country by the King of Dongyou.

In the royal court, both civil and military officials were criticizing Commander-in-Chief Su Fachang.

Someone needed to take the blame for the defeat in the Longyou war.

Otherwise, the domestic anger could not be quelled, and the King would not be able to explain to the people.

The population of Dongyou Kingdom is less than five million, but with the war in Longyou, the casualties are nearing twenty thousand, which is undoubtedly a huge blow to Dongyou Kingdom.

"What did you say to me back then? As long as I increased the troops, you could lead the army and divide Longyou with the other three countries, but now what? Not only did we gain little, but I also lost nearly twenty thousand soldiers. Twenty thousand! It wouldn’t be too much to have you executed by a thousand cuts," said the King of Dongyou Kingdom.

The Seven Western Rong Countries were originally mere vassal states of the Great Song Dynasty and never claimed emperorship. Later, as the Great Song weakened, they broke away from its control and no longer bowed as subjects.

"Your Majesty, I... I was also deceived by Duan Guo. He was the one who told me this, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." Su Fachang knelt in the royal court, his voice trembling a bit.

"Forgiveness? If I forgive you, how can I explain to the families of the tens of thousands of dead soldiers?" The King shouted angrily, then said, "Guards, throw Su Fachang into the Celestial Prison. After investigating his crimes, execute him."

"Yes."

...

After Su Fachang was thrown into the Celestial Prison, Su Fachang’s sister, who was the sister of the Imperial Consort, immediately sought out the King to plead for mercy, hoping the King would spare her brother’s life.

"Your Majesty, for the sake of me, please spare my brother’s life," Imperial Consort Su pleaded tearfully to the King.

But the King was unmoved, instead saying, "If it weren’t for you, my beloved consort, he would not only be executed, but your whole Su family would be seized."

Imperial Consort Su’s expression changed, blurting out, "But wasn’t it you, Your Majesty, who told me to have my brother request a military expedition to Longyou in the court?"

"Insolence." The King flicked his sleeves and shouted, "When did I ever say such words to you?"

Imperial Consort Su turned pale, realizing her mistake, and quickly said, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I... I was speaking nonsense."

In fact, Imperial Consort Su was not speaking nonsense.

The matter of Su Fachang leading troops to Longyou was originally the King’s behind-the-scenes prompting.

Originally, the King observed the Bolu Kingdom attacking Longyou and reaping benefits, so he became interested.

But military action is a significant affair, and as the ruler of a country, he couldn’t easily make the decision, especially an invasion of the former suzerain state of the Great Song.

So, he hinted to Imperial Consort Su, asking her to gather the ministers to request permission in court, which he would then grant.

But now, with such a significant issue, as the ruler of the country, he couldn’t take responsibility himself and had to find someone to take the blame.

"If it were nonsense, then speak less. I don’t want to hear such words again, nor do I want to hear them from anyone else," the King said coldly.

"I... I understand, Your Majesty."

...

After sending Imperial Consort Su away, the King sat down exhausted, rubbing his temples, feeling deep regret and self-blame for his decision that cost thousands of soldiers their lives.

But as the ruler of a country, how could he not have ambitions of territorial expansion?

As he pondered his next steps.

An eunuch entered quietly, saying that the Envoy of the Jin Xia Kingdom requested to see him.

The King frowned.

He wondered why the Jin Xia Envoy sought to see him.

The King held a considerable apprehension towards Jin Xia.

The Dongyou Kingdom is adjacent to Gao Liao.

Although Gao Liao is not as formidable as the Great Song Dynasty, it is still considered a major country, which was suddenly destroyed by Jin Xia.

This inevitably caused him to worry whether Jin Xia would invade the Dongyou Kingdom.

...

In the study.

The King met the Jin Xia Envoy.

"Wanyan Xiaji of Jin Xia, greets the great King." Wanyan Xiaji bowed to the King of Dongyou Kingdom.

Upon hearing this, the King’s expression changed slightly, shocked.

He was quite familiar with the name Wanyan Xiaji.

It was the Grand General of Jin Xia, who played a substantial role in Jin Xia conquering Gao Liao.

But now, he had come to Dongyou Kingdom and entered the palace to meet him.

Although shocked and somewhat fearful, worried that Jin Xia was going to move against Dongyou Kingdom, the King did not show any sense of weakness, smiling as he said, "So it is General Wanyan, I have long admired your illustrious name. I wonder, what brings the General to our Dongyou Kingdom?"

"The King is too kind," Wanyan Xiaji said humbly. "I am here to seek passage from Your Majesty."

"Passage?" The King was taken aback, then said, "I don’t quite understand what the General means."

Wanyan Xiaji said, "I heard that your country recently fought a losing battle with the Great Song."

The King frowned, "The General is well-informed."

"I heard the loss was heavy," Wanyan Xiaji said again.

The King frowned deeper, "Are you here to mock me?"

"I wouldn’t dare. I am here to help Your Majesty seek revenge," Wanyan Xiaji smiled and said, "To be frank, our Khan has decided to wage war on the Great Song, but since your country lies in between, I was specifically instructed to request passage from Your Majesty.

If Your Majesty agrees, our country will offer a thousand horses and ten thousand heads of cattle and sheep as compensation. Moreover, if we conquer the Great Song, Longyou can be given to your country."

The King’s eyes narrowed; Wanyan Xiaji’s words were simply explosive.

Jin Xia planned to wage war on the Great Song.

But this request for passage...

"As far as I understand, if your country advanced from Great Song’s Youzhou, it would be faster, wouldn’t it?" the King said.

"It seems nothing escapes Your Majesty’s attention," Wanyan Xiaji said. "The Khan has decided to attack the Great Song on both eastern and western fronts, and your kingdom is on the western line."

Upon hearing this, the King immediately fell into contemplation.

Seeing the other party ponder, Wanyan Xiaji added, "Our army has gathered in Yan State, and once Your Majesty agrees, we can immediately march towards Longyou."

Upon hearing this, the King felt a weight in his heart.

He could hear the implied threat in Wanyan Xiaji’s words.

Yan State is the bordering area with Dongyou Kingdom.

The Jin Xia Army was gathering in Yan State.

This meant they could instantly attack Dongyou Kingdom.

Whether he agrees or not, he had to agree.

"This matter is significant. I must discuss it with my ministers before making a decision," the King said.

"I understand, but I hope Your Majesty can decide quickly, as spring is approaching," Wanyan Xiaji said respectfully.

But to the King’s ears, it sounded like a haunting melody.

Before spring, that was the deadline Wanyan Xiaji gave him.

If the King didn’t agree to the passage, then Wanyan Xiaji would simply come and take it.