Firmament Sword

With a loud shout from Cao Tianyi, a CLATTER of armor rang out from outside the tent. The sound of heavy footsteps instantly surrounded them.

Then, seven or eight Military Generals burst in. They radiated powerful auras and brimmed with vitality, glaring at Xu Luo and Xu Jie like tigers watching their prey.

Xu Luo sighed and said to Cao Tianyi, ”General Cao, is this the only trick you know?”

Cao Tianyi sneered, ”You two brats. Forget being a general’s sons—even if you were Princes of Cangqiong, so what?”

With that, Cao Tianyi waved his hand and barked coldly, ”Seize them!”

”Yes, sir!” the seven or eight Military Generals boomed in unison, moving to apprehend the pair.

Xu Luo and Xu Jie showed no fear, standing back-to-back. At the same time, Xu Luo sneered, ”With such a narrow mind, what good would it do to become Emperor? You’d just stop bowing to the Emperor of Cangqiong and start bowing to the Emperor of Great Yan!”

”Stop!” Cao Tianyi raised a hand, then waved the Military Generals away. ”You are dismissed.”

”As you command!”

Although the Military Generals were confused, their trust in their commander was etched into their very souls.

”Alright, let’s all sit down and talk.” A flash of weariness passed through the depths of Cao Tianyi’s sharp, hawk-like eyes. He sighed softly and said, ”What you said makes sense. The Cao Kingdom is weak, and it’s stuck between two great empires. There are wolves to the east, and wolves to the west!”

”Since General Cao understands this, you should already have a preference in your heart.” As Xu Luo spoke, he took a map from his robes, walked to Cao Tianyi’s desk, and spread it out.

”General Cao, please look. This... is the Endless Forest Sea. It covers about one-tenth of the Cao Kingdom’s territory. This vast jungle appears to be a natural barrier for the Cao Kingdom, keeping the Cangqiong Kingdom out. But General Cao must understand that if the Cangqiong Kingdom had wanted to destroy the Cao Kingdom over all these years, it would not have been easy, but it certainly wouldn’t have been impossible, right?”

Cao Tianyi nodded but said, ”The Cangqiong Kingdom merely wants my Cao Kingdom to face Great Yan directly.”

”Does the Cangqiong Kingdom fear Great Yan?” Xu Luo retorted.

”No, not really...” Cao Tianyi replied.

”If they aren’t afraid, then why didn’t the Cangqiong Kingdom just destroy the Cao Kingdom and face Great Yan themselves?” Xu Luo asked.

”Well...” Cao Tianyi was at a loss for words.

”The reason the Cangqiong Kingdom has never destroyed the Cao Kingdom is that the founding monarch of Cao, your ancestor, General Cao, was the best of friends with the founding monarch of Cangqiong! Back when they were conquering the lands, your ancestor took control of the territory of Cao, saying it was his homeland and that he wished for it to be his fiefdom. Out of brotherly affection, the founding monarch of Cangqiong granted this request, allowing your ancestor to establish himself as king...”

Xu Luo said lightly, then raised his head to look at Cao Tianyi. ”Have I said anything incorrect?”

”No, that’s not a secret. But after so many years, the Cao Kingdom has long since become a nation with its own independent sovereignty...” Cao Tianyi’s voice lacked conviction.

”Independent sovereignty? Does General Cao enjoy deceiving himself?” Xu Luo asked. ”The Cangqiong Kingdom follows its ancestral teachings: not to raise arms against the Cao Kingdom, nor demand tribute in coin or grain. The Cao Kingdom’s ancestors also left teachings: to forever remain a vassal of the Cangqiong Kingdom. And yet... what is the Cao Kingdom doing now?”

Xu Jie sneered from the side, ”Betrayal and treachery!”

Xu Luo smiled, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Cao Tianyi. ”This matter is not your fault, General. In fact, I’m certain that in your heart, you don’t want to do this at all!”

Cao Tianyi sighed and nodded. ’Naturally, he was still inclined toward the Cangqiong Kingdom. After all, some of that ancestral bond still remained.’

Great Yan, on the other hand, was more interested in using the Cao Kingdom to contain Cangqiong. Now, they had even borrowed passage through the Cao Kingdom, with an army of two hundred thousand crossing its lands to be stationed at the Cangqiong Kingdom’s border.

They were currently in a standoff with the army of the Champion Marquis, Xu Zhongtian.

Meanwhile, Great Yan had also sent fifty thousand troops to cross the border in secret, hoping to catch Cangqiong off guard. However, they were discovered in advance by General Yuwen Shentong. They too were now locked in a standoff.

A great war was, in fact, on the verge of erupting!

In all this, the Cao Kingdom’s stance played a crucial role.

Although the Cao Kingdom was small, its border with Great Yan was also treacherous terrain. If they took a hard line and refused Great Yan passage, short of using force, there was really nothing Great Yan could do!

The other places where Great Yan and Cangqiong shared a border were either vast oceans or towering mountain ranges. It was nearly impossible for a large army to cross.

’Cao Tianyi was extremely dissatisfied with his Brother Huang’s move to side with Great Yan. But what was done was done. If his Brother Huang hadn’t schemed against him time and time again, he would never even have considered rebelling.’

”And another thing,” Xu Luo’s eyes shone as he spoke, ”no matter how the war between Cangqiong and Great Yan ends, things won’t end well for the Cao Kingdom afterward!” He sat there, looking somewhat gaunt, but exuding an aura that commanded respect.

Frail since childhood and unable to practice martial arts, he had instead devoured books on military strategy and the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Finally, today, all of it was being put to use.

Facing the most powerful Grand General in the Cao Kingdom, he spoke with eloquence and substance, his arguments clear and logical!

Cao Tianyi murmured with a bitter smile, ”Something even a child like you can see so clearly, yet my Brother Huang cannot see through it. The court is full of treacherous sycophants... so many treacherous sycophants!”

”Well then, what happens next depends on your choice, General Cao.” Xu Luo shrugged slightly. ”Life or death—it’s actually in your own hands, General Cao!”

Cao Tianyi stared at Xu Luo, his gaze fiery, and said in a deep voice, ”Ceding territory is absolutely out of the question! Aside from that, other things... can be considered. But... for two little brats like you to come and negotiate such matters with me, isn’t that a bit of a farce?”

Xu Luo stood up and said, ”In my kingdom, from the Emperor’s court above to the generals’ armies below, all you can hear are the drums of war! To be honest, they... never even considered negotiating!”

As he spoke, Xu Luo pointed to the map. ”Here is the Champion Marquis’s army. The Great Yan Empire’s expeditionary force has traveled far. Although they have supply support from your Cao Kingdom, their troops are weary. They haven’t started a war yet, but they are in a tense standoff every day. Weary troops under constant mental strain... as a General, you know what that means!”

”And here...” Xu Luo pointed to another spot. ”This is where General Yuwen Shentong’s army is stationed. The fifty thousand elite soldiers of the Great Yan Empire are not weak, but can they really devour General Yuwen Shentong’s troops?”

When Xu Luo finished, he looked up at Cao Tianyi with a sincere expression and said, ”We came here this time mainly to investigate the location of your encampment, General Cao. What does that tell you? I’m sure you understand, General.”

Cao Tianyi sighed. ”The slaughtered village was just a pretext. It doesn’t matter whether I did it or not.”

”Correct. General Cao is indeed wise!” Xu Luo said.

Cao Tianyi gave a wry smile. ”Being praised like this by a brat like you feels very awkward!”

Xu Luo cupped his fists toward Cao Tianyi. ”I, Xu Luo, am untalented and young, but I do not wish to see a hero of your stature, General Cao, end up trapped by troubles both internal and external. A young man’s heart sees things in black and white, and I don’t want to see you smeared with filth.

Perhaps, General Cao, you’ve heard that over a decade ago, my father fought a losing battle. If you knew more about that battle, you would understand that my father was also smeared with filth back then. Therefore, this junior does not wish to see the same thing happen again to another hero like yourself, General Cao!

Therefore, this junior, overestimating my own abilities, wishes to investigate this matter to the bottom, to bring you justice, General Cao, and at the same time... to spare our two nations from the ravages of war.

If you still cannot bring yourself to trust this junior, General, then I think... you will believe this...”

As Xu Luo finished speaking, a jet-black token suddenly appeared in his hand. It was made of an unknown material, and it gave off a smooth, lustrous sheen.

When Cao Tianyi saw this token, his eyes narrowed slightly. He blurted out, ”Yuwen Shentong’s token! How do you have it?”

”It seems General Cao is quite knowledgeable about my kingdom’s high-ranking generals,” Xu Luo said teasingly.

Cao Tianyi ignored him. He looked appraisingly at Xu Luo, then at the black token in his hand. After a long moment, he finally let out a long sigh. ”A hero in his youth! Fine. Speak.”

”I want you, General Cao, to temporarily hold off on rebelling. Instead, help me... annihilate the Great Yan Empire’s army that is currently in a standoff with General Yuwen Shentong!” Only then did Xu Luo reveal his true intentions.

Xu Jie, listening from the side, was secretly shocked. ’Third Brother’s move... is simply too vicious! That army from the Great Yan Empire would never dream that someone was plotting against them from behind.’

”Then... I will persuade Grand General Yuwen Shennong to help you, General Cao, conquer the capital of the Cao Kingdom in one fell swoop and help you take the throne! As long as you, General Cao, promise to never raise arms against the Cangqiong Kingdom, to forever be a vassal to the Cangqiong Kingdom, and to symbolically offer some local specialties as tribute each year. Then... I am confident enough to persuade the Emperor of my Cangqiong Kingdom not to send troops to attack the Cao Kingdom!”

Xu Luo looked at Cao Tianyi and said flatly, ”General Cao, you should know in your heart that these words come from the bottom of mine. They also represent the greatest concession the Cangqiong Kingdom can make to the Cao Kingdom! Otherwise, the very act of granting passage to the Great Yan Empire is reason enough for the Cangqiong Kingdom to point its blades at you!”

”Not raising arms against the Cangqiong Kingdom and remaining a vassal... That’s not a problem,” Cao Tianyi said with some bitterness. ”But paying tribute... for your Cangqiong Kingdom, it’s a matter of great satisfaction for your pride. But for my Cao Kingdom, it would completely destroy the nation’s morale. This... I need to consider it...”

Xu Jie’s eyes went wide. He had thought Xu Luo’s demands would make Cao Tianyi fly into a rage, but he never expected that Cao Tianyi would actually start seriously considering the feasibility of the matter!

’Why... why is this happening?’ Xu Jie suddenly felt that he hadn’t read nearly enough books on strategy over the years.

”Compared to the annihilation of your kingdom, a mere loss of face should be a cause for celebration for the wise people of the Cao Kingdom,” Xu Luo said coolly. ”Besides, if the Cao Kingdom is paying tribute, how could the Cangqiong Kingdom possibly be stingy? As for what you tell your own people... well, that will be your own affair, General Cao.”

Cao Tianyi’s eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately looked at Xu Luo and couldn’t help but exclaim with a wry, admiring smile, ”A hero in his youth! Truly, a hero in his youth!”