World's First Traitor System (393)

Chapter 393 - Declarations of War

The grand army marched.

Xiang Chong, Fan Li, and the assembled officials escorted them sixty li beyond Peng City. As the troops receded into the distance, Fan Li observed the somber expressions on the officials’ faces.

They resembled mourners at a funeral, not celebrants sending off a victorious army. He knew they weren't fools. They recognized the army's glaring weaknesses, its near-certain doom.

Only Xiang Chong, rubbing his hands together gleefully, seemed confident of victory. “Why aren't you smiling?” he demanded, his cheerful mood dampened by their grim expressions.

The officials exchanged glances. No one smiled.

“Your Majesty,” Fan Li said smoothly, “I feel a slight indisposition coming on. I shall return home to rest.” Without waiting for the Emperor’s permission, he turned and boarded his carriage. He was gone.

Xiang Chong stared after him, momentarily stunned, then a look of smug satisfaction spread across his face.

“He fled! He was intimidated by my authority!” He turned to the assembled officials. “A feast! Tonight, in the palace! A celebration of our inevitable victory! Attendance is mandatory. Except, of course, for the Duke. I understand his… delicate constitution.”

Back at Fan Manor, Fan Li’s expression was indeed grim. The true battle, he knew, would begin after Miaoyin’s defeat. Time was short.

He summoned Fan Zhengming and Fan Chun. “Place the two hundred thousand garrison troops on high alert. The trading company is to suspend all non-essential operations. Prioritize military supplies. Deliver everything to the Peng City headquarters.” He handed them a lengthy list of items, ranging from medicinal pills to siege weaponry and formation materials.

Fan Chun frowned. “Brother, what is the meaning of this? The army has just departed for Xiongzhou. Why are we preparing for a siege of Peng City?”

“They will be defeated,” Fan Li replied as his brush flew across the paper. “Consider this: the Great Ming and Great Chu have both suffered defeats. What will be Shi Jingtang and Li Yu’s reaction?”

“They will surely believe the mortal kingdoms are weak, no match for their celestial power,” Fan Chun replied instantly.

“They will launch their own campaigns. Against the Great Ming, and against us,” Fan Zhengming added.

“Precisely,” Fan Li agreed. “They will shift from defense to offense. After the Chu army’s defeat, we will be forced to defend. Here, in Peng City.”

Understanding dawned on his brothers. Fan Zhengming took the list and scanned the items. “I’ll see to it immediately. We will gather everything you require, enough to fill the entire city if necessary.”

Fan Chun, however, remained puzzled. “Brother, even if we must defend, why here, in Peng City? Why not establish a defensive line at Xiongzhou’s border? This is the capital. If Peng City falls, Great Chu falls.”

Fan Li sipped his tea. “For years, the Brahma Sound Pure Land has enjoyed widespread prestige. Since establishing Great Ci, it has attracted countless female cultivators. The people of Chu are restless, their loyalty divided due to Xiang Chong’s… ambiguous relationship with Great Ci. If the Later Jin attacks, I will… allow Xiang Chong to demonstrate his abilities. If he can defeat Shi Jingtang, I will gladly relinquish my authority. If he cannot… I will defend Peng City myself. And when that time comes, the people of Chu will have no choice but to obey me. Unquestioningly.” His voice was firm, his gaze resolute.

Fan Chun was still confused. “Brother, if you desire the throne of Chu, there are… simpler methods.”

“The throne holds no interest for me. My position as Duke is sufficient. But I will make them understand. The kingdom is safe under my protection. The Emperor I choose is the rightful Emperor. Regardless of their cultivation, their age, or their gender.”

…

News of the battle arrived swiftly. As Fan Li predicted, Miaoyin had been defeated. Upon reaching Xiongzhou, she played the “Heavenly Demon’s Wild Dance,” filling the Chu army with a frenzied bloodlust. They attacked the city, the combat troops driven by a reckless abandon, while the logistical support unit, as planned, quietly retreated. Miaoyin, lost in the spectacle of the siege, failed to notice their departure.

The battle's turning point, however, came with the appearance of the Later Jin Emperor, Shi Jingtang. He was, unexpectedly, a master of mechanical arts. Thousands of colossal war machines, resembling a cross between oxen and elephants, each seven meters tall and ten meters long, poured from the city, scattering the Chu troops. Those who survived the initial onslaught quickly recovered from Miaoyin’s music, their bloodlust replaced by terror. They fled. The battle was lost.

Xiang Chong, upon receiving the news, panicked. He summoned Fan Li, who feigned illness. He then summoned his officials, but with the regional armies depleted, there were no reinforcements to be had. Without Fan Li’s permission to deploy the garrison troops, Xiang Chong felt utterly helpless.

The only good news was that Shi Jingtang’s mechanical army, having pursued the fleeing Chu soldiers to the border, had halted their advance. Even so, of the one hundred and eighty thousand troops, almost none remained. Miaoyin, with no army to command, returned to Great Ci.

“Routed? Utterly routed? How… how could this happen? Are our regional troops truly this incompetent?” Xiang Chong’s face was ashen.

Of the one hundred and eighty thousand, only thirty or forty thousand had perished in battle. The rest had deserted, scattering across the provinces like dust in the wind. “What use are such cowards? Issue my decree! Capture the deserters! Execute them on sight!”

But the reports from the provinces only deepened his despair. No deserters had been captured. However, the prisons, previously empty, were now overflowing. Everyone, except Xiang Chong, understood what had transpired.

“Your Majesty,” an official announced, “Duke Jin, though ill, has submitted a proposal. He requests your approval.”

Xiang Chong was intrigued. Though Fan Li’s proposals were usually a mere formality, he desperately hoped for a solution. “Speak!”

“The Duke proposes… relocation. To protect the populace from the encroaching war, he suggests relocating the citizens of the provinces bordering Xiongzhou.”

Xiang Chong, puzzled, opened the proposal. Several familiar place names caught his eye. They were all near Peng City. “Wait,” he said slowly, a flicker of understanding dawned on him. “If these provinces are emptied… there will be nothing between Xiongzhou… and Peng City…”

An official urged, “Your Majesty, this is the Duke’s proposal. Please, do not hesitate.”

“Nonsense!” Xiang Chong shrieked. “My people… they should protect me! Am I, the Emperor of Great Chu, to be sacrificed for the sake of these… commoners?!”

The officials’ faces burned with shame. How could their Emperor utter such callous words? Where was his dignity? Was this the descendant of the great Xiang Yu? He was a coward, unworthy of the throne!

“No, no! It doesn’t matter! Shi Jingtang’s army hasn't crossed the border. I will… relinquish Xiongzhou. We will make peace! I will recognize his authority! We will exchange envoys!”

As he babbled incoherently, oblivious to the officials’ growing anger and despair, two powerful voices, amplified by sound transmission techniques, echoed through the air.

“I, Li Yu, Emperor of the Southern Tang, hereby declare war on the Great Ming. Those who submit will be spared. Those who resist… will be destroyed!”

“I, Shi Jingtang, Emperor of the Later Jin, hereby declare war on the Great Chu. Those who submit will be spared. Those who resist… will be crushed!”

The declarations of war reverberated throughout the land. Xiang Chong trembled, his face ashen. “What… what am I to do?” he whimpered.

“Your Majesty,” the same official who had spoken earlier stepped forward. “Duke Jin has a message for you.”

“Speak!” Xiang Chong urged.

“He asks that Your Majesty remember your duty.” Seeing Xiang Chong’s blank expression, the official sighed and spoke five words. “An Emperor defends his capital.”