Chapter 1165

He used his eldest son's original body as a vessel for Naluotian, so for the past ten years or so, he had been extremely indulgent and doting toward his eldest son, hoping to soothe the guilt in his heart. Zhong Shengguang's grand wish and faith were known to few; let alone the civilians of the Panlong Wasteland, few in Panlongcheng's high command could grasp it.

Opposing Beijia and the Heavenly Gods couldn't be done by Zhong Shengguang alone; it was necessary to aggregate the power of millions of people in the Panlong Wasteland and the Maohe Plain.

This road was difficult and dangerous, with no successful precedent. Zhong Shengguang must have known that his decision would lead these millions of people into a longer and more cruel war.

Then, before the real great war came, the people of the Panlong Wasteland should enjoy peace, prosperity, dignity, and self-confidence.

Even if such good times didn't last long, at least they had once possessed them.

Perhaps this was Zhong Shengguang's compensation for the kind and unsuspecting people?

He Lingchuan sighed secretly in his heart.

Everyone must be responsible for their own choices and persistence. This might be the inner demon and pain that Zhong Shengguang had to bear alone.

While waiting for the chicken to be stewed, He Lingchuan asked about the recent situation in Panlongcheng and learned that the Panlong Wasteland had welcomed many new residents.

Seven or eight great demons led their offspring and moved to the wasteland.

"For example, the wasteland elephants?"

"That's just one of them." Sun Fuling laughed. "Many tribes have moved from the west and the south, and Panlongcheng is racking its brains on how to settle them."

"Why did so many people come suddenly?"

"The environment here is good, and it can support more people." Sun Fuling sighed. "Imperial Flow Fluid has come, but their hometowns are still poor and weak. Trees die if moved, people live if moved; people are willing to go to good places."

The stability and increasing prosperity of the Panlong Wasteland would naturally attract surrounding creatures.

Although Panlongcheng didn't reach out to the south, it couldn't stop the people from the south from wanting to come themselves.

"As for the great demons who migrated here, some received invitations from Commander Zhong, and some came here by reputation." Great demons were mostly high-end combat power; if they were willing to join, Panlongcheng naturally wouldn't refuse. "It's a pity that demons like Zhu Xiuer who bring their own produce are too rare."

"How did Commander Zhong persuade them?"

Sun Fuling shrugged: "I don't know. But your red falcon told me that because they defeated the Baling and Xianyou coalition, Panlongcheng's reputation outside is now very big."

Not to mention humans, demons also admire strength. A powerful local force can attract powerful combat power to join.

This is the principle that the strong remain strong.

He Lingchuan sighed: "Panlongcheng is finally strong."

As far as he knew, the Panlongcheng in real history was squeezed by all sides, persisting for thirty-two years before drying up and dying; but here, Zhong Shengguang and Panlongcheng had already opened up a brand-new situation and gained opportunities for vigorous development.

Currently, everything looks good.

This is the watershed between history and reality.

And does this mean that Panlongcheng will have the opportunity to write a brand-new history and take a path completely different from reality?

He was very excited and looking forward to it.

Just then, he heard a table of guests nearby discussing: "The new king has summoned us, why don't we go back? We are still Xiluo people."

New king? He Lingchuan keenly captured the keyword.

"Are you stupid?" His companion was gnawing on a chicken foot and almost knocked the chicken bone onto his head. "We wanted to go back two years ago, but the Xiluo Nation wouldn't let us! The Great Wind Army had already walked halfway, but was ordered back by the monarch three times!"

"That's not it, sigh, my father passed away five years ago, and on his deathbed, he was still thinking about returning to his hometown to take a look."

The companion shook his head: "Stupid! Look at the people in the south who still want to flee to Panlong; do you want to give up your spot to others so much?"

This topic was toxic; once opened, the surrounding diners were all discussing it. He Lingchuan then asked Sun Fuling: "I've been away for half a year, what kind of trouble has the Xiluo Nation caused again?"

Sun Fuling looked at those guests and sighed: "You just came back, I wanted to accompany you to have a happy meal first."

"Seeing you, I'm naturally happy, and this meal is just icing on the cake." He Lingchuan laughed. "Tell me, I can take it."

"Half a month after you set off for the Flash Gold Plain, the Xiluo Nation changed. The second prince, who was originally not favored, staged a military coup, successfully took power, and placed the old monarch under house arrest."

Damn, usurpation? He Lingchuan raised his eyebrows. This change was really fast, and the process was no shorter than the fall of the Bo Nation.

Of course, the Xiluo Nation hadn't perished yet, it just changed its monarch.

"After the second prince ascended the throne, he sent two decrees to Panlongcheng, ordering us to return the Xianyou territory we had previously conquered, as well as the territory of two small countries in the west, and also wanted to recall Commander Zhong back to the country."

The diners nearby also heard it and interjected: "Yeah, I don't know what the motherland is thinking. They can't help us at all; but they want to take the territory we conquered ourselves to be the good guys."

He Lingchuan drank a sip of chicken soup: "Panlongcheng is expanding its territory here, what does it have to do with the Xiluo Nation?"

Because there was a Jin Tao Nation in between, the connection between Xiluo and Panlongcheng was very weak. The previous old monarch tried twice and knew that he couldn't command Panlongcheng at all.

He had recalled the deputy commander once, but when he summoned him again the second time, Panlongcheng remained unmoved.

And as for Zhong Shengguang, He Lingchuan was very clear about his ambitions, or rather, his ambition. After being extremely disappointed with the Xiluo Nation, Zhong Shengguang looked at the world, researched Beijia, and how could he still put the weak Xiluo in his eyes?

Now that the Xiluo Nation had changed, the new monarch was pointing fingers at Panlongcheng as soon as he took the throne; this matter was unusual.

Whether it was asking Panlongcheng to spit out the land or asking Zhong Shengguang to return to the country, Panlongcheng couldn't possibly obey the decree.

So what was the point of the Xiluo new monarch issuing these two decrees? He Lingchuan smelled two parts of malice.

He immediately associated it with Beijia.

The surrounding countries were still not climate-forming, and only Panlongcheng had been growing against the trend over the years. It had thwarted Beijia's conspiracies several times, and now it was radiating outward with the Panlong Wasteland as the center, unstoppable.

Panlongcheng today, with its territory expanding rapidly, was already half the size of Xiluo, and it was about to become the hegemon of this continent.

The strategy of hiding in various small countries, not showing its mountains or water, and quietly developing and strengthening itself was no longer feasible; it was like an elephant that couldn't hide itself in the bushes.

Panlongcheng was probably already a thorn in Beijia's side.

The weak Xiluo Nation bordered Beijia in territory, so to Beijia, wasn't it the easiest puppet to control? Sun Fuling added: "The second decree also increased taxes for Panlongcheng, requiring that starting this year, the tax silver handed over must be increased by another sixty percent."

She added a piece of trivia for He Lingchuan: "Actually, after Panlongcheng restored contact with Xiluo, it had always been paying tax silver to the country."

(End of chapter)