Chapter 2137

Wang Ting unfolded the letter, and his forehead veins bulged instantly:

"What!"

"Too much!"

This news is worse than the Dragon God Army invading Ya State; Wang Ting could no longer sit still, pacing back and forth in the room for over ten laps, thinking repeatedly, before finally ordering an emergency court assembly.

As usual, this meeting was filled with uproar, ministers and all tribes shouting to crush the Dragon God Army and retake Baiqiu Yuan.

Someone also said, "The Nine Abyssal Great Emperor has penetrated deep alone; now is the perfect time to leave him behind—do not let him escape back into Cangyan State."

Amid the clamor, Wang Ting coldly said: "You know, who has the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor sent to guard the Holy Spring Valley now?"

Everyone did not know.

"Wanqi Song."

As soon as this name was spoken, Wang Ting fell silent.

Everyone naturally knew who Wanqi Song was—this fierce general of the Bailong tribe had been missing for a long time; it was said he once went to raid the Yangshan Islands, only to be defeated by the Island Lord He, that is, the current Nine Abyssal Great Emperor. No one expected to hear this name again in court one day.

Could this fellow be thinking...?

"The Bailong people hate us more than other Dragon God Army troops." Wang Ting continued, "The two prisoners released by the Dragon God Army said they heard the Bailong people advising the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor to blow up the Holy Spring and fill it in!"

"They dare!"

"If true, the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor won't return unscathed—we will fight to the death to keep him here!"

Wang Ting took a deep breath, threw the intelligence just arrived at night before them, and said in a rough voice:

"Look for yourselves!"

The officers picked it up and looked—those who had just jumped the highest and shouted the loudest immediately fell silent.

The emergency report was very brief, only one line of messy handwriting:

"Mou State's 70,000-strong army invades Afu Hai and Xia Na, advancing from northwest to southeast, already occupying three regions!"

A few days ago, the Dragon God Army pressed in from the northeast toward Ya State's border;

Now, Mou State's army has actually invaded Ya State from the northwest!

The most critical point is, Ya State, busy dealing with the Dragon God Army, has already moved most of its western border garrison back. Thus, the western defense is now relatively empty.

Who would have thought Mou State would seize this opportunity so quickly?

Wu Lu murmured: "Isn't Mou State busy fighting Bekka, with no time to look east?"

Ya State's brutal punishment of Bailie was based on the calculation that the two great powers were locked in fierce combat, leaving Mou State unable to intervene and restart war with Ya State.

Fighting on two fronts would be too painful.

Who would have thought Bailie would suffer humiliation while Mou State stood by coldly, yet when Ya State was invaded by the Dragon God Army, Mou State immediately dispatched troops against Ya State!

Wang Ting sneered: "How many troops does Mou State have? How could it possibly block the entire western front? It sees us at war with Cangyan and immediately wants to come pick peaches!"

Who doesn't know Bailie is a vassal of Mou State? Ya State's plundering of Bailie is nothing but a slap in Mou State's face.

Earlier, Mou State could still tolerate it, but now Cangyan State's invasion of Ya State is not only fierce back and forth, but also secretly gaining the upper hand—what a perfect revenge opportunity for Mou State!

Thus, while entangled with Bekka, Mou State is also striving to divert troops, and the speed at which it inserts a wedge is remarkably swift—

"Wait a moment—those several Mou troops must have long been waiting near the border, otherwise how could they invade Ya State's border so quickly?"

A minister then said: "It seems Mou State and Cangyan have long had a plan. Cangyan draws our full attention in the northeast, while Mou State attacks from the western rear."

Wang Ting glared at him: "Such an obvious fact—do you really need to repeat it? I summoned you here not to hear repetitions, but to ask who has a good idea to help us overcome this crisis!"

Wu Lu immediately asked: "Who leads the Mou army?"

"It should be several generals; intelligence is incomplete, but we know Lu Ci brought twenty thousand."

Lu Ci is precisely the Mou State general who previously led troops to assist Bailie in resisting Ya State's army, with rich experience fighting Ya State.

Just him bringing twenty thousand—what about the other Mou generals?

"It seems Lu Ci's recall to Mou State territory is merely a feint." Wu Lu's face was as grim as the other officers', unaware of what was happening; in these few short days, Ya State has suddenly come to the brink of life and death!

Over these past years, Ya State's strength has soared—army expanded, territory enlarged, nations submitted. The Ya people are proud, firmly believing they will surely rise as the emerging great power of the region. It can be said that whether it is the Dragon God Army or Mou State alone invading, Ya State has confidence to contend with them, for it is no longer the state it was seven or eight years ago, or over a decade ago, when Mou State invaded it.

But if these two come together, it's like having a hungry wolf in the east and a fierce tiger in the west—where could it possibly endure?

Ya State's ritual officer Zhao Kemuo immediately stepped forward: "The current situation looks dangerous, but there is still room for maneuver."

The meaning of ritual officer is, in fact, strategist.

Zhao Kemuo studied abroad in Bekka in his youth and once traded in Mou State, thus having considerable understanding of both great powers.

"The last time Mou State sent troops to aid Cangyan, it forced us to retreat from the western part of Shan Jin. But not long after, the event of Yangshan Islands changing hands to Chi Yan occurred, showing Cangyan gave Mou State a stab in the back." Zhao Kemuo does not know the specific details, unaware that He Lingchuan gave Mou State eight hundred punishing dragon pillars, nor does he know the agreement between He Lingchuan and Chi Yan State, but he knows: "The Mou Emperor must certainly be displeased; the relationship between Cangyan and Mou State cannot be good."

Wang Ting sat down: "What do you have in mind?"

"Even if these two cooperate, they are merely harboring ulterior motives and using each other. As long as we persuade one side to abandon its attack, the rest will be easy to handle."

Ya State's current predicament stems from being stretched thin—if either of the two great enemies were missing, it could respond more calmly.

Strategically, it must also find a way to reduce enemy numbers by one. If only one enemy remained, the other, seeing no advantage to gain, might not even attack.

This principle, Wang Ting naturally understands: "Which side should we try to persuade?"

Although the Dragon God Army comes with great force, the Ya State nobles present, including Wang Ting himself, do not believe the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor will ultimately be able to conquer Ya State.

But Mou State... Ya State's history records two invasions by Mou State; although Ya State has grown strong and confident, the shadow of those two past defeats still lingers overhead.

Why make a choice? Zhao Kemuo laughed: "Naturally, we will lobby both sides! Persuading one side is a gain; persuading both would be even better. Opening negotiations can also confuse the enemy, slow their offensive, and buy us more time."

"Negotiating with Mou State is generally not difficult, but it is too greedy, demanding too high a price!" Ya State has had plenty of dealings with Mou State, knows its temperament well. To make Mou State retreat, Ya State must bleed heavily. So when Wang Ting thinks of Mou State's demeanor, annoyance arises instantly: "As for that Nine Abyssal Great Emperor who occupied our tribe's holy land..."

Wang Ting pressed his temples: "This time, he came to take revenge."