Chapter 2685

As for killing the king of Bolang State, that was a glorious victory achieved by Wusong State itself. After all, the battlefield is merciless and weapons are blind—what kind of accident couldn't possibly happen?

Since the king of Bolang State personally led the campaign, he should have prepared for all possible contingencies, especially since the battlefield was several thousand li from Bekka's homeland.

Unfortunately, he did not.

Did he think he was the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, capable of launching a thousand-li raid and still withdrawing intact?

Everyone wants to emulate the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, but there has only ever been one Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

At this time, the remnants of the Bolang army on the expedition against Wusong had not yet returned home, but the full account of the Battle of Hui Xuan Fortress had already been transmitted back. After Bekka's many commanders reviewed it, nearly all could conclude that the force that dealt a heavy blow to the Bolang army that night was 99% likely to be Cangyan's army!

The Bolang army may not be renowned for land warfare, but it is still a Bekka army, and its combat prowess alone leaves Wusong's forces far behind. Even if Cangyan, as the suzerain state, allocated some yuanli to Wusong State for defense, the enormous gap in military strength cannot be bridged merely by augmenting yuanli.

Therefore, regardless of the reason or scene at the time, the Wusong army alone could not possibly have routed the Bolang army into utter chaos and pursued them all the way to Wusong Harbor.

Moreover, the eyewitnesses' accounts are very clear: the enemy forces that sallied forth on the rainy night not only possessed formidable individual combat strength, excellent weaponry and equipment, and seamless coordination, but also wielded dark crimson yuanli!

Yuanli cannot be falsified. Although the Bolang army, too, fights far from home and its yuanli is not as strong as domestically, even so, how many nations in the present age could possess yuanli deeper than theirs?

Certainly not Wusong State.

Furthermore, after the Bolang army retreated in defeat to Hui Xuan Fortress, its commanders repeatedly tried to reorganize the troops, but each attempt was scattered in succession. This shows that the enemy commander's ability to anticipate threats and pursue with experience is extremely rich, and his command of troops is as effortless as moving one's limbs.

Moreover, the Bolang army's main camp had activated a solid barrier. The commanders accompanying the Bolang king on campaign were all highly experienced, and they would not allow the enemy to unleash divine powers or trigger terrain changes to destroy their own camp.

Thus, the earthquake that night was most likely not caused by divine powers. The natural occurrence of an earthquake is extremely improbable; the most plausible explanation is that some object forcibly burst upward from below, causing the earthquake and ground fissures.

Pure physical output—such power is astonishing, and it is certainly not something Wusong State could possess; otherwise, it would have long since put it to use.

Elite troops and fierce generals, with abundant yuanli, capable of triggering earthquakes without divine powers—aside from Cangyan and Mou State, Bekka's commanders could think of no third nation possessing all these elements, but this matter is clearly not the work of Mou State.

Therefore, the assassin who killed the Bolang king must have been from Cangyan's army!

Since Bekka's founding, no vassal demon king has ever been slain while campaigning thousands of li beyond the border—this is a great shame and humiliation!

Yet the commanders cannot understand: clearly, this is such a glorious victory that any other nation could boast of it for a lifetime—why, then, does Cangyan flatly deny it?

If you say it lacks courage, it actually crossed thousands of li to assassinate the Bolang king. And Bekka is not foolish; it surely knows it is the mastermind behind this, and thus this enmity has been forged in an instant.

If you say it has courage, it then dares to act but refuses to admit it, stubbornly denying responsibility to the death.

What scheme is the Nine Abysses Great Emperor really plotting?

In any case, Bekka and Cangyan have now entered a phase of mutual suspicion, mutual accusation, and verbal sparring, but Lingxu City has not acted rashly—it merely secured two great victories on the Mou State battlefield to demonstrate its formidable strength.

However, the death of the Bolang king is a heinous event unparalleled in Bekka's history for over a hundred years, and it certainly cannot be left unpunished; the perpetrator must suffer severe punishment. Since Cangyan, in its public statement, mentioned that the Battle of Hui Xuan Fortress was a glorious victory achieved by Wusong State itself, that is to say, the Bolang king was killed by Wusong people.

Very well, then let Bekka not be blamed for pointing the finger of responsibility at Wusong State.

However, Bekka's navy is mainly concentrated in Bolang State; Lingxu City and other vassal demon states do have aquatic forces, but they are not organized into independent units.

Moreover, Wusong State is indeed far from Bekka.

If Bekka were to dispatch a fleet, the sea voyage would take at least one and a half months, even under favorable winds and currents.

Now it is winter, the seas are often stormy, and the wind is from the northeast, yet the fleet must sail southwest against the wind—this...

In short, Bolang State's advantage in attacking Wusong has now become Bekka's disadvantage in seeking revenge.

When people mention this campaign, they all want to cover their heads and curse the Bolang king. You say you bully some neighboring small state—no, you had to fixate on Wusong, thousands of li away! Now others want to avenge you, but they find the task beyond their reach.

Moreover, the domestic situation in Bekka is especially delicate; the vassal demon king of Bolang State has suddenly vacated the throne, and Lingxu City and Tiangong naturally have their own ideas. The Bolang king was originally a staunch supporter of Tiangong, and if the new ruler were to shift allegiance to Lingxu City, that would further strengthen the power of the Demon Emperor.

This might be the opportunity the Demon Emperor seeks.

This might also be what Tiangong does not wish to see, for after all, they have already determined that the Demon Emperor has mastered the antidote to the "Heart-Winding" secret formula. This medicine—should it not be used precisely at the time of royal succession?

Thus, the struggle over the Bolang king's throne nearly began as soon as the news of his death returned domestically. The princes most hopeful of ascending the throne each have different factions backing them, vying against one another.

This struggle intensifies, the Bolang army has lost its supreme commander, does not know whom to obey, and has temporarily ceased mobilization.

At the same time, E Ling, Bolang, and Ye Qian, vassal demon states, united under Tiangong's indication and submitted a petition to Bekka's Wang Ting: first, demanding Bekka punish Cangyan; second, demanding Lingxu City dispatch troops to Wusong State to rescue the captives held in enemy territory.

The E Ling king spoke bluntly on the spot: "The Bolang king was assassinated, Bekka bears the grudge, yet some vassal demon states know not to share hatred for a common enemy, still openly fraternizing with Cangyan, utterly disregarding the people's suffering—shameless!"

Below, many nodded in agreement.

Everyone could understand that their reproach was not limited to Chiyan State, Baoshu State, and Baoxiang State, etc. —Lingxu City itself is also the major household that maintains the closest ties with Cangyan and enjoys the most prosperous business!

It's just that E Ling king's pointed criticism cannot be directly aimed at Lingxu City.

The Chiyan king, Fu Shanlie, sat opposite him, heard the words, and rolled his eyes: "Then what do you want?"

"You sever ties with Cangyan, confiscate Cangyan's assets, arrest and expel Cangyan's merchants!"

Fu Shanlie twisted his mouth: "Sever ties? These two words—how can you say them so easily? If we were to sever ties with Cangyan, what would the Nine Abysses Great Emperor want to do next, what would Cangyan want to do, we would be completely in the dark, both eyes blindfolded, utterly kept in the dark—that would be truly terrifying!"

Between great states, communication is most important. Even if Bekka and Mou State fight fiercely, the connection between the two nations has never been broken.

"Cangyan every year extracts vast wealth from Bekka, yet dares to assassinate the Bolang king! Since they eat our food and smash our pots, we might as well cut off Cangyan's financial routes!"