Chapter 2974: The Furious Crown Prince

The red general turned his head to look out the window.

The night sky was full of glittering stars, footsteps of pedestrians echoed on the street, and the laughter and cooking aromas from neighboring houses drifted together.

After the red falcon flew away, two or three sparrows scrambled for the best spots on the golden hibiscus tree, chirping noisily.

She drew in a breath slowly and said languidly:

"I smell the scent of gunpowder."

The late wind began to turn biting, and the footsteps of deep autumn drew ever closer.

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The Demon Emperor has passed away, and Lingxu City is in great turmoil.

No matter how shocked the Bekans are by this earth-shattering bad news, time flies swiftly, and someone must always tidy up the aftermath.

Lingxu City is under martial law throughout, and Tianxin Island has descended into chaos like a pot of porridge. Everyone feels as if a great stone weighs on their heart, heavy to the point of breathlessness. At this moment, the Jade Flower Palace where the Crown Prince resides is heavily guarded, with layers inside and out, tightly sealed.

With the Emperor gone, the safety of the Crown Prince is the top priority of Lingxu City.

When Nie Xiaolou rushed to the Jade Flower Palace, he happened to hear a crisp clanging sound from inside; upon hearing it, he knew that pottery had been shattered to pieces.

A voice rang out, and Nie Xiaolou recognized it as the furious roar of Crown Prince Wuhuan:

"What are you blocking me for? All of you, get out of my way—I want to go to the Qiongti Palace!"

The voice of the State Preceptor of the Xia Palace sounded: "The palace is currently investigating traitors; it is unsafe for you to go like this."

"I am in my own palace—still not safe?" Wuhuan sneered coldly, "Didn't you tell me countless times that Tianxin Island is the safest place under heaven?"

Nie Xiaolou silently thought in his heart, that was in the past.

He stepped over the threshold and walked over, only to see many senior officials standing on the eastern side of the hall, while the western side was occupied by people from the Tian Palace.

The boundaries between the two sides were clear, and no one crossed over.

Upon seeing Nie Xiaolou, everyone also breathed a sigh of relief, repeatedly giving him meaningful glances.

The State Preceptor of the Qing Palace was the most trusted minister of the Demon Emperor in life, holding high rank and great power; even when Wuhuan flew into a rage, he had to give him three parts of courtesy.

The grieving Wuhuan had smashed everything he could smash; the hall was in utter disarray, with traces of fire still visible on the beams and pillars, and a strong smell of burnt smoke lingered. This little ancestor would set fires when unhappy—no, rather, breathe fire—and the palace servants had long grown accustomed to it.

Nie Xiaolou spoke a few soothing words to it, then said: "Lingxu City is already under citywide lockdown, currently capturing spies and assassins; next, Wang Ting will discuss the rites of the state funeral..."

Before he could finish speaking, the little blue flood dragon interrupted him with red-rimmed eyes: "First capture the assassin! Father surely wants me to avenge him!"

What is there to discuss about the funeral? It wants revenge, revenge!

"You send word to the Chi Yan Kingdom for me, asking it to cooperate with the navy of the Bo Lang Kingdom to seize Bailie, directly opposite the Yangshan Islands!"

The ministers were startled: "Why is this?"

"Isn't Bailie the birthplace of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor?" Wuhuan swept his long tail across a great pillar, producing a booming sound, "I want to raze the He family ancestral shrine to the ground, burning it down to nothing!"

"Your Highness, Bailie is the maternal ancestral homeland of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, where the Lu family's ancestral shrine is enshrined." Ye Zhao, the Envoy of the Tian Palace's Cloud Division, stepped forward. Three years ago, when the Tian Palace sent him to monitor Mei Wuniang descending the mountain, he was still a Lamp Holder; later, due to his diligence and competence in handling affairs, he was promoted to Envoy of the Cloud Division.

At this critical moment, he led forty or fifty people from the Tian Palace to the scene.

"Maternal or paternal clan—same thing!" Wuhuan said, "Anyway, only by leveling it to the ground can I dispel the hatred in my people's hearts!"

Ye Zhao bowed: "Reporting national and familial hatred, the Crown Prince will surely have his wish fulfilled."

The Tian Palace naturally would not oppose; once Bekan declares war on Cangyan, it will need a breakthrough for offense.

The two countries are too far apart; Bekan needs to establish a transfer station and foothold on the front lines against Cangyan, so that troops can be continuously transported afterward. Relying solely on the Yangshan Islands is insufficient; Bailie must be seized to open a new gateway for attacking Cangyan.

The ministers were startled, and Nie Xiaolou quickly said: "This matter requires detailed discussion!"

He had already anticipated that the King of Chi Yan, upon hearing this order, would certainly oppose it fiercely. Moreover, between Bekan and Cangyan lies the vast Mou Kingdom! Chi Yan and Bo Lang, if they wish to attack Bailie, Mou has plenty of ways to interfere from within.

Back then, He Lingchuan chose Bailie and Yangshan as footholds precisely because he valued this geographical advantage.

"The King of Chi Yan may not be willing. For twenty years, Chi Yan has actively traded with Cangyan, earning much wealth." Ye Zhao seized the opportunity to advise, "Even the Chi Yan Crown Prince Fushan Yue, who has long resided in the Yangshan Islands, maintains very close contact with the Nine Abysses Great Emperor."

Wuhuan shouted angrily: "Does the King of Chi Yan dare to confuse friend and foe? Issue my order to the King of Chi Yan, commanding Crown Prince Yue to return immediately from the Yangshan Islands to Lingxu City! Otherwise, I will dispatch troops to admonish Chi Yan!"

It has always been at odds with Chi Yan and with Crown Prince Yue; twenty years ago, Crown Prince Yue even came to cause it trouble!

No one present dared to respond to this order.

Only Ye Zhao answered with a sound: "Yes."

"Furthermore!" Wuhuan drew a deep breath, "I want to attack Shen Guo!"

The ministers suddenly looked up, and General Qingwu blurted out:

"Absolutely not!"

With him taking the lead, many senior generals in the court expressed opposition. First, launching an expedition against Shen lacks justification, as Shen Guo has never directly offended Bekan; although it joined forces with Cangyan to destroy Baleng, Baleng is merely Baleng, and most Bekans do not regard it as their own affair.

Second, Bekan's current state is one of internal and external turmoil; over the past three years, Bekan's vassal demon states have frequently waged external wars, actually exhausting the people and draining the treasury, because the tributary states and fiefdoms have seen rising rebellions, especially in the last half year, growing ever more intense, making governance and control costs unprecedentedly high—even Bo Lang has withdrawn from three fiefdoms; as for Bekan's internal affairs, there is no need to elaborate—He Lingchuan discovered the contradictions when he traveled through Bekan over twenty years ago, and now they have only intensified without weakening, amounting to an incurable malady.

Had it not been for the sudden death of the old Demon Emperor, Bekan might already have ignited the war against the Heavenly Gods.

Lastly, foreign wars actually require careful preparation, especially given Bekan's vast territory and the complex conditions of its vassal demon states—determining which countries to draw troops from, which to support logistics, how to mobilize supplies, and how to lay out battle plans—all require endless wrangling... no, rather, long-term deliberation.

It is not as simple as deciding to fight today and being able to deploy troops tomorrow.

War is not child's play.

But before General Qingwu could finish his third point, Wuhuan exploded in fury, pointing at his nose and shouting:

"Do you not want to fight? You are from Shen Guo—are you trying to shield it?"

"I..." General Qingwu's face instantly turned red, from anger, "How could I not want to fight? The Shen King and I share a hatred for killing my wife! But attacking Shen now is not a good opportunity."

Does he not want to kill He Chuanhua badly? He desires it with all his heart.

"Must I, of Bekan, still look at the weather and timing to discipline such a petty state as Xiao Er?" Wuhuan gave a contemptuous smile, "Within twenty days, I want it taken down!" Could the warriors who fought Baleng to a standstill not be slapped to the ground by two blows from Bekan?

Nie Xiaolou had to step forward and ask: "Why does the Crown Prince wish to attack Shen?"

His heart was too heavy.