Chapter 1196 - 1185: The Wealthy Merchant

"Elder brother, now all the Vassal Kings are advancing towards Lishan Prefecture, should we go too?" Ye Cheng asked with some excitement.

"No, although we are developing rapidly, our foundation is too shallow." Ye Qiu replied with a deep gaze, "However, even if we don’t go to Lishan Prefecture to meddle, we can take advantage of the time when Prince Donghe attacks Prince Linsan to expand our territory."

"What do you mean, elder brother?"

"Jing’an City is too small. Our soldiers are almost unable to fit, and the nearby refugees are coming in droves. By then, where will they live? Where will we get more land to build houses and cultivate?"

Ye Cheng looked at the map, his finger pointing to the two cities adjacent to Jing’an City: "So which city has elder brother decided to attack first?"

"Dongchang City is by the sea. After capturing it, we will control sea transport, and then we can directly dispatch troops northward by sea. Longjin City has iron mines. Right now, we are short not only on people but also on weapons. I want both of these cities." Ye Qiu said with a deep gaze, full of determination to win.

"But will launching simultaneous attacks on two cities provoke Prince Donghe’s ferocious retaliation?" Ye Cheng wasn’t worried about not being able to capture them. Having seen the prowess of their army, his confidence grew stronger by the day. Although he hadn’t seen other armies with his own eyes, he could swear that no army in this world could be more formidable than the one trained by his elder brother.

"Then why not attack Xindu as well."

"Huh?" Ye Cheng was puzzled, "Xindu is Prince Donghe’s royal city. It must be heavily guarded. Will it not be a case of biting off more than we can chew?"

"This time, Prince Donghe, the King of Xichuan, and various small vassal kings are all dispatching troops to Lishan Prefecture, determined to bite a piece off Prince Linsan. Prince Linsan now has gunpowder. If Prince Donghe doesn’t send heavy troops, he might as well not send them at all. So the remaining troops in Xindu won’t be too strong. Xindu is not close to Lishan Prefecture; do you think when the time comes, will Prince Donghe prefer to drag back a weary army through a long retreat or to retake another city right there?"

"This..." Ye Cheng couldn’t be sure, after all, he wasn’t Prince Donghe and couldn’t understand the mind of a vassal king, "But what if Prince Donghe doesn’t send heavy troops?"

Seeing he still couldn’t make sense of it, Ye Qiu continued to explain, "He will definitely send heavy troops. The power of gunpowder is too great. Prince Donghe and the King of Xichuan won’t just allow Prince Linsan to grow stronger. Xichuan is too far from Donghe, and Prince Linsan is preoccupied. If it weren’t for us, Prince Donghe wouldn’t have any concerns. Why wouldn’t he send heavy troops? If Prince Linsan falls, who stands to gain the most?"

Ye Cheng’s eyes lit up, "At that time, whoever has more troops will gain more benefits."

"If Prince Linsan falls, the largest forces left will be the King of Xichuan and Prince Donghe. Whoever profits the most from this campaign will have the greatest chance of winning the throne in the future. So this time, Prince Donghe and the King of Xichuan will go all out." Ye Qiu spoke as if everything was under his control.

Ye Cheng asked his last lingering doubt, "If we take Prince Donghe’s stronghold, won’t it be benefiting the King of Xichuan? Will he not unite with Prince Donghe to attack us then?"

"Do you think Prince Linsan will definitely lose?" Ye Qiu countered.

"Although Prince Linsan has gunpowder as a trump card, elder brother, you’ve also mentioned that Prince Donghe and the King of Xichuan are attacking with full force this time, plus the various small vassal kings. The raw materials for gunpowder are under our control. Prince Linsan might not be well-prepared in the short term. Can he really withstand them?"

"Never underestimate Prince Linsan." Ye Qiu said with a deep gaze, "He is far from simple, as we and the various vassal kings might imagine. Prince Donghe and the King of Xichuan won’t find success so easily."

After hearing Ye Qiu, Ye Cheng also felt that maybe he had underestimated the situation. It seemed his understanding of the world’s affairs wasn’t sufficient. In the future, he must investigate information more carefully.

Meanwhile, in Lishan Prefecture, upon learning that the various vassal kings were attacking him under an Imperial Decree, Prince Linsan wore a grim expression: "What does the Little Emperor know about black gunpowder? Chen Shun and Han Youjie are clearly just envious. Regardless of whether I hand over the formula or not, they would unite to attack me."

Ye Lu looked apologetic: "Prince, I’m truly sorry for bringing such disaster upon you."

"No, it’s not your fault," Chen Gaoxuan comforted her. "Even without you, they wouldn’t have spared me. Do they really think that just because I’m younger, I’m weaker? After laying low all these years, it’s about time to show the world that Chen Gaoxuan is not just a timid recluse!"

Ye Lu looked at him with admiration, her eyes full of confidence. She understood that her arrival might have accelerated the outbreak of war, but she believed in Prince Linsan’s strength and in the power of black gunpowder, Heavy Crossbows, and Crossbows, products ahead of their time, sure to catch both sides off guard.

And Prince Linsan would surely ascend to the throne even earlier than in the books, and as for the female lead who hasn’t yet appeared, she would have no opportunity to see Prince Linsan anymore.

Ye Lu gently touched her belly. If her feeling was correct, there was already a small life inside it. She couldn’t help but smile sincerely. Despite giving the Prince many ideas, this is a feudal era, and women still need to have children to secure their position, preferably a boy. He would be the Prince’s eldest son and the future Crown Prince.

However, the Princess Consort remains a threat. She recalled how the female lead in the book suffered at the hands of the Princess Consort in the early Chapters. Now the child was not even three months old, the pregnancy was not stable, and she must not let anyone in the back courtyard know.

But one should never underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. No matter how careful Ye Lu was, there would always be times when she slipped up. Now, the Princess Consort Shi Xuan was watching her every move, and if there was anything amiss, the servant would report it immediately.

"Princess Consort, although the concubine’s dishes recently are as usual, the amount of oil and meat has decreased. The Princess Consort has become keen on drinking soup, and there are reports from the servants that the concubine’s monthly cycles in the past two months have been somewhat abnormal. The servant suspects..."

Shi Xuan’s expression tightened, "You suspect she’s pregnant?"

"Yes, the servants carefully observed, and the concubine is a very bold person, but in these two months, she has seldom gone for walks by the lake. If it rains, she doesn’t leave her room at all. Now, with autumn crabs being plump, the concubine even mentioned to the strategists about enjoying chrysanthemums and eating crabs in autumn. But reports from the gatekeeper say the concubine herself hasn’t requested crab dishes, which is quite strange."

"Indeed strange, she sure is lucky, getting pregnant with the Prince’s child just shortly after entering the manor." Shi Xuan sneered bitterly, filled with envy and hatred.

The servant expressed worries, "Princess Consort, if the concubine gives birth to a male child, he’ll be the Prince’s eldest son. Aren’t you concerned?"

"What good is worrying? My belly just doesn’t cooperate." Shi Xuan smashed the teacup angrily; she’s truly had enough of suppressing her emotions.

The servant continued to analyze, "Now the concubine’s prestige not only in the manor but also in the military is high. If she gives birth to the Prince’s eldest son, Princess Consort, wouldn’t we... we must think of a way!"

Shi Xuan pursed her lips, "Give me some time to think it over."