bookpub Chapter 2667 Unrest in People's Hearts
Chapter 2667 Unrest in People's Hearts
Chapter 2667 Unrest in People's Hearts
If the Demon Emperor also had this ability to stir people's hearts, why would he worry that a few mere demon kings would not submit?
Nie Xiaolou said in a low voice, "Perhaps, they didn't have a better choice."
Just then, a stone butterfly on the dragon pillar suddenly came to life, its color rapidly changing from grayish-white to black with orange spots and a touch of blue fluorescence, making it very gorgeous.
It moved from stillness to motion, rising gracefully, leaving a trail of faint blue light in its wake.
The butterfly fluttered back and forth in front of the Demon Emperor.
Nie Xiaolou knew that the stone butterfly was activated because someone outside wanted to communicate with the Demon Emperor. But this was usually a supernatural power over extremely long distances, consuming a lot of energy.
who can that be?
Upon seeing the colorful butterflies fluttering about, the Demon Emperor said, "You may all leave now."
The two imperial advisors withdrew upon hearing this.
……
The Royal Palace of Mu, Jade Listening Pavilion.
This is where Emperor Mou held his private meetings; today, only You Huan, the chief minister of the Futai Pavilion, is present.
Several years later, You Huan once again became the chief minister. Compared to when Mei Wu Niang witnessed him first ascend to the high position, he was much more reserved and composed.
Emperor Mu took time out of his busy schedule to hold this meeting today because Bega had delivered a "Peace Agreement" to the Mu Kingdom and Cangyan regarding the recent complex situation in the human world.
Cang Yan and Mou Guo have recently been targeting the Tiangong Party's vassal demon kingdom's outreach activities abroad. They have been cooperating effectively, causing the vassal demon kingdom to be caught off guard and in disarray.
As these matters accumulated, the Lingxu Royal Court, under pressure, had no choice but to send formal diplomatic negotiations to the two countries. The main content of this agreement was to encourage the three countries to sit down and talk things out, delineate their respective territorial boundaries, and agree not to invade each other's territory in the future. In return, Bega considered lifting several sanctions against Cangyan and also hoped to end the war with the Mu Kingdom.
To be honest, when they received the agreement, the officials of the Mu Kingdom's court were very interested. Even the Grand Preceptor Wang Xingyi, representing Lingshan, expressed that they could have a good talk with them.
Firstly, the war between the Mu Kingdom and the Bega Kingdom has never truly ended, and clashes still break out from time to time. Now, after a great surge of spiritual energy over the past decade, does the Mu Kingdom want to fight? Not at all. It also wants to take this opportunity to develop, but it remains trapped in a power struggle between two strong nations, unable to extricate itself.
Every war with Bega was a huge drain on human lives, resources, wealth, and even patience, and the Mu Kingdom had long felt exhausted.
It's rare to have this opportunity to escape the war, and it was Beijia who took the initiative to suggest it. The Mu Kingdom also hopes to accumulate strength in preparation for the descent of the gods.
Secondly, the Mu Kingdom also has many vassal states that have suffered greatly from the invasions of the Bega in recent years. In particular, the Mu Kingdom recently threatened the interests of the vassal demon kingdom, which naturally retaliated by venting its anger on its vassal states. Therefore, the Mu Kingdom bears an additional layer of pressure compared to the Cang Yan Kingdom: the resentment and pleas for help from its vassal states.
When a leader doesn't care about the lives of his underlings, over time, he'll have no underlings left.
If Bega's proposal takes effect, the three kingdoms will each have their own spheres of influence, and the vassal states under the Mu Kingdom will be safe. No matter how much Bega commits atrocities, he won't be able to bully them.
Unfortunately, this negotiation never even had a chance to begin.
Because Cang Yan rejected it outright.
The Nine Nether Emperor wrote in his reply to the other two emperors that numerous small countries exist in the world, all struggling to survive. Their fate should not be laid out on the negotiating table for the great powers to decide and dictate.
Cang Yan will not participate in this negotiation.
If Cang Yan doesn't attend the meeting of the three giants, it will be canceled.
Emperor Mu gazed at the winter plum blossoms outside the window: "The Assistant Minister has strong opinions, is that so?"
As the head of the Secretariat, You Huan had gathered opinions from his subordinates before coming to pay his respects.
"Not only that, the court officials are also very angry. They think Cang Yan's response was too decisive, that he only cared about his own lofty ideals and didn't consider the difficulties of the Mu Kingdom at all. In recent years, it has been our Great Mu Kingdom that has been fighting head-on with Beka. We have been protecting Cang Yan from the wind and rain, while Cang Yan has been hiding behind us, making his fortune and doing very well with Beka." You Huan paused, "This time, Cang Yan rejected the proposal because it has too few vassal states and doesn't understand our country's difficulties."
Emperor Mu hummed in agreement: "What do they want?"
“Cang Yan shouldn’t have blocked this path outright. While we can’t accept Bei Jia’s proposal entirely, we can offer more favorable terms,” You Huan said. “The ministers believe we can put pressure on Cang Yan.”
How to apply pressure?
"When Cangyan sends troops outwards, it either passes through our territory or routes, or it requires our logistical support. If we intend to stop it, Cangyan's current strategy and the battlefield situation will be significantly affected."
Emperor Mu rested his chin on his hand, remaining calm: "Chief Minister You, what's your opinion?"
Trying to fathom the Emperor's thoughts is never easy. But You Huan knew he would ask, so he immediately replied:
"I also tend to call off the negotiations, withstand the pressure, and continue to cooperate with Cang Yan."
"reason?"
"Lingxu Royal City is imposing more and more sanctions on Cang Yan, and they seem to be getting harsher and harsher, but in reality, they are all just raising the bar high and then letting it fall gently. Lingxu City is naturally happy to see us and Cang Yan precisely strike at the demon kingdoms of the Heavenly Palace faction. The more these demon kingdoms are weakened, the stronger Lingxu City becomes. It's just that it can only deliver this agreement due to the pressure from the Heavenly Demon. I think the Demon Emperor may not really want to implement it."
Is there anything else?
"This negotiation was initiated by Cang Yan. It hasn't fought a major war for many years, and currently no one can fathom its true strength—neither can we, nor can Bega. Furthermore, its attitude towards the Heavenly Demons is particularly tough, almost resolute, which is excellent. After the Heavenly Demons descend to the mortal realm, their first target will undoubtedly be Cang Yan. The stronger Cang Yan becomes, the better it is for us, and even better for Lingxu City. As the saying goes, 'Once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away.' If the enemy isn't strong, what use will the Heavenly Demons have for Lingxu City?"
Mu Guochong has been on the front line of fighting against the Heavenly Demon for too long; it's time for Cang Yan to take the lead.
The first words Emperor Mu uttered made You Huan lower his head:
"Inside the Futai Pavilion, there's a bunch of makeshift troupes!"
"They want to cut off Cangyan's logistics and put pressure on it?" Emperor Mu sneered, a rare occurrence. "Have they forgotten that Cangyan is our main logistics hub?"
How many years have the Mu Kingdom and the Beijia Kingdom been fighting? In terms of actual national strength, the Mu Kingdom is far less resource-rich than the Beijia Kingdom. The reason why the Mu Kingdom has been able to fight the Beijia Kingdom to a standstill and even develop in recent years is largely due to the strategic cooperation reached between the Mu Emperor and the Nine Nether Emperor. The Mu Kingdom has received a lot of support from Cang Yan in addition to war, such as economic support, military preparedness, materials, and even personnel.
For more than a decade, Mu Ren had become accustomed to this cooperation and remembered that Cang Yan was indeed on the same side as him, but he always inadvertently forgot that this support and assistance was not free.
If the Mu Kingdom doesn't continue fighting with Bega, why would Cang Yan still support it?