Chapter 680 - 677: Heart-to-Heart_1
"We do not need to mention the Wei Kingdom, as it does not border the Jin Kingdom. Even if it occupies the Yan Kingdom, as long as it does not exceed the area adjacent to our Jin and Yan territories, it does not matter. But Daliang, which borders our entire northern side, when the Jin Kingdom destroyed the Shu Kingdom and took over that tiny land, it was to avoid being locked in by Daliang and to secure a port! Should Daliang take over the Yan Kingdom, though the lands do not directly connect, it would be justified to station troops there, and that would mean another constraint for our Jin Kingdom on the west side as well!" The Crown Prince stood up and walked to the map. He glanced at it and was immediately shocked. He hurriedly said, "Go... send someone to bring the Minister of War here! Quan Yu, you go now and bring Mr. Ren... and Mr. Qin together!"
Old Fang’s fingers twitched at the mention of Mr. Qin.
As soon as Qin Shangzhi arrived, he heard about Wei and Daliang’s plans to attack the Yan Kingdom. He strongly agreed with the Crown Prince’s idea of deploying troops.
That afternoon, the Crown Prince and the Minister of War Shen Jingzhong entered the palace to meet the Emperor. By evening, the Emperor’s decree came down, sending Liu Rushi immediately to Daliang to demand land, and instructing Liu Hong to lead twenty thousand soldiers from Anping Camp to Chunmu Mountain the next morning. If Daliang refused to give up the land, Liu Rushi was to deliver the letter of challenge.
When Bai Qingyan received the news, she was quite surprised.
She lowered her gaze and stared at the chessboard in front of her, her fingers stroking the red jade piece. This time, the Emperor’s firm attitude in demanding land was unusual. He must have considered that if Daliang conquered Yan, it would compress the Jin Kingdom from the west and north, swallowing up the hard-won Shu land and locking the Jin Kingdom with no seaport.
Back then, her grandfather had insisted on destroying the Shu Kingdom, even at the cost of displeasing other nations, to prevent the Jin Kingdom from being locked away from a port.
Even if the Crown Prince asked Bai Qingyan for advice, from the Jin Kingdom’s overall perspective, she would never allow Daliang to take even an inch of Yan’s land.
"Eldest Young Lady, Eldest Young Lady!" Bai Jinzhi hurriedly ran in from outside Qinghui Courtyard, her voice arriving before she did.