Standing on the bow of the ship, Gu Shenwei could see a huge amount of smoke rising in the distance.
After abandoning some important materials, the last batch of the Dragon army finally boarded the ship which sailed to the south coast of Xiaoyao Lake.
The enemy did not follow them closely; they did not seem to be in a hurry to fight on the north shore. Though there had been several small-scale battles, none of them were in full-scale contact.
Anyway, the Dragon army had gotten a short respite, and Gu Shenwei was able to relax a little.
However, he didn’t realize it would be so short.
As soon as their ship landed at the port of the An Kingdom, news came that a group from the Golden Roc Army was bridging the narrow area on the westernmost side of Xiaoyao Lake. And a few military forces had already occupied a small piece of territory along the southern bank.
Gu Shenwei suddenly understood why the old man had said “crossing the sea from the west” earlier.
Xiaoyao Lake was roughly oval in shape, wide in the middle and narrow on both sides, with mountains on the east and west acting as natural impassible barriers. Most people would think that the only way to cross Xiaoyao Lake was by ship.
However, there was a narrow path among the westernmost mountains. Along the path, sat a lake that was only a kilometer or two wide, and the other side was clearly visible. This path was almost impossible to traverse on foot, especially for livestock, so few people knew about it, and no one had imagined that a large army could walk through it.
But the Golden Roc Army had made it.
Shangguan Jianyi’s advantage was his large number of loyal local advisers, who had been supporting the Golden Roc Fort and Meng family since the early days. The King of the An nation, who had fled Jade City, had also sent his son to lead the way.
When Shangguan Jianyi heard that the Dragon army was preparing to go south to avoid fighting, he immediately called these advisers to discuss countermeasures.
The Prince of the An Kingdom had never heard of the path in the mountain. A businessman had casually mentioned it, but he did not think it was useful. He said maybe it was possible for the Golden Roc Army to send a few dozen spies through, but for an army of 80,000 soldiers, a year would not be long enough.
Shangguan Jianyi didn’t give much attention to the path until the representative from the Hui Kingdom arrived.
The representative had been sent by the King of the Hui nation to negotiate with the Golden Roc Fort. Shangguan Jianyi was amused. With an army of 80,000 soldiers, the Golden Roc Fort could easily turn Xiaoyao Lake upside down. The King of the Hui nation was just one of the fatter sheep in the pen, and he wanted to discuss his conditions.
As the representative, the Senior Prime Minister of the Hui Kingdom knew of course that in order to win this negotiation he had to have something in his hand that the other side needed; he offered the passage on the westernmost area of Xiaoyao Lake.
“The Hui Kingdom can widen the passage in a short time and build a bridge to let the army pass smoothly. If Commander Yi is not interested, the only other option is to cross Xiaoyao Lake and follow the Dragon King.”
The representative from the Hui Kingdom was eloquent. He changed Shangguan Jianyi’s mind with just a few words.
The Hui Kingdom had tried to develop a shorter road to the south bank many years before. A large number of labor forces had been sent to cut stones and move mountains. When the project was half finished, a large-scale war had broken out among the tribes in Wushan and spread to the An Kingdom. The King of the An nation had had to flee to the north bank to save his life.
The war ended without incident. The King of the Hui nation had learned a major lesson from the war. Although the road could lead them to fortune, it could also bring disaster. It was Xiaoyao Lake that had protected their nation from the wars among the belligerent Wushan tribes. He had ordered a halt to the project, refilled the completed part with rubble, and set strict orders for future generations to never mention the construction of the road.
In order to win the favor of the Golden Roc Fort, the new King of the Hui nation, together with the senior Prime Minister, decided to betray this secret against his ancestor’s orders.
At the time, the Dragon King had been busy moving his army. Once the Dragon King had boarded the ship and the entire Dragon army had left the Hui Kingdom, they made a public statement that they were on the Golden Roc Fort’s side, thus becoming the first capitulator among the five countries.
Shangguan Jianyi adopted two strategies. First, he sent a small army to walk through the narrow path. They crossed the sea quickly and occupied a small piece of territory on the southern bank for station. Second, he enlisted local forces and a few soldiers and commanded them to carry out construction day and night; continue the unfinished project from years before; and dig a road broad enough for the passage of the army.
According to estimates from the Hui Kingdom, it would only take half a month to complete the project.
This was the situation the Dragon army, who had just crossed the sea, was facing. Everyone was indignant at the ingratitude of the King of the Hui nation.“If the Dragon King hadn’t discovered the Queen of the Hui Kingdom’s plot, the Prince would still be held hostage with no chance of returning to his home country, let alone taking the throne.”
Dugu Xian had been leading a few units to the south since early in the morning. As soon as he heard that the Golden Roc Army was crossing the sea in the west, he sent troops to suppress them immediately. They were late. Although the enemy was small in number, they occupied a narrow passage and were hard to defeat.
“We have to attack them from the water side,” Dugu Xian said. He was waiting for the Dragon King’s fleet to return. “We could attack the enemy from the water side to get closer to the rear flank of their small force. It would be much easier than attacking by land.”
However, soon there was news that the Hui Kingdom had hidden some ships and handed them over to the Golden Roc Army. Thus Shangguan Jianyi had dozens of light warships. Though it wasn’t that many, it was enough for him to defend the small strongholds on land from the narrow lake.
Dugu Xian immediately set out to form a fleet. With most of the ships from the five countries in hand, the Dragon Army had an absolute advantage in the water. The only problem was that they lacked qualified commanders.
“I can command by myself, but I don’t know much about naval warfare. We’d better find a person with naval experience from among the five countries,” Dugu Xian said.
Although the five countries were near the sea, in recent years even the regular armies had been small and no naval fleet had been set up at all. The so-called warships were really just civilian ships with minor modifications.
He had sent his men to find someone, but no suitable candidate was found. Everyone knew that this war was crucial, so no one dared to step up and recommend themselves.
Dugu Xian started to set up a navy at once. “As long as we have the advantages in number, the odds are still very high. The Dragon army doesn’t have any navy commanders, but neither does the Golden Roc Army. All the Golden Roc Army has is a favorable geographical position.”
By the time Gu Shenwei arrived in the An Kingdom, a navy fleet of more than 100 ships of all sizes had been set up. Dugu Xian planned to spend two or three days training the navy before sending it to the battlefield in the west.
The successor to the throne of Stone Kingdom had been born at a time of war and chaos, bringing a glimmer of hope as well as a qualified navy commander to the Dragon Army.
The court maid Hai Tang had followed the Princess to the south in the first batch by ship. She was considerably frightened, and the death of the Stone Nation King had made her even more perplexed, resulting in the premature birth of her baby.
It was a boy. Gu Shenwei’s “promise” to the King of the Stone nation became true. There was no need to play tricks. It was indeed a boy.
The Dragon King came to see the baby. The Princess held the baby in her arms, and the weak woman was supported by a maid. Both knelt down to the Dragon King asking for his blessing.
Gu Shenwei had been waiting for the birth of the baby. He was not only going to give him a blessing, but also make a move that would surprise the army and civilians of the five countries.
It was based on Zhong Heng’s idea. When they invited the royal families to go south with them, many had declined. In the meantime, more and more royal families had sent their children to the Dragon King as hostages. Even the An Kingdom which had already surrendered did the same thing. The Prime Minister saw through their tricks. He told the Dragon King, “Betting on both sides has always been the strategy of the royal families and aristocracies. In this way, they can guarantee, no matter which side wins, their family will benefit from it.”
Zhong Heng was not a cynic. He suggested that the Dragon King accept the royal families’ tricks instead of striking them all. “The king is often such a figure: When he is reigning, the people may not care much about him; however, without a king in place the people would be in bereavement. Even the most incompetent and fatuous king is still a symbol of a country.”
Since then, Gu Shenwei had not killed a single king, except the King of the Stone nation, who had overtly colluded with the Golden Roc Fort.
As soon as the Dragon King’s ship landed at the port of the An Kingdom, the kings of the Kang and Sha Kingdoms, following on the heels of the King of the Hui nation, surrendered to the Golden Roc Army, too. Their only requirement to the Golden Roc was to keep their thrones.
Zhong Heng had guessed this outcome. So he recommended a response plan to select five new kings among the hostages of the royal families in five countries, so as to create a deeper rift between the two sides of Xiaoyao Lake, and at the same time to stir up suspicion between the hostages and their home countries, preventing collusion between the two.
With the birth of the posthumous child of the King of the Stone nation, the candidates for the five new kings were all in place
On the morning after the baby’s birth, the Dragon King made an unprecedented feat in Xiaoyao Lake. He nominated five kings in one day.
The royal palace was crowded with people from five countries to witness the new kings’ crowning. In many people’s minds, the kings designated by the Dragon King were more trustworthy than the old kings across Xiaoyao Lake.
The first to be nominated was the baby who had been born the day before.
The princess held the baby in one hand; her other hand supported the court maid, Hai Tang. They both bowed and accepted the seal and crown conferred by the Dragon King.
The whole process was simple and solemn. The people of Stone Kingdom knelt down one after another to pledge allegiance to the king. Although the king was only one day old, under the guardianship of the Dragon King there was nothing to be afraid of.
However, Gu Shenwei did not appoint himself as the guardian of the baby king. Before the king came of age, the Princess and his mother would help him with the administration of the nation together. Soon everyone would know who the real master of the two was.
The second to be nominated as the King of the An Kingdom was a 7 or 8 year old child.
The royal family of the An Kingdom had fled a long time ago, leaving very few people. The queen mother of the old king, an old lady from the Central Plains, who had chosen the successor from among the family branches, volunteered to act as guardian of the new king.
The Dragon King granted her request. Among the five kings, this was the only one who wasn’t chosen by the Dragon King himself.
The third was the king of the Sha Kingdom, and he was the least controversial. As the eldest son of the old king of the Sha Kingdom, he was born with the right to inheritance. As the Dragon King requested, he ascended the throne ahead of time. He did not dare, nor did he intend to refuse the request of the Dragon King.
The fourth to be nominated was the king of the Hui Kingdom. The one-handed little prince had taken part in the rebellion. The Dragon King did not kill him for rebelling but made him a new king instead to fulfill the wish of his deceased mother.
When the Queen of the Hui nation died, the little prince had been hiding in the quilt, and therefore he couldn’t tell who the murderer was. In his eyes, the Dragon King was more like a murderer.
Many of the people that surrounded the Dragon King were surprised that he had chosen this child who was obviously not loyal to the new king. The truth was that Gu Shenwei had his own considerations. With his family background, the little prince was the most qualified to compete against the King of the Hui nation in the northern bank. In addition, he was young, without support and resentful, thus easier to control.
The last nominee was the King of the Kang Kingdom, who caused the most controversy.
The Dragon King did not choose the trueborn son of the King of the Kang nation in the northern bank; instead, he appointed a son of a branch family to be king.
The new King of the Kang nation was named Shang Liao. Before the eldest son of the Kang Kingdom died, he had recommended this man to the Dragon King. Gu Shenwei had then sent a group of soldiers to the capital of the Kang Kingdom, and took him to the An Kingdom almost kidnapping him.
Gu Shenwei had not been in contact with Shang Liao yet. The nomination ceremony was the first time they met each other.
On the afternoon of the day the two men met for the second time, Shang Liao would become commander in chief of the navy.