Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2099 Xiping Returns to Han, Dongyi Kingdom Resolves

"Please invite King Yelü into the palace!"

Although Yelü Qingde considered himself a puppet emperor, he was, after all, nominally the emperor of the Eastern Yi.

Therefore, it was still necessary to maintain appearances; Wang Yu used the word "invite" rather than "declare".

At the same time, the chief eunuch Zhao Gao, with keen insight, instructed the other junior eunuchs to increase the number of seats.

If Yelü Qingde, as the emperor of the Eastern Yi, were to attend a banquet, the protocol would naturally be quite different from that of his ministers.

The Emperor of Dongyi has arrived; the proper etiquette must still be observed.

When the officials below heard of the arrival of Emperor Yelü Qingde of the Eastern Barbarians, none of those with even a little standing in the Han court showed any surprise.

When Zhuge Liang and Wen Zhong returned to the capital, the Eastern Yi emperor Yelü Qingde was also in the procession. Although he did not make a big fuss about it, he did not deliberately hide it either.

As for Zhuge Liang and Wen Zhong, one a civil official and the other a military leader, who are actually the two leaders of the Eastern Yi court, what will happen in Xiping Road if they both return to the territory of the Han Dynasty at this time?
There's really no need to worry too much about this!
On the Eastern Yi side, Yelü Abaoji and the Sun Kingdom had only just ceased hostilities. With one major battle just ended, how could they possibly have the resources to immediately launch a second major battle?

At this point, Yelü Abaoji even wished for a more peaceful relationship with the Xiping Road.

At least, before dealing with the Sun Kingdom, Yelü Abaoji did not want to face two enemies at the same time.

In the Eastern Yi region, a three-way power struggle has completely broken out.

Yelü Abaoji's next task was to deal with the Sun Kingdom and also to drive away the Han Dynasty's henchmen, so as to reclaim the lost territory from the two major powers.

However, Yelü Abaoji does not currently possess that strength.

Not to mention, even if Yelü Qingde is excluded, these two forces still exist in the Eastern Yi.

However, having learned their lesson from the Han Dynasty, these two forces are now finally able to unite when facing external threats.

Especially Yelü Defei, whose territory was torn from the hands of the Eastern Yi, not Yelü Abaoji. Yelü Defei himself had very little territory.

Therefore, even if he wanted to hold Yelü Abaoji back as before, he dared not do so again.

However, even so, no matter how well the two companies cooperate, they can never be like one entity.

Furthermore, neither the Sun Kingdom nor the Han Dynasty wanted to see the other side driven out by the Eastern Barbarians. If such a possibility arose, the other side would definitely try to interfere.

The current situation in Dongyi is in the best interests of both the Han Dynasty and the Sun Kingdom, at least in the short term.

The Han Dynasty's current focus is on the area within Da Cang, aiming to reunify the eighteen Da Cang regions. Having another force helping them contain Yelü Abaoji in the Eastern Barbarian lands is naturally a desirable outcome for them.

As for the Sun Kingdom, fighting on foreign soil, they were naturally at a disadvantage compared to Yelü Abaoji, who was fighting on home soil. They also needed the Han Dynasty to contain the Eastern Yi forces.

After all, as long as the pseudo-dynasty of the Eastern Barbarians continued to exist, Yelü Abaoji could not ignore it, and therefore could not mobilize all his manpower and resources to deal with them.

For the Sun Kingdom, dragging things out is to their advantage.

Because of the lack of iron ore resources in the country, the Sun Kingdom has historically relied on lightly armored units. While their weapons are invincible against lightly armored units, they are at a significant disadvantage when facing heavily armored units.

Such a Sun Kingdom often suffers great losses when facing the armies of the major dynasties, which combine light and heavy armor, as well as the armies of the surrounding barbarian tribes.

After taking control of half of Nanping Road, they alleviated their predicament to some extent by utilizing the resources of Nanping Road.

However, it takes time for these resources to be fully converted into strength. Therefore, they need the Han to help them share the burden and give them more time.

The Land of the Sun is now quite lively.

The gains from acquiring half of the Dongyi Nanping Road have been far more beneficial to their Sun Kingdom than they had imagined. However, these gains will require time to fully materialize and translate into their true strength.

In particular, after conquering the Dongyi Nanping Navy, the Sun Kingdom obtained a large number of ready-made warships and even shipbuilding craftsmen from the Dongyi. Under Matsushita Ao's orders, the Dongyi began an era of large-scale warship construction and naval training.

In particular, the young naval officer Kuki Yoshitaka presented Matsushita Ao with the blueprints for a new type of ironclad warship, which gave Matsushita Ao even greater expectations for the future navy of the Sun Kingdom, and Kuki Yoshitaka was promoted three ranks as a result.

Matsushita Ao, as the unparalleled ruler of the Sun Kingdom, was hailed as one of the greatest emperors in history. His vision was extraordinary. From the moment he ascended to the throne, he recognized the importance of naval power to the Sun Kingdom, which was surrounded by sea.

Furthermore, the Sun Kingdom is not only surrounded by the sea, but its nine core islands are also separated by the sea, requiring ships to connect them.

The strength of the navy is not only crucial to the unification and security of the Sun Nation, but also to its expansion.

For the Sun Kingdom, whether it wants to reach the Eastern Barbarians in the north or the Great Cang in the west, it is impossible without a powerful force to protect and escort them.

Matsushita Ao was never content with just half of Nanping Road.

Therefore, after he came to power, the proportion of the Sun Nation's military expenditure in the navy has been increasing again and again. Especially now, the proportion of the Sun Nation's military expenditure in the navy has exceeded that of the army by a considerable margin.

As a result, conflicts have even begun to arise between the army and navy of the Sun Kingdom.

"Greetings, Father Emperor!"

"May my father, the emperor, enjoy boundless blessings and live as long as the heavens!" Yelü Qingde slowly and laboriously entered the main hall.

He was overjoyed that he could gain the throne for free back then.

Although his so-called emperor's position was actually just a puppet with no real power, and not only his emperor's position, but the entire Dongyi small court was just a puppet regime.

However, he didn't care about any of that.

After all, a puppet emperor is still an emperor. For him, the Dongyi prince who originally had no chance of ascending to the throne, it was no different from a pie falling from the sky.

They've clearly made a killing, okay!
Even though he was a puppet emperor, he enjoyed all the privileges and comforts an emperor should have. He had access to all sorts of delicacies and beautiful women every day, and there was never enough to keep up with. Even though he was just a puppet emperor, his ministers still had to show him the utmost respect and fawn over him as required.

Therefore, for this emperor's throne that fell from the sky, he did not hesitate to recognize a father for himself, honor Wang Yu as his adoptive father, and call himself the son emperor.

For no other reason than to make the position of this puppet emperor more secure.

In fact, he had always been well aware that without Wang Yu as his adoptive father, even if he succeeded in becoming a puppet emperor, he would be forcibly dethroned by his own clan. Without the Han Dynasty as his backing, his position as emperor would be far from secure.

Unfortunately, even now, he is still unable to hold onto his position as a puppet emperor!

Although he wanted to resist, he had no way to do so and could only accept his fate. He wanted to ask the officials of the Eastern Yi court for help, but not one of them was willing to assist him.

Therefore, as Yelü Qingde walked these few dozen steps into the main hall, his heart was heavy. He was about to lose his position as emperor. Even though he had no real power as emperor, and was not much better off than someone with only a nominal title, the fact still weighed heavily on his mind.

In fact, some of the Dongyi court officials did not want to help him, but they had already been heartbroken by Yelü Qingde.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Dongyi Small Court, although the main official positions were controlled by Zhuge Liang and other people of Wang Yu, the remaining positions were still filled by a large number of Dongyi people.

After all, an imperial court needs countless official positions, and Wang Yu cannot possibly ignore all the Dongyi people. Moreover, completely excluding the Dongyi people from the court would not truly win their hearts.

Among these Dongyi officials, there were indeed those who had already submitted to Wang Yu at that time, those who had resigned themselves to their fate, and many of them were Yelü Abaoji's spies. Whether they were people Yelü Abaoji had arranged long ago or those he had gradually won over later, there were definitely no shortage of such people.

However, there were also those who wanted to use Yelü Qingde to restore order within the organization. These people, of course, initially had high hopes for Yelü Qingde.

Unfortunately, Yelü Qingde's subsequent actions completely shattered all their expectations. The greater their initial hope, the greater their subsequent disappointment.

So much so that when Yelü Qingde wanted to find someone to help him, where could he find anyone?
"You are also the emperor of a country, there is no need for you to perform such a grand ceremony before me!"

"Let's take our seats!" Wang Yu said, pointing to the new banquet that the chief eunuch Zhao Gao had prepared.

"This ceremony is not one between ruler and subject, but rather one of filial piety between father and son!" Yelü Qingde replied after taking his seat.

Do you think Yelü Qingde really wanted to give people a big bow for no reason?
Isn't it because he's afraid?

Although he doesn't want to lose the throne, at this stage, it seems he can't keep it even if he wants to!
But even if the emperor loses his throne, he should at least be able to save his own life!
Yelü Qingde was simply a bit incompetent, a bit unambitious, and a bit timid when faced with important matters.

However, they were by no means stupid.

No matter what, he was born into the royal family of Dongyi and received a proper royal education from a young age. He knew all too well what happened to those who were dethroned throughout history!
Of all those who were dethroned, how many met a good end? How many died peacefully?
Therefore, even if his position as emperor was already doomed, he still wanted to do everything in his power to save his own life. Sometimes, showing deference wasn't shameful when it came to saving one's own life!
"What brings Your Majesty to visit our Great Han?" Wang Yu asked, raising his wine cup and facing Yelü Qingde.

"Your subject originally thought that being an emperor was simply a matter of using the imperial seal well!"

"However, since I ascended the throne of the Eastern Barbarians, I have come to realize that every action of the emperor is related to the well-being of the people. The affairs of the world all rest on my shoulders. How heavy that burden is! I am truly exhausted, both physically and mentally!"

"Only now do we realize that the nine-layered palace was a living coffin, the memorials were the nails, the people were the nails, and the border troubles and powerful enemies were the nails..."

"Your subject feels as if he has been nailed to death inside the coffin of the palace by countless nails!"

"Therefore, today, your son requests that the Eastern Yi Kingdom be abolished, and all its land and people be incorporated into the Great Han!"

"Your Majesty, I only wish to live a carefree life as a hermit, enjoying wealth and comfort for the rest of my days. This wish is enough!" Yelü Qingde stroked the wine cup, his tone extremely heavy.

Before coming to the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang specially went to the palace to present him with a kind of tea, the top-quality tea Xue Ding Han Cui from the Great Wu.

This tea is priceless, costing thousands of gold pieces, because it grows on sheer cliffs and can only be harvested by risking one's life and hanging by a rope. It's quite normal to shed blood and lose one's life to harvest this tea.

When Zhuge Liang presented this tea, his words subtly alluded to the imperial throne, his intentions crystal clear.

But now, Yelü Qingde doesn't want the tea; he only wants to save his own life.

"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their will, strain their muscles and bones, starve their body, and leave them destitute!"

“The throne of the emperor is indeed a great responsibility, but that is precisely why you must constantly encourage yourself and never slack off!” Wang Yu said in response.

Even if we don't say they've declined three times, this thing...

However, one should at least appear somewhat reserved.

"The land of the Han Dynasty has been greatly governed under the Emperor's rule!"

"Father's benevolent rule is widely known even among the Eastern Barbarians!"

"We, the people of Dongyi, have longed for our father, the Emperor, for a very long time!"

"Father, the Eastern Yi have submitted to the Han Dynasty. It is not that I am negligent or unwilling to take responsibility, but that I am truly concerned for the well-being of millions of people!"

"For the sake of the millions of people in the Eastern Barbarian lands, we hope that Father Emperor will bring them back to Xiping!"

At this moment, Yelü Qingde actually knelt down, his whole body prostrating on the ground, and his voice was extremely respectful.

Not to mention him, even the Han Dynasty officials who were close by were extremely surprised when they saw this scene.

Such a grand gesture was rarely performed even by officials of the Han Dynasty. Yet now, this grand gesture was being bestowed upon the emperor of a nation.

Even if he is a puppet emperor, he is still an emperor, and he still has to maintain a certain level of dignity.

This Yelü Qingde has completely abandoned all sense of shame.

But what use is face to Yelü Qingde?

Compared to one's own life, one's pride is utterly insignificant!