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Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Schemes from All Four Corners

The Dragon Clan—many believed that it was the influence of the Dragon Clan that led to the swift conquest of Linhai\'s Twelve Cities. However, there were a few dissenting voices. "Why don\'t you try attacking them? If it\'s just the Dragon Clan\'s merit, go and ask them for help yourself!"

Zhong Shan was destined to be remembered by countless people.

Likewise, the news of Zhong Shan\'s consecutive conquests spread like wildfire to all corners of the realm.

In the city where Shui Jing resided, inside the City Lord\'s mansion, Mr. Shui Jing sat quietly behind the commander\'s desk.

He held a letter in his hand, a report from scouts detailing the siege and capture of the Twelve Seaside Cities.

The generals stood in two rows, awaiting his command.

"Heh," Shui Jing suddenly let out a soft, contemplative chuckle.

"Heh heh, heh heh heh," he laughed, shaking his head slightly as if in disbelief.

"General, what\'s the matter?" one of the commanders asked Mr. Shui Jing.

Taking a deep breath, Shui Jing closed his eyes briefly and handed over the letter. The commander took it immediately and, upon reading it, his eyes widened in astonishment. "Impossible!"

Another commander grabbed the letter and read it, equally shocked. "Impossible!"

The other generals, now curious, took turns reading the letter.

The first sentence read: "Duke of the East, Zhong Shan, led an army of 500,000 and, within five months, conquered the Twelve Seaside Cities of Linhai in the Great Yu Kingdom!"

Who could believe this? Although Mr. Shui Jing had prepared them for significant news, this speed was beyond anyone\'s expectations. Five months? Only five months to defeat an army of millions?

"General, this is impossible. That scout must be reporting false information. It\'s inconceivable! Even if he managed to break through the cities, he would need to leave troops behind for defense. Five hundred thousand men wouldn\'t be enough!" One of the generals shook his head in disbelief.

Shui Jing opened his eyes slowly and sighed. "False information? The report includes detailed accounts of the sieges. How could it be false? Zhong Shan is truly formidable. Even though I already held him in high regard, I still underestimated him."

"General, this is all due to the Dragon Clan\'s help," one of the generals protested.

"Ha ha, are you unconvinced?" Shui Jing asked with a knowing smile.

"I am unconvinced. He merely got lucky with the Dragon Clan\'s assistance," the general replied stubbornly.

"It\'s fine if you\'re not convinced. The situation in the Great Yu Kingdom has become clear. With the fall of the Twelve Cities, the remaining cities will soon be captured in swift succession. The Duke of the East will be reassigned to our front soon. Then you can see for yourself what kind of person he is," Shui Jing replied, still smiling.

"He\'ll be transferred here?" another general asked, doubtful.

"His successes have been too prominent. Not everyone wants to see such a powerful hero rise. He will likely be reassigned here before long," Shui Jing predicted.

"Understood!" the generals nodded in unison.

In another part of the Great Yu Kingdom, after months of intense fighting, the Duke of the Heavens successfully captured another city.

Sitting in the City Lord\'s mansion, the Duke of the Heavens radiated confidence. The generals around him celebrated their victory.

"General, this is a great triumph for us. This is the third city we\'ve taken!" one of the commanders exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, keep up the good work, everyone," the Duke of the Heavens replied with a smile.

"With you leading us, General, we will continue to achieve great victories," another general flattered him.

"Yes. I\'ve been too busy with this campaign to ask—how is Zhong Shan faring?" the Duke of the Heavens inquired of the officer in charge of intelligence.

"Duke of the East, Zhong Shan, has conquered the Twelve Seaside Cities of Linhai," the officer reported.

"Eh? What did you say? Say it again!" The Duke of the Heavens, Qi Tianhou, raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by what he had just heard.

"The Duke of the East, Zhong Shan, has consecutively conquered the Twelve Seaside Cities of Linhai!" the officer repeated.

"What? Impossible! How long has it been? From the time we last deployed troops, it\'s only been a little over seven months. How could he possibly have taken twelve cities? He only has an army of 500,000, right?" Qi Tianhou expressed his disbelief.

"In fact, he captured all twelve cities in just four and a half months. He had help from the Dragon Clan, which allowed him to take them so quickly," the officer explained.

"Explain to me in detail how he managed to capture the cities," Qi Tianhou demanded, a cold glint appearing on his face.

"Yes, sir!" The officer nodded promptly.

After the officer finished his detailed account, the generals were in an uproar!

Flooding the Twelve Cities? This sounded more like a tall tale than a military report. The generals began to chatter among themselves, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of disbelief.

Qi Tianhou, however, narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he took out a jade slip and swiftly recorded a message inside.

"You, deliver this immediately to the Grand Yu City, directly to the Grand Emperor!" Qi Tianhou ordered the officer.

"Yes, sir!" The officer responded without hesitation.

In the Grand Yu Dynasty, within the Sky City, inside the imperial palace.

Nalan Piaoxue sat on the imperial throne, with only one person standing before him—Iron Blood.

"Your Majesty, we can\'t wait any longer. The Twelve Seaside Cities, we lost them in just four and a half months. Only four and a half months!" Iron Blood said, his face full of concern.

"That was due to the Dragon Clan\'s involvement. Once they move inland, the Dragon Clan\'s ability to channel the East Sea will be useless," Nalan Piaoxue replied, taking a deep breath.

"But, Your Majesty, Zhong Shan\'s current momentum is no longer just because of the Dragon Clan. The last of the Twelve Seaside Cities fell without any trace of the Dragon Clan. Just the mere mention of Zhong Shan\'s name made the city lord surrender without a fight. He wanted to preserve his strength, yes, but it was more out of fear. He didn\'t even have the courage to face Zhong Shan head-on. Your Majesty, if this continues, the morale of the cities facing Zhong Shan will be so weakened that they won\'t be able to defend themselves," Iron Blood said, his worry evident in his voice.

A heavy silence fell in the grand hall. Nalan Piaoxue drummed his fingers on the dragon throne, deep in thought.

"What do you suggest?" Nalan Piaoxue asked, looking at Iron Blood.

"Please, Your Majesty, deploy the Grand Marshal, Yi Yan. If you deploy Yi Yan, he will undoubtedly reclaim the cities we have lost," Iron Blood said earnestly.

"Yi Yan? Hmph!" Nalan Piaoxue snorted, his face clouded with displeasure.

"Your Majesty!" Iron Blood called out again, desperation in his voice.

"That\'s enough. You may leave now!" Nalan Piaoxue commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Iron Blood responded, a look of resignation on his face as he exited the grand hall.

At the residence of Yi Yan.

Yi Yan continued to feed the fish in his pond, while Iron Blood stood respectfully behind him, reporting on the current state of the war and the emperor\'s stance.

"Heh heh, Iron Blood, you should stop bringing this up with His Majesty," Yi Yan said, shaking his head.

"Grand Marshal," Iron Blood called out, his voice filled with respect and urgency.

"Heh heh, His Majesty has his reasons for not wanting to lose face. Besides, the situation in the north isn\'t as dire as you make it out to be," Yi Yan replied with a knowing smile, shaking his head.

"But Zhong Shan is too formidable. His momentum is unstoppable. The city lords around are all terrified of him," Iron Blood said, his worry evident.

"Zhong Shan? I recognized his potential years ago, but his strength comes with its own drawbacks. He\'s going to be reassigned soon," Yi Yan said, shaking his head once more.

"Reassigned?" Iron Blood asked, incredulous.

"How could he be transferred now? Where would they send him? His momentum is unstoppable; shouldn\'t he continue leading the charge?" Iron Blood asked, his voice tinged with disbelief and frustration.

"Heh heh, many people do not wish for him to continue his successes within the Great Yu borders. His political adversaries don\'t want him to bask in glory, and the Grand Emperor of the Great Xuan, who seeks to enlist and control Zhong Shan, doesn\'t want his momentum to surpass his own influence. Therefore, Zhong Shan must be suppressed. However, with the Great Luo Emperor\'s examination topic being \'War\' and the spirit of battle being so fervent, who would dare to go against the Emperor\'s will? To suppress such a military leader? No one would dare. Thus, the only option is to transfer him—transfer him to the territory of the Great Guang Dynasty, to face the formidable Xiao Wang!" Yi Yan explained with certainty.

"If Zhong Shan is transferred, it would be great if His Majesty could employ you, the Grand Marshal," Iron Blood remarked with a sigh.

"Heh heh!" Yi Yan chuckled, shaking his head.

"But, Grand Marshal, didn\'t you say you wouldn\'t concern yourself with worldly affairs anymore? Why are you still interested in the situation of the Great Yu Dynasty?" Iron Blood inquired.

"I, cough... cough cough... cough cough cough..." Yi Yan was suddenly overcome with a fit of coughing.

Iron Blood hurriedly stepped forward, patting Yi Yan\'s back and using his power to help soothe Yi Yan\'s body.

After the coughing fit subsided, Yi Yan, with a bitter smile, said, "I am not concerned with the Great Yu Dynasty per se. I am grateful for the late emperor\'s great kindness. Though I am dying, I do not wish to see His Majesty squander the legacy left by the former emperor."

"Yes, sir!" Iron Blood nodded in understanding.

In the Grand Xuan City, inside the City Lord\'s mansion, in the study of the Grand Emperor of the Great Xuan.

The Grand Emperor sat behind his desk, holding a dispatch of the triumphant news. Before him stood a group of strategists, each showing expressions of disbelief.

"Four and a half months, and he captured the Twelve Seaside Cities of Linhai!" the Grand Emperor said with a smile of awe.

"Fifteen immortal monuments, all for enlisting the Dragon Clan\'s help. Not to mention how he managed to secure their assistance, but Zhong Shan truly kept his word and captured the Twelve Seaside Cities within a year," one strategist commented.

"A genius!" another strategist exclaimed.

"The Dragon Clan played a crucial role," a dissenting strategist argued.

"My lord, if Zhong Shan continues his conquests, he will have an immense advantage. The lord of the last of the Twelve Seaside Cities fled in fear at the mere mention of Zhong Shan\'s name!" the previous strategist argued.

"No, my lord, now is the time to curb his arrogance. We must not let him become so proud that he forgets your authority," another strategist advised.

"Arrogance? Zhong Shan, from what I know, will not act hastily or arrogantly," the first strategist contended.

"I\'m not speaking of outward arrogance, nor of inner conceit. I\'m talking about the \'momentum\' of his arrogance. Once this momentum escapes your control, how will you ever subdue him?" the dissenting strategist explained.

At this point, the first strategist suddenly spoke up, "I agree. My lord, it\'s time to put a check on Zhong Shan\'s arrogance."

When the first strategist spoke, the others fell silent, some nodding in agreement, others frowning in thought.

The Grand Emperor looked at the first strategist and smiled. Though he had already made his decision, he still wanted to hear his strategists\' opinions. "Then how should we put him in check?"