Chapter 97: The Cunning State of Qi

"To sleep on the knees of a beauty, to wake and wield the power of the world! Such is life, what more could one ask for..."

Early in the morning, a lazy voice echoed from the inner chambers of the Gu residence in Tielin Township.

From a penniless youth in modern society to a powerful prince of a great state, the trajectory of Wei Wuji’s life over the past month could truly be described as earth-shattering. Now, with a beauty in his arms and thousands of armored soldiers under his command, Wei Wuji could not help but let his ego expand.

Brushing a stray lock of hair from Huan'er’s face, Wei Wuji teased, "My little lady, it is time to rise..."

Rubbing her eyes, Huan'er replied with a pout, "My Lord, you only ever love to tease your servant!"

After these days of living together, their bond had deepened, and they could occasionally share such lighthearted banter.

"Sleeping so late every day, could it be that you want to bear a child for me?" Wei Wuji said, feigning a solemn tone.

Huan'er could not respond to that; in such matters, she was still quite reserved, lacking the open-mindedness of Wei Wuji’s modern soul. Seeing her stuttering in silence, a flame of desire flickered in Wei Wuji’s gut, and wicked thoughts began to bubble up once more.

"A moment of spring in the boudoir is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Huan'er, let us do something we both love!" Wei Wuji leaned in, a lecherous grin plastered across his face.

"My Lord, it is not even nighttime, this is hardly a 'spring night'..." Huan'er said, giggling as she tried to dodge him.

She dared to run? Wei Wuji’s interest was piqued further; he was in for some fun today.

"It is not yet noon, I say it is nighttime," Wei Wuji declared, lying through his teeth.

Pinned beneath him, Huan'er continued to argue, "But it is not even spring!"

Wei Wuji grew impatient and grumbled, "Spring night, spring night—who the hell decreed that this must only be done in the spring? You little wench, you’re asking for it..."

With that, he reached out and slapped her on the buttocks.

"Ah... My Lord, no..." Huan'er let out a delicate cry, but how could that stop Wei Wuji?

"My beauty, even if you scream until your throat breaks, I will not let you go," Wei Wuji quoted.

True enough, the cries in the room slowly died down until a low growl from Wei Wuji filled the space.

Just as the two were deep in their daylight indulgence, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. While Wei Wuji was lost in his reverie, an anxious voice called out from the outside—not Zheng Dali, but Wang Xiu.

"My Lord, there is urgent military intelligence..."

Seeing no response from within, Wang Xiu, in his desperation, disregarded etiquette and began to "pound" on the door.

"My Lord, there is urgent military intelligence..." Wang Xiu’s voice grew louder and more frantic.

Wei Wuji could certainly hear him now, but he was furious that the interruption had come at such an inopportune moment. "What could be so important that it cannot wait a while?" Wei Wuji stopped, his tone filled with displeasure.

"My Lord, something has happened in the east..." Wang Xiu said vaguely.

The east? What could have happened in the east? Could it be the State of Qi? Had they attacked?

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Wei Wuji sat up and signaled for Huan'er to dress quickly. As he put on his robes, he asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Was the State of Qi not in the midst of internal strife? He had heard that it was only intensifying; how could they possibly have the energy to look outward? Wei Wuji was full of questions, and judging by the tone of Wang Xiu’s voice, the situation in the east was likely dire.

"The State of Qi has invaded our borders; their army has already breached Xiangping," Wang Xiu revealed, answering the question in Wei Wuji’s mind.

The State of Qi actually dared to strike, and they had even pushed into Xiangping Commandery? Xiangping was a commandery in the eastern part of the State of Wei, bordering Qi directly, and it was the primary defensive bulwark against them.

"What of the garrison at Xiangping?" Wei Wuji pushed the door open and stared at Wang Xiu.

"The garrison at Xiangping only had seventy thousand men, which was insufficient to hold off the twelve-thousand-strong army of Qi. They have retreated to defend the walls of the commandery capital," Wang Xiu replied.

Wei Wuji scratched his head, teeth gritted. "Is the State of Qi not in the midst of civil unrest? How could they suddenly launch an offensive?"

This was the one thing Wei Wuji could not fathom. Had the Duke of Qi kicked the bucket, and had his successor already solidified his grip on power? If that were the case, he would be even more skeptical; he knew exactly how chaotic the internal situation in Qi was, based on the reports he had received.

Wang Xiu gave a bitter smile. "My Lord, it was all a ruse..."

"A ruse?" Wei Wuji looked surprised. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Duke of Qi was never ill. It was all a fabrication," Wang Xiu shook his head, his expression pained.

"Come inside," Wei Wuji stepped aside. Inside, Huan'er had finished dressing, but the lingering scent of their intimacy had not yet dissipated. Wei Wuji’s face turned crimson, and he told Huan'er, "You may leave first."

Huan'er bowed to Wei Wuji and slowly retreated. Wang Xiu shed his odd expression and turned to Wei Wuji, who was waiting for an explanation.

"My Lord, the Duke of Qi was never ill; it was all a calculated scheme. In short, the Duke’s objective was clear: to make our forces lower their guard so that he could launch a massive southward strike against Chen."

"Because of this, our eastern forces were forced to consolidate, allowing them to invade on a large scale."

"Why didn't the State of Qi take the opportunity to attack when we were assaulting Changping Pass? Why wait until now?" Wei Wuji asked.

Wang Xiu replied, "The people of Qi likely never expected our forces to crush the Qin army in a single day."

"Oh..." Wei Wuji nodded. That was the result of being hamstrung by useless allies.

"But why did they wait for more than ten days after the fall of Changping Pass to launch their attack?" Wei Wuji pressed.

Was it necessary to wait so long? Even the smaller states had issued their declarations earlier than that, let alone a state like Qi, which had supposedly prepared for this.

"That involves the Duke of Qi’s other objective," Wang Xiu shook his head.

"Another objective? What objective?" Wei Wuji asked; he was still not fully clear on the state of affairs between the various kingdoms.

"The Duke of Qi is old and could pass away at any moment, yet the various princes of Qi all hold considerable power," Wang Xiu sighed. "The Duke feigned illness and allowed his sons to stir up trouble specifically to draw all the factions and individuals out into the open, so he could wipe them all out at once and pave the way for his successor."

"So, the reports about the troops in the capital of Qi making mass arrests—that was them rounding up these people?" Wei Wuji took the lead.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, things went slightly awry, forcing the Eldest Prince of Qi to raise the banner of rebellion, which delayed their military mobilization," Wang Xiu said.

So they had overplayed their hand! No wonder it took so long to launch the invasion; they had created such a mess for themselves internally.

"How do you know all of this?" Wei Wuji asked, feeling strange. Wang Xiu had been in Tielin Township all this time—where could he have received such intelligence?

Wang Xiu bowed. "My Lord, I would not know this, but the military report arrived today."

Wei Wuji remained skeptical. "Military reports contain analysis of the political situation in Qi?"

He had seen many military reports; they were all concise, relaying commands and briefly mentioning the movements of other states. How could there be such a detailed analysis?

"I do not know, but the report delivered today did include an analysis of the situation," Wang Xiu looked just as confused.

"My Lord, you are no longer just an ordinary commandant; you are a Prince of the Great Wei who has achieved great merit," Wang Xiu pointed out.

Could it be that his father had truly taken note of his achievements? Wei Wuji tried to suppress his excitement; this was truly flattering.

"Are there any instructions in the report?"