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North Country and the Da Yue Dynasty had never had official dealings, after all, North Country was just a feudal state within the Great Xia Dynasty, and feudal states had no right to establish diplomatic relations with a dynasty.

Da Yue's sudden dispatch of an envoy to aid North Country obviously carried ill intentions.

I'm afraid Da Yue intended to sow discord, provoking the Sum Emperor to believe that North Country planned to declare independence, hence secretly establishing diplomatic ties with the Da Yue Dynasty.

It's unclear if this was the Empress's idea.

If it was indeed the Empress's idea, it would prove that she was an exceedingly restless sovereign, possibly harboring ambitions to expand her territory.

Lu Chen temporarily didn't take this matter to heart. He said to Wu Yuan, "Go back to Yan County immediately and report last night's military achievements to the Eastern Newspaper Agency, instructing them to promote it heavily in the newspapers."

An Imperial Army of two hundred thousand had utterly defeated the Barbarian Army of four hundred thousand, even killing a Grandmaster in the process.

This was the first time in hundreds of years that a Grandmaster had died on the battlefield; previously, whether in dynastic wars or any other conflicts, Grandmasters never took to the field, which is why none had ever died there.

Lu Chen believed that such significant military success would suffice to deter some with ulterior motives from coveting North Country. Of course, this would also make certain individuals even more wary of North Country, accelerating their plans to eliminate him, the North Prince, such as his own father—the Emperor.

At that moment, Wu Yuan asked, "Prince, when I came to Yan County, the Great Scholar asked me to inquire if you wish to meet with Da Yue's envoys?"

Hearing this question, Lu Chen countered, "What did the Great Scholar say?"

Wu Yuan replied, "The Great Scholar said it's entirely up to you."

Currently, North Country definitely couldn't continue to just survive passively; after all, its strength had already been exposed, and the Sum Emperor was already considering moving against North Country. Thus, Zhuge Zhongguang believes that it's not necessary for North Country to rely on the Great Xia court's opinion to establish diplomatic relations with that dynasty.

If the North Prince is willing, they could set up an official channel of communication with the Da Yue Dynasty.

Moreover, the rebel forces in the South are still holding out, and the Great Xia court doesn't have the energy to pay attention to the happenings in North Country. Although they disapprove of North Country, they won't break off relations at this point.

North Country is already the most powerful feudal state; breaking off relations prematurely wouldn't benefit the Great Xia court. If they plan to deal with North Country, they would make their move after preparing for war.

The way the Sum Emperor handled the Aristocratic Families of the South shows that he was a cautious sovereign; he forced Lu Shuyun to head south only when there were no external threats and ample preparations were made.

Moreover, North Country is not like the Aristocratic Families of the South; since Lu Chen's arrival in North Country, he had achieved victory in three successive battles.

The Aristocratic Families of the South were loose sand, unable to band together even in rebellion. The Imperial Army easily dealt with them, but facing North Country, which has accumulated nearly a million casualties among enemy ranks, the Sum Emperor would certainly be even more cautious—this was beyond doubt.

Once the Sum Emperor learns of the battle at Ningbei City and reassesses North Country's strength, there is a high likelihood he would choose to continue maintaining relations with North Country.

After thinking for a while, Lu Chen then said to Wu Yuan, "Go back and tell the Great Scholar to have Da Yue's envoys stay in North Country for a while longer. I will return in half a month."

"Your subordinate understands."

Lu Chen said, "Alright, you may attend to your duties."

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

...

Seven days later.

Yan County.

The latest edition of the Eastern Newspaper Agency was immediately sold out as soon as it was released.

Dongfang Longyue instantly had the Prince's Mansion's printing press rush to print another batch of newspapers, which again sold out in less than a quarter of an hour.

The news of North Country annihilating the Tianqi King's army of four hundred thousand and slaying the Tianqi King himself shook the entire Yan County in an instant.

People found it hard to believe the news, especially the spies of various dynasties and powers.

The Tianqi King was a Grandmaster!!!

And he was just killed like that?

It should be remembered that before attacking North Country, the Tianqi King had joined forces with the Barbarian Tribe to attack the Da Yue Dynasty, and even with the Empress leading the campaign personally, the Tianqi King managed to retreat from the battlefield unscathed—but ended up falling in North Country.

Mysterious Moon Tavern.

Inside a private room.

A woman dressed in black and white plain clothes, exceptionally beautiful, with a bewitching allure, sat at a table, looking over a note in her hand.

Several elders stood before her, and among them was Wang Maoxue, who had volunteered to be an envoy to North Country for the Great Yue Empress.

She then asked, "What did Zhuge Zhongguang say?"

Upon hearing the woman's question, Wang Maoxue spoke up, "Lord Murong, Zhuge Zhongguang suggests we wait a bit longer, until the North Prince returns, as he intends to meet with us personally."

Hearing this, the woman voiced her doubts, "Wait for the North Prince to return?"

"The North Prince is currently engaged in battle with the Barbarian Army at Ningbei City. Can he really afford to leave at this time?"

"Could it be that the North Prince plans to let his subordinates hold Ningbei City while he returns alone to Yan County?"

Wang Maoxue noted, "I'm not sure about that. Perhaps the Barbarian assault isn't too fierce, and the North Prince believes they are only probing our defenses, not truly intending to attack North Country."

Just then, a knock at the door suddenly rang out, and the woman spoke softly, "The door isn't latched, come in."