Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

At the summit of Xuwu Ridge in Liaodong, Murong Ke stood with disheveled hair and a bewildered expression on his face.

The thick smoke still billowed into the sky in the distance, seemingly bearing witness to how brutal the fierce battle of the previous night was.

"Second Prince, the remnants of the army have been gathered and are waiting at the foot of the mountain for your pacification."

How many men are left?

"There are still... over ten thousand men left..."

Upon hearing the report from the guard, Murong Ke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He thought he had planned everything perfectly, but he never expected that Gao Zang, upon learning of the fall of Rangzhou, would not return to its aid but instead take advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on his main camp.

Caught completely off guard, the Northern Yan army suffered heavy losses in the blink of an eye during the surprise attack by Goguryeo assassins.

Forty-eight military camps were destroyed, and eighty thousand troops were reduced to ashes. It was only through the desperate efforts of his personal guards that he managed to escape the siege of the Goguryeo army.

"Second prince!"

Just as he was pondering what went wrong, another scout came to report.

"Your Highness, Generals Zhao Yan and Sun Yi, along with the five thousand soldiers covering the rear, have all perished in battle."

Upon hearing this news, Murong Ke's face remained expressionless, as if he had already anticipated this outcome.

"Understood. You may leave now. Keep a close eye on the movements of the General's troops and have him come here to join you as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the scout prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Murong Ke seemed to realize something and immediately called out to the scouts.

"Give the order that what happened yesterday must not be revealed. Anyone who disobeys this order will be executed without mercy."

"As ordered!"

After the scout left, Murong Ke continued to ponder the problem.

After a long while, he suddenly understood and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant, Shen Lang. I never expected you to come up with such a vicious plan. I really underestimated you."

……

Inside the Royal Palace in Anshi City.

"Hahaha, that's great, that's really great!"

Gao Zang kept slapping his thigh, recalling yesterday's battle in which he almost completely annihilated the Northern Yan army, and he couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

He raised his cup to Ban Dingyuan, who was sitting at the side table, and said, "I must thank you for informing me of the news in time, which saved me from falling into the Yan people's ambush."

Ban Dingyuan raised his cup in return: "Your Majesty flatters me. The Northern Yan are wolves in sheep's clothing, plotting to seize all of Liaodong. They are our common enemy."

It was only through His Majesty's decisive action that the Northern Yan's scheme was foiled.

Gao Zang: "I still have to thank the Duke of Zhenguo for delivering the message in time. By the way, I really don't understand, doesn't your country have a treaty with Yan?"

When the Kingdom of Tianlang invaded, the Kingdom of Chu also sold a large amount of military supplies to the Kingdom of Yan. Why would they suddenly choose to cooperate with Goguryeo?

Ban Dingyuan laughed and said, "In the words of our Duke Zhenguo, there are no permanent friends or enemies between nations, only permanent interests."

Even according to the contract, it was Northern Yan that first broke the contract. When Northern Yan suffered a famine, they sought help from Great Chu.

Our Great Chu state exchanged five million shi of grain for six hundred li of barren land on the border of Bingzhou. This was clearly stipulated in the official letter between our two states.

However, even now, the Northern Yan still refuses to hand over the land that already belongs to our Great Chu. Our envoys have gone to negotiate many times.

However, the Yan people repeatedly evaded their requests with various excuses. Not only did they lack sincerity, they also dispatched tens of thousands of troops to the border of Bingzhou to guard it strictly, forbidding the Chu people from setting foot there.

"Does Your Majesty believe that our dynasty still needs to cooperate with a country like this?"

Gao Zang nodded: "What Envoy Ban said is quite right. It was they who broke the contract first. You are merely seeking justice for yourselves. If it were me, I would have done the same."

In fact, over the years, we tribes in Liaodong have suffered greatly under the rule of the Yan state.

"If the tribute demanded by the Yan Kingdom last year hadn't exceeded Goguryeo's capacity to bear, we wouldn't have rebelled."

Ban Dingyuan smiled slightly: "So, Duke Zhenguo believes that since Northern Yan is so heartless and ruthless, why not find a different partner?"

"Well said, let's do it."

"Please, Your Majesty."

After enjoying their drinks and conversation, the two moved on to the next topic.

Gao Zang looked at the wine cup in his hand, pondered for a while, and then asked, "So, when does your country plan to return Rangzhou City?"

Ban Dingyuan took out an agreement from his pocket and placed it in front of Gao Zang: "Your Majesty, my Chu Kingdom does not border Liaodong."

The capture of Yangju was a last resort; as long as the King agrees to the terms of this agreement, the Goryeo army can withdraw from the capital at any time.

Gao Zang glanced at the agreement and immediately frowned: "You want me to cede the suzerainty of the Goryeo region to your country?"

Ban Dingyuan nodded: "As long as Your Majesty agrees, then the State of Chu will provide your country with all its support to help you get rid of the entanglement of the State of Yan."

"But I just defeated the Yan army yesterday, and even the cunning Murong Ke was defeated by me! What strength does the Yan have left to entangle Goguryeo?"

Ban Dingyuan said calmly, "That's right, Your Majesty's strategy of burning the enemy camps and feinting to the east while attacking in the west last night was indeed a brilliant victory."

But without the intelligence provided by the Duke of Zhenguo, the King would probably already be a trophy hanging on Murong Chui's spear.

The defenses of Anshi City will completely collapse with the death of the king, and Goguryeo will be completely wiped out from the Liaodong region.

Moreover, although Your Majesty defeated the powerful Yan army, the disparity in national strength between the two countries is still evident to all.

If Chu were to suddenly resume its cooperation with Northern Yan, would Your Majesty be so fortunate next time?

Gao Zang gradually became hesitant and undecided for a moment.

Ban Dingyuan continued, "But if Your Majesty is willing to cede the suzerainty of the Goryeo region to the State of Chu, then the State of Chu will certainly give your country its full support."

Northern Yan will no longer be able to suppress Goguryeo. Your Majesty should carefully consider the relative importance of these two matters.

Gao Cang downed a mouthful of wine and slammed the glass down on the table.

"I need those weapons, a large quantity of weapons. Can your Chu Kingdom provide them?"

"This can only be discussed after your country signs this agreement. However, the Duke of Zhenguo is greedy and I believe he will not refuse such an arms trade."

"Okay! I promise you!"

Gao Zang immediately signed the agreement, then took out the royal seal he carried with him and stamped it on the contract.

"Go back and tell the Duke of Zhenguo to take those slaves from Taiji Kingdom back to Goryeo as soon as possible."

Ban Dingyuan calmly stood up, put away the agreement, and bowed to Gao Zang.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly report your words to the Duke of Zhenguo truthfully. I believe your country has made the right choice. I am in a hurry to return and report, so I will take my leave now."

After performing the ceremony, Ban Dingyuan calmly withdrew from the royal palace.

"Neither humble nor arrogant, the State of Chu is indeed full of talented people."

Gao Zang downed another sip of wine and was just about to go back to rest when another guard came to report.

"Your Majesty, an envoy from the Yan Kingdom requests an audience."

"what?"

Gao Zang was somewhat surprised.

"What are they doing here?!"