Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Seeing Xiao Ce say this, the two nodded in agreement, but still asked in confusion, "How is this beneficial to us? We can't see it at all! Isn't this just taking our things and dividing them up?"

Looking at the two of them, Xiao Ce had assumed that Okamoto Juroku would be the smarter one.

However, he is not much different from Okamoto Juzo, which explains why their family was the weakest in Japan.

"My lords, think about it. The Tojo family only has a little over 30,000 troops at most, while we have over 100,000 in Siam. Moreover, they have no control over this area. You should know that our Okamoto family has 100,000 pure-blooded Japanese soldiers. If we recruit some soldiers in Siam, we can easily raise 200,000 troops. That means we can expand our military strength to 300,000."

"And the Tojo family, no matter how many 100,000 troops they recruit, that's the limit. We can even reach 400,000! With that difference in troop strength, how do you think they can compete with us?"

"Not only that, I'll be part of the Illuminati then. If I want to give you any information, I can tell you firsthand, right? That would be like adding wings to a tiger!"

"And then there are some things I can't say. For example, I've now gained the trust of the Illuminati's agents, so when I distribute various military supplies, I'll make sure to send them to you faster and delay their supplies... Aren't these all options..."

...

Xiao Ce kept boasting about what he had prepared beforehand, completely fooling them and almost making them crippled...

The two of them had dark expressions at the beginning, but now their expressions were like two blooming chrysanthemums.

The two of them had bright smiles on their faces, and then rubbed their hands together.

"Yi Ce, tell me, this whole thing has gotten so messed up... I told you we should trust you... I told you you can't wrong us..."

"Yes, Mr. Ichisaku, look at this... it's just..."

Seeing their extremely embarrassed expressions, he smiled and said to them, "Alright, my two lords, I know you meant no harm. Besides, as I said, I only said that on purpose because I know your personalities..."

Before they could ask, Xiao Ce said to the two men, "Gentlemen, you've probably already figured out why I'm doing this. We need to let them know that they have ways to gain an advantage in this matter..."

"If they find out, I'll also develop a rift with you because of this, so they won't suspect that I'm secretly transferring benefits to you. Then they'll approach me... I need to tell you that I'll be approaching them..."

"At that time, I need you to pretend to have fallen out with me, but don't blame me in your hearts!"

Xiao Ce then began to speak to them again.

While it may seem like he was giving them a heads-up, Xiao Ce's real purpose was to deceive both sides.

It's clear that it's very successful now.

Okamoto Juro nodded: "Ichisaku, we understand...we understand...it's all an act. We're not stupid. You were the one who informed us earlier. If you inform us now and we're angry with you, wouldn't we be bastards? Besides, we all know very well that you're doing this for our own good."

Okamoto Juzo said, "Yes, yes. I was wrong just now, please don't blame us. Ichizawa, now I understand, you truly care about me. So, if I ever doubt you again, just shoot me dead..."

Xiao Ce quickly waved his hand: "Lord, what you're saying puts me in such a position... You are the benefactor of us brothers, I would never betray you, no matter who else I betray... Even as for you, Lord, I still want to follow you. No matter what you do with me and the Tojo family in the future, that would be great... You should know that I'm just deceiving them for your sake."

Okamoto Juroku smiled and nodded: "That's right, that's right, those people aren't easy to fool... I trust you... I definitely trust you..."

Okamoto Juzo said, "That's right. From now on, no matter what you do, we'll pretend to be there for you, but we won't really hate you or lay a hand on you..."

Seeing the two men's confident expressions, Xiao Ce thought to himself that he had already achieved his goal for the day and had fooled them.

Things will be much easier now.

Immediately afterward, Okamoto Juzo said to Xiao Ce, "By the way, you should also be careful. That Tojo Seisuke is a cunning old fox; he's not easy to fool..."

Xiao Ce smiled slightly at Okamoto Juzo: "Not bad... However, I have a plan. In fact, I've already thought it through. My goal is to make our Okamoto family the emperor, the leader of East Asia... Although it's difficult, I don't think it's impossible."

After listening to Xiao Ce's words, Okamoto Juzo nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of excitement: "Yice, just do it...we will definitely support you!"

Xiao Ce listened to Okamoto Juzo's words: "You won't have any doubts?"

Okamoto Juzo nodded: "Don't worry, we have absolutely no doubt. I know your temperament. You're definitely not that kind of person. Whatever you do in the future, we'll support you."

Okamoto Juro continued to show absolute trust.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ce then gave the two of them a proper 90-degree bow.

"My two lords, I will never betray your trust."

The two of them talked, their expressions becoming even happier.

"By the way, but you can think of that. Tojo must have thought of that too. After all, we have more troops than they do. Do you think they'll still agree?" Okamoto Juro finally raised some valid concerns.

Xiao Ce said to them, "The Tojo family will definitely know, but in their eyes, you are just a bunch of rabble. To be frank, the two lords are definitely not in his eyes... He doesn't take you seriously at all."

After listening, the two nodded: "That's right, that's exactly what we meant... We knew that too..."

Xiao Ce then smiled and said to the two men, "My lords, I will brainwash them and guide them to recruit soldiers here, pretending it's a benefit from the Illuminati and that I'm doing them a favor. Don't worry, even if they expand their recruitment, I will make their army as weak as tofu..."

The two men waved their hands and said, "No need... Mr. Yice, you don't need to follow our lead."

"Yes, you can do whatever you want in the future. We may not know how... but trusting each other is no problem!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Alright, with the two lords' intentions in mind, I can go ahead and do it! You two can prepare to become emperors."

The promise Xiao Ce made for them made the two of them very happy.

He added, "My lords, we mustn't be swayed. You two need to discuss who should be emperor."

"If problems arise within your organization... then I will..."

Okamoto Juroku, on the other hand, seemed quite magnanimous: "No need to overthink it, there's nothing to consider. Just let my older brother come. Don't worry, there won't be any problems on our end."

Without any hesitation, Okamoto Jūjū agreed with a smile.

He nodded, looking at the two of them.

Xiao Ce added, "Of course, if there are any things you two lords don't quite understand, you can have Xiao Ye and Yi Lei ask me what happened."

Looking at Xiao Ce's sincere expression, both of them were speechless.

Seeing their expressions, Xiao Ce decided not to waste any more words with them.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, it was time to leave.

The two wanted to deliver more, but Xiao Ce advised that there were too many people around and their spies might be watching.

The two of them exclaimed that Xiao Ce was very thoughtful.

Then he let Xiao Ce leave.

...

At this moment, Tojo Seisuke and his son were sitting in the carriage, both of them mocking the two Okamoto family members for their earlier behavior.

“Father, you’re absolutely right. They’ve already run into problems without us even lifting a finger.”

Tojo Seisuke smiled arrogantly and said, "That's human nature. However, you were too hasty just now; you shouldn't have spoken first..."

Tojo Senichi said awkwardly, "How was I supposed to know what he was going to say about what happened next..."

Tojo Seisuke smiled as he listened, then said, "However, what you said is also true! It's just that you were a bit too hasty."

Senichi Tojo said to Seisuke Tojo, "Father, do you think they'll fall out over this?"

Tojo Seisuke shook his head: "It's impossible for them to fall out... It's not that easy to fall out. However, it's natural for the two of them to develop a grudge. Moreover, as Okamoto Kazusaku gets closer and closer to the Illuminati, their conflict is absolutely irreconcilable."

After listening to Tojo Seisuke's words, the two men smiled and nodded repeatedly: "That's right! Father, but this matter may not necessarily be a bad thing for us."

Tojo Seisuke said, "Of course it's not a bad thing! Think about it, a redistribution, and based on merit... how could those two idiots from the Okamoto family be a match for us?"

Tojo Senichi immediately offered his thoughts: "However, the Okamoto family, after our Fusang Kingdom sent troops, has been following behind others and picking up scraps, which has allowed them to accumulate a lot of manpower and resources... Therefore, their military strength is far superior to ours!"

Tojo Seisuke's eyes were full of disdain: "They're useless. None of their men have ever fought in real combat... No matter how many of them there are, they're just sending their men to their deaths. Besides, didn't Okamoto Kazusaku just say that Xiao Ce is just faking his death, just like we thought? He's probably planning a lot of things. We don't need to rush... Let them go first. No matter how many men they send, it's just free money, isn't it?"

"Moreover, you should know that we have absolute experience fighting Xiao Ce... Now that they have offered this condition, those two idiots from the Okamoto family will definitely rush in like crazy. We just need to flatter them and say a few words, and they'll probably be floating on air. With Okamoto Ichisaku before, perhaps they'll calm down a bit."

"However, Okamoto Kazuya might not be able to give them effective advice..."

Tojo Senichi nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right, Father. We've actually fought Xiao Ce of Xiao Kingdom the most, so hiding behind them is the simplest thing to do right now..."

Then, Tojo Senichi continued, "Do you think we should try to get closer to Okamoto Kazuya?"

Tojo Seisuke shook his head and said, "No need. Going there now would only please him. Besides, it would be too obvious. We're just waiting... The Illuminati's representative hasn't spoken to us yet. As we wait for them to speak, their relationship will become increasingly tense."

"Actually, this news today is unfavorable for both the Okamoto family and us."

Tojo Senichi asked in confusion, "Oh? Father, what do you mean?"

Tojo Seisuke began his analysis. First, Xiao Ce was still alive, and Fusang was still in his hands. This meant they would lose a source of manpower for reinforcements. Moreover, to be honest, the Tojo family had suffered several crushing defeats at the hands of Xiao Ce, and he had little chance of winning against him.

Their only option for replenishing their forces now is to go to Sulu, and they are wondering if they should seek help from the Illuminati.

As for the Okamoto family, it was naturally even worse. After all, they originally owned the Kingdom of Siam, and they had managed it very well. To put it simply, they were like a fruit tree that had begun to bear fruit, even if the fruit wasn't very good...

However, this approach is consistent with the behavior and conduct of the Illuminati.

It's about checks and balances.

Senichi Tojo listened to the analysis and gave a bitter smile: "Then there's nothing we can do. After several crushing defeats, we have completely lost the ability to challenge the Illuminati. Now we can only accumulate strength in their hands."

Tojo Seisuke said, "That's right. Actually, I've been thinking about this for a while now. We don't really need to focus on the empty promises they make. Like the Emperor, which is a nominal position, something we can only see but not touch, or the ownership of the country... these are all just empty promises. We need to focus on the real things, like how many weapons, soldiers, or even money they give us, etc... things that are tangible."

"Otherwise, even if the Illuminati gives us these things, if we lack the ability to protect them, they will slip away..."

Tojo Senichi suddenly understood: "Father, you are absolutely right... In fact, we have been wasting our time on those empty titles and unfounded things... For us, shouldn't expanding our army be our top priority now?"

Tojo Seisuke nodded with a smile: "So, from now on, we can give all those empty titles to those two Okamoto idiots. We need something real... If we keep them happy, they might even take bullets for us..."