Chapter 348

“The three of you are being far too presumptuous.” Liu Yu swept an incisive glance at the rest of the envoys around, “Hanyang, the Khmer Empire, Siam, Jiaozhi, and the Bamboo Region - have any of these regions not been thriving for close to a thousand years as well? They’re able to conscript an army of millions at the moment’s notice! Their economy is only second to that of Cathay and Nippon. Our presence at this imperial court meeting is only an expression of respect for our heritage, nothing more. We could have simply refused to come, and still declared our own independence all the same!”

“Insolence!!” Yu Qian and Yang Jiye barked back at the same time. The polearm hanging behind Yang Jiye’s back trembled slightly, and instantaneously appeared in his hands.

Qin Ye remained silent. These words were ostensibly directed at the twelve envoys, but they were in truth meant for his ears!

Liu Yu truly lives up to his name. I nearly had him. Unfortunately, he’s snapped back to his senses in the nick of time.

That’s right. Matters of the future should be dealt with in future. After all, who could say for certain what would happen in the next hundred years? The fact of the matter was that there were a hundred thousand troops arrayed outside Hell right now. Even if Hell were thriving, they wouldn’t be able to stand against a powerful army of a hundred thousand troops! They basically had no choice but to give in!

You want to fight?

Very well. Then, have a taste of the might of an underworld that has been in existence for centuries on end. Besides, even if Hell could hold out against their military forces right now, do they truly have the depths of finances to endure a battle of attrition?

Gao Changgong and Chaghan practically spoke at the same time, “You three, Lord of Hanyang isn’t wrong. You’re all established heroes in the eyes of the mortal realm. How could you be blinded by what you’ve just seen? Think about it. Hell has already lost control of the East Continent. Something like that could remain concealed for fifty years, but we’re talking about a hundred long years of complete inaction! Why did you think Izanami went to war in the Strait of Tsushima? If the old Hell were still around, do you think she’d even dare to step a single foot outside of her abode?!”

“It was a test.” Ma Fubo added, “She was probing at the extent of Hell’s might. And what about Yamaraja of Hindustan? They’re another underworld that was comparable with the old Hell in its former glory! We’re talking about thousands of years of existence, together with billions of Yin soldiers! It’s hard to say exactly what’s going to happen in future!”

This imperial court meeting had already begun to see the convergence of many interests and the manifestation of ambitious hearts. The balance of the situation was incredibly delicate and treacherous, tilting from side to side at the moment’s notice. Not only did each faction have to react with great speed and adaptability, they also had to possess… sufficient leverage to tilt the balance in their favour.

Liu Yu finally heaved a sigh of relief. The startling sight of the new Hell’s state of development had finally begun to fade away. That’s right… who knows what the future holds for all of them?

This shouting match between a king and his high officials bore some measure of semblance to the uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. Neither of them knew back then that their initial revolt would eventually spearhead the series of rebellions that eventually caused the downfall of the second Qin Emperor. [1]

Or how Liu Bang, born as a scoundrel, could never have imagined that he would one day found the Han Dynasty. [2]

Nobody knows what the future holds!

I live and die by the fate of my own hands. I, Liu Yu, shall never be subservient to others! We can speculate all day, but nothing in future is going to be certain. On the other hand, what is most certain now is the fact that any single one of us twelve envoys possesses the might to single-handedly flatten the new Hell!

This was his leverage! This was his bottom line!

He glanced at everyone, “Right now, I just want to know one thing - which side are you on?! Chang Yuchun, when Emperor Yongle led the uprising at the beginning of his campaign, do you think he had even thought of the prospects of ascending the throne eventually?” [3]

Chang Yuchun, Guo Ziyi and Han Qinhu grew taciturn once again.

They were completely torn. None of them had ever expected themselves to be faced with such conundrums even after death.

But, right at this moment, Qin Ye suddenly spoke up, “I give you my word.”

Yu Qian and Yang Jiye stared at him in great shock, while Qin Ye simply smiled faintly at Liu Yu, “I can agree to the proposition made by the Lord of Hanyang.”

“Lord Qin, the words of King Yanluo shall be taken as the law!” Liu Yu’s eyes glistened brightly.

“Naturally.” Qin Ye responded with a placid expression, “We’ll enter negotiations proper tomorrow evening. I’m a pragmatic person, and I don’t like beating about the bush. That