[The Orphan's Love Affair with a Beauty's Rivalry] (Volume 2, Chapter 146)

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Chapter 146

On the Banks of the Ash River While Zhou Yun lingered by Tianchi Lake, lost in thought, on January 28th, the Jin ruler convened a tribal alliance

conference. First, he summarized the implementation of the founding principles and policies. The main topic then shifted to

military deployments for the campaign against the Millennium Dynasty.

After its founding, the Jin Dynasty continued Jurchen customs, remaining organized as a tribal alliance.

Core members of the royal family, each possessing territory, sought to expand their tribal power, aiming for dominance and

preparing .

For any major decisions, the Jin ruler would convene the tribal alliance

conference to participate in the formulation; the Jin ruler did not possess absolute power. The heir to the throne was

chosen by the tribal alliance conference from among the Wenhan family, not appointed by the Jin ruler. Military meetings were held during campaigns, with no strict restrictions on participants

; even soldiers could attend. The order of the meetings was relatively chaotic, seemingly childish.

As with previous similar meetings, the lords and major tribal leaders spoke enthusiastically,

creating a noisy atmosphere. Of course, the four chief ministers and the eldest princess held the most sway,

as evidenced by the quietness of the room when they spoke; each of their opinions represented the interests of their respective groups.

Shang Ming advocated focusing the main attack on Shenzhou and Tangzhou on the northwest bank of the Hun River, since his territory was located in the

southeast of the river. Crossing the river and attacking them from nearby would give him a first-mover advantage, and he would receive a larger share of the conquered territory and

plundered Naturally, the tribal leaders in the same region would strongly support his

opinion.

The Fifth Prince, Uyaqige, strongly advocated attacking Guide Fort, which was closer to the old stronghold, for similar reasons: it was close to his

sphere of influence and a key town in Liaodong, offering ample resources. The Eighth Prince, Qikete, always his brother's sycophant, readily

echoed his sentiments. Maihan, who should have had a strong voice, was surprisingly low-key, advocating for the capture of Yanzhou

, the bridgehead of the Qianxi Dynasty located on the east bank of the Hun River.

After the brothers finished speaking, Sharwin glanced at his eldest daughter, a habit he had cultivated over the years. In terms of

combat experience, besides himself, only Murong Ziyan was more experienced. From a purely military perspective,

she should have been the most qualified to speak at the meeting.

Her advocacy for capturing Guide Fort wasn't for a larger share of the spoils, as she had returned to deal with

the Warka tribe and had no intention of participating in the southern campaign. It was simply because her elite Wanyan bannermen were currently under Shang Ming's command,

and she hoped the main battlefield would be as far away from Shang Ming's territory as possible to minimize Wanyan casualties.

After more than an hour of discussion, three main directions for attack were identified. The consensus was

to target three key figures in Guide Fort, a crucial town in Liaodong, as the primary objective. This aligned with the Jin ruler's opinion, and the decision was made.

The method of advance was not up for debate; the Jurchen army always concentrated its forces for heavy assaults in siege warfare.

The Jin ruler

then gave a concluding speech, deciding to launch the war against the Qianxi Dynasty by denouncing the Qianxi Emperor's debauchery and tyranny.

Murong Ziyan spoke little on the subsequent issues, diligently taking notes of her father's various plans.

When her father asked what role the Rakshasa Sect could play in this war, Murong Ziyan replied,

"Recently, our sect has been repeatedly besieged by fifty to sixty thousand government troops and experts from the Embroidered Robe Pavilion. Our headquarters in Jinan Prefecture was destroyed, and we have suffered

heavy . We are currently unable to openly confront the court. Given the current situation, it is appropriate for us to lie low for the time being, launch a peasant

uprising when the time is right, and be ready to support your military actions at any time."

The Jin ruler pondered for a while. He also knew about the large-scale attack on the Rakshasa Sect and did not object to his eldest daughter's opinion .

However, he still emphasized, "The Qianxi Dynasty has a vast territory and strong strength. Launching this punitive war will leave me

with a serious shortage of manpower. I will have to draw troops from the four major tribes within your fiefdom."

Murong Ziyan replied, "Fighting for the country is the glorious duty of the people of Jin. Of course, I will not object.

However, after the war, these people should return to their own tribes. I do not want some brothers to use this as

an excuse to undermine others and strengthen their own territories, just like the Wanyan tribe did last time!" Her words were soft

yet firm, and no one could find fault with them.

Jin Zhu nodded upon hearing this: "Of course, there's no problem with that. Shang Ming and

Qi Kete , and Father has already corrected it. It's still under your name. I hope Ziyan won't

hold a grudge and affect the unity among brothers and sisters."

Murong Ziyan said, "Father is absolutely right. Actually, as you know, the Warka tribe east of my territory has

reached a point where it must be dealt with. After this matter, I must return to my territory to lead an army to punish that

unruly fellow, Di Shimi. Under these circumstances, I didn't demand that the Wanyan tribe immediately rejoin to strengthen our forces, also for the sake

of the overall situation."

Jin Zhu nodded slightly. Ziyan's words sounded so high-sounding, but perhaps she wasn't entirely without ulterior motives. But

which of his nephews and nieces didn't? Pursuing maximum profit was an inherent tradition of the Wenhan family, and there was nothing wrong with that, as long as

they all used their fists outward.

He turned to everyone present and roared in a highly inflammatory tone, "I hope you won't fix

your eyes on the little land I've conquered. You are the descendants of the Great Khan, all powerful rulers. You should use your own

abilities to conquer vast lands, seize countless slaves, livestock, and wealth. Your eldest sister was a good

example. I will never allow you to become like the people of the Central Plains, constantly fighting amongst yourselves!"

These words stirred the blood of everyone, and they all responded in unison.

Murong Ziyan couldn't help but secretly admire her father; he truly deserved to be called a great ruler, his magnanimity far surpassing that of the Qianxi

Emperor. Due to conflicting interests, she had recently carefully compared the strength of the Qianxi Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. In terms of population,

the Qianxi Dynasty was more than 150 times larger than the Jin Dynasty. Even considering the Jurchen tradition that all adults could serve in the military, the Qianxi Dynasty's

military strength was more than 30 times greater!

She was initially somewhat worried about her father's initiation of war against the Qianxi Dynasty, which was one of the reasons she was unwilling to

participate . However, her lack of explicit opposition did not stem from indifference to her country, but rather from her belief that the Jin

Dynasty, despite its disadvantageous position, had a chance of victory.

This chance lay in her father's strategic brilliance and skill in managing people!

In contrast, during Zhang Kaizhi's reign, the Qianxi Dynasty began to see the emergence of a monarchical decision-making and cabinet-based governance model.

It was the correct historical trend. After his death, Emperor Qianxi vigorously strengthened imperial power, which naturally met with

strong opposition from the cabinet ministers. During this period, many of Emperor Qianxi's absurd actions stemmed from his

strong .

He and Zhang Kaizhi had a deep relationship, like teacher and father. Why did Emperor Qianxi want to

overthrow Zhang Kaizhi after his death? It wasn't because he had any grudges against Zhang, but because he needed to overthrow the governing philosophy represented by Zhang Kaizhi in order to

strengthen imperial power again. This is a consistent practice among the people of the Central Plains: targeting the person, not the issue. To overthrow an ideology, one

must overthrow its advocates.

She had been infiltrating the Rakshasa Sect in the Central Plains for many years, surviving in the cracks and building a powerful secret service organization.

In addition to collecting intelligence on various sects in the martial arts world, she paid close attention to the various movements of the court and the complex interests and conflicts among high-ranking figures, especially members of

the royal family .

As far as she knew, the Eldest Princess, as a core member of the royal family, was a staunch supporter of Zhang Kaizhi's governing philosophy,

believing that only in this way could the Qianxi Dynasty truly achieve revival. Seeing her father completely abandon sound governance strategies and revert to

old ways, she had a major disagreement with him and the Crown Prince on whether imperial power should be centralized or decentralized. During the Qianxi Dynasty,

both before and after Zhang Kaizhi's death, the power struggle between the Qianxi Emperor and the cabinet ministers was fierce.

Of course, Murong Ziyan could see that the reason the Eldest Princess didn't side with her father and the Crown Prince, but instead strongly supported the cabinet

ministers, was largely due to her own selfish motives—to consolidate and expand her vested interests, power, and

influence over the court. As long as her father was alive, these interests wouldn't be harmed. However, as her father grew older,

once her brother, who had significant disagreements with her and was determined to strengthen imperial power, ascended the throne, could her power and interests, especially her

control over the elite army, still be guaranteed? Therefore, she naturally supported the cabinet and advocated for limiting imperial power,

given her considerable influence among the cabinet ministers.

As staunch defenders of imperial power, and given their relationship with the Crown Prince, it was only natural that the Embroidered Robe Pavilion would engage in long-term open and covert struggles with the Eldest Princess

. Of course, the main point of contention between the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess was

direct . The Eldest Princess wanted to maintain and strengthen her control, while the Crown Prince wanted to weaken it. Both siblings knew perfectly well that

in all dynasties of the Central Plains, whoever controlled the army held the power of the state. Without

direct control over the most influential and battle-hardened army of the dynasty, the Crown Prince would only be a puppet after ascending the throne.

In short, any interest group will have some degree of internal strife, but the internal strife in the Millennium Dynasty was clearly much

more severe , and the Millennium Emperor seemed powerless and unwilling to resolve it. This was her father's opportunity, and of course, hers as well

—it all depended on how they seized it!

After the two-day meeting, Murong Ziyan's affairs in the old village of the capital were completed, and Zhou Yun had returned from

Tianchi , ready to lead her troops to her territory, Acheng, that afternoon. Wotaigen also accompanied them on his eagle, and his

troops had already returned on horseback.

Wotaigen, born into the Liaodong Jurchen tribe, is fifty years old this year. He is a powerful and imposing figure,

a fierce general under Murong Ziyan during her campaigns against the various Jurchen tribes. As the second lord, he is stationed in Acheng, responsible for governing the four major Jurchen tribes within his territory: the Hurha, Woji

, Ula, and Wanyan tribes.

Over the years, the tribespeople along the Ashi River have been puzzled. Princess Murong usually lives a secluded life, a stark contrast to

her flamboyant style when she goes to war. The daily affairs of the territory are all

handled by the second lord, Wotaigen. However, every year, there is a period when the Murong residence is bustling with activity for over half a month.

Perhaps only Wotaigen knows that the Princess Murong who usually stays in the residence is merely a substitute

; the real Princess has long since married and moved to the Central Plains. The reason for the annual commotion is that she and the eldest daughter

have returned . Moreover, Wotaigen is certain that this year will be even more bustling, because a new generation of Princess Qitian has

emerged, and the Murong territory will undoubtedly prosper even more!

As with every return to their territory, Murong Ziyan and her daughter arrived in Acheng at midnight

. And as always,

the Murong residence was brightly lit.

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