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21: Circumstances Pt. 2

"Young master Ye, speak to the point!" Wen Yuanbo said coldly.

Ye Yin chuckled. "You have many misgivings, but most importantly are the four surrounding countries that eye Zhi nation covetously."

"The other countries? Is young master Ye perhaps joking? The dispute has not been a matter of days and in the past ten years, the have been countless emperors and countless wars, but never once did another country intervene. Are you saying when I* appear, they will intervene?"

*Wen Yuanbo always uses the royal referral to self. It's not the common royal "We", but it's like "I, the king,"

Ye Yin smirked. "Your highness is too greedy. You do not want East Zhi or West Zhi, but both. Your highness is also of royal blood, so your identity is a threat to the other countries, able to unite and strengthen Zhi nation. The reason they have not made any moves in the last decade is not because they do not want to, but they too were apprehensive! Only after resolving their own problems can they divide up Zhi nation, but if Zhi nation were to regain its former glory, how could they divide up Zhi nation?"

"Little Qi, you mean to say they will invade Zhi nation?"

"What do you think?"  Ye Yin stood up and walked up to the map of the terrain in the middle of the room. "To the northern border is Beiqi, to the south, Nanrong, to the east, Dongling, and to the west, Xili. Zhi nation has the most fertile land; conquering its land has clear benefits. But why have they not invaded?"   

*Fun fact. Bei means north, Nan means south, Dong means east, and Xi means west

"But they have not made any moves in the last decade!"

"Ten years ago during the coup d'état, the other countries each had their own internal conflicts, how could they afford to invade another country? To them, partitioning a weak country after resolving their own conflicts is not too late. However, this relies on one condition: if Zhi nation does not unify!"

"In truth, there is one more important reason. In a way, the countries are restricting each other. Beiqi is reliant on Dongling, so it can be disregarded. Nanrong's main military power is the navy. They are not familiar with battle on land. Furthermore, Nanrong has a slight connection with Zhi nation, so it too can be disregarded. Therefore, the biggest threats to Zhi nation are Dongling and Xili. Dongling prefers peace, believing that the pen is mightier than the sword, so their military power is weak, but it has ample amount of resources, with fine warhorses from Beiqi. On the other hand, Xili emphasizes on its military might, but no matter how powerful an army is, an army needs to eat. Xili has an ever-present shortage of food. If Xili wants to fight, it needs to have enough food in the first place. In summary, Xili and Dongling are pretty much even, neither one holding an advantage over the other."

"Zhi nation's geographical location is somewhat special, longed after by the surrounding four countries, but also acting as a balance of power. If any one of the four other countries touches Zhi nation, it will inevitably lead to war involving all five countries, so invading Zhi country is a very sensitive subject. Disregarding Nanrong and Beiqi, if either Dongling or Xili makes a move, the other country will inevitably react. No one cares for internal conflict in Zhi nation, but so long as two countries interfere, a never ending war shall begin, so they must mull over many factors. First, how long will the war last? Humans are greedy and Zhi nation is superior in every aspect, so both will try to take over Zhi nation completely, neither giving into the other, so this war was undoubtedly become a prolonged war of attrition, but as time passes, will Dongling's soldier first lose their ground against Xili or will Xili run out of food first? Secondly, although Beiqi and Nanrong are far inferior to Dongling and Xili, every human is greedy; will they seize the chance when the two countries are weakened? No one can say. Xili and Dongling have wise rulers. There is no way they will not consider these factors, so they will not act rashly."