Chapter 502 Chaos and disorder within Qi!

Chapter 502 Chaos and disorder within Qi!

"If this is what the King of Qi wants, then please go back!" Wu She said sternly and mercilessly. He thought to himself that the King of Qi was so bold that he wanted to ask for a fief right away. It was simply a foolish dream. Even Gao Yao, the actual ruler of the southern border, had never had such an idea, let alone actively proposed to divide the land. Wu She really couldn't figure out where the King of Qi got the confidence and courage to ask for such a high price.

At this time, Ma Yu, who was standing aside, saw that the situation was not good, and hurriedly stepped forward and tried to explain: "Lord Wu She, actually this..." However, before he finished speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Wu She: "No need to say more! Considering your loyalty and bravery in the past, I will not pursue your crime of usurpation this time. But don't mention such unreasonable surrender conditions again! Let the King of Qi be his King of Qi honestly, and when the Prime Minister leads the army to conquer him one day, he will be taken down in one fell swoop!"

Wu She knew that although bargaining was necessary at the negotiation table, he could roughly guess their true expectations and bottom line from the conditions offered by the other party at the beginning. Obviously, the appetite of the King of Qi was not small, so he made a prompt decision and decided to give the other party a warning first to test their strength. This kind of request was definitely impossible to meet, and it would be a waste of time to continue the discussion.

"Lord Wu She... please listen to me again!" Ma Yu shouted anxiously, but the only response he got was a cold voice: "Someone, send the guest away!"

Wu She showed no mercy at this time, and waved his hand to signal his men to forcibly take Ma Yu out of the county government office. Although Ma Yu still wanted to fight for the opportunity to continue the negotiation, facing Wu She's firm attitude, he could only helplessly be escorted out by others.

Ma Yu came here to make some requests on behalf of the King of Qi. If the King of Qi only hoped to get an official position under Gao Yao or gain some wealth, then perhaps there would be room for discussion between the two sides. This time, the King of Qi's proposal was obviously far beyond Wu She's acceptance, and there was no need for any negotiation at all.

Although Wu She decisively rejected the unreasonable requests of Ma Yu and King Qi, as a responsible frontline leader, he knew that he should report everything that happened here to Gao Yao truthfully. After all, even if the other party's unreasonable conditions were rejected, the necessary information feedback was still indispensable. Moreover, the reason why Wu She acted so tough was more because he was extremely dissatisfied with those harsh conditions, rather than completely cutting off the possibility of communication with King Qi or surrendering.

Just like that, Ma Yu was led out of the county government office with a heart full of reluctance and deep helplessness. Ma Yu could only go back and report the specific situation to Qi Wang Tiandu.

At the same time, Wu She stood there, frowning, lost in thought. He knew the importance of this mission and had to carefully consider how to report to Gao Yao the details of the King of Qi's surrender and the complex and ever-changing situation on the King of Qi's side. Various spies had already penetrated into the territory under the King of Qi's command. Through unremitting efforts and clever means, they had already found out the general news clearly.

Today, the Qi Wang Tian Du's subordinates can be clearly divided into four different factions. These factions are independent and jointly control the few remaining 21 counties in Cangwu and Dongting. Surprisingly, the Qi Wang Tian Du's own sphere of influence is the smallest. He only controls two small counties and has only 3,000 soldiers. In comparison, the other three factions are much stronger.

One of the factions was the rebel army originally from Dongting County. After countless battles and internal power struggles, this rebel army finally survived and grew stronger. Another faction originated from the rebel army in Cangwu County, which also experienced a bloody baptism before it was able to gain a foothold. The two rebel armies confronted each other and sometimes cooperated. Because they were no match for the imperial army, they finally chose to protect Tian Du and became the King of Qi.

Finally, there was the descendant of the royal family of Qi who had just arrived here, Tian Rong. Not long after he arrived, he quickly occupied three counties and had 5,000 elite soldiers. In this way, he had become the fourth powerful force to compete with the other three parties. These four forces divided up a total of 21 counties. Although they were wary of each other, they had to work together to build the large community of Qi.

The reason is that if any of them dared to openly deny the existence of Qi, no longer present themselves as a whole, but acted independently, existing only as isolated rebel forces, then in a blink of an eye, they would most likely be swallowed up by the surrounding princes who were eyeing them covetously. Now, even King Tian of Qi was planning to surrender.

Wu She could guess about all this. The current situation is very difficult. In the past, there was at least a huge threat from the court, forcing these people to act closely around Tian Du, the King of Qi. However, times have changed. The court army has been defeated, and Tian Rong has emerged. You know, Tian Rong is a legitimate descendant of the royal family of Qi! In comparison, Tian Du's status and role suddenly became insignificant, and it can even be said that he is dispensable.

At this time, Wu She had no idea where Gao Yao was going. He had no idea that Gao Yao was no longer in the bustling county town, but had embarked on a journey across the vast ocean, and more than a month had passed since he left for sea.

There were only a few people who knew the truth of this matter, only a few core figures such as Xiao He, Cao Shen, Han Xin and Zhang Liang. Apart from that, only the servants in Gao Yao's mansion knew a little bit.

But even so, a strict gag order was still issued regarding this matter, and the punishment system implemented was even more severe - the collective responsibility system! In other words, if someone dared to know about it but did not report it, not only would he be severely punished, but his family, relatives, and even his companions who were resting in the same room in the mansion would also be hard to escape.

In fact, Gao Yao's departure to the sea was not deliberately concealed by him. It was Xiao He and others who really made this request and insisted that his whereabouts must be kept secret. The reason why they were so determined to keep it secret was that the impact of this matter could not be underestimated.

Perhaps Gao Yao himself did not think it was necessary to go to such great lengths to cover up his tracks. But in fact, there was a deeper reason: in this era, whether it was high-ranking officials or ordinary people, they all had a deep sense of awe for the vast and mysterious sea.