I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 144

Chapter 144

He had never heard of this name before. The only thing he knew was that the Western Qi Mountain lay between the Suixi Kingdom and the Wuliang Kingdom.  

Tuoba Ren stood up and walked to the large map behind him. He pointed to a specific area with his finger—it was precisely the Western Qi Mountain range. He explained, “This was created by Duan Wang of the Great Yan. He plans to build a passage through this narrow valley to connect with the Western Regions.”  

Song Lian also stepped forward, following Tuoba Ren’s finger as he examined the map.  

Tuoba Ren continued, “This area lies between the Suixi Kingdom and the Wuliang Kingdom. Due to the towering mountains on both sides, the terrain is difficult and treacherous. No one has ever ventured there, and over time, it became a desolate land. Because of this, our two countries have silently agreed to treat it as the boundary between us. As a result, this place has become a land without an owner.”  

Song Lian stroked his chin, staring at the map intently. After a long silence, he finally asked, “What is Duan Wang trying to achieve with this Western Qi Corridor? Logically speaking, this place has no real use.”  

“Take a look at this.” Tuoba Ren took out a secret letter and handed it to Song Lian.  

The intelligence report had been sent by border spies. After Ming Yu returned to the capital, he had gathered many merchants and brought them to the frontier. It turned out that Ming Yu’s Western Qi Corridor was intended to facilitate trade with the Western Regions.  

After reading the report, Song Lian remained silent. He had never been involved in commerce. In the past, he had studied solely to pass the imperial examinations, become an official, and rise in his career. To him, business was something only lower-class people engaged in.  

And now, a prince of the Great Yan was mingling with merchants and going to such great lengths just to build a trade passage? Song Lian found it utterly inconceivable.  

Once Song Lian had finished reading, Tuoba Ren asked, “What does Mr. Song think of this?”  

Song Lian furrowed his brows, pondering for a long while before finally speaking. “Duan Wang intends to use this route for trade with the Western Regions. I do not understand commerce, so I have no comment on that. However, what I do want to say is that since Duan Wang has set his sights on this land, he will certainly build city defenses, fortifications, and deploy troops for protection.”  

Tuoba Ren nodded, signaling him to continue.  

Song Lian then added, “I am somewhat concerned. If this land truly falls into the hands of the Great Yan, it will bring nothing but harm to the Suixi Kingdom.”  

Tuoba Ren’s expression turned serious. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced a few steps before asking, “Why do you say that?”  

“In the past, because the Suixi Kingdom stood between the Great Yan and the Western Regions, the two sides had no direct contact. But if Duan Wang uses trade as a pretext to secretly form alliances with the Western Regions against Suixi, wouldn’t Suixi find itself surrounded by enemies on both sides?”  

Hearing this, Tuoba Ren suddenly halted, covering his mouth as he coughed several times.  

Seeing that he was not being interrupted, Song Lian continued, “If the Great Yan is allowed to station troops here, the terrain would make it easy to defend and hard to attack. The Suixi Kingdom is renowned for its cavalry, but in this region, the difficult terrain would render our cavalry useless. If the Great Yan army truly has such intentions, they could invade Suixi through the Western Qi Corridor at any time. When that happens, Suixi would have no proper defense, while the Great Yan’s forces would advance as if unopposed.”  

As these words were spoken, Tuoba Ren’s face darkened. He clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing, and his coughing grew even worse.  

“Hahaha… What a joke!” A loud laugh rang out from outside, followed by someone pushing the door open and striding in.  

Both men inside instinctively looked up and saw a tall, imposing figure standing at the doorway—it was Chacha Qi.  

Chacha Qi had previously followed Tuoba Ren into battle and returned in defeat. However, instead of resenting Tuoba Ren, he had developed a newfound respect for him.  

After all, he had experienced that unbelievable battle firsthand. Even now, thinking back on it still sent shivers down his spine. He had to admit that Tuoba Ren’s ability to handle the crisis was truly admirable.  

In the face of terrified soldiers who had lost all hope, Tuoba Ren had relied solely on his own strength to lead them to safety. Had it not been for Tuoba Ren’s decisive actions, the losses they suffered would have been immeasurable.  

No one in Suixi could rival Tuoba Ren’s ability to command an army. As long as Tuoba Ren was present, the army’s morale remained intact, and the soldiers’ unity stayed unbroken. Because of this, Tuoba Ren was undoubtedly the most capable leader in Suixi—something Chacha Qi knew he could never match.  

It was precisely for this reason that his view of Tuoba Ren had completely changed. The more time he spent around him, the deeper his admiration grew. Only now did he realize how shallow and laughable his previous assumptions had been.  

He had once believed that Tuoba Ren’s reputation was undeserved, that his numerous military achievements were merely exaggerated due to his noble status. Otherwise, why had he suffered such a crushing defeat a few years ago?  

Back then, Chacha Qi had thought that if he were in Tuoba Ren’s place, he would have done a far better job. However, the battle at the Western Qi Mountains had shaken him to his core—Tuoba Ren’s performance was something he could never hope to match.  

Seeing Chacha Qi, Tuoba Ren felt a headache coming on. “Why are you here again?”  

This guy—ever since returning to the royal court, it was as if he had transformed into a completely different person. He now loitered around Tuoba Ren’s residence day in and day out. At first, people still announced his arrival, but later on, he began treating this place as his own territory, coming and going as he pleased.  

Chacha Qi did not respond but instead looked at Song Lian and mocked, “I thought Mr. Song had some profound insights, but it turns out to be nothing special!”  

It seemed he had overheard Song Lian’s words just now, which was why he spoke so arrogantly. Tuoba Ren reprimanded him, “General Chacha Qi, do not be rude!”  

Chacha Qi glanced at him, his expression becoming slightly more respectful, but he still remained unconvinced. “I am simply speaking the truth. There is nothing rude about it,” he huffed. If he had truly meant to be disrespectful, he would have dragged that man surnamed Song outside for a whipping already.  

Song Lian smiled and cupped his hands toward Chacha Qi in a polite salute. “General Chacha Qi, please enlighten me.”  

Chacha Qi had always disapproved of Tuoba Ren placing so much trust in a southerner, and he had never looked favorably upon Song Lian. Now, taking the opportunity to show off, he sneered, “Mr. Song, are you joking when you say the Great Yan is invading our Suixi Kingdom? The Yan people tremble at the mere sight of us—how would they dare invade? Have they grown so bold as to court death? Hmph! If we don’t invade the Great Yan, they should already be thanking the heavens. If they dare come, I’ll kill one if one comes, and if two come—”  

“Enough!” Tuoba Ren could no longer bear to listen to Chacha Qi’s smug boasting. Seeing his self-satisfied expression only made him more irritable, so he directly cut him off.  

Clearing his throat, he waved his hand dismissively and asked, “Why have you come looking for me?”  

Knowing Chacha Qi’s personality, Tuoba Ren also knew there was no reasoning with him.  

Hearing Tuoba Ren’s question, Chacha Qi quickly dropped the previous topic and put on a fawning smile. “I noticed that Wang Ye hasn’t been feeling well these days, so I specially went to the snowy mountains to find a Snow Purple Velvet Flower. This should be beneficial to Wang Ye’s health.”  

With that, he placed a small box on the desk and opened it, revealing a delicate pale purple flower inside. Tuoba Ren knew that the Snow Purple Velvet Flower was extremely rare. He nodded in acknowledgment and expressed his thanks.  

Chacha Qi was overjoyed. Gaining Wang Ye’s approval made all his effort worthwhile. However, in the very next second, Tuoba Ren issued a direct dismissal, telling him to return home if he had nothing else to do and to stop lingering around unnecessarily.  

Chacha Qi looked at Tuoba Ren with an aggrieved expression, but seeing that Tuoba Ren completely ignored him, he had no choice but to leave. Before stomping out, he shot a fierce glare at Song Lian.  

Song Lian was baffled, not understanding how he had managed to offend this troublemaker.  

Tuoba Ren waved his hand, signaling him to ignore it. Returning to their previous discussion, he said worriedly, “What you said makes sense. But what should we do now?”  

Song Lian thought for a moment before responding, “While Duan Wang’s foundation is still unstable, we should immediately dispatch troops to Western Qi Mountain to block them and drive them out.”  

Tuoba Ren frowned, shaking his head with a sigh. “The military power is now in the hands of Lian Gu Wang. Even if I wanted to stop them, I am powerless to do so.”  

After returning from the borderlands, Tuoba Hongze had been pressured by the left-wing forces of Helian Bo to take back his military command. Control of the troops was then handed over to Helian Bo, which significantly strengthened his power, allowing him to act with impunity.  

Even though Tuoba Ren could see through Ming Yu’s strategic moves, there was nothing he could do for now. A Wang Ye without military authority was nothing more than an idle figure, unable to accomplish anything.  

Song Lian remained silent. Wherever there was power, there was conflict—that was simply human nature. After some thought, he suggested, “Why doesn’t Wang Ye discuss this matter with the Khan? I believe he would not stand idly by.”  

Tuoba Hongze had only ascended the throne a few years ago and had yet to achieve any noteworthy accomplishments. His prestige was naturally not as strong as their father’s had been. His decision to attack Liangcheng back then had, in truth, mainly been to solidify his own authority.

If things had gone as planned, it would have greatly boosted his older brother’s prestige. Unfortunately, reality did not unfold as they had hoped. They had encountered Xie Yixiu, who had emerged from nowhere and dealt them a crushing blow. This incident was a significant setback for both his brother and himself. Fortunately, his brother had handled it with composure, preventing an even greater loss. However, the consequences of this matter had extended to his older brother, Tuoba Hongze, which was why Helian Bo had been pressing him so aggressively ever since.  

“You’re well aware of my current situation. Even if I inform my brother, this isn’t a decision that can be made overnight. Moreover, Helian Bo has always been at odds with me. He will certainly oppose any proposal I put forward,” Tuoba Ren sighed helplessly.  

Song Lian understood this well. Helian Bo was an ambitious man, obsessed with achieving glory. Relying on his seniority and vast influence, he acted arrogantly, dismissing others entirely. Many high-ranking officials in the royal court had already aligned themselves with Helian Bo, so Tuoba Ren’s concerns were entirely justified.  

“But if we don’t act quickly to stop them, once Duan Wang secures that territory and establishes defensive fortifications, we will be at a disadvantage.”

It was a simple truth—whoever seized the initiative would be the winner.  

“I will discuss this matter with my brother. However, if we fail to come up with an effective way to stop them, we cannot simply sit by and allow them to strengthen their position.”

Song Lian nodded. “Exactly. But we can take advantage of this early stage to plant some informants there. They might prove useful in the future.”  

Tuoba Ren agreed. This was a simple task, one that could be arranged immediately.  

Song Lian then added, “Wang Ye, do you intend to keep going like this, letting others trample over you?”  

Tuoba Ren’s heart trembled at those words. He locked eyes with Song Lian. “What do you mean? Do you have a way for me to regain military authority?”  

Tuoba Ren had never been willing to relinquish his control over the army. However, given the current circumstances, he had been forced to endure and bide his time. Now, with just a few words, Song Lian had voiced the very thoughts that had been weighing on his heart.  

Song Lian clasped his hands behind his back, his expression confident and assured. As long as Tuoba Ren was willing, he had a way to make it happen.  

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