Immortal Travel of Longevity

Prince Yu showed every sign of a great rise to power.

No one had anticipated that this latecomer would command such immense momentum. He had risen without warning, swelling into a colossal force in the span of just a few short years.

It caught everyone completely off guard.

Even the myriad capable men and extraordinary talents serving Prince Jin had failed to foresee such a drastic turn of events.

Using the incident at the Border Pass to lure the Yan Army into a trap had originally been a masterstroke, yet they never imagined they were ultimately just paving the way for Prince Yu. While the maneuver had indeed severely crippled the Prince of Yan, Prince Yu's subsequent rise turned the entire strategy into a ruinous blunder.

Now, Prince Jin had to face not only the Imperial Court, but also Prince Yu, who had thoroughly won the hearts of the people. His followers advanced in endless waves, and coupled with the banner of restoring Great Jing, his rallying power was absolute.

Even more importantly, Prince Yu seemed entirely unbothered by a lack of funds.

War was fought with more than just strategy; money was an equally critical pillar.

Where else would the rations and military pay come from? Did the families of the fallen not need pensions? Did the soldiers who earned merit not deserve rewards? Where would the armaments and armor come from?

This was precisely what plagued Prince Jin now. His funds were running low...

Compared to the Prince of Yan's policy of accumulating strength before striking, Prince Jin had waged countless battles over the years, consuming an astronomical amount of silver. His past reserves of silver taels had already dwindled, and after spending so long locked in a war of attrition, the Imperial Court was now biting down on him like a rabid hound. They wouldn't fight, yet they wouldn't retreat. Being stuck in such a stalemate was truly infuriating.

According to his original plan, Prince Jin had intended to catch the Yan Army completely off guard once they were lured into the trap. He had achieved exactly that, dealing the Yan Army a devastating blow. His follow-up strategy had been heading south to rest and regroup, leaving only a small force behind to pin down the Imperial Court before eventually withdrawing.

Who could have predicted that the Imperial Court would latch onto him like a mad dog, refusing to surrender a single opportunity? Prince Jin had initially brushed it off; the Imperial Court's forces would inevitably break under the strain. The moment they slipped up, his grand army would march south, wipe out the Yan Army's remnants, and claim seventy percent of the realm. By then, the Imperial Court would be utterly powerless against him.

But then Prince Yu had suddenly swept in and cut off his route of retreat. Now, Prince Jin was trapped in an impossible dilemma, unable to advance or withdraw.

"One misstep leads to misstep after misstep..."

Prince Jin let out a long sigh. It was precisely because he saw the situation so clearly that he felt so utterly helpless.

"Your Highness, we are currently besieged on two fronts. Prince Yu is bearing down with terrifying momentum; I fear it won't be long before he carves into Yan Land and pivots his spearhead toward us. We must push forward immediately. If we can capture these two cities in short order, not only will it temporarily relieve the strain on our treasury, but it will also connect the defensive lines from here to the Southern Parts. That will give us room to maneuver so we won't fall into a disadvantage when the time comes."

The strategists serving in Prince Jin's camp were brilliantly capable. Before Prince Yu's rise, Prince Jin had been the most likely contender for the throne, drawing the realm's most talented men to his banner. Naturally, extraordinary minds were among them.

"This is indeed the best strategy, but our treasury is already stretched to its limits. If we force an assault in such a short window, I fear we won't be able to withstand the expenditure. If anything goes wrong, it will lead to a disastrous collapse."

"The arrow is already on the bowstring; we have no choice but to fire."

"Our arm is wounded! If we loose that arrow, we might miss the prey entirely and cripple ourselves in the process!"

"How can we just sit here and wait for death?"

Prince Jin watched the hall devolve into a shouting match. Frowning slightly, he rapped his knuckles against the table.

"Enough!"

The hall fell silent at his command.

The strategists bowed their heads and cupped their hands, not daring to speak out of turn.

"Our treasury is lacking, so we must address the treasury instead of squabbling over whether to fight. Has anyone calculated the bare minimum of silver taels required to take these two cities?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, this old minister has made a rough calculation," one man said. "If we breach the cities in a single month, the military expenditures will be roughly two hundred thousand silver taels. For every month we are delayed, it will cost an additional one hundred and fifty thousand silver taels. And that is a conservative estimate—the actual cost will likely be even higher."

"A single month is highly improbable. Though the two cities are not far apart, the troop deployments alone will take a month."

"I am afraid we must prepare at least five hundred thousand taels!"

"Why would we need so much!"

With that, the hall erupted into arguments once again.

"Five hundred thousand taels..."

Prince Jin stroked his chin. He knew their estimates were accurate. Five hundred thousand taels was indeed the absolute baseline to wage this campaign, but if anything went awry, the costs would spiral beyond that.

The real problem was where to find such a sum.

Just then, a strategist stepped forward. "Your Highness, the major aristocratic families might be able to provide some silver taels. Additionally, there are a few managers of the Tang Family Trading Firm in Jindi who are willing to support us. By rough estimates, raising three hundred thousand taels should not be too much of a problem."

"And where will the remaining two hundred thousand taels come from?"

"If you ask me, since we are already asking, we might as well ask for more. Perhaps those noble families would be willing to place a larger wager?"

"Highly unlikely. The noble families always hedge their bets. With Prince Yu's rise, their attention is likely focused squarely on him. What do you think, Brother Cui?"

Called out by name, Cui Hao's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly replied, "Since the Cui Family has pledged to assist His Highness, we will commit our utmost effort. We would never stoop to playing both sides."

"Who knows."

"You—"

"Enough!"

Prince Jin rapped the table, cutting the bickering short.

Cui Hao lowered his head. "To answer Your Highness, the Cui Family is willing to offer one hundred thousand taels to assist you in capturing these cities and conquering the realm!"

"Oh?"

Prince Jin nodded. "If that is true, you have indeed solved my most pressing crisis. When this is over, I promise the Cui Family will not be mistreated."

Cui Hao dropped to his knees and kowtowed. "Thank you for your boundless grace, Your Highness."

Prince Jin then turned to the others. "And what do the rest of you offer?"

His piercing gaze locked onto the representatives of the other noble families within the tent.

The moment they heard the others bring it up, they knew they wouldn't be able to escape this ordeal.

Yet, they couldn't help but marvel at the Cui Family's decisiveness.

One hundred thousand taels...

Naturally, the noble families possessed such silver, but producing one hundred thousand taels in liquid cash was incredibly difficult. In general, they simply didn't keep that much hard currency on hand. Even after scraping everything together, a single family could usually muster only fifty or sixty thousand taels. None were quite as magnanimous as the Cui Family, who could effortlessly fork over a hundred thousand taels on the spot.

The various families naturally had to make their own pledges, though none could match the Cui Family's contribution.

Combined, the other four noble families could only offer one hundred and eighty thousand taels. They still fell quite short.

"Go ask the men from the Tang Family Trading Firm. Haven't they been eager to swear their allegiance for a while now?"

Prince Jin issued only a single command: "Make it quick!"

He needed to march as soon as possible. For every day they delayed, his heart grew increasingly restless.

Prince Yu was not a man to be trifled with. He possessed far more self-awareness than the King of Wei, and he was far more capable of biding his time than the Prince of Yan. He knew how to endure small slights to secure massive gains. He was a man who remained completely silent until he shocked the entire world. It was truly a terrifying prospect.

Meanwhile, Prince Yu's camp had absolutely no intention of marching north just yet. All of his focus was fixed entirely on heading south to devour the Yan Army completely before deciding his next move.

The realm was on the move once again.

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