Chapter 11: The War King or Prince Rui

Because of this incident, the relationship between Mother Consort and Father King also cooled to the freezing point. Even though the person who administered the poison had been executed, what was the use? It only served to wound two people who loved each other, leaving them both to grieve in vain. Sigh!

Long Jingrui is the youngest prince among the four great kingdoms of this continent. Furthermore, he did not inherit his title from his ancestors; he earned it himself through life-and-death struggles and illustrious military achievements. He donned armor and went to the battlefield to fight for his country at thirteen, and by sixteen, he held command over two hundred thousand troops.

Due to his distinguished military service, the current Emperor issued an imperial decree when he was eighteen, conferring upon Long Jingrui the title of Prince Rui, building a separate prince’s mansion for him, and bestowing upon him countless rewards. The common people affectionately and respectfully refer to him as the "War Prince," a title of adoration from the citizens of the Longteng Kingdom.

This continent consists of four major kingdoms: the Longteng Kingdom, the Wanchao Kingdom, the Yunli Kingdom, and the Dongjun Kingdom, along with more than a dozen smaller nations surrounding them. The populations of the four major kingdoms are roughly equal, and their land areas are also comparable.

However, there are slight differences in the economic strength of these major powers. Among them, the Longteng Kingdom and the Wanchao Kingdom possess geographical advantages; their distinct northern and southern seasons make both agriculture and animal husbandry highly developed. Furthermore, the variety of crops grown in the north and south is vast due to the climatic differences.

Economic foundations determine the strength of a nation. When national power is strong, the state invests more into its armies and barracks. With a robust agricultural and pastoral sector as a backup, the strength of the military can be imagined.

The Yunli Kingdom, however, is situated further south, with a portion of its territory consisting of ocean. Although marine resources are abundant, the southern climate is hot and unfavorable for storage, making it impossible to transport goods elsewhere. They can only guard the gifts of heaven and watch them go to waste.

The remaining land is primarily used for rice cultivation. Although the produce is rich and the land yields two harvests a year, this arable land only accounts for two-thirds of their territory, yet it must support a population as large as that of the other kingdoms.

Coastal residents mostly produce dried fish to trade inland for more grain to sustain their lives. Therefore, in terms of comprehensive strength, the Yunli Kingdom is just a tiny bit inferior to the Longteng and Wanchao Kingdoms.

Finally, let us speak of the Dongjun Kingdom. This country is actually the largest of the four in terms of land area, but nearly one-third of its territory is covered in ice and snow for more than half the year.

It is much like the northeast; it experiences winter for over six months of the year. The Baili Snow Spirit Mountain, in particular, is covered in snow year-round and is very famous throughout the continent.

Although the ice and snow there never melt, the snow lotuses on the mountain are priceless and rare. It is also the source of "ice crystals," which are worth thousands of gold to the people of the world, and many other precious medicinal herbs can only be found on this Snow Spirit Mountain.

So, heaven only knows how many people come for wealth or for illness, constantly searching the Snow Spirit Mountain for ice crystals and snow lotuses. In any case, there is an endless stream of people coming and going on the mountain.

Unlike the Yunli Kingdom, the Dongjun Kingdom’s territory is mostly in the north, so they primarily grow wheat and corn. However, in the regions near the Snow Spirit Mountain, due to climatic reasons, there is sufficient rainfall and long daylight hours in the summer, allowing for one season of rice cultivation.

A few years ago, due to natural disasters, the Dongjun Kingdom suffered a poor harvest. They thought to invade the neighboring Longteng Kingdom to seize land and grain, leading to constant skirmishes between the two countries, which eventually escalated into the great war three years ago.

In that battle three years ago, Prince Rui received orders to lead his troops, forcing the Dongjun Kingdom into a continuous retreat. They were eventually pushed back three hundred miles from the border, forcing the Dongjun Kingdom to send envoys to negotiate for peace.

Because the Dongjun Kingdom was the aggressor, the terms of the peace treaty not only required them to cede two cities to the Longteng Kingdom but also to pay tribute to the Longteng Kingdom every three years. Normally, only small vassal states pay tribute to major powers.

(End of chapter)