Chapter 40: The Flames of War Rose in Dali, Yunnan
Word Number：351
Author：闲穿径竹
Translator：
Release Time：2025-06-26
The urgent dispatch from the frontier arrived just as the Crown Prince and Li Mi were seated at the banquet. Once the gathering dispersed, Li Mi returned to his residence, where he engaged in a quiet game of chess with Yang Muzhi. As they studied the board, he casually broached the matter. “His Majesty has commanded Xianyu Zhongtong, the Military Commissioner of Jiannan, to lead sixty thousand troops against Nanzhao. Tell me, Brother Yang—what do you make of Nanzhao’s strength? Can Xianyu Zhongtong carry the day?” Yang Muzhi placed a stone on the board, his voice unhurried as he recounted the tale. “In the beginning, Yunnan was home to six small kingdoms, each ruled by its own king, collectively known as the Six Zhaos. They were: Mengsui Zhao, Yuexi Zhao, Langqiong Zhao, Dengdian Zhao, Shilang Zhao, and Mengshe Zhao. Of these, Mengshe Zhao lay the furthest south, earning it the name ‘Nanzhao’. The king of Mengshe Zhao—known as Nanzhao—was a man by the name of Pi Luoge. As Mengshe Zhao grew ever stronger, the remaining five Zhaos gradually waned, and Pi Luoge began to harbour ambitions of uniting them under his rule. To achieve this, he devised a cunning stratagem. He invited the lords of the five Zhaos to a grand banquet at the Songming Tower, ostensibly to honour their ancestors. Yet behind this gesture of reverence lay a far darker intent—he sought to ensnare them all in a single stroke. Lady Bai Jie, wife of the Lord of Dengdian Zhao, was a woman of keen intellect and sharp intuition. Sensing the treachery in Pi Luoge’s invitation, she urged her husband with quiet urgency. ‘My lord, I implore you—this is but a trap of Pi Luoge’s making. He has laid a feast in the guise of ritual, yet his true intent is to ensnare the five lords and seize dominion over our lands. You must not attend this gathering.’ The Lord of Dengdian Zhao frowned but shook his head. ‘The ancestral rites are a sacred tradition of the Six Zhaos. Should I refuse
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