I Became the Crown Prince of a Ruined Country

8 – Pyeongwongun

“Before that, let me ask you. Which country is the main enemy of Zhao? Qin or Yan?”

“Jin.”

“If so, can Zhao win against the Qin Dynasty even with the enemy behind him?”

The two-sided front is a hell that even the Nazis, who waged war against the world, could not endure.

Jo Nara couldn’t stand it.

Of course, Pyeongwon-gun shook his head and answered.

“I can’t.”

“Knowing him, why does Young master not try to fight Qin with Yan as an ally, but to turn both Qin and Yan into enemies?”

“It doesn’t happen because our group doesn’t want to fight them. King Jin doesn’t give up his lust even at his old age, and the young monarch Yan is losing control of his blood.”

I asked again.

“If the monarch is the problem, why not owe them a debt?”

“What the Kings Jin and Yeon want is the territory of Ah-guk, but that is impossible. Because their desires are boundless.”

“The current kings will be like that. But the next king will be different.”

I said it a little bit roundabout, but the point was to invest in me.

I will one day become the king of Yan.

If I am a hostage in Jo Nara and go back with only bad feelings, the relationship between the two countries will remain as an enmity in the future, looking for an opportunity to bite the other person.

This is foolish. Giving up future peace for the sake of small immediate gains.

Furthermore, wouldn’t it be urgent for Jo Nara to deal with Jin Nara, who is baring her teeth in front of her, not Yan Nara, who is in the back of her head.

“Gun Pyeongwon is given an opportunity to build future national relations. How can you miss it?”

It must have been a bit disappointing to end up with the words to help me. Pyeongwon-gun returned to the original Hadae and said.

“There are still two concerns left for me to believe in Young master.”

“What is it?”

“The first is the question of whether Young master can become King Yan.”

Expected question #1? For this problem I have been struggling all night to find a model answer.

The essence of politics is no different from now in B.C. Or thousands of years later in the 21st century. Because human nature didn’t change in just that amount of time.

In the politics of the 21st century, what was the easiest way to win the presidency?

That’s borrowing fame. The name of someone people miss.

A daughter who declared her father’s successor, a friend who declared the succession of a deceased friend.

They took the throne simply with the title of successor to someone with authority.

I can follow that too.

“Even though King Soyang was a collateral, he ascended to the throne with the help of the country he was hostage to.”

My great-great-grandfather, King Soyang, enjoyed the heyday of the Yan Dynasty.

Borrow his name.

Pyeongwon-gun, who saw through my intentions, shook his head and said.

“Ahhhhh. Young master, who received my support, means that he can claim the throne by claiming his merits as the legitimate eldest son. However, Young master’ answer is refuted by Young master’ answer. Since the young king was a collateral, his claim as the eldest son is limited. And when Yeonhwawang came to the throne, the Yan Dynasty was suffering from internal and external problems, but now that the Yan Dynasty has recovered its foundation, it will rather accept the help of the outside world. What should we do about this problem?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

I dismissed Pyeongwon-gun’s lengthy point at once.

“The important thing is that there are still many people in Yan who miss the days of King Soyang.”

You don’t have to be exactly the same as King Soyang. In the first place, that is impossible.

Just enough to remind you of King Soyang.

As Chuyeon did, the moment they think of King Soyang through me, they will support me implicitly.

“For Zhao, Yan is subordinated to Qin, and Yan has a stronger resentment towards Qi than Zhao.”

The bad relationship between Yan and Qi boasts a long history.

Old enemies who drove each other to the brink of destruction. The two countries, Yeon and Je, had such a relationship.

Recently, the Yan Dynasty attacked the Zhao Dynasty, but that was because the Zhao Dynasty was reeling from its unprecedented defeat in the Great War of Jangpyeong, so it was aimed at the fishermen.

If Zhao and Qi were in a similar situation, they would have attacked Qi.

“If you join hands with Joe to attack Qi again, those who agree will definitely come out.”

“To evoke King Soyang’s nostalgia, he said he would follow the process… That’s not bad.”

Pyeongwon-gun’s tone was insipid even while praising him. It is clear that he cannot convince himself with that much.

I think my argument is quite persuasive. Pyeongwon-gun would have said that it wasn’t bad. Even if he heard it, it would have seemed highly likely.

Then what is the problem?

Pyeongwon-gun was lost in thought while I was thinking about what more to say, assuming what Pyeongwon-gun was thinking.

He caressed his chin, struggled, then spoke carefully.

“Young master did not grasp the true meaning of my question.”

True intention? There was a hidden meaning in Pyeongwon-gun’s question?

“Why is our country persecuting you, and Young master knows the fundamental reason?”

“Isn’t it to rebuild the prestige of Jo Nara, which has been destroyed through me?”

“That’s not the case. But the real reason lies in what Young master said.”

“What did I say?”

Pyeongwon-gun closed his mouth again. Words that even he can’t get out easily.

What is it?

What is it that makes even Pyeongwon-gun think so deeply?

I was groaning inwardly, but Pyeongwon-gun opened his mouth again as if he had made up his mind.

“Do you know Yanhu?”

“Yes? If you say Yeonhu…Ah!”

As soon as I heard that name, I immediately realized what Pyeongwongun was trying to say!

Without even time to manage my expression, my face, stained with astonishment, was reflected in Pyeongwon-gun’s eyes.

“Do you understand now? Why Ah Guk persecuted Young master?”

As the name suggests, Yeonhu was an adult of the Yan Dynasty royal family.

As the grandfather of my father, the current king, that is, the wife of King Yeonmuseong, who is my great-great-grandfather, it can be said that she is the highest-ranking royal in the royal family of the current Yan Dynasty.

And Yeonhu was the aunt of the current king of Zhao.

“Hui Hui (惠后), who married her concubine, wished that his daughter-in-law was married to Yan, and that her successor would ascend the throne of Yan.”

“But…”

“Yes. That plan failed. Who knew King Yeonhyo would be so resourceful?”

King Yeonmu-seong died before Yeonhu’s children even grew up, and her throne passed to her eldest son, my grandfather, King Yeonhyo.

King Yeonhyo took control of Yan in an instant, carrying on his back the eastern region that had been incorporated during the reign of King Soyang, and raided the country of Zhao after the Battle of Jangpyeong.

No, but if you think about it, Jo Nara is the mother country in terms of the family tree from the viewpoint of the late King Yeonhyo.

No matter how much power there are, there are no parents and children, and it is foolish to seek warmth in international relations… It was downright cruel.

‘They said they didn’t mix blood, but since Yeonhu became King Museong’s mistress, she must have been a mother to King Hyo.’

It felt like I was seeing the bare face of this era in which I live, the Age of Warring States.

I wonder if my thoughts were expressed through facial expressions, Pyeongwon-gun said.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about. It’s only natural. Take advantage of the opponent’s weakness and attack. Isn’t that the basic of sick leave?”

“One…”

“Rather than that, it would be better to worry about Young master a little more. The current King Yeon has only Young master as his only child. On the contrary, no one dares to predict the future. What if the King of Yan could not see his children?”

“Brother, are you saying that a descendant of Yeonhu can succeed the throne?”

“That’s right.”

This is all because King Yeonhyo passed away prematurely.

King Yeonhyo died after only three years of reign.

Who would have known that an energetic monarch who extended the Great Wall to Liaodong with strong royal authority and expanded his territory by attacking the country of Zhao would go on in vain like this.

Thanks to this, Jo Nara was able to re-execute the plan to enshrine the son of Yeonhu, which was judged to be ruined from the viewpoint of Jo Nara.

“Should I support Young master in this situation?”

The moment I received that question from Pyeongwon-gun, what I remembered was neither an answer nor a vague answer.

‘Why does Pyeongwon-gun ask such a question?’

If Pyeongwon-gun’s thoughts are the same as Hyehu’s before, he doesn’t have to tell me about it.

I was completely unaware of such an inside story, and even if people in the Yan Dynasty knew about it, it would be a different matter for him, a key member of the royal family, to speak about it himself.

In other words, it gives space to arouse the Yan nation’s awareness. Pyeongwon-gun’s remarks were a loss to Jo Nara, no matter how you look at it.

So, Pyeongwon-gun is talking to me through that question.

Convince me.

I don’t like the plan, so I want your answer.

So I nodded without wavering.

“Yes, even so.”

A faint smile spreading across the faces of those facing each other.

Got it.

This is the correct answer.