Chapter 146: Permission Granted to Kill (2)

"Hmm?" Everyone turned to look at Liu Gang.
"How did the State of Zheng come to owe cities to the State of Yan? Is that for real?"
"You must be joking! How is that possible?"
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"Humph, the State of Yan is at the end of its rope, and yet you still covet forty-two cities of my State of Zheng?" Liu Gang demanded with a furious expression.
"Hahahaha, Liu Gang, you had better weigh your words carefully. Those forty-two cities were not promised by anyone else. If you dare to renege on this, you are casting shame on the face of King Muye. Do you dare to renege?" Yanchuan glared at him as he spoke.
*Do you dare to renege?*
Yanchuan stressed these three words with extreme emphasis. They struck like a heavy sledgehammer, slamming relentlessly against Liu Gang.
Liu Gang opened his mouth to argue, but with the words poised on his lips, he forcibly reined them in. "You—you—you!"
"It doesn't matter. The game of the five nations is not yet over. Go on, you can win them back by gambling!" Yanchuan said with a smile.
"Could it actually be true?" The Crown Prince of Chu looked at Liu Gang in surprise.
"The State of Zheng actually owes cities to the State of Yan? How can that be?" the Crown Prince of Han also asked in astonishment.
Liu Gang's face flushed a deep, suffocating red, but in the end, he offered no rebuttal.
"Dismount!" Yanchuan commanded softly.
"Understood!" the Brocade-Clad Guards replied in unison.
"Rumble!"
Yanchuan, leading more than two thousand Brocade-Clad Guards, dismounted from their horses one after another.

Dismounting, Yanchuan stepped forward and walked to the due south of the arena, with Huo Guang following closely behind, glaring fiercely at everyone present.
"Liu Gang, honored guests of Zheng, take your seats. Now that I have arrived, everything is just beginning!" Yanchuan said with a smile.
"Giddyap!" "Giddyap!" ………………
From the entrance of the training field, the sound of galloping horses rang out once more. Liu Jin had returned.
Liu Jin led five hundred cavalrymen back to the field and dismounted. At the same time, several soldiers were carrying a massive object.
"The Dragon Throne? His Majesty's Dragon Throne from the imperial court?" cried an elderly official of Yan.
What Liu Jin had brought back was none other than the Nine Dragons Heavenly Throne.
This Dragon Throne was significantly larger than the one the Emperor of Yan was currently sitting upon.
It was the premier throne of the State of Yan.
The veteran officials of Yan were on the verge of erupting in fury, but halfway through, their anger completely drained away.
The Dragon Throne was the supreme symbol of imperial sovereignty, which no one else was permitted to taint in the slightest. Aside from the sovereign, no one had the right to sit upon it.
Yet, the person before them was a Prince of the Same Rank.
His status was equal to that of the Emperor of Yan. How was this to be explained? He indeed possessed the qualification to sit on the Dragon Throne!
"Sigh!" The group of veteran officials fell into a frustrated and speechless silence.
The Emperor of Yan, however, narrowed his eyes as he stared fixedly at the Dragon Throne that belonged to him.

"Clang!"
The Dragon Throne landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a flurry of dust.
"Your Highness!" Liu Jin said with utmost respect.
"Hmm." Yanchuan nodded in satisfaction.

With a flick of his rear robe, Yanchuan slowly seated himself.
Facing each other from south to north stood the two Dragon Thrones, the Emperor of Yan confronting Yanchuan!
The two men of highest status in the State of Yan sat side by side, on equal footing.
The surrounding crown princes all wore strange expressions on their faces. However, no one said anything extra.
With one hand resting on the Emperor Sword and the other on the armrest of the Dragon Throne, Yanchuan closed his eyes slightly, lost in a brief memory.
"Yanchuan, are you going to place your bets or not?"
"Yanchuan, can you truly represent the State of Yan?"
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Cried the various crown princes.
Yanchuan slowly opened his eyes, swept his gaze across the crowd, and said, "Within the Great Yan, I naturally represent everything of the State of Yan!"
"Hmm?" The Emperor of Yan furrowed his brow, staring intently at Yanchuan.
Yet, after just a brief moment, the Emperor of Yan's brow relaxed. The string of humiliations inflicted by the crown princes earlier had taken too heavy a toll on him.
Seeing that the Emperor of Yan raised no objection, the crown princes immediately beamed with delight.
"Good! Since that's the case, let us begin!" the Crown Prince of Chu said excitedly.
Yet Yanchuan did not even glance at him, saying indifferently, "Huo Guang!"