I am a living immortal.

Chapter 597: Everything Has a Trace

Unfortunately, they are going to miscalculate.

Yan State did not intend to use these people. They wanted to sweep the Lin State with the power of the heavenly army, creating an impression that would not disappear for a hundred years. How could they be restrained by others? It was impossible.

This time, the Yan Dynasty was fully prepared. In addition to the Demon Slayer Division, they also secretly sent a number of people into Lin State, striving to thoroughly survey several important cities in Lin State before entering.

Of course, it would take time to fully understand the situation. Fortunately, they still had plenty of time. The neighboring imperial court had just assembled a new army and was still training; and those barbarian states had only small forces that had come over to guard the wild wheat fields.

The others were sweeping the surrounding area for food, gold, and treasure. They wouldn't turn their sights to the capital until they ran out of goodies. Picking up something for nothing was far easier than going to battle. Furthermore, even if there was resistance from the surrounding counties, it wouldn't be too intense, making the situation infinitely easier.

These small, barbaric nations lacked great wisdom, but they were plenty clever. If it weren't for the Lin Kingdom's incompetence, they wouldn't have stood at the forefront of history. You have to know that during the Lin Kingdom's heyday, these small nations weren't even worthy of a name.

Things in life are unpredictable and things change over time.

These wealthy merchants, wealthy individuals, local aristocratic families, and speculators converged on the banks of the Chengde River. The imperial court, preoccupied with war preparations, was too lazy to intervene. Furthermore, the river was too vast to manage. These people, armed with vast sums of money, flocked to the Chengde River, and shipbuilding docks sprang up one after another. Those skilled in shipbuilding were in high demand.

If you have money, you basically have nothing to lack.

Even food was brought here from thousands of miles across the river. Thus, an abnormal prosperity developed along the riverbank. Those who had originally wanted to escape by boat, due to the scarcity of boats, mostly settled here temporarily.

With money comes people, and with people comes more people to make money and buy tickets. After all, several people started working together, and the keels of several thousand-stone ships have begun to be laid.

Many people wanted to flee the neighboring country. Even witnessing the false prosperity along the coast didn't deter them from leaving. After all, the more astute knew that the future of the neighboring country depended not on itself, nor on those barbaric and small nations, but on its behemoth neighbor.

Lin Guo also has bad luck.

During the decades of turmoil during the Yan Dynasty, the Lin Kingdom had also entered a period of decline. While not as severe as it is now, the bloated and massive ship was no longer manageable for the helmsman. The checks and balances between various parties had created a fragile equilibrium that could not be easily broken, which is why they did not seize the opportunity they had seen during the Yan Dynasty this time.

He also missed the last chance to swallow up Yan Chao.

During the decades of turmoil, opportunities only arose two or three times, and they were fleeting. Once missed, they were truly missed. By the time they tried to strike again, the situation within the Yan Dynasty had completely changed. Many of the princes had already raised their banners, and the Yan Dynasty was in a frenzy of killing.

Whoever comes will be killed. After Lin Guo tried two or three times and returned empty-handed, he no longer had any hope and just watched the fire from the other side of the river.

After that, the war ended in the sixth year of the Yan Dynasty, the new king ascended the throne, and all things were revived.

What was Lin State doing at this time? At this time, class antagonism emerged within Lin State. The rich lived in luxury, while the poor were left alone and helpless. This reached its peak during this period.

However, the Lin Kingdom did not fall into ruin. This was because a ruthless emperor emerged at this time. This emperor, despite popular opposition, first reduced taxes and levies and focused on water conservancy to ensure food supply. Then, he implemented severe punishments to crack down on corrupt officials, catching examples and executing several important officials as a warning. Finally, the emperor set an example by reducing food, clothing, and other expenses.

This ruthless emperor really lost weight.

This also led to the dynasty at that time experiencing the most difficult times. Of course, this hardship was proportionate. Many wealthy people would have special treatment, but they didn't dare to show it openly.

This emperor was a man of great talent and ambition, and he wanted to accomplish great things.

Then... then he died suddenly. As for how he died, no one knows. At this time, the Yan Dynasty was in a stage of rapid development. It was also because the previous dynasty's excessive oppression sowed the seeds of disaster, although it prolonged the life of the Lin Kingdom.

However, the newly enthroned emperor was not as decisive as the previous one, and due to political reasons, he was the most miserable prince. As the saying goes, everything will eventually turn against itself, and extravagance began to prevail. The current emperor also disliked the previous emperor and abolished and cut down the previous emperor's arrangements, directly reducing the Lin State, which had recovered some of its vitality, to a state of collapse.

Then it became what it is now.

Had that ruthless emperor lived a few more years, the state of Lin wouldn't have been in such a state. The problem was, the emperor was ruthless to himself and others. In a declining dynasty, power was divided among factions, and while the emperor's power remained significant, it wasn't unbridled. Sometimes compromise and concessions were necessary, and balance was also necessary.

Many factions were reluctant to see such an emperor. They preferred that the emperor be incompetent and quietly serve as a mascot. As for government affairs, there was a cabinet and a full court of civil and military officials.

Therefore, rumors abounded that the previous emperor's death was closely linked to those aristocratic families. And the current emperor, who was supported and promoted, was also specially selected. Otherwise, how could a useless person who only cared about pleasure become emperor? There's a lot of water here.

However, these noble families overlooked one key point: they weren't just one person, nor were they regents. The rubbish they chose was the emperor. Even if a pig were given the title of emperor, the people below would be suspicious.

There is a reason why people rush to imitate the trend of extravagance.

The seeds of the Lin Kingdom's decline had been planted years, even decades, ago. The bitter fruits were now bearing fruit, and everything had traces to it, not just a matter of a single moment.

Dynasties crumble in subtle ways.

It's not always the case that a ruthless person will come out to turn the tide and prolong life for a hundred years.

Even a nation at the height of its power, like the Yan Dynasty, dared not slack off. A single misstep could lead to irreparable ruin. While those in power didn't necessarily have to be incorruptible, they did need to consider the nation. Regardless of their reasons, as long as they were dedicated to the country, the nation would prosper.

The people from the Demon Slaying Division did not stay long in this prosperous area on the river bank.

The prosperity here would collapse with a single push, so they didn't need to worry about it. What they needed to do was to find suitable routes for the Yan army to travel, as well as the key points of this country, so that when the army approached, they could quickly gain a foothold and spread the power from one point to another. Finally, they would connect these places into one. Expanding territory was the highest honor in an emperor's life.