655: Chapter 655 Bo Yan Rises in Rebellion 655: Chapter 655 Bo Yan Rises in Rebellion As Zhao Guang received the message, others also got wind of it simultaneously.
In fact, this was what Zhao Guang found very odd.
If the King indeed was facing a crisis, the first response should be to hide the news, not to allow its widespread dissemination.
Once such news spread, it could easily cause turbulence throughout the Empire.
Usually, these matters were kept secret until the royal succession was securely in place.
Stabilizing the nation in the shortest time possible was what they ought to do.
This was also one of the reasons Zhao Guang believed that the King had done this deliberately.
For Zhao Guang, who had read a vast number of novels and watched many television dramas, this was common knowledge.
However, it seemed that many people in this world simply couldn’t comprehend this.
It was not that they lacked intelligence, but a gap in knowledge caused a barrier in their understanding.
In such a situation, Bo Yan and the Second Prince also received the message.
The Second Prince, who had returned abruptly, was still confused, unaware of what had happened.
“Didn’t they say it would take some time to prepare?
Why act so suddenly?” Indeed, the Second Prince thought the move was orchestrated by Bo Yan since they had already planned it.
Bo Yan shook his head: “This isn’t my doing; I wasn’t ready to make a move yet.”
“So, what do we do now, just wait?”
Bo Yan looked at Oro as if he was looking at an idiot.
Was this Prince out of his mind?
To not seize such an excellent opportunity and instead wait to create one later was tantamount to making unnecessary trouble.
This is the best opportunity we could have.
No one would trace any investigation back to us because we simply didn’t carry this out.”
Indeed, it is best not to personally involve oneself in such matters if possible, to avoid leaving any trace.
And since they hadn’t instigated it, it was like a divine gift.
“But aren’t we unprepared right now?”
“One can never be fully prepared; nothing is without risk.
Anyway, this is the best chance we have.
The outsiders won’t breach us, and the inside won’t stir into chaos.”
Bo Yan quickly explained the current situation of the nation to Oro, fearing the man wouldn’t grasp it.
“We must stabilize the situation domestically as soon as possible and ascend to the throne swiftly so the nation can smoothly transition.
There’s no better time than now.”
“As for our lack of preparation, that’s irrelevant.
Once we take action publicly, many will soon join our cause.” In fact, Bo Yan believed he was quite well-prepared.
It was just that considering the idiocy of the Second Prince, Bo Yan instinctively wanted to be even more ready.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that with this Prince involved, extra preparation was prudent to avoid issues.
Sure enough, as he heard these words, Oro’s face lit up with joy.
“You’re right, then let’s do it this way, we must accelerate our efforts.
Oh, my poor elder brother, I wonder what his face will look like when I become King.
I must make sure to get a good look,” he said.
This fellow was already daydreaming about being King.
If it wasn’t necessary to use him to further his own goals, Bo Yan would really not want to engage in such matters.
Oro’s unreliability left Bo Yan with certain doubts.
But there was no turning back; the arrow was on the string, and they had to shoot without delay.
Thus, that very day a call to arms was issued from Bo Yan’s domain.
This proclamation declared that the Princess and the Second Princess had orchestrated a coup.
It also stated that the King’s life was in danger because they had poisoned him in a ploy to usurp the throne, so it called on everyone to rise and eradicate these usurpers.
Meanwhile, over thirty territories, large and small, responded to the call immediately, boosting a once-impressive momentum.
In an astonishingly short time, Bo Yan actually mustered an army of two hundred thousand, a number far exceeding what one might expect given the military limits of a mere Marquis Domain.
Subsequently, the neighboring territories also dispatched troops, ultimately amassing an imposing force of five hundred thousand.
When this news broke, everyone in the Empire was stunned.
No one had expected that, even before outside affairs were concluded, a conflict would erupt within the nation’s borders.
And it seemed likely that this unrest would not be small in scale.
Almost at the same time, the Imperial City began amassing troops, not to attack, but merely to defend.
With defenses fully mounted near the Imperial City, those five hundred thousand troops would not find it an easy task to break through.
Zhao Guang, upon receiving the news, was speechless.
“Isn’t this an outright admission of guilt?”
In his own domain, the army limit was around one hundred thousand, and that was because, as a frontier lord, he had the duty to protect the country’s borders, which granted him a higher military limit than other Marquis Domains.
As for Bo Yan, their military capacity should be fortunate to reach fifty thousand, despite their massive population.
The rest of the army must be the Empire’s garrisons.
However, since Bo Yan’s domain was inland, the garrison forces there should be limited.
Yet, unexpectedly, he was able to summon an army of two hundred thousand.
This did not even account for the forces left behind to protect their lands; adding those, the numbers would surely be greater.
“What about the eastern armies, why aren’t they taking action?”
“They say those lords are on guard against the Sea Clan invasion, so they did not move,” Xi Fei said as she looked through the information.
On guard against the Sea Clan?
If the Sea Clan hadn’t shown any sign of activity, was there even a need for their vigilance?
Moreover, those lords weren’t very far from Bo Yan, right?
It was clearly just an excuse.
“Looks like Bo Yan made arrangements with them in advance, hard to tell what benefits he promised them.”
To have those people refrain from acting, especially to keep Duke Horace at bay, Bo Yan must have offered them a significant incentive.
“Then, Master, what shall we do?
Just watch?” Xi Fei felt somewhat uneasy about this.
Zhao Guang spread his hands: “What can I do?
I’m clueless about what the King is planning; besides, our border troops can’t leave for others’ domains without orders.”
Zhao Guang was also unsure of the King’s intentions.
If the King wanted action, he would definitely issue orders.
“So let’s wait and see how things unfold,” he concluded.
Xi Fei nodded lightly.
After all, as long as her master made a decision, that would suffice; they just had to do their part.
With the current strength of Xuanwu Territory, she believed no matter who became King, they couldn’t possibly do anything against them.