The Wei army guarding this position suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat.

With Tongming Pass captured, the Yan army opened a troop transport channel to the Northern Territories, enabling them to continuously send their forces to the front lines and into Wei territory.

In the first clash between Yan and Wei, Yan gained the upper hand.

Upon receiving this news, although Feng Miaojun felt heavy-hearted, she remained calm. The collapse of Tongming Pass was within expectations—it was the bridgehead fortress where the two armies confronted each other. If the Yan army couldn’t even capture it, this war would have been a joke.

The question now was: how should New Summer respond?

The mutual assistance agreement that Feng Miaojun privately discussed with Yun Ya was unknown to the people of New Summer. The current Yan-Wei war had no direct connection to the New Summer people. If she insisted on participating in the war, it would inevitably provoke opposition from New Summer and even Yao territory.

The Queen had governed for over eight years, and many senior ministers could understand her inclinations and intentions. She summoned several important ministers, and Prime Minister Wang Yuan said: “The Yan King’s attack on Wei now lacks the support of the military and the people. Fortunately, the battle at Tongming Pass was relatively successful. Later, when they encounter difficulties, there will surely be dissenting voices within the country. My Queen should take heed of this.”

“In other words, we need to change the direction of public opinion,” Feng Miaojun tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest. “Indeed, we need an opportunity.”

Wang Yuan said in a low voice: “Fortunately, the common people generally hold feelings of disgust toward the Yan Kingdom, which can be utilized.”

Since Feng Miaojun had the intention of allying with Wei against Yan, the royal court had naturally been gradually guiding public opinion over the past few years, giving Yan Kingdom negative publicity. Thus, the general public’s impression of Yan Kingdom was “not a blood feud, but extremely annoying.”

But the foundation for a Wei-New Summer military alliance was that the ordinary people’s disgust toward the Yan Kingdom must outweigh their hatred toward the Wei people. Was this possible?

Before finding a breakthrough, Feng Miaojun did not intend to act rashly.

While the western part of the Northern Territories was engulfed in flames of war, the central and eastern parts remained calm.

All beings’ attention was focused on the Wei battlefield, but except for Wei and Yan, other countries and powers remained cold spectators.

Time passed gradually in this peculiar pattern for six months.

The Yan army, which initially advanced like a hot knife through butter due to blitzkrieg and surprise attacks, entered into positional warfare after penetrating the vast southern central territory of Wei and began to struggle.

This was almost an inevitable stage for all great power conflicts. To avoid such massive consumption of personnel, money, weapons, and time, Wei had once devised and implemented a plan to end the war by launching a surprise attack on Inzi City and killing the Yao King and his son. Now, however, the Yan army could not follow the same pattern—

To prevent the same accident from happening to himself, Xiao Yan had made thorough preparations in advance. The royal city was as tightly guarded as an iron bucket, giving Yan assassins no opportunity.

Under these circumstances, the Yan army’s advance could only proceed step by step, following the classic model of “attack, occupy, defend.” This meant that troops had to be left behind to guard their gains; otherwise, the hard-won cities and transport routes would be recaptured by Wei forces in the blink of an eye.

With both sides almost evenly matched, such attrition was unprecedentedly enormous.

New Summer’s Prime Minister Wang Yuan’s prediction came true. Feng Miaojun received secret reports from the Yan court that anti-war sentiment was rising in the country, with one crucial point:

This time, the Yan nobles also expressed opposition, believing the offensive was too hasty and that Great Yan was not yet ready.

In short, the Yan King persisted in his views amid widespread opposition, so the Yan army, struggling deep in enemy territory, showed somewhat low morale.

Looking at the Wei army, already occupied the moral high ground of resisting invasion and defending their homeland. Fighting on home turf, they had the advantages of timing, geography, and unity. Thus, they pushed the front line back south by over a hundred li, recovering much-lost territory.

Seeing the war report, Feng Miaojun breathed a slight sigh of relief. General Hong also nodded: “To swallow Wei, Yan Kingdom should be at least five times stronger. I don’t know why the Yan King is so anxious. Now the Yan army has prematurely fallen into a stalemate. If this continues, it will be even more disadvantageous for them.”

Over these years, Feng Miaojun promoted many young court officials to important positions. Liang Yu had taken the position of Assistant Minister for State Affairs, serving as Fu Lingchuan’s deputy. This man was quick-witted and could draw inferences across categories, but at only twenty-eight years old, he couldn’t help but ask for guidance: “Last time when Yan attacked Xi, the whole country supported the war; this time when Yan invaded Wei, there’s widespread opposition at home. Is this because Xi was weak while Wei is strong?”

“Of course, you pick the softer persimmon to squeeze, but that’s not the main reason.” Feng Miaojun nodded to Fu Lingchuan. “Minister Fu, please explain.”

It was proper to explain these matters to all ministers. Fu Lingchuan then said: “Does everyone know how long it had been since the Yan Kingdom annexed another country before invading Xi?”

The ministers calculated in their minds before someone said: “It seems like ten years.”

“A full fifteen years,” Fu Lingchuan said. “Cultivators in high positions in Yan Kingdom are numerous. Twelve generals are cultivators, with the deepest qualifications, highest positions, and the most generous rewards over the years. As they say, ‘When one person achieves the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.’ Their clan members, disciples, and even old acquaintances all benefited, either holding high positions or becoming wealthy merchants in their regions. According to our statistics, over seventy percent of Yan Kingdom’s wealth is in the hands of this small cluster of powerful nobility.”

He paused briefly before continuing: “The Yan King and his subordinates are cultivators with long lifespans. Royal and official positions have not changed for a long time. Over time, the strong remain strong. As a result, it’s not easy for newcomers to make their mark.”

Everyone, being seasoned officials, immediately understood.

The greatest power, the best resources, and the most wealth were monopolized by these long-lived cultivator families. The cake was only so big, and latecomers, no matter how talented or capable, found it difficult to get a piece.

Unless…

Unless the cake suddenly grew larger.

“Newly appointed civil and military officials who want to obtain positions and rewards must have achievements. And in times of peace and prosperity, it’s not easy to gain achievements. The most direct and crude method is just one.”

Liang Yu understood: “War.”

Winning a war brings military merits; with military merits, one can rise rapidly and earn rewards from the sovereign.

They say each generation has its talents, but these “talents” need opportunities to shine; otherwise, they will forever be suppressed by their predecessors.

Before Yan invaded Xi, there had been a full fifteen years without expansion, and the nobility had a strong desire for it, so they naturally supported going to war.

“Similarly, Yan Kingdom gained substantial benefits from Xi and Pu Kingdoms, but before fully digesting these gains, they launched another war, which people naturally resisted.”

Although Xi Kingdom was already corrupt before its demise, and Pu Kingdom was already divided before being annexed, they were still among the major powers of the Southern and Northern Continents.