"The feudal lords never stir without a profit. There's no way they would willingly acknowledge my status as the Lord of the Northern Frontier and the Lord of Bing, is there?"
Yanyan was well aware that he did not yet possess the strength to contend with the various states. Even against the weakest among them, Han and Qi, his current forces would not stand a chance.
The fundamental reason the states tacitly acknowledged his existence was that they kept one another in check, maintaining a delicate balance. Right now, he was simply surviving in the cracks between Qin and Zhao, while the other states were merely fanning the flames and enjoying the spectacle, hoping for chaos.
Chapter 242