Chapter 1 The wind in Yingdu today is destined to carry a sweet, fishy taste.

The door of the Office of Academic Administration was merely closed, secured by a wooden bolt. Unlike the city gate, it wasn't reinforced with various obstructions. Moreover, behind the door wasn't a phalanx of spears, but a group of trembling, anxious officials of the Office of Academic Administration.

After Gao Yi's order was given, more than a dozen armored soldiers on each flank leaped onto the surrounding walls, while others stood guard on the walls with crossbows, covering the interior.

It was true that a sledgehammer shouldn't be used to crack a nut, but the daily training had already etched certain things into their bones.

The armored soldiers who jumped in first encountered no resistance. There were quite a few people from the Office of Academic Administration inside, but everyone just retreated, retreated, and retreated again. The gate was opened from the inside that easily.

The group of armored soldiers outside charged straight in.

The officials inside probably thought that the Earl of Pingye just wanted to come in to arrest people for questioning because most people perceive the world according to their own habits.

They believed that, at worst, a batch of people would be arrested, a batch would be tortured, and a batch would be dragged out for questioning. Most people would be fine.

Even among those questioned, only two or three of the unluckiest ones would be severely punished. After all, the law doesn't punish the masses.

However, their world was completely different from Zheng Boye's.

Especially after experiencing the transmission of the military order and the slaughter of 40,000 Azure Luan soldiers under Jade Plate City,

The scene before him

To Zheng Boye,

Was really just a small matter.

The personal guards' blades had been sharpened all night. After rushing into the Office of Academic Administration, they automatically split into groups of three. The armored soldiers who rushed in first didn't pounce directly but迂回向后, while the armored soldiers who came in later directly raised their blades and hacked at these officials.

This kind of posture, where they came up and started hacking without saying a word, was really disorienting for them. When blood splattered on their faces and they felt the greasy heat and wanted to escape, they were shocked to find that there were armored soldiers behind them as well.

This wasn't a massacre with no one escaping, because Zheng Fan didn's bring that many personal guards this time. But even if some escaped, not too many would get away.

Listening to the screams constantly coming from inside,

Mao Mingcai's expression froze.

At this moment,

He had a feeling of returning to Jade Plate City a year ago.

At that time,

He was also standing in front of Zheng Fan,

But Zheng Fan still forcibly issued Jingnan Marquis's military order to kill the prisoners.

Today was the same.

He had come, he had tried to stop it, but he still failed.

Back then, he was the Minister of War and the Imperial Envoy for negotiations with Chu. Now, he was the Prefect of Yingdu. After Jingnan Marquis's army entered Fengxin City from Yingdu, Mao Mingcai was the actual speaker for Yingdu's civil and official affairs.

A Minister of War and a regional official, at this time in Great Yan, the latter was undoubtedly in a higher position than the former, because the Yan Emperor's power meant the six ministries and the inner cabinet had almost been reduced to megaphones for the Yan Emperor's will.

However,

The young man in front of him,

Back then, he was newly appointed Earl of Pingye, and now, he had just rescued the princess, and was wearing golden armor bestowed by the Emperor, and was returning to the capital to receive rewards.

It wasn't just Mao Mingcai who had been promoted.

Mao Mingcai slowly closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly. He didn't try to rush in and shout for the personal guards to stop the slaughter, but instead said:

"Earl Zheng, you must know that a tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind."

Zheng Fan took a breath,

Seemingly savoring the faint bloody smell that had already permeated the air,

And said:

"Let the east, west, north, and south winds do as they please."

...

Inside the post station,

The blind man and the Barbarian King, who hadn't gone out, were sitting face to face, with a chessboard placed between them.

Black and white pieces,

Playing Go-Moku.

"Not enough." The Barbarian King said, "Just the Office of Academic Administration isn't enough."

The blind man nodded.

The Barbarian King continued:

"Yingdu is a good place. First, what happens here can be effectively spread; second, it's not sensitive enough."

Yingdu was a large city, and everything that happened here would inevitably be spread to Yanjing.

What you sing and dance here, the nobles of Yanjing will surely know.

But Yingdu was far from Yanjing, and in terms of political status, it seemed inferior to the cities within Yan's original territory.

This was a big cake, a cake that wasn't too hot to eat. If this kind of opportunity was missed, it was missed. The further west they went, when they reached Litian City, and then crossed the Horseshoe Mountain range and entered Yan, Zheng Boye would have to change to another face.

Be gentle,

Be obedient,

Be compliant,

Be,

Kind.

The military parade at Snow Sea Pass and what he did in Yingdu were a posture;

After entering Yan's inherent territory, he had to show his stance.

The blind man placed a piece,

And said:

"With a firm stance, the posture is easier to negotiate."

The Barbarian King laughed: "This is the art of emperors."

The blind man shook his head and said: "Emperors are fickle, there is no fixed art. A young emperor, a middle-aged emperor, and an old emperor are completely different;

A king who maintains the status quo, a king who pioneers new frontiers, a king who is shielded by powerful ministers, and a king who is constrained by his subordinates are also different."

The Barbarian King sighed, nodded, and said:

"The Yan Emperor is old. I once heard that when the former Qian Kingdom's Cang Fuzi entered Yanjing and cut off the Great Yan's dragon vein, rumors that the Yan Emperor's days were numbered increased."

The blind man said: "Later, that old man in the palace dissolved his body in Tianhu Mountain, and returned all the luck he had absorbed from the Yan Cauldron, along with the accumulation of the Tianhu Mountain dojo over hundreds of years, seeming to replenish it."

"Mr. Bei, do you believe it?"

"Believe and it exists, don't believe and it doesn't. Simply believing that humans can conquer nature is too arbitrary. I think doing things and interacting with people still requires a bit of luck."

"That's the principle. After I learned that the Jade Token of my Holy Clan was in Boye's hands, I realized this. I even feel that our Boye is my destiny.

A game of chess, finally reaching the mid-game with great difficulty,

One step further, and the outlook will be greatly expanded;

One step back, and the sea and sky will be wide open;

But our Boye's appearance made it impossible for me to advance or retreat.

I didn't believe in fate before, because in your Xia people's eyes, my Holy Clan is beastly, so how can beasts be qualified to discuss fate?

But now,

I kind of believe it."

The blind man smiled slightly,

And said:

"You're playing Go-Moku, not Go. Your借物抒怀 (borrowing objects to express feelings) is a bit far-fetched."

"Just say what you want to say, the object is just an excuse. In fact, Mr. Bei should understand my thoughts. How long can the Yan Emperor's body last?

I don't believe those rumors are groundless.

The most important thing is,

The Yan Emperor is a wise and ambitious emperor,

Um,

How should I put it,

Actually, I am too."

The blind man smiled.

"Don't laugh, be serious, please!"

The blind man stopped smiling, "Okay, I won't laugh."

"Well, I think, an emperor who trampled down the noble families, annexed the Three Jins, drove out the Holy Clan, and suppressed Qian and Chu, according to his character, he must be unable to resist coming out for a walk.

For example, in Jin,

The imperial chariot takes a walk;

The emperor's tour will certainly be very costly, but it can be very effective in stabilizing people's hearts and deterring the situation. If you calculate the cost, it's actually cost-effective.

But he didn't, he just stayed in Yanjing, in his palace."

The blind man nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

In the history of another world, the First Emperor also toured the world many times. Later historians often criticized this, believing that he was fond of grandiose projects and seeking quick success.

That's not the case, because soon after, the First Dragon died, and the world collapsed.

This meant that the emperor was using himself as a "stabilizing" tool to stabilize his empire.

If the Yan Emperor could have taken a trip through Jin in the past two years, it would have been of great benefit to the situation in Jin. The people of Jin could also more directly feel the emperor's authority, which would also help to win people's hearts.

Of course, putting aside the political factors, from a personal point of view, this kind of tour itself is extremely fascinating.

The Barbarian King continued:

"So, what we are facing may be an old emperor with not much time left."

"Um."

"We have to discuss it carefully for two more days so that our Boye can adjust when he faces the emperor."

The blind man shook his head and said:

"This is the master's strength. In this respect, he is stronger than all of us."

The Barbarian King blinked,

And said:

"Are you praising Boye?"

With the Barbarian King's intelligence, he couldn't figure out whether this was sarcasm or praise.

The blind man then said:

"Your way of dealing with things is easy to make people feel膩 (greasy), the master is different, the master can make people feel爽口开胃 (refreshing and appetizing)."

"Then I have to learn from Boye."

"There's no need, the master is indifferent to this."

Because the Devils licked him round after round,

Causing the master's current threshold for excitement to become higher and higher.

The Barbarian King said:

"Back to the topic, just the Office of Academic Administration isn't enough. The smell of blood doesn't drift far enough. We have to find and scrape out a batch of families suspected of impersonation. At least, we have to gather a crowd for the execution ground."

"To do this, Boye's personal guards alone are not enough."

"So, we have to mobilize troops." The Barbarian King replied.

The blind man placed another piece,

And said:

"Outside Yingdu City, there are three major camps. One camp is the Jin auxiliary soldiers, with more than 10,000, one camp came from the former Eastern Expeditionary Army, with 6,000, and one camp is the Jingnan Army, with 3,000.

Which one do you say we should choose?"

Yingdu was the most important city in Chengguo and the center radiating to the entire Chengguo. In wartime, it was also the transit point for money, food, and materials. There were 20,000 troops in the outer city, which seemed a bit small, but you have to know that around Yingdu, on the banks of Wangjiang, and in the surrounding cities, there were garrisons. Once something happened, reinforcements from all directions could arrive quickly.

The Barbarian King playfully stroked the chess piece in his hand. He knew that this was the first time he had been sent out to do things, and both Boye and the Mr. Bei in front of him intended to test him.

He immediately said:

"Hehe, the Jin army is raised by concubines, and they themselves think they have this status. They dare not move rashly, and there is no point in oppressing them.

It's natural to take the 3,000 Jingnan troops for use. It's enough for the 3,000 Jingnan troops to enter the city to search and arrest people.

If the Jingnan Army moves, even if the Jin army and the Eastern Expeditionary Army have the prefect's order, they will not dare to act rashly, let alone interfere."

The blind man placed another piece, creating a four-in-a-row,

And said:

"In what name do you mobilize troops?"

The Barbarian King弃子认输 (abandoned the piece and admitted defeat),

And said:

"Naturally, we mobilize troops in the name of Jingnan Marquis. The truth is mixed with falsehood, and even if discerning people understand that all this is our Boye's presumptuous arrogance, as long as Jingnan Marquis doesn't deny it, no matter how discerning the discerning people are, they have to weigh it."

"But, there's no tiger tally."

The Barbarian King laughed heartily,

And said:

"It's as if Jingnan Marquis had a tiger tally when he asked our Boye to transmit the order to kill the prisoners!"

...

The slaughter at the Office of Academic Administration continued.

The Sword Saint in white sat in the tea shed by the roadside, drinking tea. Opposite him sat Chen Daole, cautiously.

No-Brainer and Unhappy had also been incorporated into the personal guard camp.

He Chunlai could make candied hawthorns, and the sword maid liked to eat them, so the sword maid wanted He Chunlai to come out with them again. Then Fan Li helped her intercede with Zheng Fan, and Zheng Fan agreed.

Since he thought of He Chunlai, he naturally brought Chen Daole along.

On the roof diagonally opposite, Chen the Hero squatted there.

Yingdu wasn't Zheng Boye's home field.

After the three hundred personal guards stormed into the Office of Academic Administration, the protective forces around Zheng Boye were naturally reduced.

Because the Devils were either staying behind, being sent out, or injured. Even the blind man had to be responsible for keeping an eye on the Barbarian King. So, this time out, the protective forces around Zheng Boye were very weak.

Of course, Zheng Boye had always been cautious.

Even if the Devils were by his side, he would still feel that it wasn't enough. After all, no one would嫌弃 (dislike) being too safe.

Chen the Hero's sword was dripping with blood. He had already fought off three eavesdropping spies who had come to check the situation.

These people didn't have high martial arts skills, but their Qinggong (light body technique) was good. They were often used as "informants" by large families.

Chen the Hero didn't kill them, just let them go back with blood.

In Zheng Boye's words, this could add to Yingdu's "bloody atmosphere" and allow those large families in Yingdu to more directly feel the scene here.

Chen the Hero felt that he couldn't understand this reason, but fortunately, he had an advantage: if he couldn't understand it, he wouldn't think about it.

He enjoyed using his sword in front of the Sword Saint,

Even if the Sword Saint was just sitting there drinking tea, without looking up, Chen the Hero felt that the Sword Saint should be able to feel it.

But in fact,

Chen Daole knew that

The Sword Saint was propping his chin with his right hand,

And had been asleep for a while.

Chen Daole had even reached out several times to help drive away the flies.

Most people still had an仰视 (admiring) attitude towards the Sword Saint.

Looking around,

Yingdu,

He was back again.

Chen Daole vaguely felt that it was only yesterday that he had been captured by Fan Li in Yingdu.

As a member of the Chen family, he was一心想着 (一心想) to restore the kingdom, but after going to Snow Sea Pass and seeing the scenes there, and then following Zheng Boye into Chu, his thoughts had suddenly changed somewhat.

The Sword Saint opened his eyes at this time,

Sighed slightly,

Picked up his cup and drank a sip of cold tea.

"Isn't it like looking back at this place, the same people, the same things, the same scenery, but it seems like nothing is the same?"

The Sword Saint was talking to him,

Chen Daole was flattered,

And immediately replied respectfully:

"Yes."

The Sword Saint slowly rotated the cup in his hand,

And said:

"People, it's better not to live too tiredly, because you will find that even if you die of exhaustion, what is supposed to happen will still happen."

"Yes, sir."

"I really like Snow Sea Pass. The people there all have a place to live and can eat their fill."

This winter,

At Snow Sea Pass,

The Sword Saint was very comfortable,

Because no one froze or starved to death.

Even in peaceful times, it was extremely rare.

Chen Daole wanted to say: The living conditions of the soldiers and civilians in Snow Sea Pass were obtained through repeated external plunder. For example, in order to ensure that the soldiers and civilians in Snow Sea Pass could drink a mouthful of meat soup in winter, and the children could drink goat's milk,

The Naiman Tribe selflessly contributed all of their belongings.

The Sword Saint continued:

"Now, I only seek my own comfort. I only want the places I see to make me comfortable."

Chen Daole was a little surprised that these words were spoken by the Sword Saint who had once blocked an army alone in front of Snow Sea Pass.

But upon closer examination, there wasn't much negativity in these words, but rather a洒脱 (unrestrained) attitude of having already let go.

Even the Sword Saint only needed a bed to sleep on, a pair of chopsticks to eat with, and he looked at the people around him.

At this moment,

A father and son walked down the street.

The reason for saying they were father and son was that they looked very much alike.

Both father and son were carrying swords.

Chen Daole looked over and immediately saw his friend Zhang Yiqing. When he first came to Yingdu, it was Zhang Yiqing who received him in Yingdu and gave him a sword.

Zhang Yiqing also saw Chen Daole. He didn't expect to see his friend, who had suddenly disappeared back then, at this time.

However, neither Chen Daole nor Zhang Yiqing got up to greet each other.

Because neither of them could speak freely here.

Zhang Yiqing's father, Zhang Pinghang, was the Deputy Prefect of Yingdu, a small official, but few people knew that he was also a sword fanatic.

Otherwise, Zhang Yiqing wouldn't have been able to casually take out a sword to give to Chen Daole, because his family had many good swords.

Zhang Pinghang took the initiative to walk to the table, cupped his hands to the Sword Saint,

And said:

"I really didn't expect that you would be here, sir."

The two knew each other.

Back then, Situ Lei wanted to commit patricide and found the Sword Saint through Zhang Pinghang.

Who would have thought that this Deputy Prefect, who continued his small official position even after the dynasty changed, had actually participated in regicide.

The Sword Saint took another sip of tea,

And said:

"What is it?"

Zhang Pinghang respectfully said: "I have two nephews who are officials in the Office of Academic Administration."

"Oh."

The Sword Saint responded,

Then,

The Sword Saint seemed to feel that his response was a bit too cold, after all, he and himself could be considered old acquaintances;

So, the Sword Saint planned to say a few more words:

"Just pretend you don't have these two relatives."

"........." Zhang Pinghang.

After hesitating for a moment,

Zhang Pinghang opened his mouth;

"Sir, I think Earl of Pingye's actions are improper."

The Sword Saint nodded.

"Sir also thinks so?"

The Sword Saint nodded again.

"Then could Sir..."

The Sword Saint continued to nod, and said:

"You can't beat me."

"........." Zhang Pinghang.

Even if you have a thousand reasons,

You can't beat me,

And that can completely block you.

Zhang Pinghang sighed,

Turned around,

And signaled his son to leave with him.

He didn't plan to save them.

Even though, in the eyes of Chen the Hero above, he was a swordsman with higher swordsmanship than himself.

But in this world, how many people who use swords dare to draw their swords against the Sword Saint, unless it was for "guidance?"

However,

As Zhang Pinghang and his son turned to leave,

The Sword Saint said:

"Wait."

Zhang Pinghang stopped.

"Back then, when you helped Situ Lei as a lobbyist and borrowed a sword from me, you promised me that you would show me a better Great Jin. You broke your promise."

Was Great Jin good now?

No,

It really wasn't good,

And it was, very bad.

Zhang Pinghang took a deep breath, bowed deeply to the Sword Saint,

And said:

"I am willing to let you, sir, impose punishment."

Then,

Zhang Pinghang unloaded the sword in his hand, apparently not planning to resist, and his son, Zhang Yiqing, at his side, looked extremely anxious.

"Okay."

The Sword Saint put the teacup on the table,

Pointed to the table in front of him,

And said:

"Help me pay for the tea."