Chapter 135 Four Great Buddhas

Chen Daxia's swordsmanship, though not as consummate as the Sword Saint's, was certainly accomplished.

Therefore, since Chen Daxia said that the swordsmith had arrived, then it must be that swordsmith.

Just as Zheng Bo was getting up to leave, two men walked up the stairs.

The one in the lead wore a white robe with an inner layer of padded silk, truly displaying an air of wealth and status.

After all, in this era, those who dared to go out in all white were usually rich or noble.

Poor families didn't like wearing white clothes, fearing they would get them dirty and ruin them.

Behind the man in the robe followed a man with flowing long hair and handsome features, his image carrying a hint of the romantic and unrestrained spirit beloved by the Chu people.

Instinctively, Zheng Bo knew that the person had arrived.

If he left now, it would easily attract attention.

Chen Daxia also seemed to finally realize that he had misunderstood, and perhaps even caused a mistake.

Chen Daxia felt that he couldn't be blamed for this, because the previous few times he had met Zheng Fan, he had been completely arranged and taken care of by Zheng Fan and the blind man.

So, the honest Chen Daxia had simply decided not to use his brain this time he met Zheng Bo.

Anyway, they could calculate everything clearly and arrange things properly.

But this time, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Zheng Fan's first impression was that the man in the white robe was the swordsmith, because he was walking in front, and the person behind was clearly half a step behind, representing respect.

How should he put it?

When Zheng Bo walked with Marquis Jingnan, he also maintained the same posture as the person behind.

However,

When Chen Daxia grasped his sword, stood up, and cupped his fist towards the person in the back, saying, "Greetings, Master," Zheng Bo realized that the long-haired man was actually the Chu Kingdom's swordsmith, one of the Four Great Swordsmen.

For a moment,

Zheng Bo's heart skipped a beat. There were few people who could make one of the Four Great Swordsmen willingly stand behind them.

Li Liang Shen of Yan would only step back when the Yan Emperor or the two Marquises of North and South were present. Bai Li Jian of Qian would only give the Emperor of Qian this courtesy. The Sword Saint of Jin seemed too lazy to give anyone face these days; even when he went out with him, they walked side by side.

Chu… it seemed that only that one could make the swordsmith willingly stand behind him. Because apart from his identity as one of the Four Great Swordsmen, the swordsmith's clan, the Dugu family, was itself a noble clan of Chu, on par with the once-flourishing Qu family.

It could be said that even if he wasn't a swordsmith, he wouldn't need to show too much respect to many people in Chu based solely on his family background. Coupled with his status as one of the Four Great Swordsmen, he was even more extraordinary.

It was said that this swordsmith had an excessively unrestrained personality. Earlier, the swordsmith had helped the First Prince of Chu wave the flag, then inexplicably ran to cheer for the Third Prince, and finally, he stood firmly behind the Fourth Prince, the Prince Regent.

No one knew if he had already reached some kind of tacit understanding with the Fourth Prince in private, because there was no need to delve into this matter. After all, whichever prince ascended the throne would need to win him over; he could completely play around as he pleased.

Unlike Chen Daxia, that iron-headed simpleton, who bypassed the "main seat" and greeted the swordsmith in the back first, Zheng Bo bowed to the man in white robes upon getting up.

The courtesy was in the Qian style.

Zheng Bo was a person who pursued details, so he wouldn't make a mistake in such matters.

The man in white smiled subtly, very reserved.

Then, without waiting for greetings, he sat down, and the swordsmith followed closely behind.

A square table, perfectly seating four people.

The man in white pointed at Chen Daxia and said to the swordsmith, "Is this the great hero Chen?"

Chen Daxia nodded and said, "It's me."

The swordsmith seemed to have heard about Chen Daxia's temperament long ago; he wasn't the least bit dissatisfied that he had interrupted him, and instead smiled and said, "When I was in Chu, I heard of Chen Daxia's reputation. Perhaps in twenty years, among the new Four Great Swordsmen, when Bai Li Jian retires, this great hero Chen can take his place."

Zheng Bo felt that this swordsmith was indeed very good at talking. No wonder he was the only one among the Four Great Swordsmen who had never made a move and had no record of battle, forcibly promoted through Yu Hua Ping's praise.

Then, the swordsmith looked at Zheng Fan.

The man's gaze was very pure, the kind of purity that truly contained no impurities, as if it could see through your heart.

However, Zheng Fan wasn't worried about his secrets being discovered, such as his martial arts skills, because the red stone that Xue San had obtained from the meteorite had become the new home for the demonic core, and when Zheng Fan placed the red "demonic core" on his body, the blind man's mental power simply couldn't get close to him.

To be on the safe side, Zheng Fan had also specifically asked the Sword Saint, who lived next door to him, to try it out, and received the same result.

In other words, the demonic core in its new shell possessed an ability to conceal one's aura beyond imagination.

This was also why Zheng Bo dared to confidently live in the Fan residence, and only needed to focus on dealing with the princess in the imperial villa.

Those true experts didn't need to reach the level of the Sword Saint. Basically, those at the fifth or sixth rank, or even the seventh or eighth rank, as long as they were sensitive to auras, could sense whether you were a martial artist or not.

Therefore, Zheng Fan, sitting in his seat at this moment, could calmly face the swordsmith's gaze.

"This, I presume, is the young gentleman Su Mingzhe, the disciple that Yao Shi took in a few years ago?"

Just as Zheng Fan was about to speak,

Chen Daxia said directly:

"Yes."

Zheng Fan stood up and bowed again:

"In your presence, this junior wouldn't dare to be called 'Master.' Please, just call me Mingzhe."

The man in white smiled and said:

"As expected of a disciple favored by Yao Shi. This cultivation and bearing are indeed outstanding."

One was the well-known Great Chu swordsmith,

And the other was himself.

Although the Prince Regent hadn't revealed his identity, he knew that not just anyone could remain calm in front of him.

Zheng Fan's composure at this moment was, in the Prince Regent's eyes, the so-called "demeanor of a great family."

They wouldn't have expected that the one sitting in front of them was the Earl of Pingye of Yan,

A general who had faced the Yan Emperor, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the Marquis of Jingnan, and had been on the battlefield for a long time.

It couldn't be said that the two of them were foolish, but rather that Zheng Bo himself had never expected that he had simply wanted to treat Chen Daxia to a meal, and take advantage of him by having him escort him home after giving him a gift, but as the meal went on, the Prince Regent of Chu and the swordsmith had actually sat down as well.

A small Zui Feng Tower,

At this moment,

Actually accommodated several great buddhas at the same time.

Zheng Fan reached out and pushed the letter that Chen Daxia had taken out and placed on the table towards the Prince Regent, saying:

"This is a letter that my teacher asked me to deliver."

The Prince Regent spread out his hand.

The swordsmith took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it over, allowing the Prince Regent to wipe his hands first.

Then, the Prince Regent carefully opened the envelope and took out the first piece of paper inside. It was a ci poem, written about the scene when Yao Zizhan, under the Emperor's orders, went to take office as the Grand Coordinator of the Three Borders of Da Qian, leading eight hundred riders out of the city to hunt.

The first stanza of the poem described the grand scene of various troops closely following the Grand Coordinator during the hunt.

The second stanza expressed a kind of ambition to not admit to being old and still wanting to make contributions.

The entire poem was grand and heroic.

"A good poem, a good poem."

After reading the poem, the Prince Regent handed the paper to the swordsmith on the side.

The swordsmith took it, read it, and couldn't help but laugh:

"The poem is a good poem, but Yao Shi has been doing scholarship all his life and doesn't understand military affairs. After all, he's from a great Wen family, and can write with such passion and heroism about something he's clearly not good at."

As soon as he finished speaking, the swordsmith seemed to realize that Yao Zizhan's disciple was also sitting here, and couldn't help but wave his hand and say:

"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Young Gentleman Mingzhe, please don't take it to heart."

With the swordsmith's status and position, he could sit together with Yao Zizhan, joking, scolding, revealing shortcomings, and teasing each other.

But to mock someone's teacher in front of their disciple, how was the disciple supposed to act?

However,

Zheng Fan just smiled and nodded, very freely, saying:

"My teacher also says the same. My teacher says that days are days, and poems are poems. Because days are too bland, poems are needed to season them.

But if you really live life as if it were a poem, then you're putting the cart before the horse. I haven't heard of anyone who can live without eating rice by just eating salt."

Hearing this, the Prince Regent nodded and said, "I have always admired Yao Shi's state of mind and unrestrainedness."

The swordsmith said, "That sounds like something that old fellow would say."

"My teacher also said that although the Emperor let him sit in the position of Grand Coordinator of the Three Borders, what he needs to do is actually just be a peacemaker, bringing various parties together to talk at the same table. My teacher said that he doesn't know military affairs, so he doesn't plan to interfere in military matters."

Hearing this, the swordsmith said with emotion, "He's still the one who understands life."

The Prince Regent said, "He has learned a lesson. It's said that when the Yan army entered Qian and fought to the capital, an envoy of Yan entered the capital and met with your Qian Emperor.

That envoy said to your Emperor that he didn't know military affairs.

This angered your Emperor so much,

That he immediately ordered the troops of the Three Borders not to return to the rescue.

But in the end, it allowed the Yan people to use just over sixty thousand cavalry to tie down the entire Qian army, allowing the main force of three hundred thousand iron cavalry to enter Jin from Qian's territory with ease."

Zheng Fan immediately said seriously:

"I can only say that the Yan people fought that battle too well."

The Prince Regent shook his head and said, "It was your Qian people who cooperated too well."

As the Prince Regent of Great Chu, the actual contemporary "Chu Emperor," he could speak without restraint. After all, his position was equal to that of the Yan Emperor and the Qian Emperor.

The swordsmith said, "Wasn't that envoy the current Earl of Pingye of Yan?"

Zheng Fan immediately said, "Yes, his name is Zheng Fan."

The swordsmith couldn't help but gloat and said, "I guess your Emperor must regret it, right? Back then, he thought he was just an eloquent envoy, letting him safely enter the city and letting him safely leave the city.

Although there has been a rule since the Great Xia Dynasty that envoys shouldn't be killed in battle, I think that the one surnamed Zheng should be killed, he deserves to be killed.

He Yan has a Tian Wu Jing now, who is in his prime.

Don't let Tian Wu Jing be gone someday, and then Zheng Fan comes out to take Tian Wu Jing's place.

Such a talented general, still in an enemy country, one less is one less."

The Prince Regent also nodded and said, "Zheng Fan, this person, has the appearance of being able to both write and fight. Someone who can write *Zheng Zi's Art of War* will definitely be a Confucian general of his generation.

Give him another ten years, and he will surely take over Tian Wu Jing's banner and become a great threat to our Chu and Qian.

It's a pity that such a talented general is a Yan person. How wonderful it would be if he were a Chu person."

It's coming soon,

Brother-in-law,

We'll truly be family in a while.

Zheng Fan continued generously, "That's not right. The competition between two countries should be based on national strength as the foundation for confrontation. The power of arms can suppress for a while, but it can't suppress for a lifetime.

If my Da Qian and Da Chu rectify people's livelihoods and officialdom internally, and improve military preparations externally, then even if Yan still occupies the lands of the Three Jins, with the wealth of Da Qian and the vastness of Da Chu, in a two-on-one situation, this junior doesn't think there's anything to be afraid of from the Yan people, and doesn't think that the so-called Tian Wu Jing and Zheng Fan, just because of these few people, can change the fate of three great countries."

The swordsmith said impolitely, "Young Gentleman, you're not thinking this through. For example, think about how Tian Wu Jing suddenly raised troops to surround Zhennan Pass the other day. Our Da Chu knew that Zhennan Pass was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and that the Yan people weren't good at sieging cities, but we still kept sending troops to Zhennan Pass. Why?

Wasn't it because the one leading the army was Tian Wu Jing?

When the opposite side, when your enemy, has a general who is good at turning the impossible into the possible, the pressure is something else."

Zheng Fan immediately said, "This junior still doesn't think so. All things in the world complement each other and are difficult to truly be completely independent. Tian Wu Jing's strength lies in the strength of the Jingnan Army's iron cavalry under his command. Without this elite force, Tian Wu Jing is just a first-rate expert in the martial world.

As for that Zheng Fan, I heard that half of his subordinates are barbarian soldiers. He's just relying on these as the foundation for his position. Without this group of elite soldiers and strong generals to rely on, what can he accomplish?"

Hearing this, the Prince Regent nodded and said, "That makes sense. Back then, didn't the Yan people also lose at Wangjiang? The strength of the Yan people lies in the North and South Armies, but not all Yan people are good at fighting."

This was the Prince Regent's endorsement of Zheng Fan's words from his own perspective, because what he was doing now was trying to collect the military power of the nobles, and trying to merge their elite private soldiers into his own hands, in order to create a true elite army belonging to Da Chu, belonging to himself.

Zheng Fan immediately followed up and said:

"Yes, my Da Qian and Chu have never lacked talents, nor do we lack generals who know how to fight, or commanders who know how to lead. What we lack are elites that can contend with the Northern and Southern Armies of Yan.

However, this junior thinks that there's still time. Our Emperor has been preparing his troops and training new armies in the past two years.

Da Chu is obviously doing the same.

When the soldiers and weapons of Da Qian and Da Chu are completely new in another three years, it's likely that the arrogance of the Yan people in recent years should have been squandered.

This junior even thinks that the current Yan people are just relying on a burst of false fire to prop them up, and the Yan people are actually showing signs of being unable to sustain themselves.

It truly echoes the saying: 'Its rise is sudden, and its fall is sudden.'"

The Prince Regent revealed a smile, picked up his wine cup, and said, "For this sentence, we should offer Young Gentleman a large cup."

All four raised their cups,

And emptied them.

"Young Gentleman Su seems to be familiar with military matters?"

"This junior is untalented and dares not accept the praise, but this junior has always been among my teacher's staff, and often has the opportunity to look at military reports, and can also help my teacher with advice."

"Oh, no wonder."

Then,

The Prince Regent carefully put away the envelope, seemingly planning to leave. He should have originally come to see Yao Zizhan's new poem, but he became interested and chatted with Zheng Fan for a few more words.

His appearance here in disguise, what he came to do, the answer was actually obvious.

As the Prince Regent, as the actual "Emperor" of Da Chu, he couldn't leave Ying Du in a high-profile manner to send off his sister when there were military affairs at Zhennan Pass, but he, as an older brother, could come out in disguise before his sister's wedding to take one more look at his sister.

Most importantly, his sister had disappeared recently, and should have been frightened.

Seeing this,

Zheng Fan also planned to say some polite words and take his leave.

The Prince Regent was standing in front of him, with a Chu swordsmith next to him. In the surrounding area, there must be a group of true Chu top experts guarding them. The pressure this placed on Zheng Bo was truly not ordinary.

Thankfully,

Thankfully, the real Su Mingzhe had diarrhea on the way and couldn't come.

However,

Just as Zheng Fan was about to make an excuse to say that he wanted to appreciate the magnificent mountains and rivers of Chu,

The Prince Regent said something

That made Zheng Bo's heart fall to the bottom again, and he even had an absurd feeling that he was being played by the world:

"Young Gentleman Su, please come with us to the villa now. After all, Young Gentleman represents Yao Shi. With Yao Shi's personally passed-down disciple attending the wedding banquet, it should add a lot of light to the wedding banquet.

It's not far from here to the villa. If we leave now, we can arrive in the afternoon. I can continue to discuss poetry and romance with Young Gentleman."

"........." Zheng Fan.