Chapter 837 Remnants of the Great Xia Dynasty

The command tent was set up in Teng Family Village tonight.

Teng Family Village was very safe. First of all, it was in Zhao territory. And when the Yan army entered Zhao territory, apart from removing some fortresses and small county towns that were really in the way, they basically hadn't engaged in any serious battles with the Zhao army.

One reason was that small countries simply didn't have many soldiers. Before the expansion, the Liang Kingdom only had 20,000 regular soldiers, and they were scattered in several locations. Second, even if they hastily started a war and dragged in auxiliary soldiers and civilians to make up the numbers, forcibly assembling tens of thousands, their combat power could basically be ignored.

During the Liang territory war, only General Pu's force played a role; the rest of the Liang army just occupied space.

Monarchs who rose up from small countries like Helu and Goujian weren't unheard of, but they were too rare. At least, it didn't fit with the current Zhao Kingdom.

The real threat was the Qian-Chu allied army, but the Qian-Chu allied army was rooted in Liang territory. If they wanted to use the same "cage strategy" in Zhao territory as they did against Li Fusheng, they'd have to see if Prince Pingxi was willing to cooperate.

Furthermore, the other two armies weren't pushovers.

Right now, the Qian-Chu armies in Liang territory only had two options:

Either retreat, abandoning Liang Kingdom altogether, and return to their respective homes before the Yan army's cage was completed;

Or hold fast in Liang Kingdom, fight another war of attrition with the Yan army, and wait for reinforcements from their own countries, directly sparking a war between the three nations.

There was no third option.

To launch a proactive attack at this time would be to expose openings to the Yan, leaving weaknesses for the wolf pack.

In the final analysis,

The Yan had been defeated once, and the Yan Kingdom's national strength was extremely weak.

But at least in the short-term battlefield situation, the Yan's dominant position was still very obvious, unless the Qian-Chu allied forces could repeat a battle like the one that annihilated the Tiger Might Earl's army twice more, they still wouldn't be able to change the situation on the battlefield.

Therefore,

Prince Pingxi wasn't worried.

In the evening, he even ordered He Chunlai to make him a chicken pot.

Blind Man returned in a hurry. Unlike previous expeditions when everyone gathered around the lord, now that more troops were being mobilized, other aspects needed to be watched over by "family members." Blind Man had been organizing the rear army, storing the collected grain and supplies.

The stored grain would then be redistributed. This seemingly redundant act was actually the essence of war sustaining war.

War sustaining war wasn't about eating a full meal after winning a battle and then continuing to fight the next one. An army wasn't a band of bandits; it had to be supported by a stable organizational structure to ensure its smooth operation.

When Blind Man returned, he saw A Ming and Cahill sitting in the adjacent tent drinking wine.

After entering, he saw the lord and Sword Saint sitting together eating chicken pot.

In addition, there was a woman sitting there, and behind her lay a man with a bruised and swollen face.

Blind Man came in, didn't say a word, picked up a bowl and chopsticks, and started eating.

Everyone ate quickly, not rushing to talk.

When everyone was full, they put down their bowls and chopsticks one after another.

Sword Saint got up to leave, but Zheng Fan reached out and stopped him.

"Be cautious."

Sword Saint was helpless and could only sit down.

Zheng Fan briefly told Blind Man about the woman's matter during the day, especially the sentence about the snow plains.

The woman sat there quietly.

After Blind Man heard about the woman's and her "husband's" mutual lack of debt,

Blind Man smiled,

And said:

"She wants to negotiate terms."

They were fish on the chopping block, and whether she and her "husband" were truly without debt was meaningless.

She herself was very clear about this. Since she had said "that person in the snow plains," she had already revealed a corner of the secret.

The water had been spilled and couldn't be gathered again. Pretending that nothing had happened was impossible.

While saving her "husband," she also wanted other things.

Blind Man looked at the woman and said:

"Speak, what are your conditions?"

"I'm hungry, and so is he."

The woman said.

Blind Man pointed at Zheng Fan and said, "My Prince doesn't like this kind of style. Sometimes, he'd rather not know the secret than indulge your bad habits."

The woman felt a little aggrieved and said, "I haven't eaten, I'm really hungry. Just let me and him eat something first, and then I'll talk properly. There are no other tricks."

"Really?"

"Really."

"The condition is just a full meal?"

"If you're straightforward, I won't mention the conditions first. After we finish eating, you can ask me questions, and I'll answer them. After you've asked everything and I've said everything, I'll finally say what I want."

"What if we don't agree?"

"You will agree."

"So sure?"

"My condition is beneficial to you without costing you anything."

Blind Man turned his head and "looked" at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan nodded.

Blind Man instructed Liu Dahu, who was waiting outside, to bring in some more food.

Liu Dahu brought a basin of steamed buns.

Not the filled ones from Xuehai Pass, but solid steamed buns.

The woman sat down first, picked up a steamed bun, and started eating. Then, she turned to look at Teng Yihan in the corner and scolded:

"Come over and eat."

Teng Yihan nodded. He was very afraid of the atmosphere in the command tent. The furnishings, the people, the aura, all made this peasant, whose most outrageous act in his life was picking up scraps on the battlefield, feel scared from the inside out.

But he still instinctively obeyed the woman.

He got up, walked over, and sat down.

The two of them ate the steamed buns with the remaining chicken pot broth, eating with relish.

Finally, the woman was full.

The man, however, wasn't.

The woman scolded, "Go eat somewhere else."

Teng Yihan nodded, took three steamed buns, and returned to his exclusive corner.

The woman reached out, wanting to take the handkerchief in front of Prince Pingxi.

She hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and took it, then folded it up and wiped her mouth and hands. After putting down the handkerchief, she sat upright.

First, she looked at Prince Pingxi, then at Blind Man, and said to Blind Man:

"You can ask now."

"Tea."

Liu Dahu came in with a teapot and started pouring tea.

There weren't so many rules about drinking tea in the army. Hot water and tea leaves were all that was needed. In fact, soldiers in the army liked to drink tea when marching, partly to relieve fatigue and partly to replenish some of the body's needs.

The soldiers didn't understand the latter, but the habits that had formed in the army over the years naturally had their reasons.

The woman held the cup in her hands, blew on it, and took a sip.

On the other side, the man choked on the steamed bun and started pounding his chest.

Liu Dahu took another cup and gave it to the man, who took a big gulp and screamed from the heat.

Prince Pingxi waved his hand.

Liu Dahu picked up the man and led him out of the command tent.

Blind Man nodded and began to ask:

"First, tell me your identity."

The woman answered, "My surname is Chen..."

Blind Man immediately said to Zheng Fan, "The Great Xia royal surname."

Zheng Fan rolled his eyelids and said, "I know."

"This subordinate was presumptuous."

The Great Xia royal family's surname was "Chen."

The woman continued, "I am a descendant of the Great Xia."

Zheng Fan couldn't help but recall the words of the black-armored man in the Prince's dungeon: the curse from the Great Xia.

Obviously, according to the development of this world's situation, the so-called prophecy of the Demon Lord's Descent should be inextricably linked to the Great Xia of that time.

"My name is Ning, Chen Ning. My family has guarded a secret for generations."

Upon hearing this, the Prince couldn't help but stick out his little finger and pick at his ear;

Oh, that damn cliché opening.

"According to that secret, in twenty years, seven loyal souls of the Great Xia will be reincarnated to assist the new Great Xia Emperor, restore my Great Xia, and unify the world."

Seven, again seven.

And this time, it clearly included a Great Xia Emperor, which was the so-called... lord.

However, in this woman's words, they were seven loyal souls of the Great Xia, not some "Demon Lord."

Blind Man said, "One man's hero is another man's enemy."

In the eyes of others, it was the Demon Lord who brought chaos to the world, but in the eyes of the Great Xia descendants, it was an opportunity for the Great Xia to be restored. The butt determined the head, and the head then determined the perspective.

Therefore, there would be many versions of the prophecy. What remained unchanged was the foundation, what changed was the position.

"The Great Xia Emperor, who is it? And where is he?" Blind Man asked.

Chen Ning shook her head and said, "I don't know. My father didn't know either when he was alive."

"Aren't you a descendant of the Great Xia?" Blind Man retorted.

"Do you think the descendants of the Great Xia can still accomplish much today?

When the Great Xia collapsed, the three marquises stood by and did nothing. Not one of them sent troops to help. They watched as the former Great Xia ancient land became a battlefield for warlords.

Over the centuries, they had no fiefdoms and didn't even dare to establish ancestral temples. The so-called descendants of the Great Xia had long been scattered by the wind and rain."

The history of the Great Xia's collapse was very chaotic and bloody, not to mention that later, some warlords wanted to "coerce the emperor to command the vassals," which was attacked by the masses and was equivalent to a disguised uprooting of the Great Xia descendants.

Hundreds of years had passed.

The three marquises of that time had become the three great nations.

The former land of the Great Xia had established the Qian Kingdom.

For these four great nations, the so-called "Great Xia descendants" were actually their "dark history."

Naturally, they hoped that the Great Xia of that time would completely disappear.

To be ordinary people was fine. The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wangs and Xies now flew into the homes of ordinary people; this was the general trend.

If anyone dared to gather and emerge based on their identity, they would inevitably be strangled by the secret spy agencies, the Silver Armor Guards, and the Phoenix Nest Inner Guards. On this point, everyone was on the same page.

Most importantly, hundreds of years had passed. How many people who still cherished the old kingdom would be waiting for you to raise your arms and call for them?

How many people would continue to be loyal to your banner, waiting for your return as the ruler?

How big of an underground force could you still gather, and once you revealed your cards, it would shake the heavens and the earth?

It was impossible.

During the Qing Dynasty, rebellions were called "Overthrow the Qing and Restore the Ming," but who had ever called for "Overthrow the Qing and Restore the Song?"

Chen Ning continued:

"My family changed our surname to Qiu a hundred years ago and settled in Liang Kingdom. My father became a military advisor in Liang Kingdom, and I was probably betrothed to one of my father's lieutenants.

Only our own clan knows about the descendants of the Great Xia. My father, my uncles, and my brothers, even my husband, don't know that he is actually a son-in-law or someone of that sort.

But this is already the best we can do. In this small country, being a small general allows us to continue to reproduce and also gives us some channels to pay attention to things outside.

Moreover, the deadline for the secret prophecy was originally only twenty years away. As a result, a coup d'état occurred in Liang Kingdom, and my father and husband, as generals loyal to the former Liang Kingdom's ruler, were immediately purged.

My father and husband were arrested in the army, and our home was ransacked. I escaped on my own, not hesitating to disfigure myself and taking advantage of the great war in Liang Kingdom to escape from Liang Kingdom..."

This was a very tortuous story.

Originally, this lineage had been passed down very well because the secret hadn't been broken, but it completely collapsed due to a coup d'état.

They might still be looking forward to the great changes that might happen in twenty years, but they didn't know that they wouldn't have a future.

"How did you know about the snow plains?" Blind Man asked.

"Because my father was a very smart man. He guessed it based on the news of the Prince's use of troops that was sent back," Chen Ning replied.

As if afraid that Prince Pingxi and others wouldn't believe her,

Chen Ning immediately continued:

"In the family's secret inheritance, the prophecy says this: From the far north, the most loyal servant will return, gather the reincarnated loyal souls, seek the Emperor, and rebuild the Great Xia."

"But isn't it normal for our Prince's Residence to fight in the snow plains?"

After asking, Blind Man smiled and said:

"Lord, I'll write a letter back right away. In our Brocade-Clad Guards... no, even among our generals, it seems that there are also Great Xia descendants with the surname Chen."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ning looked shocked.

Obviously, Blind Man's reaction speed was much faster than she had expected.

Sword Saint felt that things were getting interesting.

Earlier, when Zheng Fan was stating the facts, he told Blind Man every detail of what the woman had said, including the woman's description of Chen Xianba, Liu Dahu, and the others from the Brocade-Clad Guards.

Flying fish robes and Brocade-Clad Guards were something storytellers in teahouses would talk about, but what exactly did they look like? If you hadn't seen them, how could you recognize them at first glance?

This proved that the woman knew the specific details, so she could make quick confirmations and distinctions after seeing the real thing.

Among the Brocade-Clad Guards, some were child soldiers from the school, but most were actually the children of various generals and officials with real power in the Prince's Residence.

Being the Prince's personal guard was the best place to gild oneself.

First, it was honorable. Second, you could often stay with the Prince, become familiar with him, and even gain some favor. Moreover, the Prince could also use this method to show kindness and win people's hearts.

However, the political screening of the Brocade-Clad Guards was also extremely strict, after all, it was directly related to the Prince's safety.

Blind Man added:

"It should also be a Great Xia descendant, the family should have ancestral instructions, has risen with us, and has a certain status and position in the Prince's Residence or the army.

Then, they contacted this side.

There aren't many people who know that the black armor is imprisoned in the Prince's Residence dungeon. Most of the people doing this are mainly from the Brocade-Clad Guards, and their descendants should be inside.

But this subordinate has not found any clues in the repeated political screenings, proving that this household does not have bad intentions and does not belong to the Silver Armor Guards or the Phoenix Nest Inner Guards. They may just be passing on this message out of their own ethnic resonance, and the Qiu family hasn't made any moves..."

When you don't have bad intentions, it's hard to be exposed; there's almost no possibility of exposure.

The Qiu family in the small Liang Kingdom was just a small military advisor. They hadn't done anything earth-shattering. What their family had done was just wait, wait for twenty years to see the changes in the situation.

That household in Jin East was just acting as relatives, passing on the message.

It could be said that the person in Jin East didn't have any bad intentions or any plans. They might even be quite satisfied with their life in Jin East.

They knew they were descendants of the Great Xia, but they didn't want to do anything. They were just sharing information out of respect for their ancestors.

So,

Blind Man and Xue San, all the fishing law enforcement, deliberately digging pits, and self-examination, were useless because they didn't have any bad intentions. They didn't even think they were lurking...

Maybe when they heard about catching spies, they were even more indignant and desperately tried to catch them because they didn't think they were spies at all, and they might even be extremely loyal to the Prince.

Blind Man added: "Check the generals and officials who came from Jin territory, limiting the scope to those who were at least small landlords in Jin territory, otherwise, it's impossible to guarantee this kind of inheritance and it's impossible to have contact with the Qiu family far away in Liang Kingdom in advance."

The scope was immediately narrowed a lot.

"They don't have malicious intentions, and we don't have malicious intentions!" Chen Ning immediately explained.

Zheng Fan looked at her, smiled, and said to Blind Man:

"These Great Xia descendants are just like Jews."

They were scattered everywhere, some with relatively long inheritances. They lived well in reality, but spiritually, they still believed that they had another identity, or rather, a tradition passed down during ancestral worship.

Then, they all dreamed of rebuilding their country.

"Lord, this analogy is very appropriate."

Then,

Zheng Fan pointed at himself, still staring at the woman, and asked:

"So, I'm very curious, what did you and your father consider this Prince to be?"

The woman replied, "My father believed that Yan had the momentum to unify the Xia Dynasty, and that the Prince himself was a person born in response to the times. From being a commoner step by step to today, you should uphold the destiny of Great Yan.

My father said that the Yan people should be preparing in advance to end the reincarnation of loyal souls and end the hope of the Great Xia's revival, and this task should fall on you, Prince."

Zheng Fan curled his lips. It really was a very cliché positioning, clearly placing himself in the pit of a villain opposing a group of chosen ones.

However,

Zheng Fan immediately laughed again;

Chen Ning was puzzled, wondering why this Prince of Yan was laughing.

Sword Saint was also a little curious, but he restrained himself from asking.

Blind Man then laughed along, understanding everything.

Because the Qiu family, which had been abiding by the inheritance and waiting for the prophecy to come true,

The fundamental reason for their destruction was most likely caused by that Xie family's prodigy, who they themselves believed to be the "reincarnation of a Great Xia loyal soul."

Xie Yu'an, in the Liang Kingdom's capital, held the old prime minister hostage, launched a coup, forced the original ruler to death, and purged the original ruler's faction in the army. The Qiu family was destroyed as a result. Chen Ning's father and brothers should have been killed; it was unlikely that they were still alive, after all, they definitely had to cut the Gordian knot quickly at that time.

And according to the Qiu family's expectations, in twenty years, they were planning to respond to that prophecy, and might even join that Xie family's son and serve him as their lord.

The Prince took a deep breath, allowing himself to stop laughing.

He picked up the teacup in front of him,

And cursed in his heart:

"Heh, this already chaotic world line."

————

There will be more tonight.