Chapter 963 Useless Tablet

"The weather today is really nice."

Sitting on the back of the Pixiu, Zheng Fan stretched lazily.

He told Liang Cheng he would laze around;

And then he really lazed around in the command tent for days. When bored, he could approve official documents. When he wanted company, Si Niang was there.

To put it bluntly,

The current Regent has somewhat crossed the line on the "debauchery" level.

It's just that he's relying on his strong position now, with no one to suppress him. Once a person reaches this position and sees all the mountains as small, they can naturally shout loudly to the surroundings;

If there's a crowd of people standing around, you'd be embarrassed, wouldn't you?

When Lao Tian was around, Zheng Fan would never have dared to be so absurd. Lao Tian might have just kicked him, sending him flying to the ground to cough up blood.

Of course, in the eyes of the soldiers below, their lord was diligently working day and night in the command tent, making extremely meticulous plans for the upcoming battle.

"If the construction of the aqueduct is too difficult, then first improve the ferry crossing. Also, level these roads. Don't rush to make them like official roads, but at least make them presentable, able to last a few months. This will also facilitate the transportation of logistical supplies.

In addition, the fortresses and post stations must also be accelerated, without delay."

"Yes, Your Highness, noted."

Liu Dahu held a small notebook and pen, carefully taking notes. Later, he would be responsible for conveying the orders from the lord to the relevant departments in the army.

"Did Li Chenghui give you a hard time?" the lord suddenly asked.

Liu Dahu immediately replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, General Li did not. However, some of the generals in the command tent looked somewhat angry."

"That's giving Li Chenghui face."

Zheng Fan was not worried at all that Li Chenghui's subordinates would have other thoughts. His Zhenbei Army had been in Jidong for five years, and the original old Zhenbei Army system had long been dismantled;

In the current Dayan, the biggest faction in the army was his, the Regent of Dayan. How dare they have other thoughts?

But if their own general is humiliated, they must cooperate a little.

At this moment, a Jinyi bodyguard rode over on horseback:

"Report, Your Highness, the Chu army has sent an envoy."

"Tell him to get lost."

"Understood!"

Zheng Fan looked at the Wei River in front of him and smiled.

Liu Dahu, who was beside him, did not know why the lord was smiling, but he also smiled in cooperation.

Who knew,

The lord suddenly turned to look at Liu Dahu,

And asked:

"What are you smiling at?"

"Uh..."

Fortunately, Liu Dahu had been "accompanying the lord like accompanying a tiger" for a long time, so he wasn't too embarrassed. He just said honestly:

"This subordinate doesn't know."

"Mm." Zheng Fan nodded, "It's right that you don't know."

The Pixiu under him turned around,

While stroking its mane, the lord said:

"Even you, Liu Dahu, don't know, so how could the other side, no matter how smart, possibly know?"

Although Liu Dahu was still confused and clueless, at this moment, he felt that the lord was so unfathomable.

"Guessing riddles again?" The Sword Saint, who had been following him, couldn't stand it any longer.

Zheng Fan shook his head: "Chu is weak and I am strong, I am high and he is low, so everything is clear from above; but when standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, the clouds, trees, and forests all block the view.

So do you know why, throughout history, so many so-called heroes in history books have lamented the phrase 'unable to turn the tide'?

Because,

The overall trend is not on his side!"

………

"So, what exactly is the Dayan army planning?"

Xiong Tingshan, who was missing an arm, sat opposite Xie Yu'an and asked.

Xie Yu'an rubbed his brow, while picking up a snuff bottle and taking a hard sniff, so hard that he almost suffocated himself, followed by a series of dry heaves.

Xiong Tingshan watched the young man in the commander's seat perform this act, and his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Finally, Xie Yu'an stabilized himself, took a sip of water to rinse his mouth, and said:

"I don't know either."

Xiong Tingshan snorted coldly.

Xie Yu'an seemed very calm: "Not knowing is not knowing, and there's no need to necessarily know. Anyway, if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move; no matter how the enemy moves, I still don't move."

"The last person to use this tactic, Nian Yao, is now a eunuch."

"During the first Yan-Chu war, if General Nian hadn't been so focused on being a shrinking turtle, how could he have preserved the elite of my Great Chu's hundreds of thousands of imperial guards?

It was precisely because General Nian continued to be an old turtle that the Jingnan King had no choice but to return after breaking through my Yingdu.

Otherwise,

Half of my Great Chu might have already been lost."

"Isn't it now?"

"Now it's half of half, which is still okay." Xie Yu'an smiled. "The Yan people won't get any advantage, and they can't bite through my defense line. They will still retreat to Zhennanguan. They won't be foolish enough to stockpile heavy troops here and confront us for years.

At that time, the lost territory will nominally return to the territory of my Great Chu."

"Is that what you're planning?"

"I only look at reality."

"But scouts from the front report that the Yan people have even transported winter coats, preparing to spend the winter in my Chu country. That Regent plans to spend the winter in Chu."

"Oh, that reminds me, we can ask His Majesty... oh no, the Prince, to send a set of brocade robes in your name. After all, he is your brother-in-law, and we can't let him catch a cold when he comes to our house.

Even ordinary people would give their guests an extra layer of quilt."

"I have no interest in sitting here and talking idly with you!"

"Prince, don't be angry, don't be angry. If you want to blame someone, blame the fact that we've sent too many heads to the front, and we've been sending the valuable ones. Three of the four pillar countries are gone, and only my father can still breathe.

In addition to the pillar countries, too many elite generals from earlier years have also been lost, and the aristocratic private soldiers are the most miserable.

What are we going to fight with,

What are we going to rely on to fight?

Prince,

These are the exact words I said to His Majesty before. Even if we cover our ears, close our eyes, bury our heads, stick out our butts, and ignore everything, that is the best thing to do, really.

The more you look, the more you think, the more ideas you get, the more you get itchy, and the more mistakes you make.

People are on the mountain, seeing clearly;

We are at the foot of the mountain, with layers of obstruction, so we really think what we're seeing is real?

In war, the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard is very useful, yes, really useful. The Qian's Silver Armor Guard is also remarkable. Over the years, only the Yan's Secret Espionage Division has always been lacking.

But precisely because of that, we can't defeat the Yan people on the battlefield."

Xie Yu'an reached out and touched the small blister on the corner of his mouth;

He smacked his lips,

And continued;

"If there are no accidents, the Yan Kingdom's imperial court will send at least nearly 200,000 regular soldiers to help Jidong, just like they supported the Jingnan King during the first Yan-Chu war to support this Regent.

The Phoenix Nest Inner Guard's information says that this army is now卸甲归田 (xiè jiǎ guī tián, disarming and returning to the fields), harvesting.

I have a feeling,

That this regular army may be the key to this upcoming battle.

Are they really harvesting with sickles,

Or are they sharpening their knives, preparing to harvest the heads of our Chu people?"

"Just find out."

"Jidong, even the Secret Espionage Division isn't allowed to enter. Heh, it's becoming increasingly difficult for our people to infiltrate. It's a fog. Once this regular army of the Yan Kingdom's imperial court enters, it's like it disappears."

Xiong Tingshan suddenly asked:

"Fan City there."

"My intention is to have my father defend Guyue City to the death. I believe my father will do so."

Xiong Tingshan stood up. He was preparing to leave the Governor's command tent, but before leaving, he said:

"A father will always be accustomed to doing more for his son."

…

"Ah, how can there be a father in this world who doesn't love his son?"

Xie Zhuyang sat cross-legged on the cushion. In front of him sat the woman, but beside the woman sat a little girl.

It was clear that the woman and the girl, apart from the difference in age, were almost identical.

Even if they were mother and daughter, it would be difficult to be so similar, but Xie Zhuyang knew that they were not mother and daughter at all.

The woman closed her eyes,

And the girl said, "You should listen to your son."

These words, for a "father," were somewhat damaging to his self-esteem, especially since Xie Zhuyang had not yet reached the point of lying in bed and needing his son to serve him medicine.

However, he still raised his hand and said:

"I have always listened to my son."

"In the future, you must continue to listen."

"I know!!!" Xie Zhuyang nearly roared.

The girl didn't seem to care about Xie Zhuyang's emotions at all, and nodded very satisfied.

In fact, according to the temperament of this Xie family head, it was impossible for him to be so polite to these two women;

Even if she were a third-rank Qi Refiner, Xie Zhuyang could still ignore her.

But the woman in front of him gave off a feeling of otherworldliness like a Qi Refiner, but he could allow the shadow beside him to forcefully "push" the knife back when drawing it.

The shadow gave Xie Zhuyang an accurate answer: third-rank… martial artist.

And the shadow himself was also a third-rank martial artist, so this answer had another layer of meaning: the third-rank realm was divided into high and low, and the woman was above him.

The Xie family was a great aristocratic family. Compared to the Qu family's "clean record," the Xie family had intermarried with the Shanyue tribe for hundreds of years, and its tentacles and sphere of influence were actually more extensive, and the family's offerings were also extremely complete.

Ordinary third-rank martial artists would naturally be treated with courtesy and regarded as honored guests;

But if she was not an ordinary third-rank martial artist…

Look at how that lord of Jidong treated the Sword Saint beside him.

This kind of true peak expert was definitely not as good as thousands of troops, but could protect your life in all scenarios except when thousands of troops surrounded you.

Furthermore, Xie Zhuyang discovered that they seemed to be more interested in his son.

Although the girl was a little younger, it was not uncommon for thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds to be mothers, so it was nothing;

And Xie Zhuyang knew that his son had always been interested in his concubines, and Xie Zhuyang believed that his son could handle this one.

To take a step back, if they came, he would treat them politely. Whether they could become daughters-in-law was another matter.

The girl stood up, and the woman also stood up.

The girl looked at Xie Zhuyang, who was still sitting there, and asked, "Head of the Xie family, can you withstand the Yan army on the opposite side?"

"You should be asking if I can swallow them."

"Good."

The girl didn't say anything else, turned around and left, the woman followed behind, their movements were almost identical.

Xie Zhuyang supported himself with both hands and pondered deeply.

His son had sent him two letters in succession, one in the name of the Grand Commandant and one in his son's name, one with reason and one with emotion, both asking him, his father, to honestly guard Guyue City and not do anything else.

Xie Zhuyang helplessly looked up,

He didn't have the anger of being looked down upon by his son,

He just let out a wry smile,

"The opposite side is the barbarian's army. In the eyes of the Yan people, they are worthless."

Xie Zhuyang reached out and extinguished the burning sandalwood incense:

"They will cut off support from the Qian region without regard for the consequences. They won't have any scruples, even if... the casualties are heavy."

…

The girl and the woman who had left the hall entered the厢房 (xiāngfáng, wing room).

The girl sat on the edge of the bed, while the woman pulled over a chair and sat facing the girl.

The two were facing each other, but neither of them actually saw the other in their eyes.

The girl said: "In the last sixty years, there have only been a few in the Qi Refining world who have been able to窥觑天机 (kuīqù tiānjī, peep into the secrets of heaven) but are unwilling to enter the sect to wait for a good price."

The woman said: "Yes, I originally thought that even if those people didn't enter the sect, they should keep their heads down and hide themselves outside. I didn't expect them to be so stupid as to collapse.

Cang Fuzi went to Yanjing City to斩龙脉 (zhǎn lóngmài, sever the dragon vein), and ultimately dissolved himself, and the last half of the white lotus also disappeared.

That stinky Taoist was even stranger. When facing the sect's invitation, he claimed that he could open up a dwelling place to seclude himself from the world, but he collapsed inexplicably.

Not dissolving, not dissipating;

Perhaps there's just a trace of ignorance remaining, and I don't even know which mountain spirit or wild monster it has fallen on to forcibly continue its life."

"Don't talk about those few. Aren't we who are hiding in the sect another version of them? We originally thought that when the time came, we would follow the will of heaven, but who knew that this will of heaven was actually distorted, no, obscured."

"Everyone's intention is to拨乱反正 (bōluàn fǎnzhèng, correct the chaos and restore order)."

The girl nodded: "Yes, if we don't correct the chaos and restore order, wouldn't everyone in the sect become fools?

We always say that the world is ignorant and the common people are unknowing, but in the end, we are the real clowns."

"Where should we start correcting?"

The girl snorted coldly and said, "That black dragon flag should have fallen abruptly when the country's momentum was boiling, but now there's no sign of that."

"The reason."

"I read a lot of books from Xie Zhuyang, and I also read a lot of letters." The girl crossed her hands and propped up her chin. "Actually, it's not hard to guess."

The woman nodded.

The girl twisted her neck and continued, "Who is really supporting that black dragon flag in this world, and who is the real core of this ongoing Yan-Chu war?

It's him."

"Then kill him?" the woman suggested.

The girl disdainfully snorted,

And said;

"Those old fogeys in the sect are afraid of death and greedy, who would be willing to go? You know, he has thousands of troops around him.

Furthermore, in addition to thousands of troops, there are many real experts guarding him.

The sect is an existence in the shadows, how can it be qualified to look down on those contemporary experts standing in the sun?"

"Then there's nothing we can do," the woman said.

The corners of the girl's mouth twitched a few times,

Then she put one hand on her forehead and the other hand on her chin,

With the help of her hands, the girl "shook her head" at the woman;

Then,

She put down her hands,

And said:

"What we can do is to try our best to repair and patch things up, at least, we must try our best to maintain this balance."

"How many can come out of the sect? They are already very angry with us for coming out early."

"A bunch of stupid cockroaches, rats, and crickets!" The girl opened her mouth and cursed loudly. After cursing, she couldn't close her mouth.

The woman reached out and helped the girl close her mouth.

The girl was able to continue: "The problem now, I don't think it's that simple. Cang Fuzi斩龙脉 (zhǎn lóngmài, severed the dragon vein), forcibly sacrificing all his marks for this, coming empty and leaving empty;

So,

What exactly did he sever?"

"The current kings have the blessing of the Ziwei energy, and it is difficult for pure Qi Refiners to touch them. If I were him, I would sever the legacy of future kings."

"But the current emperor of the Yan Kingdom is in his prime."

The woman frowned, puzzled.

The girl rolled her eyes. Fortunately, she could roll them back:

"That stinky Taoist is also inexplicable."

The woman interrupted the narrative and said, "So, what we need to do now is to kill that Regent of the Yan Kingdom."

"I just said, how to kill him? If he was so easy to kill, he would have been killed long ago!"

"We can call for people."

"Heh."

"If he doesn't die, I'm afraid Xie Yu'an won't be able to hold on. Logically speaking, he now... no, his father should already be wearing a dragon robe."

"I have a doubt now."

As she spoke, the girl stretched out a finger, staring at the finger;

"What?" the woman asked.

The girl continued to stare at her finger, became cross-eyed, and didn't move.

The woman reached out, pressed the girl's finger down, and touched her eyes.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief: "This body is rusting too badly."

"Moving around more will help a lot," the woman replied. "I plan to find someone to do阴阳调和 (yīnyáng tiáohé, yin-yang harmonization) to restore this body as much as possible."

"What I mean is, is it possible that there is another group of mysterious existences, like our sect, hiding in the dark all these years, but have been pushing the changes in the general trend of the world."

"You mean?"

"Acting rashly may startle the snake;

Because I think that the Regent of the Yan Kingdom may just be a useless tablet pushed to the forefront."

…

"Achoo!"

The Regent of Dayan, who was approving memorials in the command tent, sneezed. It was rare for him to catch a cold, especially since his body was now well-conditioned, and he would also be in bed at night.

The lord took a hot towel from Si Niang and wiped his face,

And said:

"My daughter must be missing me."

————

The next chapter will be available tomorrow morning, everyone don't wait up. Holding everyone tight!