Chapter 1 Ji Chengjue's Return

Ji Chengjue returned very late.

So late that Zheng Boke had long finished his supper, and the blind man was already preparing the midnight snack when he finally came back.

As soon as he arrived, he went straight to the courtyard where Zheng Fan lived, breaking the iron rule of always visiting his son first upon returning home.

He threw himself onto a cushion,

Ji Lao Liu supported himself with both hands on the ground,

And sighed deeply:

"Exhausted."

Zheng Boke remained unmoved and continued to drink his tea. The Tongue of the Great Marsh was gone, but Ji Lao Liu's family had no shortage of good things. Zheng Boke didn't like drinking tea, but he liked drinking expensive things.

Ji Lao Liu waited for a while, and seeing that Zheng Boke didn't even offer a word of comfort, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful, saying:

"Today was already busy enough, constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul. I finally managed to sort things out, but then Father Emperor came, so everyone continued to be busy until now."

The Ministry of Revenue not only had to feed the other six ministries, but also had to deal with disaster relief in various local prefectures and counties, as well as the clamoring warlords. Yet, Da Yan had expanded too rapidly, and the Ministry of Revenue had to constantly overdraw its resources and even haggle with all parties.

It was said to be a hall full of dignitaries, but when arguing over budget allocations, they were even more ruthless than fishwives cursing in the market.

"Busy with what?" Zheng Boke asked.

"Father Emperor wanted to inquire about military expenditure."

"Military expenditure?"

Military expenditure was a term used in the Yan court, originating from the characteristics of the early war mode. Before a war, the emperor and the major aristocratic clans would jointly calculate the necessary food, weapons, soldiers, and so on, all agreeing on a plan before sending out troops.

In short, it was for everyone to discuss and figure out how much money, food, and manpower would be needed for a war.

Ji Lao Liu knew what Zheng Boke wanted to ask, so he said, "Father Emperor didn't say where he wanted to fight, he just wanted us to calculate it."

"Oh? What did you come up with?"

"Of course, we couldn't come up with anything. It's already extremely difficult to maintain the current situation, where would we find spare money and food for a war? This isn't just a small skirmish."

Things like the First Prince and Zhong Tianlang's small-scale cavalry clashes on the Southern Hope City border could only be called child's play. Any mobilization involving more than 20,000 troops and lasting longer than a month wouldn't even reach the Yan Emperor's table.

"Actually, it's not that we can't fight," Zheng Boke said while drinking his tea.

Ji Chengjue smiled and said, "We are Da Yan, not Da Yan Village. We can't always gamble our entire fortune on a single throw, can we?"

Just as Zheng Boke had said, fighting was possible.

Now they were already overdrawing resources, so to fight, they would have to collect taxes for the next four or five years in advance, directly requisition military supplies from various fortified manors and merchants, and impose forced labor beyond reasonable limits on the laborers of towns and villages.

In short, they would have to overdraft the entire future of Da Yan to force a gamble.

In fact, the Yan Kingdom had already used this trick before.

As soon as the campaign against the aristocratic clans ended, Marquis Zhenbei didn't bother with a detailed cleanup and directly transferred troops back to Yinlang County to join forces with Marquis Jingnan, beginning their conquest of Qian and Jin.

On the Qian front, they fought all the way to the capital;

On the Jin front, they directly collapsed most of the Jin Kingdom.

Then, relying on the prestige brought by the glorious victories of foreign wars, the Yan Emperor suppressed the court above, consolidated imperial power, and appeased the common people below. The victory of foreign wars allowed the people to temporarily ignore the decline in living standards.

However, Ji Chengjue was, after all, a "businessman." Businessmen had a basic principle: one was to preserve capital, as capital was the possibility of making a comeback; the other was stability, which allowed for continuous income and development.

Constantly betting one's life and fortune to turn things around was, in essence, still a barefoot gamble.

"I'm just afraid that Father Emperor really intends to do this."

"If His Majesty wants to do it, let him do it, can you stop him?" Zheng Boke teased. "Are you, Ji Chengjue, going to lead a group of ministers and kneel outside the palace gates to petition?

That's not something you, Ji Lao Liu, would do."

"My name is Ji, and I am a Yan person," Ji Chengjue said.

Zheng Boke reached out and covered his chest,

And said very seriously;

"I am also a Yan person."

"Da Yan, in fact, can stabilize things a bit," Ji Chengjue said.

"That's your opinion. You think you're very capable, so naturally you hope that when you sit on that throne, the situation will be better than it is now. Maybe, you even have some selfish motives. If His Majesty finishes everything, and you find that you have nothing to do when you sit on that throne, how boring would that be?

Of the billions of living beings, how many can sit on that throne?

By the grace of Heaven, since you've sat on it, you have to do something that will be remembered in history. At the very least, you have to leave some stories for future generations to read.

But from His Majesty's point of view, he wouldn't think that way.

He finally managed to suppress the aristocratic clans and concentrate power in his hands. If he doesn't take this opportunity to wipe out the entire East and unify the Xia, how can His Majesty be content?

Spending half his life working so hard,

Just to prepare a wedding dress for someone else?

Even if that someone else is his own son."

Ji Chengjue narrowed his eyes, looking at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan continued:

"Indeed, most parents in this world are the kind who are willing to dedicate everything to their children, their wealth, their life savings, even their lives...

But, how should I put it, I'm not that kind of parent."

"You don't have children yet."

"No, I think even if I have children in the future, I won't..."

"Wait until you have children before you talk."

"Are you going to let me speak or not? We only see each other once every two or three years, so to talk to you, I have to go back and have a child first and then come back to continue talking?"

"Okay, okay, you talk, you talk."

Ji Chengjue hurriedly relented. In fact, for a long time, he had always felt that Zheng Fan was very carefree and almost omnipotent.

He knew how to fight wars,

He knew how to deal with people,

He knew how to govern the people,

He knew how to write poetry,

Throughout history, those who were proficient in one of the above could be remembered; those who were proficient in two were definitely both literary and military talents, worthy of being written about in detail.

But on this matter, Ji Chengjue felt that Zheng Fan was wrong. Before having children, he actually had the same idea as Zheng Fan, but from the moment his child was born, or rather, from the moment his wife became pregnant, his thoughts instantly changed.

Why did Marquis Jingnan want to raise his son with Zheng Fan?

Seriously,

With Marquis Jingnan's current status and prestige,

Even if he raised his son by his side,

Who could stop him?

Who would dare to stop him?

Who would have the qualifications to stop him?

After having children, Ji Chengjue finally understood some of the deeper meaning behind Marquis Jingnan's actions.

Over here,

Zheng Boke was still continuing his words:

"Why give it to the children? Everyone only lives this one life, how can you not treat yourself well?"

Ji Chengjue nodded and said:

"Yes, yes, yes."

"You're being perfunctory."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Okay, I am."

Zheng Boke reached out and patted Ji Chengjue on the shoulder, saying:

"Actually, that's only one reason. If it were really just His Majesty's selfish motives, you, Ji Lao Liu, could take the ministers and kneel at the palace gates to persuade His Majesty not to wage war recklessly.

If you're really afraid, hey, let the Crown Prince take the lead. None of you brothers should be left out, go together. His Majesty can't possibly just wipe out all of you brothers in one fell swoop."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

"You're not in the military, so you may not have a clear picture of things in the army.

His Majesty wants to take action sooner rather than later, to finish things during his reign, because His Majesty knows that if His Majesty were to be gone one day..."

"I'm confident that I can still stabilize the situation," Ji Chengjue said.

"I believe you, I believe in your ability, otherwise I wouldn't live in your house. If you didn't have that ability, I would have eaten you clean and severed all ties with you long ago."

"Those words are really blunt."

"Between us brothers, this is called treating each other with sincerity."

"Alright, you continue."

"You can stabilize the situation, and I believe you have the ability to stabilize the situation, but you're only stabilizing it. To put it bluntly, when His Majesty is around, Marquis Zhenbei and Marquis Jingnan will always stand behind His Majesty.

Just like back then in the palace, His Majesty was in front, the two marquises were behind, and after that, there were thousands of iron cavalry from the two armies.

But if His Majesty is gone, who can mobilize them?

I'm not talking about that kind of mobilization. I'm talking about how when His Majesty said he wanted to reclaim local governance rights, Marquis Jingnan didn't make a move, tacitly agreeing and cooperating with the court's move.

If you were in that position, do you think Marquis Jingnan would give you that kind of face?

Besides,

It's Da Yan's good fortune to have two marquises, a time when stars are shining brightly. If you don't take advantage of this time to use troops and quickly fight the battles that need to be fought, who knows if another batch of nearly invincible commanders will emerge in the future?

Also, this is the most important point.

Let me take myself as an example,

If those three are all gone,

And the one sitting on the dragon throne is the Crown Prince or you, Ji Lao Liu, do you know what I, the Earl of Pingye, would do immediately?"

"What would you do?"

"Hearing the exciting news of your ascension, I would be very happy. That night, the Snow Sea cavalry would leave the city and directly control the surrounding areas, turning my territory from a point into a surface.

The nearby cities must be garrisoned by my troops and listen to my orders.

Then,

I would submit a memorial,

Expressing my loyalty to you.

I can guarantee you that most of the warlords would do the same."

"Then, if Marquis Jingnan transferred most of the Jingnan Army to you before that, completing the handover?"

Zheng Boke chuckled,

And said:

"Then you would die even faster."

Ji Chengjue rolled his eyes at Zheng Fan.

"The aristocratic clans aren't the most terrifying, because even when Marquis Zhenbei and His Majesty were putting on a show back then, when the Zhenbei Army could advance east at any time, what the aristocratic clans wanted was nothing more than for His Majesty to make some concessions, to grant the two marquises of the North and South the title of king. They had no intention of overthrowing your Ji family at all.

But if the warlords become too powerful, they will quickly become a situation of regional separatism. At that time, the Son of Heaven will truly be the one with the strongest army.

In addition,

The Qian people are organizing a new army, and the Regent of Chu is suppressing the aristocratic forces and steadily carrying out centralization. The national power of Qian and Chu, or rather, the power that can be used for foreign wars, is actually increasing dramatically every day.

And my Da Yan, seemingly having annexed the lands of the Three Jin, is unable to mobilize the strength of the Jin lands to strengthen itself. On my way here, although there are Jin troops in garrisons everywhere, they are mainly guarded against.

On the battlefield,

If you have to guard against your own comrades, then there's really no need to fight this war."

"Lao Zheng, what do you mean by telling me all this?"

Zheng Boke leaned back slightly, pointed at Ji Chengjue, and said:

"Who applied medicine to me first? If I'm not mistaken, His Majesty actually knows that military expenditure calculations won't produce any results, because you, Ji Lao Liu, and the Ministry of Revenue can't conjure up money, food, and manpower out of thin air. So, His Majesty must have asked you to help pass on a... verbal order."

"Zhang Banban said that if you enter the palace, Wei Zhonghe might have to step aside."

In terms of understanding His Majesty's intentions, Ji Chengjue believed that as His Majesty's son, he could do it, but Zheng Fan wasn't his long-lost brother;

But he could still do it impeccably.

"If I enter the palace, I'll definitely find a way to drag you in with me, and we'll go guard the imperial tomb together."

"Father Emperor's verbal order..."

"Your subject Zheng Fan, respectfully wishes His Majesty good health."

"You're such a charmer."

"It's the process."

"There are no spies from the Secret Intelligence Division in my house. After moving out of the Prince's residence, Wei Zhonghe didn't try to infiltrate my residence."

"Alright." Zheng Boke nodded, but he didn't intend to stand up at all.

"Father Emperor wants you to enter the palace after the morning court tomorrow, to consult on military affairs in the imperial study."

"I knew it, so you're giving me a heads-up in advance?"

"But the way I hear it, you seem to be in favor of starting the war early."

"I'm a military general, if I don't like fighting, am I supposed to sing the praises of peace?"

"But Da Yan..."

"You can't go against His Majesty," Zheng Fan said very seriously.

"I take things as they come."

"That's right, you should have done this long ago, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"You're coming to court with me tomorrow."

"I have to go too?"

"You can wait in the side hall."

"Alright."

"Alright, did you go out today?"

"I did."

"Where did you go?"

"Lakeside Pavilion."

"You really went to see my Third Brother?"

"I went to see him. It's better to resolve enmities than to prolong them. It was fine when I wasn't in the capital, but since I'm in the capital now, some things have to be wrapped up.

Going to Lakeside Pavilion to see the Third Prince, in the eyes of outsiders, it's a sign that I, Zheng Fan, am still following the rules. At least, it can show His Majesty my respect, and everyone can save face."

"What did my Third Brother talk to you about?"

………

"Your Majesty, they didn't talk about anything."

"Hmm?"

"After the Third Prince used a paper crossbow to scare the Earl of Pingye, although he explained himself, Zheng Boke then sat at the end of the corridor in Lakeside Pavilion."

"Sitting?"

"The Third Prince wanted to get closer to him, but the more the Third Prince approached, the more the Earl of Pingye retreated. In the end, the Third Prince couldn't do anything, and the two of them sat an extremely long corridor apart for an hour, without saying another word."

"This Zheng Fan is good at taking risks when fighting wars, but he's so cautious in peacetime."

"Your Majesty, perhaps that's how he preserves his usefulness. As the saying goes, a son of a thousand gold doesn't sit under a leaning eaves."

The Yan Emperor nodded,

And said:

"Has Li Liangchen entered the city?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Commander Li is still in the military camp outside the city."

"Pass on my decree, saying that I've been feeling unwell these days, and order Qian丫头 to copy three hundred copies of the Heart Sutra to help me focus my mind."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wei Zhonghe knew that this was actually telling the Princess to keep herself quiet, and it was also a kind of warning and a disguised house arrest.

The Princess returned to the capital in a coma. Although the official explanation was that she had encountered spirits in the Heavenly Fracture Mountain Range, that place was too close to Snow Sea Pass.

But in any case, at this time, His Majesty wouldn't allow anything to happen to the Earl of Pingye.

At other times, fooling around was fine, but at this critical juncture, His Majesty didn't want any more trouble in the capital.

"Cough cough..."

The Yan Emperor coughed again.

Wei Zhonghe immediately took out a silk cloth, but the Yan Emperor pushed it away.

"Cough cough..."

This time, the cough was clearly more serious than before. After coughing, the Yan Emperor even had bloodstains on his jaw.

"Your Majesty..."

Wei Zhonghe immediately knelt down and helped the Yan Emperor wipe it off.

"Wei Zhonghe."

"This servant is here."

"Tell me, how much longer can this body of mine last?"

"Your Majesty will surely live to be a hundred years old, with good fortune and longevity..."

"Cough..."

Seeing that the Yan Emperor was about to get angry and start coughing violently again, Wei Zhonghe immediately said:

"Your Majesty, this servant really doesn't know. This servant's cultivation is far inferior to that of Grandfather. If Grandfather were still here, with the elixirs he personally brewed, Your Majesty's body wouldn't be in this state."

"Actually, since two years ago, the elixirs have had little effect. Grandfather has extended my life for two years, but it's still not enough."

"Your Majesty..."

Although there were rumors among the people that Grandfather in the palace had dissolved his cultivation on Tianhu Mountain, merging his own fortune with the fortune of Tianhu Mountain into the Yan Cauldron, to compensate for the Dragon Vein cut by Zang Fuzi.

But His Majesty would never say such a thing.

"These days, I often have dreams at night. I dreamt that Zang Fuzi cut my Da Yan Dragon Vein in front of me, and that dragon seemed to be my own body."

"Your Majesty..."

The Yan Emperor leaned back on the dragon throne, turned his face, and looked at Wei Zhonghe kneeling beside him,

And said:

"But I still don't believe it, because if I believed it, then Zang Fuzi would have gotten his wish.

Qi Refiners, Qi Refiners, surveying the fate of heaven, divining good and bad omens, are nothing more than tricks to deceive those above and conceal from those below. It's excusable for ordinary women and children to be deceived, but am I a woman or child?"

"Your Majesty is wise and martial, and could never be deceived."

"People all get old, and people all die. Zang Fuzi cutting the Dragon Vein is actually planting a demon in my heart, so that when my body is failing, I start to think wildly."

"Yes, that must be the case."

"I don't believe in fate. My fate can only be decided by myself."

The Yan Emperor waved his hand,

And said:

"Stay here tonight."

Next to the imperial study was a side hall, convenient for His Majesty to rest after handling official business.

"Yes, this servant will serve Your Majesty to bed."

Wei Zhonghe carefully helped the Yan Emperor to the side hall. After serving His Majesty to bed, he quietly left the side hall.

As soon as he came out,

A red-robed eunuch came to report:

"Ding Yiren has passed away due to illness."

Wei Zhonghe nodded.

The eunuch continued: "That thing, this humble servant is preparing..."

Wei Zhonghe's eyes immediately narrowed, and he whispered:

"What, you still want to investigate clearly before reporting to His Majesty and being rewarded for your efficient service?"

"This humble servant wouldn't dare, this humble servant wouldn't dare."

"This matter ends here, don't mention it again, you have no sense of propriety."

"Yes, this humble servant understands, this humble servant understands."

Watching the eunuch slink away, Wei Zhonghe shook his head. After inspecting the place where His Majesty was staying, he returned to his own bedroom.

During the day, Wei Zhonghe was inseparable from His Majesty, but when His Majesty rested, Wei Zhonghe would also return to his residence to rest. After all, people weren't made of iron.

Inside the bedroom,

Wei Zhonghe reached out,

Opened the box on the table,

Looking at the jiao xiansheng (dildo) placed in front of him.

In fact, this kind of object was very common in the palace. Eunuchs would use it, maids would use it, and even some unfavored concubines would secretly hide one to use.

In fact, using this was normal, but Ding Yiren could only be said to have unluckyly offended His Majesty.

Of course,

You could secretly use it in bed when it was late at night and there was no one around,

But she actually took it out and looked at it with the lights on at that time.

Wei Zhonghe reached out and picked up this one,

And lightly scratched it with his fingernails,

Muttering to himself;

"Tsk tsk, the best jiamu (fine wood) from Tian Duan Mountain."

Wei Gonggong walked to the bookshelf in his bedroom,

There were many compartments here, with many books piled in each compartment, but in fact, there were grooves in these books. Each groove contained a xiansheng.

There were nearly a hundred in total, all of which were Wei Gonggong's collectibles.

That was why he could tell the origin and material of this xiansheng at a glance. The jiamu (fine wood) from Tian Duan Mountain in Jin was extremely suitable for making xiansheng.

This matter was already offensive, and His Majesty would definitely not want to hear any more news about it.

Not to mention that this matter might also involve the Earl of Pingye.

And His Majesty didn't want anything to involve the Earl of Pingye right now.

"Oh, Earl of Pingye, you owe this old man a favor this time."

Saying that,

Wei Gonggong placed this one in an empty compartment.

He clapped his hands,

Looking at the bookshelf full of collectibles,

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Some people liked to collect books and paintings, some people liked to collect swords, and some people liked crossbows,

In fact,

It was perfectly normal for individuals to collect whatever they liked.

Wei Gonggong never felt that there was anything wrong with his hobby of collecting this,

He even felt that collecting this was more down-to-earth than those serious collectors.

Immediately,

Wei Gonggong flicked his horsetail whisk,

Sat cross-legged,

Facing a shelf full of xiansheng,

And slowly entered meditation.

……

Zheng Boke slept late last night waiting for the Princess.

Unexpectedly,

The Princess didn't come last night.

Early in the morning, Zheng Boke was woken up by Ji Chengjue.

After washing up and putting on his armor, Zheng Boke appeared in the courtyard, closing his eyes, as if he was sleeping while standing.

After Ji Chengjue came out, he pulled him along, and the two of them got into the carriage together.

It was still Zhang Gonggong driving the carriage;

This time, the Sword Saint didn't come along, because the guards around Ji Lao Liu's carriage to court were very strict.

After the experience of being greeted by the Princess on his wedding night, Ji Lao Liu had also put a lot of effort into his security.

"Here, eat a sesame cake."

Ji Chengjue handed Zheng Fan a sesame cake.

Usually, when going to the early court, Ji Lao Liu would eat a little something in the carriage, and after the early court ended, someone would immediately go to the Ministry of Revenue to send some food.

Zheng Boke mechanically gnawed on the sesame cake.

When marching and fighting, it was a different state, but he really wasn't used to getting up early every day.

"You're not used to the early court, are you?"

Zheng Boke nodded, he found the feeling of going to middle school back then.

In fact, Ji Lao Liu lived close to the palace, so it was much more convenient for him to go to court than some other ministers, and he could sleep a little longer.

On the street, the crowds were already starting to gather.

Ji Chengjue lifted the curtain, letting the sounds from outside come in, and said:

"Every day when I go to court, looking at the bustling crowds on the street, it gives me a very different feeling. Da Yan is not my Ji family's dragon throne, but them."

"Pouring chicken soup early in the morning is greasy."

"They need to recuperate."

"But if weapons haven't been used for a long time, they will inevitably rust. There's also a saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot.'"

"Are you determined?"

"It's not that I'm determined, it's that His Majesty summoned me. He actually knew what he wanted to hear from my mouth."

"Father Emperor didn't specifically issue a secret decree to you."

"If I told His Majesty that I, a military general, dared to say I didn't want to fight, it would be like a wolf learning to eat vegetarian food.

Yesterday I said you could take the officials and the Crown Prince and other brothers to the palace gate to kneel and petition,

But you are actually unwilling to do so, because you know how serious the consequences of doing so would be.

I'm the same way,

And I would be even more serious than you."

"You weren't so resolute yesterday?"

"I thought about it for a while last night, and finally figured it out."

Zheng Boke took a sip of water, swallowing the sesame cake in his mouth, and continued:

"Also, you should get rid of that pretentious attitude of yours. It's a son's duty to make his father happy."

"That sounds weird."

"That's the general idea anyway, don't think too much, it's useless to think too much."

"As a member of the Ji family, I only..."

"People who usually have this idea end up dying very tragically. Do you want to be tragic?"

"I don't want to."

"Then just do what you're supposed to do, don't argue with His Majesty, really."

The carriage stopped outside the palace gate.

Ji Chengjue followed the civil and military officials into the court,

And Zheng Boke, led by an eunuch, went to the side hall outside the imperial study.

As soon as he sat down,

A young eunuch with freckles on his face took the initiative to come over and fawn, saying:

"Earl, would you like to have some breakfast?"

The treatment is so good?

The young eunuch hurriedly said: "This was instructed by Wei Gonggong in advance. His Majesty and the officials will also use it when they return from the court later."

"Is there noodles?"

"Yes, just give the order."

"Then thank you."

Zheng Boke took out two gold melon seeds and stuffed them into the young eunuch's hand.

"Oh, this servant thanks the Earl for the reward."

Soon,

A bowl of noodles came up, but it was actually vegetarian noodles.

Zheng Boke sighed that the food in the palace was really expensive, but he still ate it. At least, it was much better than the sesame cake in Ji Lao Liu's carriage.

After drinking the noodle soup, Zheng Boke finally woke up from the daze of waking up early.

He got up,

And walked from the side hall into the imperial study, which were next to each other.

On the wall of the imperial study, there was a brand-new map, marking Yan, Qian, Jin, Chu, and the small countries standing in the center of the four great powers.

Presumably, after the morning court, His Majesty would return to the imperial study with the important ministers, and what they would discuss would undoubtedly be the next military strategy.

Zheng Boke put his hands behind his back,

Looking at the large map of Yan and Qian,

He knew that he was stepping on the stone slabs of the imperial study, the power center of the Da Yan Empire.

Here,

Orders would be sent out,

Marquis Zhenbei would march into the desert,

Marquis Jingnan would obey the orders and start the war,

The people of Da Yan and the Three Jin would become the bonds that maintained the wheels of war, and countless manpower and material resources would be mobilized to serve the will here.

This was power, supreme power.

Zheng Boke, who had just eaten a bowl of vegetarian noodles,

Was at this moment,

A little dazed,

Before his eyes, it seemed that there were already golden drums and iron horses and an endless line of corvée laborers.

Ji Chengjue had advised Zheng Fan twice,

And Zheng Fan had refused twice,

Later,

When His Majesty asked for his opinion, Zheng Fan had already prepared his statement on starting a new round of war as soon as possible.

The people's recuperation,

He, Zheng Boke, didn't care.

Zheng Boke's eyesight was bad, he could only see his own one-acre three-point land under Snow Sea Pass. As for whether the people of Da Yan and the Three Jin were burdened by the war, and the saying that the people always suffer in times of prosperity and decline, Zheng Boke was unmoved.

But to be precise,

From Snow Sea Pass's point of view, continuing to farm at this time was the most correct choice, building high walls, accumulating food, and honestly burying themselves in a five-year plan.

To organize the snowy plains in the north, to manage the nearby base areas, even if there were any changes in Yanjing in the future, whether Ji Lao Liu ascended the throne or not, he, Zheng Fan, could sit securely.

But he also wanted to start the war earlier.

His Majesty's health was not good. Although he didn't know the specific situation, he could never enjoy his old age;

Marquis Zhenbei was injured when he was young, he couldn't practice martial arts, and his health was not good either.

These two people had actually been racing against time for a long time, counting the days, trying to borrow some more lifespan from God to complete their life's wishes.

But there was another person, he was in his prime, he was a strong martial artist, his energy was abundant, and he was at his peak.

That was Tian Wujing.

But Zheng Fan remembered the light rain in Fengxin City that day,

He was holding an umbrella and walking with Tian Wujing on the desolate streets of Fengxin City.

The Yan Emperor and Marquis Zhenbei were trying to live one more day, to hold on one more day;

But for Lao Tian,

Holding on one more day,

Was actually one more day of torment.

When the war started, he could put everything down and fully devote himself to the war.

And once the war stopped,

After the surroundings became quiet,

God knows what he was enduring.

Originally, Zheng Fan didn't know that he would have this opportunity, so he didn't think so much.

But after entering the capital this time,

He found,

That things were quite different from what he had originally estimated.

This difference was something that he, who was far away at Snow Sea Pass, and the Blind Man had not anticipated, and even Ji Lao Liu had not anticipated.

That was that the Yan Emperor's desire to restart the war was more urgent than everyone had expected.

And the particularly grand and grand celebration when he entered the city,

The so-called prince leading the horse, the crown prince welcoming the carriage,

And thousands of imperial guards lining up in the palace to congratulate him,

In it,

Actually contained the Yan Emperor's meaning.

It could even be said that summoning him to the capital was not intended to simply have him bring the princess to boast about his achievements, to promote the spirit of the men of Da Yan, and to boost morale.

But to use him, the number one general of the younger generation of Da Yan, as a knife in His Majesty's hand, forcibly helping His Majesty push away all the obstacles in front of him, just to start the war quickly.

Fight,

Then let's fight.

————

I need to organize my thoughts recently, so I'm writing a bit slowly.

Good night.