Xu Di recalled the things the original owner had experienced. The old lady and the marquis were actually drugged by Concubine Zhu's people. One was paralyzed in bed and unable to take care of herself, while the other died suddenly from an illness. The two children lost their parents' care at a young age and lived a miserable life in that cannibalistic mansion. His younger sister, who was so young, was married off to the Duke's mansion in place of him. After she was married in, she was exiled to Lingnan with the people of the Duke's mansion.

The original owner was almost thirty years old at that time. Due to a leg ailment, she could not participate in the imperial examination and was frustrated in the Marquis's mansion. Xu Di felt very sad when he saw the original owner's short life. It was because of the selfishness of these people that so many innocent people were harmed. Xu Di waited for Military Advisor An with red eyes and sneered repeatedly.

Xu Di gritted his teeth and said, "My family was lucky to survive. We were pulled back from the bottom of the river. From that moment on, I began to suspect Aunt Zhu. Later, I discovered that Aunt Zhu had switched the children, and I started to pay attention to your Zhu family. Heaven rewards those who persevere. I finally found you through the clues. You people are clearly already eliminated by history, but you insist on coming out again. But by coming out like this, you are sacrificing the lives of countless innocent people. You may say that it is a great honor for them to sacrifice their lives for the Yu family's country, but what if this happened to you? You always look down on those hardworking people with a high and mighty attitude, but you don't know that any dynasty, any monarch, if they want to rise to power and be remembered for eternity, relies on these people whom you regard as ants."

Xu Di shook his head and said, "It's actually a bit difficult for you to talk about these things. How can selfish people like you understand the meaning behind these words? I'm trying so hard to explain to you, and you'll probably think I'm spouting nonsense. But it's a fact that your Yu family's empire was overthrown, isn't it? After the establishment of the Great Liang, it quickly gained a foothold by relying on several policies that benefited the people. Apart from the border issues that you instigated, it's a fact that the country has been peaceful and prosperous and the people have been well-governed these years, isn't it?"

Advisor An lowered his head, and Xu Di shook his head, saying, "You haven't seen your son for several years, have you?"

Another nonsensical remark, and Strategist An suddenly looked up at Xu Di in horror. Xu Di grinned and said, "Look, I've talked to you until I'm hoarse about the people, the nation, and the world, and you don't react at all. But when it comes to your son, you react like this. Mr. Zhu, listen to my advice, you are really not suited to be the ruler of this world. Even if you were to become the ruler, you would be overthrown sooner or later. This country cannot withstand any more war. If the fighting continues, it will be very, very difficult for this country to regain its current prosperity."

Strategist An gritted his teeth and said, "You just mentioned my son. How did you know I have a son?"

Xu Di was actually guessing. The scholar he had imprisoned in the Miaozhou government office looked very similar to this Military Advisor An. It was just that Xu Di's thinking was very divergent, and he asked a question whenever he thought of something. Who knew that he would actually get to the point.

Xu Di felt a little relieved. This confrontation was truly an unexpected outcome; who knew it would yield such a result in the end?

Xu Di smiled and said, "Look how much you care about your son. If everyone in your Yu family cared about your people as much as you care about your son, would the Yu dynasty have ever fallen? Don't worry, I'm not a heartless person. Since your son has been mentioned, I will make sure you see him."

Xu Di gently patted Strategist An on the shoulder and leisurely stepped out of the tent.

Zheng Boyuan was already waiting outside the tent. He came to tell Xu Di about the casualties during this deep penetration into the territory of Dayan.

There were quite a few injuries. Of the six hundred people who went together, more than three hundred were wounded, all from swords and knives. After all, the soldiers of the Great Yan who were crossing the river this time were all carefully selected, and their martial arts skills were naturally high. Xu Di was able to lead his men to retreat unscathed this time because of a surprise attack. Otherwise, these six hundred people would not have been enough to kill those thousands of Great Yan soldiers.

Xu Di breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no one had died. During the training, he had repeatedly instructed everyone to support each other during the final retreat. Even if there were fallen comrades nearby, they had to bring back their bodies. During the drills, some people even pretended to be corpses. Thanks to these countless training sessions, they were able to travel from Daliang to Yan in an orderly manner and return to Daliang safely from Yan.

Zheng Boyuan looked at Xu Di with admiration and said earnestly, "Brother, I really admire you. You are the person I admire most."

It was quite touching that his usually stern-faced brother-in-law was expressing such admiration. Xu Di smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let the army doctors treat the wounded properly. We must hold the border river. I think Great Yan, having suffered heavy losses this time, will likely have one last stand. We must not let our hard-won victory be reversed after achieving a partial victory, especially since things can change in an instant on the battlefield. We absolutely cannot be careless."

Zheng Boyuan solemnly agreed and then went to arrange the shifts.

It was already dinnertime. Xu Di thought about how he had sent someone to Miaozhou to pick up the people that morning, and now that they were almost back, he simply sat at the entrance of the tent, enjoying the cool evening breeze, and carefully considered how to proceed with the next steps.

This raid not only captured Military Advisor An, but also several generals and soldiers of the Great Yan. After these people were interrogated by Jia San and his men, Xu Di obtained the interrogation records. It turned out that Military Advisor An's name was An Muyuan, and he was a guest of honor of the Great Yan Crown Prince. This time, the Crown Prince was the commander-in-chief of the attack on the Great Liang, and An Muyuan accompanied him as the Crown Prince's military advisor.

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