Chapter 1230: Matryoshka Dolls, One After Another (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

“Xun 5 is 361 zhang, Gen 7 is 26”.

"Three hundred and seventy-six feet away, Ze Er, the enemy..."

A hidden narrow passage more than 20 miles away from the Allied camp.

At first glance, this place appears unremarkable, overgrown with weeds and thorns, piled with jagged rocks and boulders, sparsely populated, and covered in moss. However, it reveals a hidden paradise within. A scholar skilled in spellcasting and array formations might notice something amiss. By breaking through seven layers of disguise in one go, the truth beneath the surface could be revealed. The place is narrow, barely wide enough for five people to walk side-by-side, with a few simple tents scattered about.

One of the tents still had a faint candlelight.

There were only a few mats and stools inside the tent.

Several people sat around a sand table, frowning and concentrating, occasionally whispering to each other, their gazes drifting to the scholar in the main seat, clad in a wide robe. The scholar wore a white jade lotus crown, his long, black hair cascading like a waterfall, with a straight nose, thin lips, and refined features. Judging by his appearance alone, the scholar should only be twenty-five or twenty-six years old, yet the elegant and composed air of nobility he exuded could not have been acquired without the refinement of time.

A man of refined taste and lofty aspirations, with a graceful and elegant demeanor.

At this moment, he looked so focused and concentrated, as if he had the destiny of the world at his fingertips.

After a long while, the scholar in the wide robe paused, pursing his lips, as a cup of tea came into view. Following the hand of the teacup's owner upwards, his brow relaxed slightly, he thanked the owner, and accepted the tea, his long-tense nerves finally relaxing. The scholar who served the tea asked, "How is Prime Minister Qin?"

The scholar in his flowing robes spoke with a calm and collected demeanor, subtly reassuring everyone: "Having not commanded troops for many years, I'm a little rusty. Fortunately, the enemy knows very little about us, and we managed to slip through their fingers. Their attention is diverted right now, and our forces have successfully reached their intended destination. Tonight, we will surely teach them a lesson."

This Qin prime minister was Qin Li of Kang State, and Duke Su of Qin.

Because the way of the scholar was so effective, Qin Li was always left in the capital to oversee the country during every foreign campaign. Although this was a level of trust and importance that others could only envy, Qin Li would occasionally miss the days of serving as a military advisor, devising strategies on the front lines, leading troops into battle, and charging into the fray—it was far more comfortable than facing piles of official documents all day long.

According to the original plan, Qin Li was to remain in the capital. The usually submissive Qin Gongzi, unusually, protested this time. Afterwards, not wanting to put his lord in a difficult position, he added a clause: "If that's not possible, I may also remain in the capital..."

It's not impossible...

Shen Tang seriously reflected on Qin Li's activities over the years and felt a little guilty—she really couldn't take advantage of Qin Li just because he was an honest man; that would be unethical. Since Qin Li didn't like being regent, he was being replaced this time.

And so, Qin Li appeared on the front lines looking radiant.

Commanding with a high-definition satellite map is a huge advantage. Qin Li didn't have to expend much effort to lure the Allied forces into a state of disarray. After a series of feints and counterattacks, the Allied forces suffered few casualties, but were completely bewildered and unable to fully grasp the location of their own troops. What started as orderly operations turned into a chaotic free-for-all, with each side carving out their own territory to fight the enemy.

This also gave Qin Li room to maneuver.

By feinting and diverting enemy forces, a gap was created in the allied defenses, allowing friendly troops to flank and launch a surprise attack, showcasing their superior tactics. Qin Li not only had to command and coordinate his own forces but also use them to command the enemy troops, a mentally exhausting task.

I never noticed when my mouth felt dry or uncomfortable.

Tan Ting is a meticulous person with keen observation skills.

only--

"Mengyuan, you should probably change the title 'Prime Minister Qin'..."

Because of his official rank and titles, outsiders addressed Qin Li in many different ways. The Imperial Observatory usually called him Qin Ling, the Six Ministries usually called him Qin Shangshu, and the Military Equipment Bureau called him Qin Jian. In addition, there were also Qin Xiang and Qin Shaoshi. The only objection was to the title Qin Xiang.

I had no objections before.

The last time Kangguo opened the Sacred Land of Mountains and Seas, some students brought out several policy documents and a bronze statue. The statue had its hands behind its back, its upper body bare, and its knees on the ground. Up to this point, nothing much happened, until Qin Li learned about the statue's deeds.

How could there be such a treacherous and wicked person?

I am ashamed to share the same surname as this person.

According to the records of the Word of Power, this person had also been granted the title of Grand Tutor, which made Qin Li feel even more unlucky. At a private banquet prior to this, the Lord had explicitly stated his ambition to unify the continent. If he achieved this in his lifetime, all the veteran ministers would have made great contributions and their treatment would be further promoted. A Junior Tutor was not enough for Qin Li; it was highly likely he would need a combination of Grand Tutor and Duke.

Unlock new titles: Grand Tutor of Qin and Duke of Qin.

If anyone else had said this, Qin Li would have suspected they were testing him, wondering if he had offended them in some way, and whether he should back down while he was ahead. But his lord was different. What he said meant what he meant; it wasn't just empty promises.

It would be a lie to say I'm unhappy.

Even someone as composed as Qin Li could not refuse his lord's affirmation.

However, with Qin Hui's "precious example" before him, Qin Li was truly incompetent.

Tan Ting smiled and changed her mind: "Okay, Qin Ling."

The others present understood Qin Li's awkwardness and smiled even amidst the tense atmosphere. But this ease was precious and fleeting. Qin Li put down his tea, as if he had made a new discovery through the thick fog. He asked, "Besides Gongyang Yongye, are there any other troublesome figures in the Southwest Allied Army camp?"

A troublesome person?

Judging from the situation, their strength is comparable to Gongyang Yongye?

After a moment's thought, the scholar two seats away from him bowed and said, "The scouts have not discovered any new movements."

"Another 19th-rank Marquis within the Pass?"

Qin Li shook his head: "I can't see very clearly, but his aura is somewhat similar to Gongyang Yongye's, so I suppose his strength is about the same."

"When did such a person appear in the southwest?"

The crowd felt somewhat powerless in the face of this news.

These old fogies used to play dead, never making a sound. The southwestern kingdoms were fighting amongst themselves until they fell apart, but they never showed up. Now they're springing up like mushrooms after rain, as if they're rushing to be reborn—what bad luck! Qin Li wasn't too surprised by this. In fact, the northwestern continent wasn't lacking in hidden talents. There weren't any like Yun Da, a 20th-rank Marquis, but there were 18th-rank Grand Chancellor and 19th-rank Marquis within the Passes; with careful examination, one could still find clues.

Once they go into seclusion, they rarely emerge from the mountains.

Forget about worldly things like fame and fortune; even the national fortune and martial energy, which are fatally attractive to other martial artists, cannot sway them. The twentieth rank of Chehou cannot be built up by national fortune. They have all cultivated to the point of being one step away from the peak. In the end, the bottleneck can only be broken by themselves, either through a flash of inspiration or a clear mind. Worldly killings will only consume their energy.

Therefore, it is difficult and costly to persuade someone to come out of seclusion.

I don't know how the southwestern kingdoms managed to get people out of there.

One wasn't enough, they actually have two?!

Qin Li subtly observed the others out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that they merely frowned and showed no signs of fear or apprehension, he felt somewhat reassured. He was quite worried that outsiders would use this to attack their ruler—if he were truly a wise ruler, why would all the talented people be helping others?

Wouldn't the vast Kang Kingdom be more qualified than the Qi Kingdom to attract two Marquises of the Nineteenth Rank to surrender, even if such loyalty is only temporary?

Kangguo is not attractive enough.

Or perhaps, destiny was not in Kangguo's hands at all.

Thinking of this, Qin Li felt his mouth go dry even more. He gulped down the now-cold tea to cool down—these old fools are blind! They're infuriating! Fine, they won't come!

Without their help, the world could not have been conquered?

Tan Ting asked, "Where is this person now?"

Qin Li became interested upon hearing this: "Meng Yuan wants to meet him?"

The lord had already spoken to him, and Qi Yuanliang had also hinted that Tan Ting's strength was special—while other scholars were desperately using their incantations to target the enemy army as a whole, Tan Ting's family-inherited incantations and the way of the scholars were targeting the enemy generals at every turn.

It greatly limits the performance of the enemy's high-level combat power. It's hard to say which of these two paths is better, but each has its advantages.

Tan Ting said, "I want to, but I only have one chance to make a move."

"I will do my best to cooperate with Mengyuan." Given the troop formation Kangguo has deployed in this battle, Qin Li is confident he can retreat unscathed even without Tan Ting intervening to contain the unexpected attack. Tan Ting's intervention would further stabilize the situation, and it would also be Tan Mengyuan's first opportunity to establish prestige within the army; Qin Li is willing to give him this chance! Don't underestimate Qi Shan just because he's not good at other things; his ability to build grudges is guaranteed.

I believe Tan Ting will give him a surprise.

What has been Luan Xin's biggest progress in recent years?

It is undoubtedly smoother to switch to the path of the scholar.

Since learning the conditions for perfecting the Way of the Scholar, and with the help of his colleagues and enemies, Luan Gongyi has successfully taken a few steps forward on his path to perfection. He has gradually discovered that the bottleneck that has not loosened for a long time has begun to loosen—his reactions seem to be faster, the buffer time when switching between different Ways of the Scholar has been greatly shortened, and the aftereffects have been reduced considerably...

Sure enough, Luan Xin went directly to the battlefield with the army.

As planned, when Qin Li's fog enveloped the allied camp, he activated [Silent Nourishment], blending seamlessly into the thick fog. This had two advantages: firstly, it coordinated with Qin Li, expanding Qin Li's remote command range; secondly, it concealed his presence. Qin Li's mastery of the scholar's way was perfect; his fog wouldn't allow the enemy to easily track him back. But Luan Xin was not.

Luan Xin activated the "Silent Nourishment" technique, infusing his literary energy into the rain to monitor and track the enemy's movements. However, no matter how well his literary energy was concealed, it couldn't escape the eyes of certain experts. Some scholars could even use the unique aura of their literary energy to pinpoint Luan Xin's location, inevitably revealing his exact position on the front lines.

However, things are different when you blend into the thick fog.

It's like using the scholarly ways of Qin rituals as a cover for yourself.

If Qin Li doesn't expose himself, Luan Xin won't either.

Besides the "silent nurturing" approach, Luan Xin would also switch to other scholarly paths as appropriate, such as the "exquisite painting" approach for praying for goodness.

【Miraculous Hands and Painted Brush】This scholar's way, when combined with words of power related to avoiding service, has a magical effect: it allows a living person to completely blend into their surroundings. Not to mention distinguishing them with the naked eye, even powerful martial artists would find it difficult to accurately pinpoint their aura in a mixed environment.

Chameleon.

This method is even more effective than the special incantations of military formations used for deception and sneak attacks! To verify this hypothesis, a special event was held, where several renowned generals, including Gongxi Chou, were tasked with capturing hidden soldiers. More than half the allotted time had passed, yet hundreds of soldiers still managed to evade detection.

This tactic has an immediate effect, but it is also very burdensome.

However, the downside of Luan Xin's excessive reliance on the scholar's way was his slow reaction time, and opportunities on the battlefield were fleeting. Even Gu Chi couldn't help but worry: "We're safe for now, so why not put aside the pursuit of justice for the time being?"

I don't know what kind of twisted sense of humor the Lord had that made him cooperate with Luan Xin. Everyone knows that the two have been at odds for years.

To be precise, it was Luan Xin who was at odds with him on one hand.

Gu Chi willingly took the blame for many years.

With a formidable enemy at hand, Luan Xin wouldn't let personal grudges get involved. He simply declined Gu Chi's offer with a cold face: "We can still handle it. If we abandon the ways of the literati now, it will easily expose us."

Gu Chi appeared calm and collected, but inwardly he was calculating the time and space Luan Xin would give him to respond to his conversation.

Luan Xin has improved compared to before.

However, the progress is still not enough!

Gu Chi and his men led their elite ambush force, shaking off the pursuing enemy and successfully cutting into their vital positions from the rear. The wind fanned the flames, and streaks of "black dragons" shot from the barrels of burning oil carried by the soldiers, the wind howling and sweeping across the camp as far as the eye could see. Setting fire to enemy camps was a traditional and essential part of any raid.

Previously, one could use incantations to conjure fire dragons to burn the flames. While convenient, this method was easily extinguished by counter-incantations, and the fire's spread was also slow. If the enemy reacted quickly enough, the results would be diminished. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, it wasn't worthwhile.

Things have improved now.

Apply high-heat oil directly!

The fire dragon has turned into a raging oil dragon!

This is also the main reason why Qin Li had to go to great lengths to deploy his main force, which was constantly hiding and maneuvering. They weren't traveling light; the army was carrying many wooden barrels filled with potent fire oil. While hiding people is easy, these barrels were not. The difficulty of transporting them in undetected was unimaginable. They also had to be wary of accidentally setting fire to themselves instead of the enemy…

In just a few breaths, these "black dragons" had covered most of the camp within their reach. At this time, there was no moon in the sky, and the night was deep. These dark "black dragons" moved quietly, and the distinctive smell of the raging oil was masked, so the Allied forces did not target them immediately.

It wasn't until a "black dragon's" flight path was exposed and it nearly collided head-on with a group of Allied troops that it was attacked.

Their overwhelming morale transformed into a sharp blade, severing the "Black Dragon's" head.

Liquid gushed out from the gap and spilled all over the ground.

A strong aroma spread.

The Allied general's expression immediately changed.

He rubbed some liquid on the ground with his finger and sniffed it. Fire oil wasn't found everywhere; it could only be found in a few regions of the southwestern continent, so its use was limited and therefore unfamiliar. The general didn't recognize it immediately, but when he realized what was happening, he hurriedly shouted, "Extinguish all the torches—"

"Be on guard, enemy is at large—"

The enemy's arrows were delivered even faster than his command.

The bowstrings hummed, and arrows rained down like a tide, almost blotting out the sky.

This display of force terrified the general, who wielded his long weapon with incredible speed, forming a massive barrier to block the dense barrage of arrows. Countless clanging sounds rang out, and sparks flashed intermittently, making the general's heart pound with fear.

They feared that the sparks would ignite the raging oil and awaken the bloodthirsty beast.

With his concerns weighing on him, his movements were naturally not as fluid as he wished, but his enemy was a different story. A pair of golden bronze maces pierced through the thick fog, and at the same time, a pair of heavy axes with their handles connected attacked from behind. The heavy axes, brimming with murderous intent, transformed into streaks of light, reaping heads along their path. Clusters of blood gushed from the bowl-sized scars, instantly approaching the general's neck.

Out of the corner of his eye, the general saw a blurry figure chasing after the heavy axe.

The winch followed closely behind, strangling him!

ヾ(ゞ)

Several of Qin Li's important ministers could actually be called prime ministers. As I was writing, I mixed up Grand Tutor Qi and Junior Tutor Qin, merging them into a strange Grand Tutor Qin. Then, I inexplicably associated it with Prime Minister Qin, a future Duke of Qin... Ah, this is a bit unlucky.