Chapter 405: I Want 30,000 Crow-Head Scales (Part 1) [Two-in-One]

Xu Quan: "..."

Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Chu Yao patiently waited for him to finish speaking. Xu Quan could only take a deep breath and speak his mind: "I think that my lord might not be able to tolerate it."

Chu Yao: "..."

Xu Quan said, "Our lord seems to be a bit biased towards his own..."

Actually, the word "seems" can be deleted.

Our lord is very protective of his own.

Chu Yao's smile was much more genuine than before, even his eyes shimmering with a gentle smile. He said, "It is my good fortune to be valued by my lord. However, this matter is ultimately my private affair, and I will speak with my lord on his behalf..."

The lord would not do anything to put him in a difficult position.

Chu Yao was confident about this.

"Is this all the question Wen Shi wanted to ask?"

Xu Quan became nervous when Chu Yao suddenly called on him, and said somewhat awkwardly, "There should only be... these."

"You don't want to ask about the Imperial Seal?"

Chu Yao hit a straight shot.

Xu Quan was almost stunned by the straight ball coming straight at him, and said in a panic, "Well... it's not easy to ask."

In truth, he was already feeling incredibly restless inside.

But I couldn't find a suitable time to ask.

Asking too many questions would raise suspicions of something sinister.

Chu Yao, however, had no such reservations. He frankly admitted, "Back in the Chu Kingdom, I experienced an unpleasant incident that led to Wenxin's demotion and her eventual fall into the Xin Kingdom. Wenxin's current recovery was indeed due to your help, my lord. You possess a national treasure that all warlords and powerful figures in the world dream of—the Imperial Seal!"

Xu Quan's heart trembled even more violently.

"This matter...is it known to many or few?"

Chu Yao gazed at the border barrier hidden among the mountains: "If more people know, is it still a secret? Only a few trusted confidants know about this, and now you're one of them... As for Registrar Yu and General Chu, there's no need to worry about them..."

Xu Quan wasn't stupid either.

He could naturally understand the deeper meaning behind Chu Yao's words—he wasn't worried about Clerk Yu and General Chu, but he was worried about him.

Xu Quan said, "This humble general will not inform my cousin."

This is his guarantee.

He may be unruly, but when it comes to sensitive matters like loyalty and stance, he knows very well what he can say, what he should say, and what he should keep to himself. Was Mr. Chu deliberately giving him a warning because he was worried he might make a mistake?

Chu Yao, however, burst into laughter.

"Isn't that right?" Xu Quan asked, puzzled.

Chu Yao's eyes curved slightly, and instead of answering, he asked, "How do you think General Chu determined that the lord possesses the Imperial Seal?"

Xu Quan: "Because the gentleman regained his literary talent."

But what does this have to do with what came before?

The relationship is extremely important.

Chu Yao said, "As long as someone knows my identity and that I once lost Wenxin, it won't be difficult for them to find the Imperial Seal. Those who are a little slow to realize that the Lord is loyal to Zheng Qiao, and that I am also loyal to Zheng Qiao, can find out who has the Imperial Seal by investigating further. With your cousin's connections, it's only a matter of time before he guesses this."

Xu Quan: "...Would it?"

He bet his cousin was completely unaware.

if--

What if my cousin knew?

Xu Quan wasn't sure, but he knew his cousin always put the family's interests first. Chu Yao gave him the answer.

“If Wen Zhu has guessed this, he will definitely keep it from him. Telling Wu Xian would only bring harm and suspicion. It's right of you not to tell him; the less he knows, the safer you are. Let him guess on his own…”

Not telling Xu Jie is to protect Xu Jie.

Xu Quan's mind raced through countless thoughts.

Finally, he nodded emphatically, his expression resolute.

A faint smile appeared in Chu Yao's eyes as he led Xu Quan down the city wall and strolled back to the camp. By this time, it was completely dark, and the brazier outside the tent was lit, its orange flames swaying gracefully in the wind and snow, while snowflakes fluttered down like delicate butterflies.

Chu Yao flicked the snow off his shoulder, and Xu Quan tensed up the moment he stepped into the tent, his fighting spirit rising: "Who is it?"

Chu Yao stopped him, saying, "Don't be nervous."

He was all too familiar with the figures inside the tent.

"Are you here to cause trouble?"

Who else could be so disdainful of Chu Yao besides his former childhood friend? Xu Quan retorted irritably, "What, you're not comfortable with detaining people? You need to trouble the commander-in-chief to personally keep watch over them? What merit do we have to deserve such treatment..."

Chu Yao skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

He asked, "Speak, what is it?"

The commander said, "I've come to ask you for some advice."

Chu Yao: "...Seeking guidance?"

Seeing his childhood friend's serious expression, Chu Yao became more attentive to what his friend wanted to learn. The commander pulled out several sheepskins, covered only with simple lines representing mountains and rivers, along with a dozen makeshift tents and cattle and sheep…

He guessed a thing or two as soon as he saw it.

"Ten Crows?"

The commander replied, "Yes."

Chu Yao looked at the other person calmly, waiting for him to continue.

The commander asked in a low voice, "If you have these maps, can you find the corresponding tribes and lead men to annihilate them?"

Chu Yao examined the parchment's condition and wear and set it aside: "The Shiwu tribe has a custom of living by water, and their habits are completely different from those of the common people in the Central Plains. These maps you gave me are all old, and the tribes marked on them are unlikely to stay in the same place. Following the maps will probably lead to nothing—but these tributaries of the water system are somewhat useful."

However, the drawing is rough.

Accuracy is out of the question.

Xu Quan, who was on one side, felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

"You want Mr. Chu to help you lead troops to attack the Shiwu tribe?"

This guy must be dreaming, having such a great idea?

The commander remained silent, while Chu Yao frowned in deep thought.

He is not like Xu Quan, this young man.

Based on his understanding of his former childhood friend, he knew it would be difficult to refuse this matter—because this wasn't about helping his lord attack the Shiwu tribe, but about helping his own lord establish his authority!

As the commander-in-chief said before, the morale of the army cannot be bought with two thousand shi of supplies and provisions, especially these battle-hardened elites, who are even harder to win over! To move them, there is no need for any fancy tricks! Only strength!

We must not show weakness in this matter.

Chu Yao carefully rolled up the several sheepskin maps.

Calmly and confidently, he asked, "How many do you want?"

At this moment, Xu Quan was filled with question marks.

What do you mean by "how much do you want"?

What conversation did those two have that I didn't hear?

The commander replied, "Not many, thirty thousand!"

Chu Yao nodded: "Only 30,000? That's indeed not much, but this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by me alone. Let's discuss it again when our lord arrives in two days. What do you think?"

The commander nodded, then got up to take his leave.

It came without warning and left without explanation.

Xu Quan scratched his head, almost driven mad by his curiosity, and looked at Chu Yao expectantly, hoping for an explanation.

Looking at the map, Chu Yao sighed, "It won't be easy."

Xu Quan: "???"

Why can't you just tell him what "not easy" means?

Unlike Gu Chi and Qi Shan, who liked to keep things mysterious, Chu Yao didn't have such a wicked sense of humor. He readily revealed the answer, frowning solemnly as he said, "The commander of Yonggu Pass wants the heads of 30,000 Wu tribe members! These maps are the clues."

Thirty thousand... ten blackheads?

Xu Quan gasped.

"Sir...isn't this making things difficult for us?"

Chu Yaoshu's eyebrows relaxed, and he suddenly laughed: "This is putting us in a difficult position. Do you think it's easy to take military power from others? They don't care about supplies; they can plunder Shiwu. If they're ruthless enough, they can even plunder the common people of Longwu or neighboring counties to raise funds for their defense. If they stubbornly refuse to hand it over, there's nothing we can do about it..."

Xu Quan snorted: "Then let's fight?"

Chu Yao knew that he was acting impulsively.

He chuckled and said, "In the end, the Ten Crows tribe will benefit? Let alone whether we can fight or not, even if we do, our army only has a little over 10,000 troops, while Yonggu Pass has more than 20,000 elite soldiers and holds the advantage of the pass. This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack; we cannot take it by force."

Xu Quan pursed his lips.

Chu Yao then pointed out the key point: "This shouldn't be his idea alone; it's most likely the result of a unanimous discussion among his subordinates. If even this can't be achieved, how can he convince the masses? How can he not take the heads of a mere 30,000 members of the Ten Crow tribe?"

Xu Quan, however, was filled with worry.

Meanwhile, Lü Jue traveled day and night, returning to Ru Yao's administrative center as quickly as possible to report the news, taking only a day and a night. Seeing that only he had returned, Shen Tang had a bad feeling.

Upon further inquiry, a furious outburst nearly lifted the roof off.

"Damn it! Who's been detained?"

Enraged, Shen Tang slammed her hand on the table and smashed it.

She had said that Wu Hui's old arms and legs were not suitable for long-distance business trips, and now look what's happened, he's been detained and who knows what kind of torture and cruel abuse he'll suffer.

Shen Tang seemed to see Chu Yao on the verge of death.

Ignoring his fatigue and nearly exhausted martial energy, Lü Jue forced himself to recount what he had seen and heard. Adhering to the principle of seeking truth from facts, without any embellishment, he described the scene in its entirety, which still left Shen Tang with a solemn expression.

It was so gloomy it looked like a bucket of water could drip from it.

Finally, she said, "Alright, I'll go and meet them!"

Gu Chi and the others rushed over after hearing the news.

He quickly stopped him, saying, "My lord, you must not act rashly."

Shen Tang retorted, "I won't listen! I won't listen!" "I wasn't reckless! They were so arrogant they even squatted on my roof to poop!"

Who detained her?

Is she Shen Tang dead?

She tried to negotiate peacefully with the other party in a polite manner, but the other party turned on her and refused to admit their wrongdoing. They even took two thousand shi of her military pay and detained her trusted confidant. If Shen Tang could swallow this insult, how would she face others in the future? What would outsiders think of her if word got out?

Doesn't she have any pride?

How long can Wu Hui, at his age, endure?

Gu Chi: "..."

Although he wanted to say that things weren't that serious, Lü Jue had rushed back without any signs of fighting, indicating that the situation hadn't been tense. Chu Yao wasn't one to suffer a loss easily either; his willingness to be obediently detained must have been for a reason.

The lord imagined him to be so miserable and weak...

Sigh, I'm a little jealous.

Apart from his gray hair, how could Chu Yao look like an old man?

“Even if we’re going, we should bring everyone with us. Otherwise, what will happen if even our lord is detained?” Gu Chi, being a master of mind reading, naturally had to speak in favor of his lord, but he couldn’t be too obvious and risk being attacked by his colleagues. He suggested, “Why don’t we have Chi and Xian Deng accompany our lord, and then send another thousand men?”

Why him and Jiang Sheng?

He can read minds; Jiang Sheng has a literary talent.

They can negotiate or fight.

Yuan Liang and Ji Shou, along with a few others, stayed behind to guard the house.

Shen Tang made the final decision: "Okay, let's do it this way!"

The two spoke in unison, giving Qi Shan no chance to interrupt or stop them. The latter's face turned pale, and she wished she could glare Gu Chi to death. As a newcomer, Jiang Sheng always adhered to the principle of observing more, doing more, and speaking less, so he was at a disadvantage in speaking.

Qi Shan was "isolated and helpless" in public opinion, so he had no choice but to agree, but he had only one request!

Shen Tang said, "Yuan Liang, you speak!"

Under Jiang Sheng's puzzled gaze, Qi Shan banged three jars of strong liquor onto the ground and said, "Take these with you!"

Jiang Sheng: "???"

Is this a farewell toast?

Gu Chi: "..."

My lord is really going to drink...

That's really going to get into a fight.

Shen Tang: "..."

Without any hesitation, she packed up the wine, gathered a thousand people, and took Yu Zi, whom Chu Yao had specifically requested, with her. They set off without stopping. Just to be on the safe side, she also took Xianyu Jian with her, leaving Lü Jue, who had been traveling a long way, to stay and look after the house.

Yu Zi had no idea what this matter had to do with her.

But he remained silent and rode after them.

In the wilderness, over a thousand men and horses galloped under the starry sky, their hooves leaping over the wild grass without pausing for a moment.

Except for a few warhorses that were genuine live horses (live mules), the rest were all transformed from Xianyu Jian's martial energy.

With two more literary scholars by his side, he wasn't worried about running out of martial energy. He rode his horse at lightning speed, taking even less time than Lü Jue had to return. After traveling at a rapid pace, Jiang Sheng felt like his legs were about to give way, and his lower back ached from the jolting.

There's only one thing I can't figure out.

What exactly is the purpose of Qi Yuanliang's wine?

Gu Chi: "..."

His strategist: Intrigue, intrigue, intrigue!

Strategists in real life: Enemies, enemies, enemies...

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Finally, we arrived before sunset on the second day.

Shen Tang glared menacingly at the watchful watchtower, bit the seal of the wine flask, tilted his head back, and poured the pungent liquor into his mouth. He choked because he drank it too fast.

Jiang Sheng didn't miss this detail, but—

He only saw his lord boldly toss the wine bag behind him, his sharp gaze fixed on the watchtower, his expression grim.

Then?

And that was it. This wine really does give you courage!

Yonggu Pass stands at the edge of the horizon.

Soon after, patrolling soldiers came out to greet them.

Shen Tang said, "Lead the way!"

The soldiers were slightly surprised to see that the person giving orders was a young boy, but they dared not say anything.

At the foot of Yonggu Pass.

The commander and others have already received the message.

"So fast?"

The commander was slightly surprised. According to his and Chief Clerk Yu's estimate, it should still be more than a day's journey. He did not expect the other party to arrive ahead of schedule. He asked, "How many people did the other party bring?"

The soldier said, "I estimate there are about a thousand men."

The commander laughed and said, "A thousand men? A thousand men dare to come and charge?"

But he soon stopped laughing.

Because Chu Yao heard that his lord had arrived, he swiftly closed the net, slaughtering Chu Yao's large group of enemies, making the outcome of the game a foregone conclusion.

His face lit up with joy: "Wen Shi, come with me to welcome our lord."

"only."

He couldn't wait to get up.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared.

The general looked at the chessboard and sighed.

"Let's go! Let's see what kind of outstanding person this Lord Shen is, that he can make the 'Three Heroes of Chu' so devoted to him."

The commander was also intrigued.

He rode out to greet them together with Registrar Yu and several others.

He knew Shen Tang was young, but only when he actually saw him did he realize just how young he was. The other man was riding a rather silly mule, dismounting to greet Chu Yao. This should have been a touching scene of "harmony between ruler and subject," but Shen Tang grabbed Chu Yao's wrist, pulled him behind him, and met his commander's gaze without flinching. His eyes were cold, and his hand surged with a sharp sword.

The sword tip was pointed at the commander, and the first thing he said was a question.

"You're the one who detained my people?"

And Chu Yao—

He smelled a strong aroma of alcohol.

Chu Yao: "???"

(End of this chapter)