In the past three years, spiritual energy has surged, and the strength of many martial arts practitioners has also increased dramatically.
If it weren't for destiny, even if Dugu Cheng could hold on, it would be useless.
Yu Ziqi cautiously advised, "General, even if you don't take Yang Cheng seriously, this matter still needs to be addressed."
This time, it's not just Yang Cheng who's competing with you; the imperial court is also sending a warning.
Dugu Cheng sneered, "Of course I know what kind of people those in the imperial court are, which is why I didn't fight Zuo Yuan to the death back then."
Those civil officials, and those idiots in the Great Zhou royal family, all they love is this whole system of checks and balances.
However, one must consider whether they have the strength to establish checks and balances!
Go, and arrange a meeting with Zuo Yuan for me.
Those thirty-six bandits should have recovered enough by now.
Dugu Cheng had spent more than 20 years in the military of the Great Zhou Dynasty and had experienced firsthand the era when the Great Zhou Dynasty valued civil officials over military ones. It would be strange if he could have any goodwill towards those civil officials.
It was late at night, on a small hill at the border of Huainan Commandery and Shanyang Commandery.
Dugu Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for something under the moonlight.
A moment later, a tall, rugged-looking martial artist with a long beard strode up to the mountaintop.
With each step he took, the hill seemed to tremble, yet it made no sound whatsoever, which was extremely eerie.
"Dugu Cheng, what are you doing here? Are you trying to put on another act with me?"
The burly man spoke, his voice bold and powerful; he was none other than Zuo Yuan, the leader of the Thirty-Six Great Bandits, known as "Heavenly King".
When Dugu Cheng blocked the Thirty-Six Great Bandits, the actual battle situation was completely different from what Dugu Cheng reported to the imperial court.
Dugu Cheng reported that his Wuwei Army had fought a fierce battle with the Thirty-Six Great Bandits and suffered heavy losses, which was how he successfully halted the expansion of the Thirty-Six Great Bandits.
But in reality, Dugu Cheng only had a fierce battle with Zuo Yuan; the two sides did not fight to the death.
At that time, Dugu Cheng's own strength had just increased dramatically, and his battle with Zuo Yuan could be said to be evenly matched. If the battle continued, it might have become a fight to the death or even a situation where they would perish together.
Therefore, the two sides reached a settlement, the Thirty-Six Great Bandits ceased their expansion, and the Wuwei Army of Dugu City stopped advancing.
In reality, the Thirty-Six Great Bandits had just annexed several counties and hadn't even finished digesting them yet. They didn't want to continue wasting military resources, so they staged this drama with Dugu Cheng.
One side needed rest and recuperation, while the other needed battle achievements; it was a win-win situation for both.
Dugu Cheng said calmly, "Acting? Zuo Yuan, you should know that only if this act continues can your Thirty-Six Great Bandits continue to recover their strength."
Otherwise, if my Wuwei Army were to go all out, do you think your thirty-six bandit leaders could withstand it?
Zuo Yuan sneered, "Go all out? With the current strength of the Great Zhou, do you dare to go all out? Aren't you afraid that if too many troops are diverted, other places will be left undefended, and the Great Zhou will completely collapse?"
"What does the collapse of the Great Zhou have to do with me?"
Dugu Cheng laughed loudly: "Zuo Yuan, we've known each other for three years. Do you think I care whether the Great Zhou will collapse? As long as I want to mobilize all my forces, the Great Zhou will definitely cooperate with me to mobilize all my forces."
"What if a million-strong army were to press on our borders? Could your thirty-six bandit leaders withstand that? Have you considered the consequences?"
A hint of anger flashed across Zuo Yuan's face, but he didn't continue arguing.
The reason he was willing to cooperate with Dugu Cheng in acting back then was because he knew that Dugu Cheng wouldn't care about the state of the Great Zhou.
If Dugu Cheng is angered, this guy is really willing to lead the Wuwei Army in a charge.
In the end, I won't get any benefit, but Dugu Cheng can use his military power to his advantage.
"Speak, what exactly do you want from me?"
Dugu Cheng said calmly, "The imperial court recently reduced the military expenditure of my Wuwei Army, which made me very unhappy."
You thirty-six bandits have recovered enough; it's time to make your move.
You lead half of your forces to put on a show for me in Huainan County, while the other half goes around Huaibei County to the capital.
My general Li Daogan is stationed there; I'll have him feign defeat.
Zuo Yuan squinted and said, "Dugu City, my Thirty-Six Great Bandits are not your subordinates. Why should I have to act with you just because you want to?"
My brothers weren't easy to raise; what if they were lost during the attack on the capital?
"Because the person who caused the imperial court to reduce the military expenditure of my Wuwei Army was named Yang Cheng!"
"Because I want him dead, is that reason enough?"
Upon hearing the name Yang Cheng, Zuo Yuan paused for a moment before uttering a single word: "Good!"
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