There is no good news for visiting at night. The man in front of him is wearing a black robe. If Xia Xiao had not lost his vitality, he would have been able to see through his true face and judge his general identity through the fluctuation of his breath. Everyone's breath is unique, and their positions and duties are also different. But Xia Xiao, who has lost his vitality, can't see anything at all through detailed observation. But based on his appearance, this must be a burly middle-aged man.
If it weren't for his father and elder brother who were not far away and could sense what was happening to him, Xia Xiao would have thought he was an enemy. But he obviously had no ill intentions. He just stretched out a big hand and took off the black hat on his dress, revealing an extremely weathered old face. This face didn't have any very distinctive features, except for the pair of eyes, which had the profoundness of a great practitioner, like a sea and a starry sky, which could make people sink deeply and difficult to escape. But fortunately, this man didn't rely on his own strength to trap Xia Xiao in that kind of cage.
"I came here to discuss something with the Third Young Master."
The old man had long hair, which he tied up and then let down, which made him look free and easy. But he was in the mortal world and couldn't extricate himself. No matter how many external decorations he had, he couldn't resist the fatigue on his body. Xia Xiao understood it immediately, but his words were full of the meaning that it was useless to waste your words.
"You are from the Imperial Army, right?"
The old man hesitated to sit down, and Xia Xiao was also stubborn and did not stand up. He knew that the imperial army would come to him. This old man was unfamiliar. Although he could not sense the fluctuations of his breath, he knew that he was not an ordinary person just by looking at his temperament. Such a person must have a high status. He came to him now for only one thing.
"The Third Young Master is really smart."
"I saw that you were taking so long to come, and I thought you had seen through my character. I didn't expect you to come and persuade me. But before you start, I will make my attitude clear. I will do things according to my own principles, so don't offend me, and it's better to say less."
"Two years ago, you didn't have such confidence in Zhenxun. Now your strength has soared, you have encountered many opportunities, and you have been favored by the seniors in the academy. You can even invite the powerful Qulun. This is not too much. But what I want to say has nothing to do with these. It is only about Daxia and the entire dynasty."
"So you still want to persuade me?"
The serious old man was very determined and said:
"I don't need you to do anything, just keep silent. Of course, this won't hurt you or the Xia family, and it has nothing to do with the academy. It's only related to this war. It just so happens that you can't use your vitality now, so just sit back and relax."
Xia Xiao frowned, vaguely feeling that things were worse than he thought. He originally thought that the imperial army was looking for him because of the academy. When he first entered the academy, the Daxia and Nanshang people fought openly. Si Qingling and Su Huan even tried their best to deal with Wang Ling, wishing to kill them somewhere to weaken the strength of the Nanshang practitioners.
As time went by, they moved from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, and such things became less and less frequent, and finally disappeared. Because they owed each other too many favors, it was no longer appropriate to make such calculations, and they were both avoiding it, and it was better to have less trouble than more. There was not enough time to improve their strength, so how could they have so much time to frame or consider each other?
After all, they were not evil people who had done all kinds of evil, and they could not be so hard-hearted. But Xia Xiao had always thought that the imperial army would persuade him again for the sake of Daxia, but now it seemed that this was not the case, because they had already known that he would definitely come back.
Xia Xiao and the old man looked at each other, their eyes full of suspicion. The latter was slow to speak, not because he was trying to organize his words, but because he was confused by Xia Xiao's eyes. The vitality in Xia Xiao's body had been completely isolated from him, so logically, there shouldn't be such a deterrent force, but the chill that passed through his body and went straight into his heart was like an evil ghost wandering in the world.
Xia Xiao himself was a mystery, and the old man was not surprised by anything he did. But he frowned slightly and said:
"The armies of the Southern Kingdom and Shelie are coming. For the sake of Daxia, their morale is high and they will resist the advance of the Southern Merchants alone. We should not interfere, and you should not make it public. More importantly, the poison master you brought with you should not attack the Southern Merchants. Never!"
Tell your own people not to attack the enemy?
Xia Xiao snorted with undisguised laughter, full of sarcasm, as if he had heard some unfunny joke. However, he gradually sensed something was wrong, and his expression changed drastically. He looked at the old man in front of him with more panic and disbelief. Is this the inhumane imperial army that my father mentioned? Are they really so extreme in doing things? Since they came up with this method to force the Southern Kingdom and Shelie to rely on themselves, Xia Xiao wondered if the heart of the man in front of him was made of iron?
Perhaps it was unbelievable, Xia Xiao leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs. The candlelight on the table was very dim when it fell to the ground, so he couldn't see anything, but his mind had already simulated the scene that the old man wanted to express.
The imperial army may have used some method to make Nanguo and Shelie agree to resist the Nanshang army alone. After this war, Xiyang City will definitely still exist, but Nanguo and Shelie's army will have suffered heavy casualties. In this way, Nanguo and Shelie can only help Daxia with all their heart, because their already limited strength has been greatly lost, and they can only be crushed in front of Nanshang, and there is no hope at all. But how could Nanguo and Shelie agree to Daxia's independent attack? Can't you see that this is a trap?
Xia Xiao was curious and looked up and asked:
"What trick did you use?"
“Their compassion.”
The old man did not hide it and explained:
"I just asked the troops to use some self-torture tactics, and they volunteered to fight. It seems that the weak people of the Southern Kingdom and the islanders of Shelie are very kind, but they should also move forward. Only when their power is weakened will they know who is worth relying on, and their hatred for the Southern Merchants will deepen."
"They were kind enough to help, but you had such an idea?"
"I just want Daxia to be safe and sound. The Southern Kingdom and Shelie can disappear like the Cloud Kingdom. It doesn't matter if the seven kingdoms in the world become six or four kingdoms. My mission is only to protect the safety of Daxia."
The old man's expression made Xia Xiao feel disgusted. It was an extreme selfishness, much more serious than his own. And there was a deep darkness hidden in those deep blue eyes, as if he had other plans. He also controlled the entire direction of this war, so he had such confidence.
Xia Xiao watched for a long time, but the old man was extremely calm, as if he had everything under control.
"You've seen it all. So why don't you be more sensible and take care of yourself? And also inform your old poison master."
"I said before that I have my own principles, and they will not change or waver because of a few words from you."
The moment Xia Xiao heard the plan, he already had his own ideas and knew what he should do, so there was no point in saying more at this time. But he stood up and pretended to take a rest, but the old man behind him did not leave. After a long while, Xia Xiao glanced behind him and said lightly:
"It's late at night, I need to rest."
"Originally I didn't want to disturb you, but that old poison master said that I came here because you made the decision for him, so you must give me a clear answer. Now in the entire Xia army, only you and he are uncertain factors, and the rest are soldiers. Soldiers are the easiest to control, and one order can mobilize millions of people from top to bottom."
"You talk too much."
"I want you to know that your individual denial will not affect the overall situation, but if you really go against the current, it will not end well."
"Are you threatening me?"
Xia Xiao turned around and looked at the old man with murderous intent in his eyes. He did not like the latter's behavior. Although the Imperial Army was well-known in Daxia, no one knew the inside story, and no one knew how they operated. Even Si Yi did not have the power to ask about it.
Now the entire Great Xia Alliance may not know what will happen, and Si Yi is not sure either, but as long as he says that this is the order of the Imperial Army, everyone will obey. But Xia Xiao cannot let so many Southerners and Shelie people die unjustly on the battlefield.
"I know you are strong and will become stronger in the future. The temporary restraint will only serve as a period of adjustment for you. But the imperial army has secretly protected Daxia for a thousand years. If the Si family is in the open, it is the trunk, branches and leaves of the tree, then we are the roots. If the tree is cut off, the trunk, branches and leaves will wither and become rotten things on the ground. But as long as the roots are there, the tree will live. If you are too obsessed with the trunk and leaves, I am afraid you will be implicated when the tree falls."
"You mean Daxia will perish?"
"As long as the imperial army exists, Daxia will exist, but this dynasty will change in every aspect."
"What are you guarding?"
"Royal bloodline, Si family nameplate."
"What about the country and the people? And the soldiers who fought in the wars and the countless families who sacrificed for them?"
"It's all false, don't pay attention to it."
"Bullshit!"
Xia Xiao's anger was like boiling water, and he was even more dissatisfied with him. If Si Yi was really the trunk and the man in front of him was the root, he would rather take the risk and believe the former. An emperor who cares for the people and soldiers is much more useful than someone who manipulates everything in secret. But the tall old man lowered his eyebrows and looked at Xia Xiao as if he were a child.
Xia Xiao was most annoyed by this kind of look, as if he was just a child who didn't understand anything. But many times adults knew everything, except that they didn't know that their own opinions and ideas were not necessarily correct. Even the master who was closest to God didn't dare to judge the right or wrong of anything, so how could he?
Xia Xiao's determination was reflected in his eyes and face, but the old man, who had never moved, showed a little anger when he looked at him, and his palm moved up in an instant, pinching Xia Xiao's neck before he noticed anything. Xia Xiao's first reaction was not to frown, but to open his hand and hold the black knife before frowning.
Compared to the Pudao, this knife is far less powerful, but more spiritual. It is a real spiritual weapon, but there is no possibility of the blade leaving the sheath tonight. The old man just said:
"The Si royal family is the hand, and I am the brain that controls it. You should understand that the entire Great Wilderness has a brain, and the mountains, rivers, seas, strong winds, and lightning are all controlled by it."
"One thing is another. Matters concerning people's hearts, especially governing a country, cannot be described in this way."
"All you have to do is promise me not to do anything, and that's all I'll do."
Xia Xiao stared at the old man in front of him. The higher the position, the more he knew the importance of things. Therefore, he grinned boldly, shook his head and said word by word: