Chapter 1291: Deceiving the Heavens (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
While the Southwest and Northwest continents were locked in a power struggle, the Central continent was also stirring with ambition. This group was cunning; from the outset, they planned to intervene as reinforcements, helping one side and prolonging the conflict between Kang Kingdom and the Southwest Allies, thus depleting their supplies and manpower. Once the time was right, they would strike and reap the benefits.
After careful consideration, I decided to bet on both ends.
To this end, two envoys were dispatched to persuade them.
One group of messengers perished, while the other returned alive, but without the news they hoped for. Kangguo clearly saw through their scheme and rejected this poisonous temptation from the start. Wasn't Kangguo's action a classic case of refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?
If the soft approach doesn't work, then we have to resort to the hard one.
If this drags on until the battle between Kangguo and the Southwest Allied Forces is decided, it will be a disaster no matter who wins!
Several major powers in the central region are in sync and preparing to launch a military operation.
Unexpectedly, news leaked out, and the Qu Kingdom in the southeast suddenly launched an attack, forcing them to temporarily abandon their plans to seize the spoils. The Qu Kingdom, though relatively young, had developed rapidly in recent years. If they ignored it, their homeland might even be stolen!
They immediately dispatched envoys to negotiate.
We're all neighbors, separated by a few small countries. We have no past grudges or recent conflicts, and our ancestors didn't have any deep-seated blood feuds. It's not right for this young man to suddenly roll up his sleeves and start a fight without warning! Shouldn't we give an explanation?
As long as the explanation is plausible, everyone shakes hands and makes peace.
The central states had not given up their ambition to annex the northwest and southwest territories in one fell swoop—compared to their vast lands, the small gains from appeasing the Qu Kingdom were insignificant, making it a worthwhile deal. However, the Qu Kingdom seemed determined this time, not only making things difficult for the envoys in every way but also declaring that a ceasefire was impossible.
The envoy suffered a great deal of anger in the Kingdom of Qu.
The bribery methods that had previously worked every time also failed.
The envoy's confidant suggested: "I've heard that King Zhai Xiaofang of Qu Kingdom has deep feelings for his queen; perhaps we could start there."
Even if the Queen's interests aligned with Zhai Le's, it didn't mean her maternal clan did. The situation in the Southeast was similar to the Southwest: abundant water but scarce arable land, especially near the coastline, where the soil was not only barren but also plagued by natural disasters. After Zhai Le ascended the throne, he encouraged agriculture, even overruling opposition to allow the army to intervene in land reclamation. After several years, agriculture showed some improvement, but it still couldn't compare to the geographically advantageous Central Continent. The businesses of the powerful Southeast clans had intricate connections with those in the Central Continent.
Perhaps we can use this as a breakthrough point.
As long as the maternal family wavers, won't the pillow talk start?
Even if the desired effect isn't achieved, at least we should figure out why the Qu Kingdom suddenly acted erratically. Why would the Qu Kingdom mobilize such a large army if there's no benefit to be gained? War isn't like going on a spring outing! It involves tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops, and the daily consumption of provisions is astronomical.
What is Qu Guotu doing?
This problem is completely unsolvable.
It even alarmed some branches of the Gods' Guild! The branch intervened and negotiated with the Southeast branch, but they couldn't extract any inside information from Yu Hai. It must be said that infiltrating and corrupting the target's network of connections is indeed a tried-and-true, foolproof method.
Even though Zhai Le has repeatedly warned and reprimanded his wife's family over the years, and then tried to appease them with sweet words afterward, he still couldn't completely eliminate the problem!
When Yu Hai told her that there were unfamiliar faces moving around at Yue's family's place, Zhai Xiaofang paused in her review of memorials, but said without changing her expression, "Sigh, I already know about this matter. I will handle it later."
Since it involved the Yue family, Yu Hai couldn't get involved.
Seeing that Zhai Le had his own ideas, he felt relieved.
The court officials didn't quite understand either, and there were many dissenting voices. Most of them grumbled privately, not daring to openly oppose Zhai Le. This was related to the fact that both previous rulers of the Qu Kingdom relied heavily on military generals. The previous ruler, Zhai Huan, was somewhat better; he himself was a scholar and cared for his civil officials, and his favoritism wasn't too severe. Zhai Le, however, was different; he tightly controlled military power.
The military officers in the court followed his lead without question.
If it weren't for Yu Hai holding things up, life would be unbearable for the civil officials.
Zhai Ledao: [Ignore it.]
This matter cannot be explained openly.
He closed the memorials, stacked them together, and after thinking for a moment, added: "Once the situation in the Northwest becomes clearer, I will explain to my officials. At that time, the reason of 'the Qu-Kang alliance, sharing the world'... will be plausible. If Kang loses..."
Zhai Le looked at the sliver of light outside the window.
If we lose, the hopes of the world rest on our shoulders!
Yu Hai: [...]
The young scholar, having assisted Zhai Le for years, now bore the visibly aged look of a corporate slave, his eyes losing their former sparkle. At first glance, he exuded a sense of utter despondency, as if his life force had been drained by a male/female demon, radiating an aura of "living is fine, dying is fine too." He was already dissatisfied with his workload, and hearing Zhai Le's daydream of unifying the world...
He might as well first find a place with good feng shui.
Even in death, one should die with refinement and dignity.
[Gui Long, you've got some youthful energy!] Zhai Le patted his friend on the shoulder, trying to ignite his enthusiasm!
Yu Haisheng said dejectedly, "No!"
Living is so hard, it's better to hang yourself with a white silk ribbon!
Zhai Le: [...]
Yu Hai said with a headache, "Since dying sooner or later is the same as dying anyway, I shouldn't have been saved by the late master back then!"
The good days didn't last long; they suffered a lot.
To repay the debt of gratitude, he first worked for the half-dead Zhai Huan, and then Zhai Huan passed the job to Zhai Le, where he continued to work for Zhai Le.
Am I destined to be a beast of burden for the rest of my life?
Zhai Le was amused by his self-deprecating remarks, and a rare relaxed smile appeared on her face: "I know Guilong has been working hard, so I've granted you leave these two days. Go back and rest well."
Yu Hai stayed home and refused visitors. He took the opportunity to deal with some people so that they wouldn't come to him for help and make things difficult for him.
The emperor and his minister reached a tacit understanding with just a glance.
To demonstrate his determination to wage war, Zhai Le killed the envoy and his entourage!
The court officials were in an uproar and tried to dissuade him.
Zhai Ledao: [What's the point of advising her? The Queen cried to me, saying that her younger sister had been violated by a villain. If such a humiliating disgrace isn't severely punished, what do you gentlemen take the women of Qu for? To humiliate women to save face because you fear the men of Qu?]
The court officials looked at each other, speechless.
No, that's not the information they received.
Even disregarding the fact that the Zhao woman from Xunnan was merely a distant relative of the Queen—who was only seven or eight years old when the Queen married—it's highly unlikely she would have had any romantic feelings for the Queen, and the Queen would probably never have pleaded with the King on her behalf. Even if these two sisters had feelings for each other, this woman was sent by the Zhao family to the envoy to cultivate their relationship. It was consensual; how could it be considered assault?
The queen had no chance to cry or complain.
The envoy was captured in the main hall and was dumbfounded when he heard this.
He subconsciously glanced at the Zhao family officials among the courtiers.
The latter's expression was also quite remarkable: bewilderment, surprise, anxiety, sudden realization, and retreat. Seeing this, how could the envoy not understand? Whether this was a trap set by Zhao and Zhai Le, or whether both Zhao and he had been tricked by Zhai Le, he was doomed! He immediately broke free from his restraints and began to curse loudly.
That damned Zhai Xiaofang, what are you waiting for me here for?
As expected—
A sharp cry of "Protect the Emperor!" rang out outside the hall. The envoy died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. Everything unfolded so quickly that the court officials couldn't even intervene. Zhai Le, having killed the man, gleefully announced the end of the court session. What "no killing of envoys in war"? Rules are inviolable.
Throughout history, spanning hundreds and thousands of years, being an envoy has always been a high-risk profession, especially when sent to an adversary on the verge of war.
Kill them one by one; otherwise, morale will not be boosted!
As soon as the court session ended, many officials rushed to Yu Hai's residence, wailing and crying.
The king went mad when Prime Minister Yu was absent for even a day.
Yu Hai's head was throbbing from the noise, but he still smiled gently: "The man has already been chopped into a pile of minced meat; we can't glue him back together. At this point, there's only one path left."
This is a battle we have no choice but to fight.
If they don't fight, neither country can save face.
Qu State mobilized its troops very quickly.
The resistance encountered was much weaker than expected.
It wasn't that the opponent's strength had suddenly diminished, but rather that the opponent was unprepared from the start. At the same time, internal discord arose, and several warlord forces emerged among the common people. One of these warlord forces was the most powerful, and wherever it went, it was a case of "a single call to arms brings a hundred responses." It quickly amassed 20,000 to 30,000 troops and even launched several coordinated attacks with the Qu Kingdom from within and without.
This warlord raised a blank flag.
As the name suggests, the flag has no words on it.
Is it because the leader had no name or surname?
Some insiders discovered that many of the warlords' high-ranking members were former students of Quqing Academy; however, their leader was a woman of unremarkable appearance. A review of the remaining records of Quqing Academy yielded no information about this woman. Outsiders were curious about her identity, her ability to gather so many students from Quqing Academy, and how she could recruit 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers so quickly after emerging from seclusion.
You should know that these soldiers are no ordinary people.
A significant portion of them were brave warriors, and some even well-known military officers brought their private retinues to join them. With the Quqing Academy for scholarship and these wandering knights and generals for martial prowess, this nameless force grew at an astonishing pace!
Zhai Le was also speechless.
As far as he knew, his accomplice had always operated in the Northwest, and her alter ego operating in the Central and Southeast regions had only emerged in the last two years. In such a short time, it was impossible for her to have accumulated such a deep foundation. Or perhaps, Xiahou Yu and Gu De possessed such formidable connections?
Zhai Le felt a little regretful.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have kept those two even if they couldn't serve me. Now look what happened, they've all benefited my friends.
Little did they know, Xiahou Yu and Gu De were even more astonished.
The motto of Quqing Academy is "education for all," meaning anyone with a thirst for knowledge has the opportunity to enter the academy. It doesn't restrict students to those who are scholars or martial artists, nor does it limit them to ordinary people. Even so, nine out of ten students at the academy pursue literature, with the remainder learning martial arts.
This also led to Xiahou Yu's network of connections being severely unbalanced.
Recruiting scholars?
There's no need to worry about not having goals.
Recruiting military generals?
Ah, that's a bit of a dilemma.
Xiahou Yu and Gu De searched their entire network of contacts but could only find a handful. When they went to visit them, people either politely refused or ignored them, maintaining basic decorum.
It wasn't that they didn't give Xiahou Yu face, but rather that they were different from the scholars. The scholars who went to serve Xiahou Yu's lord only had a few people with them, including their families. The martial artists, however, were different.
In addition to their own households, they also had private retinues ranging from a dozen to several hundred people, and these private retinues also had families.
Seeking refuge is not a matter for just one family!
Even if everyone agreed to join him, Xiahou Yu's lord would have to provide them with all their food rations! What if they ran out of food one day? How would they explain it to their brothers who had risked their lives for them?
Taking all factors into consideration, many people have chosen to wait and see.
So--
How did Shen Zixu Tang manage to build this team?
The secret is actually quite simple.
"Of course, it's not about asking for outside help. Kangguo's forces are stretched thin; we can't spare any extra personnel." Shen Zixu Tang stroked his chin, a mysterious smile on his face. "Once our people arrive, you'll understand. This is absolutely reliable!"
Xiahou Yu and the others, suppressing their anxiety, waited for a young stranger to arrive. The young man bowed and said, "My name is He Shu, courtesy name Bu Zuo."
Xiahou Yu, courtesy name Zikuan.
Gu De, courtesy name Yourong.
Before coming here, I had heard the Lord mention two of my colleagues, but upon meeting them today, I realize that their descriptions fall far short of their true splendor.
Although it was just a casual greeting, it eased the atmosphere considerably.
Xiahou Yu led He Shu to see the lord.
[You arrived quickly, didn't you? Did you bring the things?]
Shen Zixu Tang took three steps in two, skipping the pointless small talk, his eagerness making He Shu curious about what was in the two large boxes his lord had asked him to carry.
They've all been brought.
He Shu brought two large suitcases with him when he arrived.
These two large boxes were brought from the homes of Gong Xichou and Shao Chong, and were sealed and packaged before being delivered to He Shu.
Zixu was pressing him hard, so He Shu had no choice but to ride quickly, breaking away from the southward-bound group to get here first, for fear of delaying the important matter.
[My Lord, what is contained here?]
The two boxes weren't very heavy.
Chen Zixu Tang snapped the copper lock on the wooden box with a flick of his finger.
Before the box was opened, countless guesses flashed through the minds of the three.
I had thought of everything, but I never imagined that the box would contain... well, dozens of men's underwear.
Upon recognizing what it was, He Shu retreated with a strange expression.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Xiahou Yu and Gu De had the same reaction.
Fortunately, there was no strange smell in the air.
He Shu nearly stammered: "My lord, you—you—"
All this nagging and urging just for one box, no, two boxes of men's trousers? Don't ask why there are two boxes, because his master casually snapped the brass lock on the other box as well!
The thought that the secret he had brought all the way from the Northwest was actually two boxes filled with various types of trousers made of various materials made He Shu feel like his soul was floating, and he kicked He Xin out.
Congratulatory message: [...]
He didn't want to face this situation either!
Shen Zixu Tang kept her head down and naturally didn't see the complicated and strange expressions on the three ministers' faces. She happily said to herself, "With this leverage, things will be much easier for us from now on."
[Handle, leverage?]
These trousers all belong to their owners. Gong Xichou had said these trousers were made of brand new material, so she picked one up without any hesitation. A name was clearly visible on the strip of cloth, along with a seal. And not an ordinary seal! A faint martial aura flowed between the lines, clearly stamped with the Martial Courage Tiger Talisman!
|ω`)
Tangmei: Okay, okay, so starting a business is easier for any of you than for me, right?
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