Tudege had strong reservations about Wenda's assessment.
Back then, the Wu Kingdom was powerful, recruiting many strong individuals of the time, and vowing to unify the world and reach the pinnacle. But what was the final result? Didn't it all end in failure? Not only did it suffer a crushing defeat, but it was a catastrophic one, a complete rout!
After so many years of accumulation, the Northern Desert's current starting point is surely much stronger than that of the impoverished Wu Kingdom's ruler who conquered the world as a mere common soldier. Yet, Yun Da claims that the Wu Kingdom doesn't even possess one or two tenths of its capabilities, which is a gross underestimation of them.
Tudege wasn't the only one dissatisfied.
There was also resentment in the hearts of everyone present.
However, no one dared to challenge the 20th-rank Marquis.
Even a dog will know when faced with overwhelming power.
Yun Da didn't care what they thought. He gave a few perfunctory words and then took his leave. It wasn't until half an hour after he left that the atmosphere in the tent gradually livened up. Someone muttered quietly, "Isn't what Lord Che said just boosting the morale of others and diminishing our own?"
Even a powerful kingdom like Wu suffered a crushing defeat in the end. What good could come of Beimo, which Yunda said was not even a tenth or a twelfth as powerful as Wu?
That sounds like bad luck!
The person next to him said, "He is Marquis Che."
Having great strength means you can be capricious.
There's no need to worry about whether it sounds unlucky to others.
If he possessed the abilities of a 20th-rank Marquis, let alone spouting a few unlucky words, even if he publicly defecated and forced them to eat it, the forced individuals would still have to eat it with a smile and praise how fresh and delicious it was. In this world, a 20th-rank Marquis is equivalent to the truth.
The person who was complaining quietly changed their expression slightly.
Looking around carefully and seeing that there was nothing unusual, he whispered even more, "So what if he's Marquis Che? Didn't he suffer a loss at the hands of the Kang Kingdom's troops yesterday? He lost face at their hands, so he has to show off his power in front of us to get revenge."
What about a rank 20 Marquis?
I heard he's lived in the mountains for over a hundred years, cultivating his mind and body. To put it nicely, he's a hermit; to put it bluntly, wasn't he just a commoner with nothing but brute strength? No power, no influence, no wealth, no delicacies, no beautiful women—wasn't that a failure?
"Hmph, you dare say that to his face?"
Upon hearing this, the complainers immediately fell silent.
He's just arrogant and domineering, not mentally ill.
Knowing full well that Yunda is not someone to be trifled with, he still went out of his way to provoke him. What's the difference between that and courting death? Unlike Yunda, who can live for more than two hundred years, he hasn't even had enough of the wealth and glory he enjoyed in his short few decades.
Tude interrupted the whispers of the crowd.
The most urgent task is to urge the troops of all tribes to join forces.
Judging from Yun Da's words, he probably won't make another move in the short term, so the Northern Desert will have to figure out a way to deal with it on their own. Kang Guo's Shen Tang has launched a "Royal Expedition," and the Northern Desert needs to respond accordingly—the "Royal Expedition" significantly boosts morale, and given the many benefits of the National Seal for national fortune, the Northern Desert should ideally field an equivalent force, otherwise they will be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation.
However, the fact that the Northern Desert King personally led the expedition is also a problem.
Tudege felt a pang of sorrow.
The main force of Kangguo arrived six or seven hours earlier than expected. When Shen Tang received the news, he went to pick them up personally.
Chu Yao was travel-worn, his clothes dusty, and his face still showed signs of fatigue from the long march. But when he saw Shen Tang, his eyes brightened, his weariness vanishing: "My lord! We just received news on the road that the enemy general launched a night attack..."
He spoke hastily.
Shen Tang interrupted with a smile: "The people did come, but they were driven away. I arrived at a convenient time. I had just arrived when the Martial Warriors from the Northern Desert came right after me. Although they were two troublesome characters, I, your lord, did not let them gain any significant advantage. Wu Hui must be tired from the long journey. Go wash up and rest for a while. We can talk in detail after you've recovered your energy."
She was relieved that the troops on the northern desert side had not yet been fully assembled.
Otherwise, if our main force arrives without rest, they will be exhausted and their combat strength will be reduced. Wouldn't it be easy for the Northern Desert to launch a surprise attack? If they were even more shameless, the Northern Desert could divide its forces into three groups to harass and attack in turn, forcing our side to be on high alert.
If you persist for ten days to half a month, you will see immediate results.
Chu Yao said, "My lord, I am unharmed."
He was, after all, a scholar with a refined taste; he could work non-stop for a while and still not collapse. However, the ordinary soldiers in the main force certainly couldn't manage it. So, he issued a military order for the army to rest and regroup. Shen Tang keenly noticed that some men were missing.
"Where are the troops from Wuzhou Zhechong Prefecture?"
The uniforms of the soldiers in different military garrisons varied slightly, but they all generally bore some local characteristics, and the group from Wuzhou was no exception. Shen Tang, however, did not see Su Shiyilu among the arriving generals. She saw neither Su Shiyilu nor the Wuzhou soldiers, nor Lin Feng.
"And Lingde?"
Why haven't I seen her?
As Shen Tang spoke, she thought of a possibility.
He asked, "Did Wu Hui send the Wuzhou troops to a secondary pass? Su Shiyilu and the Wuzhou troops haven't completely given up yet. If we don't keep an eye on them, I'm worried they might cause trouble."
The border between Kangguo and Beimo is very long.
The northwestern kingdoms have dispatched hundreds of thousands of laborers to construct artificial natural barriers and endless city defenses here, making it extremely difficult for the Northern Desert to breach their lines. There are only three key passes: one large and two smaller. The main pass is named "Yao Ri Pass," while the two smaller passes are named "Zhu Yue Pass" and "She Xing Pass." Shen Tang's main force is stationed at Yao Ri Pass, the closest to Camel City and the most suitable of the three passes for the Northern Desert to attack. If they were to choose one of the other two smaller passes, the Northern Desert forces would face greater pressure.
“Lingde did go to Zhuyue Pass with the Wuzhou army, but it wasn’t Yao who sent her; it was her own request. She received news of the Northern Desert grain supply line and planned to intercept the grain. Passing through Zhuyue Pass, where there are fewer troops, would be less likely to arouse suspicion.”
Shen Tang asked, "Intercept the grain?"
Even she was surprised by Lin Feng's boldness.
Worry flickered in his eyes: "What she's doing is too risky. The Northern Desert guards its food lines closely. She's ventured deep into their territory; one wrong move and it's all over. The main force can't provide support in time. This child is so young and yet so reckless—"
Lin Feng was someone Shen Tang had watched grow up, so she was somewhat protective of him and subconsciously didn't want him to be in such a dangerous situation. Just as she was about to complain about where Lin Feng learned his radical and daring style, she noticed Chu Yao's expression and swallowed the rest of her words.
Haha, who did you learn that from?
Who else could it be but Chu Yao, this wonderful teacher?
The current territory of Kang Kingdom includes the former small state of Chu. Shen Tang only learned of this when Chu Jie took a two-week leave to visit the graves of his parents, wife, and children. On the map of Kang Kingdom, the former state of Chu once occupied only a tiny corner. This small state imprisoned Chu Yao for most of his life, from childhood to adolescence, spending more than a decade of his life there.
She even specifically asked Chu Yao if he needed special permission to visit the grave.
I can just hitch a ride with Chu Jie.
Chu Yao was momentarily dazed.
He smiled wryly and said, "My lord, Yao has no grave to pay homage to."
He was sold to the Chu family by his parents when he was young, and the surname and name he uses now were later given to him by the Chu family. He bears the mark of the Chu family on everything. The only remaining mark of the Chu family is his childhood nickname, "Yu-ge'er," which only his cousin Jin Rui calls him. His parents have long since turned to dust, and the old house where he briefly lived in his childhood was also destroyed in the war.
Chu Yao went to offer sacrifices, but whom should he offer sacrifices to?
He has no one to visit and no grave to pay respects to.
Shen Tang sighed with heartache: "Why don't you go back and inquire? Perhaps you can find their graves. Even if you can't find them, you can spit on Chu Jie's father's grave a couple of times. I'm just worried Chu Jie might get angry; you can go spit in the middle of the night."
Chu Yao chuckled at her words, his gloom lifted, and nodded in agreement: "Yes, it would be good to go back and take a look."
Shen Tang approved leave for several people during that tomb-visiting leave.
Besides Chu Jie and Chu Yao, the group included Wei Shou, his wife Rui Ji, and their children. Rui Ji and Chu Yao were from the same village, so if their parents' graves were still nearby, they could pay their respects. Wei Shou, however, was too attached to his wife and didn't feel comfortable having Rui Ji and Chu Yao together. As for the children, Wei Shou had forcibly dragged them along.
He wanted to show off his successful life of loving husband and filial children to Chu Yao, a lonely man, in order to annoy Chu Yao.
The grave, of course, was not found.
In chaotic times, it wasn't just local warlords who made their fortunes by digging up graves; the main force behind grave robbing was ordinary people – the living couldn't even afford to live, how could the dead expect to rest in peace underground? These people didn't just dig up graves for burial goods; even if the deceased was an ordinary person, they would still dig up the grave and strip the deceased of their clothes.
This is why corpses are often naked on the roadside.
Any clothing that can cover the body and keep warm is valuable. Even the living don't have enough, so why would the dead need it?
The village where I lived in my childhood has become ruins, overgrown with weeds.
Ruiji let out a soft sigh.
She used the clothes she made for her ancestors to build several cenotaphs.
Chu Yao didn't feel much about it.
Chu Jie returned from visiting the grave, feeling downcast.
When Shen Tang learned of these events, she ordered people to collect books and materials from that period at the original site of the Chu Kingdom. She actually managed to gather quite a few interesting manuscripts. One wealthy local family contributed the most books, and surprisingly, some of them contained content related to Chu Yao. Although the passages were short, they revealed a spirited and righteous young man through the fragments.
What's even more precious is that it contains the battle that made him famous.
It's clear that Chu Yao is indeed a radical and daring young man.
"Like teacher, like student." Judging from the timeline, Lin Feng and the Wuzhou army should be arriving at Zhuyue Pass soon. The matter of intercepting the grain is imminent, and it's too late to stop them. He can only make a joke, "Aren't you afraid something might happen to Lingde? You always treat her like the apple of your eye, watching over her all the time. Are you really at ease now?"
If Lin Feng were to have an accident, it would be tantamount to losing a daughter for Chu Yao.
Chu Yao said, "Your son is more meticulous than I was back then."
The tender sapling of yesteryear has long since grown into a towering tree. He said earnestly, "My lord, you will surely applaud her."
“I have no doubt about that.”
Despite my worries, I have no choice but to trust now.
In fact, Shen Tang also falls into the category of being blinded by concern.
Anyone who had seen Chu Yao back then, such as Wei Shou and Chu Jie, had no doubt that if Lin Feng were to go to the Northern Desert War and encounter Chu Yao back then, the Three Heroes of Chu Kingdom would probably have to be replaced.
Compared to Chu Yao of the same period, Lin Feng was more outstanding.
Lin Feng, having learned of the grain supply intelligence, wanted to give the Northern Desert a big surprise as the start of the battle. Chu Yao agreed so readily only because Wei Shou pleaded on his behalf. Perhaps because Wei Shou had many children and didn't care much for them, his parenting style was simple and brutal.
What's wrong with breaking away from the main force and leading troops to intercept grain supplies month by month by taking advantage of passages?
The risks are high, the storms are fierce, but the rewards are also great.
[Isn't this how you earned your title of "One of the Three Heroes of Chu"? Your reputation is so great that even Xin Kingdom is wary of you and secretly sabotaged you. If you can do it, why can't your apprentice? She's also a second-rank scholar, her knowledge, vision, and talent are no less than yours. Who doesn't take great risks to gain fame? To earn the "first to charge" honor, a soldier charging into battle has to be at the forefront, run the fastest, kill the most, and survive to the end!]
Unlike Chu Yao, who only had two children, Wei Shou had many, and they were all quite resilient. As long as they didn't die, it was normal for them to get into fights and mishaps. How could he stand out among the younger generation without taking risks? Or was Chu Yao afraid that he would starve his apprentices if he taught them?
Seeing that Wei Shou's speech was becoming increasingly incoherent, Chu Yao scolded him a couple of times.
In the end, she agreed to Lin Feng's request.
However, he also made Lin Feng sign a pledge.
Lin Feng readily agreed.
Looking at the spirited Lin Feng, Chu Yao felt a mix of emotions, and all the words of advice he had prepared were condensed into a single sentence.
Lingde, you must return safely.
[I'll throw you a celebratory banquet then!]
Lin Feng said, "Alright, disciple will wait."
Shen Tang ordered his men to keep a close eye on news from Zhuyue Pass.
The main force rested for most of the day.
The next morning, Shen Tang summoned everyone to discuss matters.
Yun Da and Gong Cheng's actions reminded her.
Rather than passively waiting for the enemy to come knocking, it's better to take the initiative and teach them a lesson. Why not strike while the Northern Desert forces are still assembled? Are we supposed to wait until they've established themselves, eaten their fill, and are fully armed? Ah, an eye for an eye!
Zhu Yue Pass.
A troop of soldiers rested briefly here before quietly setting off.
They were all dressed as people from the northern desert.
The burly man at the head of the group twisted his arms uncomfortably.
This person is Su Shiyilu.
Lin Feng was right beside him.
"What, are you crawling with ants and bugs?"
Su Shiyi Lu had gotten used to Lin Feng's cold tone lately, and at least she wouldn't get angry when she heard it before: "I'm not used to it."
The customs of the Northern Desert and the Ten U... no, the Uzhou are very different, including their clothing. Su Shiyilu is not used to it.
Lin Feng was speechless for a moment.
He said calmly, "Just bear with it even if you're not used to it!"
Su Shiyilu simply couldn't stand it anymore.
He was originally a burly man with a wide field of vision, able to see the tops of everyone's heads with a casual glance. Now, inexplicably shrunken, and having been transformed into this ghastly appearance by Lin Feng through bizarre means, it would be strange if he could get used to it. He was used to judging others by his own standards!
If I hate Lin Feng, how could Lin Feng be so unguarded towards me?
What are you using?
Lin Feng focused his attention and answered, "Gu worm."
Su Shiyilu revealed a look of disgust and apprehension, turning her head to survey her surroundings: "How can you guarantee that our identities won't be exposed?"
Lin Feng looked over and asked, "Have you ever heard the saying?"
"What?"
"Money can make the devil turn the millstone."
|ω`)
The title is normal this time.
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