Chapter 75: Storm is Coming (Part 1) Update
Liu Ziye gently twisted the fingers hidden in his sleeves.
Feeling a little guilty.
She didn't know if Jin Jie had noticed her unnecessary touches just now. In short, she knew clearly from some point on that Jin Jie had seen through her true identity as a woman disguised as a man.
The two of them already had a tacit understanding about this matter.
So, if Jin Jie had noticed it just now, there would be a bit of...ambiguity.
She had acted impulsively, her body reacting faster than her mind. Alas, it was her current body that was to blame; it was truly too hungry! Otherwise, how could she have done what she had done before, wanting to abduct Fu Zhen'er and take her home?
In a flash, she simply turned her face away.
Anyway, that is not her, it is not what her own soul and will want to do!
She slumped back into her chair as if nothing had happened and called Jin Jie, "You sit down and talk too."
"yes."
Jin Jie pulled the chair beside her away and sat down.
Even when sitting, he kept his shoulders and back straight, with one elbow naturally resting on his bent knee for support, facing the Young Marquis of Xiguan.
Liu Ziye observed him calmly. Even though Jin Jie seemed to be relaxed for a rare moment, he still felt like he was always poised for action. If anything unexpected happened, he would still be ready to attack without even reacting.
I saw that he did not choose the chair opposite him which was farther away from him, but chose the one closest to him to sit on.
She curled her lips slightly, as if expressing both satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Jin Jie noticed her little movements, but he remained silent and didn't say a word.
Liu Ziye asked, "What is the current situation of the troops of the Eight Tribes and the border garrisons of our Great Zhou?"
Jin Jie pondered for a moment and began to report the results of his investigation one by one.
A month ago, the team he brought with him this time hid their identities, disguised themselves as merchants and peddlers, or as vagrants from other tribes of the eight tribes, and traveled between several major tribes.
One thing that is very clear is that the eight major groups, led by the Qiang people, are indeed preparing for a major war.
Wang Khan gathered the young and strong men of the tribe.
In the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in Fanyang County, which is adjacent to Xiguan County, troops, horses, and food supplies have also begun to be mobilized and assembled.
The impending war between the Eight Tribes and the Great Zhou Dynasty is a fact that is already before everyone.
Of course, the Great Zhou Dynasty would never choose to bring the flames of war and the battlefield to its own borders. Soon, the Great Zhou Dynasty's border garrisons and a section of the central army would cross the Xiguan County Lord Pass and march towards the Eight Tribes.
This is a great improvement for Xiguan County, which has always been united and developed in a low-key manner.
But it is also an unprecedented challenge!
If the Zhou Dynasty soldiers were to rush to the grassland and wasteland battlefield northwest of the Yansai Mountains to fight against the Eight Tribes, then the thousand-mile Xiguan County would be the last part of the Zhou Dynasty's heartland that they had to cross.
Today's Xiguan is completely different from what it was four years ago.
When a large number of outsiders from Xiguan County enter Xiguan and see the current Xiguan that is completely different from what they imagined, what kind of shocking reaction will they have?
The most important thing is, is Xiguan County ready to accept the attention of the entire Great Zhou?
Did Liu Ziye, the impoverished young marquis of Xiguan, possess enough strength to expose himself to the Emperor and Crown Prince of Yanjing? And to the million-strong Zhou Dynasty army that was about to pass through?
Liu Ziye twirled his fingers and his brain worked rapidly.
In the original world, the relationship between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Eight Tribes did not deteriorate so rapidly. Although Wang Khan Yao Can, headed by the Qiang people, occasionally disagreed with the Great Zhou Dynasty, he did not dare to truly offend the Great Zhou Emperor.
They have been hiding, accumulating their own strength, and trying every possible way to grab some benefits from the giant Zhou Dynasty.
It wasn't until the Great Zhou Dynasty was riven by internal turmoil and rebellious forces arose that he assembled a large army and entered the Great Zhou Dynasty, joining the scramble to seize territory and divide up profits. Ultimately, it was this Qiang Khan, Yao Can, who launched a wave of attacks and cleansing throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, aiming to eliminate the bloodline of the Holy Ancestor Emperor.
As a result, only five of the nine royal clans of Emperor Shengzu survived. All of them were dug out a thousand feet underground and slaughtered in public.
Yao Can is an absolute bastard and a bad guy.
However, during the first winter of his time travel, a devastating snowstorm struck. The Great Zhou Dynasty, unlike in his original worldline, did not extend a helping hand to the eight tribes that had just suffered devastating losses. The Qiang, the tribe hardest hit by the disaster, had yet to recover on their own.
Because of the indifference and lack of assistance from the Great Zhou court, several tribes such as Yao Can felt resentful, which also caused the relationship between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Eight Tribes to be triggered earlier than the unrest within the Great Zhou Dynasty!
At present, the genes of unrest within the Zhou Dynasty are still hidden and have not yet been unleashed.
If the Great Zhou Dynasty can achieve an absolute victory in this war and establish absolutely high authority, then the domestic turmoil can continue to be suppressed.
However, if the Great Zhou Dynasty lost, this external war would quickly become the outlet for internal turmoil and the fuse for the outbreak of unrest. She had clearly witnessed the rapid collapse and defeat of the magnificent Great Zhou Dynasty under attack from both inside and outside.
The storm is coming, and the collapse of the building is just a matter of days.
By then, forget about completing her mission to become the greatest emperor of all time. Her Xiguan County wouldn't be able to gain any advantage in such a turbulent situation!
Liu Ziye thought of this and breathed a sigh of relief.
After the system jumps to a higher level, the upgraded higher level is "Military Expansion".
The words that the administrator said to her a few days ago were clearly telling her—
It's time to sharpen your swords and guns, show your muscles to the world, raise the banner of rebellion, expand your sphere of influence to Xiguan County, and step by step seize the land and people from the current emperor!
However, in Liu Ziye's heart, for the first time, he felt resistance to the system's material rewards and did not want to actually cash them in.
Even though she grew up in an orphanage in her previous life, she knew what this military expansion, and the conflicts and wars it brought, meant to ordinary people.
Of course, she could also say as countless people have said, I am here to give you a better new life!
So now you need to make sacrifices first!
But she knew she couldn't convince herself.
She counted her points. Just the points she had accumulated over the past four years. If she didn't redeem any material rewards and converted them all into life points, she would still have enough to redeem for another ten years of life!
A few days ago, when she completely put aside her so-called mission and strolled around with Fu Zhener, Ahuan and Abi.
I've already been thinking, if she can keep her life for these ten years, will that be enough?
However, reality soon told her the answer.
cannot.
The changing situation forced her to no longer choose to stay where she was and live in peace.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she momentarily forgot about Jin Ji who was sitting next to her.
Of course, Jin Jie did not miss any of her expressions and movements. He could also hear the deep helplessness in Liu Ziye's tone.
This emotion only lasted for a moment.
Soon, Jin Jie heard Liu Ziye speak as usual again: "You and your men have been traveling for many days. Before Mr. Du returns home, arrange for the guards to take advantage of this time to rest well. At the same time, be prepared. Once the rest is over, there will be important things waiting for you to do."
"Yes, I will arrange it." Jin Jie nodded in response.
The serious business was almost over, and Liu Ziye relaxed a little: "Your brother has come to the Marquis' Mansion. He has finally waited for you to come back. Tonight, invite him to have dinner with me in my courtyard."
Jin Jie nodded again.
Liu Ziye looked at his expression and asked, "Xiao Si'er came to Yucheng without permission. You won't scold him when you go back, will you?"
"Since the young marquis has invited him into the mansion, I naturally won't do that." Jin Ji replied.
Perhaps because they were discussing a personal family matter, his usual cold and aloof demeanor was almost gone. Whether it was his tone or the expression on his face when he responded to Liu Ziye's question, it was very gentle.
Liu Ziye smiled slightly.
I simply stood up and called him, "Come on, dinner's still a while away, I'll take you to see some good food!"
She was now about 5 feet 5 inches tall, and standing in front of Jin Jie, she was only half a head shorter. She led the way, while Jin Jie followed her from the side, listening to her chatter and responding when appropriate.
In the evening, after Liu Ziye invited Jin Si'er and Jin Jie to have dinner, Jin Jie asked Jin Si'er to go back to his residence first, and he stayed to finish the things that Liu Ziye mentioned during the meal.
Only then did he say goodbye to Liu Ziye and return to his residence in front of the Xiguan Marquis Mansion.
The Xiguan Marquis's private guards had now expanded to over a thousand men, and there was also a newly renovated private guard camp. Jin Jie now spent more time sleeping in the soldiers' quarters at the camp.
But this courtyard in the marquis's mansion was reserved specifically for him, Xia Wu, Zhang Shan and the other two.
When necessary, he would still stay overnight in his own courtyard in the Marquis' Mansion.
When he pushed open the door of his own room in the middle, he saw Jin Si'er sitting there obediently, waiting for him to come back and talk.
As soon as he saw Jin Ji coming back, Jin Si'er hurriedly stood up from his chair.
"Brother, you're back."
Although they had met twice in the Marquis' Mansion, both times they were in the presence of outsiders. Now that the two brothers were facing each other privately, Jin Si'er felt the tension that had been temporarily suppressed rise again.
Jin Jie turned around and closed the door.
He pulled out the chair opposite Jin Si'er and sat down: "Does the shaman know that you are coming to Yucheng?"
When Jin Sier heard him ask directly about the shaman, he realized that he could talk without worry and shook his head: "The shaman doesn't know."
really.
If the shaman knew, there was no way he would have let Xiao Si'er run to him without any information. In fact, this kid was quite clever, knowing how to first seize the weak spot of the young marquis's backer before appearing in front of him.
He looked at his younger brother, who was fifteen years his junior, and asked, "Speak for yourself."
Jin Si'er lowered his head slightly and confessed honestly, "I have been studying hard in the elementary school built by the young marquis in Yi Town for the past few years. Now that I am eleven years old and have learned a lot of knowledge, I want to help my elder brother do some things and share the worries of my elder brother and father."
Jin Jie listened without comment.
After a moment, he said, "Since you're in Yucheng, tomorrow I'll ask the young Marquis of Xiguan for permission to take the entrance exam for Yucheng Middle School. If, as you say, you've learned a lot, it would be best if you could pass the entrance exam."
Upon hearing this, Jin Sier opened his mouth.
He wanted to say that he was there for no class, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.
He knew very well that if the young marquis had not been present today, he wouldn't even have had the chance to stay here and take the entrance exam. He must have been on the bus back to Yi Town by now.
Besides, one of his real thoughts was hidden.
The other reason that prompted him to ignore the instructions of the shaman and his father Khan and run to Yucheng alone was originally known only to him.
But today, Jin Si'er knew that the moment Jin Ji saw him appear in Xiguan Hou Mansion, he knew all his intentions.
"Okay, big brother."
Jin Sier nodded obediently.
Late at night, Jin Sier's steady and steady breathing echoed in the room.
At the other end of the room, the bed where Jin Jie should have been sleeping soundly was empty with the bedding flat.
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