Chapter 518: Chess Game (Part 2)
The battle is like a chess game.
Yan Shijiu sighed, "The most beautiful thing about this is that the dispersal of the Lion and Tiger Armies was a voluntary decision by Nan Lijun and me, and it was a necessary move. But it plays into your hands."
The troops sent to the southeast were immediately pinned down by the rebels upon their arrival. This was undoubtedly orchestrated by you; both sides were on the same side, just pretending. The troops sent to the north were waiting for you to reunite with them from Kyoto, and then fight your way back to Kyoto together.
And finally, the most beautiful and cruel thing is that you know that Nanli Jun is extremely afraid of you. She dare not leave too many of your subordinates here in Kyoto City. She still mainly relies on 80,000 Beijing troops and 20,000 imperial guards, and you only have 100,000 people.
So how can I protect my own troops and wipe out all the Jing troops, so that Nan Lijun will lose his last remaining military force? That is to use me——
When the Black Scale Cavalry launched their attack, you immediately ordered Luojiang and Xiong Dun to join the fight. You forced me to split the Kyoto forces into two groups. Fearing your ability to defeat the Black Scale Cavalry, you had no choice but to send Su Zhengyang to lead the Kyoto troops. So, in the southwest, you used the Black Scale Cavalry to slaughter the last 80,000 Kyoto troops left by Nanli Jun.
In the north, you, as you wished, joined forces with the border defense forces. Together, you took advantage of the flood season, marching rapidly along the Luozi River, and marching directly into Kyoto from the Yingqin River. That's why you were able to arrive so quickly, much faster than the real Dongyan army!
So beautiful! Seriously! Every move I make is one I make willingly and must make! You've left me with only one path forward: towards the trap you've set!
During this period, in order to hide your troops and wait for today's opportunity, you fabricated the illusion that tens of thousands of Nan Kingdom soldiers were buried in the ice and snow to deal with the court's inspection.
I'm guessing the bodies are all those of the Southern Kingdom's soldiers who died fighting in the Northern Territory over the years. Someone must have been out there collecting, hiding, and burying the bodies for you, building that ice pit year after year. After all, Luojiang is bitterly cold year-round, and that extreme temperature is enough to prevent any corpse from decaying.
"It's Rong Jiang."
Huo Gannian promptly explained this confusion to Yan Shijiu, who suddenly understood and nodded:
"The Rong family is truly loyal to you. Now that Rong Jiang has returned from the dead, they'll be even more devoted to you. It's amazing! Every move you make has at least three, five, or even more purposes. Not a single one is wasted."
Yan Shijiu sighed repeatedly, full of admiration, but suddenly he laughed mysteriously and playfully:
"Does Yunchen know that you are so powerful?"
Huo Gannian's expression changed when he heard this. Before he could say anything, Yan Shijiu immediately cleared his throat and laughed loudly:
"The Northern Expedition troops you brought with you can fake their deaths and hide. But how can you fake your death? The world is so big, it's not difficult to find someone who looks very similar to you and fake a corpse, but how can you make me believe it? That is to use Yun Chen——
Getting me to marry Yun Chen was all part of your plan. You had to use Yun Chen to convince me you were truly dead. Only Yun Chen could personally identify the body! Only by making the person who knows how to lie the most in tears, despair, and collapse, could I believe you were dead!
How cruel, Huo Gannian... You're so confident, are you convinced that Yun Chen wouldn't fall in love with me even if she married me and lived with me day and night? After you 'come back from the dead', she will definitely fall into your arms again?
You seem quite imposing, but do you know how pitiful Yun Chen looked as she wept over your corpse? She even refused to eat or drink, wanting to lie on the couch and wait for death by starvation, just to commit suicide with you. You are so cruel, really..."
Huo Gannian frowned deeply, it was obvious that Yan Shijiu had touched his most painful spot.
But how could he show his fear in front of Yan Shijiu, so Huo Gannian just calmed his brows and said calmly:
"Those who achieve great things don't pay attention to small details. Yun Chen... must be like this."
"Hahahahahahahahahaha——" Yan Shijiu laughed out loud and happily after hearing this:
"What a 'careless' person! Yun Chen is actually your 'careful' one! A little chess piece! Hahahahahahahahaha - oh! I know why you suddenly wanted to elope with Yun Chen that time! You even got caught while deliberately escaping from the mansion!
Because back then, you saw I was determined to give up everything and only wanted to take Yun Chen back to Dongyan! But you wouldn't let me! Hahahaha! This game has gone on until now, and you won't let me leave the table! You deliberately made me discover you were planning to elope! You provoked me, forced me, forced me to finish this game!
Hahahaha, so that's it! I finally understand why for so long, you knew my feelings for Yun Chen, but never stopped me from getting close to her and plotting against her! You also knew that I was plotting against her but didn't kill me! It turns out that I am also your little chess piece! And Yun Chen was promised to me, a reward that I thought I could get? Haha——"
With a "swoosh", the third arrow pierced Yan Shijiu's chest, only a millimeter away from his heart, and the force was stronger and heavier than the previous two arrows.
It was obvious that Yan Shijiu's words completely infuriated Huo Gannian.
Huo Gannian uttered two words coldly:
"Shut up!"
Yan Shijiu ignored the severe pain in his chest, gushing out large mouthfuls of blood while laughing crazily and shouting:
"Do you know what happened by the Green Water Pond that day? Hahahaha - Yun Chen, Yun Chen, you are so silly. This is your lover, did you see it?
This is the one you've been thinking about so much, willing to give everything for him! The 'A Nian' who will die with him! You and I are just the steps on his way to the throne! So, you are much more pitiful than me! Yun Chen, I am the only one in this world who loves you! "
The fourth, fifth, and sixth arrows were shot one after another as expected, aiming at Yan Shijiu's vital points, causing the dragon throne to vibrate continuously and rendering him speechless.
He began to feel severe pain even in breathing. The front of his clothes was stained with blood, which flowed down his robe and all over the floor.
As if sensing that his life was coming to an end, Yan Shijiu gradually calmed down and said to Huo Gan sincerely:
"Congratulations, everything will be accomplished... The Three Kingdoms... are all yours. I want to know, what will you do with me?"
Huo Gannian looked at Yan Shijiu coldly from under his eyes, his tone as cold as ice, and said word by word:
"Deal with it? No need. Here, you are just Yan Nineteen, the male concubine of Nan Lijun. No one here has ever seen what the East Yan Emperor Yan Xing looks like. Only the male concubine Yan Nineteen disappeared in the war. Maybe he escaped or died. Who cares? East Yan is under the supervision of Yan Lang, West Yan is a no-man's land, and the Nan Kingdom is still the Nan Kingdom. The Three Kingdoms war records, the historical records, the archives... In all historical records, there will not be a single word about you."
Yan Shijiu seemed to be shocked by this cruel result. He stood there with his mouth open, stunned for a long time, unable to recover, and just kept muttering the same sentence:
"Amazing! Killing people and destroying their hearts. So cruel..."
Then he frowned in pain, his body felt cold, and his lips turned pale.
At the last moment before he was about to lose consciousness forever, Yan Shijiu looked at Huo Gannian unwillingly:
"Yangmei..."
Huo Gannian raised his eyebrows and paused for a moment before remembering that on the rainy day when he confessed to Nan Lijun that Yun Chen was a girl, he had told Yan Shijiu a story about the bayberry garden.
Among all the bayberry gardens outside the southeastern city of Guying, there is one garden whose fruits are always the largest and sweetest.
There is no special secret. It's just that when other gardens are busy spraying pesticides and killing insects, and half of the fruits die when the insects die, only the bayberry garden uses its energy to fertilize, loosen the soil, irrigate, and plant wind shelters.
Under these favorable conditions, all the bayberry trees grew tall, lush, and very strong. Although bayberries still got infested with insects, they only harmed a small part of the trees and did not hinder the grand harvest of the entire garden.
When Yan Shijiu heard this story, although he could not fully understand it, he was well aware of the king's way contained in this little story.
He had spent countless nights guessing and guessing, but never got a result.
Now before he dies, he just wants to know the answer.
This is his obsession with being emperor.
Huo Gannian saw it clearly, but did not laugh at him. Instead, he patiently explained and supported him.
He opened his lips slightly and uttered seven words:
"It's a new world, a new order."
Yan Shijiu was slightly stunned.
Huo Gannian continued, "Pests will never be eradicated, and the price paid to catch them will never end. Just as corrupt officials and sycophants will always be there, rather than being constrained and passive, focusing all our energy on 'punishing' them, it's better to fertilize, irrigate, provide shelter, and change the order and rules. Even if greed and power still exist, they can't stop the prosperity of the entire country."
After these words were spoken, Yan Shijiu's eyes widened instantly, and he finally showed a smile of fulfillment.
He was defeated miserably, but he also accepted the defeat with conviction.
Because his opponent was so powerful and terrifying, Huo Gannian didn't even try to compete with him for the throne or the world.
What Huo Gan wants is to clear away everything, destroy and rebuild new power, and then establish a new world and order.
He didn't care about parasites like Yan Nineteen at all, because he knew very well that there would not be only one Yan Nineteen in the world. Next year there would be Bai Seventeen, and the year after that there would be Cheng Sixteen... Traitors would never disappear.
He had long since transcended the Three Kingdoms and looked down upon the entire world. Just like the chess game of life and death, he had never considered Yan Shijiu as an opponent, but had been playing against God from beginning to end.
Whether it is Yan Shijiu or Nan Lijun, in Huo Gannian's eyes, they are just chess pieces sent by God.
Yan Shijiu's consciousness gradually faded. He felt it was such a pity that he could not see how Huo Gannian would create a new world and a new order. This was the saddest failure.
But when he thought of the person in the lattice fan behind the dragon throne, Yan Shijiu felt extremely happy.
"From now on, every day you sit on this throne, you will think of this very day... Haha... I still won by one move, my most powerful one."
Yan Shijiu used up all his strength and finally said this sentence. The corners of his mouth curved in a strange arc, and then his whole body twitched uncontrollably due to blood loss.
Huo Gannian solemnly raised his bow and shot the last arrow, which hit Yan Shijiu right between his eyebrows and exploded through the back of his head.
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