Delong

Chapter 547: Wind and Frost (6)

"boom!!!"

With a loud bang, Xue Liang moved his gaze expressionlessly to the rammed earth layer behind him that was directly blasted open by a huge crossbow arrow, and then immediately turned his head to look back at the main battlefield where his gaze had been before.

Over there, there is a momentum that spans the sky and the earth, and the power of a dragon soaring and a tiger leaping.

Yes, the war has escalated.

Although both sides seem to believe that this war will be a relatively long-lasting battle, both sides also believe that the current battlefield has fallen into a quagmire where its strategic value is continuously decreasing.

However, the war escalated.

In early October, the Chulong Army returned with dozens of crossbow carts, hundreds of simple ladders, dozens of teams of towing livestock, and four or five ramming carts. They appeared on the battlefield and then launched a fierce siege on the Guanxi Army's camp.

The siege failed, or in a large-scale battlefield with sufficient practitioners, such engineering progress could not ensure subsequent hand-to-hand combat.

At this point, the war had actually been upgraded twice in just one day. One was of course the large-scale investment in engineering equipment, and the other was that under the suppression of engineering equipment, the practitioners at the Chengdan and Ningdan levels on both sides no longer had any scruples and began to actively or passively intervene in the battlefield and control regional positions.

Because of this, after fighting fiercely for half a day, the Chulong Army began to withdraw in the afternoon... A large amount of engineering equipment was left behind on the battlefield, triggering a lot of pursuit and scramble by the Guanxi Army. So the Chulong Army, which had been prepared, counterattacked again, and several elite battalions tried to encircle and eat up these disorderly Guanxi Army that chased out of the camp.

In this situation, certain Condensation Pill masters did not dare to rush out of the camp easily, so the Grand Master and Emperor of Great Britain standing on a hundred-foot high platform finally took action.

The man was looking down from a high place, drawing the longitude and latitude between heaven and earth. Every time he placed a white piece, the British soldiers on the battlefield under the sky would feel inexplicably excited, and all their fatigue would disappear, as if there was wind blowing from all directions to help them soar. And every time he placed a black piece, the corresponding soldiers of the Deposed Dragon on the battlefield under the sky would move slowly and lack strength, as if the surroundings had turned into a quagmire that hindered their movement.

This was a Grandmaster's method that was completely different from the previous direct attack with the gold, silver and red chess pieces, and it was very effective. The Guanxi army below was inspired by this and everyone was working hard, almost rushing out of the camp and pursuing the enemy in full force.

Regarding this, Zhang Xing did not dare to be negligent. He measured the situation a little and deployed 300 of the 500 white cavalrymen. Then, under the organization of the three masters, he transformed into a giant golden dragon hundreds of feet high, spread his wings and swooped down towards the enemy army... There was no other way. Zhang Xing did not have the corresponding high-end means, so he could only use this low-end method to deal with it.

You know what, no matter how powerful the British Emperor is, he can't continue to be powerful when faced with this kind of fighting style. He can only change his tactics, rearrange the gold, silver and red chess pieces, and face off against the Glowing True Dragon.

As a result, the battle on the riverside was as exciting as a battle between gods. In the end, almost no ordinary soldiers from both armies fought. Most people's attention was on this battle between gods. Only a few soldiers from the Chulong Army who controlled the crossbows and the Guanxi Army who occupied the camps would shoot cold arrows from time to time.

Moreover, the coaches of both teams were actually in a deadlock.

This was not someone deliberately controlling the situation... In reality, both sides were forced onto the stage by the situation. They were constantly increasing the stakes, testing the waters, repeatedly improving the strength of their true energy, and taking advantage of possible opportunities to launch attacks. However, the more the fight went on, the more frightening they became, because both sides realized that the other side was far from their former level. They could not say that they were evenly matched, but at least it would be difficult to determine the winner in a short period of time.

Of course, neither side dared to fight to the death, nor did they let their respective Grandmasters take the field. After all, there was another Grandmaster in Heyang City, and it was the Grandmaster who stood by and watched coldly... As for organizing a larger and more powerful Qi Army formation, there was no way to do it in such a hurry, and they didn't dare to do it. What if they were defeated? !

However, the two armies were not shocked by such equal strength. On the contrary, in their opinion, it should be this way. Although Zhang Xing was only a grandmaster, he was also the lord of Hebei. He was chosen by the Black Emperor and must have supernatural powers. With two grandmasters and three hundred strange scriptures, he could naturally be on par with the lord of Guanxi who was accompanied by dozens of Fulong Guards. On the other hand, although Bai Hengqiu had never deposed a real dragon, he was, after all, a grandmaster and the emperor of Great Britain. Guanlong had stood in the world for nearly a hundred years. How could he really be afraid of these three grandmasters and three hundred white riders?
In this way, the two sides fought until dark, and the soldiers had already withdrawn, but they all watched the battle in their camps, as if they were watching a competition to seize a longitude, or watching the dance before the competition. The true qi of both sides was running wild, and both were based on the glowing true qi, which illuminated the night sky with flowing light.

That’s not all. When a real dragon leaps, it often brings about a whistling wind. When chess pieces fall to the ground, there is even the sound of thunder, which is really lively.

Of course, no one knew what Bai Hengqiu was thinking. Zhang Xing felt sorry for Ta Baiqi, so he found an opportunity to move away from the hundred-foot high platform, and then slowly withdrew his magical powers during the confrontation... and from Bai Hengqiu's reaction, he was also nervous after the day's fight, otherwise he would not have withdrawn the chessboard so tacitly.

In the twilight that had returned to calm, Bai Hengqiu, dressed in golden armor and a red robe, walked down the platform expressionlessly. Behind him was Xue Ren, whose face was flushed, and the remaining Fulong Guards in the same posture. What greeted him were hundreds of thousands... even tens of thousands, in his grandmaster's field of vision, of excited faces.

Those who were nearby saluted sincerely under the firelight, while those who were far away cheered as if their emperor had returned victoriously.

Bai Hengqiu knew very well that not only would the Guanxi Army cheer him, but Zhang Xing would also be cheered when he returned to the camp, even if neither side won... Because in essence, this was a kind of release, a release of pressure on the battlefield. After this battle, the generals and soldiers below knew that the war responsibilities they bore had become smaller, and that if the sky fell, there would be tall people to hold it up, so they would relax from the bottom of their hearts and cheer.

That’s not all. If there are no unexpected events in the subsequent wars, this battle will be recorded in history, overshadowing the hard work of the soldiers before. Even after the withdrawal, everyone will conclude that the battle was a draw based on the miraculous performances of both sides, and ignore the many complicated things involved.

Even after tonight, no one would worry about a hasty withdrawal causing instability in military morale, because all military conflicts had superficially shifted to the battle between the most senior masters.

But what is the reality?
In fact, after this battle, the White Emperor was certain of one thing, that is, the outcome of this war, at least the current battle in Ji County, would most likely depend on the soldiers below.

But why?
Is it God's will? God's will does not allow practitioners to decide their own destiny? ! But isn't destiny imposed on oneself? Or is it as Chonghe said, Zhang Xing himself shook the destiny, so God dare not reveal the destiny again?

So what's next? Sima Zheng?
No, Sima Zheng is here, and the three parties are getting more entangled and it's hard to tell who will win. It's the Qi formation that gathers all the practitioners from both sides and combines them with the military formation... But what if the Qi formation can't be ended?

In a trance, Bai Hengqiu, whose thoughts were a little confused, saw Liu Yangji, who was visibly excited. It was almost imaginable that if he asked him about his strategy at this time, this veteran general who had been trusted by him when he started the rebellion would no longer insist on withdrawing the troops and fighting another battle... What the other party didn't know was that the emperor in front of him, who was receiving cheers from tens of thousands of soldiers, actually agreed with his suggestion to a certain extent at this time, and even thought of Zhang Shiben for a moment.

That’s right, Bai Hengqiu, who had never wavered before, was actually a little shaken at this moment.

At three o'clock in the morning, thunder rumbled, and in the second half of the night, a standard thunderstorm fell in this warm early winter season.

This is very unreasonable, because the sun was shining brightly yesterday without a single cloud in sight. But considering the previous struggle between the true dragon and the chessboard of heaven and earth, everything that is unreasonable becomes reasonable. Maybe the Four Emperors in heaven were happy and sent thunder to cheer them on.

With thunder and drizzling rain, the temperature finally turned a little cooler. However, on the second day, the Chulong Army's move to distribute the standard black winter clothes to the soldiers in advance still caused dissatisfaction, because the temperature had not reached that level yet, and the winter clothes had to be kept by the soldiers themselves, so if they were lost or dirty, it would be their own business.

Of course, these complaints are empty. The real emotions come from the meaning behind the winter clothes. Everyone knows that the arrival of winter clothes means that the Chulong Army is ready to continue fighting throughout the winter, and the soldiers are inevitably uneasy and tired.

The protracted war that was previously understood is not this kind of protracted war.

"We must strengthen rotation and maintain morale...especially when casualties continue and there is no territory, gold, silver, money or booty to be gained."

"After the battle the day before yesterday, the morale of the troops was actually boosted."

"It's meaningless. They just think that the chief is so powerful that they can worry less, instead of really boosting the morale of the army... I think the soldiers might become lazy in the future. But this battle proves that the superiors are evenly matched, and the subordinates have to be brave enough to fight and win."

"How about opening a military market?"

"Without spoils of war, the military market is useless. We can't go there to look for prostitutes, can we? If that were the case, I'm afraid the Lord of Wei would come here first and kill thousands of soldiers and you and me."

"How about bringing your family here?"

"Ok?"

"It is October now, the slack season for farmers. In the past, people would hold markets and hold sacrifices. Yecheng and the army would also be involved in the seizure of Long..."

"We already did it."

"But it's still not enough... What I mean is, the battlefield is in Hanoi anyway, and behind it is the heartland of Hebei. Why can't we allow the families of the soldiers who are sitting idle at home to come to Ji County to visit? By the way, we can build a market, let Cao Zongguan send some military supplies, and allow their families to buy some additional supplies themselves?"

"Family buying supplies?"

"Of course... we are rich ourselves, but whenever their families come, they always feel that their fathers, brothers and husbands are short of things, as if they are forced to build a foundation. There is no way a county can let these hundreds of children starve for several months. But now if the rich families don't buy their children a cowhide bag found in the army, and the poor families don't make a cloth bag for them, they can't get by... Let's sell the earmuffs and scarves from the Jiyin military clothing market. After they spend a little money, they will feel at ease. Their families will feel at ease, and the soldiers will also feel at ease."

"..."

“There is some truth to that.”

"Let's not talk about the injured. We can set a rule first. Those with military merits go first, and then we can slowly lay the groundwork... Do you want to build some houses?"

"It's too late, how about renting some?"

"You don't know, every inch of land in Ji County is worth a lot of money right now... It's not even about money, there are too many supplies, wounded soldiers, and civilians."

"Indeed, but there is nothing we can do about it. We have to do something. Otherwise, what are we, the clerks of the Military Affairs Department and the staff officers of Wang Yi's Department, doing?"

"Yes, no matter how troublesome Ji County is, it is better than Hanoi. Hanoi is clean. The rich people go to Dongdu and Yecheng, and the poor people go to the mountains..."

"Send a letter to Duke Wei, asking him to find a way to take in the Hanoi refugees in the northern mountains." Chief Zhang, who was leaning against the window sill of the Wencheng County Office, listening to the rain falling on the eaves for half a day, suddenly interrupted. "Then select some and send them here to serve as laborers. It's much better than conscripting laborers from the rear... It's okay for Ji County to open a military market to invite family members, you can do it."

Several soldiers and clerks who were discussing the matter immediately shut up. After a moment's hesitation, Xu Jingzu stepped over Ma Wei who was still in a daze and responded, "Don't worry, Chief. I'll do the paperwork right away."

Zhang Xing, on the other hand, noticed something was wrong with Ma Wei, but he did not ask directly. Instead, he continued to ask Xu Jingzu and the others, "What is Ma thinking about?"

What could Xu Jingzu and the others do but to watch the horse fight in embarrassment.

Ma Wei came back to his senses, unable to hide his fatigue: "Chief, I really can't understand why those people in Dongdu don't surrender? I thought we couldn't shake Dongdu's foundation, but Da Ying can, right? They are originally from Guanlong, but why has Dongdu been as stable as a red mountain until now?"

Zhang Xing smiled and said, "Actually, I have figured out some things..."

Ma Wei said solemnly, "Please give me some advice, Chief."

The clerks and soldiers also pricked up their ears.

"Xiao Ma, have you ever lived in Dongdu?" Zhang Xing asked first.

Ma Wei smiled bitterly: "Chief, you are joking. I am a poor man who can't even live in my hometown in Hebei. What's the point of talking about Dongdu?"

"I lived in Dongdu before, and I will never forget that time in my life... and to be honest, that time was the most pleasant time in my life." Zhang Xing said surprisingly. "But later I gradually realized that there was a mess behind those good days, so I gave up Dongdu."

"So they miss the Wei Dynasty?" Ma Wei nodded, suddenly realizing, but then confused again. "No, ordinary officials and common people naturally rely on the Eastern Capital because they have lived a good life for a few years in the Wei Dynasty. But what about those top Guanlong clans? Do they miss the Wei Dynasty too?"

"How can I not miss it?" Zhang Xing said disapprovingly. "Think about it... Take Duan Wei in Hongnong now, for example. Isn't the best time for him in his life when he followed the Wei Dynasty to unify the world and then lived in the East Capital and ruled the world?"

"That's true."

"More than that, think about it from another perspective. For example, people of Duan Wei's generation were born in troubled times. The previous few hundred years were also troubled times. People around them gave their children names like 'Shi' and 'Chang', longing for peace in the world. Then they experienced the Wei Dynasty, and now they are back to the troubled times. Don't you think that you are just scum in the troubled times, and your fights are meaningless. You are just repeating the past few hundred years. On the contrary, the Wei Dynasty is like a beautiful dream?"

Ma Wei was silent for a long time. The clerks and soldiers around him were all smart people, and they also kept silent for a long time. Then the person in charge of Wang Yi's department sighed on his behalf: "For these people, the Great Wei is not only the pinnacle of life, but also the trust of their ideals. But why did it become a tyrannical Wei?"

This time it was Zhang Xing's turn to remain silent.

The rest of the people were also not surprised... After all, he was a master, a master who could visualize real dragons and might even be the supreme master. He was also the secular ruler of such a large territory as Hebei, the North, the East, and Huaixi. He was supported by the earth's energy of one-third of the world, so after a battle, any strange behavior was not surprising.

Of course, Chief Zhang was not that mysterious, but he was indeed thinking about the battle the day before.

First, there is the issue of escalation of the war.

As the fighting went on that day, the war escalated, an uncontrollable escalation... The Chulong Army set a small trap, hoping to eat up a part of the pursuing Guanxi Army, but the Guanxi Army could not afford the casualties, so Bai Hengqiu officially took action. He fully demonstrated the power of a grandmaster who could form an army alone, which had a huge impact on the battle situation. Zhang Xing and Niu He and Wei Wenda, who were supporting the vanguard, had to take action.

So what next?
Should we continue with this offensive tactic?

If you insist, you will need to actively escalate the war as before, but if you escalate further you will have to use the Qi formation... and if that's the case, how do you determine the outcome?
It should be noted that there is a clear misalignment in the configuration of masters of cultivation between the Guanxi Army and the Chulong Army.

The Chulong Army does not have the first-mover advantage, but relies on the large number of latecomer masters they have cultivated through years of fighting, namely, many new grandmasters, many Ningdan masters, Eight Hundred Qijing Stepping White Cavalry masters, and the first batch of young people who have been forced to build a foundation and have entered the army.

Correspondingly, the Kansai Army had the first-mover advantage, so it had the advantage of advancing at every stage, but lacked the advantage of advancing later.

For example, the Guanxi Army has grand masters, top masters who are at the critical breakthrough, and several veteran masters, but no new masters; the number of Nengdan masters is similar on both sides, but the number of Chengdan masters is obviously more than that of the Chulong Army; there are also masters of Qijing below, but they have not formed a large-scale organized force like the Tabai Cavalry... The Fulong Guard has only a hundred or so cavalry, and now because of Xu Shiying's "little trick", there are only a few dozen cavalry.

But do they really lack masters of Qijing? Could it be that they are scattered in the army, and the generals of each guard are holding on tightly and unwilling to let go? Otherwise, Bai Hengqiu would not despise the Fulong Guard so much, right?
So once the formation is activated, who will win?
The rational choice seems to be to avoid it. As long as they can avoid this winter and fight again next year, the number of grassroots practitioners in the Dragon-Exorcist Army will increase explosively, but will that show weakness? Will it make the other side make some right or wrong judgments and cause unnecessary trouble?
These must be considered.

Besides, Sima Zheng was too cautious in the battle the day before.

This time the fight between the two sides was not a priori agreement on the time, place and participating forces, but a confrontation that developed spontaneously on the battlefield. Faced with this sudden battle situation, Sima Zheng sat firmly in the Heyang Fortress, and except for some movement of true energy at the beginning, there was no fluctuation throughout the entire battle... This can only mean that Sima Zheng himself had a relevant plan in advance, so he was able to remain unmoved.

In other words, considering his attitude before the war, Sima Zheng will almost certainly take action to demonstrate his strength, but it is not known whether he will do so when the two families withdraw their troops, or when both sides have exerted their greatest strength.

So, the question is, should we reveal our ultimate combat power? Can we bear the consequences?
These thoughts were not just Zhang Xing's random thoughts. Ever since the True Dragon was deposed, Grandmaster Zhang had clearly felt some changes. His ability to perceive things was increasing, and it became even more obvious after he went to the battlefield... Which battalion was strong and which was weak, whether the battle line would be tense or collapsed next, whether they could hold on here... An experienced general could also make these kinds of judgments after observing the situation, so theoretically, it could only be said that Chief Zhang had a better sense of true qi than the others.

But in reality it is not that simple. The vital energy of heaven and earth is the essence of this world. Once it is connected, everything is connected and it is the root.

Although there is no evidence, Zhang Xing is clearly aware that his guesses and thoughts are "effective", just like Chonghe's divination, Cao Lin's suppression, Li Ziqi's boat inspection, and Sanniang's real harm, which really have conceptual influence and accuracy.

Therefore, if they really fight with all their might, it is hard to say who will win based on the current situation on the battlefield...but the losing side will definitely suffer heavy losses, and this is exactly what Zhang Xing is trying hard to avoid.

From this perspective, compass...

After thinking for a long time, Xu Shiying came back from outside in the rain, but he didn't even deploy his body-protecting Qi. He actually put down an umbrella when he came in. When he saw Zhang Xing and Ma Wei, he immediately said, "Shan Longtou has left, and Zhang Gongshen and the others are here."

This is a normal and ongoing rotation, with only four battalions in size.

Zhang Xing nodded and suddenly asked, "The Thirteen Golden Warriors are all in Hebei now, right?"

"They are all here." Xu Shiying nodded, and then quickly added, "But Bai is very busy now. He was dragged into the matter of the Censorate. In addition, Gao Jingang went to Hutuo River..."

"Let them come! Come now!" Zhang Xing ordered immediately. "All of them must arrive within three days... Leave the troops and the affairs of the office behind and come here immediately!"

Xu Shiying paused for a moment, and without further questioning, he pressed on: "Do you want to invite Yin Longtou to Yecheng to take charge?"

"No need." Zhang Xing waved his hand. "Yin Longtou is just in the Hutuo River... If Daying tries to send a surprise attack, they will not dare to leave Wu'an and go to Yecheng in this situation. Otherwise, we can immediately abandon this place and turn around to eat them, and their pursuers will definitely be caught by Sima Zheng."

Xu Shiying thought for a moment and nodded first, but he did not look directly at Xu Jingzu, Li Yishu and others, but looked at Ma Wei. When Ma Wei also nodded, he waved his hand. Then, the clerks and soldiers gathered in the public house immediately took action. Then a series of documents, including the previous search for Hanoi refugees in the mountains and the establishment of a military market and family visiting points in Ji County, were all handed over to Xu Shiying in turn.

After Xu Shiying signed, he gave it to Ma Wei, who signed it. Only the document for dispatching Mang Jingang was signed by Zhang Xing himself.

After handling everything, Xu Shiying came to ask Zhang Xing: "So, Chief, have you made up your mind?"

"That's right." Zhang Xing answered seriously. "I can't let this anger go..."

"I actually agree with this," Xu Shiying said seriously. "We above understand, but the soldiers on both sides don't. We have to create an impression that we are not afraid of anything and are getting stronger... As long as the soldiers on both sides believe it, the battlefield may be a matter of one breath."

"We also need to let Britain know that we have to be extremely careful here and keep their eyes and hands on Dongdu." Ma Wei also expressed his agreement.

Then the public house fell into an uncomfortable silence.

After a long time, accompanied by the sound of rain outside, Xu Shiying withdrew his gaze from the dazed Zhang Xing and issued a serious military order: "Call all leaders to hold a military meeting tonight... Ma is in charge, gather the men, draw the battle formation, and prepare for the battle formation."

In October, the war in Ji County fell into a quagmire.

At the same time, on the river thousands of miles away, the war here has been stagnant for a long time.

The battlefield here was clearer. There was only half a river between the coalition forces occupying the huge island in the middle of the river and the Guansai army occupying the stronghold on the south bank. What was outrageous was that at the two ends of this narrow battlefield stood the two most powerful masters in the world... No fleet could pass through, and the two top masters could not protect their own people from the other side, nor could they jump over and destroy the other side.

That’s not all. Because the fighting officially started in the north, neither side received any visible large-scale support.

As a result, the war became a stagnant one, with only the two masters exchanging swords every now and then, and there were no unnecessary movements.

"People down below are discussing, and they all think that the outcome of this battle depends on who can cross that step first, Wei Shengji or me." On the watchtower overlooking the river, Bai Yousi leaned on the railing and looked at the city in the southwest, looking very relaxed. "But some people also say that we are just the trial of crossing the boundary on the other side. Whoever wins this battle, whoever defeats the other side, whoever pushes the troops into the other side's hinterland, will naturally become a grandmaster... Manager Xie, which statement do you think is right?"

Xie Minghe, who had been rushing here day and night, thought about it and spread his hands: "According to my taste, it is naturally the latter. My ancestors came from this way... But if you think about it carefully, it may not be either one, but both are possible."

"No, no, no." Bai Yousi smiled and shook his head. "Manager Xie's answer seems perfect, but it's actually wrong."

"Oh."

"The answer is very simple, it's the latter one." Bai Yousi continued to smile, but narrowed his eyes and looked at the riverside city in the west. "At the level of a Grandmaster, whether it's just a whim or mastering some true qi techniques, you can sense some things, not to mention the key to being promoted to a Grandmaster... Manager Xie, I tell you clearly, from the first day I saw him floating down the river, I knew that this owner of Danglu and this place were the opportunity for me to become a Grandmaster."

"So that's how it is." Xie Minghe suddenly realized. "So, the things on the river, and even the things in the world, and even the outcome of hundreds of years of chaos, are actually determined by the moods and opportunities of two people... But this doesn't seem to match what Chief Zhang usually says."

Bai Yousi turned back to look at the other person again, laughed and shook his head: "Manager Xie, what you said hurts my heart."

"I'm not teasing you on purpose, I'm just really confused." Xie Minghe said seriously. "What else can we do in this situation?"

"First of all..." Bai Yousi turned around and stretched out his hand to lay a layer of Qi barrier on the outside of the railing. His tone became serious, but it seemed that he was talking nonsense. "This situation is not unsolvable. In fact, I think the chance of victory lies in this opportunity to be promoted to Grandmaster. Manager Xie, think about it. What I know, Wei Shengji must also know... Otherwise, he wouldn't have used his sword every now and then, and gave up after realizing that I didn't reveal any flaws."

Xie Minghe didn't say anything, he still felt a little reluctant.

"The reason is very simple." Bai Yousi couldn't help but sigh. "Wei Shengji is crazy about becoming a grandmaster. This is his inner demon. He might not even be happy if Guanxi sends him a grandmaster. What about me? I'm not that anxious to become a grandmaster... So, why not give up this opportunity, take advantage of the opponent's inaction, and ask Xie Zongguan to find some external aid for me to defeat him directly?"

Xie Minghe was stunned for two or three breaths before he reacted. The meaning of the person in front of him was very simple. She was willing to give up the opportunity to become a grand master in order to seek a breakthrough in the war here.

But it's easy to say, can we give up the opportunity to become a grandmaster?

Isn't it that the reason why the owner of Danglu was possessed by the devil was that he had not been able to become a grandmaster for many years? Seeing the sun setting in the west, he naturally felt uneasy, and it became a demon in his heart.

As if he had seen through the other party's thoughts, Bai Yousi answered frankly: "Just like what Chief Steward Xie said, why should the lives of millions of people and the direction of the world depend on the two of us? If a Grandmaster cannot put people first and tries to determine the success or failure of a person, then others can do what they want to do, but I will not do it."

This was considered an explanation. Xie Minghe nodded repeatedly and stopped caring about it. Instead, he asked directly, "So Chief Steward Bai wants me to persuade Master Cao to help you?"

"It doesn't matter who it is." Bai Yousi had clearly thought it through. "I want to borrow the connections and status of Chief Steward Xie to find reinforcements for me and defeat the enemy in person! Of course, Cao Shiyu is the most convenient one."

Xie Minghe nodded again and again, ignoring the hardship of the journey, and immediately promised: "I will leave now, go downstream, and go to find Master Cao first. I will also observe the situation for you along the way to prevent any accidents in the rear."

Now that the matter has been made clear, Xie Minghe will certainly not delay.

However, the chief of the Chulong Gang was no longer the middle-aged invalid who had traveled around to escape the Wei Dynasty's suppression of Jiangdong. He left Jiangxinzhou and went downstream. An hour later, he stopped the boat and went ashore to meet Zhou Xiaoshang.

The relationship between the southern generals and the Jiangzuo nobles was so close that they knew each other well. Xie Minghe, who had something to do, did not hesitate to hand over two private letters from Zhou Xingfan and Zhang Xing, a series of official documents from Xu Shiying of the Military Affairs Department, Xiong Boyan of the Gang Affairs Department, Chen Bin of the Grand Chancellor, Wei Xuanding of the State Lord, and Chief Zhang Xing... as well as a public commitment from Chief Zhang.

"Before we dispatched the troops, Chief Zhang said at the expanded meeting of the great leaders of Tunfengtai that the world is in turmoil, people's hearts are unsettled, heroes are emerging, and some people are actually not much different from us, with similar abilities, similar ideas, and similar attitudes. But some people happened to meet the trend of the times and came closer to us, either actively or passively. Don't underestimate this small step... Because a thousand words are not as good as an action, we must acknowledge this small step. On the other hand, if anyone deviates from us in the future by this small step, we will also pursue it to the end."

At the dock, Xie Minghe finished his retelling and looked at the other person with a smile.

"Duke Zhou, after the chief said this, he approved the special project of you and General Manager Zhou temporarily acting as the leader. I won't say anything about two leaders. Duke Zhou, whether this matter succeeds or not, you are a member of the Chulong Gang, and you can't delay it for the rest of your life, so you must abide by the gang rules, national laws, and military orders. For now, you are allowed to postpone the implementation of the laws and systems of the Chulong Gang, but you must do your best to support the confrontation with the southern commander Bai Longtou.

“There is one more thing. You are an external vassal after all. With the previous experience of the Huaiyou League, you cannot have too many big chiefs and chief quotas. Even if you now have the seven states of Jingbei, you can only have two big chiefs and eight chief quotas, and they need the approval of the commander-in-chief Bailongtou.

"Any words?"

After reading the letter carefully and listening to the other party's retelling in silence, Zhou Xiaoshang said calmly: "No, I am grateful to Chief Zhang and the three deputy commanders of the Grand Administration for their wisdom. I fully accept these appointments and arrangements."

Xie Minghe narrowed his eyes at the other person and nodded. Without saying anything more, he simply bowed, got back on the boat, and headed downstream.

It's not that there are no objections or dissatisfaction, nor is it that he has not noticed... Xie Minghe knows the other party's mind better than anyone else. Zhou Xiaoshang follows the typical southern general's route. He protects himself in troubled times, but is extremely submissive to the real strong. However, as long as the strong do not reach a place, he will do his best to expand his personal power in order to protect himself.

Just like this time, Zhou Xiaoshang's surrender became a strong support for Bai Yousi on the southern front, but this did not prevent him from expanding rapidly in Jingbei while appearing honest and loyal. The nine counties, or the seven states of the former Southern Chen, were all swallowed up by him for his own benefit.

How much of the weight of these seven states and nine counties was contained in the recognition and obedience just now, I am afraid only he himself knows.

But so what?

The Chulong Gang includes powerful people, good family men, grassroots officials from the East, bandits, government troops, aristocrats, and poor families from Hebei, all kinds of exiles from the Eastern Capital, nobles from Southern Chen, war groups, nobles and Demon-Slaying Guards from the North, and gangs from Jianghuai. Is there still a lack of a typical southern general?

In October, Xie Minghe continued to go downstream and quickly arrived at the next stop. In Baling, he met the Jiang Huai gang, namely the Huai You League headed by Du Pozhen and Fu Boshi.

There's not much to say here. He praised the battalion reorganized by Kan Leng and the Adopted Sons' Army for being so outstanding, and then complained that Du Pozhen and Fu Boshi had not become masters yet, which was really disappointing. After learning that Lin Shiyang was running Jingnan now, he left.

Only Du Pozhen was left sulking in the wind by the Dongting Lake.

Going further down, they would reach the territory of Jiangxi. Even though they went downstream all the way, day and night, and with the help of true Qi, it still took Xie Minghe six full days to meet Master Cao Yu who was hesitating in Jiujiang.

When the two sides met, Xie Minghe spoke briefly and asked the other side to go upstream immediately to provide support. Even if the army was bloated, Marshal Cao Yucao and Imperial Master Cao could go alone and join forces with Bai Longtou to defeat Wei Shengji and win the victory in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, if we sit here and watch the outcome, if the Chulong army wins, why should we tolerate him? On the other hand, if Wei Shengji wins and goes directly downstream, he will be another Yang Bin. At that time, Cao Shiyu, as the master of Jiangnan, may not be able to save his life.

These words were spoken sincerely, so of course... Cao Shiyu did not agree.

What a joke, he doesn't understand this principle? He gathered his troops and stopped in Jiangxi only after he understood it! You, Xie Minghe, came here on behalf of the core of the Chulong Gang, which will certainly bring him some pressure, but if you say that you will directly urge him, it doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.

Of course Xie Minghe knew what was going on. When he heard the other party say that they would go to support immediately after the troops gathered, he asked to go down and rest. Then, as it was natural, he met with some military and local officials and officers from the Eight Great Families of Jiangnan at a place outside the city where his nephews lived, saying that it was a gathering of fellow villagers.

After chatting for a while, he noticed that some of the people had some ideas, so he abandoned the others and only kept these four or five to ask: "What does this Marshal and National Master want to do?"

This is a straightforward question.

The remaining few looked at each other and sat there for a while. One of them bowed his hands helplessly and said, "To be honest, Uncle, we have discussed this matter a long time ago. If our guess is correct, he should want to use this opportunity to control all the forces in Jiangzuo in order to establish himself or usurp the throne... Specifically, he should want to trick Xiao Hui's last few troops and manpower on the other side. If it succeeds, he will directly send a general to expel the other side while the other side is empty, and the matter will be over."

Xie Minghe was stunned for a moment.

In fact, this is also a traditional repertoire of Jiangnan. It's just that he went to the Chulong Gang, did so many things, and held so many meetings that he couldn't adapt to the flavor of Jiangzuo for a while, which is also common sense.

"And then?" After coming to his senses, Xie Minghe felt uneasy for some reason. "He became the emperor?"

"To be honest, Uncle Shi, we have discussed this for a long time and we all think this is a good opportunity, because right now the whole world is stuck because of the confrontation between the Chulong Gang and the Guanxi people." Another person stood up and spoke carefully. "At this time, there is no external force interfering, it is just Xiao Hui and Cao Shiyu playing chess."

Xie Minghe opened his mouth to ask what he would do after becoming the emperor? Wouldn't he have to deal with the Guanxi people and the Chulong Gang? Who would let you go if these two families won? Or did you, Master Yu, think that becoming the emperor would allow the Southern Dynasty to escape from its predicament and fight back?

Let’s not talk about anything else, just the Jingxiang area, which occupies one third of the south of the Yangtze River, is endless, okay?
The rebellion is over, but the rebels are still there. The people below still hate the True Fire Sect, and a few more powerful gangs from outside have been sent in. Plus, the Chulong Gang and the people from Guanxi are actually confronting each other there, and it's become a gladiatorial arena. How are you going to deal with it?

And don't forget, there are dozens of kings and dukes of different surnames in Daliang, and they all have territories and soldiers. How are you going to sort it out?

Is the short-term emperor so attractive?
Fortunately, the bad things that happened in Jiangnan in the past few hundred years kept reminding Xie Minghe, yes, that's it, these people just forget everything for the title of emperor, they have all the masters, marshals, and leaders, and it is impossible for them to jump out of the three-in-one!

So, Xie Minghe suppressed a feeling similar to vomiting and continued to ask: "Do you think Xiao Hui will be fooled?"

"Reporting to my uncle, Xiao Hui will definitely not be fooled." Another official from the Eight Great Families stood up and said with a smile. "But Cao Shiyu can directly win over those people under him. After a few rounds, if one of them wavers, won't the matter be settled?"

Xie Minghe suddenly realized.

After the previous person sat down, another person stood up and said, "In fact, Xiao Hui is also trying to win over people on this side, but Cao Shiyu is more powerful, and his effect is far less than Cao Shiyu's effect on the opposite side... I heard that Zhang Poshi, the general stationed in Liuhe on Xiao Hui's side, has been shaken."

Xie Minghe nodded and asked seriously: "So you think Cao Shiyu will win?"

"It's hard to say. Looking back, there are countless people on this river who thought they had won but were crushed by someone else's tricks." The man had just sat down and stood up again, seeming a little proud.

"So, this is hard to say, right?"

"Correct."

"We should still wait and see, right?"

"Correct."

"Master Cao can't go west in the short term, right? Even if he becomes emperor, it will take a long time before he can go west, right?"

"Correct."

"Listen to me." Xie Minghe finally couldn't bear it anymore. "While both sides are trying to win you over and your situation is a little relaxed, quickly send your family members to Xuzhou by sea, and find a date to escape yourself! You can't do politics well with such insects!"

Several descendants of old friends looked at each other, obviously confused.

Xie Minghe waited for a while, and when he saw that no one in front of him responded, he suddenly exploded, stood up and shouted: "No, you are also insects! Jiangnan is all trash!"

After saying that, he walked out in a huff.

Now that he was out of the house and saw Jiujiang City and Poyang Lake nearby, he finally calmed down... He still had a mission to accomplish and needed to find a master to assist Bai Yousi.

However, Jiangnan is full of trash!

What should I do? !
PS: Thank you JackChenYL for the silver alliance with Shao Song, thank you the loyal guardian of the goddess of night for the two alliances with Shao Song, thank you Shu Linglong for the upper alliance with Shao Song, the three masters will make a fortune in May! I am extremely humbled and grateful!

(End of this chapter)