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Chapter 329: The Covenant between Li Guanyi and Li Zhaowen (asking for monthly tickets)
"Oh? Wuchou, you have called him Lord?"

Li Zhaowen raised his eyebrows slightly and asked with a smile. Zhangsun Wuchou cupped his hands and replied, "My brother and I came from the Central Plains. Although my father was an official, he died young. My uncle seized my property, so we had no choice but to flee here. If it weren't for the second young lady, my brother and I would have been in trouble."

"I will never forget your great kindness."

"It's just that over the past two years, I have lived and died together with the people of Tiance Mansion. This is also true."

Li Zhaowen smiled and said, "It's good to be affectionate and righteous."

She sat down casually, unfolded the letter, and said, "I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. I thought it would take several months at least. However, what I saw may not be accurate."

"I originally thought that the Dangxiang State could hold out for a while longer."

"Who would have thought that in just one or two months, the situation would deteriorate so dramatically."

Unfolding the letter and seeing the words on it, Li Zhaowen lowered his eyes slightly, with a hint of smile on his lips, and laughed: "Okay, okay, you wrote a letter like this. The Jinwu Guard back then is no longer the same now!"

She put the letter on the table. Changsun Wuchou took a look at it. There were only three words written on it in heavy ink:

[I am here]!
Li Zhaowen said with a carefree smile: "He said he came, but in fact, there are three more words in this letter: I have come, where are you? But this letter is not about you and me, who can understand it?"

Changsun Wuchou tasted a kind of tacit understanding of mutual admiration from the three words written explicitly and the three hidden words. Looking at Li Zhaowen's face, there was an expression that said "You know me, I know you, we have a tacit understanding like brothers."

Zhangsun Wuchou has a stomachache.

He had no choice but to take out another box from behind, holding it in both hands, and said, "This sword was captured when the Lord won the first battle after coming to the Western Regions, defeated more than 2,000 people in Huyan City, and personally killed their general Huyan Yinshi."

"Although we have been through many storms, I have never let go."

"This time, the lord specifically asked me to bring this first trophy to give to the second young lady."

Changsun Wuchou is as cunning as a fox, and his words hide many thoughts.

It wasn't a lot of storms at all; it was just a lack of money.

Li Zhaowen smiled and said, "Brother Li fought on the battlefield, but you still left me this sword. Very good, very good." She stretched out her hand and held the golden sword. The scabbard was inlaid with seven gems of different colors. The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, but it was engraved with scriptures.

Li Zhaowen swung his two swords, and the sound of breaking through the air was so sharp that even Changsun Wuchou, who was in the fourth heaven, felt his scalp numbing. The second daughter of the Duke was a natural born Dharma master. If only considering talent, even Qibili, the commander of the Golden Scimitar Cavalry and the Great Khan of the Nine Tiele Tribes, was not her match.

More than two years ago, when he was sent to Li Guanyi by Li Zhaowen, he was already around the fourth level.

Given her qualifications, the resources of the Duke's Mansion, and the abundant practical combat environment in the chaotic Western Regions, Changsun Wuchou had no idea what level of martial arts the second young lady had reached.

The Lord's methods and inner strength are unmatched among his peers.

If we have to say that there is someone who can be compared with him.

It could only be the second young lady of the Duke's Mansion, who was born with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix.

Li Zhaowen put the knife back into the sheath and said, "It's hard for him to be so painstaking. In this way, I feel like I can fight on the battlefield with him. I have a very nice souvenir."

She took off a jade-broken fan from her waist and handed it to Changsun Wuchou.

He said casually: "Return a favor."

"Wuchou will give this to Brother Li."

Be open and calm, good brother.

Zhangsun Wuchou has stomachache.

Li Zhaowen said, "However, Brother Li's sudden letter may not be just to discuss friendship with me. I said that the situation in the Western Region has changed drastically and invited him to come. He said that he has already come here. Based on Brother Li's temperament, he should have already established a foundation and come to form an alliance with me."

"Well, apart from this letter, is there anything else?"

Zhangsun Wuchou said, "There is a letter from the governor."

He took out Pojun's letter and told Li Zhaowen what Ajini City needed in a very casual and subtle way. After reading it, Li Zhaowen laughed and said, "Interesting, interesting. It seems that Brother Li, a founding first-class military hero, is actually very poor."

Zhang Sun Wuchou's face was tense, and he said, "Yes..."

Li Zhaowen pondered and said, "The so-called alliance is to take what each side needs. Now that the Tanguts are about to be destroyed, Your Majesty is conquering the Southern Dynasty with great momentum and has the potential to annex the world. If the regent of the Southern Dynasty swallows up the Tangut capital, he will become completely powerful."

"At that time, my family and this big city will face the attack of the Wolf King."

"Even if Your Majesty swallows up the Southern Kingdom, you will not be able to unify the world. There are still powerful enemies. Therefore, the Tangut Kingdom must not be handed over to the Wolf King."

She smiled and said, "Why not leave it to Brother Li."

Zhangsun Wuchou said: "The lord... ahem, is a little short of money."

"Second miss..."

Li Zhaowen laughed and said, "Haha, wait a moment, this is a big deal, we can't rush."

Li Zhaowen asked Zhangsun Wuchou to stay for the time being and arranged for him to reunite with his sister Zhangsun Wugou. Li Zhaowen then went home in person to inform his father and brother of important arrangements. Li Zhaowen was only eighteen years old, which was the age when he valued family ties.

She concealed Li Guanyi's true identity and only said that she had a secret means to contact a big city in the Western Regions.

There was a hint of astonishment in the eyes of Li Zhaowen's elder brother Li Jianwen.

He looked at his second sister with a complicated expression.

As the power of Ying State in the Western Regions, they naturally felt the turbulent waves of the entire Western Regions. However, he, the young master of the Duke's Mansion, failed to achieve any results, while his second sister quietly made such a great achievement.

He inexplicably felt unhappy in his heart, and the hand holding the Buddhist beads stopped.

Li Zhaowen explained the general situation in detail and said, "If the Wolf King becomes powerful, my family will be in great trouble. Facing the enemy head-on, it will be difficult for Your Majesty to implement his plan. Rather than letting him gain power, it is better for us to support this big city."

"Let this great city become more powerful in the Western Regions, check and balance the Wolf King, and buy time for your majesty to conquer the world."

Li Jianwen said: "Sister, have you ever thought about what would happen if this man captured the Dangxiang?"

"Aren't you afraid that if you get rid of the wolf king, you'll attract a tiger?!"

Li Zhaowen frowned and said:
"Brother, how short-sighted you are!"

"If this man had won over the Tanguts, he would not have attacked our Ying Kingdom like the Wolf King did. The Wolf King and our Ying Kingdom have a deep blood feud. This is the first reason. The second reason is that the Wolf King is a member of the royal family of the Chen Kingdom. If he becomes powerful, Your Majesty will attack Chen fiercely."

"When the Wolf King raises his arm and calls out, the army and people of Chen will gather under his command."

"This is a natural law. Once the Wolf King gains power, it means that Chen State may have a second chance of revival. The Western Regions and Tanguts can be in anyone's hands, but the Western Regions people, outsiders, must never fall into the hands of Chen Fubi."

"Don't forget, bro!"

Li Zhaowen said word by word: "Chen Wenmian, the son of Chen Fubi, was the crown prince of the Great Chen Kingdom for more than ten years. He once had the East Palace and his own team. Are those people still alive?"

"His father, who assisted Yan Daiqing, is now the Minister of the Imperial Court in the State of Chen."

"Didn't you notice?"

"Chen Wenmian is not here, but his old friends and colleagues are still serving in the court of the Chen Kingdom."

"There may be resistance from the Chen court and the people to Chen Fubi, but there is much less resistance to Chen Wenmian."

"Based on the brilliance that Chen Dingye has shown now."

"Once the regent takes control of the Western Regions, if Chen Dingye rises up again to resist Daying and re-establishes Chen Wenmian as the crown prince, it will be equivalent to the fusion of the Western Regions and the Central Plains. This possibility is small, but it is not impossible."

She paused and said softly, "Chen Wenmian's experience is too special."

"He has justice, blood, and legal principles."

"I even wonder if Chen Dingye and Chen Fubi have reached some kind of tacit understanding."

Li Jianwen was speechless.

The Duke was slightly moved and said, "That's good too..."

Li Zhaowen sent people to close the gate and send everyone out, and then he said: "Father, brother, that's the first reason. There is also a second reason. His Majesty has conquered the world with great vigor, but His Majesty is old after all."

"If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were to become the Emperor, the four directions would be peaceful and stable."

"But if the Second Prince becomes the emperor, there may be changes in the world. If we have allies in the Western Regions, we will not have to worry about the rear. If everything is peaceful, we can retreat to the stability of the state. If there are changes in the Central Plains, we can also compete in the Central Plains."

"A good friend of mine once said, are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?"

Li Jianwen's face suddenly changed, and he was shocked, angry, and even frightened.

The fear is about the thing itself.

But he soon discovered that the fear was more about the courage shown by this sister who had many strange features since she was born. He stepped forward and rebuked her instinctively, using the authority of an elder brother to rebuke her:
"Second sister, what are you talking about?!"

Li Zhaowen said calmly, "I'm just talking about the world."

The Duke was stunned, and a burning fire appeared in his heart, burning his mouth and making his tongue dry. But he immediately slapped the table hard and said angrily: "Enough! Zhao Wen, don't say such disloyal and unrighteous things anymore!"

Li Zhaowen said: "Father, there are no outsiders here."

"My family guards the border. We have military power, authority, and reputation. We are also royal relatives. Our ancestor once married a woman from the Red Emperor's clan. Now the world is not stable. Your Majesty needs us to guard here."

"But with the world at peace, how many of us, a family of generals with such great reputation and military power, have we ever had a good ending?"

Li Jianwen retorted: "A good end, what you said is just your own speculation."

"Besides, even if we want to support the forces in the Western Regions and carry out the strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf, it is too early to end it now."

Li Zhaowen said: "It's not like driving a tiger to devour a wolf. The world is so big, there are heroes and heroes."

“Only by being sincere to others can you succeed.”

“The human heart is like water. If you try to control the water, you will end up capsizing and drowning.”

"Besides, helping someone in need is like being a friend for life and death; how can it be compared to someone who is just adding icing on the cake and joining us because the situation is good?"

Li Jianwen said: "You are quite good at taking advantage of people's hearts and minds."

Li Zhaowen said: "This is not about interests, but friendship."

Li Jianwen's irritation was getting worse and worse. He swept his sleeves and said directly, "Okay, okay, what's the point of talking about friendship with the barbarians from the Western Regions? You are becoming more and more righteous and have extraordinary courage."

"Let's take a step back. Even if my family forms an alliance with that Western Region city, how can we guarantee that they won't go to war with us?"

"Human hearts are hard to predict. Since ancient times, marriages have always been for peace and alliance?!"

"But who can we trust?"

"Are you going?"

Li Zhaowen said: "If there is such a great world, if no one goes, and he doesn't mind, I can go to arrange the marriage myself!"

"Even though I'm a nobody, I can still be considered okay!"

"I'll go, I'll go!"

This retort made his brother very angry. Li Jianwen's face turned red and his hands were shaking: "You you you!"

"If you do this, I will pretend that I don't have a sister like you!"

Li Zhaowen said, "It was obviously my eldest brother who brought it up first."

The Duke was furious and slapped the table with his palm, smashing the rosewood table to pieces. The white jade paperweight and the famous mountain inkstone on it were all shattered, and the teacup and inkstand fell to the ground. He intimidated the two men and said, "That's enough!"

His eyes were uncertain, and he said:
"You are biological siblings, but you are quarreling like this. It's ridiculous. Jianwen, she is your biological sister. You two are the closest to each other in this world. Do you have to fight like outsiders, with swords and spears, and face life and death?"

Li Jianwen said: "My son doesn't dare."

The Duke then said to Li Zhaowen, "Second brother, I know you have been fond of swords, spears, halberds, and military tactics since you were a child, but you can't always be like this. Even in such a chaotic world, as a girl, you have to behave like a girl."

"My family has been a noble for generations, so we have to find someone who is a good match for us."

"If you were to go to a noble man like the Lord, would you kill him right away?"

"You need to do some things like take care of your husband and children, and interact with the nobles."

"You've said too much today, leave!" Li Zhaowen looked at his father, pursed his lips, and said:
"Yes, my daughter knows she is wrong."

Li Jianwen couldn't help but said, "You know you're wrong every time, but you never change."

Li Zhaowen said: "It's the same with my eldest brother."

The Duke felt a headache. Li Zhaowen said something back before leaving. The Duke sighed and said, "This child is becoming less and less like a normal person. What do you think of what she said?"

Li Jianwen was quiet for a while, then said, "...what my sister said does make sense, but we need to find more forces to support us, so as to create chaos, rather than letting one party dominate alone."

The Duke said: "...That makes sense."

"But for the time being, where can we find other forces?"

Li Jianwen said, "I will go and share my father's worries."

The Duke nodded and let him go. Finally, he held the cup alone, remained silent for a long time, returned to the quiet room, and said, "The throne of the emperor..." He looked at the secret room with a gloomy and deep gaze.

But he was wearing an imperial robe.

…………

It was strange, however, that on that day, it was clearly the father and his two sons, the brother and sister, who were arguing. But on the second day, the Duke had already asked Li Zhaowen about how she got the power. Li Zhaowen answered truthfully, saying that she was just a traveling merchant, and took advantage of the dispute in the martial arts world to lead the crowd to seize a city.

"Its name is—um, Tianger."

Li Zhaowen had a complicated expression.

The old Duke felt relieved: "He is just a traveling merchant."

"There are rumors in the martial arts world that they have 100,000 commanders. After asking around, I found out that they were forced to go in with a bunch of tribes. The rumors are indeed unbelievable. But, Zhao Wen, what do they need?"

Zhangsun Wuchou bowed his head and silently made a wish in his heart:

"We need money! People! Food!"

“Need everything!”

At the same time, he praised her in his heart, saying that she was worthy of being the second young lady. He only came here hoping to bring back some money and food, but he never expected to get such a great harvest. If the king spoke publicly, it might be able to solve his current urgent problem.

Then he heard Li Zhaowen's decisive answer: "Alliance!"

"Trade route!"

"Trade!"

“Civilian talent exchange!”

"Cough cough cough-"

Changsun Wuchou was almost choked by his own saliva and started coughing madly.

No, Second Miss!

How come you expand so much as soon as you open your mouth? !
Our Lord only wanted that little bit of money and people, and you just opened the warehouse?!

Your level of greed is no less than that of your Excellency's poverty.

The Duke remained silent, and Li Zhaowen said frankly: "The so-called alliance is for each party to benefit. Since we want the world, we should contribute our strength, right?"

The Buddhist beads in Li Jianwen's hand were almost crushed.

The Duke thought for a long time and said slowly, "Okay... In that case, we will open up the trade routes, allow Ajini City to trade with us, provide many conveniences, and inform all tribes in the Western Regions that this city is an ally of our Duke's Mansion."

"We will also provide them with food and fodder, but they will also share the same interests with us."

"If anyone in the city wishes to go to that city, a pass will be issued to allow them to leave the city."

"I'll leave all the details to you, Zhao Wen."

Li Zhaowen bowed and said, "Thank you, father."

Li Jianwen felt a little restless, he was no good-for-nothing, he could even be considered a superior figure among his peers, so he knew that if he opened an alliance, the isolated city would be covered by the prestige of the Duke's Mansion and even the Ying State.

So that the other cities would not dare to attack rashly.

Naturally, this also makes the interests of this big city and the Duke's Mansion consistent.

By opening trade routes, both countries could exchange what they had. The Duke's Mansion and the border cities were backed by the Central Plains and the rich Daying State. This was equivalent to giving a resource-poor city-state in the Western Regions a sufficiently rich logistics base.

By relaxing the pass requirements and allowing civilians to communicate, a group of people eager for fame and gain would go to the big city in the Western Regions. This also led to the failure of Li Jianwen's original plan to place his confidants in that city.

Li Jianwen's anger grew.

Seeing her father leave, the sister was calm, swept her sleeves, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Li Zhaowen said, "I won't send you off, big brother."

After Li Jianwen left, he returned to his own residence. He didn't know why he was irritable and drank in a sullen mood. His third brother came over to play and they drank together. Li Jianwen said bitterly, "What my second sister did was too much. She talked about the world, but she set foot in the Western Regions."

"Father too, actually listened to this guy!"

His third brother echoed, "That's true. With you, the eldest brother, here, the second sister is really unruly. She has no respect for seniority. She is now leading this matter. She knows about the alliance between father, our Duke's Mansion and the Western Regions."

"If you don't know, you would have thought it was my second sister who was in alliance with that Tianger."

"As time goes on, will anyone still know that you are the eldest brother?"

Li Jianwen scolded: "Don't say such things!"

"We are all blood brothers and sisters. How will outsiders view you when you say something like this?"

After a pause, he drank his wine and said, "It's just that my second sister doesn't look like the second daughter of a duke's family. She's already eighteen years old this year, but she refuses to talk about marriage at such an old age..."

"On the contrary, I am so passionate about the world."

His third brother said nonchalantly: "Since she is a girl, she will eventually become an outsider."

"Don't worry, brother. Come on, drink, drink."

Li Jianwen did not answer.

Li Zhaowen saw off his elder brother, father and brother, then turned around and said with a smile: "As for all the rules, just ask Brother Li to send someone over, but we should make it clear in advance..."

The girl, dressed in a white brocade gown, embroidered with large golden peonies, with a jade belt around her waist and a golden vertical mark between her eyebrows, smiled with the posture of a dragon and a phoenix:
"We are an alliance, and we have to give and take. I will not just cooperate blindly."

"Brother Li needs to come up with something too."

Changsun Wuchou said, "That's right. I will go back and report to my lord."

He felt at peace.

Trade routes, alliance reputation, and the flow of talent.

With these three sons gone, Li Zhaowen could use Li Guanyi's power to influence the Western Regions to a certain extent, allowing the Duke's Mansion to step into the troubled times in the Western Regions; the predicament faced by Li Guanyi was also resolved, and the trapped dragon ascended to heaven.

Just looking at it this way, both of them are men with great strategies in their minds and are of high spirits. Now that they have a common enemy, they can join forces; but when it really comes to the end in the future, I am afraid there will be a fierce battle to determine the winner.

Changsun Wuchou was caught in the middle, and when he thought about that day, he felt a stomachache.

If we confront each other one day, it will be more than just a stomachache.

Minister Changsun Jinyan

Why can't the two of you get married?

He sighed, having given up. He put all these things behind him, leaving them to his future self to worry about. He bowed and planned to set off that day to report the matter of the covenant to his lord.

As for the survey details.

Mr. Pojun will be in charge.

Li Zhaowen smiled and tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "There's no hurry to leave. I have some gifts." Changsun Wuchou waited for several days. Li Zhaowen loaded several carts with treasures, including many luxurious items. Li Zhaowen also sent the guest officials he had recruited over the years and said with a smile:

"We were talking about official business before. I am the second son of the Duke's Mansion."

"What we are discussing now is a private matter."

"You know these talents, Changsun. They are the ones you found during your years of traveling around the country. Each of them can command troops. Although they are not famous generals, they can command thousands of people and lead a small army. I am trapped here."

"Over the years, my eldest brother and father have gradually been forbidden to even leave the city."

"These people are wasting their time under my command. It would be better for them to serve as guest generals under Brother Li. They can also have a chance to make achievements. If they are willing to stay, it would be fine..."

Li Zhaowen smiled carefreely: "Let's see who has more courage, him or me."

"If he allows these people to stay, it is his ability; if I can make these people return, it is also my means."

"As for these things."

"Some of the precious jade and red hairpins were gifts from the royal family, and some were entrusted by noble ladies. They are useless to me, so I'll pawn them for him. It's also a lot of gold and silver."

Changsun Wuchou was startled, opened the carriage and exclaimed, "This!"

"Aren't these all the gifts you received, Second Miss?"

It is Li Zhaowen's personal collection.

To put it simply, it is the dowry of a noble woman when she marries someone else.

Li Zhaowen said casually: "It's better than this golden scimitar."

Zhangsun Wuchou's eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart. He saw Li Zhaowen patting the scimitar on his waist, looking calm and unhurried, and said: "It can be seen that the world is full of heroes competing for the top spot. If I can't set foot among them, what's the use of having these gold and silver objects?!"

"Thousands of years later, achievements will last forever, while so-called gold and silver are but a handful of yellow earth."

"It is better to exchange them for armor and weapons and push them into the world."

The excitement in Changsun Wuchou's heart died in an instant.

He raised his lips, thinking that his lord and the second young lady were, in some ways, a perfect match. He bowed, took the dozen generals with him, escorted six carts of valuables, and set out on the return journey.

In the city of Agni.

Li Guan held a long sword in one hand, facing a silver-haired man with an impatient look on his face.

The whale fisherman was holding a straight wooden stick in his hand and said, "I'm leaving now. I'll finally deal with you..."

"Your martial arts skills are pretty decent among your peers."

"But if it is placed in the world, it is not enough."

"There is also the Wolf King in the Western Regions, who is at the Ninth Heaven level, not to mention Yuwen Lie, He Ruoqinhu, Jiang Su and other famous generals. Compared to them, you are ultimately inferior. There is nothing you can do about it, you are still too young."

"It's just a..."

The whale fisherman was about to say something very offensive, but after thinking about it, Yaoguang, who had regained some of her emotions, just held it back:

"It's just that, it's very good and presentable. After I leave, Yaoguang will stay, but with your current means, you are still far from it."

"come over."

"Brother, let me show you something good."

Li Guanyi approached suspiciously, and the whale fisherman suddenly sneered.

A formation is deployed under your feet.

He just put his fingers together, pointed at Li Guanyi's brow, and laughed triumphantly:
"The brat finally fell into the trap—"

"Go!"

(End of this chapter)