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Chapter 386: Trend, Choice (asking for monthly ticket)
When he saw the letter, Lan Wendu's expression was first shock, and then he felt a mixture of ecstasy and fear. He was so ecstatic that his hands were shaking. He first glanced at Wen Qingyu with the corner of his eyes to make sure that Wen Qingyu was still sleeping soundly, and then he slowly took out the stack of letters.

really?

Or is it fake, a disguise?
Lan Wendu remained silent for a long time, then he sat cross-legged next to Wen Qingyu.

However, he was not in a hurry to open the letter. He was a little dazed and hesitant. He was a disciple of the Mohist School and a strategist with genius and strategy. He almost instinctively sensed that something was wrong. He seemed to sit there instinctively, hoping to see Wen Qingyu wake up.

But Wen Qingyu was sleeping very soundly.

Lan Wendu opened the letter and confirmed that the handwriting was that of Lu Youxian.

Hold your breath and watch.

There were several letters, obviously, and they were not discovered all at once.

Lan Wendu was extremely wary, but curiosity made him continue reading. He saw what Lu Youxian said, that he wanted to offer the city to Li Guanyi, hoping that Li Guanyi would not pursue the matter of him besieging Qin Wuhou in Guanyi City three years ago.

It was winter, so not many people came.

Sweat dripped down Lan Wendu's forehead. He said, "... Could it be a fake letter?"

He continued to read, and when he saw——

[You should send the Wolf King with a secret letter to lure him into this place, and then I will deliberately join forces with the Western Region Allied Forces to destroy the Wolf King together.]

[We will also send Ye Buyi, Zhou Liuying, Gong Zhenyong and other old friends of yours to serve as generals.]

A huge wave rose in Lan Wendu's heart.

Even the secret letter is there!
It perfectly matched what Lu Youxian had done. Lan Wendu already believed it in his heart, but countless thoughts arose in his mind. He said to himself: "No, not necessarily. The son of the Wolf King, His Highness Chen Wenmian, is also here at the moment. If he got it from here..."

It was not until I read the last letter that I saw it was written by Li Guanyi to Lu Youxian, which said that after I return to my side and deal with Lan Wendu, all the benefits gained by Lan Wendu will be given to Lu Youxian.

Lan Wendu's eyes narrowed as he pondered over his thoughts.

These endless layers overwhelmed his psychological defenses. Lan Wendu struggled for several times, then slowly exhaled, and finally folded all the letters, put them away, and put them in his arms.

Regardless of what he said to Wen Qingyu, he got up and went out. He found that the place where Wen Qingyu was was heavily guarded. From afar, he saw that there seemed to be a troop mobilization. He was startled and knew that what he was carrying was a secret, so he said goodbye.

The guard asked curiously, "You have just had a chat with Lord Wen Qingyu, why are you leaving?"

Lan Wendu laughed and said, "Brother Wen and I hit it off right away. We drank a little too much today. I was a little tipsy. Brother Wen was drunk and passed out. But I suddenly remembered that there were some things about the covenant that had not been dealt with, so I went ahead."

"Oh, Mr. Lan, slow down."

Lan Wendu laughed loudly, rode away nonchalantly, abandoned his soldiers and horses, went out of the city, raised his whip, and rode back to the border town in one breath. After that, he tried his best to pass the secret letter to Chen Dingye in the imperial city of Chen State.

The guard watched Lan Wendu go away, then strode into the secret room and took off his helmet. He was a young man with a very free and easy temperament. He sat cross-legged at the table, sniffed the smell of alcohol, and frowned slightly: "It smells really strong!"

Then he took out another wine cup and drank slowly. He slapped Wen Qingyu's cheek with his scabbard and said, "Wen He, wake up. The fish has taken the bait."

Wen Qingyu slowly opened his eyes: "...It's not easy."

"Yuan Zhi."

The so-called guards standing outside, mobilizing troops and horses to create a sense of crisis for Lan Wendu, who felt that he had to leave. This was none other than Yuan Zhi, the best strategist in individual martial arts among the Tiance Mansion and the top strategist of the younger generation.

Yuan Zhi smiled carefreely and asked, "How is it, where did he get hooked?"

Wen He climbed up and said, "The last step."

"Even if Po Jun could imitate the handwriting of everyone in the world, even to the extent that Lu Youxian himself could not recognize it, and Gongsun Huaizhi was able to forge Lu Youxian's seal, the astrologer who disturbed the secrets of heaven still took the bait in the end."

"He saw through the initial ecstasy, the faction's rejection, the Wolf King's secret letter, and even the fact that it was both true and false, and even involved his own life and property. He calmed down and even began to doubt me."

"It's a pity that he couldn't take the last step."

Yuan Zhi said: "Benefits."

Wen He said: "After all, he is from a great family. Even if he has talent, pride, and vision, he will eventually fail because of his family instincts and seek benefits for his family."

"I spent hundreds of thousands on him."

"When the lord was young, he lived in Guanyi City and earned one tael of silver a month."

"This is equivalent to the monthly salary of hundreds of thousands of people, but it's spent on this one person. He is still young, born in a noble family, but his status is not high enough. Once he gets this gold and silver, he will not let it go."

Yuan Zhi raised his eyebrows: "What a pity."

"But the bait you prepared is actually just the last one, right?"

"The previous ones were just to make this last bait more credible."

Wen He smiled and said, "The one who understands me is Yuan Zhi."

Yuan Zhi drank and said, "How about the gold and silver? You probably just regarded Lan Wendu's place as a temporary storage place for the gold and silver, right? You can also tease Dai Qing by the way, but the night is long and dreams are many. It's hundreds of thousands of gold and silver, and you still have to get it back."

Wen He was surprised: "What do you mean hundreds of thousands of silver?"

Yuan Zhi said: "Hmm?"

Wen Qingyu straightened his clothes, held up two fingers, and said righteously: "It's clearly two hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Yuan Zhi: “???”

Wen Qingyu smiled and said, "Lan Wendu is from a noble family. He is my brother and beloved relative. The money I give him is my money, and his money is still my money!"

Yuan Zhi was stunned for a long time, then he sighed and shook his head:

"You are such a poisoner. The things you give away cost too much."

Wen Qingyu smiled calmly and accepted the praise.

………………

The states of Chen and Ying each experienced changes.

The waves are surging, lurking below.

The dragon is about to appear.

Li Guanyi pondered and decided to start mining first!
They started to develop the minerals of the Dangxiang State for casting high-grade weapons. In the new year, they encouraged people's livelihood and acted as if they were not competing with the world.

At this time, the turmoil in the Western Regions had not subsided, but had become even more intense. The Wolf King Chen Fubi was extremely powerful. After swallowing He Ruoqinhu, he continued to attack the territory of Ying State in one go.

Duke Li of Ying State led his generals and evaded as quickly as possible.

The control over areas outside the Western Regions, which were hard to come by, was completely lost.

The sphere of influence of Ying State shrank directly back to the original Xiyi City, and they refused to go out, allowing the Wolf King Chen Fubi to swallow up all the fortresses, defense lines, and cities outside the scope of Xiyi City that were run by Li Guogong.

The Wolf King headed eastward and attacked the State of Ying, leaving its border in ruins.

Expand territory northward.

The seven Turkic kings were originally recuperating. According to their custom, they came to the Western Regions to plunder at the turn of winter and spring. However, they were defeated by the Wolf King. The Iron Pagoda had to escape. Half of the grassland that they had swallowed up during the chaos of Tuyuhun three years ago was eaten by the Wolf King.

He went to fight with the State of Chen again, but Lu Youxian remained silent.

Retreat from fighting.

In a short period of time, he won several battles and was unstoppable.

They occupied a vast territory in the Western Regions, and their reputation was so great that they looked down upon everything and prospered for a time.

Li Guanyi, Lord of Anxi City, followed the Wolf King's expedition and quietly encroached on the city, as if out of some tacit understanding. After the Wolf King defeated the city's defenders, he looted the food, gold and silver, and then left.

This army is really like a pack of wolves in the world, hungry and cruel.

Always maintaining the desire to prey and attack.

After that, Li Guanyi's troops quietly came up and occupied the city.

From a standpoint, the two sides are absolute enemies, but they cooperate with each other in the general trend.

However, Li Guanyi’s troops said they didn’t know about this. We just found a city with no defenders on the side of the road and happened to go in. We don’t know anything else.

This is what the almighty Lei Laomeng, the official in charge of foreign exchanges at the Anxi Protectorate, said.

"Don't ask, I don't know, I'm just a horse breeder."

"Really, don't ask."

"I really do not know."

In the spring, with the help of the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, the sphere of influence of Anxi City and the plants in the entire Western Regions grew more prosperous. Li Guanyi and others rested and recuperated, building cities on the one hand, training soldiers on the other, and reclaiming minerals and developing commerce on the other.

The entire force is gradually prospering.

However, all the counselors in Tian Ce Mansion knew that this was just a short rest in order to prepare for the next war. The next war would probably be a real battle to determine who would be the lord of the Western Regions.

"Our chances of winning are not very high..."

Po Jun took a sip of tea and said thoughtfully, "In the Western Regions, the Wolf King obviously intends to make one last big fuss, enough to balance the Turks and oppress the Ying State, but the Wolf King's army is gradually declining."

"The battle with He Ruo to capture the tiger is currently estimated to be the last real battle in the Wolf King's life. After that, his army will become weaker and weaker."

“It’s just that the problem right now is.”

"The Wolf King must be planning to tear open a gap in the overall situation of Ying State. However, Ying State will definitely not sit still and wait for death. It will definitely respond and forcibly send out a large army and famous generals to deal with it."

"But who could this famous general be..."

Yuan Zhi lowered his eyes slightly.

They didn't say anything, but a name appeared in their minds.

Li Guanyi said: "The military situation is like a rolling stone falling from the top of a mountain, it is unstoppable. With the Wolf King's current spirit, there are not many people in the world who can stop him. In fact, the only one who can be sure of success in Yingguo is that person..."

Yuan Zhi, Wen He, and Yan Daiqing all fell silent.

The world's number one general and a martial arts legend.

Jiang Su!

This name seemed to carry an unspeakable mysterious power, so powerful that it made all the young geniuses in the Tiance Mansion fall into silence. He was the number one general who led the army and competed for the world's highest level of martial arts legend.

After defeating the Wolf King.

This is the opponent they may face.

It has been proven countless times in history that if a young general is truly famous throughout the world, he or she will easily be targeted and restrained by the greatest general of the contemporary era.

Yuan Zhi hesitated and said, "I heard that Jiang Su is in the northern border, fighting against the Turks and the State of Chen. He shouldn't come here suddenly..."

Wen He said: "This world's number one general was fighting the Chen Kingdom and the Turks on the edge, but he did not seek a quick victory. Instead, he held the Chen Kingdom back, forcing the Chen Kingdom to focus most of its energy here."

"Troopers, food, logistics, metal, everything was attracted there."

"After Jiang Su defeated the army of the State of Chen, he looted its supplies and food, and then returned to his camp. He did not immediately annex the land, allowing the State of Chen to continue to send more troops. This cycle has been going on for several months."

"The State of Chen cannot give up the northern border. Once it does, Jiang Su will continue to implement this strategy inwards. However, there are no more divine generals who can fight against Jiang Su. We can only continue to increase taxes and transport food and soldiers."

"At this moment, there are already complaints in the country."

"It's like cutting a huge gash in the giant Chen State."

"It is a very cruel method to let this wound bleed continuously. Jiang Su intends to use this large battlefield to drag down the State of Chen. When the logistics and livelihood of the State of Chen are completely worn out and collapsed, and the people are full of resentment, he will enter the State of Chen."

"When that time comes, it will be much easier to conquer the city." "The best strategy is to attack the enemy's strategy. Jiang Su's battle is aimed at the general situation and people's hearts of the Chen State."

"It's really grand, but also fierce."

Wen He praised: "It's very troublesome to fight him, it's better to run away."

"Why not pack up your gold and silver and return to Jiangnan by water?"

Yan Daiqing clenched his fists.

So Wen He shut his mouth.

Yuan Zhi said: "However, this strategy can only be successful if the general is arrogant and powerful enough. He can plunder the flesh and blood of the enemy to replenish himself. The world's number one general is also really arrogant."

"From this point of view, it is not necessarily that he can come. The Great Khan of the Turks is also on the grassland. Although this strategy is cruel, it is all completed around him."

"If he leaves, no other general will be able to achieve that level."

Po Jun said calmly: "But this is where the magic of military strategy comes in. If I were Jiang Su, I would definitely follow this line of thought and do the opposite."

The crowd reached a conclusion.

"The worst case scenario is that Jiang Su defeats the Wolf King, and we still have to face the world's strongest military god."

Many counselors fell into a state of silence, with no relaxed look on their faces, even someone as frivolous as Po Jun. Even though he had already silently regarded the God of War Jiang Su as his expected opponent in his heart.

But it shouldn't be at this time, in this way!
Many things are often unexpected.

Even a first-rate strategist cannot predict everything in the world.

Li Guanyi threw a copper coin from the Western Regions in his hand, watching the coin roll up and then fall down. His martial arts skills were at the eighth level at this moment, and he was undoubtedly the strongest among the younger generation.

Even in the whole world, he is a top figure.

But the gap between it and the martial arts legend is still too big.

Li Guanyi did not think that he could defeat Jiang Su if he commanded the same number of troops - even when he had an absolute advantage in strategy, terrain, and weather, it took the Wolf King and his father, Duke Taiping, working together to barely stop Jiang Su's troops.

At that time, Jiang Su just retreated calmly.

Never damaged.

Judging from this war, it is now difficult for Li Guanyi to even stop the army of the God of War. However, at this moment Li Guanyi still has the trump card of the Western Region army that has not been revealed to Ying State, which is enough to serve as a killer move.

"It's not that there is no hope of intercepting the God of War."

Li Guanyi muttered to himself, Pojun, Yuan Zhidu looked at him. Li Guanyi took the copper coin, his thoughts condensed slightly, and he put this big Western coin on the table, his eyes calm, and said:
"The troops of Chen and Ying are holding back. Jiang Su can't lead too many troops away from the front line. We have the thirty-six countries of the Western Regions behind us."

"It's still a fledgling now."

"But you can't take even a single step back!"

"With a military force several times greater than Jiang Su's, we can challenge the world's number one!"

"It's not impossible... At least, it's possible to protect myself and not be defeated by the God of War Jiang Su who is supported by this force."

Yuan Zhi's eyes lit up slightly, and he said to himself: "Jiang Su's reputation has already shaken the world. We don't need to defeat him. We just need to not be defeated by him under such circumstances, and it will be enough to make our reputations rise again like the Duke of Taiping and the Wolf King did in the past!"

"But, my lord, do you have any solution?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and said, "I need another person...who can join forces with me and whose martial arts skills are similar to mine."

"A general who is capable of commanding tens of thousands of troops to complete coordination."

Only with such cooperation, it is possible to intercept Jiang Su.

Moreover, the situation this time is not as complicated as when Duke Taiping and the Wolf King faced Jiang Su. We also have to be careful of Lu Youxian and the State of Chen...

Yan Daiqing said: "My lord, you have commanded nearly 100,000 troops. The only one in our army who has such command ability is Yuan Zhi. However, Yuan Zhi's martial arts is only at the third level, which is a bit difficult when facing the Wolf King."

"Facing the God of War Jiang Su, Yuan Zhi may not be able to hold on."

Yuan Zhi hesitated and said, "But, you can try it."

Li Guanyi raised his hand to stop him and said, "Sir, there is no need to force yourself. I will think about this matter again..." He was silent for a long time, just sighing that the whale fisherman and the old Sima had been gone for a long time, and even if they were thousands of miles away, they had already arrived with their legs.

I don’t know if it went well.

General Xue, the number one general in the world five hundred years ago, was a peerless general who had the opportunity to set foot in the legend of martial arts. The reflection of such a general left in the world, returning with the help of the power of the Immortal Guest, can he gallop on the battlefield?

The world's number one general five hundred years ago.

The world's number one general five hundred years later.

Leading troops to fight, who will be victorious?
Even Li Guanyi felt some concerns in his heart, but he didn't know when the whale fisherman and Old Sima Ming would come back. When they came back, Li Guanyi had no idea whether they would bring a mechanism that would allow General Xue to use his reflection.

Just when he was hesitating, a guest suddenly came to visit Anxi City.

It was Jiang Gao, the Crown Prince of Ying State.

Li Guanyi was surprised and went to receive him in person. After just a while, the Prince of Ying seemed to have changed a lot. Although he still looked gentle and calm, his eyes were bloodshot and his lips were chapped. He looked depressed and depressed.

Jiang Master held a string of beads in his hand and twisted them slowly. When he heard the sound, he stood up and said:
"Brother Li is here."

Li Guanyi said, "Brother Jiang."

He raised his eyebrows, invited Jiang Gao to sit down, and took the initiative to ask: "Why did you suddenly take the risk to come here today?"

Jiang Gao smiled complicatedly and said gently: "I came here today to entrust you with something."

Li Guanyi: "Entrust?"

Jiang Gao was silent for a long time, and said: "I know that Brother Li is a wonderful person, and he has the world in his mind. My supervision of the army is not good, which has led to a great defeat in the Western Region. General He Ruo has been seriously injured and was taken back to the Central Plains."

"My father wrote to me personally, asking me to come back."

"I can't stay here much longer."

Li Guanyi looked at the thirty-year-old Ying State Prince in front of him and said, "Brother Jiang, do you want to go back? The world is changing drastically now. You are at the frontier, holding military power and supported by generals. Even if you don't go back, what's the problem?"

"It is better to make up for the crime and stabilize the situation on the border."

The latter smiled and said, "I can do that, but I'm afraid, Brother Li. He's a brutal and murderous hero, the world's top general. How can I not be afraid?"

Li Guan was stunned.

Jiang Gao looked at him and said softly, "Sometimes, I envy your experience, Brother Li. It is a rare experience to be able to travel all over the world since childhood."

Li Guanyi grinned and replied:

"I think your words are a bit annoying."

"I really want to beat you up."

Jiang Gao was slightly startled, and then he realized that the general in front of him had lost both his parents at a young age and had been tortured by rumors for more than ten years. With an apologetic look on his face, he said, "However, Gao Zhi's defeat is also inextricably linked to Mr. Po Jun under my command."

"You and I are even."

"And what I said was from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps it was because you, Brother Li, rose from humble beginnings and had nothing at the beginning that you fought bravely and were ready to draw your sword and fight against the Wolf King, the divine general."

"And I, who had been so successful all the way, was actually scared when faced with this situation. I was thinking about it, and even my hands were shaking. I couldn't sleep all night."

Jiang Gao whispered, "I'm afraid that after I go back, I won't be the crown prince anymore."

“But I’m also afraid of losing.”

"General He Ruoqinhu was also defeated. I am not as good as him. I am afraid that I will be defeated by the blade of the Wolf King. I am afraid that I will cause a greater defeat in the Western Regions and lose land for the country."

"I am afraid that all my warriors died because of my incompetence."

"In that case, Gao would rather go back and be a snubbed prince."

Jiang Gao looked at Li Guanyi calmly and said, "Brother Li, which one do you think would be a defeat, fighting the Wolf King or returning to the East Palace? Would it be with the country or just yourself?"

"What is it that requires courage?"

Li Guanyi couldn't say anything: "Leaving it to your brother may not necessarily keep the world safe."

Jiang Gao smiled and said, "Maybe, but neither you nor I can see the future."

"I came here today to ask for only one thing."

Jiang Gao stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Brother Li, please agree."

"Generals Yuwen Hua, Yuwen Tianxian, and Qin Yulong will stay in Anxi City as guest generals of the alliance for the time being. When the matter is over, let them return to the country."

Li Guanyi's expression changed slightly.

"What?!!!"

Jiang Gao said softly, "Brother Li, don't worry about me. I am the eldest son of our father. If I go back, the most I will do is lose power. Blood is thicker than water. I will not die."

"But if these three generals return, they will be excluded, suppressed, or even obstructed or killed by the court because of me... I cannot bear to see such a thing happen."

"I think Brother Li's ambition is great enough to accommodate the three of them."

"And given your upright character, you will definitely allow them to return to the country when the matter is settled."

Li Guanyi looked at the gentle and jade-like young man in front of him and said:
"You're still thinking about others even now."

Jiang Gao smiled and said, "This is all I can do."

He took off the jade beads in his hand and placed them on the table, but he didn't know how, when they fell on the table, the Buddhist beads that the old monk of Zhongzhou Academy gave him suddenly scattered and fell all over the floor.

Jiang Gao was stunned and wanted to pick up the beads, but he paused and stopped picking them up. He just looked at Li Guanyi and said, "When you and I met in Jiangzhou City, I said goodbye and invited you to drink. We drank, so we can be considered both enemies and friends."

"Generals, thank you Brother Li for your help."

"It's getting late, and the winter is cold, but spring will eventually come. Brother Li is outside the Central Plains, so please take care of your health and put on more clothes to keep warm. Although the Western Regions are great, don't forget your homeland."

Jiang Gao stood up, cupped his hands, and said softly:
"Jiang Gao, goodbye."

Li Guanyi returned the greeting: "Brother Jiang...Have a safe trip."

He saw the Crown Prince turn around and walk out, paused, and suddenly said:
"Jiang Gao."

Jiang Gao looked at him sideways in confusion. Li Guan thought for a moment and smiled:
"Let's drink again when spring comes and flowers bloom."

Jiang Gao smiled and said, "Okay."

"Li Guanyi."

He turned and left.

He walked step by step, with his back as straight as a green bamboo.

No more looking back.

In troubled times, everyone has to make choices.

At this moment, it seems ordinary, but in the history, every word has been settled.

Thousands of miles away from here, in the Great Volcano in the north of the Saibei, a black turtle floated up, and a white-haired old man popped out of his head, opened his mouth and blew out a puff of white smoke. He was stunned for a long time, and suddenly shouted:
"My old man, finally!"

"Success!!!"

(End of this chapter)