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Chapter 504, heavy bet! (asking for monthly ticket)
Go get get, go get get.

There was a crisp sound, and the chess pieces tapped lightly on the chessboard, shaking the decorations beside the chessboard slightly. An old man with white hair and beard, wearing loose clothes, sat calmly in the Xue family courtyard.

Opposite him is the grown-up Li Guanyi.

Tingfeng Pavilion.

The small courtyard mansion where Xue Daoyong lives, where you can listen to the wind rising and singing, is also the place where the fierce tiger in these troubled times sniffs the world. When he was young, it was here that Li Guanyi saw the magical weapon, the Cloud-Breaking and Sky-Shaking Bow.

It was also Xue Daoyong who, in that short period of time, saw the courage to change the world in Li Guanyi, who was only thirteen years old at that time. At this moment, this tiger in troubled times seemed to be tapping the chessboard, as if thinking about the game, but in fact he was observing Li Guanyi.

It has been several days since the coming-of-age ceremony, which was unprecedented and will most likely never be repeated. Although the situation in the world seems calm, it is actually still in a state of subtle tremor, as if all directions have been swept by a storm.

There is no doubt that the one who caused the world situation to be shaken and turbulent was this guy who had just come of age in front of him. Li Guanyi picked up a chess piece with a calm look, staring at the chess game in deep thought. The wind touched his sleeves, and he was the one who stirred the world.

Queen Xue and Chen Tianyi have been brought back to the Xue family.

Chen Dingye's attack was indeed ruthless. Chen Tianyi's soul was impacted to a certain extent. The soul's memory of Chen Dingye was completely erased in the most direct way. Physical erasure was more direct and cruel than many other soul-searching secret methods.

But for Chen Tianyi, such coldness may be hiding the last bit of warmth in Chen Dingye's heart.

Otherwise, Chen Tianyi and Concubine Xue would find it extremely difficult to get along in front of Li Guanyi.

Xue Daoyong pondered for a long time, placed a chess piece, and said: "You have achieved such a great feat, and your relationship with Shuang Tao is actually known to many people in the family. Even if they don't know, they can guess it."

"And now, no matter those who were kind to you in the past, or those who are dissatisfied with you because of Chen Dingye's methods and want my Xue family to bet on Tianyi, your arrival..."

“They are very happy.”

Li Guan paused and asked, "Happy?"

Xue Daoyong smiled calmly: "The world has been in turmoil for more than three hundred years. During these three hundred years, there have been countless heroes fighting against each other across the vast territory. Now we finally see the possibility of unifying the world."

"Given the relationship between you and the Xue family, they are probably dreaming."

“Perhaps in dreams, gold, silver, power, official positions and honors are all within easy reach.”

Xue Daoyong calmed down again and said, "However, I didn't expect that in this chaotic world, I would travel around and place bets continuously, but in the end, the one standing in front of me was the descendant of the Xue family that I had worked hard for over a hundred years to build."

"Guan Yi, just do what you should do."

"Leave the Xue family here to me."

Li Guanyi looked at the old man in front of him. Compared with seven years ago, Xue Daoyong looked much older, but his extraordinary bearing, like a tiger clasping its claws, remained the same, just like he was seven years ago.

"Is Elder Xue going to take action against the Xue family's children?"

Xue Daoyong laughed: "Wrong."

"I am protecting the real Xue family members."

"In troubled times, people are always changing their minds. Even though the Xue family has always followed the teachings of their ancestors, there are more children. In the face of such changes, more people can't hold back. What I have worked hard for is enough for them to become rich and powerful."

"The relationship between me and you is enough to allow them to live in peace."

"Greed is the root of trouble for others; ambition is the root of trouble. I am the head of the Xue family. To prevent him from killing all the members of the Xue family and implicating all the clans, I should solve this trouble in advance."

There seemed to be a breeze, and ripples appeared in the pond outside the Listening Wind Pavilion. Even the four square curtains hanging on the Listening Wind Pavilion seemed to sway slightly in the wind. Xue Daoyong smiled and said, "I'm being direct. If these people don't restrain their hearts in advance, Guanyi may be able to tolerate them for a while."

"But Qianqiu is the most wasteful of gratitude."

"As time goes by, I am always afraid that their ambitions will grow bigger day by day. One day, they will touch the bottom line that cannot be touched. When Qilin's blade falls, the Xue family will suffer heavy casualties, and you will inevitably leave a mark of cruelty and ingratitude in the history books."

"I valued you back then, but not for an ending like this."

Li Guan paused, looking at the old man in front of him, and recalled the conversation he had with the old man in the past. He said in a gentle voice, "In business, it's all about profit."

"Great business seeks the country."

"And Mr. Xue, seek eternal peace."

Xue Daoyong laughed: "Hahaha, eternal peace, the weight of these four words is really too heavy, it's really not worth thinking about."

His voice paused, and he sighed again, clenching his fist and whispering, "But can we not fight for what we can't accomplish? In times of chaos, when the situation changes suddenly and the situation is difficult to stabilize, everyone is afraid."

"But I say differently. We should be courageous. With such courage, we can walk alone and make big bets."

"Nowadays, peace is at hand, the trend is gradually subsiding, and the situation is very good."

"Others say that it is time to be brave and diligent, but I say no."

"At this moment, we should retreat bravely and hide ourselves, only in this way can we protect ourselves."

"This advance and retreat is everything I have gained in the past hundred years. In the final analysis, it is just to keep this heart still and not waver."

Li Guanyi said: "Mr. Xue..."

Xue Daoyong raised his hand and waved, saying, "Let's talk about the matter at hand."

"I think I have done a good job of watching over my son these years, but I cannot let down my guard even a little bit. If I make the slightest mistake, he might take advantage of me. And it just so happens that I don't trust that group of people."

"However, although we have captured the capital of Chen State, Jiangzhou City of Chen State is one of the top three major cities in the world. Its area is probably the largest among all the territories and cities under your control."

"Add to that the population, power, order, and the fact that you just took control of it after the war. If you want to maintain such a big city, I'm afraid you will need to invest a lot of manpower and material resources."

"On the other hand, it is also extremely difficult for Yue Pengwu and others to advance their performance."

"Logistical supplies are needed."

"The Turks in the north are still eyeing the Central Plains. Although Jiang Wanxiang of Ying State is old, he is still alive. After several years of war, Ying State is still a great country with sufficient foundation. Do you have any strategy to fight him in the future?"

Li Guanyi said: "It's just a war."

Xue Daoyong picked up a chess piece and tapped it on the table. Someone had delivered two things, both of which were documents. They were placed on both sides of Xue Daoyong, one on the left and one on the right. Old Xue smiled and said:
"I won't hide it from you. When Yue Pengwu was conquering the four directions, all the major city lords and noble families in this vast territory, whether they had already fought with Yue Pengwu or had not yet encountered him, tried every means to send the secret letter from the front to Guanyi City and to my hands."

"Well, since you are here, I might as well show you all these things."

"Hahaha, whatever happens, it's up to you."

Xue Daoyong swept his sleeves, accompanied by a low tiger roar, and the energy surged like a wave, and the stack of letters placed on the old man's left hand flew towards Li Guanyi. None of these letters had ever been opened.

But in terms of texture, they are all extremely exquisite.

Some were a piece of paper and one or two ounces of silver worth of pine-grain frost, and some were even more expensive. It was said that pine-leaf snow could only be produced in Miaobi Villa. The name was quite elegant. With a push of the sleeves, these pieces of paper fluttered in the air like frost and snow.

There were two people in Tingfeng Pavilion. Ripples appeared on the pond outside the Tingfeng Pavilion, and the curtains of the pavilion swayed. The letter from the world's top noble figure fluttered like butterflies. The King of Qin stretched out his hand with his five fingers slightly bent.

Press downward.

The long wind was held in his hand and pressed down. The letters fell down. Li Guanyi picked up the letter and casually stretched it to the side. Next to it was an eternal lamp made of Kunpeng oil from the North Sea, which could burn for a long time without going out.

Li Guanyi handed over the letters, which were ignited in an instant.

In an instant, it turned into ashes. At the moment of burning, the ink words inside the letter lit up slightly for a moment, as bright as gold, and then completely turned into ashes under the licking of the flames.

The sleeves of the King of Qin were rolled up, and the letter from the aristocratic family turned into ashes, leaving a slight trace in his eyes, and then disappeared completely.

Xue Daoyong watched Li Guanyi burn all the letters and said:
"You didn't even take a look at it, and it just burned out like that?"

Li Guanyi said, "I don't need to read their letter to know what they are saying. If they are not resisting stubbornly and planning to occupy a place and establish their own hegemony, then they are waiting for a good price. If they want them to surrender, I can, but they have to meet certain conditions."

"We have to keep their status and rights, even if they surrender, but the city they are in still belongs to their own control, only nominally under the jurisdiction of Tiance Mansion."

"If they really wanted to surrender, their letters wouldn't have come to you, Elder Xue."

Xue Daoyong sighed and said:
"After all, this is a way to capture many cities of the State of Chen without resorting to violence, which can reduce a lot of logistical losses. In this way, after unifying the State of Chen, we won't be too passive when fighting against the State of Ying."

Li Guanyi loosened his fingers, letting the letter in his hand be blown away by the hot wind. He retracted his hand and replied, "But it will pose a hidden danger."

"It will lay the seeds for a hidden danger that will erupt completely in the future and break the foundation of the peaceful era. I won't say that all the conquests and wars will be fought in my generation. Every generation has its own 'war'."

"But I won't leave these hidden dangers to future generations."

The King of Qin sat down again, his eyes filled with determination and courage that moved Xue Daoyong:
"beat!"

“No need to compromise!”

“There doesn’t need to be any ambiguity.”

"It is not the unification of the world that is achieved through negotiation and agreement, surrender and exchange of interests, but the unification of the world that is achieved through the sword, the blood and the destruction of all opponents in the world. All are fought with hard swords and hard guns. In this world, it is an upright competition."

"Only by defeating all opponents and crushing all enemies, can we build a new era and a new atmosphere on the ruins of the past generation. How can there be any compromise in such a major event?"

"To show the dignity of a great country, we have to fight until the opponent surrenders and wins." "Mr. Xue, the only way is peace and the founding of the country."

"There can't be any impurities in it."

Li Guanyi sighed, picked up the chess piece in his hand, and put it back on the chessboard.

Xue Daoyong felt an indescribable emotion when looking at the young man in front of him. If he were a mature wealthy businessman, a powerful official, or a prime minister, the essence of everything in this world is nothing more than the exchange of interests.

However, the young king in front of him seemed to be burning with a kind of obsession that was above interests. He also pursued interests and had his own preferences, but only on this matter, he was extremely stubborn and refused to give in at all.

It was just this kind of stubbornness that inexplicably touched Xue Daoyong.

This tiger galloping in the troubled times felt his heart beating slightly faster uncontrollably. His old body, the energy and blood that had been deposited as a result of the intrigues in the corrupt officialdom, were boiled again by such bravery and perseverance, burning Xue Daoyong's heart.

The old man murmured, "Defeat all opponents and break through all obstacles."

"On the ruins of the previous era, a new era of peace and prosperity has been rebuilt. Ahahahaha, you are so bold, boy."

Xue Daoyong laughed out loud.

Li Guanyi replied: "Without such a tone, how can we achieve first-class achievements?"

Xue Daoyong said: "Then, you will have to fight against Yingguo in the end."

Li Guanyi said: "Ying Guo, Jiang Wanxiang, and Jiang Su..."

"Jiang Su, Mr. Xue, you don't understand him, but I understand him very well."

"When I first met Jiang Su, I was only fourteen or fifteen years old, at the second level of martial arts..."

Xue Daoyong's mouth twitched, and he said, "The second level of martial arts that pacified Jiangnan is also the second level of martial arts, right?"

Li Guan remained calm: "Anyway, I hadn't made a breakthrough at that time."

"At that time, my great-grandfather took me to the capital of Ying State. In the Zhaixing Tower, I met the God of War Jiang Su for the first time. I met the so-called martial arts legend. At that time, I'm afraid he didn't even look at me once."

"At that time, he could kill me with just one move."

"After that, in the Western Regions, in Ying State, and in Jiangnan, I faced Jiang Su more than once. I know that this man's martial arts are already top-notch in the world. If he gathers a large army and abandons his arrogance, even my great-grandfather will find it difficult to defeat him."

"But such a person has no bottom line."

Xue Daoyong asked: "No limit?"

Li Guanyi said, "Yes, he once led 18 cavalrymen deep into the grasslands. When surrounded by the Iron Pagoda army, he fought to the death with the great Khan of that generation. All 18 warriors died in the grasslands."

"He carried the Great Khan's head back to the border of Ying State alone and offered sacrifice to the people of Ying State who had been killed with the Great Khan's head."

"You can also poison him for victory. You can also behead him and hang him on the city gate to maintain the people's hearts and opinions that were broken by your uncle."

"Jiang Su can be both a heroic and heroic man and a despicable and shameless villain. Such a person has almost no weaknesses. He doesn't care about dignity, reputation, whether his hands are clean, or whether his actions are upright."

"He only had one thought in mind, which was to win on the battlefield."

"The process of victory is just a means."

"He is a man of no limits, yet extremely powerful. He is a pure military commander. If we can really make it to that point, the final opponent we have to face will be him. It must be him, Jiang Su."

Xue Daoyong looked at the heroic and brave King Qin in front of him and said:
"You think highly of Jiang Su."

Li Guanyi replied:
"That's my blood feud, how can I not value him?"

Xue Daoyong laughed, and this fierce tiger of the Xue family in troubled times asked cunningly:

"But Chen Dingye is also your enemy, but you don't think so highly of him."

This sentence directly hit Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi remained silent, and seemed a little unconfident. He also lost the invincible look that he had in the legends and passed down by word of mouth. He sighed and said:
"Because Jiang Su is still so strong to me."

"Even though I have come all this way, I am still not sure that I can defeat Jiang Su. From a general perspective, the loss of Ying State can be ignored. These one to two years have given them time to catch their breath."

"The current God of War is only here to take care of Jiang Wanxiang. It can be said that Jiang Wanxiang is now like a chain, binding Jiang Su."

"If Jiang Wanxiang dies, the next generation of Ying emperor will become a puppet."

"Jiang Su then became a sharp sword without restraints or worries. He is the one we will face in the end."

"The military god who represents the three hundred years of Ying State's national destiny."

Xue Daoyong's expression was solemn.

Even though the old man was not a general on the battlefield, he understood how terrifying Jiang Su would be in the situation Li Guanyi described. By that time, the State of Chen would most likely no longer exist, and there would be no need to worry about a third country in the Central Plains.

All that was left was the fight between Qin and Ying.

Consider grassland at most once.

Xue Daoyong was still thinking about how tricky the situation was, and how magnificent it would be if Jiang Su fought with all his might after Jiang Wanxiang's death, but he heard a chuckle.

"But, what else is there to say now?"

The King of Qin smiled. He picked up the teacup as if it were a strong drink and said:

"Conquering the world and unifying the four directions is the long-cherished wish of me, the Tiance Mansion, the Anxi Protectorate, and the Qilin Army."

"If there really is this final battle, what could be more [unquestionable] than defeating head-on the invincible military god who supported Ying State for three hundred years?"

"I have our long-cherished wish, and Jiang Su, perhaps, also has Jiang Su's own persistence and perseverance."

"The world is so big, and it is this era and this chaotic time that have pushed us to this point."

The King of Qin tilted his head back to drink tea. Although it was only tea, the fluttering of his sleeves revealed a dignified aura, like strong liquor spilled on a knife edge. He calmly said to himself:

"If Jiang Su doesn't kill me, how can he support the country?"

"If I don't kill Jiang Su, how can I set the world right?"

"At this point, all we have to do is kill each other, regardless of our grudges or enemies!"

"He wants us to live in seclusion, but I want to—"

"The right way to gain a country is unparalleled throughout the ages."

Xue Daoyong looked at the young man in front of him for a long time without saying a word, then suddenly he burst into laughter. He laughed especially happily, for he was happy that the young man's ambition had not been tainted by dust after seven years, but he was also happy that his eyes were still so accurate.

But with a hint of sarcasm, he said with a smile:
"However, King Qin, oh King Qin, war is all about logistics and supplies, and it's all about national strength. Your resources are not as good as Ying's. Even if you conquered Chen at a relatively small cost this time, your logistics and resources have almost been exhausted, right?"

"Even if we can get the foundation of the Chen Kingdom, those aristocratic families will occupy the city and defend it, which will consume a lot of food supplies. I'm afraid many of them will set fire to the food."

"Even if you can quickly capture these cities, there will be heavy losses."

"Ying State has hardly conducted any major wars in this short period of time."

“They have preserved their national strength very well.”

"Only in this aspect, you are at a disadvantage."

"However, now that things have come to this, my gambling nature has been aroused by you, a stinky boy. I can't control myself and still want to gamble again..."

Xue Daoyong raised his hand and placed his palm on the files on the other side. His fingers pressed on the thick stack of white paper on the table. With a gentle smile, he said, "It is said that the world war is fought for national strength and logistics."

"It is also said that my Xue family is a big merchant family, rich enough to rival a country."

"I always tell the children in the clan that humility brings benefits, while arrogance brings harm. They should restrain themselves. When dealing with others, they should never take advantage of the extra money in the family to do this or that, so as not to bring disaster to the family."

"So, in the past hundred years, my Xue family has been safe and sound. However, although I have taught the children of this family to be humble and not to be arrogant, I still have a doubt in my heart."

"That is, is my Xue family really rich enough to rival a country?"

Xue Daoyong stood up slowly, ripples appeared in the void behind him, and the low roar of a tiger resounded throughout the Tingfeng Pavilion. The old man's white hair was lifted up, and his eyes were raised like the pupils of a tiger, looking at Li Guanyi.

The old man pressed the files with his palms and slowly pushed them in front of Li Guanyi.

With a smile:
"Li Guanyi, for more than a hundred years, my Xue family has been in every state, county, and city in the world. All the merchants, all the trade routes, all the businesses, all the gold and silver, all the wealth are here."

"Do you dare to continue?"

(End of this chapter)