Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 161 Yingzhou
Without further ado, Tiedan followed the Xiao family's attendants and rode on a dragon horse to Yingzhou. Yingzhou is located in the northwest of Zhen State, where Zhen, Gen, and Jingji meet, so it is not a detour.

What's more, the attendants were also dressed in golden armor of the Yulin Guards, with the flag of the Blue Luan King of Zhen State on their backs, leading the way, dressed as messengers, indicating that they were delivering urgent military information that concerned the country. Naturally, there would be no demons, ghosts, or evildoers along the way who would come to cause such trouble.

So the journey was smooth.

Tiedan was bored as he had nothing to do, so he was also puzzled by the reaction of the Purple-faced General to the Marquis of Xichang in Lanling City. Even if it was for the fight for the Immortal Ganoderma, whether to give it to the Marquis was their family affair. It was a bit too stupid to take the initiative to offend the Xiao family. What's more, it was quite rare for the young marquis to complain about his family members to an outsider like him. There might be something fishy going on.

So Tiedan also acted cautiously, asking questions indirectly along the way, chatting with the servants for a while, and figured out the reason.

It turned out that the Marquis of Xichang was the nephew of the old ancestor of the Xiao family, the uncle of the young Marquis Xiao, and the father of Xiao Baoqin. Because he lost his father at a young age and was the second son born to a concubine, he could not inherit the family business, so the old ancestor raised him and treated him as his own son.

Since he was not a son of a direct lineage and had no title or fiefdom to inherit, it was impossible for him to stay at home in Lanling and spend his days leisurely. Marquis Xichang had no father or mother to raise him and was looked down upon at home. He developed a strong character early on and asked to be sent to be an official in other places early on, representing the Xiao family in charge of the local area and working hard on his own.

Of course, after all, as long as the children of such aristocratic families are willing to work, they will be protected by their families all the way. Promotion is just a formality, and it is hard to say whether it is his real talent or not. But at least compared with those playboys who spend their days in debauchery and are busy with their business, those who are willing to work are already considered good. Naturally, they are endorsed by the Xiao family and have the support of a group of students and former officials.

So the Marquis of Xichang also held his breath and started from the grassroots level, successively serving as county magistrate, constant attendant, captain, prefect, chamberlain, governor, secretary, general... He was a general and a prime minister, but he never made any major mistakes. This showed that I am just a brick and can be moved wherever I am useful.

For a big family like the Xiao family, the purpose of having a bunch of kids is to draw cards. From among a bunch of good-for-nothings who only make trouble, they suddenly draw an SSR that says "I'll do the work, you can rest assured". Naturally, they are deeply loved and valued by the ancestors, and trusted by the clan elders.

Therefore, although Marquis Xichang started out at a great disadvantage as he was born out of wedlock, he has now worked his way into the core circle of the Xiao family. Not only has he been given a title and appointed a general, he has also been entrusted with important tasks and is involved in confidential matters. He was given the important task of garrisoning Yingzhou in the north, and he is truly one of the powerful people in the Xiao family, the pillar of the family.

As for the character of Marquis Xichang, it really depends on one's own opinion.

At least the attendant didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and even thought that Xichang Hou was a fair ruler, a man who was observant, conscientious, and fair in his work. Those who had recommended themselves to Lanling City in the past, most of those who were of humble origins, were accepted by Xichang Hou and entrusted with important tasks.

But it's normal. After all, Marquis Xichang himself is a humble man. There is no team of old people in his family left for him, a bastard, to use. He is surrounded by people from the royal family who are jealous and mocking him, and make things difficult for him everywhere. He has no reliable relatives to help him, so of course he can only recruit people based on their talents and build a makeshift team himself.

So naturally, the legitimate descendants of Lanling were disgusted with the illegitimate son of Marquis Xichang, who had fought for his position, and they were not in a good mood towards each other.

Again, even if we are a family, the dining table is so small and there are so many seats, so either you sit or I sit. So would you rather sit at the table to eat, or stand aside and wait for the leftovers to be given to you?
But then again, the ancestor of the Xiao family was indeed a capable man. After all, he selected and trained more than just one Marquis of Xichang.
Not to mention a family’s past glory, whether it can prosper in the future can be seen by how it selects and promotes its successors.

The Xiao family’s fate is not over yet.

They arrived at Yingzhou smoothly, with a messenger leading the way and a token from his own young lady from the Marquis of Xichang Mansion. Naturally, there was no foolish general looking for death, and Tiedan entered the city smoothly.

At this point in time, Xichang Hou led his army to Yingzhou, of course not for sightseeing. He was now leading the army as General Zhen Guowei and supervising all military affairs in Yingzhou. First, he was to prevent the rebels of Kan State in the north from going crazy and taking advantage of the situation to cross the river. Second, he was to accommodate and manage the refugees who fled into the country. Third, he was to build camps and fortifications, and to rectify military supplies and preparations, just waiting for the Three Yuans to issue an edict to fight the rebels and prepare for the northern expedition.

Tiedan had come riding on his dragon horse and had seen from a high vantage point that the army of Marquis of Xichang was stationed in Yingzhou and had begun work in full swing, settling the refugees, providing work-for-relief, conscripting civilians for labor, consolidating the defenses of Yingzhou, building cities and digging fortifications, tidying up the army camp, digging a canal for food, guarding the ferry across the Gen River, collecting boats along the river, and building military farms.

After entering the Zhen army camp, he saw that the soldiers were well-trained, well-fed, and well-equipped. Although he did not know their actual combat effectiveness, at least all preparations had been made. He knew that the Marquis of Xichang was indeed quite talented in governing, and he was indeed a person cultivated and valued by the Xiao family.

"The warrior worked tirelessly to report the news from a thousand miles away! Thank you, Xiao Ming!"

After receiving the news, Xichang Marquis Xiao Ming, wearing armor, red robe and golden armor, immediately returned to the camp from the construction site and met Tiedan in person.

Judging from this man's features, he is indeed a member of the Xiao family, a seven-foot tall man with a dignified appearance. He is the young marquis who lost weight and then worried too much, so his body shape has become thinner. After being conferred the title of marquis, he has already taken the Divine Infant Pill to prolong his life, and his cultivation is just average. Of course, he is surrounded by personal guards who have cultivated the Divine Gang Body, and all of them carry ceremonial swords. It is obvious that they are all his confidants.

Tiedan didn't want to get too involved in the Xiao family's affairs, so he didn't say much. He bowed and got straight to the point.

"My Lord, that evil sect specifically wants to use the Lingyun Immortal Ganoderma to exchange for your daughter's life. Now we can't get it, and there are only four days left. I wonder how you plan to deal with it."

Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes, glanced at Tiedan's knife, and without beating around the bush, he returned Xiao Baoqin's jade bracelet and black hair to Tiedan, and said bluntly,
"I'm sorry to have made Liu Yishi laugh. Let alone Thirteenth Lady, I think even if I were captured, they wouldn't offer the Immortal Ganoderma in exchange. I've got that in mind.

But no matter what, if this loophole is opened, there will be endless troubles. "

Tiedan was also puzzled. He didn't know what he meant by handing the token back. However, since he had already taken it, it would be inappropriate to push it back. Now was not the time to bother about such trivial matters, so he asked,
"So the Marquis doesn't care about it? But I guess your daughter's trip to Kan Country was arranged by you, right?"

Xiao Ming was a shrewd man, so of course he understood what Tiedan was hinting at. He dismissed his attendants with a glance, and then asked Tiedan to take a seat in the military tent. "The righteous man is from the north, and I have nothing to hide. Now the Duke of Zhongshan Shi Jiao has rebelled and has swept across Gen State and captured Ye City. He will dominate Hebei in an instant and march straight to the Central Plains. No matter how much the three lords procrastinate and indulge, they will inevitably have a war sooner or later. When that happens, my Zhen State will bear the brunt and there is no way to avoid it.

Although the royal family of Kan State is weak and incompetent, the king of Kan State still has some power and has been accumulating power and doing good deeds for many years. If we can invite a princess to marry and make a move, then in the future there may be righteous men like my benefactor in Kan State who can be used by me to save this catastrophe.

However, if the other party wants something else, I will have no objection, but the immortal ganoderma..."

Tiedan continued his words,
“But that immortal ganoderma is the key to breaking through the Divine Transformation Stage, and it is used to lure a large group of Yuanying Stage thugs in your family.

Now that the war is imminent, this is the time to use people. It is not for public or private reasons that we can give them away, or it will discourage the retainers and soldiers, right? "

Xiao Ming nodded.
“As the righteous man said, even if this matter is reported to the ancestor, there will be no change.

In order to preserve the family business of the direct line, side branches like us can be abandoned and sacrificed when necessary.

Therefore, to save Shisan Niang, I have to do it myself."

"Oh, I wonder what the Marquis is going to do?"

Seeing Xiao Ming's gesture, Tiedan handed over his ceremonial sword.

The other party drew out his knife, held it in his hand, and looked at the cold blade.

“What a great knife…

My ancestor once found a meteorite that fell into his house. He spent all his family property to forge hundreds of "Dingye" swords and made friends with the heroes of the world.

Later, I was also blessed with a meteorite, so I followed the example of my ancestors and forged a hundred pieces of "Chaoyi" to give to heroes all over the world.

So far, only fifty of these knives have been given away. I have ten of them with me. I hope Mr. Liu will lead the way and help us save people."

Tiedan looked at him.
"My Lord, I am a rough man, so I will speak frankly. I can see that you are also ambitious and have your own agenda. It is not a big deal for me to help you once for this good knife.

But I have to say it bluntly, even if ten of us were to repay your kindness with our lives and rush forward together, we would still be no match for him.

Not only will you fail to save your daughter, but you will also lose ten good swords. Are you willing to do that?"

Xiao Ming looked at the blade with a lonely expression and was silent for a long time.

"Of course I feel a little reluctant... But I am her father. If I don't care about her, who else will care about her?"

Tiedan was silent.

Having come this far in this mission, I could have ended the cause and effect and withdrawn from it.

If Xiao Ming said "no", Tiedan would definitely turn around and leave without saying a word.

However, the middle-aged man in front of him, with a melancholy look on his face, after being silent for a while, finally suppressed his ambition, dropped the knife in his hand, and went to save his daughter.

So Tiedan nodded,
"Okay, I'll bring her back for you."

"Thank you, warrior!"

(End of this chapter)