Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

As Song Shidao unleashed his swordsmanship, it was as if he were a celestial being riding the wind, with countless sword shadows and postures, the tender and affectionate swordsmanship resembling a sweet and tender love.

As he unleashed his second strike, the light and lingering sword intent had taken on a heavy and domineering quality. The sword intent was a perfect blend of gentleness and strength, sometimes gentle and sometimes fierce, sometimes like a gentle drizzle and sometimes as violent as a storm.

After the storm, the sword intent shifted again, losing some of its tenderness and gaining a sense of judgment—a judgment of the suffering of the mortal world, a judgment of the injustices of life… The sword intent soared to the heavens, hanging overhead, forcing injustice to bow, forcing powerful families to bow!

Please advise!

After finishing a set of sword techniques, Song Shidao cupped his hands in greeting.

………………

A glint of light flashed in Xu Xingzhi's eyes, and he said:

"Everyone here has witnessed your swordsmanship and intent. If I am wrong, please feel free to point it out."

"Young Master Kou, your sword intent is unpredictable and ever-changing, without any fixed form, yet it carries the intention of striking with deadly precision. Every move is deadly. It is more like military strategy than swordsmanship. Your swordplay is like deploying troops in battle formation, combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics, and is exceptionally domineering."

"But there is no way of kingship or hegemony in your swordsmanship. Young Master Kou, you only have the desire to lead troops into battle. Have you never thought about how to be an emperor?"

"Governing the world is not about leading troops into battle, but about the daily meals of the common people, the livelihood of ordinary people, and the basic necessities of life."

"Young Master Kou, may I ask why you want to dominate the world? Is it just to enjoy the pleasure of leading troops into battle? You have never cared about the common people of the world."

Kou Zhong's face turned pale. Xu Ziling, who was standing next to him, patted him on the shoulder, sighed, and didn't know what to say.

Xu Xingzhi then looked at Song Shidao and said:

"Young Master Song, your sword intent contains both the tender emotions of love and the fierce and domineering nature of a man. In the end, it is a judgment on the hearts of the people, like the will of heaven, making injustice bow down and the world bend its head."

"Although I have never seen your father's Nine Questions of the Heavenly Blade, your sword intent already possesses the aura of a king. And your sword intent is solid and real, definitely not a castle in the air."

"If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Song visited the people of Lingnan and witnessed their hardships, which enabled him to change his original swordsmanship and forge his own path."

"In this match, I declare Young Master Song the winner. Does anyone have any objections? Please feel free to raise them. If you disagree with my judgment, I can ask Master Shi to preside over the proceedings."

After a moment of silence, no one spoke.

The Way of Emptiness:

"So, the next round is the second round, which will determine who in the North has the greatest advantage in unifying the North. If the South wants to unify the North, how should it be done?"

"With a time limit of one incense stick's time, you two can write down your insights, which I will then read aloud to the public for everyone to comment on. Young Master Kou can have Steward Du or someone else write them down for him."

………………

The discussion covered everything from the grand scheme of things to powerful clans and aristocratic families, from governing the people to defending the northern grasslands. While Kou Zhong was able to draw inferences from one instance to another, he ultimately lacked a solid foundation and had never truly considered these issues.

Song Shidao's words were insightful, and many of his ideas were clearly not spur-of-the-moment. Even Du Fuwei largely agreed with his statements. The last trace of fear in his heart slowly dissipated.

Xu Xingzhi shook his head and said:

"Young Master Kou, please forgive my bluntness. Your ambition to dominate the world seems more like a passing interest than something with a clear goal or understanding."

"The time has come, and the unification of the South is imminent, but there is no longer any opportunity for you to continue to grow."

"If Young Master Kou is willing, you might as well join the army. With your ingenious ideas on military strategy, you are a natural leader."

Kou Zhong shook his head. He had been full of confidence when he first arrived, but now he had nothing left.

Xu Xingzhi shook his head and invited the Song siblings, Du Fuwei, and others to the main hall for a detailed discussion. The fate of the South would now be decided in their conversation.

As he slowly walked out of the temple, Kou Zhong lamented, "If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have studied more."

“Aren’t you the least fond of reading? You used to eavesdrop outside Master Tian’s class, but you always left before finishing the lesson,” Xu Ziling said.

Kou Zhong shook his head and said, "I now understand that the difference between me and Song boy isn't anything else, but rather our experience. It's a pity..."

Xu Ziling said, "Since that's the case, are you willing to give up your ambition to dominate the world?"

Kou Zhong shook his head and said:

What good will it do if I don't let go?

"The unification of the South is now an inevitable trend."

"Could we possibly go north to support Li Mi? If so, I'm afraid Shi Shi would be the first to kill us. He would never allow this chaotic world to continue."

Xu Ziling smiled and said, "I've heard that Sichuan and Lingnan have unique scenery and beautiful women. Why don't we go there to live in seclusion? It might not be a bad thing."

Kou Zhong shook his head and said, "Let me think about it some more! I don't want to miss out on this wonderful world!"

………………

"In that case, why don't you go and do a few things for me?" a voice said from behind.

Xu Ziling smiled and turned around, saying, "I wonder what instructions Master Shi may have?"

Su Yuchen looked into the distance and said:

"What happened today cannot be hidden from ambitious people all over the world. Once the Jianghuai Army announces its alliance with the Song Clan, everyone will know that the South is already secured."

"Song Shidao and his men needed time to integrate the Jianghuai Army, and it also took time to take over Yangzhou and other places. After that, it would take even more time for the Jianghuai Army to capture Jingling, Hangzhou, Shezhou and other places, and occupy Jiangdong and Huainan."

"Once the Li clan and Li Mi and others learn of this, they will definitely try to prevent the unification of the south. The best way for them to sabotage this is through the Pegasus Ranch."

"Not only does it have the warhorses most needed for the unification of the south, but its geographical location is also special, threatening the rear of the army."

"Therefore, I need you to go to Pegasus Ranch to stop the Li Clan and other forces from causing damage, and to invite the mall owner to Yangzhou."

Xu Ziling nodded and said, "Master Shi instructed me to go with Kou Zhong to repay Master Shi for sparing my life that day."

Su Yuchen glanced at him and said, "I didn't expect that Ziling would be able to gain the most benefits from that battle. His Qi is close to the Dao and is no less than Shi Qingxuan's."

At this point, he smiled and said, "After you've finished dealing with the Pegasus Ranch matter, I'll give you an extra stroke of good fortune."

After saying that, Su Yuchen ignored the two of them and turned to disappear.

Xu Ziling said, "It seems that Master Shi did not hold your previous actions against us. Now we don't have to worry about being hunted down by the most terrifying person in the world."

Kou Zhong gave a wry smile and said, "Right now, all I want to do is go to Sister Zhen's steamed bun shop for a big meal, and then get a good night's sleep."

The two smiled at each other and disappeared into the crowd on the street.

P.S.: Something happened, so I wrote a short note, but unfortunately it's been under review for a long time.

I took my child and parents out for a trip, but I caught the flu. I'll finish the next chapter this afternoon.

Chapter 383 Yangzhou Prefecture Council

The upheaval in the south spread across the land at almost the speed of light, prompting ambitious individuals with aspirations to unify the country to accelerate their efforts. Otherwise, once the south was unified, realizing their ambitions would become incredibly difficult.

In Chang'an, Guanzhong, Li Yuan's second son, Li Shimin, established the Tiance Mansion and gathered countless experts from Guanzhong and Longxi. Among them, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were the most trusted by Li Shimin in terms of governance, logistics, and supplies. In addition, he had military experts under his command, such as Li Jing. Song Laosheng and Qu Tutong suffered repeated defeats and it seemed that they could no longer defend the pass leading to the capital.

Meanwhile, Li Mi of Xingyang was not to be outdone. On the one hand, he coveted Luoyang, and on the other hand, he plotted against the 100,000 elite imperial guards that Yuwen Huaji had brought back from the south.

Influenced by the south, Li Yuan's eldest daughter, Li Xiuning, went to the Pegasus Ranch as a secret envoy, intending to seize this largest source of warhorses in the heart of the Central Plains.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling also set off from Yangzhou on the same day, carrying the mission of "Shilong" to persuade the Pegasus Ranch to align itself with the Song Clan.

………………

Inside the Governor's Mansion of Yangzhou.

Song Shidao sat in the main seat, and below him were Xu Xingzhi, Song Lu, Song Yuzhi, Du Fuwei, Fu Gongyou, Jiang Wenzheng, Lei Shilin, Chen Zhide and others.

Du Fuwei's tiger-like eyes flashed with a cold light as he said:

"If the Li clan succeeds in taking control of the Pegasus Ranch and builds up a cavalry, it will be detrimental to our future attack on the Central Plains. In my opinion, it would be better to suspend the reorganization of the Jianghuai Army and take Jingling first."

"Once we take Jingling, we'll have no choice but to take over the Pegasus Ranch, which is right next door. Even if the business owner is willing to fight to the death, he'll only suffer the consequences, while the net might not break."

"I propose that we attack Jingling first and occupy the Jiangdong region."

Before anyone else could speak, Xu Xingzhi objected:

"inappropriate!"

"The discipline of the Jianghuai Army has been too lax in the past. If we don't take this opportunity to correct it now, it will only become too difficult to change in the future! When they have military merits, will we punish them or not?"

"If we don't punish them, we can't explain ourselves to the people. Their hearts will be in turmoil, and if ambitious people stir things up, it will be detrimental to establishing a new dynasty in the future. If we do punish them, they will definitely harbor resentment. If trouble breaks out in our rear during the Northern Expedition, it will be even more troublesome!"

"At this time, Shi Shi still had the power to suppress the rebellion, and the various units of the Jianghuai Army did not dare to rebel. This was the best time for reorganization."

"However, it is indeed necessary to threaten Jingling and support Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's actions at the Pegasus Ranch. In my opinion, we might as well use the old army from the southern suburbs of Danyang as the main force and the Yangzhou garrison as the auxiliary force to threaten Jingling from the flank, surrounding it without attacking!"

"Once the Jianghuai Army has been reorganized, we will formally attack Jingling."

Fu Gongyou shook his head and said:

"The Yangzhou garrison is unfamiliar with battle formations and is not very effective. They are fine when the battle is going well, but if the battle goes against them, we should try to appease them first."

"With less than 20,000 elite troops, it will be difficult to besiege Jingling. We also have to be wary of the Hannan garrison that is nearby. It will be even more difficult!"

Xu Xingzhi explained:

"Although the garrison in Yangzhou is weak, it is not yet incompetent! This is the perfect opportunity to train them."

“We are only besieging the city. Fang Zetao is not very strategic and lacks courage. He would never dare to go out of the city to fight.”

Song Lu said, "I have been ordered by the clan lord to bring 30,000 elite Song family troops, which will arrive in half a month by water. Of the other 70,000 troops, 20,000 will remain to guard Lingnan, and the clan lord is somewhat uneasy about Duzun Fortress among the remaining 50,000!"

Du Fuwei asked in bewilderment, "Judge Xie Hui of the martial arts world has always followed the lead of the Song dynasty. Now that our situation is excellent and the unification of the south is just around the corner, why would Xie Hui have second thoughts?"

Song Lu shook his head and sighed:

"The clan leader only recently realized that Jie Hui was actually an admirer of Fan Qinghui. Now that Cihang Jingzhai and the Buddhist sect intend to support the Li clan, they will never allow the South to be unified smoothly."

"According to the clan leader's intentions, I'm afraid Fan Qinghui will secretly enter Sichuan, and then Duzun Fort will surely rebel!"

"Therefore, we have already made preparations in Luchuan. As soon as Jie Hui makes a move, we will immediately send troops to Sichuan. Once we take Jianmen Pass, we can lock Sichuan in place."

Song Shidao, seated at the head of the table, clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention and said:

"In that case, don't rush!"

"Master Shi said that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world. In any case, we are already more than one step ahead of other forces. And there is no major enemy in the south, so stabilizing the hearts of the people is the priority."

"General Du, the reorganization of the Jianghuai Army cannot be stopped. These are all veterans under your command. Work with Mr. Xu as soon as possible to formulate a strategy to streamline the army, make arrangements for the old, weak, sick and disabled, and recruit and train new soldiers."

"Wenzheng, Zhide, the Yangzhou garrison should also intensify their training and quickly resolve the bandits in the area from Yangzhou to Danyang and Liyang. Use them as training grounds."

"Once the Song family army arrives, they will join forces with the Danyang troops and capture Jingling; the Jianghuai army will then march south to Hangzhou and capture the heart of Jiangnan."

Seeing that Song Shidao had made up his mind, everyone immediately accepted the order.

………………

[Xu Xingzhi deeply understands the rules of the court. As an outsider, the best ideas must be figured out by those in power themselves in order to maintain a long-term position in the court.]

[Wanwan listened in at the Governor's Mansion. The Yin Kui faction had decided to side with the Song Clan, but Zhu Yuyan still had doubts about her proposal to purge Bian Bufu and others.]

Shilong Dojo, backyard.

Seeing the narration, Su Yuchen lay motionless on the recliner; this trivial matter did not arouse his interest at all.

At present, the Great Dao Azure Lotus Chapter can only refine the primordial energy of heaven and earth step by step, accumulate true energy, and strengthen the primordial spirit. Even with the help of that trace of Taiyin Ice Soul Divine Light, the growth of the primordial spirit is still a long way off.

Unless they find a rare treasure like the Lunar Essence or the legendary Emperor's Dew, which is clearly impossible given the level of this world, and the next Lunar Essence to appear is at least ten thousand years away.

Fortunately, there's no need to rush anything; we can only take it one step at a time.

"I didn't expect that in such a short time, you would already be close to stepping into the eighteenth level of the Heavenly Demon Art, almost reaching the realm of a Grandmaster," Su Yuchen said with his eyes closed.

"Giggle..."

With a clear and melodious laugh, Wanwan flashed into the courtyard and bowed, saying, "Wanwan greets Master Shi! I am very grateful for Master Shi's guidance, which enabled me to integrate the Heavenly Demon Sound and Heavenly Demon Dance into the Heavenly Demon Great Art."

Watching her every move, every smile, so natural and captivating, as if a succubus had been reborn, Su Yuchen said indifferently, "Then why don't you seize the time to cultivate in seclusion and improve your cultivation? Why are you running around everywhere?"

Wanwan chuckled and said playfully, "Wanwan and Master just went to the southern suburbs of Danyang a few days ago to observe the traces of Master Shi's actions. This time, we came to express Master's sincerity: the Yin Kui Sect is willing to pledge allegiance to the Song Clan!"

Su Yuchen scoffed and said, "Why didn't you go to Song Shidao about this at the Governor's Mansion? What use would it be to me?"

Wanwan's expression held a hint of sorrow as she said:

“Master Shi knows perfectly well that there is much prejudice against our Holy Sect in this world. If Wanwan comes here rashly, I'm afraid they will join forces to attack her.”

"With Master Shi as her backer, how could Wanwan dare to use excessive force? If she does it wrong, she might end up losing face and disgracing her master, which would be disastrous."

"If Master Shi is willing, Wanwan is willing to return to Jingling and persuade Fang Zetao to surrender voluntarily. I wonder what Master Shi thinks?"

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "Just go to Xu Xingzhi about this. He met you in Jingling, and he can introduce you. I don't want to know the specifics of what needs to be done, nor do I care."

Chapter 384 On Power and Strategy