Meeting

General Liu hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Indeed. If you wish to take revenge, you can do so after our army's operation is over. If I am fortunate enough to survive, you may kill me or torture me as you please. If I unfortunately perish, it will save you some trouble."

These frank words eased Murong Qing considerably. "There's no need for killing or torturing me. I will challenge you squarely and honestly, and I promise I won't be like someone who hides a knife behind a smile."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming curled his lip, unconvinced. He knew that the reason the other party was adopting a humble attitude was because of Murong Qing's background. If it weren't for the protection of a Spirit Transformation expert as a master, this group of people would never have given him a chance for fair dialogue.

However, this is precisely the purpose behind Si Ming's act of revealing his powerful backer.

Although he doesn't usually flaunt Yan Jinghong's name, when the time comes, he won't be like Murong Qing, "Unyielding to the death." He'll use help when he needs to, and intimidate when he needs to. He'll never be the kind of person who could easily scare the brat with a few words, but instead waits until the brat steps on his face before shouting and throwing out his background, taking the opportunity to show off and slap them in the face.

He's clearly a billionaire, making millions every minute, yet he insists on playing dumb, picking fights with low-level police officers, saleswomen, hotel security guards, and street thugs, slapping these lowly people in the face. There's no other explanation for this perpetually loser mentality than that he's got his brain in his ass.

If Si Ming hadn't revealed his powerful backer, a full-blown fight would have been inevitable. Even if he survived using his Jade-Clad Dharma Body, the safety of Murong Qing and the others would have been hard to guarantee, given that there were many experts in that army.

Now he can resolve a dispute with just one sentence, keeping the other party restrained and preventing them from making any rash moves. This is the advantage of having connections.

"Whether you are Mohist Knight Guard or not, now that you have discovered our operation, we cannot let you leave. Please come with me; your fate is up to our commander."

Chapter 179 Meeting

Si Ming and the others followed General Liu into the interior of the island. Along the way, they encountered many patrolling soldiers who always discussed things in hushed tones and never made a loud noise. The oppressive atmosphere made the island feel grim and tense.

Si Ming subconsciously compared these soldiers with the garrison in Tange City fighting against the demon tide, and felt that in terms of individual quality, the former were actually superior. However, if they were to fight under the same conditions, the latter would be the one to win.

The island's inhabitants are merely elite soldiers from an ancient society, while the garrison in Tange City consists of soldiers trained in modern military discipline. There are significant differences between the two in terms of discipline, teamwork, and tactical execution.

"It seems they only recently moved to the island; many places haven't been cleaned yet, there's a thick layer of dust, and it doesn't show any signs of regular cleaning."

Murong Qing carefully observed the details by the roadside and used the method of Secret Voice Transmission to tell Si Ming — Secret Voice Transmission is not a difficult skill; as long as one's internal strength is strong enough, it can be done.

Si Ming couldn't Secret Voice Transmission. Although he could bring the sound close to his ear and then use his Internal Cultivation to block it, he was too lazy to do so. He spoke openly and brazenly, "The north is the territory of the Barbarian Hu. Although this place is at sea, for the Li State, which has retreated to the south, it can be considered deep in enemy territory. Without a doubt, this army intends to launch a flanking attack from the sea."

The continent where Li State is located is south of Su State, so the north of Li State is still the south of Su State. The Barbarian Hu are the ones who are truly adjacent to Su State across the sea.

Si Ming's open and aboveboard discussion of their military plans in front of others not only caught Murong Qing off guard, but also shocked General Liu and the others, who turned around and glared angrily at Si Ming.

Shouldn't this kind of thing be done secretly?

After a moment of surprise, Murong Qing quickly figured out the reason: even if they discussed it in front of the other party as if no one else was around, it seemed... it seemed that the other party wouldn't do anything to them.

"The Barbarian Hu navy has always been incompetent and has no ability to defend the coastline. Choosing to launch an attack from the sea is undoubtedly a good idea. I have been paying attention to the situation in Li State recently. Their 300,000 border troops are currently confronting 180,000 Barbarian Hu in Huai Prefecture. Relying on the strength of the city walls, they are holding back the barbarian army from advancing south. If a surprise force were to suddenly flank the Barbarian Hu army from the rear and attack from both sides, it would surely make it difficult for them to defend themselves from both ends."

General Liu's eyes widened. These young people were actually discussing it like this, as if they didn't exist.

He was about to issue a warning, but then he realized he had no reason to forbid the other party from discussing the matter. From the moment he became wary of the other party's background, he knew he couldn't do anything to them unless they resisted with force.

Old Ji, with a full beard, snorted, "Girl, you're just talking theory. The Barbarian Hu army has a strength of 180,000. With the few people on our island, what good would it do to outflank us from behind? They only need to send out 5,000 troops to hold us off. How could we possibly be caught between two fronts?"

Murong Qing wasn't angry at being pointed out her mistake. She organized her thoughts and said, "You're right. With your troop strength, and marching on enemy territory, a surprise attack is impossible. So your real objective is to attack what the enemy must defend, to strike at the important strongholds of the Barbarian Hu, forcing the Huai Prefecture army to retreat and reinforce them. Then, the Li State border army can seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and achieve a great victory."

Old Ji stared wide-eyed at Murong Qing and cursed, "Holy shit!"

General Liu hurriedly said, "Old Ji, stop talking. The more you say, the more she'll know."

Old Ji shook his head. "The girls these days are all Barbarian Hu cunning. I remember there was a Princess Red Hawk, about the same age, who was well-versed in military strategy, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and even served as a strategist for the Manhu army, offering many ideas. It was through her schemes that Yinling City was captured."

He was also worried that he might accidentally let something slip again, so he kept his mouth shut and pretended not to hear what Si Ming and Murong Qing were discussing.

Before long, the group arrived at a large hall set up in the cave, somewhat resembling the bandit dens in the anti-Japanese war dramas that Si Ming had seen. However, the person sitting in the center was not a bandit leader with a fierce face and a Vicious Qi, but a handsome scholar-general with a straight nose, thick eyebrows, and a face that reached his temples. He looked to be in his early forties and was quite young.

"General, the person has been brought." General Liu said, clasping his hands in greeting.

The scholar-general nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone before revealing a hint of doubt. He examined them again, his eyes lingering on Liu Qingqing for a moment, seemingly puzzled as to why there was one more person than had been reported.

However, he did not voice this question aloud, but instead said to Si Ming, "You claim to be a disciple of Startling Rainbow Beyond the Heavens, but as far as I know, Master Yan is skilled in Swordsmanship and lightness skills, and I have never heard of him being proficient in external martial arts."

Then, he shifted his gaze to Murong Qing and said, "I know that Divine Spear of Ice and Snow is Startling Rainbow Beyond the Heavens's sworn sister, but judging from her name, she is skilled in spear fighting. However, you are carrying a sword. How do you two explain this?"

Si Ming adopted the airs of a spoiled young master and sneered, "What a clumsy opinion! Who says that a disciple must be good at something just because the master is good at it? Kongzi replied to Gongxi Hua, 'Qiu is too reserved, so I encouraged him; You is too impetuous, so I restrained him.' Does that mean all seventy-two disciples Kongzi taught were like him?"

The story Si Ming comes from the Analects. It tells of how, after Kongzi finished his lecture and returned to his study, his student Gongxi Hua brought him a cup of water.

At this moment, Zilu hurriedly walked in and loudly asked his teacher, "Master, if I hear of a correct idea, can I put it into practice immediately?"

Kongzi glanced at Zilu and said slowly, "You should at least ask your father and elder brother first. How can you just do it after hearing something?"

Just as Zilu left, another student, Ran You, quietly approached Kongzi and respectfully asked, "Master, if I hear a correct suggestion, should I act on it immediately?"

Kongzi immediately replied, "Yes, it should be implemented immediately."

Ran You left, Gongxi Hua asked curiously, "Sir, why did you give the opposite answer to the same question?"

Kongzi smiled and said, "Ran You is humble by nature but indecisive, so I encourage him to be decisive. But Zilu is competitive and impulsive, so I advise him to listen to others' opinions and think things through carefully before acting."

The idiom "teaching according to aptitude" is derived from this story.

Being refuted by a Mohist School disciple using Confucian School allusions was akin to using their own weapon against them. The Confucian general was slightly taken aback, but then laughed and said, "You're right. What the master excels at may not be what the disciple excels at. A good teacher knows how to guide his disciple to discover their own strengths."

He didn't actually doubt Si Ming's background. "Divine Spear of Ice and Snow" and "Startling Rainbow Beyond the Heavens" were sworn siblings, and very few people knew about this relationship. This young man didn't find himself a Spirit Transformation expert who was good at external martial arts, nor did he find a Spirit Transformation expert who was good at Swordsmanship with his companions. It can be seen that even if he was not Yan Jinghong's disciple, he at least had a very close relationship with him.

"I believe you gentlemen are not spies of the Barbarian Hu, after all, given this weather... As you have all seen, this is a secret operation by our army, carrying an important mission, and we must be extremely cautious in everything we do. General Liu Yongzhan, please forgive any offense you may have suffered."

The scholar-general bowed slightly and apologized to everyone.

Si Ming, "I accept your apology. What are your plans for us?"

The scholar-general smiled and said, "You asked 'how to settle us,' not 'when to let us leave,' which shows that you also know that our army will not let you leave so easily, even if you really are a disciple of Startling Rainbow Beyond the Heavens. It's not that I don't trust you, but this operation of our army is of utmost importance and cannot tolerate the slightest accident. If even a little information leaks out, we may fail at the last minute, and we cannot afford such a price."

He Qichang said impatiently, "We are from the Su State. What does your Li State's war have to do with us? We have no reason to leak secrets!"