Hu Xiaotian sneezed several times in succession, forcing Yu Tianxing, who was reporting military affairs to him, to stop and wait. Hu Xiaotian rubbed his nose and smiled. "Sorry about that. Perhaps someone's cursing me?"
Yu Tianxing laughed. There were probably few people in the world who dared curse Hu Xiaotian to his face.
Hu Xiaotian asked, "Where were we?"
Yu Tianxing said, "According to reports from Western Sichuan, Li Honghan and Yang Haoran have been clashing repeatedly of late."
Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly. "He's nothing but a puppet. He's probably realized his true position and refuses to accept being manipulated."
Yu Tianxing nodded. "Long Yefang, the Prince of Zhou, is dead."
Hu Xiaotian said, "As far as the Li Family is concerned, he's served his purpose. Naturally, there's no reason to keep him around wasting grain." Thinking back on Long Yefang's life, his fate had truly been tragic. His father had neglected him in his youth, and in the latter half of his life, he had become the Li Family's prisoner, a tool they used against the Imperial Court. In the end, he had still failed to escape a brutal death.
Hu Xiaotian handed Yu Tianxing the map Dong Tianjiang had brought. "What do you make of this show of sincerity from Great Yong?"
Yu Tianxing smiled. "It's merely lip service. The Eastern Luo Granary is already under your control, my lord. But this does reveal how deeply divided Great Yong is internally. Xue Daoming's vision is limited after all."
Hu Xiaotian said, "To repel threats from without, one must first secure peace within. If I were in his position, I would also resolve the domestic crisis first. Until Li Chenzhou is eliminated, he cannot truly control Great Yong. But sacrificing territory to get rid of Li Chenzhou, and