"Father, you've been staring at this grain for an hour now. What are you thinking about?" The eldest son of the Duke of Wei asked his father with a helpless expression.
It looks rather eerie and is somewhat frightening.
"Have they left?" The Duke of Wei's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot, making him look like a wild beast about to devour its prey!
"Not yet." The youngest son, startled by the Duke of Wei's appearance, took a few steps back and stammered, "They're still loading iron ore onto the ships." He then added excitedly, "Those ships are huge! I feel like one ship could hold at least a thousand people. We helped move so much cargo onto them, and the ship can still hold it all! Wow, we should get a few of those ships in the future; they'd be perfect for business!"
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei snapped out of his reverie and slowly calculated, saying, "Each ship carries at most a thousand people, and there are fifty ships in total. Since the ships are used to carry cargo, they certainly won't be at full capacity. Therefore, their soldiers number at most twenty thousand, which we can easily handle!"
"Father!!" The eldest son of the Duke of Wei was startled by the other party's words and hurriedly said, "No!"
He wondered why his father was staring blankly at the grain; it turned out he was plotting something. He immediately objected, saying, "That Xu Hu is quite powerful. He has another Above First Rank martial artist behind him, and over ten thousand soldiers under his command, all of them at least Sixth Rank martial artists—absolutely elite troops!"
"So what?" the Duke of Wei said, his eyes red. "We can eat it!"
"And then what? Should we become enemies with the forces behind them?" the eldest son roared. "They know everything about us, while we know nothing about them. Putting everything else aside, the craftsmanship displayed by those ships alone indicates a powerful maritime nation. Now we face both the imperial army and the counterattacks of the four Kingdom of Guhuang. In this situation, to offend another maritime power whose strength we don't even know is just asking for trouble."
The eldest son's shout was extremely impolite, which finally brought the Duke of Wei to his senses.
Some people sat on the ground, looking dejected. "But son, look at all this stuff."
He pointed to the grain. "This grain naturally replenishes qi and blood, not only nourishing but also extremely filling. The fact that they can offer so much grain to sell means they have abundant supplies. Do you know what that means? If we have these things, we can expand our bloodline. There are many bloodline families in the Great Jin Dynasty now. Once we can expand, wherever our army points, there will be no land left for the king!"
"Where in this world is there any Kingdom of Guhuang left?"
"I know what you're thinking, Father," the eldest son sighed. "I'm also envious, especially seeing their soldiers, all full of energy, clearly enjoying such food every day. If it were before, when His Majesty was a wise and capable ruler guarding the capital, and we, the northern officials, were united, then of course we wouldn't hesitate. But what is the situation now?"
"The capital is now bewitched by that wicked empress. I've heard she's openly attending court, and none of the officials seem to see anything wrong? This shows just how powerful that demon is! Your Majesty is probably..."
"Not to mention, the Fengyun down below is also turbulent. The Eldest Princess has been lying low for many years, and in one fell swoop, she swallowed up 300,000 Golden Dragon Guard. The Duke of Qin's faction is now in grave danger. As for the Duke of Chu in Cloud Capital, he has always been an ambitious man. The other day, he made excuses to refuse our requests for help several times. He was clearly just watching from the sidelines!"
" The Great Jin is in dire straits; how could it possibly have the resources to scheme against others? Just being able to protect itself is a feat in itself!"
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei was stunned for a moment, but gradually calmed down.
His eyes dimmed. The north was a vital stronghold of the nation, the front line against the Guhuang, and also the red line for the Central Plains.
He had experienced it firsthand; what a tragic scene it must have been when the ancient, Guhuang people invaded the Central Plains!
Demons and monsters are everywhere, and humanity is twisted. The people of the Central Plains are sold as food. The price of a two-legged sheep is even lower than that of a four-legged sheep. Those barbarians from beyond the borders eat human flesh, rape their compatriots, and then slaughter and roast them after they are done with them. They are truly human-shaped beasts, and their harm is even greater than that of demons!
This explains why, even though they were almost at the Nanshui Pass and had entered the heart of the capital six months ago, they didn't hesitate to turn back and rush to its aid upon hearing that their rear was being harassed by the Kingdom of Guhuang.
Would they really run out of food Nanshui Pass?
It's just that I don't want to.
Because he had experienced firsthand what a terrifying sight it would be to let those wild beasts into the Central Plains!
"The demons in power don't care about the Central Plains!" the eldest son shouted. "If His Majesty had even a shred of clarity, he wouldn't have done such a thing. And I suspect that most of the dukes in the capital have also been bewitched by these demons, completely forgetting their blood oath!"
The Duke of Wei remained silent, Aristocratic Family Blood Alliance. Regardless of internal strife, their primary objective in the event of an invasion by the Kingdom of Guhuang was to resist the barbarians. Any aristocratic family that dared to hinder them would be condemned by the entire world!
And now, the current emperor, the ruler of the Central Plains, has actually secretly allied with the Guhuang!
Who came up with this idea? A demon would never have such an idea; it must be that this human world has produced a beast that has lost its basic humanity!
"Moreover, that mysterious force has been quite benevolent to us. In the beginning, they provided grain to help us stabilize the populace, didn't they?" the eldest son continued.
"Hmph," the Duke of Wei blushed upon hearing this, and snorted coldly, "If it weren't for this, do you think I would have allowed those merchants to run rampant here?"
"Father is benevolent and righteous." The eldest son breathed a sigh of relief; what he feared most was that his stubborn father couldn't be tamed.
"Go tell Xu Hu and ask him if his lord is willing to form a long-term alliance!"
"Yes!"
--
"Is it really a good idea to deliberately leak information to the imperial court like this?" On a boat in Nanyang City, Master Shen San and Chen Qing were playing chess and chatting, with two cups of tea placed beside them.
The moves on the chessboard may seem strange to onlookers, but those in the know understand that this is a game of Gomoku created by Lord Chen. Although the moves are simple, they are quite interesting and are very popular in Nanyang today.
"Of course, we have to reveal this to the court," Chen Qing said with a smile, sipping his tea. "Tell me, which power is most suitable to be used to establish authority?"
Master Shen San also took a sip of tea and exhaled a satisfied breath. "The situation in the West Sea is getting increasingly tense. Who would have thought that the eldest son of the Duke of Qin would be unable to hold on so quickly? The Princess and the other side are now each holding five cities, fighting like two wild beasts to the death. At this time, any force that intervenes in their struggle will only get burned."
"On the other hand, the imperial court, though currently perceived as the strongest power by the people, is actually the weakest. The Duke of Wei in the north rebelled and captured over seventy cities in just six months, nearly reaching the capital. If it weren't for the sudden attack from the Kingdom of Guhuang of Huang, the Duke of Wei would likely have already marched straight to the capital. This fully demonstrates just how weak the imperial court is now."
"The imperial court's several large armies are currently immobilized. It's a giant that appears imposing but is actually quite weak. Using it as a warning to others is indeed a good choice!"
Chen Qing immediately laughed and said, "Third Master really has a keen eye for the situation."
"Now that I have pledged allegiance to you, there is no need for you to address me like that." Master Shen San laughed, "In terms of strategic vision, the gap between me and you is not small at all. From the very beginning, you have allowed Gu Beiquan and his group to run rampant. You have managed to utilize such insignificant figures so effectively. You are truly a master strategist."
Chen Qing sighed, "It was just an accident. I originally thought we were classmates and didn't want to be too harsh, but he was so obviously jumping around, I didn't expect him to actually make a name for himself."
Master Shen San smiled without saying a word, genuinely disbelieving, while Chen Qing felt a sense of helplessness inwardly.
He wasn't lying. Chen Ying had already reported to him that Gu Beiquan and the others, having been so humiliated, would surely be tempted to rebel. At the time, he didn't pay much attention, after all, a scholar's rebellion would never succeed in ten years. If a pedantic scholar like Gu Beiquan could ruin his plans, then he himself would be useless.
But to his surprise, the young man actually made a name for himself, uniting those wealthy landowners and gentry who were dissatisfied with the system and even contacting the imperial court. This was truly beyond his expectations.
Originally intending to casually swat this restless flea, Chen Qing then heard about the incident in the north. After considering all factors, he came up with his current plan!
Now that the eldest princess has devoted all her energy to the West Sea and withdrawn from Nanming Prefecture, she has taken over the Jiangnan gateway herself. In addition, the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley has reached its limit and will sooner or later have to face the tigers and wolves that are eyeing her from the outside.
The eldest princess spent a year in Jiangnan without figuring out his own strengths and weaknesses, and she had been enduring this long not because he was a person who kept his promises, but simply because she was unsure of his abilities.
But that doesn't mean she'll let him have his way forever, especially after he provided her with a large amount of supplies recently in order to get her to leave easily.
The other party already knows that I have abundant grain supplies in Jiangnan, so they will definitely have designs on me.
After all, the undead under her command do not engage in production and can only maintain their physical strength by plundering. The undead parasitized by the Ancient Insect are different from the zombies in modern movies and TV shows. The undead here have only had their physiological forms altered, and their bodies still need nutrients. In particular, the evolved undead need higher energy to maintain their mutated bodies.
Their need for provisions is no less than that of ordinary soldiers.
Chen Qing's donation of so much grain relieved her immediate crisis, but the other party is an ambitious person. Accepting the favor might not necessarily bring gratitude; more likely, she would want to completely seize her grain supply.
Furthermore, during this period of time, he had taken advantage of the gaps in their war in the West Sea to send so many goods and such a great fortune overseas, making him a highly sought-after asset for any power.
Wealth must be protected by strength. In order to maintain their businesses in various channels in Jiangnan, they must demonstrate a certain level of strength and deterrence.
Therefore, the first presentation is especially important.
To achieve a remarkable effect, you need to choose the right target to kill.
The imperial court, as the most powerful force in the open today, is also the weakest, just like the Great Song in history, which was the best fat chicken!