Seeking a direction

Who is Erlang True Lord of Guan River Mouth?

"His real name is Yang Jian; his name should be recorded in the ancient history of China!"

Zhang Xuezhou was skeptical of Kong Ning's ability to translate maps, and as he predicted, even with offers of benefits, Kong Ning was unable to help.

The new emperor casually inquired about Yang Jian, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't hide anything from him.

This is considered the master of a top-tier Sacred Land entrenched within the territory of the Great Han Dynasty, yet he remains extremely unknown.

He also mentioned the information he had learned from Yang Jian, specifically that Tang Meng had encountered obstacles in the southwest.

"I know who he is as soon as you say the name Yang Jian!"

The new emperor took a deep breath and then exhaled a long breath.

Many ancient kingdoms in the southwest were connected to Kunlun and this guardian, making it easy for conflicts to arise and cause trouble.

Hearing Zhang Xuezhou mention that Yang Jian and the others were merely sparring and hadn't engaged in any large-scale killing, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"The southwest is only suitable for a strategic approach, seeking to use the court's power to exert pressure or instigate internal strife, not for direct warfare," the new emperor said. "It's good that the southwest has stabilized. Tang Meng should have learned from this experience and will inevitably change his approach, thus aligning with Sima Xiangru's views!"

"The south is relatively safe!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Sima Xiangru been away from Chang'an City for nearly three years. Although there were constant reports of victories in the southwest, the more victories he received, the more uneasy he felt.

It wasn't until Zhang Xuezhou delivered this message that the new emperor was fully certain of the stability of the southern region of the Great Han.

This is one of the few pieces of good news in the past month.

"How did you end up at Guan River Mouth while you were on Mount Tai?" the new emperor asked casually.

"I encountered Li Tianwang, Jinzha, and Muzha, who were from the Immortal Court Tai," Zhang Xuezhou said. "They respected our banners and got along well with us, so some things were beyond my control!"

"That Heavenly King Li is named Li Jing. He is skilled in command and warfare. During the Great Zhou Dynasty, Li Jing led immortals and the imperial army to suppress many rebellions, causing countless grudges," the new emperor said. "It's just that others didn't live as long as him, otherwise he would have enemies all over the world!"

"His attitude was alright!"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered Li Jing for a few seconds, and finally concluded that Li Jing posed no threat.

Not to mention that he might seek an opportunity to create the Eight-Nine Mystical Art and attain sainthood to increase his strength in the future, he is not afraid of Li Tianwang at present. After all, he is aware of the drawbacks of the other party's physical sainthood and does not feel that he is particularly difficult to deal with.

Most importantly, they currently get along well with each other, and have even formed a small group to cause trouble, so there will be no conflict for a long time.

"With the Immortal Court fallen, he's like a phoenix without feathers," the new emperor said. "But we still need to be cautious when interacting with him. It would be even better if we could find out some of the Immortal Court's movements!"

After asking a few simple questions, the new emperor felt that Zhang Xuezhou had his advantages in Mount Tai, since no one else could truly replace Zhang Xuezhou.

It's easy to guard Mount Tai, but it's difficult to become one with Li Tianwang and his ilk.

Very few people could accompany Li Tianwang and his entourage across thousands of miles to Guan River Mouth.

Zhang Xuezhou's speed in fleeing was infuriating, but he was also meticulous in his actions.

After a brief discussion, the new emperor lamented that there were too few ministers like Zhang Xuezhou to serve him.

"The Immortal Court is indeed making moves. I heard from Heavenly King Li that the Immortal Court's Lingxiao Secret Realm and Kunlun Sacred Land will be connected," Zhang Xuezhou said. "As for whether it's true or True Self don't know!"

"Lingxiao? Kunlun?"

Zhang Xuezhou was surprised by the message given by Li Tianwang, a message that the new emperor also could not understand.

If the news didn't originate from Zhang Xuezhou and had a fixed source, the new emperor would inevitably complain that it was 'fake news'.

Will this work?

"I don't know either!"

The Emperor would definitely not do such a thing, but it's hard to say about Donghua.

The new emperor inquired, but Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly stated that he was also unsure.

I'd like to take you and Dong Zhongshu for a stroll along the frontier. You seem to be quite busy over at Mount Tai!

As dawn broke, the new emperor returned to the palace and paced back and forth.

Having Zhang Xuezhou translate the map proved useless, and traveling to the Xiong State together wouldn't be of much use either. Zhang Xuezhou to Mount Tai might have long-term benefits, but it's hard to say in the short term.

He kept thinking and combining various pieces of disorganized information in his mind, trying to find a definite direction.

"I promised to bring some Grain Avoidance Pill to Li Tianwang and the others, so I should still give them an explanation," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Mount Tai!"

The new emperor could indeed forcibly summon Zhang Xuezhou and then use the Imperial Shuttle to conduct an on-site investigation of the border battle situation, even if Zhang Xuezhou had an appointment at Mount Tai.

However, he currently lacks direction, making it difficult to determine whether Zhang Xuezhou's two weeks of lucidity will allow him to change the course of the battle through aerial maneuvers.

The task was no different from the one undertaken by Wei Qing and others who went beyond the border to wipe out Xiong State Great Han Dynasty's invading army. Whether they could find the army and defeat it was an extremely uncertain matter.

The Xiong State's legions maintained an extremely high level of mobility, and were further divided into multiple teams that roamed around, fighting here today and in a different place tomorrow.

Previously, Pingyang County could be used as an anchor area, but after the county seat of Pingyang was quickly captured, everything fell into chaos.

Marquis Pingyang has disappeared, and there has been no news of Daojun and the others. The Xiong State's army is fighting, burning, and looting indiscriminately, plundering everywhere, and the entire Northern Border is in chaos.

The defending legions could only watch helplessly as the enemy left, while the attacking legions were too far away to intercept.

What's even more troublesome is that these legions also have the ability to retreat into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, thus escaping the territory of the Great Han and making it difficult to form a trap.

"The matter of Mount Tai is very important. You can go and deliver the pills first, but could you observe the area when you pass through the Northern Border, and then try to locate the Xiong State's army so that we can capture a wave of Xiong State?" The new emperor thought for a long time before speaking.

I did my best!

Zhang Xuezhou flew so high and fast that he rarely observed what was below him.

Only when a large fire is lit at night, or when countless people hold up torches, will the scattered lights resemble the starry sky, thus drawing his attention.

It would indeed be difficult to get him to track down a legion in a specific area; he could only observe it by slowly flying and searching.

However, if a master similar to a Dao Lord is hidden within the legion when he completes his search, he will most likely be discovered.

However, drawing the Han army to encircle and annihilate the Xiong State's army is an even more difficult task. If those skilled in flying possessed this ability to change the course of war, then in the past, those skilled in flying and maneuvering would have dominated the outcome of the war.

In reality, the advantage of those skilled in flying and leaping in war lies only in the accurate and rapid transmission of information, thereby giving the commander-in-chief a strategic perspective to seize opportunities in war.

Meeting the demands of a new emperor is virtually impossible, and Zhang Xuezhou could not guarantee it, so he could only agree to do his best.

"I know this is very difficult and carries a high risk," the new emperor said, "But I need to win at least once!"

The new emperor's face showed resentment.

As the emperor of the Great Han, his sword was already sharp enough.

But the swords of the Great Han people have not yet been sharpened. A defeated war cannot sharpen a sword; only victory can inspire people to strive for progress.