Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1730 Restraint
"Before becoming one of the five great families of Lingnan, the Liu family was originally a general under the Xiahou family." Xiao Xuan'er explained in detail, "After the Baiyue Xia family submitted and changed their surname to Xiahou, in order to dispel Emperor Tai'an's concerns, they also recruited many people with other surnames, including many capable generals. The Liu family was one of them."

Fang Zilan frowned slightly, "But it seems to me now that the Liu family has not only severed ties with the Xiahou family, but they are even at odds with each other?"

“This all started with Liu Neng’s father,” Xiao Xuan’er explained. “Back when the Xiahou family was suppressing bandits, the Liu family was also at the forefront. But the situation changed when the Prince of Rong’an was enfeoffed to the southeast.”

She paused, "The bandits of Mangshan are known for their opportunism. It is said that in order to counter the Hong clan of Feiling Mountain, they were the first to pledge allegiance to the Prince of Rong'an. The Xiahou family is cautious, and there were bound to be some clashes during that period."

“The Liu family is not like the Xiahou family, which is not only among the nine great ministers but also has the support of the Imperial Concubine Yu in the palace,” Fang Zilan interjected. “Is that when the rift between the two families began?”

"Yes and no." Xiao Xuan'er lowered her eyes and said, "Liu Neng's father was loyal to the Xiahou family. He believed that the bandits had been harassing the people for a long time, and even with the secret support of the imperial relatives, they could not be ignored. As for Liu Neng, as you said, he knew better how to advance and retreat. He knew that once the Xiahou family broke ties with Prince Rong'an, his Liu family would be nothing more than pawns. Protecting himself was the best policy."

Fang Zilan was silent for a moment, "It's a pity that Liu Neng's father didn't listen to his advice, right?"

Xiao Xuan'er nodded. "It is said that Liu Neng's father once had a big argument with him, and he left the Liu family after leaving behind a painting."

"What painting?" Fang Zilan couldn't help but ask. Xiao Xuan'er shook her head. "I'm not really sure, I only know that it's related to Mangshan."

Fang Zilan had a guess in her mind, "And then what?"

"Later, Liu Neng's father took Liu Yong to Mangshan to suppress bandits, but apart from Liu Yong, no one in the entire army returned." Xiao Xuan'er pursed her lips. "No one knows what exactly happened in Mangshan. All that is known is that Liu Neng returned to the Liu family and became a wealthy and idle man, while Liu Yong became the new head of the Liu family. From then on, he stopped raising troops and fighting, and completely severed ties with the Xiahou family."

"Who goes first and who goes last?" Fang Zilan suddenly asked, and Xiao Xuan'er was taken aback. "What?"

Fang Zilan spoke quickly, "I mean, after the bandit suppression in Mangshan, who returned to the Liu family first, Liu Neng or Liu Yong?"

Xiao Xuan'er thought for a while before saying, "If the news is correct, and if I remember correctly, it was Liu Neng who returned to the Liu family first."

Fang Zilan's expression was solemn. "Liu Yong was able to survive and even become the head of the Liu family. It's probably related to Liu Neng."

"You mean..." Xiao Xuan'er slowly said, "What did Liu Neng do, or what did he exchange for, to protect Liu Yong?"

“I suspect so,” Fang Zilan said calmly. “If I’m right, then the fact that Liu Neng is the strategist of Mangshan is most likely true.”

Zhuge Yu asked, "Who is the commander-in-chief of Miluo?"

Deputy General Cao replied, "Murong Xun, the Loyal and Righteous King of Miluo, is the commander-in-chief, leading 100,000 troops straight towards the southern border of our Great Capital." "100,000? When did Miluo have so many troops stationed there?" Fang Zilan's expression was inscrutable. Zhuge Yu said solemnly, "Murong Xun, the Loyal and Righteous King, it's actually him."

"Is Prince Zhongzheng, Murong Xun, the uncle of the new emperor of Miluo?" Fang Zilan looked at Zhuge Yu, who nodded. "Not only that, Murong Xun has always been known as the God of War of Miluo. The former commander of Miluo, Murong Chen, was his disciple. However, he has not been on the battlefield for more than ten years in order to protect his wife's health. I didn't expect him to personally lead the troops this time."

"Murong Chen, is he the one who died at the hands of Lord Wei?" Fang Zilan's voice was very soft, but Zhuge Yu still heard it. His voice was somewhat deep, "That's right, it's him."

As he spoke, his shoulders trembled slightly. Fang Zilan suddenly thought of Zhuge Shan, bit her lip, and turned to Deputy General Cao to ask, "What's going on in the palace?"

Deputy General Cao hurriedly said, "His Majesty, upon hearing the news, urgently summoned Lord Wei to the palace. Before entering the palace, Lord Wei sent someone to find me, asking me to inform you and the boss, so that you would be aware of the situation."

"Lord Wei is very thoughtful; I really need to thank him properly when I have the chance," Fang Zilan sighed softly. "A battle with Miluo is inevitable; I just wonder who His Majesty will send to fight?"

"Inevitable? I don't think so." Zhuge Yu composed himself and said calmly, "Sister Lan, you and I have only recently returned from the southeast. No one knows the situation there better than you and me. This battle may not be something that Dajing can afford to fight."

“But if we don’t fight, can we just sue for peace?” Fang Zilan said coldly. “If we keep backing down and letting ourselves be slaughtered, we won’t even have any bargaining chips left.”

Zhuge Yu analyzed carefully: "General Shen of the Southeast Camp has been pacifying the refugees. Now that he has heard the news, he will have to reorganize his troops before he can rush to the southern border, which means he has already lost the initiative. The Dugu family's garrison in the western border cannot move rashly, and the northern border is too far away, so the Huangfu family will definitely not be able to catch up. Lord Wei of the camp in the suburbs of the capital has fought with the Miluo people before, so he should know them best. However, he is now responsible for protecting the capital, so he is probably too busy to deal with them."

"Hearing what A-Yu says, only I, the Duke of Yue who can fight, am leisurely and capable of doing something." Fang Zilan's lips curled slightly. "However, the one His Majesty urgently summoned to the palace was Lord Wei."

"If a battle truly must be fought, it will be extremely dangerous. Lord Wei, leading the troops, has a better chance of success than you do," Zhuge Yu said bluntly. Fang Zilan simply smiled. "Then, in A-Yu's opinion, how much better are you?"

Zhuge Yu did not answer, but Vice General Cao couldn't help but whisper, "Actually, it's about the same."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan and Zhuge Yu's gazes simultaneously fell on Deputy General Cao. He boldly said, "When Murong Xun led the troops, Lord Wei was still a child and had never fought against him. In this respect, Boss and Lord Wei are about the same."

“But Lord Wei is the one who decisively defeated Murong Chen, so he has a better chance than I do.” Fang Zilan said casually, but Deputy General Cao disagreed. “Boss, you are the one who conquered Liujin City, the first in the capital. How can you be so self-deprecating?”

Fang Zilan's expression froze for a moment, then she laughed and said, "Old Cao, you're quite something. You even know how to use the phrase 'self-deprecation' now. You really have changed a lot in just a few days."

Zhuge Yu was also taken aback. How could he have forgotten that the person beside him was the only general in all these years to have conquered Liujin City? Did he think her chances of winning were less than Wei Mao's simply because she was a woman?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. "That's true, maybe you, Sister Lan, are actually more confident."