knife

Chapter 109 Riding a Donkey to Read the Script: We'll See How It Goes

Linghu Ye stared intently at Zhou Zhi, his gaze gradually becoming playful.

"Twenty-five years ago, you came to the border region. Relying on your peak eighth-grade cultivation, you gathered a group of people, then seized Huangjiabao and took it for yourself, renaming it Tai'an City. Five years later, you adopted an infant," Li Guohua said slowly.

Zhou Zhi's expression remained unchanged; he merely raised an eyebrow.

“This child is naturally Li Dachui now,” Li Guohua continued. “However, Lord Zhou, you are still too soft-hearted. If I were to do this, I would kill everyone in that village, leaving not even a dog alive.”

"Because I am a human being, why should I do something worse than an animal!" Zhou Zhi said calmly.

Li Guohua chuckled a few times, then said, "You left this loophole, so when we started investigating you years later, although it was difficult, we still managed to find that place. However, three years ago, the people in this village suddenly disappeared without a trace, so you must have relocated them to other places."

Zhou Zhi nodded: "Yes, all the people from that village went to Helan Plain."

Linghu Ye gave a thumbs up. "Lord Zhou, to be honest, at first we didn't connect your adoption of a child with the big things you're going to do. Only now do I finally understand. When it comes to being shrewd and calculating, I admire you!"

"What's so admirable about that? Commander Linghu wants to repeat the old story of the Li family. He has been patiently plotting for decades. That's what's truly impressive!" Zhou Zhi laughed.

"I imagine it won't be long before you announce to the world that Li Dachui is the orphan of the former crown prince," Linghu Ye said. "Outside the Great Wall, this title is nothing, but if you return to the interior one day, this title will probably attract countless ambitious people. Although the crown prince has been dead for decades, he once held immense power, so no matter how you try to cleanse him, you can't completely erase him."

“Of course!” Zhou Zhi said, “There are some people they can’t cleanse even if they want to. At most, they can only be expelled from the court. If Qingqiu had no descendants, that would be fine. But once they find out that Qingqiu has descendants, what do they think their stance will be? And this is just the card on the surface. Commander Linghu, there are many people who received Qingqiu’s kindness back then, not to mention Fanfan. Although the Crown Prince is an indecisive person, he is truly kind. There are also many people who secretly admire the Crown Prince but dare not express it. Many of these people are now in high positions. As soon as the banner of the Crown Prince’s descendants is raised, hahaha.”

“But I know that you, this descendant of the Crown Prince, are a fake!” Linghu Ye said, “When He Qingqiu died, the eyewitnesses clearly saw that she was still heavily pregnant!”

"The phoenix departs from the fire, burning away all karmic obstacles. Qingqiu transforms into sparks and vanishes. Who can say for sure whether the child in her womb is still there? Who can be certain that the fact that it wasn't born back then was just an illusion?" Zhou Zhi laughed loudly: "With me here, with the Crown Princess's belongings, and with the Crown Prince's seal, that's enough to prove the child's identity. So, Commander Linghu, will anyone believe what you say then?"

Linghu Ye's face gradually darkened.

Whether what he said is true or false is not very important.

Because many people inside the Great Wall only want a title.

If one day chaos erupts within the pass, with warlords clashing and the scene of the Great Yong Dynasty's demise hundreds of years ago repeating itself, and if he and Li Dachui enter the pass at the same time, then Li Dachui will definitely have a much greater advantage than him.

“Lord Zhou, so it seems that I was right to mobilize a large force to wipe you out in one fell swoop. Your words have only strengthened my resolve!” Linghu Ye said coldly.

"No, I'm here to tell you that if you really want to fight, our strength will certainly be greatly affected, but your foundation, Commander Linghu, will also be severely damaged. At that time, let alone your ambition to dominate the interior and conquer the world, you won't even be able to stand firm outside the pass." Zhou Zhi raised his head: "Commander Linghu, with 50,000 troops under the unified command of Xiao Changche, what do you think your chances of winning are?"

"Fifty thousand troops?" Linghu Ye's pupils contracted.

"Over the past twenty years, I've accumulated some resources, especially since Da Chui took over. Our strength has grown rapidly. Commander Linghu is surely aware of the three battalions: Heaven, Earth, and Man. I can tell you now that the Heaven Battalion, which outsiders always see, consists of three hundred men, but apart from the commander, the rest are different. We have a full three thousand of these cavalry! The Earth Battalion is heavy infantry; if needed, we can assemble ten thousand. The Man Battalion has the largest number of men, and their commander is Wild Wolf. Commander Linghu must know him well. So, Commander, we don't lack manpower or experience. We used to lack a commander with experience in large-scale battles, but now with Xiao Changche, that's no longer a problem!" Zhou Zhi seemed very happy: "Commander, do you still want to fight us?"

The room was deathly silent.

It is unlikely that Zhou Zhi is lying.

Because such lies are meaningless.

Linghu Zhishu and the others are still in Baoping City. If Li Dachui and his men are indeed gathering their forces, the news should arrive in a few days at most.

With a snap, the hard paperweight on Linghuye's table was crushed by his bare hands.

"Two tigers cannot share one mountain; in the end, a winner and a loser must be determined!" he said, emphasizing each word.

Zhou Zhi nodded: "That's right, but starting a war directly is the most foolish idea, isn't it? Commander Linghu, things aren't chaotic inside the pass yet, and the Qin Dynasty is still in its final moments! Outside the pass, the Northern Yuan, riding the momentum of their great victory over the Western and Northern Hu, will inevitably covet this land. They also want to take advantage of the Qin's internal strife to advance into the Central Plains! At this time, if our two sides fight to the death, neither of us will have anything left, and the Northern Yuan will reap a huge advantage! Commander Linghu, to put it bluntly, when nothing is left, Li Dachui can still use his status as the former crown prince's orphan to recruit a group of people inside the pass and try again, but you and your family will have no chance at all."

"What do you intend to do?" Linghu Ye asked with some difficulty.

"Is that even a question?" Zhou Zhi laughed. "In the years to come, we'll be competing to see who doesn't make mistakes and who can develop better. When things get chaotic inside the Great Wall, I estimate that we'll likely be able to determine who's the best among us. At that point, things will be much clearer!"

"Alright, just as you said!" Linghuye took a deep breath.

"General Linghu is indeed a hero of his generation, decisive and ruthless. Actually, my master, Da Chui, admires you quite a bit. You don't need to worry about losing and your clan being wiped out in the future. Da Chui said he still hopes you will join his ranks and fight for him! After all, General Linghu has fought against the Northern Yuan all these years, his ability speaks for itself, and he can be considered a famous general!" Linghu Ye laughed heartily: "Then you thank this brat for me, but if I win, I will kill him."

"There is one more thing I hope Commander Linghu will grant!" Zhou Zhi cupped his hands in greeting.

Linghu Ye turned to look at Li Guohua and said, "Guohua, release Xiao Changche's family members. Also release the families of Xiao Changche's subordinates who have been imprisoned and hand them over to Lord Zhou!"

"The Commander is a generous man!" Zhou Zhi bowed and thanked him. "Then I won't bother everyone in the city. I'll wait for these people at the west city gate. I'll also trouble the Commander to provide them with supplies for their journey. They are all elderly, weak, women, children, and the disabled. It's really pitiful that they have to travel such a long distance in this weather!"

Amidst laughter, Zhou Zhi strode away, leaving the room in deathly silence.

"That's it?" Li Guohua stood up, his face showing resentment.

"Otherwise what?" Linghu Ye's expression had completely returned to calm. "If they really have such strength, what would be the outcome of our fight?"

"Next, I'm going to Qingtongxia!" Li Guohua said after a moment of silence. "This time, I have to go in person!"

Linghu Ye nodded: "What we can give, Zhou Zhi can't. Isn't Zhou Zhi going to compete with us in the years to come? Then let them properly receive the baptism of the Northern Yuan iron cavalry!"

Li Guohua laughed.

If Xiao Changche and his men cannot withstand the Northern Yuan's attacks in the coming days, then they can't blame the Northern Yuan for taking advantage of the chaos.

"Are you really going to return Xiao Changche's family to them?"

"Do you think heartless bastards like Xiao Changche would care about a concubine and her son?" Linghu Ye retorted. "Knowing it's useless, we might as well do a favor! It'll make us look magnanimous! What we're fighting for now is the big picture, not these petty tricks."

"Understood!" Li Guohua turned and walked out.

At the west gate, Zhao Gang was filled with unease. The mysterious old man had entered the city through his door, and later, the city was under heavy police presence. He didn't know what had happened to him afterward.

This person is amazing!

Just how far has one's martial arts cultivation reached?

Daring to cause trouble in Zhenwu City, must you be a ninth-rank official?

As he turned around, he almost bumped nose with someone. He jumped back and touched the hilt of the knife, but he couldn't pull it out no matter what he did.

In my shock, I finally saw who the person opposite me was.

That's the old man who came to the city from here not long ago.

He wanted to shout for his companions, but found that he couldn't open his mouth.

The old man chuckled, raised his left hand, and held up a bottle of wine—the kind Zhao Gang couldn't afford at all.

He raised his right hand, and the oil paper package had a tear, revealing a roasted chicken that was roasted to a golden brown, with a fragrant aroma wafting out.

"Little one, I'm waiting here for someone. Can I borrow your little hut to warm myself by the fire? I'll treat you to some drinks and roast chicken, how about that?"

Then Zhao Gang found his head nodding involuntarily several times.

"Good, little one, let's go!"

Two legs mechanically stepped into the small house, and then the old man also came in.

The door closed, and Zhao Gang finally regained his ability to move.

(End of this chapter)