knife

Chapter 251 The Chang Family's Choice
The bonfires, like stars in the sky, lit up the vast wilderness.

The melodious sound of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) came from an unknown direction, and then some people began to hum along with the music.

The cheerful singing has an inexplicable infectious power.

Before long, songs filled the entire wilderness.

Around some campfires, soldiers held hands and danced.

It was as if they weren't going to war, but rather on a picnic.

Chang Jian sat around a campfire, smiling as he watched the soldiers sing and dance, while tearing the baked flatbread in his hand into small pieces and tossing them into the porcelain bowl in front of him.

Beside the fire, the mutton soup simmered and bubbled, its milky white broth bubbling and releasing a fragrant aroma.

He broke a piece of bread into small pieces before pouring in the mutton soup, then picked up the large bowl and began to eat.

The eldest son, Chang Xinhe, came over and sat cross-legged by the fire.

"Father, my second brother has written a letter!" Chang Xin said in a low voice.

Chang Jian nodded.

"The day the news reached Volcano Fortress that General Linghu had advanced to the Innate Realm was the day we didn't follow him into the pass, but instead sent troops to assist the Anxi Protectorate in attacking Zhebie!" Chang Xin said, "General Linghu sat on the top of Volcano Fortress for half the night, and then inexplicably advanced to the Innate Realm."

Chang Jian laughed and said, "What? Regretting it?"

Chang Xin shook his head: "Advancing to the Innate Realm is nothing new. Zhou Zhi is also an Innate Realm cultivator, isn't he? I'm just wondering when Father will be able to advance? Speaking of which, your skill is far more profound than that of Commander Linghu!"

"Advancing to the Innate Realm is all about chance!" Chang Jian said, "not strength. But I really didn't expect that such a major blow could actually prompt Linghu to advance. It seems that there are all sorts of paths to the Innate Realm. I'm not in a hurry at all now. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll see that I've become an Innate Realm cultivator!"

"That's great!" Chang Xin couldn't help but laugh. "Father, you never seem to worry about the safety of my second brother and the others!"

"What's there to worry about!" Chang Jian said calmly. "If Linghu Ye were to hold a grudge against Lei'er and the others because we didn't go into the pass with him, that would be truly disrespectful. He still has that much tolerance. Besides, your second brother and his men, whether in terms of civil administration or martial arts, are in no way inferior to those in the Linghu family. Treating them the same as before will not only gain the loyalty of your second brother and his men, but also strengthen the bond between our Chang family and our family!"

"That's right, but my second brother's letter still shows a lot of resentment!" Chang Xin said with a wry smile, "He complained that we kept it from him, saying that I have no brotherly affection for him at all, and even said that he wanted to sever ties with me!"

"Reply to him and make him slap himself fifty times!" Chang Jian said with a sneer as he ate a soggy pancake.

"Second brother acted impulsively!" Chang Xin laughed. "If it were me, I would also be terrified in that situation."

Chang Jian pointed to the campfires that resembled stars in the wilderness, and the soldiers dancing and singing merrily: "See? This is morale! Do you remember the scene when we announced that we were not marching into the interior, but going to fight the Yuan people, and the soldiers below cheered and jumped for joy?"

"I remember!" Chang Xin said.

“We are ultimately people from outside the Great Wall, and this is our home.” Chang Jian said, “It’s too early to make a decision, but perhaps this move is the most crucial and correct one that I have ever made for the Chang family.”

"Back then, joining forces with Commander Linghu was the first step for our Chang family to rise from an ordinary family to one of the top families outside the Great Wall. Now, Father has made a second decision, hoping to take our Chang family to the next level!" Chang Xin said. "But will Li Dachui allow a family like ours to continue to exist? I think he's already showing signs of supporting Chen Liang!"

Chang Jian laughed: "It's normal. Chen Liang is all alone, and he's from outside the Great Wall. He's also quite powerful, so he's naturally the best person to check and balance our Chang family. In fact, mutual checks and balances are the way to long-term stability. One family becoming too powerful will only lead to its own destruction. Sometimes I think that the way a family like the Yan family, who dominate a state and act as local emperors, develops, is really not a sustainable way."

Chang Xin was taken aback: "Father, our Chang family and the Yan family follow similar paths!"

“So we have to change it!” Chang Jian said thoughtfully. “From what I’ve observed, the Anxi Protectorate’s approach seems to be deliberately suppressing such large families. If we want to enjoy wealth and honor under their rule forever, then we’ll probably have to change our approach.”

"How to change?"

"I haven't thought about it yet!" Chang Jian said. "After this battle is over, I'll have a good talk with Li Dachui and get straight to the point about this matter."

"If we can't reach an agreement, we can always go through the pass!" Chang Xin said. "If Li Dachui uses people and then discards them, doing the kind of thing that crosses the river and burns the bridge, then we can't blame him for breaking up with us. With the strength of our Chang family, even if we go through the pass, we can still live very well. Moreover, Commander Linghu will welcome us with open arms!"

"And what about them?" Chang Jian pointed to the jubilant soldiers under the firelight. "Will they willingly enter the pass? If it weren't for them, would Commander Linghu have welcomed us with open arms?" Chang Xin was speechless for a long time before saying, "To be honest, I never expected that you, Father, would think so highly of the Anxi Protectorate. You always said that Xiao Changche was just a military man and would never amount to anything."

"I'm optimistic about the Anxi Protectorate, not because of Xiao Changche, but because of Li Dachui!" Chang Jian said. "If you really want to know the reason, I really can't give a clear answer; it's more like an intuition. And I trust my intuition a lot. Back when we decided to join forces with Linghu, he was just a lowly captain!"

“This entire military plan to encircle and annihilate Zhebie is indeed something Xiao Changche could not have come up with!” Chang Xin laughed. “Xiao Changche is good at tactical command, good at charging into battle, and good at organizing and managing troops. Such a complex and intricate plan, with one trap after another, is something that even if you dug out Xiao Changche’s brain, he probably couldn’t have come up with.”

"But this person is truly an unparalleled genius in martial arts cultivation, and of course, that includes Li Dachui!" Chang Jian said, "Two Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank experts in their twenties, and Li Dachui has even reached the peak of the Ninth Rank, not much worse than your father. You two really can't compare to them!"

Chang Xin lowered his head in shame.

He's almost fifty, and he's only at the eighth rank of the Profound Origin Realm.

“Father, after defeating Jebe, Anxi will definitely turn its attention to attacking Qingtongxia and Yezhuling. At that time, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for our Chang family to ask for one of these two places, would it? We can even exchange other places with Li Dachui!” Chang Xin said, “As long as we occupy either of these two places, our Chang family will have more room to maneuver. No matter how powerful the Anxi Protectorate becomes in the future, as long as we can stand firmly here, we can ensure that our family will not decline.”

"Not necessarily!" Chang Jian said calmly, "Your idea is based on the premise that the Yuan Kingdom has always been the biggest threat outside the Great Wall. What if one day they can no longer threaten the area outside the Great Wall?"

"How is that possible? That's the Yuan Dynasty. Right now, even with the Anxi Protectorate and Chen Liang, just being able to defend the territory is already an incredible achievement."

"Let's wait and see!" Chang Jian said. "I have a feeling something's going to happen."

The melodious sound of bugles rang out, stretching from the central command tent all the way into the distance.

The singing gradually faded, and the campfires that had lit up the fields went out one by one. The soldiers crawled into their tents, and apart from the sound of the patrolling troops' hooves and the clappers, the noisy wilderness became quiet.

“Father, you should rest early too.” Chang Xin stood up. “Your son is going to patrol the camp.”

Chang Jian waved his hand: "Go on, go on. Your dad is getting old, he doesn't sleep much, and he can't sleep. Sit for a while longer."

Chang Sen, the third son of the Chang family, rode at breakneck speed all the way until he saw faint glimmers of light ahead, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, followed by several cavalry squads that surrounded them from all directions. These were scouts from the Chang family army, and they were quite surprised to see that it was Third Master Chang Sen approaching.

"Third Master, what happened? Why are you running in such a hurry?"

Not only did he run fast, but Chang Sen also looked somewhat disheveled.

The Chang family has three legitimate sons. The eldest son, Chang Xin, is being groomed to be the head of the family. The second son, Chang Lei, entered officialdom before he was an adult and developed under Linghu Ye. The youngest son, Chang Sen, controls the family business and mainly serves as an assistant to the eldest and second sons.

Chang Sen spends very few days at home throughout the year, mostly traveling around doing business to accumulate wealth for the family. He also sends people to gather intelligence, which is indispensable for the family to make important judgments and choices at critical moments.

The three sons of the Chang family each had their own roles.

“Something has indeed happened, and it’s extremely important. Where is the old man? Where is my elder brother? Where are they? Take me to see them quickly!” Chang Sen said.

A moment later, Chang Sen sat down in front of Chang Jian.

"Ying Zhuo is dead, and Yandu is in chaos!" Chang Sen exclaimed urgently.
"Ying Zhuo was a hero for life, yet he didn't make proper arrangements for his affairs before he died?" Chang Jian was greatly surprised.

“Father, there is one more thing!” Chang Sen said, “The Tiele were the first to know about Yingzhuo’s death, and they were even tricked into Yandu by Akdun. They were almost killed, but at the critical moment, it was the Anxi Protectorate’s troops who saved them and protected the Tiele as they fought their way out of Yandu!”

"Who?" Chang Jian and Chang Xin were both shocked. "How could it be the Anxi Protectorate?"

“Yes,” Chang Sen said, “I have an informant who was in charge of the evacuation on the periphery of this operation. The Zhi Qiu Academy of the Anxi Protectorate dispatched their Azure Dragon Brigade of over a thousand men to infiltrate the capital and rescue the Tiele in one fell swoop!”

Chang Jian was stunned for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he pounded the ground with his fists. The soldiers in the surrounding tents curiously crawled out to see their ancestor, Chang Jian, laughing wildly as if he had gone mad.

(End of this chapter)