knife

Chapter 346 A Choice That Could Not Be Made
The loss of Huoyi plunged Chang'an into grave danger, with the Linghu clan's army poised to sweep in at any moment, plunging the city into chaos. However, in the blink of an eye, they captured Shu, providing a way out and boosting the morale of everyone present. They pledged to Wei Zhengdao their utmost to defend Chang'an and the Qin dynasty, vowing to prevent traitors like Linghu Ye from entering the city and wreaking havoc on the court.

After expressing their loyalty, everyone left.

Whether it's the loss of Huoyi or the capture of Shu, these are major events with significant impact on the current situation. After returning, everyone needs to digest, assess, and carefully plan the next steps. We cannot afford to make a mistake that will lead to eternal regret.

However, one thing is certain: with the capture of Shu, there's no need for everyone to rush to switch sides with the Wei family.

Because now this swaying ship has miraculously stabilized.

We can take another look before deciding.

After everyone had left, leaving only He Bing and Wei Zhengdao in the room, He Bing's smiling face suddenly turned cold, and her stern expression made Wei Zhengdao, who was filled with joy, feel a pang of unease.

"What exactly happened?" he asked in a deep voice. "Could it be that the news of recapturing Shu was a hoax, just something you used to boost morale? This can't be hidden for long."

He Bing shook his head and said, "No, that's not it. Shu has indeed been recovered. However, one person was deeply involved, which makes me wonder whether Shu truly belongs to us or him?"

Wei Zhengdao frowned: "What exactly happened? Who was involved?"

“Li Dachui, the Protector-General of the Beiting Protectorate!” He Bing said, enunciating each word clearly, “He secretly entered the pass and became involved in the affairs of Shu.”

Wei Zhengdao's face immediately changed color: "Wu De, him?"

He Bing nodded: "It's not just Wu De, I'm afraid Zhang Songlin is the same! They must have all colluded with Li Dachui. I even suspect that the plan to seize Sichuan was orchestrated by Li Dachui, because neither Wu De nor Zhang Songlin, judging from their past, have the ability to plan such a brilliant scheme!"

Wei Zhengdao slumped down in the chair with a thud.

"Wu De led the main force to attract Tang Xiaofeng at Jianmen Pass, while Li Dachui led a small elite force through the Yinping Trail, crossed the Motianling Mountains, and launched a surprise attack on Jiangyou Pass. Then, he gathered the forces that our Black Ice Guard had cultivated in Sichuan over the years, went down to Mianzhu, and finally headed straight for Chengdu!" He Bing rubbed his forehead and said, "The forces that the Black Ice Guard had cultivated in Sichuan since the time of Kou Dayin ultimately became Li Dachui's helper."

"Is the news accurate?" Wei Zhengdao asked.

He Bing nodded: "Of course, there are my trusted confidants among the Black Ice Guard agents in Sichuan. He even witnessed Li Dachui displaying the cultivation of a master of innate level in Mianzhu, breaking through a door with a single punch. Thousands of soldiers in Mianzhu were so intimidated by him that they dared not put up any resistance and surrendered directly."

"Li Dachui is a master of innate level?" Wei Zhengdao stood up abruptly again.

He Bing nodded with a heavy expression.

With a thud, Wei Zhengdao sat back down: "Hong Zhan came back and told me that a master of innate cultivation led the main force of the inspection team to capture Mianzhu. I thought this master of innate cultivation was your Black Ice Bureau's trump card. Old man Kou Zhong is best at doing this kind of thing. So, it turns out, it was Li Dachui."

“After Da Yin’s death, the Black Ice Platform has no more innate masters!” He Bing sighed. “Innate masters are so rare. If we had any, would we have kept them hidden after Da Yin’s death? We would have made it public so that everyone would know that the Black Ice Platform’s strength still exists.”

Wei Zhengdao fell silent.

"So, Wu De and Zhang Songlin started colluding with Li Dachui a long time ago."

"It should be, or it should be the time when Wu De sent Zhang Ruo to the border!" He Bing said, "Wu De seems to have no guile, but unexpectedly he is the most deeply hidden one in our Black Ice Guard. Even the Grand Magistrate was deceived by him, and was given the power to investigate the whole country. He was allowed to form an investigation team and have a strong military force. In the end, even I had to act according to his wishes!"

"I'm afraid Li Dachui's shadow is behind this too!" Wei Zhengdao took a deep breath. After the initial panic, he had calmed down.

"What do we do now?" He Bing asked.

"What else can we do? Shu is controlled by Li Dachui, not Linghu Ye. We still have common interests with Li Dachui!" Wei Zhengdao said slowly. "Without his plan, we probably wouldn't have been able to take Shu. With Huoyi already lost, our situation would be much worse!"

"You mean we'll continue working with Li Dachui? Are those earlier plans still on track?"

“Otherwise what?” Wei Zhengdao sighed. “Li Dachui’s forces are still outside the pass. He hasn’t completely taken control of the area yet. Although the Northern Yuan has split into three, its strength remains. So Li Dachui is thinking of resolving these issues first. Before that, he needs someone to hold back forces like Linghu Ye, preventing Linghu Ye from achieving success in one fell swoop. He needs to wear him down until he launches a major invasion. Therefore, we still have a basis for cooperation.”

"But this man is too cunning and scheming. Whenever I think of his plots, I feel a chill run down my spine!" He Bing looked at Wei Zheng and said, "Prime Minister Wei, you're dealing with a tiger for its skin!"

"Now, whether we're dealing with a tiger for its skin or dancing with a wolf, we have no choice!" Wei Zhengdao looked at the other person and said, "Didn't you see how jubilant those people were when they heard that Shu had been captured? I think starting tomorrow, there will be a constant stream of carriages on the road to Shu, and these people will be transferring their families and wealth there."

"Will Zhang Quanyi defect to Linghuye?" He Bing suddenly asked. "Ever since the Crown Prince died outside Chang'an, Zhang Quanyi's attitude towards us has become ambiguous."

"Others might side with Linghu Ye, but Zhang Quanyi won't!" Wei Zhengdao said confidently. "Think about it, east and west of the river, in Luoyang and Chang'an, how many powerful families have been wiped out by Zhang Quanyi? Although he was acting on Kou Zhong's and your orders, he ultimately did it. To put it bluntly, you can deny these things, but he can't. And who is Linghu Ye? Linghu Ye is the representative of the powerful families now. These families are deeply intertwined through marriage and other means. Zhang Quanyi isn't a fool. If he sides with Linghu Ye, does he expect the powerful families to settle scores with him later?"

"So he'll definitely hold Luoyang!" "He has the Luokou and Liyang granaries, and plenty of grain!" Wei Zhengdao sneered, "When He Zudao left, he left him these two granaries, which is quite significant. Next year, the importance of these granaries will become apparent."

“That’s true!” He Bing said. “The Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s Chief Administrator Zhang told me that there will be a severe drought across the country next year!”

"In these chaotic times, natural disasters strike one after another. In the next two years, having food is the key!" Wei Zhengdao said coldly. "Chang'an has sufficient grain reserves, and the upcoming clearing plan will drive away some irrelevant people. As long as we don't make mistakes, we can withstand it for five or ten years, let alone one or two. As long as we are strong enough, we can outlast most of our enemies! Don't be fooled by Linghu Ye's current murderous aura; once a major disaster strikes, his logistical supply will be disrupted. Therefore, we must cooperate with Li Dachui now. We can even publicize this cooperation. I want to see if Linghu Ye is worried that the army from beyond the pass will suddenly invade and seize his territory once he knows that I have allied with Li Dachui."

He Bing breathed a sigh of relief; that made sense.

From this perspective, now that Li Dachui has taken over Shu, Linghu Ye should be the one who is more anxious, right?

But what will happen in the future?

Chang'an fought bravely at the forefront, while Li Dachui quietly amassed a fortune in Sichuan. Once the dust settled, their strengths shifted, and the question arose: who would be the master and who the deputy?

It seems that Chief Minister Wei has no way out and no solution. Even though he knows that there is a precipice ahead, he can only stride forward.

If you stay still, you'll die very quickly.

Although there is a cliff ahead, there may be a path, a ladder, or a rope at the edge of the cliff, and we may be able to find another way to survive.

This is probably what they mean by "when you reach the end of the road, you have to find a way out, and then you'll find a new village after a dark and sunny day."
However, for someone like He Bing, this kind of unclear planning for the future, this blindfolded approach, is something she is not used to and does not like!
Riding his horse slowly down the street, he suddenly looked up and was surprised to find that he had unknowingly arrived outside Zhang Ruo's residence.

The Zhang family mansion was the main base of the forces outside the Great Wall in Chang'an, and Zhang Qingyun was Li Dachui's representative in Chang'an. This fact is no longer a secret.

But what am I doing here?
He Bing stared intently at the lintel of the Zhang residence for a moment, then cracked his whip and sped away.

If it weren't for Wu De, I would have gone up and knocked on that door today to have a proper talk with Zhang Qingyun about cooperation.

But Wu De had already taken the lead, no, he had taken several steps ahead.

If I go there now, where will I be?

After the death of the Grand Chancellor, the Black Ice Guard was no longer the Black Ice Guard.

The division began long ago.

Zhang Quanyi controls military power outside the army, and the Black Ice Guard forces under his command have been integrated into the military.

Wu De has been laying down spies for many years and has a strong intelligence gathering force. Now that he also has an army, his strength is no less than Zhang Quanyi's.

As for himself, this nominal Grand Chancellor of the Black Ice Bureau was merely a figurehead, and the power he could control was negligible.

The only thing that can still be considered presentable is the Chang'an Black Ice Platform.

These forces, which were previously directly controlled by Kou Zhong, are now entirely in his own hands.

What to do next is a question worth pondering.

Back home, his younger brother He Yu rushed to greet him, "Big brother, we have a guest!"

Looking at He Yu's expression, He Bing felt a little strange.

"who is it?"

"Elder brother, you'll know as soon as you see!"

Leading He Bing into the reception hall, He Bing was taken aback when she saw who had come.

"why you?"

(End of this chapter)