knife

Chapter 42 is meant to let him experience it.

Moral Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Fame and fortune in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.

The Seven Warring States and Five Hegemons fought during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Rise and fall in an instant.

A few lines of names in the annals of history,

Countless desolate hills in Beiman.

The land of our ancestors will be reaped by future generations.
What's the point of talking about fighting like tigers fighting?

In Linghu Ye's study, on the white wall directly opposite his large desk, there is a poem written in a flamboyant style. Linghu Ye can see it whenever he looks up while working.

This was written by the old scholar Yu Entai to Linghu Ye more than ten years ago when he was traveling outside the Great Wall.

The meaning is self-explanatory.

When Li Guohua came in, he saw Linghu Ye standing under the poem again, pondering it carefully, and couldn't help but laugh.

"The old master has always been compassionate, but he never considers that once the tide of history begins, we can't just do whatever we want. At best, we can only go with the flow and try to find what's beneficial to us. If Commander Linghu doesn't do it, isn't there another Commander Zhang or Commander Li who can?"

Linghu Ye smiled and returned to his seat: "Master's calligraphy is truly superb. I have been copying this poem for more than ten years, but I still cannot capture its spirit. If I were to analyze it closely, I would have made a half-baked mess, a complete mess."

“General, Zhang Ruo has been standing outside the headquarters all morning and he’s covered in snow. He’s a scholar, not young anymore, and his health is poor. If he really gets sick from the cold, it will only make things difficult for you, General,” Li Guohua said.

Linghu Ye chuckled, picked up his pen, and wrote his name on a scroll of official documents, saying, "He's dressed quite warmly. In this weather, he should be able to keep up for two or three days without any problem. By the way, have the officer on duty at the front send him some ginger soup or something to warm him up!"

Li Guohua chuckled: "The commander-in-chief previously admonished Zhishu, saying that those who achieve great things must have a broad mind. How come he's become so petty when it comes to himself? Isn't that just making Zhishu laugh at him?"

"I just want Zhang Ruo to experience the wind and snow beyond the pass. I have spent thirty-one years beyond the pass, lying on ice and crawling through snow to guard the border for the Great Qin for more than thirty years, and yet I have only made a name for myself." Linghu Ye sneered, "It's a pity that I didn't kill him south of the Qingshui River. Now that he's in Zhenwu City, he can't die. Isn't that infuriating?"

“General, those people who took Zhang Ruo to the border region are truly disgusting. If he dies, people outside will say that you are vindictive and intolerant. If you only wanted to dominate the border region, it wouldn't matter, but you aspire to rule the world, and you can't afford to lose your reputation. But if we don't kill him, Zhang Ruo is a particularly troublesome and fearless fellow. If he stays in the border region, who knows what trouble he will cause in the future?” Li Guohua said with some worry, “Zhang Ruo is a real troublemaker. Now he's also involved with the people in Tai'an City, which makes things even more difficult.”

"There are still some experts in the imperial court!" Linghu Ye couldn't help but sigh. "Even from thousands of miles away, they could accurately grasp the key points of conflict between me, Xiao Changche, and Tai'an City. With a single move, they left me exhausted. I can only say I admire them greatly! Guohua, can you guess who this person is?"

“General, there’s no need to guess, they’re all probably involved. They’re all in the same boat on this matter! By keeping you here outside the pass and unable to attend to things inside, they’ve achieved their goal,” Li Guohua said. “Therefore, we must deal with Zhang Ruo properly.”

“Let’s stick to the plan we discussed before. Since we’re here to serve outside the Great Wall, let’s make Linghu Ye a county magistrate in Yuan’an!” Linghu Ye said, putting down his pen.

“Yuan’an is too close to Bei Yuan, and it has always been the place where our two sides fought the most fiercely. What if something happens if we go there?” Li Guohua hesitated.

As Linghu Ye's top strategist and trusted lieutenant, he needed to consider more than just the present. As he had said before, if Linghu Ye wanted to dominate the world, then his reputation was of utmost importance.

Linghu Ye has guarded the border for the country for decades, preventing the Northern Yuan from advancing even half a step south. Compared to some people within the pass, his reputation is naturally much better. It would be a great loss if his efforts were ruined because of Zhang Ruo.

"For hundreds of years since the founding of the Great Qin, how many brave men of the Great Qin have died fighting against the barbarians! After Linghu Ye took command of the army outside the pass, how many of my Linghu family members died in battle outside the pass? Everyone has died, so why can't Zhang Ru die for the country and the people once?" Linghu Ye said dismissively, "Moreover, Yuan'an is Xiao Changche's defense zone. If Zhang Ru dies there, the primary person responsible is Xiao Changche. Guohua, you should make arrangements for this matter first, make a contingency plan, and release the necessary information in advance."

"Understood." Li Guohua understood immediately: "If Zhang Ruo is not dead, it means that the commander-in-chief is magnanimous and does not discriminate based on personal relationships. Zhang Ruo was originally a criminal, but as soon as he arrived outside the pass, the commander-in-chief appointed him as the magistrate of a county. But if he is dead, then the blame can be placed on Xiao Changche, which can also force Xiao Changche to become closer to the commander-in-chief. After we go down there, I need to start cultivating this public opinion."

Linghu Ye nodded. "According to intelligence from the north, although the Northern Yuan suffered considerable losses, they still defeated the largest southward-moving Hu tribes. The war has basically subsided. They will need a few years to consolidate their gains. These few years will be the most crucial for us. 'Dig deep tunnels and store plenty of grain.' Zhou Zhi's six words from back then resonate deeply with me!"

“The key to Tai’an City is Li Dachui. Zhou Zhi is just a warrior at best. Without Li Dachui, Tai’an City is not a threat,” Li Guohua said. “Tai’an City should still be negotiated!” Linghu Ye said. “Zhou Zhi and his son have no sense of belonging to Qin. I think that as long as I offer enough, it will not be difficult to get them to submit.”

“Xiao Changche wants to wipe out the Northern Yuan. Then, the commander-in-chief only needs to entrust the area outside the Great Wall to him, and at least he won’t hold you back. But what exactly do this father and son in Tai’an City want?” Li Guohua said helplessly, “I can’t figure it out!”

"Why bother guessing!" Linghu Ye waved his hand. "When the tide recedes, all the truth will be revealed. Guohua, what matters is the power we hold. Absolute power can disregard all constraints and rules. What are our current reserves?"

“We already have three years’ worth of grain stored up,” Li Guohua said. “Give me another three years, and I can store up two more years’ worth of grain for you, Commander-in-Chief.”

“In that case, what do I have to worry about?” Linghu Ye laughed. “You should focus more on this. Let Zhishu handle those petty and despicable matters.”

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

Linghu Zhishu pushed open the door and entered, his face full of joy.

"Uncle, oh no, Commander, that scoundrel has fallen into our trap!" Linghu Zhishu grinned so wide his mouth almost reached his ears. "Guess who did it? It was Wan Feng's son, Wan You. We caught him red-handed and interrogated him on the spot. We didn't even use any torture; we just let him see the instruments in the torture chamber, and he confessed everything. It wasn't Chen Liang who slaughtered those three towns, but this Wan You. He went to Chen Liang's territory on Wan Feng's orders and led a group of men to carry it out. Almost all the spoils were transported back to Zhenwu City!"

"They've truly been blinded by greed!" Li Guohua shook his head. "By the way, what was Chen Liang's reaction?"

“We forced the substance Wan You sent into the mouth of one of Wan You’s henchmen, then locked him up with Chen Liang. After we finished interrogating Wan You, we went to check on Chen Liang, but the henchman was already dead. This poison is quite remarkable; there are no outward signs of poisoning. If Chen Liang hadn’t witnessed this man die right in front of him, he probably wouldn’t have believed it,” Linghu Zhishu said.

Linghuye waved his hand: "Since the evidence is conclusive, let's arrest them! The money and rations I promised the soldiers should also be distributed as soon as possible."

"Yes, ma'am!" Linghu Zhishu excitedly turned around and ran out.

Outside the gate of the military camp, Zhang Ruo had been standing there all morning, with Wu De helplessly keeping him company. Both were covered in snow, their eyebrows and beards caked with ice. Despite their thorough preparations that morning, wearing extremely thick clothing, they couldn't escape the bitter cold. Fortunately, Wu De was a strong and muscular man, and could barely manage. Zhang Ruo, however, was so cold that his teeth were chattering.

"Scholar, why don't we call it a day? You'll catch a cold!" Wu De advised.

Zhang Ruo stubbornly shook her head: "If we back down when faced with difficulties, what can we do but make Linghu Ye laugh at us? If we do something, we should stick to it to the end, otherwise we will only make ourselves a laughing stock."

Shaking off the snow, Zhang Ruo stretched his neck and shouted, "The sinner Zhang Ruo requests an audience with Commander Linghu!"

He called out several times, but unfortunately no one paid any attention to him.

Even the two rows of snowmen standing at the entrance of the camp seemed not to see him at all, not even turning their heads to look at him.

Wu De was also secretly alarmed.

The guards standing at the gate of the military camp changed shifts every hour. During this hour, they were truly like statues, not moving an inch. The falling snow had completely turned them into snowmen, with only their faces showing. If you didn't blink or breathe on them, you wouldn't be able to tell that they were two rows of living people.

Was the commander so strict in managing the troops at the headquarters?
This is practically unimaginable in Chang'an.

Thinking back to the battle with the barbarians a while ago, the elite troops outside the pass need no further explanation. If these troops were to enter the pass one day, which army inside the pass could rival them?

I'm afraid even the elite troops of the eight southern garrisons would pale in comparison.

As he was lost in thought, the gates of the military camp suddenly burst open, and a familiar figure emerged.

(End of this chapter)