knife

Chapter 508 Wanting Abundant Credit?
In the small town of Linwu, at the end of a single street, in a row of earthen houses, Linghu Shili sat imposingly on a chair, gulping down ginger soup.

Along the road, there were more than a dozen large pots, each simmering ginger soup, so that the soldiers who were hurrying on their way could have a bowl.

These days it's been raining continuously. In order to save time, the army has to travel more than 80 li every day. The Wei clan has taken the emperor hostage and fled to Hanzhong. We must seize them before they can establish a firm foothold.

The Linghu Group must take Hanzhong to lock down Li Dachui's power in Shu.

Linghu Shili finished the ginger soup in his bowl, rubbed his stuffy nose, stood up, walked outside, and looked at the endless stream of troops marching in.

These five thousand fierce soldiers were the old guard from beyond the Great Wall, the true elite of the Linghu Group. His uncle still favored his own men.

The army brought in from outside the Great Wall numbered only about 50,000, and after several years of fighting, nearly 20,000 were lost. The current army of hundreds of thousands is built on the skeletons of these remaining soldiers.

It is only because of the old forces outside the Great Wall that they can advance at such a high intensity in such weather. An ordinary army is considered an elite force if it can march fifty miles a day, but his five thousand men can still maintain strong combat power even if they march eighty miles a day. Even if they march a hundred miles a day, they can still fight just as well.

If we can successfully capture Hanzhong this time, then I will finally have a decent achievement and be able to be ranked alongside Chang Lei and the like.

It's a pity that I probably won't get any credit this time.

A letter arrived from Chang'an by express courier, saying that Li Guohua would be coming soon to handle matters related to the Wei family.

The uncle believed that after Wei learned Li Dachui's true identity, his only choice was to make peace with Linghu and surrender Hanzhong in order to save his life and property.

If that's the case, then this war is inevitable.

Negotiation was clearly not his forte, which is why his uncle sent Li Guohua.

Linghu Shili sighed.

The room was in a mess, with many things left behind by the Wei army during their hasty escape. Many of these items were things that only the emperor could use, such as the chair he had just sat on.

It seems that the news really frightened the Wei family, which is why they left in such a hurry.

I ladled out another bowl of ginger soup and drank it slowly to sweat it out, hoping it would help me recover faster.

"General, a man named Zhou Xuan says he has come from Hanzhong and wants to see you!" a captain standing outside the house reported loudly.

"Zhou Xuan? Please let him in!"

Linghu Shili put down the soup bowl, reached for a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from his head and neck. He thought to himself that Wei Zhengdao and the others were indeed old foxes who had been around for a thousand years; their reactions were so quick.

The person sent by my uncle had just informed me when their envoy was already dispatched.

Meanwhile, he was still wondering whether Wei Zhengdao would surrender as his uncle had guessed!

Zhou Xuan was once Wei Zhengdao's secretary and military advisor. Later, he served as the governor of Hanzhong and built an escape route for the Wei family. He was Wei Zhengdao's confidant and loyal follower. His arrival naturally showed Wei Zhengdao's sincerity.

I just don't know what conditions Wei Zhengdao and his group offered.
If the price is too high, I'm afraid it will be unacceptable to our side. It's like doing business; if it's a seller's market, then the price is fine, but if it's a buyer's market, then naturally we have to try to negotiate a lower price.

But now, it's a typical buyer's market.

Is there any other way for Wei Zhengdao to go? Apart from the Linghu family, who else in the world can save his Wei clan from extinction?
Could it be that he intends to use Hanzhong Commandery to both resist the Linghu clan in the front and confront Li Dachui in the back?

"Prefect Zhou, I've long admired your name!" Linghu Shili looked at Zhou Xuan, who was bowing respectfully before him, and said with a forced smile, "Prime Minister Wei is currently in Hanzhong. Is he having trouble sleeping or eating? Haha, it's quite laughable. Prime Minister Wei, who is known for his wisdom, was completely manipulated by Li Dachui. The saying that he dug his own grave is something I've only ever read about in books. I never thought I'd witness it with my own eyes. Hahaha!"

Zhou Xuan straightened up and said calmly, "Even the wisest can make a mistake. General Linghu, wasn't the commander also tricked by Li Dachui when he entered the pass? If the commander had entered the pass half a year later, he would probably be wearing the imperial robes and ruling as a king by now. How could we be in this situation now?"

Linghu Shili flew into a rage, reached out and grabbed the hilt of his sword at his waist. He drew the sword halfway, but then pushed it back with a clatter. "Prefect Zhou, to be honest, we've all been tricked by Li Dachui. But we're different from you. Even if we were tricked, we could still face Li Dachui head-on. You, on the other hand, only have a chance to survive if you join us. That's the difference."

“General Linghu is right,” Zhou Xuan said. “We do indeed only have this one path now, but for Commander Linghu, who aspires to great things, shouldn’t he unite all forces opposing Li Dachui to completely annihilate him? Although the Wei family has declined, they still have Hanzhong. Prime Minister Wei served as the chief minister of Qin for decades, and his disciples and former officials are all over the world. These are exactly what Commander Linghu, who has been cultivating his influence outside the pass, needs. Commander, you have been in the pass for several years, so you must know that the area inside and outside the pass are ultimately very different!”

Linghu Shili laughed and said, "Prefect Zhou is indeed eloquent. Someone, bring Prefect Zhou a bowl of ginger soup. Prefect Zhou, there are no good banquets to entertain you on the march. I also need to hurry on my way. A bowl of ginger soup will help me sweat it out. Prefect Zhou, please get to the point."

Zhou Xuan nodded: "Has the commander-in-chief entrusted you with full authority over the campaign in Hanzhong this time?"

Linghu Shili blushed, feeling somewhat annoyed, and said, "General Li Guohua is on his way. He will be fully responsible for the negotiations with Wei Zhengdao."

Zhou Xuan clapped his hands and sighed, "So that's how it is. What a pity. I originally wanted to give this great achievement to you, General, but I didn't expect that you don't have the authority to handle this matter."

Linghu Shili stared at Zhou Xuan in astonishment: "What do you mean? What earth-shattering achievement?"

Zhou Xuan looked around and laughed, “I’ve heard that since entering the pass, General, although you have won many battles, you are still far behind Li Guohua, Chang Lei and your brother Linghu Zhishu. When the commander achieves great things and rewards his subjects, General Linghu, I’m afraid you will be far inferior to these people!”

Linghu Shili glared at Zhou Xuan with some annoyance. You shouldn't hit someone in the face, but Zhou Xuan was really stabbing people in their weak spots with a knife.

"Wei Zhengdao has already decided to negotiate with us, so what great achievements does he have to offer?" Linghu Shili sneered.

"That's not necessarily true!" Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

Linghu Shili stared at Zhou Xuan for a long time, then waved his hand, and the soldiers in the room withdrew one by one.

"How to say?"

"The reason why Minister Wei and his men still want to negotiate with Commander Linghu is because he still has something to rely on. Firstly, Hanzhong's defenses are intact, and there are tens of thousands of elite troops inside. If Linghu cannot agree to Minister Wei's conditions, and the two sides clash, it is unlikely that he can take Hanzhong in a short time. Moreover, the Shu army is on its way, which will inevitably benefit Li Dachui. Once Li Dachui controls Hanzhong, will the Commander still be able to live peacefully in Chang'an?"

"You mean Wei Xiang's asking price isn't cheap?" Linghu Shili frowned.

Zhou Xuan smiled but remained silent.

Linghu Shili suddenly realized what had happened: "You..."

(End of this chapter)