knife

Chapter 541 Everything is under control
Yunwu Mountain lives up to its name.

Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, the clouds and mist swirl around the mountainside, obscuring the shape of the summit. The blue stone steps, like a giant serpent, wind their way upwards.

Down the mountain, water fortresses and military camps stood in rows, with soldiers coming and going in an endless stream.
There was no one on this stone path.

"The headquarters of the Divine Cult is on the mountain!" Jiang Qian said, "Shall we slowly walk uphill and have a proper talk?"

“Excellent!” Li Dachui said with a smile, “This ladder isn’t too narrow; it’s big enough for the two of us to walk side by side.”

Jiang Qian chuckled to herself.

The two indeed walked side by side uphill, while Wang Pu did not follow. Instead, he stood at the foot of the mountain, watching them leave with a smile.

He wasn't worried at all.

Even those who spend all their time hunting eagles will eventually have their eyes pecked out by the eagle. Observing Li Dachui's actions over the years, he has always been fond of taking risky moves. Every move he makes is always in an unexpected place. But as long as people grasp the pattern of his actions, they can seize his vital point.

This time, Li Dachui ran into the Empress Dowager, and it was like hitting a brick wall.

"So, the Empress Dowager saw through all the little tricks I played with them in Danyang?" Li Dachui asked.

Jiang Qian shook her head: "You're wrong about that. Although I know what you're plotting, I really don't know the specifics of how to do it! Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi are both old foxes with special identities, and I can't kill them before they show their fangs. If they get any leverage over us, they'll cause a huge uproar!"

"That's true, those two are indeed cunning and treacherous!" Li Dachui laughed. "Since you don't know what they're doing, you still dare to leave Danyang? Don't you know that if you leave, Danyang will become their territory?"

Jiang Qian said, "While I'm in Danyang, they'll hide their tails very well, making it impossible for me to find any flaws. Only when I leave can I lure them into making a move. I've been looking forward to this day! All along, these two have been so cautious that I've been getting impatient with them. Thank you for coming; it has given them the confidence and courage to take action."

"You've been planning to take them down for a long time!"

“Yes, but these two are not easy to deal with!” Jiang Qian sighed. “You were right when you said something on the ship earlier. That is, the Great Chu is just as sick as the Great Qin. In the past few years, I have forcibly united them. If we want to alleviate the contradictions and avoid following the old path of the Qin, there is only one way: to launch a war against foreign powers!”

"Shifting the blame outwards is one approach!"

“But Xiang Ying and his group objected!” Jiang Qian said, “Because once the war starts, more power will be concentrated in my hands, and then I will truly have absolute authority. They will have even less chance to overthrow me.”

“I think they’re right!” Li Dachui turned his head to look at Jiang Qian beside him. This woman’s height barely reached his shoulder, but her aura was something even Xiao Changche couldn’t match!
"Is it right?"

“I imagine your ambitions extend beyond simply becoming someone like Empress Wu Zetian of the Great Yong Dynasty,” Li Dachui said. “You aspire to be an empress?”

"Why not?" Jiang Qian said with a smile, "Do you also believe that a woman cannot be an emperor?"

“I really don’t object to a woman becoming emperor!” Li Dachui said. “Look at my wife, Xiao Changche, she holds military power in Beiting. And outside the pass, they are promoting gender equality. Do you know what that means?” “I know. Women outside the pass can study, become officials, and support their families just like men!” Jiang Qian’s eyes showed admiration. “Just the fact that you can do this makes me look at you in a new light. You are indeed different from ordinary people!”

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!" Li Dachui laughed heartily.

“These two things are actually two sides of the same coin!” Jiang Qian said, “If we don’t expand outwards, the internal conflicts within Chu will not be alleviated, and the problems will only increase. What I’m doing now is building a dam, but the higher the dam goes, the more problems arise, and once they erupt, the greater the damage will be. Therefore, we must fight a war against foreign powers.”

“But to have a chance of winning, you must ensure that there is only one voice and one core throughout the country, and that is you,” Li Dachui said. “However, the existence of Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi makes it impossible for you to realize this idea, because they are afraid that you will usurp the throne and will do everything they can to stop you!”

"So we must take them down!" Jiang Qian said. "I don't care what they want to do in Danyang. The fact that they're launching their attack while I'm not in Danyang shows they're very nervous. So, as long as I can appear in Danyang at the right time, their defeat will be inevitable!"

“You have a lot of confidence in yourself!” Li Dachui tilted his head and looked at him.

"If I didn't have confidence in myself, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today!" Jiang Qian said with a smile. "Besides, since I know they're going to make a move, I've naturally made my own arrangements. Lin Yunqi, He Han, and Jiang Chong are all on high alert in Danyang. As long as they can hold out until I return, that's enough. Li Dachui, do you believe that when I appear outside Danyang City, they'll collapse without a fight?"

“Possibly!” Li Dachui thought for a moment and said, “But you can’t overestimate your strength. In my opinion, Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi are still very strong.”

“I think their biggest reliance is Na Wei!” Jiang Qian said, “The fighting power of the Southwest Wolf Soldiers is indeed quite good.”

"Not just Na Wei!"

"You mean those people from the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber?" Jiang Qian shook her head and said, "Hu Tianying has lived to this age and has been able to develop the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber to this day, and that's not because of his high moral standing. They would never choose sides unless it's the very last moment. The reason I transferred Kang Zhen to Yong'an is because I didn't want him to get involved. This person is excellent in both martial arts and leading troops, and I will give him important responsibilities in the future."

"You even foresaw this?"

"Now that I know you're Li Dachui, I'll naturally take a good look at anything related to you," Jiang Qian said. "You, Li Dachui, are good at using schemes and tricks. I've carefully considered everything and felt confident that I could control the situation before leaving."

"What if you can't go back?" Li Dachui asked with a smile.

"You think you can keep me here?" Jiang Qian laughed. "Even if your martial arts cultivation is higher than mine, don't forget that I have many helpers here, while you are all alone. Not to mention thousands of elite soldiers, even Wang Pu, plus the experts from the Giant Wood Banner who have been guarding this place, can take you down on the spot with my help!"

"So, I guess I have no choice but to obey!" Li Dachui said helplessly.

"That's for the best!" Jiang Qian said with satisfaction.

The two spoke of extremely heavy topics, yet they walked side by side like close friends, slowly ascending into the clouds and disappearing from everyone's sight.

(End of this chapter)