knife

Chapter 560 One wrong step leads to eternal regret; turning back, a century has passed.
Concentrate and look inward.

Although the blue sparks in the dantian were weak, they were purer than before.

With a slight movement, the spark transformed into a thin stream of air, instantly circulating through the seven meridians and eight extraordinary vessels. When it returned, one could clearly feel that it had thickened slightly.

Jiang Qian herself had already reached the peak of the Innate Realm; in her words, she had already seen the gate to divine travel.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so confident in facing Li Dachui alone.

Now, her cultivation has been completely absorbed by Li Dachui, but what Li Dachui has given her back is a pure catalyst.

Based on this starting point, it won't be long before she returns to her peak.

You can even easily push open that door, stand inside, and admire the view from a higher vantage point.

time?

Jiang Qian sighed.

The key is time!

To describe her now as having no strength to even kill a chicken would be inaccurate.
Because of her vision, ability, and skills
Even if it's just a tiny bit of Phoenix Flame,

She can also easily kill her opponents with her exquisite skills.

But in front of Li Dachui, she was as powerless as a newborn baby.

Why would Li Dachui give himself time?
Even a fool could guess what Li Dachui was planning to do.

"What will you do if I don't agree?" Jiang Qian asked. "Kill me? Or keep me imprisoned here indefinitely?"

Li Dachui shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, even if the Empress Dowager doesn't agree, she's still a valuable asset to me. I'll seal her cultivation and then arrange for her to settle down somewhere outside the Great Wall or in Shu. When I defeat Linghu Ye and lead my troops south, the Empress Dowager will still be of some use. But are you sure you want to do this, Empress Dowager? It won't bring you any benefit at all."

Jiang Qian was furious. She bit her lip, and her rosy lips instantly lost their color and turned pale.

"Seal my cultivation?"

"This might be difficult for others, but for me, it's incredibly simple!" Li Dachui said with a smile, "Even with your cultivation sealed, the Empress Dowager can still be a happy, ordinary person. But Empress Dowager, I think you've already felt that after this upheaval, the Phoenix Flame has undergone a qualitative change. Are you really willing to go from being incredibly wealthy to suddenly having nothing?"

“You’ve left me with nothing!” Jiang Qian said.

“You lost the State of Chu, but you gained the opportunity to reach a higher level of martial arts cultivation,” Li Dachui said. “If it weren’t for this experience, you would have forever lingered at that threshold, unable to find the path to entry. Moreover, Empress Dowager, with my cooperation, your wish to unify the world can still be fulfilled; it’s just that you’ll be helping me achieve it.”

After staring at Li Dachui for a long time, Jiang Qian suddenly smiled and said, "Li Dachui, aren't you afraid that if I agree to your terms now, I'll turn around and break off this deal?"

"Of course I'm not afraid!" Li Dachui said, "Danyang City is quite lively right now. Your men are struggling and waiting for your rescue. If you don't come, they will eventually be defeated. What use will you be if you go back then? Fight a fierce civil war with Xiang Ying and the others to reclaim power? Isn't that exactly what I want?"

"Perhaps I will be able to defeat them soon!"

"Why should I?" Li Dachui chuckled. "In the past, you were able to suppress Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi because you were the rightful Empress Dowager, which gave you the upper hand in terms of righteousness, making them always hesitant to act. But now you are not. With Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi's abilities, it won't be long before they completely seize control of the court and eliminate your faction. All you'll have left to rely on are He Jiong of Yong'an County and Han Tan of Ruyin County. But under these circumstances, will these two still be as loyal to you as before?" "They won't betray you!"

“Very good, they won’t betray us, but how much trouble do you think these two prefectures can stir up?” Li Dachui smiled and continued his analysis: “Moreover, they will be attacked from both sides. Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi will definitely try to win them over first, and then send troops to wipe them out. He Zudao of the Eight Towns of Jiangnan will naturally be overjoyed to see such an opportunity. You know, he has been coveting the land of Jing and Xiang for a long time. Once he takes over the Jianghan Plain, this guy will truly have the capital to contend for the world.”

Jiang Qian lowered her head, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

She herself is a master strategist and a master of tactics; how could she not know what Li Dachui was talking about?
The reason Li Dachui was able to control her was precisely because of this.

"Even if we cooperate with you, these two places will still be attacked from both sides!"

“How could that be?” Li Dachui laughed. “If we can cooperate closely, this time we only need to take Xiangfan, and He Zudao will immediately become a cripple.”

Jiang Qian suddenly looked up: "Ke Wuji is currently joining forces with Feng Kuan to attack He Jiong in Yong'an!"

“Exactly!” Li Dachui nodded. “When the two sides are locked in fierce combat, friendly forces suddenly turn into enemies. How long do you think Feng Kuan can hold out?”

"Li Dachui, you're so cunning. When Ke Wuji was ordered by you to assist Feng Kuan in attacking Yong'an County, did you already foresee what would happen next?"

"I'm used to thinking ten steps ahead when I'm doing something!" Li Dachui said. "Not only that, don't forget about the navy! Not just the navy loyal to you, but also the navy of Shu County. When the time comes, we can attack from both land and sea, and Xiangcheng and Fancheng will be easy to capture!"

“Wang Pu is in Yunwu Mountain, and his son Wang Dao is commanding the battle against the Shu navy!” Jiang Qian said, “How could Xiang Ying and the others neglect the navy? There must be their people in the navy, and Chen Yan, the naval commander in Danyang City, is no less capable than Wang Pu. If I don’t show up, the navy might change hands!”

"It's alright!" Li Dachui said, "Don't you still have Wang Pu's five thousand naval troops? No matter how useless Wang Dao is, he can still preserve some of his strength to join forces with He Jiong, right? In this way, we can still contend with the Chu navy on the Yangtze River, and that's enough!"

Jiang Qian looked at Li Dachui and felt a surge of annoyance.

If this plan were to be implemented, Li Dachui would make a fortune.

He not only successfully caused an unprecedented internal strife in the State of Chu, but also gained the two commanderies of Yong'an and Ruyin for free, oh, and probably also the two cities of Xiangfan.

Putting all that aside, what about the navy?

The navy, which could only wage guerrilla warfare on the Yangtze River, suddenly became capable of confronting the State of Chu.

He got all the benefits.

What benefits did I gain?
But what can we do if we don't agree?
As Li Dachui said, he now has a lot of capital, but he really only has one buyer.

If these properties are not sold, they will quickly depreciate over time.

Who knows, by then we might really have nothing left.

It is truly a case of one wrong step leading to eternal regret, and by the time one turns back, a hundred years have already passed.

(End of this chapter)