knife

Chapter 569 Convergence
The warship slowly approached the dock.

The dock was packed with people.

“The one standing at the very front is He Jiong, the Prefect of Yong’an County. The first person to his left is Kang Zhen, the Commander of the Tiger Army!” Inside the cabin, through the window, Jiang Qian pointed to the people below and introduced them to Li Dachui: “You should not have seen these two people before.”

Li Dachui nodded: "He Jiong is just a simple civil official, while Kang Zhen is a master of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. But it seems that Kang Zhen is very respectful of He Jiong. This person is not simple!"

“If he wasn’t capable, why would I have sent him to Yong’an County!” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

“Indeed!” Li Dachui pointed to the atmosphere below and said, “Just by looking at the atmosphere He Jiong has created, you can tell that this person is no ordinary person!”

By this time, news of what happened in Danyang must have reached Yong'an through various channels, and the scene He Jiong staged was a statement of his stance.

Civil and military officials, gentry, and village elders all attended the event, demonstrating to everyone that they absolutely supported Empress Dowager Jiang Qian.

“I won’t go out on occasions like this!” Li Dachui laughed. “This is a glory that belongs only to you.”

“Alright, I’ll arrange everything before you meet with He Jiong and the others!” Jiang Qian nodded.

"I'll go see Zhan Zhao and the others too!" Li Dachui said. "Next, we need to cooperate seamlessly and try to defeat Feng Kuan in one fell swoop, launch a counterattack on Xiangfan, and take this strategic location. Only then can we have a perfect ending!"

Jiang Qian slowly stepped out of the cabin.

The moment she appeared at the bow of the ship, everyone on the dock knelt down, shouts of "Long live the Queen!" echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

Li Dachui, watching all this from inside the cabin, also smiled.

A few months ago, they overthrew Lin Hong here, laying the foundation for today's events. As an added bonus, Jiang Qian won the hearts of the people here.

The Lin family had overexploited Yong'an County, causing widespread resentment. However, the execution of Lin Hong and the distribution of all of the Lin family's land, mountains, forests, and rivers to the people of Yong'an made them extremely grateful to Jiang Qian.

The power struggles within the imperial court were far removed from the lives of ordinary people.

For them, whoever they have received a favor from is naturally a good person.

Anyone who opposes the persecution of this good person is naturally a bad person.

It's a very simple theory.

This is the logic of ordinary people.

Although often exploited, it is precisely these simplest logics that make this world more colorful and full of emotions.

The people may be made to follow a course, but they may not be made to understand it.

This statement has been interpreted in countless different ways since ancient times. In Li Dachui's view, each interpretation is actually reasonable in different eras and under different circumstances.

As Jiang Qian walked away amidst the crowd, Li Dachui smiled and stepped out of the cabin. In a flash, he disappeared into the crowd without anyone noticing.

The daytime hustle and bustle gradually faded away. In Lin Hong's former luxurious mansion, Jiang Qian walked barefoot on the soft ground, her face full of annoyance.

"Uncle-Master, I've been completely fooled by that Li Dachui this time." Jiang Qian looked at He Jiong sitting opposite her and said, "So many years of hard work, all gone in an instant, it's truly heartbreaking!" After listening to Jiang Qian's account of what happened beneath Cloud Mist Mountain, He Jiong was also dumbfounded. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Is there really such a bizarre thing in the world? Qianqian, this is not a fault of our battle, but rather that God has not favored us! If you hadn't told me, I would never have been able to imagine, even if I racked my brains, that Li Dachui could actually use something left behind by our ancestor hundreds of years ago."

“Yes, who would have thought! Not only can she use it, but she also seems to be quite proficient at it!” Jiang Qian said.

"Could it be that if one truly masters the Qi of Heaven and Earth, one can understand the secrets left behind by the patriarch hundreds of years ago?" He Jiong asked.

"Who knows! Anyway, only Li Dachui in the world has mastered the Qi of Heaven and Earth, so it's up to him to say what he wants!" Jiang Qian said, "Besides this explanation, what other explanation could there be? We can't say that Li Dachui is from the same era as the founder, just an old ghost putting old wine in new bottles, can we?"

He Jiong laughed: "You really have a wild idea!"

Jiang Qian said, "Uncle-Master, what do you think we should do next? Should we really join forces with Li Dachui? Based on your analysis, do we still have any hope of defeating Xiang Ying and turning the tide?"

He Jiong shook his head: "There's no chance anymore. The fact that you are the Holy Maiden of the Divine Sect can't be hidden forever. There are too many things in Yunwu Mountain that can prove your identity, and quite a few people have fallen into their hands, so you can't go back to the position of Empress Dowager."

Jiang Qian nodded.

Without this layer of skin, Jiang Qian would be unable to control the young emperor or the court.

The young emperor nominally ruled in his own right, but in reality, power was in the hands of people like Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi. These shrewd old foxes would never make the same mistake twice.
“Next, Xiang Ying will definitely organize a large army to attack us.” He Jiong said, “They may even join forces with He Zudao. If I were Xiang Ying, I would even be willing to exchange places like Yong’an and Ruyin for He Zudao’s help to launch a pincer attack on us.”

"If Yong'an and Ruyin are lost, the Jianghan Plain will certainly be in danger. Can Xiang Ying really make that decision?"

“He Zudao is nothing but a troublemaker!” He Jiong said, “Xiang Ying and the others can see that too, which is why they are willing to give it up, because they are confident that they can get it back.”

"Therefore, we must disable He Zudao's ability as soon as possible!" Jiang Qian said. "In other words, we must join forces with Li Dachui to defeat Feng Kuan and take Xiangfan City."

He Jiong looked at Jiang Qian and nodded: "Li Dachui has indeed figured us out perfectly. We have no choice but to either cooperate with him or face defeat! What about that guy?"

“He went to see those people from Ruijinqi and Houtuqi!” Jiang Qian said. “These people have already defected to him.”

He Jiong laughed heartily: "The Five Elements Flags of the Divine Sect have been split for hundreds of years. I never thought that we would see an opportunity to reunite now. If we really talk about it, Li Dachui is not an outsider. His mother, like you, is a Holy Maiden of the Divine Sect. He has also mastered the sect's supreme divine skill, Qiankun Yiqi. According to the rules left by the older generation, Li Dachui can become the sect leader!"

"Who would accept this ridiculous rule?"

“The Five Elements Flag Master has acknowledged it. Do the branch halls and altars in various places have the right to disagree?” He Jiong said with a smile. “Qianqian, this is also a way to reunite the Divine Sect.”

"All the good things have happened to him!"

“It’s not like he could just randomly hit someone; he orchestrated this, step by step, forcing us into this situation!” He Jiong said, “By the way, Qianqian, your current condition must not be revealed. How long will it take for you to recover to your peak?”

Jiang Qian said sullenly, "Within a year, I can recover to the ninth rank of the Profound Origin Realm, and within two years, I can probably return to the Innate Realm. After that, it's hard to say!"

"That's good!" He Jiong said, "It's a pity I don't have difficulty cultivating martial arts, otherwise I could have helped you."

“My martial uncle doesn’t practice martial arts, but his achievements in other areas are unmatched by mere martial artists!” Jiang Qian said.

"The way of both civil and military affairs is a balance of tension and relaxation!" He Jiong said with a smile. "Han Zheng will arrive here within three days. Then we can discuss the alliance with Li Dachui properly."

(End of this chapter)