knife

Chapter 66: Choice is far more important than effort
A dozen or so crackling pine torches illuminated the area within several feet of the city gate, while beyond that, everything appeared shadowy. Yan Sheng, along with several important figures from his family, stood inside the gate opening, where it was shrouded in darkness.

After all, the person they were welcoming today was Tiele, an important figure from the Northern Yuan. Even though no outsiders knew about it, and the entire Baoping City was under curfew, Yan Sheng still felt that this matter was something that couldn't be brought to light, and that it was better to keep it as secret as possible.

Until the moment the truth was fully exposed.

But by then, the overall situation will have stabilized.
The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

Who would criticize a victor?

The Yan family is a true native of the area beyond the Great Wall. With hundreds of years of history, the family has deep roots and a powerful and intertwined influence.

Outside the Great Wall, the Yan family wielded immense influence.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have had the chance to possess such a strategically important place as the State of Aquarius.

Even before the Qin and Yuan dynasties, the Yan family had been making a living on this land.

On this point, Yan was quite proud.

The Yan family's ability to continue its lineage is due to the correct choices they made at every crucial juncture.

Every few centuries, the world's affairs always come to a crossroads.
At such a critical moment, choices become far more important than effort.

If you choose correctly, you'll enjoy wealth and prosperity for centuries to come.
If you choose the wrong path, you'll naturally have to go and feast with Yama, the King of Hell.

This time, Yan Sheng chose Bei Yuan.

In fact, this is also a helpless move.

Deep down, Yan Sheng did not want to submit to the Yuan Dynasty. Although the Northern Yuan had made great efforts to reform and emulate the Central Plains in recent years, in Yan Sheng's view, it was ultimately a poor imitation, full of mistakes. It was only thanks to the fact that each of the emperors was a capable ruler that the situation was kept under control.

But now he has no choice.

Linghu Ye's ambition to lead his troops into the interior and contend for the world grew stronger day by day.

Once Linghu Ye raises an army, powerful figures like him from beyond the Great Wall will inevitably be drawn into rebellion. If they don't join him, Linghu Ye will definitely come and finish them off before they even enter the pass.

At that moment, what good would it do if even if Tai'an City had a master of innate cultivation to protect it, let alone its own Baoping Prefecture? If it didn't comply, it would inevitably face destruction.

Yan Sheng was not optimistic about Linghu Ye's fate after entering the pass.

Although the troops outside the pass were indeed elite.

However, abandoning vast territories beyond the Great Wall and millions of people, and sending troops into the Great Wall to contend for the world, is morally wrong and will inevitably be condemned by the world.

Morality may seem useless in theory, but when it comes into play, it can be extremely dangerous.

Among the powerful families in the world, the Linghu family doesn't really have a very deep foundation. It's only through Linghu Ye's hard work over the past few decades that the family has reached a certain scale.

After considering the true powerful families within the pass, Yan Sheng felt that once Linghu Ye led his troops into the pass, his final fate would inevitably be to benefit others, or even be wiped out.

Yan Sheng didn't want to be buried with him.

Back then, the Li family succeeded, rising from a powerful local clan to become the rulers of the world.

What others can do well, Linghu Ye may not be able to do well.

Having occupied the area outside the pass for decades, he still couldn't make the area outside the pass submit. With a city like Tai'an that has managed the world, a local hero like himself, and an arrogant fellow like Xiao Changche, Linghu Ye's talent was nothing special. Yet he still wanted to compete for the world's power. Yan Sheng felt that he was overestimating himself.

After careful consideration, Yan Sheng felt it was best to find a way out as soon as possible.

Tiele's advances and Yan Sheng's plan were a perfect match.

Linghu Ye has left, so who will own this vast territory beyond the Great Wall?
The only possible explanation is the Great Yuan Dynasty.

In the past two years, Emperor Yingzhuo of the Northern Yuan has defeated the Donghu, Beihu and other Hu people who came south, and they have fled in disarray. According to the information Yan Sheng knows, these Hu people have basically submitted to the Great Yuan. Where will Yingzhuo, who has returned to Yandu, turn his attention?
The Northern Yuan would not covet the interior at this time, but the area outside the pass was the place they longed for day and night.

The Yan family did not want to leave their hometown to follow Linghu Ye and venture out into the world. They wanted to continue to thrive on this land, so naturally, they had no choice but to choose them.

The Tiele were a good option for refuge.

A man of extraordinary talent who dreamed of ruling the Great Yuan Dynasty, yet was ostracized by the nobles of the Northern Yuan because of his mother, was eager to find a powerful local figure like Yan Sheng.

The Yan family's demands were never high; they only wanted them to continue governing Baoping Prefecture. A dozen or so fine horses slowly emerged from the darkness and entered the range of the firelight. The lead knight removed his hood, revealing his face.

Unlike typical Northern Yuan nobles with their yellow curly hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, this knight looked much like an ordinary young man from the Great Qin Dynasty.

Yan Sheng led the way, and a group of people emerged from the darkness, bowing to the knights on horseback.

And Tiele finally met Yan Sheng in person for the first time.

The portraits I've seen before, though they bear an 80-90% resemblance to the real person, were ultimately just craftsmen. They could paint the skin and flesh but not the bones, and the spirit was always far off.

Baoping Prefecture boasts superior geographical conditions, fertile land, and is located at the confluence of two rivers. It is a well-known prosperous land outside the pass, with a population of hundreds of thousands, and the Yan family is the de facto ruler of this land.

Ordinary people in Baoping Prefecture only know of the Yan family, but not of the Yuan family, let alone the Qin family.

Tiele looked at Yan Sheng, who was walking from darkness into the light.

The Qin people were generally shorter than the Yuan people, but Yan Sheng was tall. Tiele estimated that he was probably half a head taller than Lu He, one of his subordinates, and was well over nine feet tall. He had a square face with distinct features and a straight nose. Although he was over sixty, he was very well-maintained and looked about the same age as Lu He, who was only forty years old this year.

Tiele was all too familiar with the aura that naturally developed from years of holding a high position. Although his face remained expressionless, the slightest movement of his eyebrows and eyes revealed the domineering manner of a superior.

Is a character.

"Yan Sheng of Baoping Prefecture and his clansmen pay their respects to Your Highness."

Tiele dismounted, helped Yan Sheng up with both hands, and said with a smile, "I have long admired Governor Yan's name. It is a great honor to finally meet you today!"

Yan Sheng was quite surprised by Tiele's fluent Chang'an Mandarin, but he was relieved when he thought that Tiele's mother was Princess Chang Le.

"Your Highness's arrival should have been celebrated with great fanfare and decorations, but given the current perilous situation, we must keep things simple. I hope Your Highness will not take offense!" Yan Sheng said apologetically.

“Governor Yan underestimates me!” Tiele laughed. “Am I the kind of person who is vain and boastful? Being down-to-earth and doing things well is the right thing to do.”

Yan Sheng nodded and said, "This is precisely what I admire about Your Highness. In the past two years, Commander Linghu has nominally possessed 100,000 strong troops, but he has hesitated and wasted time in front of Your Highness, ultimately missing the best opportunity. Now, it is too late to turn the tide."

Tiele laughed and said, "General Linghu is now in dire straits! Our Great Yuan cavalry is about to march south. General Linghu is unwilling to contend with us, so he can only retreat back to the pass. However, there are many powerful figures in the pass, and their strength is not something that General Linghu can easily shake. Governor Yan has a clear understanding of the overall situation and made a decisive decision. I admire him! To be honest, if we had waited until my father returned to Yandu, Governor Yan's invitation this time would have been much less effective. But the timing is perfect, it has scratched my itch, and I can't refuse!"

Yan Sheng laughed and waved his hand to invite him, but Tiele grabbed Yan Sheng's hand and said with a smile, "Why don't we walk arm in arm with the governor!" The two grown men walked hand in hand amidst the crowd.

Standing before the Yan family mansion, Tiele stopped in his tracks, deeply shocked, yet also feeling a mixture of anger, jealousy, and envy.

A magnificent hall stands tall in front.

Unlike the dim lights at the city gate, this place was brightly lit, with countless lights adorning the mansion of the owner of Dingping Prefecture. The mansion rose from the bottom up, layer upon layer, probably no less than tens of meters high. The foundation alone, built of polished jade, was more than ten meters high. As he watched the white jade steps ascend, the expression in Tiele's eyes flickered uncertainly.

Even my father's palace is no more than this.

Compared to the magnificent hall before him, his own residence in Yandu was truly shabby.

But this Yan Sheng is merely a local lord in Baoping Prefecture.

"Your Highness, please!" Yan Sheng smiled at the Tiele.

Despite the harsh winter cold, a warm breeze wafted out from inside the main hall. Once everyone stepped into the hall and the doors closed, the room was instantly filled with the warmth of spring.

"Your presence is an honor to our humble abode. We have prepared a small feast to express our gratitude. Your Highness, please take a seat!" Yan Sheng bowed and invited.

Tiele shook his head and said, "You are the host and I am the guest. How can a guest occupy the host's seat? Please, Governor Yan, take the seat!"

Yan Sheng laughed and said, "Your Highness's status is so noble, how could I, a mere country bumpkin, compare? Naturally, Your Highness should take the seat of honor!"

“If we can get along well and have a pleasant time this time, and truly come together, then I will be the ruler and you will be the subject, and it will be fine for me to take the seat of honor. But since our titles are not yet determined, we can only be considered friends at most. As friends, the elder should naturally take the seat of honor!” Tiele smiled and walked straight to the first table on the right and sat down cross-legged. Luhe and Gro stood behind Tiele.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll take the liberty!” Yan Sheng smiled and sat in the main seat, and the other members of the Yan clan followed suit and took their seats.

As Yan Sheng picked up the jade ruyi and gently tapped it on a jade wall, a crisp "ding" rang out, and the doors on both sides of the hall opened wide, with young girls dressed in silk and satin carrying platters of food in single file.

The sounds of the zither and flute drifted in from somewhere, neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to soothe the soul without drowning out the conversations of the crowd. This perfect balance was truly remarkable.

(End of this chapter)