knife

Chapter 661 Two People Want to See You

The creaking of the carriage outside faded into the distance, leaving Jiang Chong alone in the teahouse.

Looking at the pills in his hand, Jiang Chong's eyes slowly lit up.

Those words were a wake-up call!
Who says they only have one path to take?
No matter what kind of power it is, it can never be a monolithic entity; it's normal for it to be divided into factions. In fact, it would be strange if there were no factions.

Even if everyone shares the same goal and can generally find common ground while reserving differences, they will still have different demands and interests on the way forward.

Xiao Changche and Jiang Qian are both Li Dachui's women.

The two naturally share the same goal: to help Li Dachui achieve final victory.

But these two are naturally destined to be rivals, both now and in the future.

I have indeed offended Jiang Qian, and now I can't gain a foothold in Jiangnan.

But this would be the best reason for Xiao Changche to accept him.

Moreover, he himself possessed the ability.

The Jiang family is also powerful.

Who can say anything if someone takes out their own real money to support Xiao Changche?

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it whole. In an instant, he felt warm currents flowing through his limbs and bones, and he felt as if he were soaking in a warm tub of water, which was extremely comfortable.

Fu Qingzhu's medicine was indeed miraculous.

I really should go and see Li Dachui.

Jiang Chong looked at the steamed buns that had been roasted to a crisp in the fire pit, picked them up, rubbed them between his hands until they turned into a pile of black powder, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wrapped them up.

The old man selling tea said it was effective, so I might as well give it a try.

Standing up, he lifted the awning, and the wind and snow rushed in, but Jiang Chong didn't feel so cold anymore.

Looking at the two tire tracks heading into the distance, Jiang Chong smiled, turned around, and strode off in another direction.

Xiangyang was of paramount importance to Li Dachui in protecting his territory in Jiangnan. To ensure sufficient strength here, Li Dachui did not hesitate to abandon Nanyang.

Li Xiu led his 5,000 elite troops to abandon Nanyang and retreat to Xiangyang. He then used these 5,000 men as the backbone to form a 20,000-strong army, with 15,000 stationed in Xiangcheng and 5,000 guarding Fancheng.

Li Xiu oversaw the overall situation in Xiangcheng, while the affairs of Fancheng were left to Lu Xiong and Chen Wan, a couple from the Demonic Sect. Lu Xiong was in charge of military affairs in Fancheng, while Chen Wan was responsible for contacting the Demonic Sect members who were lurking in Nanyang.

For the past six months, no matter how the fighting was in the south or how much money and supplies were lacking, the expansion of the army, preparations for war, the strengthening of city defenses, and the reinforcement of city walls in Xiangyang have never stopped.

In addition, there is a naval force of up to fifty main warships that has been stationed here.
Compared to Xiangcheng under He Zudao's control, it is now a world apart.

The iron chain bridge currently under construction, spanning the Yangtze River and connecting the two cities of Xiangfan, is particularly eye-catching.

"Another year!" Li Xiu said, "After this iron chain bridge is completed in a year, the two cities of Xiangfan will be connected as one. At that time, the troops of the two cities can be freely mobilized. With the advantage of the navy, Xiangfan can truly be called an impregnable fortress!"

How is morale?

“Soldiers receive food and pay, and the Protector-General provides ample pay and good food. What more could anyone ask for?” Li Xiu said with a smile.

"What about the Tiger Legion?" Li Dachui asked. "As far as I know, the Tiger Legion comes from all over the Chu Kingdom. Now that we are enemies with Chu, what are they thinking? Are there any signs of instability?"

"When the Empress Dowager established the Tiger Legion, she had considered all aspects carefully!" Li Xiu said. "All Tiger Legion officers and soldiers, except for the main officers, were required to be either not the only son in their families and not yet married. Because once they have attachments, they will inevitably have those attachments during battle, making it difficult for them to be brave and determined." "There's such a rule? I really didn't know that!" Li Dachui laughed.

“Once a soldier in the Tiger Legion gets married, he can only be transferred or retired!” Li Xiu laughed. “The Tiger Legion has excellent benefits, and many soldiers are reluctant to leave! So even though we have turned against the State of Chu, the soldiers don’t care, because they have always been loyal to only one person.”

“Understood!” Li Dachui nodded. “Previously, it was Li Guohua in Dongdu, a steady and shrewd opponent. But now it’s Cui Cheng. According to intelligence from all sides, this man is quite ambitious and eager for quick success. Moreover, his failure to compete with his brother for the position of family head has given him even more motivation to start a war to prove himself. Many scions of aristocratic families treat war as a game. They don’t consider the consequences; they only care about whether it’s beneficial to themselves!”

"Xiangyang has been preparing for battle all along, and has never slackened for a single day!" Li Xiu said solemnly.

"General Li, did you also participate in the Battle of Xiangyang back then?" Li Dachui asked with a smile.

Li Xiu nodded: "Yes, but at that time I was just a captain. In that battle, life and death, success and failure were truly just a matter of a single thought. We originally thought we were going to lose, but we never expected that we would turn defeat into victory in the end. The Empress Dowager's persistence gave us the opportunity, which is also the reason why the Empress Dowager has the support of countless people in Chu. If we had lost that battle, the Qin army would have been able to advance straight in and take Jing and Xiang, and then the Chu Kingdom would have been doomed!"

Li Dachui was naturally aware of these past events.

It can be said that without the reversal of the Battle of Xiangyang, He Qiku would have succeeded, the Qin Dynasty could have continued for a long time, Linghu Ye would have been stuck in the border region as a local tyrant, and He Qiku himself would have been nothing more than a bandit leader.

This battle changed the fate of many people.

It even changed the fate of the Chu and Qin states, and of course, the Northern Yuan was the first to be affected, and now even the state no longer exists.

This battle is destined to leave a significant mark on history.

Some people will be remembered in history, while others will be infamous for eternity.

At the time, everyone believed that their choice was the right one and the one that was most beneficial to them.

Many things can only be judged by time and history, and only then can we truly know whether they were good or bad.

The two turned around, their jade pendants jingling behind them, and saw Zhang Qingyun walking gracefully towards them.

"Headmaster Zhang!" Li Xiu bowed respectfully, keeping his distance from the woman before him.

Li Xiu had worked with Cao Hui and a group of guys from Zhi Qiu Yuan. These fierce and ruthless people were completely subservient to Zhang Qingyun and never disobeyed him in the slightest. This allowed Li Xiu to see that Zhang Qingyun was not a simple person.

Therefore, although Zhang Qingyun was always polite and gentle to Li Xiu, Li Xiu still dared not be lacking in manners and made up his mind not to contact her unless necessary.

Anyway, he and Zhang Qingyun are not from the same system.

"Protector, you speak with Headmaster Zhang. This humble general will go check on the horse stables over there. If you need anything, just let me know!" Li Xiu said with a smile.

Watching Li Xiu's departing figure, Li Dachui laughed and said, "My relative here seems to be a little afraid of you!"

"Who cares!" Zhang Qingyun said with a sneer. "Protector, I just received two invitations through different channels, both inviting you to meet."

"Who?"

"One of them is Jiang Chong!"

"Where's the other one?"

"The other person is Linghu Ye!"

"What?" Li Dachui turned around in surprise and looked at Zhang Qingyun.

(End of this chapter)