knife

Chapter 669 New and old grudges
Li Dachui laughed.

He was so angry that he laughed.

Over the years, I have painstakingly planned and schemed for the world.

The destruction of the Northern Yuan and the subjugation of the barbarian tribes in the north ensured that the Qin Dynasty would no longer face the threat of internal strife in the north.

His expedition south of the Yangtze River stirred up internal strife in Chu, overthrowing Jiang Qian's rule and plunging Chu into chaos, leaving Qin's greatest enemy, Mud Bodhisattva, unable to even protect himself after crossing the river.

At this point, the best possible outcome for the Qin Dynasty to unify the world had emerged.
These people, however, do not care about the world, but they are scheming against themselves.

That's just how those people always are!
I will absolutely not do anything that doesn't benefit me.
Once they see the benefits, they immediately jump out to want a share.

Moreover, given their special status in this world, they can easily distort the truth and confuse right and wrong with just their words.

For them, there is no right or wrong, no truth or falsehood, only interests.

These people are well-versed in the art of Machiavellianism.
If they could easily defeat you, they wouldn't waste time talking to you; they'd just come at you and wipe you out.

The weak have no right to speak.

If they can't win, they'll resort to other tricks.

For example, this so-called drama of trying to stand on both sides of oneself.

At this time, they prioritized national interests and the well-being of the people.

Did these bastards think about these things when they were planning the defeat in Xiangyang?
In the eyes of these people, neither the nation nor the people are anything more than tools to be used to achieve their own goals.

Picking up the last piece of fish and putting it in his mouth, Li Dachui slowly stood up as he chewed.

"General Linghu is right, history is written by the victors, so let's see if you can keep me here today! Since I dared to come, I certainly won't be without any support!"

Linghu Ye chuckled: "Guardian Li, your mother was in the realm of divine travel back then, but she still couldn't escape Kou Zhong and his men's encirclement. Do you think you can be stronger than your mother?"

"So how many of you are there today?"

"If it were just about defeating you, I alone would be enough!" Linghu Ye said confidently. "But if I want to keep you here, preferably capture you alive, that's far from enough, so..."

As soon as Linghu Ye finished speaking, a figure appeared on the opposite bank of the river. He was dressed in white robes and a turban, with a long sword at his waist. His face was as white as jade, and three long strands of beard danced in the wind. He was a truly handsome young man.

"The new head of the Cui family of Boling, Cui Shu!" Linghu Ye introduced.

Turning to their side and behind, they saw an old man wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, holding a wine pot in one hand and a wine cup in the other, gesturing towards them from afar.

“Cui Ming, the former head of the Cui family. He is currently working with me in Chang'an. His Majesty has issued an edict appointing Mr. Cui as the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the nation's finances.” “Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together. The Cui family is really willing to invest in you!” Li Dachui laughed.

Linghu Ye turned in another direction, and suddenly a burly man appeared in the snow, standing nine feet tall, truly broad-shouldered and thick-waisted.

"Lu Xin of Fanyang greets Protector Li!"

The man clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Dachui from afar and said loudly, "The Protector's methods in destroying the Northern Yuan are admirable. It's a pity that we can't be friends and have to fight each other instead!"

"That's all?" Li Dachui looked at Linghuye.

"Isn't that enough?" Linghuye laughed.

"I just want to ask one question: Did you participate in the Chang'an Incident more than twenty years ago?" Li Dachui asked loudly.

Lu Xin shook his head and said, "At that time, I was just a nobody, barely passing the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. I was really not good enough for that level of combat, so I stayed at home and didn't go out. It was my father who took action. Unfortunately, my father never returned, and his body was never found."

"So that means the Lu family was involved in the attack on my mother back then!" Li Dachui sneered.

Lu Xin nodded: "Of course, Protector Li has a blood feud with my Lu family for killing my mother, and I have a blood feud with Protector Li for killing my father. So when I heard that Li Zemin and He Qingqiu actually had a son, and that he was the famous Protector Li, I was terrified. If Protector Li were to gain power, my Lu family would probably be wiped out. How could I miss such a good opportunity to deal with Protector Li?"

“The Cui family of Boling must have been involved as well!” Li Dachui asked.

"Of course I participated." Cui Ming took another sip of wine and said calmly, "However, more than 20 years ago, I had just entered the Xiantian realm and was not yet qualified to fight your mother. I only led the troops to attack the Eastern Palace. If the death of the then Crown Prince Li Zemin was related to me, I would admit it."

Li Dachui nodded and said to Linghu Ye, "Back then, Commander Linghu was just a captain on the frontier. However, you rose to prominence precisely because you vigorously suppressed my parents' subordinates in the following years, and with the support of these families along the way, you became a master. Am I right?"

“Yes!” Linghu Ye said without any hesitation, “Speaking of which, everyone present today is related to that case from the past! However, it has nothing to do with personal grudges, but is a political struggle. If Protector Li wants to hold a grudge and seek revenge, then we will follow suit.”

"I'm just afraid that before the old grudges are avenged, new hatreds will be added!" Cui Shu's voice came from afar. "I heard that Xiao Changche from beyond the pass has given birth to Lin'er for Protector Li. If he can grow up safely, we'll just wait for him to come and seek revenge on us!"

Li Dachui's cold gaze fell upon Cui Shu on the opposite bank of the river. "Many details of the Chang'an Incident were kept completely hidden. The relevant archives and documents were almost entirely destroyed, leaving me in the dark about who was involved. Kou Zhong, whom I discovered earlier, has already had his head chopped off and hung at the gates of Luoyang. The Wei clan has been exterminated. He Qiku died young; consider him lucky. I didn't have the chance to dig up his grave. However, He Zudao was also beheaded by me in front of the army. Haha, hahaha! Very good, really very good!"

"I wonder what's so good about it?" Cui Shu asked from afar.

"Today I also learned that the Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang are also involved in this matter. Some of my old enemies have surfaced again. Of course I am happy!" Li Dachui slowly gripped the hilt of the Minghong sword at his waist. As if sensing the surging killing intent in Li Dachui's heart, the Minghong sword, still in its sheath, already rang out with clear ringing sounds.

As the sword was drawn, a wisp of light flowed repeatedly across its blade, gradually being covered by clusters of blue sparks. Each spark was edged with white. These sparks slowly receded into the blade, causing the surrounding air to rise abruptly. The river, which had been only a few feet wide, was now gradually expanding.

"Phoenix Departing from Fire!" Linghu Ye laughed loudly: "Back then, your mother used Phoenix Departing from Fire to enter a state of divine travel. You have indeed mastered this skill as well, but I wonder how you compare to your mother?"

"Why don't you try and see!" Li Dachui suddenly swung his knife.

(End of this chapter)