knife

Chapter 742 Hope
Life is helpless, ruthless, and sometimes even cruel.

You know perfectly well that there's a 99% chance this won't end well.
No matter what effort you make,
But as long as there is even the slightest hope,
You just want to give it your all and take a gamble.
They wanted to win that sliver of hope from the darkness.

Even if we fail in the end,

You can also comfort yourself:

No matter what I did, I tried my best, I have a clear conscience, and I have done right by everyone.

Is he truly being fair to everyone?
Not so!
Perhaps you're just being fair to the people you want to save.
In this process, have your actions led to the deaths of even more people?
However, those people are distant and unfamiliar to you, so even if they are sacrificed, you will not feel any sympathy.

You can always find countless reasons to excuse yourself.

The more capable and thoughtful a person is, the less likely they are to give up.

Just like Xiang Zhuang's current predicament.

As someone who has long been involved in intelligence work and is exceptionally sensitive to current affairs, he could naturally sense the unusual nature of everything he had encountered in the past six months.

That feeling of being unwittingly manipulated and unable to control oneself.
It often brought him to the brink of collapse.

To outsiders, he appeared confident and in control.
But no one can imagine the helplessness Xiang Zhuang felt when he was alone late at night, like a newborn baby separated from the protection of his mother's warm womb.

As a member of the Xiang clan, how could he give up?
It was not only about family honor, but also about a sense of responsibility towards the State of Chu.

The royal family of Chu was surnamed Xiong, but in reality, he was also surnamed Xiang.

The complex emotions of family, country, and personal vendetta completely enveloped Xiang Zhuang, making him know that danger lurked ahead, yet he still resolutely marched forward.

All of this was orchestrated by Li Dachui himself, but could Xiang Zhuang blame Li Dachui?

He really couldn't bring himself to say it.

Because Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi were personally involved in everything, but in the end they lost because they were one step behind.

If they had won, both Li Dachui and Jiang Qian would have been ghosts in hell long ago.

If you're willing to accept the consequences of a bet, then you have to accept the outcome; there's nothing more to say about it

What distressed Xiang Zhuang was that, in this predicament, Li Dachui handed him a knife and said, "Go, go and take revenge, go and restore the glory of your ancestors!"

Can you refuse to take the knife?

Even if you know perfectly well that this guy has ill intentions.

His plan was to plunge the entire Chu Kingdom into chaos, allowing the eight towns of Jiangnan to grow safely between Qin and Chu, so that he could provide support in the great battle against Linghu Ye, thus putting Linghu Ye in a difficult position.

Moreover, the chaotic state of Chu allowed them to continue their southward advance after defeating Linghu Ye.

When that time comes, the chaotic state of Chu will be no match for the rumbling southward advance of the army that has defeated Linghu Ye. If only I hadn't pushed Jiang Qian off the throne back then!

Sometimes such thoughts would pop into Xiang Zhuang's mind, but they would only flash through his mind for a moment.

Because at the time, the situation was such that if they didn't make a move against Jiang Qian, Jiang Qian would make a move against them.

"Uncle, Mr. Qian has come to say goodbye!" Xiang Dong said to Xiang Zhuang as he entered the study.

"Please invite Mr. Qian in!" Xiang Zhuang stood up.

Shang Rong, Chen Zhen, and Qian must have been officials sent to the Southwest region during Jiang Qian's era. Jiang Qian's goal at the time was to use the opportunity of transferring Na Wei, this fierce tiger, out of the Southwest, so that Shang Rong, who was well-versed in the details of the Southwest, could take action to steal Na Wei's hometown.

However, just as these three arrived in the southwest, Jiang Qian collapsed, while Na Wei suddenly became the head of the entire Chu Kingdom. The situation of Shang Rong and the other two became not only awkward but also extremely dangerous.

However, Shang Rong, nicknamed "Granny Shang," is indeed exceptionally intelligent. Not only has she established herself in the southwest, but in a short period of time, she has also gathered a group of Na Wei's enemies to form an alliance. Now she controls Hepu County, Nanhai County, Gaoliang County, Cangwu County, and other places, forming a powerful check on Na Wei.

It was the strong performance of these three men in the southwest region that caused Na Wei's plan to transfer 50,000 troops from the southwest to fall through. In the end, only 20,000 wolf soldiers from the southwest were barely transferred. Otherwise, Xiang Zhuang's situation would have been even more difficult.

"Does General Xiang have any other instructions?" Qian Yiding looked at Xiang Zhuang. He knew Xiang Zhuang before. Back then, Xiang Zhuang was handsome and upright, unlike now, who looked as old as a little old man.

"Please thank General Shang and General Chen on my behalf!" Xiang Zhuang solemnly bowed to Qian Yiding. "This is all the support I can give you this time: 100,000 taels of silver, plus these boxes of medicine. In addition, a ship full of military equipment is being loaded onto the ship, which will probably take more than a month to reach Nanhai County. Moreover, all of this military equipment is old. As you can see, Mr. Qian, I am indeed having a hard time right now!"

"I see it, I see it!" Qian Yiding sighed. "When we left, Great Chu was full of splendor, but it has become like this in such a short time. It's truly unexpected. General Xiang's current situation is not much better than ours, but he still gave us this support. We are already very grateful!"

"The difficulties are only temporary. After the new year, we will launch a counterattack against Danyang!" Xiang Zhuang assured Qian Yiding, "Na Wei has already incurred the wrath of both heaven and man in Danyang. Now, the major forces have basically reached an agreement. With your support in the southwest, we will surely succeed!"

Qian nodded with a smile: "Next spring, Generals Shang and Chen will definitely launch a spring offensive. No matter what, the conversion of native chieftains to imperial officials in the southwest will also advance. We can't help much with things here, we can only help General Xiang tie down some of the southwestern wolf soldiers!"

"I am already very grateful!" Xiang Zhuang said, "On the day of our success, you will all be meritorious officials who will rebuild the Great Chu!"

Qian Yi said no more, simply bowed deeply, and took his leave.

Xiang Dong said he would definitely come back after sending the money, but he was a little worried: "We are already short of money, and we are giving them so much money and things. Uncle, they are Jiang Qian's people!"

"Shang Rong and Chen Zhen have never been Jiang Qian's men. It's just that these few people have a deep understanding of the Southwest, so Jiang Qian sent them there. They are from the Great Chu!" Xiang Zhuang said, "You can rest assured about that. Moreover, the power they have in restraining Na Wei is not something that can be measured by money and supplies. Right now, if it weren't for the offensive in the spring, I would love to send them more troops to help them succeed, and make the Southwest a battlefield. I want to see if Na Wei can still be so calm!"

Cheng Zhen's success in Southwest China is also one of Xiang Zhuang's bargaining chips, although this bargaining chip was originally arranged by Jiang Qian.

Jiang Qian truly possessed extraordinary insight in selecting and employing people. These three individuals were completely at odds with Jiang Qian, yet she unhesitatingly appointed them to pacify the Southwest. In this respect, Xiang Zhuang greatly admired Jiang Qian's magnanimity. If it weren't for Na Chu's decisive move, and Na Wei had been able to mobilize a large number of Southwest wolf soldiers to march north, Xiang Zhuang might have already been crushed to the ground.

So now that Shang Rong and his group are asking for money and weapons, no matter how difficult it is, even if it requires scraping the ground clean, Xiang Zhuang will still meet their demands.

The Southwest Wolf Soldiers were Na Wei's foundation. Their hometowns were on fire, and their families were not at peace. Xiang Zhuang did not believe that those soldiers could still wholeheartedly serve Na Wei.

In the coming period, Xiang Zhuang plans to personally make arrangements. For his offensive next spring, he needs the strong support of those forces that are still observing the situation. There are some people he must meet with personally and negotiate terms with.

(End of this chapter)