If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1472: Keep a low profile and bide your time
"Actually, Yin Tong was just a little out of touch with reality, not that he was too stupid. Although he gave Xiang Liang another chance to serve, he didn't open the city gates and let Xiang's army into the city directly."

The South Sea Goddess continued, "After receiving Yin Tong's letter, Xiang Liang only took his nephew to the prefect's mansion to see Yin Tong."

Yin Tong liked to support scholars, and Xiang Liang was just one of the powerful figures in the martial arts world he took in.

He had more than a dozen Qi Refiners and hundreds of top-level martial artists who had comprehended the Immortal Martial Dharma Form by his side.

Although those wandering swordsmen were not skilled in military strategy and formations, their own formation, composed of thousands of armored soldiers, would surely be a powerful army that even immortals would fear.

The crowd nodded slightly, their doubts both diminishing and increasing.

The doubts about Yin Tong's foolishness dissipated. Yin Tong wasn't truly stupid; it was just that his ambition didn't match his abilities.

With such tight defenses, how could Yin Tong still be defeated and killed?
The South Sea Goddess looked frightened and said, "Yin Tong first summoned Xiang Liang alone. After the two agreed on the surrender, Xiang Liang said that his nephew Xiang Ji should also come in to pay his respects to the lord."

Yin Tong readily agreed.

Then, in front of more than a dozen extraordinary people and hundreds of armored warriors, Xiang Ji beheaded Yin Tong, who was also a top-level immortal and wearing magical armor, with a single sword strike.

After killing Yin Tong, Xiang Liang retreated to the side, drew his sword to protect himself, and left his nephew Xiang Ji to face the warriors who rushed in.

Xiang Ji, alone with his sword, was like a tiger among sheep, slaying hundreds of immortal warriors in the palace and routing the guards of the prefectural governor's mansion.

Too much fear in their hearts prevented them from forming military formations.

Xiang Liang was still shouting loudly behind him—"Fellow villagers of Jiangdong, do not kill yourselves!"

Xiang Liang was very famous in Kuaiji, and he was carrying Yin Tong's head, so people quickly came to him.

Alas, the Crown Prince of Wu is very unlucky. Although he was wary of Yin Tong, he never expected Yin Tong to collapse so quickly.

Yin Tong collapsed quickly, but Xiang Liang absorbed Yin Tong's subordinates even faster.

"After a day and a night of bloody fighting, Wu County was awash in blood, littered with corpses, and more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded! Most of the prefecture was burned to the ground," the nun said with a sorrowful expression.

"Given Yin Tong's secret betrayal, is the fact that the Crown Prince of Wu was able to achieve such results due to Ying Song's exceptional abilities, or is it because of the collective time travel organized by Grand Tutor Yu at the end of last year?" Zhang Liang frowned.

The nun said, "Perhaps it's both. King Wu has twenty sons, and Ying Song is not the eldest, yet he was chosen as the heir apparent. He must have extraordinary abilities."

His selection as the crown prince is most likely related to his dream journey.

The first time all the princes of the Ying clan traveled through time, there were over two hundred princes and nobles of the Ying clan under Ying Zheng, but only twenty-five were eventually granted the title of king. This shows that they were carefully selected.

In the time-traveling process of selecting princes, the crown prince was also chosen, again selected from among the best.

In addition, at the end of last year, the kings fought countless battles with the heroes of China in their dreams.

The Xingyang court must have known for a long time that Yin Tong was unreliable.

Judging from the layout of the military camp and the allocation of battlefield tasks, Ying Song was also on guard against Yin Tong.

This is probably one of the reasons why Yin Tong wanted to recruit Xiang Liang to join him in rebelling against Qin when the war was halfway through.

He knew he had lost the court's trust.

Zhang Liang sighed, "The fact that he was born with the feathered phoenix spirit has made the anti-Qin cause a hundred or a thousand times more difficult!"

Jingju smiled confidently and said, "The kings of the Ying clan traveled through time in their dreams, and we, the anti-Qin heroes, are also time travelers. Our experiences are even more real than theirs."

For example, the current situation in the Central Plains is something we actually experienced in the Small World long ago.

The Fighting Dharma King exclaimed in surprise, "Even if the Duke of Lianjing was murdered by the tyrannical Qin, the families of all the heroes were relocated to the border, and their cronies were conscripted to serve as officials in the north, did Master Fuqiu foresee all of this and even have you train in advance?"

Jingju's smile froze slightly as he said, "Lord Fuqiu probably considered the Qin court's reaction. After all, he knows that Grand Tutor Yu is definitely spying on our alliance."

In the dream journeys, I didn't receive help from my uncle many times.

However, the imperial court has gone to such extremes, even arresting our acquaintances and sending them to the Great Wall Army as officers. Fuqiu Gong's moral integrity was too high; he never expected the court to be so despicable.

In the dream journey, he did not receive any help from Jing Bo. Most of the time, he had to start from scratch and inherit the Jing family's vast wealth, five hundred retainers, two thousand assassins, and the help of many minor sects.

The so-called minor lineage refers to the descendants of the royal family of the former Chu state.

Why was the State of Qi able to recover so quickly? At least two of the prefectures within the State of Qi had the surname "Tian".

The situation was similar in the Chu region, where many descendants of the Chu royal family were scattered throughout the various counties and prefectures, becoming prominent and influential families.

Their help to Jingju far exceeded that to Jingbo.

"Gentlemen, this is the situation in Kuaiji Commandery." Jing Ju continued with a serious expression, "Xiang Liang is not Yin Tong; he will absolutely not be content to be a 'King of Yue' in Kuaiji."

The Xiang family army will definitely come to the Central Plains to fight us for Pengcheng.

Liu Ji asked, "Does Your Majesty know of Xiang Liang's action plan?"

Jingju looked at the South Sea Goddess again.

The nun smiled and said, "I have a disciple who has also become an immortal and is currently keeping an eye on the movements of the Xiang family army in Kuaiji."

Speaking only of the present, after killing Yin Tong and capturing Ying Song, Xiang Liang held a grand ceremony to mourn the dead while incorporating surrendered soldiers and recruiting young men from Jiangdong.

The Xiang family army now numbers 80,000!

But my disciple predicted that Xiang Liang would not take everyone with him.

The journey from Kuaiji to Sishui was too long. Supplies for 80,000 soldiers would be insufficient and would further slow their march.

"Even a small, remote, and desolate place like Ji has an army of 80,000." Jing Ju's expression was grave. "Zou Yao and Ying Bu have already decided to defect to Xiang Liang."

Liu Ji immediately hunched over, lowered his head slightly, and drooped his eyes.

When he arrived, the old Taoist priest from Qinghe had already told him that Jingju had a big task for him.

As expected! No matter how hard Liu Laosan tried to minimize his appearance and avoid attracting attention, Jingju still looked at him and took the initiative to issue an order, saying, "Lord Pei, I wish to appoint you as the vanguard general to conquer the Fengyi and Peixian areas."

We must completely open up the passage from Mangdang to Liuxian, so that our two armies from Western Chu and the two regions can be integrated into one.

What do you think?

Liu Ji said with a bitter face, "I was kicked out of Mangdang Mountain by the Marquis of Kuaichuan. Now that I'm voluntarily returning to Fengyi, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back!"

Jingju said, "Back then, you only had a little over a hundred brothers by your side, yet you were able to break through the encirclement of the Fast Boat Marquis."

This time, I'm sending you back to your hometown of Fengyi, so naturally I won't leave you with so few soldiers and generals again.

I will give you five thousand men and ten generals.

Furthermore, immortals such as the South Sea Divine Nun and the Azure Lotus Hermit will lend you a helping hand when necessary.

Liu Ji glanced at the South Sea Goddess in surprise.

The beautiful fake nun smiled gently, her eyes warm, showing no sign of resistance.

After struggling with his conscience for a long time, he still said, "Your Majesty trusts me so much, I should be willing to die for you and do my utmost."

However, Your Majesty should be aware of my situation.

My dear father. Waaah~~

He rubbed his eyes hard, and in a few moments his eyes were red and swollen. Tears streamed down his face, and his voice choked with sobs, "Father, your unfilial son~~" After a loud cry, he continued, "Your Majesty, my father, mother, brothers, sister-in-law, nephews and nieces have all been captured by the tyrannical Qin."

The announcement to the people has only been out for less than a month.

I fear that I might make too much of a fuss, incurring Li Si's wrath and causing my father's death.

Jingju said unhappily, "The Xiang family and my Jing family have also had many relatives and friends arrested."

Even if you conquer Fengyi, at this time, the most eye-catching person in the land of China will still be me, Xiang Liang.

After all, you are here on my orders to conquer Sishui.

However, the imperial court did not immediately behead the Jing and Xiang families and display their heads to the public. Instead, they were relocated to the border areas as civilians, which was the final punishment.

Ultimately, the Ying clan and the tyrannical Qin officials also wanted to leave themselves a way out.

"If things are really pushed to the extreme, leaving the officials with no way out, the Xingyang court will be thrown into chaos first."

Liu Ji wiped away his tears and said in a muffled voice with a nasal tone, "Although Your Majesty and Lord Xiang Liang have lost some of their relatives, they are not your fathers!"
If I were to disregard my father's safety for the sake of fame and fortune, what would the world think of me? What would the king think of me?

He bowed to Jingju and said, "Your subject is willing to accept the position of 'Commander of Grain Supply' and help Your Majesty transport grain."

Jingju frowned and said, "You understand the Zhou Tian Star Array and have even evolved it into a military formation."

If you have the help of immortal masters such as the South Sea Divine Nun and the Azure Lotus Hermit, even the Marquis of Kuaichuan and the Marquis of Hunhai of Pengcheng would be no match for you.

"To only be responsible for escorting grain supplies is a waste of his talents."

In the dream journey, Liu Laosan sought refuge with him dozens of times, demonstrating exceptional behavior.

While not invincible, he was certainly one of the top three fierce generals under his command.

Liu Ji said, "Your Majesty, my responsibility to escort supplies does not mean that I am completely inactive when faced with sieges or when resisting the court's encirclement. I just do not want the court to harm my father."

Zhang Liang's eyes flashed, and he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have no concerns and am willing to conquer Fengyi and Pei County for Your Majesty. I only ask that the Duke of Pei serve as my Chief of Grain Supply."

Jingju was somewhat conflicted. "Master Zifang possesses extraordinary talent, and I trust him. But he has never led troops in reality, nor has he participated in any small world travels. Can he command an army of 100,000?"

These words left Zhang Liang bewildered. "Wasn't it only five thousand elite soldiers?"

He once led hundreds of strongmen to assassinate Ying Zheng. With the army numbering ten times, he should be able to control it, right?

At least we can give it a try.

He wouldn't dare try if it were an army of 100,000.

Liu Ji explained, "We set out with 5,000 elite soldiers, and recruited wandering knights and heroes along the way. By the time we reached Fengyi, we had at least 20,000 to 30,000 men. After we took Fengyi and Pei County, we continued to recruit heroes. By the time we reached Liu County, even if we didn't have 100,000 troops, we would still have 70,000 to 80,000."

Jingju nodded slightly.

This is the advantage of traveling through small worlds: even before the great battle begins, one can accurately predict the process and outcome.

Of course, this is the result after victory; if it's a crushing defeat, they'll naturally slink back home in disgrace.

The reason Liu Laosan was chosen to lead the troops was because he had succeeded in doing so many times in the small world.

Zhang Liang's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Between Dang County and Liu County, besides Mangdang Mountain, there are only Fengyi and Pei County."

Can they really recruit an army of 100,000? Is Liu Bang going to take all the able-bodied men from the towns and villages?

Liu Ji said, "It's not necessary to take them all away. According to the law, each household should have one person serving in the military."

Zhang Liang sighed, "These counties are not small, but they've taken away 100,000 able-bodied men. What will happen to the autumn harvest? Who will plant the winter wheat?"

Jingju was unhappy.

Is this Zhang Liang merely a figurehead? How utterly pedantic!
“Sir, there are priorities. The most urgent task is to connect Dang County and Liu County so that I can govern Western Chu in a unified manner,” he said.

Zhang Liang asked, "When you anti-Qin heroes traveled through the small world, how did you solve the problem of food supplies for your army?"

Jingju and Liu Ji said almost in unison, "Aocang! Once we take Aocang, we'll have everything we need."

Zhang Liang asked, "Won't we run out of food before we capture Ao Cang?"

"The army will not lack food." Liu Ji hesitated for a moment, then said, "The people will probably suffer for two years. Once the situation stabilizes, we will definitely organize the army and civilians to reclaim wasteland."

"Now that Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, you can't worry about too much else."

Zhang Liang sighed, "I probably can't lead an army of 100,000. I can only be a captain assisting the commander-in-chief, just like Liu Bang."

—I feel you're not even fit to be a centurion.

Jingju felt a bit disgusted with him.

However, Zhang Liang was, after all, a Qi cultivator who had achieved success in the Dao, and was qualified to lead an army on his own.

"Brother Ji, are you out of your mind? Jingju offered you the position of commander-in-chief, but you refused and insisted on helping Hou Feng escort military supplies. What is Hou Feng anyway? He's not even as good as me." Back at their quarters, after closing the door and telling his brothers about leading the troops into battle, Lu Wan couldn't help but exclaim.

Liu Ji glared at him and said, "What's wrong with escorting grain? According to the old tales of the Investiture of the Gods, all the generals who insisted on escorting grain eventually became saints in their physical bodies."

With the exception of Nezha, almost all the generals who charged into battle were listed on the Investiture of the Gods.

Furthermore, how dare you call Jingju "Jingju"?
Now that we've submitted to the King of Chu, we must act like loyal subjects. At the very least, we shouldn't give him any leverage against us.

Fan Kuai said urgently, "Brother, don't worry about these formalities, and don't mention any old stories about the Investiture of the Gods."

You're not the general; we are your generals. Tell us what you're thinking.

Liu Ji said quietly, "Master Wuyazi once told me that my luck would be extremely bad this year and next year."

The situation in the Central Plains is very strange right now, and I can't quite figure it out.

This year and next, let's keep a low profile and quietly reap the benefits. Being too high-profile will only do us harm.

"When did the Taoist priest tell you this? I didn't know that," Lu Wan asked in confusion.

Liu Ji said, "He didn't mention anything about rebelling against Qin. It was just that when we were discussing the immortal techniques of Baiyun Cave, he said that I had used up all my good fortune and would have to go through two years of bad luck, which wasn't worth it."

"The Taoist priest is right. Damn it, I can't master the Heavenly Gang Secret Techniques at all, and I haven't mastered a single one of the Earthly Fiend Divine Powers either. It's a total rip-off," Zhou Bo cursed.

Several old brothers nodded repeatedly, "It is indeed a bit of a loss. The Taoist priest taught us the Starry Sky Technique, guaranteeing that we would learn it, without asking for any favors from us."

The White Cloud Cave Immortal Techniques have drained our good fortune; we only learned the secret techniques, but we're not even guaranteed to master them. It's outrageous!

Fan Kuai took it in stride, saying, "The martial arts academy doesn't charge money; it only teaches us immortal martial arts and military formations, but not everyone can learn them. If you can't even master martial arts, how can you expect to learn immortal techniques and supernatural powers?"

If everyone could learn something instantly and master it quickly, then everyone would be at the peak of human immortality.

The reality is that, apart from a very few exceptionally talented individuals like Fan Kuai, the rest are just ordinary martial artists.

Liu Ji waved his hand and said, "I did not decide to keep a low profile because of a single sentence from Daoist Wuyazi."

I already had a plan to bide my time, and reflecting on the Taoist priest's words only strengthened my resolve.

"The anti-Qin cause is in full swing now, what is there that we can't see through?" Fan Kuai asked doubtfully.

(End of this chapter)