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

Chapter 1474 Returning to Yanmen County

Zhang Liang silently calculated in his mind for a while, only vaguely feeling that Liu Ji's destiny was extraordinary, seemingly stronger than Jing Ju's, but what exactly his destiny was still shrouded in mist, and he couldn't figure it out.

"Fate is determined by heaven, but success depends on human effort. I can't really say anything about Brother Liu's fate."

But I already know Brother Liu's character. With Brother Liu's intelligence and magnanimity, it would be truly unjust if he didn't achieve great things in the future.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji was both pleased and somewhat suspicious.

She suspected that Zhang Liang was just saying nice things on purpose, but was happy that Zhang Liang was willing to say such things to her.

Whether it's true or not, the fact that Zhang Zifang could say such a thing at least confirms his recognition and appreciation of him.

He also greatly admired Zhang Liang, feeling that he and this noble young man were very compatible.

"Thank you for your kind words, Zifang." Liu Ji thanked him and then asked, "There must not be many people like you, Zifang, who can 'coincidentally' discern my destiny through simple divination, right?"

Zhang Liang pondered for a moment and said, "This is a difficult matter to discuss."

"Are there many?" Liu Ji asked anxiously. "I have also studied Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), and I can observe the movement of stars and predict the weather."

I've already put in a lot of effort just to predict the weather for the next ten days, and I'm still often wrong.

"The skill of divination based solely on luck requires no diligent study or time for practice. With just a bit of luck, one can directly borrow the power of the Dao Ancestor. This is far too unfair to ordinary people like us."

In this era, every qualified commander must understand "weather forecasting".

Even when they were serving in the Pei County garrison, an old captain taught them simple calculation methods to determine the weather conditions for the next few days.

Later, he followed Wu Yazi and learned the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Da Fa (a method of divination based on the stars in the heavens), and Liu Laosan himself comprehended a rudimentary form of Zi Wei Dou Shu (a form of Chinese astrology).

It calculates weather forecasts with remarkable accuracy.

Of course, this world has celestial secrets and rain masters who can change the weather.

Liu Ji could only rely on "normal" weather forecasts.

Zhang Liang said, "I'm not saying that there are too many people who can see into your fate to count."

The Dao Ancestor should not be regarded as an ordinary immortal.

The sage is the embodiment of the Great Way of Heaven and Earth. The fact that I can feel something in my heart today is not because I have great ability, but simply because I am lucky.

Where does good fortune come from?

It's God!
It was fate that allowed me to glimpse part of Brother Liu's destiny today.

And my glimpse into part of Brother Liu's destiny is itself a matter of destiny.

It was God's arrangement that brought us together and allowed me to get to know Brother Liu.

It's hard to say whether fate will allow others to have a sudden inspiration and see through Brother Liu's destiny.

But since it's fate, we should just let nature take its course; there's no need to force it or worry about it.

He took out a bamboo scroll from his pocket and said with a smile, "Instead of worrying about the vague and elusive fate, we should continue to study military strategy."

Zhang Liang waved enthusiastically to Liu Ji, urging him to move his seat closer to him.

"Let me explain the fifth chapter of 'The Art of War by Taigong' to you."

Liu Ji did not refuse and immediately sat down next to Zhang Liang to listen to him explain military strategy.

When the two first met, Zhang Liang was sitting in a carriage reading a military book. When he approached him and asked a question, Zhang Liang, without any hesitation, took the initiative to explain the military book he was reading.

Upon hearing that it was the "Art of War by Taigong," Liu Ji was both shocked and somewhat apprehensive.

Shocked that Zhang Liang was willing to tell him such a precious thing, he worried that the "Taigong's Art of War" and the "Taigong's Secret Records" might also charge copyright fees—to reap his good fortune.

Before visiting the White Cloud Immortal Abode, he was skeptical of the idea of ​​immortal techniques harvesting one's fortune, finding it too fantastical and not taking it seriously. It wasn't until he was actually harvested himself and experienced the frustration and depression of a period of low fortune that he truly developed a sense of awe.

Zhang Liang was also very frank in response to his doubts.

First, "Taigong's Art of War" is a secret military treatise, no different from "Sun Tzu's Art of War"; second, he did not only teach military strategy to Liu Ji, but also to many other people, including the more than forty strongmen he brought with him.

He didn't hide anything and explained it openly, but no one else could understand it except Liu Ji. Liu Ji could even say things that greatly inspired Zhang Liang, so Zhang Liang liked to discuss and study "The Art of War by Taigong" with him.

Zhang Liang didn't fool Liu Laosan either.

The Book of Military Strategy of Taigong was taught to him by Huang Shigong, who explicitly said: "Help your teacher spread this book so that the world may know the wonders of the Book of Military Strategy of Taigong."

Huang Shigong not only asked him to spread the "Taigong's Art of War," but also wanted Zhang Liang to become the representative who practiced Taigong's Art of War.

Zhang Liang's success made the world aware of and respect Taigong's military treatise.

Zhang Liang had also asked about the reason, and Huang Shigong said that he was acting on someone's behalf.

Zhang Liang asked Huang Shigong who had entrusted him with the task, but Huang Shigong only said that he would find out sooner or later.

However, since it can be publicly disseminated, the "Taigong's Art of War" will naturally not have obvious side effects on practitioners like the Vajra Zen heretical method.

Dai County, located in the north, behind Yanmen Pass.

"Hahaha~~"

Looking at the group of "destined ministers" lining up to enter the military camp, Grand Tutor Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

It was already late August. She quickly completed the reconstruction of the land veins of the Dai Kingdom—which was originally the northern part of the old Zhao Kingdom—and returned to the place where she had settled when she first came to Shenzhou, Yanmen County.

Outside the military camp, there was a sparse line of about two hundred men, all of whom were adult men.

Some were in their twenties or thirties, while others looked to be in their forties or fifties.

Even if they weren't exactly valiant and powerful, they all had full foreheads and bright eyes, making it clear at a glance that they weren't ordinary people.

However, they were not in good spirits. Some looked around at the northern scenery with a blank expression, some sighed, and some had resentment and anger in their eyes.

The reason why Grand Tutor Yu laughed was that there were actually several acquaintances among this group.

Xiao He and Han Xin were prominently listed among them.

This matter really had nothing to do with her; Grand Tutor Yu did not "harm" them.

Although she had long advised Han Xin not to cause trouble in the Central Plains, as the north was where he could truly make his mark, seeing him here today was a pleasant surprise.

This group of people were all "chosen ministers" carefully selected by Li Si.

Following the dream meeting in July, Li Si immediately took action. First, he moved the families of the anti-Qin rebels from Xingyang to Guanzhong, where they were handed over to Ziying, the magistrate of Xianyang, for redistribution.

The Qin state in Guanzhong and the six states outside the pass all shared a vast border with the northern nomadic peoples.

The Great Wall defense line in the Central Plains mainly formed the border between the states of Yan and Zhao. Guanzhong not only included Yunzhong and Jiuyuan (the area around Baotou and Hohhot), but also Longxi, which faced the Yuezhi to the west.

When the Qin Dynasty was powerful, the nomadic tribes beyond the borders were well-behaved, posing no threat. Now that the Qin Dynasty has just declined, nomadic tribes from all directions have immediately attacked. Sending the relatives of those who rebelled against the Qin to Guanzhong to guard the border not only fulfilled the policy of populating the border regions but also kept them confined within Guanzhong, essentially treating them as hostages.

There is no doubt that the difficulty of rescuing Liu Ji's father would be vastly different depending on whether he was placed in the northern part of Zhao or the northern part of Guanzhong.

In addition to exiling the relatives of those who rebelled against Qin, Li Si also launched "Operation Pruning," first selecting all those associated with the rebellion, and then using the collected information to conduct big data screening on them.

Li Si personally oversaw the major case concerning the rebel king.

They selected those they deemed qualified to be "divinely appointed ministers" and "invited" them to the north to serve as high-ranking officials.

They were truly high-ranking officials, not mere clerks. More than half of them started as county lieutenants or county magistrates.

The northern defense line is too long, with hundreds of county towns, and even more "townships" and "villages" that are not qualified to be established as counties.

"What is the Grand Tutor laughing at?" Lu Lingzi asked, puzzled.

Grand Tutor Yu pointed to the "Heavenly Mandate Ministers" waiting for Meng Yi to receive them outside the gate in the distance, still unable to suppress a smile on his face, "All the heroes of the world are now under our control!"

Lu Lingzi glanced at them with his Qi-gazing technique and said, "There are indeed many heroes, but to call them 'heroes of the world,' I'm afraid they don't deserve the title."

Grand Tutor Yu said, "If the world's talent were a bushel, I would possess eight-tenths. But let me be modest and say I only possess five-tenths."

Furthermore, the five bushels will not be evenly distributed among the so-called "heroes of China".

"By capturing just a few at the very top, all the talent in the world will be within our grasp."

If she hadn't become the Grand Tutor and hadn't been so prominent in recent years, Lu Lingzi would have spat at her: "You possess five-tenths of the world's talent, how can you say such a thing, and still have the nerve to call yourself modest?"
I think you have eight out of ten thick-skinned people in the world!
He may not acknowledge that Grand Tutor Yu is exceptionally talented, but it remains true that she is the most dazzling person in the world today.

Lu Lingzi used his spiritual eye again to examine each person in the distance, asking, "Who among them possesses talent that can be measured by a bushel?"

He felt that they were all of average appearance, and becoming nobles was already the limit. But he was also very clear that among those carefully selected by Li Si, there were definitely many true "destined ministers".

How could someone who becomes a minister appointed by Heaven be merely of average appearance or an ordinary nobleman?
Grand Tutor Yu said, "We can't measure it right now. We need to give them a chance and let them unleash their initiative. Only when their potential is fully explored can we see their talent for measuring."

Lu Lingzi sighed, “It’s difficult! Those who are forced to come are bound to be full of resentment. Some even wear their resentment on their faces.”

I reckon most of them will run.

Although Prime Minister Li promised them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, they were all to be border officials.

Once the Hu people moved south, the counties and towns they guarded would be the first to be affected.

Can we expect them to unleash their potential with the awareness of 'sacrificing themselves for their cause'?
I think they're about to unleash their potential for escape.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Do you think Li Si didn't consider this possibility?"

Lu Lingzi said, "Li Si can use their family members as leverage, and they can also pretend to be defeated by the Hu people and then escape."

Defeated retreats are commonplace in the north; how could the imperial court blame them?

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and said, "You are a person outside the secular world, pure and honest, unaware of Li Si's vicious schemes."

He knew very well that two things were crucial to success: his own beliefs and his reputation in the outside world.

Without faith, one is like a Taoist practitioner without direction.

Without a reputation, how can one accomplish anything on their own?
The one who can replace the Qin Dynasty must possess stronger and greater beliefs than the Qin rulers and ministers, and must be more beloved by the people of the world than the Qin Dynasty.

Before coming to the north, Li Si had already proclaimed to the people their mission to guard the northern border for the Central Plains. They had also sworn an oath in Xingyang to do their utmost and resolutely resist the southward invasion of the Hu people.

He broke his oath and betrayed his beliefs; he fled without a fight, or even deliberately lost, ruining his reputation. Even if he could argue that he had done his best, he couldn't defend a small county town or wipe out a detachment of the Xiongnu army, and thus he would still have no good reputation.

Why did Lu Lingzi stay in the north for more than ten years, assisting Meng Yi all the time?

The slogan of "honoring the king and expelling the barbarians" has been around for over 100,000 years. Even if we no longer "honor the king," the idea of ​​"expelling the barbarians" is still a consensus among many people with aspirations.

They abandoned the battle and fled, which even Lu Lingzi and his group of recluses looked down upon.

Lu Lingzi sighed, "I really didn't think of that. If I didn't think of it, they probably wouldn't have either."

Grand Tutor Yu said calmly, "Those who don't even have this kind of understanding are not true heroes at all. We don't need to care about their lives or thoughts."

Lu Lingzi remained silent for a long time before asking, "What if one day the Xingyang court can no longer hold on?"

Grand Tutor Yu said, "When that day comes, these heroes who have been transferred here will be free to come and go as they please."

No one can control them, and there's no need to control them anymore.

Li Si transferred them to the north because he did not want them to use their talents in the war to destroy Qin.

To put it bluntly, Li Si was doing this to protect the Qin Dynasty.

"The Qin Dynasty is gone, so it doesn't matter anymore."

In her heart, she would naturally have hoped that extraordinary talents like Han Xin and Xiao He could stay in the north for their entire lives, dedicating their efforts to meaningful "resisting foreign aggression" rather than internal strife. It's true that the Qin Dynasty deserved to die. But Han Xin's talents weren't used to destroy Qin; instead, they were used to exchange weapons with Xiang Yu.

But this vision is neither an obsession nor a belief. If it succeeds, I will be overjoyed, laughing heartily as before; if it fails, I will only sigh with regret.

“I’m not just talking about these heroes.” Lu Lingzi said with a worried expression, “The Xingyang court in the Central Plains has fallen. What will become of the Great Wall Army? What should be done about the North?”
I swear, the Xiongnu will not give us decades to allow the heroes of the Central Plains to slowly vie for supremacy and for a new dynasty to gradually restore the power of China as a superior nation.

"The Qin Dynasty has already fallen, yet the 'Grand Tutor of Qin' still has to worry about the world's troubles?" Grand Tutor Yu saw the confusion on his face and couldn't bear it. He then said, "I can only promise that the Great Wall Legion and the Meng brothers will never participate in the chaos in the Central Plains."

The Qin Dynasty may perish, but the Great Wall Army will never perish in the civil war in the Central Plains.

Even if the Xingyang court is destroyed, there is still Xianyang.

Xianyang continued to provide assistance to the north to the best of its ability until it could no longer sustain the effort.

When that time comes, I will have to protect the remnants of the Ying clan as they migrate westward; I simply cannot afford to worry about anything else.”

"Grand Tutor, your righteousness is boundless! For this act alone, you deserve immense merit." Lu Lingzi bowed sincerely to Grand Tutor Yu.

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head and said, "It's just fulfilling the duties of the imperial dynasty's legitimate ruler and the leader of humanity."

I didn't gain any merit from doing anything, but not doing anything would have cost me a lot of merit.

In reality, even if she were shameless and abandoned her responsibilities and morals, she would still be unable to transfer all the members of the Great Wall Army to the Central Plains to fight the civil war.

Because many soldiers in the Great Wall Army were from the north.

They joined the Meng family army to protect their families.

"It is a great blessing for the people of the world that the Grand Tutor has this idea!" Lu Lingzi sighed, and then said, "Perhaps the Grand Tutor should find an opportunity to hold a small meeting with Fuqiu Gong and the others to discuss the handover of power in the Central Plains in advance."

Grand Tutor Yu was somewhat speechless.

Seeing that she was easy to talk to, this guy took advantage of her and became even more demanding? She hadn't even lost yet, and he was already asking her to write a letter of surrender.

(End of this chapter)