Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 361 Strategic Shift in the Western Regions, Seeking a Renowned Doctor in the Capital

"Master, Shi Guanyin is dead, and the Kingdom of Guizi is in chaos."

Inside the Star Luo Holy City, in the Cloud Heaven Palace, King Qingfeng Huo Tianqing reported to the Star Luo Sect Master Kunsha.

Kunsha nodded and said, "Tell me, what are the chances that the various kingdoms of the Western Regions will now acknowledge me as the King of the Western Regions?"

"At least 60%!"

Huo Tianqing said, "For countless years, the Western Regions have revered the Demonic Sect as their master. After the Rakshasa Sect rose to power, they also revered the Rakshasa Sect as their master. Our Star Luo Sect inherited the Rakshasa Sect and annexed the Demonic Sect. It is only right that we become the master of all forces in the Western Regions."

Such things had become a tradition in the Western Regions, and the various powers there would not refuse. However, the leader wanted more than just the title of Lord of the Western Regions; he wanted the authority to bestow a title upon someone else.

But right now, all the powerful forces in the Western Regions have been destroyed by us, and most of those who might stand up to oppose us have been killed. Therefore, the leader's vision has a 60% chance of succeeding.

Kunsha shook his head: "I don't want 60%, I want 100%. Tell me, where is the missing 40%?"

Huo Tianqing said, "Tigers and leopards lurk in the deep mountains, and unicorns are buried in the fields. Some people are just ordinary people in ordinary times, but when the time is right, they can rise up and become dragons, soaring through the clouds."

We are currently eliminating only the ambitious individuals we can find openly, but some will only reveal their talents when the time is right. This is one aspect.

Although the Demonic Sect nominally ruled the Western Regions, a tradition that had been established, no one wanted to have another ancestor issuing commands above them. Moreover, the Demonic Sect had declined, and the Rakshasa Sect had risen to power and confronted the Demonic Sect for many years. During this period, various forces in the Western Regions were granted freedom for decades.

Their hearts may have already wandered.

Fearing our strength, they might outwardly agree, but inwardly they would be extremely unwilling. This is the second step.

Huo Tianqing paused, then continued, "Although many have already proclaimed themselves King of the Western Regions, we have not acknowledged it. If we were to demand that the various powers of the Western Regions respect this title, it would be tantamount to admitting our ambition. In any case, it would raise people's guard. This is the third point."

Whether it's the Demonic Sect or the Rakshasa Sect, although they are nominally the leaders of various forces in the Western Regions, they are essentially江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) forces. Their so-called rule is more like two gangs collecting protection money. Therefore, the Central Plains states don't care about these two at all.

But if we proclaim ourselves Kings of the Western Regions and demand more substantial power, it means we are not a sect, but a nation.

The states of the Central Plains would absolutely not allow such a powerful competitor to emerge next to them!

This is the fourth one!

Kunsha sat on the leader's throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest: "You mean to say that I can indeed make them respect me as the King of the Western Regions, but there will be endless troubles in the future?"

"Exactly."

Is there a solution?

"Yes," Huo Tianqing said. "Instead of forcing them to accept the title of King of the Western Regions, we should let them offer it voluntarily. For example, given the current conflict between Tianxiang Kingdom and Guizi Kingdom, if one of them is in a weaker position, and if they are willing to respect the leader as the King of the Western Regions in exchange for the leader's assistance, I think they would be very happy to accept it."

The Western Regions are home to many powerful forces and numerous conflicts. Once such a precedent is set, I think other forces will not mind imitating it.

This one move is enough to easily solve the first three points. As for the fourth point, that can only be solved with brute force.

"Hehe, when Liu Bang, the King of Han, unified the world, all the capable ministers around him were his fellow townsmen from the same county. Therefore, some people say that the talents of a county are enough to govern the country."

Kunsha laughed and said, "Now that I think about it, that statement is absolutely true. In the Central Plains, you only controlled a small gang of less than twenty people and managed a merchant guild. But here in the Western Regions, you were able to govern thousands of miles of land and millions of people, and still manage everything in an orderly manner."

Huo Tianqing said, "There are countless talented people in the world, but the opportunities for these talented people to display their abilities are very few."

Kunsha nodded: "Yes, there are too many mediocre people in this world who, despite having little talent, control the path to advancement and occupy high positions, while those with talent can only lie dormant in the fields. It's a real pity."

If I were to recruit talent here in the Western Regions, regardless of background or nationality, how many outstanding individuals from the Central Plains do you think would come here?

Huo Tianqing's face lit up with joy: "The Central Plains have hundreds of times more talented people than the Western Regions. Even if there are fewer people, it's better than none at all. The only thing to worry about is that there might be spies sent by various countries in the Central Plains among them."

"Hmph! There's no need to worry about that."

Kunsha thought to himself, "You probably don't know that I have a force pieced together from spies and undercover agents from all sides."

If it were just one organization sending someone to infiltrate, he might be a little worried, but if it were two, three, or even more organizations, what was there to worry about?
Those who can be sent by various forces to act as undercover agents are the real talents!
"I'll leave this matter to you to handle."

"This……"

Huo Tianqing's smile vanished instantly. Right now, most of the affairs of the Star Luo Sect were in his hands, which meant he could only rest after working until evening every day.

With this extra business, I'll probably have to work overtime after dinner to keep going.

However, thinking that after recruiting this talent, a large number of people would come to help him handle affairs, Huo Tianqing still smiled.

"As the Lord commands!"

"By the way, we also need to pay attention to the Tianxiang Kingdom. If the Tianxiang King is incompetent and doesn't dare to offend the Guizi Kingdom, then we should just get rid of him and replace him with someone who dares to take action."

"As ordered."

"Furthermore, half of the slaves required in the agreement with the Kingdom of Guizi have already arrived. They must be properly arranged and not treated as true slaves, but as civilians of my Xingluo Sect."

"Yes!"

"There's one more thing. The prisoners responsible for reclaiming farmland and digging waterways have been quite lax lately. Select a group of them and punish them severely!"

"Yes……"

"There's one more thing..."

"My subordinates will do it now!"

Huo Tianqing interrupted Kunsha's words, immediately turned around, and quickly headed out of the hall. He even used his lightness skill to reach the hall door in the blink of an eye and ran out in a flash.

Why are you running?

Kunsha was speechless: "You only gave me two or three instructions?"

He glanced at the piles of documents on his desk, thought for a moment, and said, "Ai..."

Just as the Star Luo Sect's strategy was proceeding smoothly under Xiao Ai's control, Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng had already returned to the capital.

It only took four short days.

The fact that it took so long surprised not only others, but even Li and Lu themselves.

Although they rode on exotic horses and galloped almost nonstop, they didn't actually think they could return to the Central Plains in a short time.

Because along the way, they still had to pass through the territory of the Star Luo Sect and the border of the Ming Dynasty.

According to their original plan, the Star Luo Sect probably wouldn't let them leave easily.

Along the borders of the Ming Dynasty, the Eastern Depot would inevitably intervene to obstruct them.

Unexpectedly, not only did the Star Luo Sect not stop them, but the two also did not encounter any interception from the Eastern Depot.

After thinking it over, the two of them roughly understood the situation.

"We don't know why the Star Luo Sect gave up, but on the Eastern Depot side, it seems that Miss Su and her group are doing well!" They had already considered this possibility when the group split into several groups to return to the Central Plains.

By using Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng to draw attention, Su Rongrong and the others were able to return to the Central Plains smoothly.

Afterwards, they can spread the news about the Western Regions and reveal the truth of the matter.

Once the Eastern Depot realized that things were not going to work out, they would naturally remove their obstructions at the border.

But in reality, this was just a comforting remark at the time.

No one can be sure whether the Eastern Depot will really leave.

What if the news gets out and the Eastern Depot becomes enraged and decides to retaliate?
But unexpectedly, this possibility actually became a reality.

However, this was a good thing for the two of them, so after crossing the border, they quickly headed towards the capital.

Of the four days, the first two were spent taking an antidote beforehand.

On the second day in between, the two of them each took another antidote, so each of them had two in their hands.

It took them another two days to return to the capital. Counting the two antidotes, the two of them had a total of seven days to deal with the poison!

"enough!"

Lu Xiaofeng was full of confidence and said, "The capital city is full of hidden talents. If we're talking about famous doctors, there are no fewer than ten. Even if we can't completely cure the poison, as long as we can replicate the antidote, that will be fine."

The first person he contacted was Zhou Ming.

After all, only with Zhou Ming's influence could he find the best doctors in the capital in the shortest amount of time!

However, when they arrived at the Pei residence, they found the gate tightly closed.

The doorman said, "The Grand Secretary is seriously ill and cannot see outsiders. Please leave."

Lu Xiaofeng said, "I am a good friend of the young master in your household and often visit your residence. I have come to see the young master today as well."

The doorman said, "Young master has been traveling far and has long since left the capital. Please return home, guest."

"This... I'm sorry to bother you."

Lu Xiaofeng had no choice but to leave, but his brows were furrowed.

“Something’s not right! Although Lao Zhou is usually unreliable, he’s a decent person when it matters. He saw us off before we left, and he’ll wait for us to come back no matter what.”

Li Xunhuan said, "You heard from that fellow that the Grand Secretary is seriously ill and recuperating at home, yet Young Master Zhou has gone on a long journey. How can such a thing be right? Even if Young Master Zhou left before his father became seriously ill, he should have rushed back immediately after receiving the news!"

The two looked at each other and saw the solemnity in each other's eyes.

"I'm afraid it's not that he doesn't want to go back, but that he can't. And this Grand Secretary, I'm afraid he's not really seriously ill!"

"So, during our time away, the situation in the capital has not only not improved, but has become even more bizarre."

Although he was concerned about the court, the most urgent matter at hand was clearly his own problem with the poison.

Lu Xiaofeng quickly leveraged his large circle of friends and soon sought their help.

But at this time, the fact that all his friends were unreliable was once again revealed.

His friends came from all walks of life, but those high-ranking and influential friends each had their own ulterior motives.

When they came to our door, they all disappeared without a trace.

Those who roam the streets generally lack connections, and even if they are willing to help, they cannot find any miracle doctors.

Among these people, Lu Xiaofeng might still have the strongest connections.

Of course, there are reliable friends, such as Hua Manlou and Ximen Chuixue.

However, neither of them were in the capital.

Fortunately, snakes have their own paths, and rats have theirs.

On the third day after the two returned to the capital, a friend who worked as a groom at the post station introduced them to a doctor who was neither fully literate nor fully honest.

This man's surname is Li, and he is known as the Ghost Doctor or Li the Ghost Hand, for his superb medical skills.

"However," the coachman said with a somewhat embarrassed, honest smile, "Li Guishou's forte is not medicine, but rather external wound treatments, especially bone-shaving and plastic surgery. Whether he can remove the deadly poison from the two of them is still uncertain."

Lu Xiaofeng clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Regardless of the circumstances, I will always remember Brother Jiang’s kindness in speaking up for me at this time. However, I have also heard of the name of Li Guishou. It is said that his whereabouts are unpredictable. We are both suffering from a deadly poison and do not have much time left. If Li Guishou is too far away from us, I am afraid it will be of no use.”

Coachman Jiang Asheng laughed and said, "It's quite a coincidence. That Li Guishou is currently near the capital. If Brother Lu is willing, I can take you two to him right now."

"Yes, yes, of course I'm willing!"

Lu Xiaofeng readily agreed, and then together with Li Xunhuan, they left the capital with Jiang Asheng.

"We're going to seek help from Li Guishou, but I wonder if Brother Lu is aware of Li Guishou's conditions for his help?"

"Of course I know."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "Legend has it that Li Guishou is not interested in gold and silver, nor in martial arts, but only in other people's stories. If you want him to help you, you must tell him your own story."

Jiang Asheng nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly right, so please be prepared, Brother Lu and Brother Li. However, if Li Guishou can't cure the poison, he naturally won't ask for these things."

Lu Xiaofeng said, "My story has already been written down by that guy Zhou, so there's nothing I can't say."

Li Xunhuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "My story is probably known to very few people in the world."

Jiang Asheng smiled sheepishly and didn't say anything, as if he didn't know how to start a conversation.

Lu Xiaofeng asked curiously, "Legend has it that Li Guishou is elusive. How did you come to know this ghost doctor, Brother Jiang?"

A bitter look appeared on Jiang Asheng's face: "Brother Lu also knows that I am not from the capital. I used to wander in the martial arts world for a few years, but unfortunately I was unlucky and was almost killed. I was seriously injured and fell into the river."

It was a stroke of good fortune for me; severely injured and drifting downstream, I happened to encounter Li Guishou's boat, and he rescued me, which ultimately saved my life.

Lu Xiaofeng sighed: "I only knew that Brother Jiang had been involved in the martial arts world before, and now he is making a living in the capital. I didn't know that he had such a past. Alas, it was my fault for making Brother Jiang sad."

"It's alright, I don't care about those past events anymore."

Jiang Asheng smiled faintly, as if he had already let go of everything.

As for why he lived in the capital but didn't return to his hometown, neither of them asked further.

It must be either a tragedy or an unspeakable hardship.

(End of this chapter)