Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 450 The So-Called Alliance

Before dawn, the east was only tinged with a pale, fish-belly-like gray.

Inside the commander's tent, the lights were still on.

Qin Shimoyu picked up the last tiny spring with his fingertips and embedded it into the dark jade box, which was no more than three inches in size, in his hand.

With a soft "click," a fleeting glimmer of light flowed across the hundreds of intricate patterns on the surface of the jade box before returning to silence.

This is a magical artifact he made for himself, modeled after the Mohist school's principle of non-aggression.

Whether he can actually use it or not is another matter, but being able to create this thing is a symbol of his superb mechanical skills and can increase his reputation within the sect.

Just then, a steady and powerful footstep sound came from outside the tent, and a messenger was stopped by the guards.

"Your Excellency, General Pang Nuan has summoned all the officials for a meeting. Please come to the meeting place."

"understood."

Qin Shi Moyu responded indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so magical artifacts on the table, each with its own unique brilliance.

He casually waved his hand, packed up the entire table of food, and added it to the chat group.

[Mortal: Qin Shi, I received the items. The quality is top-notch as always. The spirit stones have been transferred. Please click to accept.]

[Qin Shi: Hmm.]

Qin Shimoyu glanced at the storage bag that the mortal had sent him, which contained over a thousand spirit stones.

Compared to the immortal path, which only requires absorbing energy, the martial path, which requires comprehending things like true meaning, still relies too much on talent.

As for those without spiritual roots, they cannot cultivate immortality.

That was indeed the case before. He could extract spiritual energy using other methods, but the energy consumption was too high and the efficiency was too low.

But things are different now. The War Maniac has provided the Seeker's Cultivation System for "Sun and Moon in the Same Mistake".

According to their exploration, changes in the primordial spirit will be naturally shared once the Heavenly Palace of Consciousness is opened.

For example, the divine skill unique to the mortal world called "divine sense".

In the process of the sun and moon moving in unison, the acupoint for the seeker of the Dharma lies in the primordial spirit, not in the physical body.

The Three Truths Borrowing Treasures Technique was not suitable for the War Maniac, so he didn't cultivate it, but it was suitable for him in Qin Shi!

He can even use the method of borrowing treasures to absorb spiritual power and embark on the path of cultivation.

What's wrong? All things follow the law, and spiritual energy is also a law. What can't be borrowed?

Although the consumption is still quite high.

"At the current rate, I only need to cultivate for another thirty-three years to form my core," Qin Shimoyu murmured to himself.

Although it sounds like self-deprecation.

In reality, such a cultivation speed is something that only those with exceptional spiritual roots and abundant cultivation resources could achieve in the mortal world.

And it's only a possibility.

Take Han Paopao as an example. He established his foundation at the age of 25 and successfully formed his core at the age of 126.

Leaving aside the time he spent rebuilding his cultivation, it took him a full sixty years just to break through from the late Foundation Establishment stage to the Core Formation stage!
Qin Shi Moyu has only broken through half of the time limit.

However, even so, he was still somewhat dissatisfied with his progress speed.

"Thirty years"

He placed the storage bag in his sleeve pocket and absorbed spiritual energy, but a bitter smile appeared on his lips: "The Battle Maniac and the heroes have only taken three years to reach a level below the Nascent Soul stage. It will take me thirty years to form a Core."

He couldn't comprehend the Void Shattering Realm by pursuing martial arts.

He couldn't endure thirty-three years of pursuing immortality.

There was nothing he could do; he always liked taking shortcuts, so he started thinking crookedly and resorting to evil means again.

"Shinto is a good thing."

Qin Shi Moyu squinted, lifted the heavy curtain, and stepped out of the command tent.

The cold wind, carrying the dampness of earth and vegetation, swept over him, clearing his slightly muddled mind.

"Mo Qing still gets up so early."

A gentle, yet dignified voice came from behind.

Qin Shi Moyu didn't need to turn around to know that the person who came was Han Yu, who must have been waiting here for some time for this "chance encounter".

He stopped, turned around, and a perfectly timed smile appeared on his face. He cupped his hands and said:

"The Fourth Prince also works tirelessly day and night for the country, which is admirable."

Han Yu's well-fitting soft armor made him look even more heroic and extraordinary.

He quickened his pace, walking alongside Mo Yu, and seemingly casually slipped a beautifully carved jade pendant into Mo Yu's hand, lowering his voice:

"Thank you very much for the military intelligence that Mo Qing sent last night. I am deeply grateful."

The jade pendant felt slightly cool to the touch and had a delicate texture, clearly indicating that it was a valuable treasure.

Last night, Mo Jia was ordered to deliver intelligence about Chang'an Jun Chengjiao to Han Yu ahead of time.

Subsequently, Han Yu, in his own name, presented another copy to Pang Nuan, the commander of the Zhao army.

This allowed him to demonstrate his strength and increase his influence within this complex coalition, while also naturally making Pang Nuan owe him a favor.

For Han Yu, who had staked his life on this alliance, this gift was undoubtedly of great importance.

"It's nothing, young master, why bother taking it to heart?"

Qin Shi Moyu spoke modestly, but took the opportunity to slip the jade pendant into his sleeve without any hesitation.

The value of this jade pendant itself is not important; what matters is the attitude it represents.

Han Yu was telling him in this way that he remembered this favor. In the future, with this jade pendant, he could repay the favor.

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, in a harmonious atmosphere, a cold aura swept past them.

Bai Yifei, dressed in blood-red robes and with long, silver hair like frost, walked past them without glancing at them, as if they were invisible. The chill emanating from her body seemed to freeze the morning mist.

Han Yu's smile froze slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

He quickened his pace, approached her, and began to chat warmly:

"Your Excellency looks quite well today. Mo Qing and I are also heading to Commander Pang's tent, why don't we go together?"

Bai Yifei didn't stop walking; he simply made a barely audible "hmm" sound from his nose as a response.

Qin Shi Moyu followed slowly beside him, watching Han Yu's efforts to appease the perpetually icy-faced man, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

He knew what Han Yu was afraid of.

Since the sudden death of General Ji Wuye of the Korean Kingdom, the entire Korean court has been in a state of panic.

Although there was no evidence, everyone in the court and the public knew that Ji Wuye's death was inextricably linked to him, the "leader of the Mohist school" who had just gained a foothold in the state of Han.

King An of Han was furious, but also terrified. He desperately needed a new force to restrain this tiger that was about to escape his control.

Therefore, he appointed Bai Yifei, the "Blood-Clad Marquis" who had always been at odds with Mo Yu in the court and was himself extremely powerful and capable, to replace Ji Wuye as a counterbalance.

This alliance was led by Bai Yifei, with Mo Yu, who was instrumental in facilitating it, serving as the deputy general.

Originally, Han Yu had nothing to do with this mess.

But this child really, really wanted to ascend that supreme throne; he dreamed about it constantly.

Therefore, after Ji Wuye, the Crown Prince's greatest backer, died suddenly, a few days later, the Crown Prince died of a stroke in his drunken stupor after an absurd banquet, falling onto a woman's belly.

The technique was so exquisite and the timing so precise that it left no trace.

Just as Ji Wuye's death was related to Mo Yu, anyone with a brain in Xinzheng City knew that the Crown Prince's sudden death must be related to this ambitious fourth prince.

Therefore, King An of Han sent him to this battlefield that would determine the fate of the world to serve as a military supervisor.

You want to be the crown prince?
Sure, show me your abilities.

If they can perform well enough in this alliance against Qin and secure sufficient benefits for the state of Han, then the suspicion of fratricide can be overlooked.

However, if he is merely ambitious but incompetent, not only will he forget about becoming the crown prince, but upon returning to the country, he will also be prosecuted for the heinous crime of murdering his brother and usurping the throne.

Han Yu was already walking on a tightrope over a precipice, with nowhere to retreat.

Therefore, he cared more about the "conflict" between Bai Yifei and Mo Yu than anyone else.

He was afraid that the "internal strife" between the two would ruin this opportunity that he had risked his life for.

But he will never know.

The seemingly irreconcilable "battle between generals and ministers" before my eyes was, from beginning to end, nothing more than a play that I, "Mo Qing," wrote for him and his father to watch.

……

The three men, two in front and one behind, each with their own thoughts, walked in silence and soon arrived at the central command tent.

Lifting the tent flap, four figures were already waiting inside.

Inside the command tent, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Dozens of tallow candles illuminated the tent as bright as day, and also lit up the huge map spread out on the long table, covered with dense markings.

The white-haired and bearded old general Pang Nuan frowned, staring silently at the map, analyzing Meng Ao's military plan based on the available intelligence, and simulating corresponding ways to break the deadlock in his mind.

After all, the Qin army was heading towards the territory of his Zhao state, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

Beside him stood a burly general, nine feet tall, clad in heavy black armor, with an imposing presence.

Zhu Hai, the commander of the Wei army.

When he saw Mo Yu arrive, a complex and unfathomable light inevitably flickered in his usually calm eyes.

Even though the allied forces had been assembled for over a month, he still found it hard to accept that the man who stirred up trouble in Daliang City of Wei, known as the "Six-Fingered Qin Demon," had used ruthless methods to integrate Lord Xinling's former troops.

This even forced the King of Wei to order the execution of Grand Minister of Works Wei Yong and hand over military power to Wei Mo, a mysterious commander from the Xinling Lord's faction. It turned out that Wei Mo was the same person as the guest minister from Han in front of him.

Qin Shimoyu felt his gaze, looked back calmly, a gentle smile on his face, and nodded slightly.

Zhu Hai grunted and turned his head to the side.

He admired strong men, but he instinctively remained wary of wise men who could manipulate heroes from all over the world.

Qin Shi Moyu didn't care at all, and then turned his gaze to another white-bearded old general next to Pang Nuan.

Commander of the Guard Army, Gongsun Yu.

The State of Wei was small and weak, with its entire army not even enough to cover the territory of a single prefecture. Logically speaking, it was not qualified to stand on equal footing with the seven powerful states.

But it was still one of the vassal states personally appointed by the Zhou emperor and recognized by the other states to this day.

In addition, the veteran general Gongsun Yu had a reputation for virtue among the various states, which barely earned him the right to sit at the table for a meal.

However, just as the State of Yan at this moment had already become a vassal of the State of Zhao, and its army was under the control of Pang Nuan, the army of the State of Wei was also actually a vassal of the State of Wei, and under the jurisdiction of Zhu Hai.

At this moment, Gongsun Yu also turned his gaze to Mo Yu.

Because of his granddaughter Li Ji and his most prized disciple Jing Ke, he already knew that the young Korean guest before him was the mysterious "Commander Wei Mo" and "Six-Finger Qin Demon".

The old general, who had spent his life observing people and fighting battles, showed ample respect to this young man who was so highly praised by Li Ji and Jing Ke.

Qin Shi Mo Yu returned the greeting with a respectful bow, neither humble nor arrogant. Thus, the "Three Jin Regions," which had always been the core of the world's chessboard, and its most loyal vassals, were finally assembled.

Silence fell over the tent for a moment, with only the flickering flame of the oil lamp making a soft "crackling" sound.

The group did not discuss anything; instead, they were waiting for something.

Another half a while passed.

The curtain was lifted again.

Li Yuan, the chief general of Chu, and Yan Chunjun, the chief general of Yan, arrived together.

Both of them still had a hint of drowsiness and exhaustion on their faces, as if they had just woken up from a deep sleep.

This contrasted sharply with the generals inside the command tent, each exuding a restrained killing intent, sharp eyes, and showing no signs of sleepiness.

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on the two of them, each with a different expression.

Yan Chunjun is fine, though.

The State of Yan had just suffered a defeat at the hands of Zhao, and was almost forced to participate in this alliance meeting with Zhao holding a knife to its throat.

Pang Nuan firmly controlled the limited military power of the Yan state.

Lord Yanchun, the younger brother of King Xi of Yan, is a complete incompetent fool. His purpose in coming here is ostensibly to form an alliance, but in reality, he is a hostage and merely there to make up the numbers.

No one was surprised that he was slacking off like this.

But Li Garden...

He was originally a commoner in the State of Zhao, but rose to power through his sister's connections. He stirred up trouble in the State of Chu, and not long ago, he took advantage of the national mourning period to launch a coup, killing the powerful Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, and supporting his sister's son, King Han of Chu, to ascend the throne.

As the emperor's brother-in-law, he held supreme power in the court and was in dire need of a great achievement to solidify his position and prove that he was "worthy of his position."

Yet he remained as lazy and lethargic as ever.

Looking at his appearance, Pang Nuan's cloudy old eyes flashed with disappointment, and he shook his head inwardly.

These two were the only two nobles among the generals in the tent who had no cultivation whatsoever.

The military journey over the past few days had left them exhausted, and their bodies could no longer withstand such continuous military meetings.

The State of Chu, with its well-equipped and powerful army, fierce soldiers, and strong national strength, should have been the main force in this alliance against Qin.

But now, these hundreds of thousands of troops are in the hands of a courtier who is ignorant of military affairs and the importance of warfare.

It seems we can't count on the people of Chu.

Pang Nuan's gaze slowly shifted from Li Yuan and returned to Zhu Hai, Bai Yifei, and Gongsun Yu.

The states of Zhao, Wei, Han, and Wei were united as one; their fates were interdependent.

Their fighting spirit against Qin and their general's ability to lead troops are beyond question.

In this resistance against Qin, the main force will still be the three Jin states.

Fortunately, with the combined forces of the four states, they still held an absolute advantage against the Qin army led by Meng Ao.

The old general's gaze swept across the map, the heavy burden of the nation on his shoulders almost suffocating him.

"Everyone, everyone is here."

Pang Nuan pointed heavily to a spot on the map and said:

"Last night, Young Master Han Yu sent me an urgent military report. The King of Qin has dispatched his brother, Lord Chang'an Chengjiao, with 150,000 reinforcements, who are marching rapidly toward our Zhao territory."

"The reason I have gathered you all here today is to discuss and come up with a set of rules."

Pang Nuan's gaze swept over everyone like a hawk's, "How should we fight this battle?"

After he finished speaking, the tent fell into a deathly silence.

The tense atmosphere that had just been built up due to the Qin army's reinforcements quickly dissipated.

When Li Yuan heard the words "attack Zhao", a hint of disapproval appeared in his eyes.

His purpose in this trip was to gain sufficient political capital for himself in the newly established Chu court.

Ideally, we should take this opportunity to recover some of the former Chu territory that was occupied by Qin and make some real achievements.

As for whether the State of Zhao survives or perishes, what does it have to do with him?
Pang Nuan took in everyone's expressions, and his weathered heart sank once more.

This is the biggest drawback of the allied forces.

If all six sides are of one mind, the people of Qin will be afraid.

When the six states are divided, the people of Qin will laugh.

Even a three-year-old understands this principle.

But when it comes to choosing between interests, who would be willing to sacrifice their own troops for the sake of another country's territory?

Everyone is afraid of suffering more losses and getting less benefits.

Therefore, no one wants to fight a battle that offers no benefit.

He turned his head and cast his gaze upon Zhu Hai, the commander-in-chief of the Wei army:
"General Zhu Hai, what is your opinion?"

This alliance was successful for two reasons: first, Pang Nuan's recent victory over the Yan state, and second, the Wei army's recent great victory over the Qin general Meng Ao.

Everyone knew that behind that victory stood a name that they both respected and feared—Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji!
Unfortunately, Lord Xinling was assassinated and "seriously wounded," making it impossible for him to join the army on the expedition.

The commander of the Wei army was Zhu Hai, who was loyal and brave, but lacked prestige and strategic acumen.

This back-and-forth resulted in the allied forces being leaderless.

No single voice could subdue the crowd or truly control the situation.

"Uh……"

Wei general Zhu Hai fell silent for a moment when asked the question, and subconsciously looked towards where Mo Yu was.

He was a pure martial artist.

If you ask for his opinion, he will definitely think about it from the perspective of how to better defeat the opponent.

But he also knew that between nations, even allies, there was "national conflict" in addition to "military conflict."

Being too "generous" will result in being taken advantage of by allies.

This "degree" is too difficult for a pure martial artist.

Pang Nuan followed his gaze and looked at the three Han soldiers.

He remembered the crucial intelligence he possessed, which had been provided by the South Korean army, and thus spoke in a deep voice:

"Young Master Han Yu, General Bai, General Mo, if you three have any thoughts, please feel free to speak them out and we can discuss them."

Upon hearing this, Han Yu immediately wanted to speak up and show off.

He desperately wanted to prove himself in this setting, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he suddenly realized that the battlefield was not the same as the imperial court.

In the imperial court, words are like knives; they can be used to bluff, to call a deer a horse, and even if one is wrong, there is always room to maneuver and shift blame.

But within this military tent, every word could determine the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and the very survival of the nation.

A single wrong word could lead to a river of blood and endless annihilation.

Moreover, what level of battlefield veterans are these people in front of them? And what kind of ferocious Qin wolves and tigers are they going to face?
Lacking experience in military struggles, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and simply cupped his hands in a gesture of humility towards Pang Nuan.

Beside him, Bai Yifei stroked his smooth chin with one hand, his gaze lazily sweeping across the map, and said leisurely:

“Meng Ao has stationed his troops at Xihe, confronting us; Cheng Jiao is leading reinforcements to attack Zhao, and judging from the direction, they should be heading straight for Shangdang. Therefore, we... may need to divide our forces to deal with this.”

This is nonsense.

Even someone like Han Yu, who is not knowledgeable about military affairs, could draw this most basic conclusion after receiving the intelligence.

Ironically, within the united front, this seemingly pointless statement became an unavoidable core issue.

How should the troops be divided? Who should lead the division? Which force should be deployed to which target?
The interests and risks involved behind this are the biggest challenge for this coalition.

As everyone once again became engrossed in their own calculations, the atmosphere inside the tent became oppressive.

Pang Nuan knew he couldn't wait any longer, and had no choice but to speak again:

"Shangdang is a strategic location, the gateway to our Zhao state. I, an old man, shall personally lead the army of Zhao to repel the enemy."

"As for Meng Ao of the Xihe region, we will have to rely on your strength!"

No one had any objections to this.

After all, Shangdang County is your Zhao territory. You can't expect us outsiders to risk our lives to guard your home, can you?
But what follows is the Xihe defensive position built around Puyang City, which is quite interesting.

From here, one can march north to attack Handan, the capital of Zhao, or south to threaten Daliang, the capital of Wei, and Xinzheng, the capital of Han. Puyang itself is also the capital of Wei.

The enemy's commander was Meng Ao, a seasoned veteran who had fought countless battles.

In this battle, apart from the farthest state of Chu, the other three states of Jin and Wei had nowhere left to retreat.

Therefore, Pang Nuan was not afraid that they would not do their best.

Qin Shimoyu stood in the crowd, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

This outcome was exactly what he wanted most, but he absolutely could not bring it up himself.

In his game, there are several objectives that must be achieved.

Firstly, he cannot afford to lose, otherwise, regardless of whether it is Han or Wei, the damage to his reputation would be too great.

Secondly, Lord Chang'an, Chengjiao, absolutely cannot die.

Therefore, he could never go to the Shangdang battlefield in the west, nor could he take the initiative to suggest that anyone else go.

He had to let Pang Nuan "choose" for himself.

Otherwise, if he secretly intervenes and helps Cheng Jiao win the battle, the blame for "colluding with the enemy" might fall on his head.

Thirdly, Qin general Meng Ao on the eastern battlefield must die!

Moreover, he must die under the sway of Lord Xinling's formidable reputation.

Only in this way can the morale of Lord Xinling's faction be completely appeased, allowing him to completely control the military power of Wei.

Fourth, Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Zhou Dynasty, must be acquired.

This is a crucial step in his grand plan to seize the legitimacy of the "Ji Zhou" dynasty and command the world.

Fifth, Han Yu... it would be best if he could also "accidentally" die at the hands of the Qin army in this great battle.

Therefore, he had to, and could only, remain on the battlefield of Puyang in the east.

After a brief but fruitless discussion filled with countless glances and exchanges of benefits.

The final resolution has finally been reached.

Pang Nuan, leading the majority of the Zhao army and all the Yan army, immediately broke camp and rushed to Shangdang to provide reinforcements.

However, he left behind a small group of his elite old subordinates who were originally under Lian Po's command and had extremely strong fighting capabilities.

This serves both to maintain the dignity of the coalition agreement and as a last line of defense.

In order to avoid these "allies" in the east causing any real trouble and being defeated in one battle by the Qin general Meng Ao.

(End of this chapter)