Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 188 Everyone has their own agenda
Yun Ce looked down on the Fire Clan's treasury; this was the kind of discernment one would expect from a lord.

If a subordinate also dislikes something that their lord doesn't approve of, then the problem lies with the subordinate.

For a clan or group to grow strong, it must have the magnanimity to embrace all rivers. The leader is responsible for guiding the great rivers, while the subordinates are responsible for guiding the trickles. Only by not letting go of a single drop of water can it achieve greatness.

Feng An was still very interested in the Fire Clan's treasure trove. If the Yun Clan had enough armor, it could attract more warriors, especially the wandering warriors under the Iron Enclosure Pass. Yun Ce had long coveted them, but Qin Shu, that stubborn guy, just wouldn't recruit them.

It's not really Qin Shu's fault. The reason those people stayed under the Iron Wall Pass was that they dreamed of one day making a name for themselves at the city walls, receiving a title, and finally returning home in glory.

In other words, those people won't leave unless there are enough benefits.

"Look, even if I give you the chance now, you still can't kill Cao Kun. But honestly, the person you really should kill is your uncle, Huo Minggong. He's the one who colluded with foreign enemies to break through your Danwang Mountain, he's the one who forced your father to his death, and he's the one who killed your brothers and sisters."

In other words, if Huo Minggong had colluded with Cao Kun, and Huo Minggong had colluded with another noble, would you still have to kill that other noble?
Therefore, Huo Minggong is your father's killer. Without his betrayal, the tragedy at Danwang Mountain would not have happened.

Huo Liao looked at Feng An and said, "They are all my enemies."

Feng An nodded and said, "You can only say this when you are strong enough. I think you should focus your revenge on Huo Minggong first."

“I dream of killing this thief, but he is hiding in Danwang Mountain, and I can’t kill him.”

Feng An took out a thin booklet from his pocket and placed it in Huo Liao's hand, saying, "We can only help you this far. The rest, how to operate it, is up to your own wisdom."

Huo Liao looked down and saw three large characters written on the cover of the thin booklet: "The Art of Steel Frying".

"This is a secret technique of my Yun family that can solve the problem of pig iron being too brittle and wrought iron being too soft. You come from a family of iron smelters, so you should be able to tell at a glance whether it is feasible or not."

Huo Liao looked at Feng An and said, "You want to use me and this steel-frying technique to lure Huo Minggong out of Danwang Mountain?"

Feng An smiled and said, "I knew you were a smart kid."

"I don't have enough manpower."

"That's your problem. Even if you're captured alive and brought here for questioning, we won't admit it."

"In other words, if I want revenge, I must use my own power, and your Yun family will only reap the benefits without bearing any risks?"

"The 'Steel Frying Technique' is the capital that my Yun Clan has put up. This one secret recipe alone is no less valuable than your Fire Clan's treasury."

“I need help. If we’re going to set a trap for Huo Minggong, we need some meticulous planning, which my people and I can’t handle.”

Feng An thought for a moment and felt that he had thoroughly studied "The Art of War" and had gained a lot of new knowledge by analogy. Perhaps, maybe, he could help with the planning.

The Shehuo sacrificial ceremony at Yunshi Manor continued, and the celebrations continued as well. Everyone was well-fed today, with double the food and the cooks adding many more delicious dishes. With their full stomachs, they had extra energy to devote to the celebrations.

The large-scale celebration turned into a small-scale festivities; although the Yun Family Manor was very large, laughter never stopped.

Most people are lively, while a small minority are calm.

Cao Kun was very calm now, even somewhat cold.

"This is the first time I've heard that elephant pigs can use their trunks to grab stones and throw them into the air."

"Didn't the elephant pigs have this skill before?" Yun Ce asked.

Cao Kun shook his head and said, "No, it has never been found in the records."

Yun Ce fell silent and did not continue speaking. Just now, Cao's people rode the Xintianyou to scout the backwater bay. As a result, the Xintianyou involuntarily lowered its altitude. If it weren't for the warriors riding on the bird's back trying their best to control it, the Xintianyou might have landed directly on this backwater bay.

The alpine bird descended a bit and was attacked by an elephant-boar. The elephant broke its leg bone with a large rock and will need at least a year to recover before it can fly again.

Even so, Xintianyou, who had lost a leg, still wanted to continue attacking the elephant boar. This was quite different from Xintianyou's usual gentle nature. He regarded the elephant boar as an enemy.

Cao Kun may not have noticed, but Yun Ce did. What sign was it that a beast as stupid as a pig had learned to use tools in such a short time?
This is a sign that they are rapidly evolving. Yun Ce is now praying that Cao Kun has enough adventurous spirit and enough ambition to lead everyone to uncover the evolutionary mystery of the Huishui Bay Elephant Pig.

In fact, this was the second time Yun Ce had experienced such a shock. The first time was when the Gui Fang people artificially accelerated the growth of a thousand generals. At that time, Yun Ce suspected that the Gui Fang people had mastered a method to speed up the evolution process.

Now, the same thing has happened again in Huishui Bay, and both times it is related to Yun Ce, so things have reached a point where they must be resolved.

"Will the traps to control the habitat of the elephants be dug today?"

Upon hearing Cao Kun's question, Yun Ce quickly replied, "My retainer Liang Kun is digging. He assured me that by tomorrow morning, the 1,600 traps we need, each three feet in diameter and three feet deep, will be dug as scheduled."

However, I would like to ask Brother Cao, Huishui Bay is surrounded by water on three sides and faces wasteland on one side. If we only block the wasteland direction, what will happen if the elephant pigs try to wade away?

It should be noted that the Qingshui River is in its dry season during winter, with a depth of no more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), which is no problem for the elephant-boar, which is nearly three zhang (approximately 10 meters) tall.

Cao Kun said, "After injuring Xintianyou, the elephant pigs did not pursue them, which means they were unwilling to leave that backwater bay."

During the second test, the warriors hurled iron spears from the sky, which pierced the bodies of two young animals. The herd of pigs could only howl and did not leave the backwater bay.

Therefore, gentlemen, I conclude that there must be a treasure in Backwater Bay that would make the elephant-boars willing to abandon their young and fight to the death rather than give it up.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were starting to light up again, Yun Ce said with a smile, "You take the benefits, and I'll take the elephant meat. We'll also get some more marching rations so you can all try it out. If you think it's good, the Yun family will prepare to put in the effort to make this thing."

Cao Kun neither agreed nor refused, and said to Yun Ce, "We will break camp at Huishui Bay tonight, and at dawn tomorrow, we will start killing those elephant-boars and see what good stuff is inside."

The group of playboys were also stirred up by Cao Kun's words, and they abandoned the hot springs they had prepared, packing their things and leaving. This greatly disappointed the servants of the Yun family who had been prepared to make a fortune.

After leaving the Yun family manor, Cao Kun looked back at the giant bonfire that the Yun family had already lit and said, "Why are you making such a thorough preparation if your family doesn't have a folk performance?"

Yun Ce looked at the busy people and smiled, "They are all a group of people without homes or jobs. They finally have a place to live, and without realizing it, they have made this place their home."

They desperately hoped for the blessings of the Shehuo festival, but unfortunately, they didn't. To deceive themselves, they still insisted on making the Shehuo ceremony as lively and festive as possible.

Cao Xiang thought for a moment and said, "The Cao family is planning to move its center of gravity north. If the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) is also moved, your Yun family might be able to be within the protection range of the Shehuo in Qiuhe Prefecture."

Cao Kun finished speaking, but heard no response from Yun Ce, so he sighed and said, "Is it really so hard for you to accept submitting to the Cao family?"

Yun Ce said earnestly, "I want to build a city called Yun City. I want to build this city according to my dream. Eventually, there will be a city that belongs to me here."

Brother Cao, I don't know if you have such a dream, but I do. I want to build a city where I can live freely. If I can't build this city, I feel my life has been a failure.

Upon hearing this, Cao Kun gave a wry smile to the group of纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) and said, "No wonder my father often said that when people's hearts are scattered, it's hard to lead a team. When everyone has dreams in their hearts, all sorts of bizarre things will happen."
Let's all take it slow. Whether someone is a hero or a coward, I think we should have a conclusion within ten years.

However, before that, let's take a look at what kind of magic this backwater bay holds that can hold elephant beasts and makes the albatross always want to land here.

As Yun Ce and the others walked below the horizon, the sky gradually darkened. When Yun Ce looked back, he saw a flame rising on the horizon.

It must have been Eji and her companions who lit those giant bonfires. Tonight, they will dance around the bonfires until dawn.

Shehuo was jumping around inside Yun Ce's wristband. It was really happy. If Yun Ce were by the bonfire at Yun Clan Manor right now, Shehuo would definitely jump into the fire and dance with E Ji and the others.

As the procession gradually approached the eddy bay, the once lively folk performance gradually quieted down, returning to the shape of a single candle flame, quietly burning on one of the dog's tentacles, looking somewhat dazed.

Yun Ce's chestnut horse was also much more restless than usual. Last time it came, the chestnut horse came with a belly full of anger, but this time, the chestnut horse was somewhat uneasy.

He reached out and grabbed the chestnut horse's ears, pulling them apart slightly. The horse immediately quieted down, because Yun Ce had told it that something was wrong and it should run...

If Yun Ce were to run, he wouldn't be much slower than the chestnut horse.

Faced with this large group of people, the only thing Yun Ce could worry about was his chestnut horse. As for Cao Kun, he would be doing Cao Kun a favor by not running away with him.

(End of this chapter)