Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 332 The Magnificent Grandmaster

Cao Kun is the kind of person who doesn't usually lie, especially when facing a clever person like Yun Ce.

People like him have long believed that lying is a very inefficient behavior. Not only can it not fool smart people, but it will also make people despise you. Therefore, the only people they can deceive are ordinary people.

Only those ordinary people who have no other choice will believe his lies.

It's not that the people are stupid and have been deceived by him; rather, they have no choice but to accept it, whether he is telling the truth or lying.

Cao Kun said that half of the Guifang people heading south should die first. This statement is highly debatable. Yun Ce believes that the half of the Guifang people he mentioned should be Guifang civilians, definitely not Guifang soldiers.

Since Cao Kun dared not engage the Guifang army in a direct confrontation, it indicates that he was prepared to trade strategic depth for space, or rather, he was not concerned with the gains or losses of individual cities or territories. In other words, he believed that 'if you save the land but lose the people, you lose both; if you save the people but lose the land, you save both.'

To put it bluntly, they don't care about the lives of the people in their territory. As long as they preserve their army, they will eventually attack back, or kill half of the Guifang people.

That's how things were, and that's how it ended: Cao Kun didn't want to shed the blood of the Cao family for the sake of the people in his territory.

However, that's not how it should be said. A better explanation is needed to disguise irresponsible escape as elegant and far-sighted.

"I know that Haizhou and Dongzhou are the battlefields you planned. At the very least, you should evacuate the people of Haizhou and Dongzhou, right?"

Cao Kun glanced at Yun Ce and asked, "How do we retreat? Where do we retreat to? Who will support us? How will we survive?"

Looking at Cao Kun's determined eyes, Yun Ce felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that the vast majority of the people of the Han Dynasty made a living by gathering and hunting. If these people were given a region with abundant vegetation, they might not live well, but they could definitely survive.

Cao Kun's final question, "How do we live?", indicates that he intends to take away the most capable people from the crowd. Only under such circumstances would he ask, "How do we live?" It's about how those who are left over will survive.

“I will naturally take away the able-bodied men and young women to fight, and the rest of you shall hide where you are and wait for the army to return.”

Yun Ce, don't be indecisive or feel sorry for me. You should know clearly that it's not that I'm heartless, but that I have no other choice.

The Guifang people are coming. This is the first line of defense. Logically speaking, all the people of the Han Dynasty should support me and help me. However, many Han people wish that I would be killed by the Guifang people immediately, and wish that I would fight the Guifang people to the death so that they could take advantage of the situation.

In this situation, I can only prioritize my own safety before considering anything else.

Yun Ce stared at Cao Kun for a long time without saying a word. Although he had not experienced the warlord conflicts in the ancestral land, he still felt that what Cao Kun had just said was standard language from the warlord era. Even if Cao Kun did not know the history of the warlord conflicts in the ancestral land, what he said at this moment was no different from that of the warlords in the ancestral land.

Once the strategy has been formulated, they won't easily change it, at least not because of his Yun Ce.

Yun Ce sighed and said, "At least tell those people to run away quickly, don't leave them to be slaughtered by the Gui Fang people. You should know that those people are useless to you, and they are useless to the Gui Fang people as well. In that case, their fate is almost certain."

Cao Kun sneered, "Then tell me, where do you think they can run to? Do you think these people can leave the Cao family's territory and seek refuge in other prefectures? Do you think any prefecture leader would allow such a useless group of people to enter their territory?"

"Oh, Liu Chang'an, you have a territory that's quite prosperous. How about I send all those people to your territory?"

Yun Ce nodded and smiled, "Okay, just tell Suo that there are people there, and they can also go to Jingkou Pass."

The mockery on Cao Kun's face slowly faded, and he finally asked calmly, "Why?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "I'll cover for you cold-blooded people. At least, I'll make you guys, who are as heartless as beasts, look like human beings."

"If you step in to cover it up, can you really handle it?"

"I am now a Grandmaster. If even a Grandmaster can't handle this, who can?"

"You are just a grandmaster."

"A Grandmaster is enough. If anyone harms my people, I'll harm their entire family. I'm not a Grandmaster until I beat their whole family to a pulp."

"Including the Guifang people?"

"Including the Guifang people, I don't have the ability to wipe out the entire Guifang clan. Killing a hundred generals, a thousand generals, or ten thousand generals is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables for me."

After pondering for a long time, Cao Kun said to Yun Ce, "We can join forces."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "I originally wanted to join forces with you, but now it seems that our goals are not aligned, so there is no need to join forces. You can continue with your original plan, and I will help you uphold the bottom line of humanity."

If, if you still consider me your friend, then tell those you abandoned the location of Jingkou Pass.

As Yun Ce walked toward the black-feathered eagle crouching by the roadside, Cao Kun shouted, "Was your decision to farm north of the Great Wall preparation for what's happening today?"

As Yun Ce walked, he said, "Originally, I only thought about making people's lives simpler and more prosperous. Now, I just want them to survive." Cao Kun continued loudly, "If one day you are desperate, you can come to me."

Yun Ce laughed loudly, "An army without the people is nothing but a tree without roots and water without a source. You should prepare for your future."

The black-feathered eagle took flight and, under Yun Ce's command, flew like an arrow towards the west, the direction where the Yun Clan Manor was located. Yun Ce was going home, and at this moment, he truly hoped that the Yun Clan Manor could become a home for more people.

In times of chaos, the weak cannot find protection from the strong, and their fate is often tragic.

"Once Cao Kun spreads the word about the Lord's words, the secrecy of the Yun Family Manor will be lost, and the Guifang people will regard the Yun Family Manor as a major threat and will definitely eliminate it as soon as possible."

Upon hearing the news brought by Yun Ce after returning home, Wu Tong's already furrowed brows became even more tightly furrowed, as if they could trap a mosquito between them.

"It's alright, I am a Grandmaster."

"Grandmaster Guifang will come looking for you."

"It's alright. I killed three Grandmasters of the Ghost Fang faction and crippled another one. They won't dare to come."

"They dare not touch you, but the entire Yun Family Manor may very well be doomed."

Yun Ce glanced at the irritable Wu Tong, pressed his shoulder to make him sit down, and said softly, "As long as Yun Clan Manor exists, I have a weakness. If Yun Clan Manor is gone, I will have no weakness. At that time, a mad grandmaster is more terrifying than any weapon in the world."

From the moment the Yun Family Manor ceased to exist, no one in this world has ever been safe.

Actually, I didn't want to do this either, but I had no choice. I had to watch hundreds of millions of Han Chinese die under the hooves of the enemy's horses.

Looking at Yun Ce's somewhat playful face, Wu Tong finally calmed down. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Could the High Priest also come to Yun Clan Manor? Only in this way can we put some pressure on the Gui Fang people."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "I'm fine on my own. To be honest, our military strength is not strong. This time, we have only gathered the elderly, women and children. We are not a big threat to the Gui Fang people's rear. Therefore, the Gui Fang people may allow us to exist. However, if the High Priest also comes, they will think that we are a force and will seriously consider eliminating us within the range of losses they can bear."

"Who will inform the Guifang people?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "Cao Kun has probably already spread the news that I am a Grandmaster to the Gui Fang people."

"Isn't he your friend?"

"He is still the ruler of the five eastern states. If he can make the Guifang people think that I am the biggest threat, he can persuade the Guifang army to abandon the original route through the eastern and northern states and instead take the route through Jingkou Pass."

The advantage of doing this is that it lengthens the Guifang people's marching route, leading them towards the militarily powerful lands of the Han Dynasty. Given these numerous and significant benefits, discussing our friendship further would only put Cao Kun in a difficult position.

After a long silence, Wu Tong said, "You're very open-minded."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "That's because I've never had a high opinion of human nature. Since I have no expectations, I won't be disappointed. Wu Tong, make the arrangements. Have your men and all the merchant caravans under Liang Kun's command go to Dongzhou and Haizhou. Bring back as many people as you can."

We don't force anyone; we only need people willing to come and farm north of the Great Wall. If others don't want to come, that's their fate. I've always respected other people's destinies.

Wu Tong stood up, her gaze softening as she looked at Yun Ce, and chuckled, "With so many people around, perhaps the Yun City you envision will be realized soon."

Yun Ce laughed loudly, "Yes, I think so too."

Seeing Wu Tong go down to arrange manpower, Yun Ce heard Gouzi say in his mind: "According to the calculation, after the news of gathering the people is transmitted to Gui Fang, you will definitely be on Gui Fang's kill list, and your ranking may be very high."

Your move might save many people, but it puts you in danger.

Yun Ce smiled and asked, "What is a Grandmaster?"

Seeing that Yun Ce seemed about to show off, Gouzi quickly chimed in, "What is a Grandmaster?"

Yun Ce curled his lip and said, "I do what others dare not do, I do what others cannot do, I do what others think is a loss, I do what others think is unnecessary and without benefit."

Only in this way can one be called a grandmaster.

The dog conjured up a burst of enthusiastic applause in Yun Ce's mind. Once the applause completely disappeared, the dog muttered, "Isn't this just plain stupid?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "So, a Grandmaster is also equivalent to an idiot. You can see that from Shen Tingyu."

(End of this chapter)