Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 228 Pu'e's Retreat

Six hundred kilometers north of Hao Kingdom, in a sacred mountain, a beautiful white jade dragon is traversing the mountain streams and verdant peaks. Its claws brush against the ancient pines on the mountain peaks, emerging from the gaps in the pine branches and spreading out their emerald green color. Its whiskers fall and hang in the valley, revealing a clear spring.

This dragon is in the form of Pu'e. And she is doing what she does best: bringing peace and harmony to this land.

In this far northern region, there is a bountiful harvest every year during the hottest part of summer.

Pu'e is far removed from conflict. This year, wave after wave of ragged people have come seeking refuge.

She also provided these people with ample shelter, taking them all in. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, more and more, yet the area's popularity didn't increase much.

Every spring, only a small number of people come to harvest the wheat. And every winter, they disappear.

This land couldn't support so many people. After taking in these unfortunate people who had come from the war in Yao, Pu'e made them give up their Yao identity.

In the lush farmland, a dragon's spine would appear on the back of each person as they worked. But these refugees were completely unaware of this; all they knew was that once they returned home, they could eat a meal, lie on a white jade slab, and sleep; sleep for decades, until the axe handles outside rotted away.

The changes in these refugees were the result of Pu'e mixing a strand of dragon's blood into the wheat.

Pu'e has now repaired the portal to the North Pole. She is now waiting for the evil moon in the sky to reveal a flaw before she leads her people on a long voyage.

Will Xie Yue reveal a weakness? Pu E knows that as events unfold, whether the Xi Ren Realm falls into its final demise or the Xi Ren Realm's internal will launch a final counterattack against Xie Yue, there will be a moment when the sky will be safe for navigation.

However, the outcome of this war in the Xiren Realm was no longer relevant to her.

…Buddhist-like…

Hundreds of years ago, when Pu'e first entered this plane, the Wisdom and Courage System provided a detailed explanation of the physics of this world.

Her mission in this world was to explore the "possibility of spacetime shifts" and create a controllable "plot-driven spacetime." She envied those who possessed "controllable plot-driven spacetime," much like some people in the 21st century envied those who could cry while sitting in a BMW.

At the top of the mountain, Pu'e was reading a book; the book contained the methods of divination, which included the principles of Confucianism for governing the people and Legalism for ruling the country.

In the heart of this valley, shrouded in mist, lies a small town of a thousand people. Within the town are Confucian scholars, martial arts masters, soldiers guarding the city gates, and some practitioners of metaphysics. These people rotate daily, with those removed going into the mountains to hibernate, while their posts in the town remain unchanged.

Pu'e knew that the things in books are dead and need people to maintain them so that the principles can continue to flow between people.

The "principle" that flows between people is the most peculiar power in the Xiren Realm, and even in this plane. The more people talk about it, the more people believe in it, and the stronger this "power" becomes.

Mountains and rivers were twisted, climate was regulated, and even ghosts and gods were born from it.

Then, the murderous aura of military strategists, the noble spirit of Confucianism, the ironclad laws of Legalism, and even the transcendent spiritual aura of immortals will all arise.

On most planets, this power, which originates from intelligent life, is actually called the "Power of Faith," and it has been usurped by a few individuals. As civilizations have developed, these individuals who usurped the Power of Faith have also become powerful and have ascended to the position of gods.

Of course, all the "deities of order" born in civilization draw upon the spiritual power of negative entropy. However, this part of entropy-increasing chaos ultimately becomes a chaotic and disordered existence.

The Xiren Realm is a very special existence; it has no gods. In other words, the gods born here are far away from this place, allowing the power of faith in this place to operate on its own.

Therefore, the Xiren Realm possesses a strong resistance to chaos. This is why Pu'e came here. —If everything goes as she wishes, and the dragon descendants she brought integrate into this place, then the chaotic karma they bear will be eliminated here.

However, the Dragonborn arrived, causing the chaos that was originally a seed to rapidly deteriorate into the Chaotic April. The Xiren Realm did not accept the Dragonborn; instead, due to the power of chaos, it triggered an immune mechanism (the Great Calamity), rejecting them along with the Dragonborn.

Pu'e consulted the oracle and determined that leaving now was the best course of action. As for the mess she left behind?
So what?

Outside the mountain, the Minister of Astronomy of the Hao Kingdom, carrying the decree of the Hao King, inspected this sacred mountain for a long time before leaving dejectedly.

Pu'e appeared on the mountaintop, gazing at the departing Si Tiancheng, and murmured, "Have the obsessions begun to clash?"

After she could no longer see loyalty on the system interface, she severed ties with Zhao Cheng and even had to distance herself from the center of Hao Dynasty.

This was Zhao Cheng's faction's exile of her, and now Zhao Cheng, using the name of the imperial court, has sent the Director of Astronomy to summon her back. The situation has clearly reached a critical moment for Zhao Cheng.

For Pu'e, Zhao Cheng's loyalty dropping to zero is not scary, but not being able to see the "loyalty value panel" is what scares her the most.

Pu'e couldn't help but look in the direction of the Zhen River. She began to be quite curious about Wu Fei, who was able to block Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng is a figure of unwavering dedication from the "Historical Deduction Zone," and his data is remarkably strong. So, which expert is going head-to-head with such a "hero card"?

Judging from Wu Fei's current characteristics, he does not have the kind of obsession with historical figures that many people in the "historical deduction zone" hold.

The Intelligent Courage System suddenly said, "Based on its current behavioral characteristics, no signs of 'obsession' have been detected."

Pu E paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean? Could it be a free-type transmigrator?" She then denied it, saying, "Zhao Cheng's military strategy skill stat is the highest. For a transmigrator with a free-type standard consciousness to compete in similar skills, they need to infuse their abilities with a large amount of spiritual energy!"

Narrator's explanation: To achieve top-tier success in any field requires immense dedication, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to reach the summit.

In Dimensional Technology, each transmigrated consciousness with a skill bar is recruited. The ability of them to reach the top of the achievements marked on their skill bars is supported by their obsessions.

This obsession stems from extremely strong motivations. Dimensional Technology transforms these modularized "obsession information" into recruitable cards. Those with such obsessions will only possess exceptionally high motivation in their specific "skills," but in other areas, they are no different from normal people, prone to neglect and laziness.

Free-traveling individuals are different; because their consciousness is free, they often can't compete with those who are fixated on their goals in "specific areas." For example, Pu'e herself possesses free will; her unique skill in military strategy couldn't possibly surpass the card-based characters she summons. She has no reason to invest so much effort in areas she's not interested in. She can focus her interests elsewhere.

But are there any free-spirited time travelers who have no compelling reason to act, yet can still go toe-to-toe with those obsessed with their own destiny in the realm of "historical deduction enhanced to the maximum skill level"? — Pu'e has never seen one.

However, in dimensional spacetime, in all the interdimensional wars recorded by the current Wisdom and Courage System, such beings have been the mainstay of both sides in the confrontation.

Such transmigrators are called "Kings." They have free will, but they can still defeat all the bloated consciousnesses with "spirit-enhanced skills" in various fields.

…The school's history teacher glanced outside the school gates and then went back to preparing teaching materials for the class…

The current state of affairs has put Zhao Cheng in a difficult position, to the point that he has once again thought of his exiled "ally."

With intelligence reports from various fronts, the Chen army began large-scale preparation of offensive supplies at the front lines and dispatched a large number of scouts to blockade the border.

Zhao Cheng knew that Xuan Chong had seen through his strengths and weaknesses and decided to launch a massive attack on several fronts that Zhao Cheng couldn't currently focus on. Zhao Cheng's predicament was that now that Xuan Chong had determined his main attack direction and taken the initiative strategically, Zhao Cheng was unsure of Xuan Chong's true objective.
Zhao Cheng's chessboard was filled with all sorts of flags, and in front of each flag was a fog of war.

Predicting the enemy general's decisions is not a matter of psychological speculation. Rather, it involves understanding the conditions the opponent faces by analyzing various battlefield information to determine the optimal choice for the enemy general.

Take Du Yuming's southward escape as an example. One option was southeast, and the other was southwest. Psychologically speaking, the old man from Nanjing probably preferred the southeast.

Because the southeastern coast of the Yangtze River was home to British and American fleets, withdrawing from there would allow them to internationalize problems they couldn't solve. This is the same speculative mentality that the old man from Nanjing has held for decades.

However, in reality, the battlefield conditions were such that the dense network of waterways in the Jiangnan region made it impossible to leave; the only option was to evacuate via the southwest railway network.

One more thing: because the old man's plan to internationalize the problem failed, he angrily ordered Xiaoming to turn back and rescue Huang Wei. He felt that with the loss of Baitao Group and Huang Wei, the international image would be terrible. From beginning to end, the old man, like Empress Dowager Cixi decades ago, was obsessed with appearances. This is typical old-fashioned psychology.

On Zhao Cheng's side, "guessing the opponent's psychology" has never been the primary basis for formulating battle strategies.

He only dared to make a definite decision after analyzing the conditions the enemy was facing.

Even if he knew his opponent was cautious, he wouldn't dare to be reckless. Only when an inside agent was planted in the enemy's social circle and obtained concrete information, such as "discord between generals and ministers" or "political enemies causing trouble in the rear," would Zhao Cheng take advantage of the commander-in-chief's anxiety to launch a surprise attack.

However, just as Xuan Chong's attempt to "hack" Zhao Cheng failed for several years, Zhao Cheng, too, has been unable to place an inside agent within Xuan Chong's core decision-making circle for over a decade.

…a system that surpasses the advanced systems of this era…

Xuan Chong's current staff and administration departments are a solid unit; and the front-line generals of the Zhen Army have no need to worry about interference from "treacherous officials" in the rear, knowing that their merits will not be buried.

Xuan Chong had completely isolated Wu Juwang, Wu Lu, and Wu Rui—the three core members—from all internal factions and forces six months before the war began. All contact was severed, and even their families were isolated in a compound, cut off from the outside world.

This compound is off-limits not only to spies sent by Zhao Cheng, but even to people with questionable class backgrounds.

Note: In the entire non-Lingnan region, people without independent household registration and itinerant merchants from other areas are considered to have "wrong class background" in Xuanchong. Only those who have lived in cities with a high concentration of workshops for more than ten years and have urban household registration are considered to be "good class background" members of the community.

If someone's social class doesn't match the official criteria but still insists on approaching the compound entrance, the neighborhood headman, known as the "Sunrise Messenger," will take them in for tea and ask if they have a temporary residence permit.

Therefore, Xuan Chong's decision-making circle was a ruthless administrative and military achievement analysis machine. When the front lines achieved military merits, the rear would provide the results without any ambiguity.

Xuan Chong also made excellent arrangements for the generals leading the various troops at the front; he allowed the generals to make meritorious contributions, but it was impossible for any general to make a feat that surpassed the emperor's.

This is because Xuan Chong's military organization is meticulous, with ample logistical support. Each general has a staff officer corps to analyze comprehensive battlefield information; and each soldier's life is not tied to their commander. This is the perfect war machine in Zhao Cheng's mind.

According to Zhao Cheng's description, after the reforms in the State of Zhen, there was a whole system in place to protect the rights and interests of soldiers.

The generals have been confined to the task of "making decisions" during battles, without having to consider other miscellaneous matters.

Now, if Pu'e were to see Zhao Cheng's appearance, she would be very surprised, because when Zhao Cheng confirmed the news of Xuan Chong's full-scale attack, his eyes held a hint of panic. This panic was as if Pu'e could not see Zhao Cheng's loyalty.

In the battles between military strategists, Zhao Cheng, who was obsessed with specializing in this area, was always confident.

Pu'e never imagined that in the world she came to, there would be someone who could crush Zhao Cheng in this field. — If it were someone using cheat codes, Zhao Cheng would feel that his defeat was not unjust; but Zhao Cheng had personally experienced all of Xuan Chong's growth, and all of Xuan Chong's actions in learning and growing were reasonable.

Those with unwavering convictions may seem to possess far greater confidence than ordinary people in a particular field, but this confidence is actually limited. When this conviction is given to others, and the holder leads them into a desperate situation, their belief will be eroded.

Zhao Cheng's current predicament is precisely the result of his long-term actions that have given others leverage against him.

…Zhao Cheng: If it weren't for fate, I might have shared a drink with him. …

At the Yuhua Prefecture General's Mansion, on the sand table, Zhao Cheng now sees that Xuan Chong has the conditions to launch a major offensive in all areas.

The staff were now in a panic. One of them said, "General, you said that Wu Yuan is always cautious in battle."

Zhao Cheng: "Wu Yuan is always cautious because he is used to planning everything only after he is in an invincible position. Now he has—" Zhao Cheng stopped midway through his sentence, stopping his attempt to demoralize the enemy.

Zhao Cheng said calmly, "When the conditions are right, his fighting style is just as elegant as mine."

In the series of battles against Huang Yucheng in Bodi, those dragon descendants, in their eyes, Wu Xiaoque, would you dare say she was conservative? Her claws went straight for the faces of those dragon descendants generals from Qianhao.

So, what's the significance of Zhao Cheng's assessment of Xuan Chong's main offensive direction? The significance lies in the fact that the strategic goal of the other generals in the Chen Kingdom is to capture cities. Even if the Hao army can't defeat them, they can still withdraw their forces.

Once Xuan Chong's main force is deployed, the strategic objective is to eliminate Hao Guo's living forces through a decisive battle.

Zhao Cheng knew very well that when Wu Xiaoque was fighting against him, she would prioritize "striking the weakest link" rather than engaging in any dramatic "one-battle-to-win" scenarios.

Xuan Chong doesn't need to confront Zhao Cheng's main force head-on; he only needs to find a weak point and eliminate 50,000 to 60,000 troops. Even if the annihilated troops are not Zhao Cheng's absolute main force, Zhao Cheng's morale will collapse.

Therefore, the possibility of Zhao Cheng conquering the world has already been overturned!

It's important to understand that Haojun is able to launch multiple attacks because they believe their group can ultimately win the game.

If this possibility doesn't exist, then the various armies will consider whether it's worth the heavy losses in fighting for Zhao Cheng. — Blood for blood reward. Only if Zhao Cheng can conquer the world can he use blood reward to motivate the various armies to advance. If this pie is fake, then each side will have to protect itself.

Just as Zhao Cheng was hesitating, his advisors finally stepped forward to help him make a decision.

The strategist named Qi Chang said, "My lord, the most critical situations right now are Yongzhou and Xingzhou. Let's settle things here first. (In the Minesweeper game, if you can't determine the mines in a certain area, then solve the ones you can determine first.)"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng's gaze gradually returned to firmness. He looked to the north and regained his composure and confidence.

Zhao Cheng asked the person beside him, "Has Liang Yun returned yet? (Liang Yun is the Astrologer who is searching for Pu E)"

An official standing nearby said, "He's back. He claims he didn't complete his mission and dares not come to see you. He's already waiting in prison."

Zhao Cheng frowned: "Let him come back to work, don't bother with these empty formalities of 'apologizing'."

Zhao Cheng turned to look at the map: "Let them eat the north! Then summon a strategist and have him spread the news in the old capital of Hao that King Hao has regained control of the country and is ready to fight to the death; at the same time, have your own people pass the seal of office to King Hao and tell him that Grand Tutor Pu'e will return and will surely be able to stabilize the country."

(End of this chapter)