Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 174 Sisters reunited

Jiang Mingzhe explained the four strategies one by one: resurrection, fabrication, muddying the waters, and deceiving the heavens. Both Kumārajīva and Murong Fu thought they were brilliant.

Kumozhi happily drank a cup of wine and analyzed, "Of Jiang Gongfeng's plans, the one about fishing in troubled waters is particularly brilliant. Young Master Murong may not know, but nowadays, among the kingdoms of the Snow Region, apart from the three kingdoms of Moyu, Guge, and Burang, which have a relatively long history of rule, most of the other small kingdoms have risen and fallen in a short time. To put it bluntly, they are just fragmented and separatist tribes. Among these kingdoms, the strong ones have 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, while the weak ones have only a thousand or so. How can they be a match for the Murong family? I don't think that plan to deceive the heavens and cross the sea will work."

The plan to deceive the Song and Xia dynasties was to transfer elite troops from Qing Tang to serve under Murong Fu. When Kumārajīva said this, he was full of ideas to reap the benefits without sowing, which was a complete slap in the face to Murong Fu.

Murong Fu immediately retorted unhappily, "If that's the case, then why should I give up the Snow Region to your family when I conquered it all by myself?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and sighed, thinking to himself, "I heard that a couple bought lottery tickets and argued and got divorced because they were discussing how to divide the winnings. Sure enough, there's nothing new under the sun."

He quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother Murong, there's no need to worry. In fact, as long as you have a thousand elite warriors, you'll be able to dominate in the early stages. The powerful countries like Tibet are all deep in the snowy region. The countries bordering Tibet and Qinghai are mostly only a city or a small area. You can personally lead your experts in a night raid, kill their leaders, open the city gates, and have your elite troops charge in. You'll be victorious in every battle!"

He then looked at Kumārajīva and said, “However, such fighting may be fine in the early stages, but once we venture deeper into the snowy region, my brother Murong’s warriors will find it difficult to adapt to the local climate and water. If the elite troops of Qing Tang are not taken over, they will definitely run out of strength. If your family really wants to sit and watch the outcome, perhaps someone like the King of Guge will marry his daughter to my brother. At that time, Qing Tang and Tubo will be surrounded by enemies, and then it will be too late to regret it.”

Kumārajīva retorted, "That's not how it works. In the early stages of Young Master Murong's conquest of cities and territories, once the battle lines are stretched out, without my assistance, even supplies will be difficult to guarantee."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "Grand Preceptor, do you think my Duan family's retainers are just for show? Dali will gather grain and fodder at Dandang, and send it upstream along the Jinsha River to the Margan area. This will ensure Young Master Murong's logistics. Dali won't be working for nothing. When Young Master Murong conquers cities and territories and obtains the wealth of those princes and leaders, he can pay for this grain and fodder. At that time, Young Master Murong will have grain and fodder secured, and the Duan family of Dali will make money by selling grain. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Kumārajīva was stunned. He thought that if they were to travel by water, they could go through the Jinsha River, the Lancang River, and the Nu River. Even though it would be difficult to go against the current, as long as there was profit to be made, would the Dali Kingdom be afraid of such hardships?
He immediately burst into laughter: "Hahaha, as expected, Lord Jiang is very confident. I was just teasing you! As long as Young Master Murong can conquer the plateau, our country will do its utmost in the subsequent battles."

Having reached this point, we've established a preliminary agreement; there's no need to go into the details now.

So everyone talked about martial arts and discussed some rumors in the martial arts world, and the meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and the dishes were cleared away, A-Zhu smiled and said, "Your rooms have all been arranged, and the hot water for your baths has been prepared. It's a pity it's too late today, otherwise there are natural hot springs on the west side of the island. It would be so much more enjoyable to go there for a bath."

Upon hearing this, Azi didn't care about the time of day or distance. She clung to Azhu like a monkey and exclaimed, "I've never bathed in a hot spring before. I want to go there to bathe. Dear sister Azhu, please take me there!"

Seeing that Duan Yu and the others were interested, Murong Fu laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? Abi, have someone prepare the horses."

Upon learning this, the steward immediately brought nine fine horses. Murong Fu was the first to mount one. As dusk approached, he lit a lantern and led the way. The group left Yanziwu and circled around the foot of the mountain, traveling more than twenty li before finally arriving at the hot springs on the west side of the island.

The Murong family had built a fine residence here. Everyone dismounted with laughter. The servants in the residence rushed to greet their master when they saw him arrive. Murong Fu smiled and said, "There are more than ten hot springs here, from high to low. The six hottest ones are all enclosed inside the buildings. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter. Let's bathe in those springs."

He then had Azhu and Abi lead Azi and the other two women to the highest hot spring, while he himself took Jiang Mingzhe and the other two to another spring.

Although it was called a spring, it was actually about half an acre in size. After Jiang Mingzhe and the others entered the room, someone brought them clean new clothes. They loosened their robes and went into the water one after another. When Murong Fu was undressing, he suddenly felt a sense of comparison. He glanced at Kumārajīva and Duan Yu and was secretly displeased. He then glanced at Jiang Mingzhe and became even more annoyed. He swallowed his anger and entered the pool.

Servants brought fragrant tea and fresh fruit, which floated on the water on wooden platters. Jiang Mingzhe sighed with enjoyment, and Murong Fu laughed, "Brother, do you like the island's scenery? When I restore Tuyuhun, I can give you this island!"

Jiang Mingzhe blinked and said, "If you dare to offer it, I dare to accept it. What about Shishui Pavilion?"

Murong Fu hesitated for a moment, then laughed heartily: "Hahaha, are you afraid of my stinginess, my brother? I'll have someone make a copy to take with me. What's wrong with leaving the original for you? Since I've become the Murong of Qing Tang, my brother can become the Jiang of Gusu."

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled to himself, thinking: When I first met Ding Chunqiu, I tried my best to please him, making up a story that I was from Qufu and lived in Suzhou. Unexpectedly, my words came true and I managed to cover up the lie.

Kumārajīva laughed and said, "Young Master Murong is very decisive!"

Murong Fu said with emotion, “My family has never forgotten the restoration of our country. Now, with the guidance of my virtuous brother, I understand how to proceed. What is there to hesitate about? After paying respects to my late father tomorrow, I will summon the four great masters to discuss this matter. We will first go to your country and take over a mountain stronghold. Within a year or two, we will surely launch a major offensive. After that, we will most likely not return to Jiangnan. What use will we have for these properties?”

Kumārajīva nodded and then explained to him in detail the terrain of the Qinghai-Tibet region, as well as the famous bandit strongholds. Murong Fu listened with great interest.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhong Ling's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, urgently saying, "Brother Jiang, come out quickly! Zi Ya has found her biological sister! Duan Xiaoyu, come quickly too, you have another little sister now!"

Duan Yu asked in surprise, "Second Brother, what did she say? Did I hear that right?"

Jiang Mingzhe slapped the waterway: "That's right! I noticed that Azhu and Azi look very alike. They probably have some kind of mark or token on their bodies and saw each other while bathing. Have you forgotten what your father said when he saw Azi's golden lock? He has a confidante who gave birth to two daughters for him, nicknamed Azhu and Azi!"

Duan Yu suddenly remembered and exclaimed happily, "Yes! No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I first met Miss A'Zhu, and her name sounded so familiar!"

Murong Fu suddenly stood up, overjoyed, and said, "My two virtuous brothers, are you saying that A'Zhu is actually the daughter of the Prince of Zhennan of Dali?"

Jiang Mingzhe's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "This guy wanted to take advantage of Azi and the others back then. First, I asserted my authority, so he didn't dare to say anything. Second, I put the Tibetan princess in the lurch."

But A'Zhu had served him since he was a child. If he wanted to marry A'Zhu, wouldn't it be a simple matter of a word? Besides, A'Zhu owed his family a debt of gratitude for raising her. Even if he wanted A'Zhu to be his concubine, A'Zhu couldn't refuse...

A plan formed in his mind in an instant. He laughed heartily, stood up, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "That's exactly right! Congratulations, brother! Now, the Liao Kingdom has become a powerful ally for you!"

Murong Fu was both surprised and delighted, and asked in surprise, "Brother, what are you saying? What brings you to this?"

(End of this chapter)