In the darkness of the night, Hsu Fengnian walked alone to the Yellow Crane Tower on Mount Qingliang. The Spring Festival couplets on a white background were still pasted on the gate of the mansion, and the lanterns in the mansion were all white as snow. After the death of the old man, this solemn mansion was no longer joyous. It was not until the whole of Beiliang learned that the young Vassal State had defeated Wang Xianzhi of the Martial Emperor City that the atmosphere of Mount Qingliang took a big turn. Many of the thoughts that had been hanging on the tip of their tongues were suddenly put to rest, and the haze that had shrouded Beiliang Palace was swept away. After Hsu Fengnian entered the mansion, he did not go to the Wutongin where he had spent his youth. Instead, he went to Xu Xiao's house and sat there for a long time. The two standing clothes racks still held the old style boa robe of Prince Liang and the mottled General's armor. Outsiders would think that it was reasonable for Xu Xiao to care about the latter. After all, Xu Xiao, the lone thief, had climbed to the top of the court by virtue of his military exploits. However, few people knew that the Butcher actually did not scoff at the Vassal State's robe as outsiders mistakenly thought. Hsu Fengnian was well aware of this. What Xu Xiao cared about was not the Vassal State's identity as the Vassal State's King, but the credit behind it. It was the "credit of rebuilding the Zhao Dynasty" that many powerful officials in the imperial court had deliberately forgotten. At that time, Liyang was just a barbarian dynasty in the Northern Region. Heroes rose together, and the Vassal State was divided. Who in the Central Plains, including Da Chu, would treat this guy who had endless internal strife as a formidable opponent? It was precisely because Xu Xiao, the troublemaker, went south to Liao that he forcefully helped the late Emperor of Liyang hold the dynasty in his hands. Without internal strife, he laid the foundation for the subsequent Spring and Autumn Period. This was also the reason why many of the nobles of the Zhao Dynasty had a clear distinction between their love and hate for Xu Xiao. Most of the older members of the imperial family who were close to the late Emperor were in the dark currents of the imperial court after the world was settled. Even if they did not speak up for Xu Xiao, at the very least, they would not hit him when he was down. However, most of the older members of the imperial family had suffered major and minor injuries on the battlefield, so they died earlier than some of the clan relatives who were lying down and enjoying life. Moreover, most of their descendants did not get along well with the current Emperor and the ruling Bi Yan, so they could not stand out. In addition, there were long-standing and serious disagreements within the imperial family. This group of nominal descendants could be said to be struggling at death's door. As a result, they did not have a share in this southern expedition to West Chu. Most of it was another group of young nobles who swaggered south with a few old generals to seize the credit. In any case, their parents and ancestors had relied on this kind of trick to climb up. This was probably the origin of their family's knowledge. Practice makes perfect.
Hsu Fengnian walked slowly on the mountain path and then stopped halfway up the mountain to look at Liangzhou. The lights in Liangzhou were dim. One part of the city was extinguished, while other parts of the city were lit up. It was peaceful and serene.
Hsu Fengnian turned and continued to climb the mountain. In the days he had been rushing back to Beiliang, the Whispering Room had been sending him concise and concise intelligence reports. Other than Lu Shengxiang, who had failed to seize power but still held the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, stationed at Youlu Pass, there was also a vast group led by Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun, who had meritorious service during the Spring and Autumn Period. They had formed three awls with Youlu Pass, pointing directly at West Chu. They had coordinated with the various vassals of Jingnan and the Crown Princes of vassals like Zhao Zhu, forming a seemingly watertight encirclement around West Chu. Hsu Fengnian smiled coldly. Other than the trick of killing the rooster as a warning to the monkeys, how could the Zhao Family not have the filthy idea of bringing trouble to the King of Yan Chi? On the eastern front, there was the King of Guangling, Zhao Yi. On the western front, there was the King of Huainan, Zhao Ying, and the King of Jing An, Zhao Xun. Even if they ate these two, the West Chu could not take advantage of the situation and head west. In the northwest of the dynasty, there was the Beiliang cavalry. In the west, there was the old Western Shu, where Chen Zhibao was a vassal. Since ancient times, the road to Shu was as difficult as ascending to the blue sky. In the south, there was the King of Yan Chi, Zhao Bing. This was the second, more hidden and tighter encirclement. However, in the south, there was only the sloppy Zhao Zhu, who led a small number of cavalry. Moreover, the south was especially vast. Under the premise that the West Chu could not go north, they could only spread south to have a chance of survival. Among the vassal kings, the one with real military power, Zhao Yi, was the brother of the current Emperor. He was in Guangling, so there was no need for the one sitting on the dragon throne to scheme too much. Beiliang had Beimang to the north and Western Shu to the south. It was equivalent to being suppressed. In the end, only Zhao Bing was left to be dealt with. In the past, there was Xu Xiao to take the blame, so the court naturally prioritized Beiliang. Now that Xu Xiao had left, it was naturally Zhao Bing, who was high up in the sky and far away from the Emperor. In addition, a new secret letter from Tai 'an City said that after Zhang Julu's opinion was rejected, he settled for the next best thing. He proposed a new strategy of using West Chu to train the troops and take back military power. Almost even Gu Jiantang, who had voluntarily abandoned Gu Lu, was ruthlessly tricked. As long as there was a sign of resistance to the restrictions of the court's Ministry of War, they were all openly and covertly sent to the periphery of West Chu. Once the battle reached a stalemate, they would immediately enter the battlefield. Thousands of deaths were counted. Gu Lu, who had taught all over the world, was naturally the first to bear the brunt. Swaying in the wind and rain, Gu Lu was already on the verge of collapse. Zhang Julu clearly still did not want to let it go. If Gu Jiantang was still in the capital and personally presiding over the court's military affairs in the Ministry of War, perhaps there would be some countermeasures to this decree. However, Gu Jiantang already held the title of Pillar of the Country and led the military affairs of the Northern Land. Zhang Julu, intentionally or otherwise, dug a hole for the only remaining general of the Four Great Generals of the Spring and Autumn Period. He spoke up for him in the court and said with certainty that only Gu Jiantang personally led the troops down south could pacify the rebels in West Chu. He practically elevated the old Minister of War to the lofty position of one person in charge of a country. In this way, Gu Jiantang, who had suffered an unexpected calamity, was already bold if he did not submit a secret memorial to ask for forgiveness. How would he dare to plead for leniency for the descendants of Gu Lu?
This was also Bi Yan 'er's consistent overt scheme. From beginning to end, it was for the sake of the country and the people, without the slightest bit of selfishness. Zhang Julu's balancing technique was pervasive. He cut off the struggles between civil and military officials, the early struggles between the foreign relatives and internal officials, the revived struggles between various factions, and even the struggles between factions of friends. Bi Yan 'er had always remained calm and collected, taking a leisurely stroll in the courtyard. If Wang Xianzhi could be said to be undefeated in martial arts, then Zhang Julu could be said to be even more shrewd and ruthless, undefeated in literature. For example, the Ministry of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, had been tossed back and forth between Yu Lian and Zhao Youling, who had betrayed Zhang Julu several times. Looking at the flowers in the fog outside the palace hall looked like child's play, but inside, it was nothing more than a matter of Zhang Julu's word. Under his watch, whoever did something that crossed the line would have to obediently pack up and get lost. If one were to say that Zhao Youling was Bi Yan 'er's disciple, he was naturally lacking in confidence, but one must know that the old head of the Yu family in Jiangxin, Yu Jiankang, who was Yu Lian's father, was a big shot of the same school as Zhang Julu's benevolent teacher and West Chu's Sun Xiji's teacher. He was a master who evaluated the ranking of the clans under heaven, and was also the instigator of Hong Jia's escape to the north. The old fellow only needed to play down the word "up," and the clan would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. If the word "down," it would mean that the entire clan would fall into the dust together. The entire group of Jiangnan scholars, including Lu Daolin and Lu Baijie, including the Lu family, as well as the Dragon General Xu Gong of the Gumu Xu family, all had to follow this person's lead. But after so many years, Zhang Julu still did not give the old man the slightest bit of face.
Hsu Fengnian unwittingly walked to the top of the mountain. There were stone tables and stone stools downstairs, and then he saw an unexpected fellow. He borrowed the White Fox's face from the Spring Thunder Embroidered Winter, but he did not say anything after that. Hsu Fengnian sat opposite him. There was a large pile of Green Ant wine jugs on the table, and there were even two wine cups. It was obvious that he was waiting for him.
White Fox's face was slightly sarcastic. "First Pin Four Realms. You've collected all four false realms. It's definitely unprecedented. This is even more admirable than you killing Wang Xianzhi. "
Hsu Fengnian laughed. "It's worth it to be able to make you admire me."
White Fox's face poured him a cup of wine for the first time. He pushed the wine cup forward and asked, "Have you ever thought that when Huang Longshi stirred up the Jianghu, in the end, he used Han Shengxuan and you to end it? Why don't you count the number of First Pin masters who died in the hands of Cat Man and you? Don't add up to twenty? How many First Pin masters can there be in any generation of Jianghu for a hundred years? At most, there should only be this number, right? "
Hsu Fengnian raised his wine cup and laughed at himself. He then finished it in one gulp. When he reached out to ask for more wine, he shook his head and said, "I really didn't think about this."
White Fox's face threw him a wine jug and said, "I promised Mr. Li that I would help you once. You killed Wang Xianzhi, who was on my enemy's list. This means that I, Nangong Puji, owe you twice. But I'll say this first. After I finish reading on the last floor of Tide-listening Pavilion, I'll go to Beimang first. If I can come back alive, this promise will only be valid. "
Hsu Fengnian asked, "Are you looking for trouble with Tuoba Bodhisattva?"
White Fox's face nodded.
Hsu Fengnian lamented, "Wang Xianzhi and Tuoba Bodhisattva. How much hatred do they have? You're just a woman … "
White Fox's face was cold as she interrupted, "I'm a man!"
Hsu Fengnian dismissed it with a laugh. It was unreasonable to reason with a woman. However, White Fox's face was probably really treating him as a man. Or maybe he was really a man, just like the androgynous Murong Tonghuang who had fled to Beimang?
White Fox's face lifted his head and drank a big gulp of wine. He joked, "If you were a woman, I would really marry you."
Hsu Fengnian was speechless.
White Fox's face suddenly said, "When I was practicing martial arts, I always felt that there were endless masters to kill and heads to cut off. But now that I'm climbing higher and higher, you've taken the lead, I realize that killing here and there is no meaning. In the end, do I have to fight you to the death to live up to this life? "
Hsu Fengnian choked on a mouthful of wine and said angrily, "Can't you have a conscience?"
White Fox's face held the wine jug to half of his face and asked with a playful smile, "Are you trying to say that a woman's heart is the most vicious?"
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