Hsu Fengnian quietly returned to Mount Qing Liang. Just as Fan Xiaochai had predicted, Beimang had indeed begun to move their troops southward. Moreover, they had divided their troops into three groups, each attacking the three provinces separately. This was very different from what Beiliang had expected, because the position of King of the South had been vacant after Xu Huainan's death. The position of King of the North had been vacant since then, and King of the North, who was not even a feudal official, had become the second most powerful man in the world. Even Hsu Fengnian was not sure if it was the meticulous plan of Taiping Commandery, or if it was Dong Zhuo's deliberate pestering. Most of the time, it was said that the smart people were good at dealing with changes by sticking to the status quo. However, this kind of military affair that involved the final trend of the two dynasties was like a fight between two masters. Not only did it test the depth of their internal energy, it also tested the scheming of both sides. The lesson of being greedy for small gains and losing big gains was especially taboo. The lesson of winning a series of battles but losing the overall situation could be seen in the recent Spring and Autumn Period. The reason why Hsu Fengnian had such a headache was that Beiliang's resources were far inferior to Beimang's. Empress Murong was able to confidently launch a three-pronged attack. On one hand, she had sent Tuoba to lead the troops to suppress the grasslands in Norland. On the other hand, she had used the elite cavalry of Southern Dynasty to 'provoke' Beiliang. She could even send a large number of troops to the Eastern Front, eyeing the border line that Gu Jiantang had built. Of course, even an idiot would know that the final confrontation on the Eastern Front, Li Yang and Liang Mang were well aware of it. They were just putting on airs. Otherwise, they would not have left the three trading towns in the Northern Pass of Ji Province open. When Hsu Fengnian, who was sitting alone in the pavilion in the middle of Tidehark Lake, thought of this, a wry smile crept up the corner of his mouth. He had used his army to force Great Peace City to submit to him, and had no choice but to loosen the embargo on transporting grain to Liao Province. He had also indirectly admitted that Liu Province was the rightful ruler of Liuzhou, and Song Dongming had overstepped his authority. Therefore, the imperial court immediately retaliated, and did not even bother to find a fig leaf. It was said that the trade at the northern border of Ji Province was much livelier than usual. Yuan Tingshan, who was once threatened by Hsu Fengnian to be skinned alive, was thrown into the border of Ji Province by his foster father, Gu Jiantang. Now, he had become the Commandant of Horse Tampering with four thousand old soldiers of Ji Province, and had more than twenty forts of various sizes under his command. At the same time, he was also in charge of three counties, and his territory was getting closer and closer to Beiliang. The power he had in his hands was almost equal to half a Provincial Governor and a General with real power. No doubt, this was a silent mockery of Hsu Fengnian, the Vassal King of Beiliang. Especially after Li Huoli, the eldest son of Wild Goose Castle in Ji Province, died suddenly in Quicksnow Mountain Villa, Yuan Tingshan, who was very popular in the border area of Liyang Dynasty, was about to become the son-in-law of Wild Goose Castle, marrying the famous woman who was known as' Li Jiashun '. In addition, Yuan Tingshan had a very close relationship with the First Prince, Zhao Wu, of Liao Province. It could be said that Yuan Tingshan's wings were fully grown, and even the nobles in Great Peace City no longer treated him as the foster son of Gu Jiantang. Yuan Tingshan, as a stray dog, had become a shining star in the dynasty in just two years. There were even some people who were secretly adding fuel to the fire, and had raised Yuan Tingshan to the position of Hsu Fengnian's mortal enemy.
Hsu Fengnian sat on a bench in the pavilion with two boxes of chess pieces on his knees. He held a dozen or so round and pleasant chess pieces. As time passed, they were soaked in his warmth and were no longer cold.
Hsu Fengnian's thoughts drifted to the Tai 'an City that he hated and feared in his heart when he was young. He smiled. Just like when he was young, he always felt that Mount Qingliang was the highest mountain in the world. Only after he left Liangzhou did he know that Mount Wudang had 81 peaks. After he left Beiliang, he saw many magnificent mountains and rivers with his own eyes. With the increase of experience, many of the deep-rooted thoughts of the past involuntarily faded away.
After Qi Yanglong, the Grand Chancellor of Shangyin Academy, entered Tai 'an City, even the slow-witted officials sensed a storm brewing. Although Grand Chancellor Qi only held an idle job in the Imperial College for the time being and his official rank was far inferior to the Right Chancellor Jin Lanting, what was even more incomprehensible was that the Imperial College had seven schools under its jurisdiction. It was only after Gu Jiantang stepped down as the Minister of War that he was allowed to add martial arts. However, Grand Chancellor Qi, who was as knowledgeable as the sky, chose to be the supervisor of the least popular martial arts. In terms of quality, he was barely on par with the Imperial College. In terms of quality, he was barely on par with the officials of the Imperial College. In terms of the original position in the Imperial College, the director of the martial arts, who had been neglected, was a whole imperial road away from the Imperial College. But in fact, those scholars who used to be considered clean and honest in the capital weren't even qualified to carry Qi Yanglong's shoes. During this period of time, not to mention the hundreds of officials from the Imperial College led by Jin Lanting, even the tens of thousands of students in the Imperial College were anxious. Those whose family backgrounds belonged to the upper class and who switched from the Imperial College to the martial arts overnight didn't even need to cry and shout to enter the martial arts school. Their family backgrounds were only average in the capital. They didn't even need to cry and shout that they wanted to enter the martial arts school. Their parents had already started to use silver to build connections. It was tacky to give silver. However, the Liyang Dynasty was so prosperous that it had created a prosperous situation that had never been seen in thousands of years. The capital was also the richest city in the world. Who didn't have a few rare calligraphy and paintings? In particular, those that had been stamped with the word "fake" were the best stepping stones to smoothly enter the doors of the big bosses of the Ministry of Rites. No matter how much the people of the capital cursed the young man in Beiliang, when it came to the identification of authentic works, that guy's picky eyes were very convincing. As long as he recklessly wasted a natural treasure and labeled it as a "fake", it was 100% authentic. Moreover, although the young man's surname was Xu and not Zhao, he had now become a proper vassal king and had defeated Old Monster Wang, who was recognized as invincible in the world. As long as he had his seal, no matter if it was square or round, a calligraphy or painting could be sold at a sky-high price in the capital.
Hsu Fengnian didn't have any feelings about this matter. He was more concerned about the direction of the murderous battle between the dragon and the deer that was about to happen. According to the secret report, this Grand Chancellor, who was praised as a person who could be compared with a million soldiers, was not really making a small fuss in the martial arts field of the Imperial College. Instead, he began to compile new scriptures under the instructions of the emperor of the Zhao family. He even used his official status to explain the complete meaning of the Confucian Sage for the first time for the Zhao family. It seemed to be icing on the cake for the imperial examination, but in fact, it was to shake the foundation of Zhang Lu. This time, Qi Yanglong took the lead in compiling the classics. Just by looking at the two assistants, one could see how much importance the emperor attached to him. The Left Chancellor of the Imperial College, Yao Baifeng, and the Grand Secretary, Yan Jiexi, who was a relative of the emperor, were only assistants to Qi Yanglong. Was Qi Yanglong really just compiling a few volumes of books? He was setting the rules for all the scholars in the world for hundreds of years from now on.
Hsu Fengnian clenched the chess piece in his hand and said to himself, "It's okay if Bi Yan loses. Anyway, Zhang Lu has always been hostile to Beiliang. If Qi Yanglong can still suppress Bi Yan, Beiliang's situation will only get worse and worse in the future, won't it? Do I have the extravagant hope that Sage Qi, who is destined to accompany the sacrificial ceremony in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, will treat Beiliang differently? Mr. Wang, who lost the debate between Heaven and Man, said that Qi Yanglong had always had a deep hatred for all the vassals including Beiliang. He once said, "You can be crowned as a king, but you can't split the land." At first glance, you can tell that he is an imperial tutor who works for the emperor. However, compared with his student Xun Ping, Qi Yanglong is undoubtedly much more experienced and tactful. He knows when he should not go out of the mountain and when he should. Anyway, he has the final say in protecting himself and helping the world. First, it was Beimang's Peace Decree, then it is Qi Yanglong. Can't there be fewer opponents like this? "
Hsu Fengnian sighed and withdrew his gaze. Great peace City is always worrisome. The Beiliang Palace under my feet is also not a small courtyard with a gentle breeze.
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