The Qi cultivator Jin Xin 'an and the Great Zhenren Wu Lingsu did not leave the small building. Although Wu Lingsu used unorthodox methods to obtain the identity of a living immortal, Wu Lingsu had always been clear about his own abilities. He did not forget himself just because his life in Tai' an City was smooth sailing. This was not because Wu Lingsu's willpower was good, but because there was that tigress at home watching over him. Every time before he could be satisfied, he would be doused with cold water. It was hard not to wake up. It must be known that the red talismans on the doors of the palace to welcome the new and greet the old all came from that woman's hand. He, Wu Lingsu, was just pretending to take out his sleeve and stick it on. At this time, when Wu Lingsu thought of the request she had made not long ago, his body couldn't help but tremble and sweat poured down his back. Did he really have to be a servant of two surnames? Accurately speaking, he wasn't a servant of two surnames, he actually had the same surname. But the struggle of the same surname in the family of the Emperor, the quarrel between brothers, the degree of bloodshed was even more terrifying than the internal strife in the imperial court. If she could guarantee the continuation of the Wu family's prosperity and ensure that the only son, Wu Shizhen, could inherit the title of Minister of Yu Yi, then it was fine. But if he did as she said, the wealth in his hands was not small, but the risk was also greater.
Wu Lingsu was trembling with fear. If it was before today, he still felt that the Zhao family of Liyang could stick a protective talisman on his head. The heavens were high and the Emperor was far away, not to mention a vassal king far away in the northwest. But when that young man killed his way to Tai 'an City and even directly to the Imperial Astronomer, Great Zhenren Wu had to think carefully.
Jin Xin 'an did not look into Zhenren Wu's loss of composure. He only treated it as a fake immortal meeting a real immortal and was worried that the Wu family's position in the Liyang imperial court would not be maintained. Besides, Jin Xin 'an was too busy to pay attention to a puppet of two generations of Emperors. Jin Xin 'an raised his head and looked at the portraits on the wall. The portraits were still intact, but many of the people in the portraits had disappeared. This was a huge blow to the Qi cultivator grandmaster who wanted to become an immortal on land and then ascend before the Gate of Heaven closed. Since ancient times, the people who cultivated Dao believed that those who ascend would have eternal life! But if even immortals could die, then if he helped Xie Guanying do evil, even if he ascended, could he really escape the cycle of Heaven?
It was easier to become an official if one had connections in the imperial court. Wasn't it the same if one wanted to become an immortal? Why did the Celestial Master Mansion of Longhu Mountain have people ascending from generation to generation after Dafeng, while the Wudang Mountain, which was also the Ancestral Court, was dying? If Ancestor Lu had not entered the Gate of Heaven, would things have been completely different with Ancestor Lu Dongxuan's "ancestral shadow"? With Huang Manshan and Wang Chonglou's profound cultivation, wouldn't ascension be within reach? How could there be no immortals in the blessed land for four hundred years?
Compared to Wu Lingsu's fear and Jin Xin 'an's absent-mindedness, the two elderly Taoist priests who were responsible for offering incense all year round looked haggard. One of them leaned against a pillar, his eyes unfocused. One of them knelt on the futon devoutly, silently chanting mantras.
Xie Guanying sat lazily on the edge of the Heavenly Platform, his feet hanging in the air, as if he wasn't worried at all about being caught in the crossfire. In fact, whether it was hiding or escaping, if Xie Guanying claimed to be the second in the world, no one would dare to claim to be the first in the world. Within the borders of Western Shu, he had evaded Deng Taia's Thousand Li Flying Sword, which was brimming with killing intent. However, earlier in the year of Hong Jia, he had evaded two soul-stirring pursuits. Back then, Xie Guanying and Li Yishan were both young and vigorous God's favored sons. They hit it off immediately, especially Xie Guanying who was proficient in divination. He even revealed the secrets of heaven, which led to a monstrous disaster. Li Yishan was a bachelor. He only had talent but no background. Logically speaking, he should have died long ago. However, he unintentionally got close to a tree like Xu Xiao and managed to escape that storm. On the other hand, Xie Feiyu, who was born in a wealthy family, was deserted by everyone and treated as an abandoned child. He was even considered a must-kill by East Sea Martial Emperor City. Even the old lady who ascended the throne later bore a grudge against him. She didn't hesitate to let Tuoba Bodhisattva sneak into Li Yang to assassinate him. Because of this, he had to change his name and hide in the imperial court. Even his own flesh and blood didn't know if he was alive or dead. Therefore, there was no more Xie Feiyu in the world who hoped to leap over the dragon gate. There was only Mister Xie of Great Peace City who should be hiding behind the scenes.
In the eyes of Xie Guanying, who had watched the world's affairs with cold eyes for more than twenty years, Li Yishan and Nalan Youci were the same type of people. Xun Ping, Zhang Julu, and Yuan Benxi were the same type of people. Huang Longshi, who had a loose tongue, was another type of person.
However, in the end, Xie Guanying felt that they were the same type of people. They worked for others, a land, a country, and the world. The only thing they weren't good at was working for themselves. If they couldn't even take care of themselves, how could they help the world? Among them, Yuan Benxi wanted to work for himself, but he couldn't. Huang Sanjia could do it, but he disdained to do it. Xie Guanying's plan was to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat. He wanted the Central Plains to sink again. Then, he would personally obtain a thousand years of peace. If one said that Xie Guanying was seeking the status of Grand Secretary or Imperial Preceptor, or a few decades of peace and prosperity, or even ascending to become an immortal, then they were underestimating him too much. Since Huang Longshi said that there was no hundred-year emperor or thousand-year dynasty in the world, then he, Xie Guanying, would have to wrestle with this "outsider" who claimed to know about the future of a thousand years.
Xie Guanying suddenly felt a little lonely. The old faces and acquaintances had almost all left these years. Except for Nalan Youci, it seemed that everyone else had died. Although there were many newcomers, in fact, except for Chen Wang, who was successful in his official career, the others still needed various polishing and scrutiny even if their futures were promising. In comparison, Xu Beizhi and Chen Xiliang of Beiliang stood out faster. Jin Lanting, who was not inferior to Chen Wang and was already the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites? Xie Guanying had never put this kind of clown in his eyes. Adding oil to the fire was never a long-term solution. It was just a flash in the pan. Between the replacement of the old and the new, Xie Guanying was not optimistic about Zhao Youling and Yin Maochun. On the other hand, Lu Baijie, Yuan Guo, and Han Lin, the three civil officials who were either demoted or promoted to the local government, had the hope to take over the responsibilities from Qi Yanglong and Huan Wen. They were the top officials for a short time, but they were still paving the way and building bridges for Chen Wang, Yan Chi, Li Jifu, and the others.
During the reign of Yonghui, there were only two real mainstays of the Liyang Dynasty. There was the blue-eyed Zhang Julu and the warrior Xu Xiao. It was the existence of these two people that deterred all the dragons, snakes, fish, and shrimps in the imperial court. With Zhang Julu, the literati who wanted to make achievements honestly ruled the country, and the literati who advocated quiet talk continued to talk about the wind and the moon. With Xu Xiao, Chen Zhibao could not leave Western Shu, Cao Changqing could not restore the country, Yan King Zhao Bing did not dare to march north with great fanfare, Gu Jiantang could only be the governor of Liao Province, and Beimang's army did not dare to march south.
However, it was precisely because of the two of them, one was at the center of the imperial court, deciding the promotion of all the officials, and the other was at the northwest border, commanding three hundred thousand cavalrymen, that the late Emperor Zhao Dun did not dare to give the dragon throne to his son Zhao Zhuan, because there were too many thorns on the throne.
The biggest knot was that as long as Xu Xiao was alive, Beimang would not and would not dare to stake everything on a single throw to invade the Central Plains. Beiliang could substitute defense for war, allowing Liyang to prosper day by day, and its national strength to gradually increase, restraining and dragging Beimang to death. However, if they took the initiative to march north into the desert, firstly, Beiliang's chances of victory were not high, and secondly, Zhao Dun would not dare to do so. Xu Xiao would not rebel, but once the northern expedition went smoothly, and Crown Prince Hsu Fengnian established his prestige in the northern expedition, would Xu Xiao have the idea to give his son a higher position than the vassal king's throne? Even if Xu Xiao would not do so, would Hsu Fengnian take advantage of the situation to rebel because of the White Clothes Case in the capital? Even if the Xu family only conquered half of Beimang, with the vast territory of the Southern Dynasties as strategic depth and abundant supplies, how could Liyang resist the battle-hardened Beiliang cavalry? When the time came, when the wind and rain were tossed about, would the new emperor, Zhao Zhuan, who did not have much prestige to speak of, really be able to rely on the eloquence of the civil officials of Tai 'an City to stop Beiliang's cavalry?
Taking advantage of West Chu's rebellion to weaken the vassals and suppress the power of the local generals, and at the same time taking the opportunity to demonstrate martial arts to the world on the battlefield of Guangling, was the strategy that the late Emperor, Zhang Julu, Huan Wen, and Yuan Benxi had no choice but to do. In reality, they were buying time, taking advantage of the fact that Hsu Fengnian was not fully fledged. Even if West Chu did not rebel, Liyang would still force Cao Changqing to rise in rebellion. The imperial court had Gu Jiantang personally oversee the two Liao provinces, and Chen Zhibao the vassal state of Western Shu, making an aggressive stance towards Beiliang everywhere. How could a Beiliang that did not have any reinforcements not give Beimang, who had been accumulating strength for twenty years, an opportunity to exploit? A chance to take down a Beiliang that finally did not have Xu Xiao leading the border army? Beimang attacking Beiliang had the same meaning as Xu Xiao winning the Battle of the Western Wall. Although the price was huge, the results were obvious. One battle decided the fate of the country!
Looking at it now, the direction of the two dynasties did not change, but there were many deviations. Even after Wu Zhongxuan left Nanjiang and joined Liyang, the Guangling War did not quickly change. On the other hand, Northern Liang had obtained a tragic victory. It was tragic and heroic. What was even more unexpected was that the Beiliang Frontier Army lost a hundred thousand men less than Liyang had predicted. Especially the 130,000 to 140,000 cavalry, they did not suffer any major injuries. Today, they still maintained an impressive number of around a hundred thousand men. Originally, not only did Beiliang win a Pyrrhic victory, the second Great Battle of Liang Mang would directly spread the flames of war to Beiliang's Dao territory, or even Lingzhou. Looking at it now, Beiliang fighting to the death outside the pass was not a fool's dream. Therefore, when Hsu Fengnian left the vassal land without permission and Liyang retreated step by step, it was not that Great Peace City suddenly liked to talk about comradeship and reason with people. Instead, it was because they were afraid that Beiliang would do something irreparable in a fit of anger.
It was a pity that other than Tantanon whose heart was like dead ashes, those few people of the older generation who had set the trap had all died one after another.
Now, the crucial point was how Grand Chancellor Qi, whom Zhao Dun had high hopes for, would react.
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