At the same time, another piece of news reached Niu Youdao's hands.
When the news arrived, Niu Youdao was sitting by the lake, fishing with a bamboo pole in his hand. With his cultivation, he could easily fish a fish out of the lake. There was no need for him to fish slowly.
Fishing wasn't his goal. It was a pastime and a way to straighten out his thoughts and think about problems.
Yuan Gang walked over and placed a piece of paper in Niu Youdao's hand. He also slowly sat cross-legged on the side and slowly pulled the grass on the ground.
Niu Youdao unfolded the paper and glanced at the content of the letter. He seemed to be murmuring to himself, "Traveling and sightseeing … Preserving our strength … The survival of Great Yan is not his concern …"
He was muttering the rude words that Shang Chaozong had said to him. Almost every word that Shang Chaozong had said was presented to him.
The situation had progressed step by step to this day. Did he really think that he could hide in the wilderness and completely ignore the prefectural city? It was impossible for him to completely ignore it. He could not interfere with Shang Chaozong's side, but he could not let the situation in Nanzhou go out of control. Some supervision measures were unavoidable.
Just like how Baili Jie treated Gongsun Bu, with Niu Youdao's current influence in Nanzhou, it was too easy for him to control the people around Shang Chaozong.
Why did he not show mercy when replying to Shang Chaozong's message? It was because he already knew that Shang Chaozong couldn't restrain himself and knew what he wanted to talk about. He had already made up his mind. If he couldn't send troops now, then he couldn't send troops. What was there to talk about?
He put out these harsh words to pour cold water on Shang Chaozong to wake up and not be hot-headed.
As he read, Niu Youdao's lips curled into a smile. He turned to look at Yuan Gang and found that Yuan Gang's expression was very heavy.
He threw the letter back onto Yuan Gang's legs and looked at the lake. He continued to fish and said, "Do you still think that what I did was inappropriate?"
Yuan Gang slowly rolled up the paper. "Are you trying to say that you can know a person's face but not his heart? Are you trying to say that I misjudged him? Actually, it's not that serious. He's just complaining. "
Niu Youdao: "I don't think it's that serious. No one wants to be a puppet being controlled by others. Everyone has emotions, and it's normal for them to complain. No matter what he says, to me, it doesn't matter. I only care about the process and the result. A little noise won't change anything. What I care about is your opinion. Monkey, I just want you to understand that he is different from the two of us. He wants to be a king, a person who wants to rule the world. In the end, no matter what kind of person he was in the beginning, he will slowly change in the end. Don't be too wishful thinking. "
Yuan Gang: "I can understand how he feels. If it were me, I wouldn't sit back and watch my country be invaded and swallowed up by foreign enemies. I would definitely rise up and fight back even more fiercely than him."
Niu Youdao: "Others don't know, but you should know the information that Gao Jiancheng gave me. There's no need for Shang Chaozong to volunteer himself. If the war doesn't go well, the imperial court will send out troops from Nanzhou. If the war goes well and the imperial court can successfully eliminate the rebel army, we can just sit back and relax. Sooner or later, we will see the results. What's there to be anxious about? Isn't it better to prepare well and have the choice to advance and retreat in our own hands? "
Yuan Gang: "Shouldn't we inform the Prince about the information that Gao Jiancheng provided? The Prince is in the dark and doesn't know anything. It's easy to cause a misunderstanding."
Niu Youdao: "Even if it's a misunderstanding, there's nothing we can do about Gao Jiancheng. It's a top secret that only a few people in the imperial court know. Once it's leaked, Gao Shaoming will be captured first, and then the secret will be leaked later. The people in the imperial court aren't stupid, and it won't be good for Gao Jiancheng. One Gao Jiancheng is equivalent to a million soldiers for us, so Gao Jiancheng can't be lost. If the Prince misunderstands, then let him misunderstand. Just treat it as an act. "
Yuan Gang didn't say anything.
Niu Youdao retracted the fishing rod and found that the bait was gone. He shook the line and dived into the water again. He said lightly, "I don't want to see Shang Chaozong for the time being, but I can see Meng Shanming. I don't know how to fight a war. I want to hear his opinion on this war before making a decision. Ask Hong Niang to go and pick up Meng Shanming. "
Yuan Gang nodded, got up, and said, "I've found some clues about Shunfeng Hall. I've already sent someone to follow them, but I don't know if it's useful."
Niu Youdao tilted his head and asked, "What's the situation?"
Yuan Gang: "There are a lot of golden wings coming and going from Shunfeng Hall, but there's a pattern to the golden wings' movements. It seems to be irregular, but in fact, there's a hidden pattern. If we look at the time, we can see that no matter how the time changes, they will definitely be sent out within three days. "
Niu Youdao's expression was solemn. "Tell the people following them to be careful."
Yuan Gang: "Don't worry, it's been arranged."
…
In the Yanjing Imperial Palace, the leaders of the three major sects, Long Xiu, Gong Lince, and Meng Xuan, gathered in an attic to drink tea.
A Spirit Sword Mountain disciple went upstairs and delivered a secret letter. After Meng Xuan read it, he said to the other two, "There's news from the Wei State's grain convoy. They were attacked again, and they lost hundreds of cultivators. Five of the grain ships were damaged and sank into the sea."
Long Xiu indifferently said, "It's actually beyond our expectation. In this fight, Han Song and Jin Weiqi lost a lot of cultivators. On the contrary, the people of our three sects who participated in the confrontation didn't suffer any loss."
Gong Lince said, "It's indeed a bit unexpected. This is the time to weaken the strength of those sects. If this continues, I don't want the war to end so soon."
The three of them looked at each other with different expressions and then silently drank their tea.
…
In the main hall of the Zhao State's Imperial Palace, someone passionately argued with a group of ministers.
Minister Fan Xiu cupped his hands toward Hai Wuji and said, "Your Majesty, send the troops! We must put pressure on the south as soon as possible to force them to withdraw their troops. Once the Yan State collapses, the Han Song State will benefit from it, and our Zhao State will be sandwiched between the east and the west. Sooner or later, we will face a disaster! "
Bam! The golden-armored old general slapped the table and angrily rebuked, "Old thief Fan Xiu, how many benefits have you received from Yan, yet you speak for Yan Yan. You want to ruin the great opportunity of the rise of Zhao State. You should be executed!"
Fan Xiu's face turned red as he stood up. "Pang Teng is making irresponsible remarks and slandering a minister in public. Your Majesty, please punish him!"
Hai Wuji immediately waved his hand to signal him to sit down, and then pressed his hand toward the golden-armored old general. "Old General Pang, this is a matter of fact, don't talk nonsense!"
The golden-armored old general coldly snorted at Fan Xiu and then sat down.
This man was the Governor of Zhao State, in charge of the Zhao State's military. His position was equivalent to that of Grand Marshal Yan. His entire family was loyal, and three generations of his father and son, including him, were Governors of Zhao State. It was clear that Zhao State treated the Pang family well.
However, the Pang family seemed to have bad luck. When his father was the Governor of Zhao State, he fought against the State of Qi and died at the hands of Qi's General Huyan Wuhen. Not even his corpse was recovered. After his brother took over the position of Governor, he fought against Yan Yan and was forced into a desperate situation by King Ning Shang Jianbo. In desperation, he refused to be captured and committed suicide. His corpse was retrieved from Yan's hands by the current Empress Dowager, Shang Youlan.
Pang Teng knew that there would be a war of words this time, so he specially wore a suit of armor.
In fact, it was Hai Wuji who asked him to come. Recently, there had been a lot of discussion in the court, and Hai Wuji could not stand it anymore, so he asked Pang Teng to come and argue.
Among the seven states, there were two Governors with great military power: Zhao's Golden Armor Pang Teng, and Song's Silver Armor Luo Zhao.
Pang Teng was over sixty years old and wanted to repay the Pang family's kindness before his twilight years.
Luo Zhao joined the army at the age of fourteen and fought against Yan Yingyang and Wu Lie Graud at the age of eighteen. He escaped unscathed and became famous throughout the world. He was adopted by Emperor Song and given silver armor and robes. At the age of twenty-three, he was promoted to Song's Governor. Now, he was only thirty-three years old and was well-versed in both literature and martial arts. In addition, he was handsome and had a beautiful wife. He was truly high-spirited and heroic.
An official stood on Fan Xiu's side and said, "Governor, Lord Zhao is doing this for the country. Once Han and Song rise, Zhao will be in danger!"
Pang Teng frowned and looked at him coldly, "Rise? In the current situation, all the states are involved. It won't be easy for Han and Song to rise. Everyone is worrying too much. Right now, Zhao is waiting for rations and warhorses to arrive. Where else can we find such a good opportunity? How can we miss it? We can hoard the military supplies that are delivered to our doorstep and wait for Han, Song and Yan to use them up. When the three countries are weak, our State of Zhao can take advantage of the situation and sweep through them. Taking over the three countries will be as easy as taking something from our pocket. How can we miss such a good opportunity? "
The official asked, "How can Qi and Wei sit back and watch? What if they launch a sneak attack while I am mobilizing my troops? "
Pang Teng said, "Dajin is eyeing us like a tiger watching its prey. Qi and Wei will not dare to attack in full force. At most, they will send a small force to pressure us. I can send a force to harass them and delay them. We can do our best to delay them and succeed!"
Fan Xiu said in a deep voice, "Governor, how can everything be as perfect as you think? What if something unexpected happens? Your Majesty, this old official will say the same thing. The current situation cannot be changed easily. Otherwise, we will be consigned to eternal damnation! "
"A bunch of rotten wood spouting nonsense. They don't know anything about military affairs." Pang Teng stood up again and cupped his hands towards Hai Wuji, "Your Majesty, there is no need to pay attention to this bunch of rotten wood. No matter what, we cannot send troops. We can only sit back and watch. Whether it is pressuring Han or sending troops to wipe them out, the initiative is in our hands. Even if we cannot win, we can sit back and watch the three eastern states wail in pain. This is a good thing for Zhao."
Hai Wuji nodded and said to the officials, "Old General Pang's plan is brilliant!"
…
In the main hall of the Dajin palace, there were braziers for warmth. Everyone present was a core official. Those who were not high ranking would not be able to get involved in high-level secrets.
Many things change according to the situation. Shao Pingbo was also arguing with the officials.
Although Dajin was poor, it was not lacking in ambition. Its people were strong-willed. They were still brooding over the fact that Zhao had taken 30% of the goods sent to Yan. They were especially dissatisfied with how Dajin had lowered its head to Zhao.
"Being too firm is easy to break. It is not advisable to be firm and soft. Zhao's Pang family has been shamed for two generations. Pang Teng has an unyielding personality and has always wanted to take revenge. Hai Wuji's ambition is like dry firewood. If there is a chance, Pang Teng will blow it up. The 30% of the supplies given to Zhao is not fat meat, but medicine for them to save up large amounts of supplies. This is to boost their courage and speed them up. "
"Right now, Zhao will definitely sit back and watch as the three eastern states are exhausted. When the time is right, Hai Wuji will definitely send troops to wipe them out. Qi is worried that Zhao will grow and is afraid of Dajin. They only dare to use a small force to pressure the east. It will be difficult for Zhao to give up this rare opportunity. We can sit back and watch as three states become four states. If we sit back and watch, Zhao will grow and Qi will not be able to hold back. They will definitely come to Dajin to negotiate. "
"Dajin can take this opportunity to form an alliance army with Qi and Wei. At this juncture, the four states are already exhausted and weak. The two states will definitely agree to divide the four states. This way, Dajin can break the blockade that Dajin has been under for many years. We have a large territory and many people. With resources and strength, we can easily take care of Qi and Wei …"
Dressed in a silver fox fur coat, Shao Pingbo paced back and forth between the officials. He spoke with confidence and composure.
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