Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 206

Even if you fail to exceed the target and get a high rating, achieving only the minimum living allowance is still considered a success.

The mission of the Net ended abruptly.

Before the newly arrived thousand-strong Chu army reached the treasury, the other guards of the old royal palace arrived first.

Looking at the plaza in front of the treasure vault littered with corpses, their faces were filled with horror and their bodies trembled. Peng Yue, the commander of the arriving 'Chu army', ordered his men to guard it first. As for the treasure vault, which had been partially stolen, it was also temporarily taken over by this thousand-man team.

After discussion, due to the insecurity shown by the old royal city, the treasures in the treasury were transferred to 'Shouchun' by a thousand Chu soldiers carrying the tokens of the strongest Xiang clan.

The local city guards and officials at all levels were investigated and detained for three whole days before it was confirmed that they had not colluded with outside bandits and were released from prison.

By this time, the thousand-strong Chu army unit bearing the Xiang clan's banner had vanished without a trace. Even though the officials of the old capital city sensed something amiss during their interrogation, they dared not question the gleaming spears. And by the time they were released and went to Shouchun to report the matter, it was obviously too late...

Chapter 230 Han Xin

The attack on Juyang enraged King Fuchu of Chu.

The fact that the first wave of attackers were from Luo Wang can be confirmed by the spider tattoos on the corpses that were left behind, but the most crucial point is that the second wave of thieves actually had a thousand-strong force who were wearing Chu army armor and carrying Xiang clan tokens to swindle people in the former capital city of Juyang.

This matter must be thoroughly investigated!

Just as the State of Chu was taking action, Tian Guang, the instigator of the incident, once again approached Lu Wei.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be the last meeting between the two for a long time to come.

Are you going to Mount Li next?

After Lu Wei uttered the place name, he immediately thought: Tian Guang has even more value that he can use to his advantage!

The convicts of Lishan were a well-known group. Historically, when faced with the escalating wave of uprisings, Zhang Han pardoned and armed these convicts to Hu Hai, who then played a crucial role in the emergency!

But Master Lu also knew that before Zhang Han, there was another person in history who also used slaves and convicts as soldiers in battle. This person's name was Zi Shou, the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty: King Zhou of Shang.

The vanguard turned against them and attacked from the rear to the north, where blood flowed like rivers.

“As a ‘tough nut to crack’ for farmers who are unwilling to fall into the trap, they will naturally use some means to make me submit,” Tian Guang calmly replied. Ever since he participated in the Azure Dragon Project ten years ago to get close to Yan Dan, he has been walking on a precipice and occasionally enduring wind and rain, and he has long been used to it.

Although I am now over sixty, as long as I am not dead... I will not rest until I die.

Judging from the timeline, Tian Guang took over as the leader of the Farmer's Clan when he was around twenty or thirty years old. At that time, he was at most a few years older than Lu. One can imagine how promising and talented he must have been thirty or forty years ago.

Now, gray hairs have inevitably appeared at my temples.

“This place might not be so bad.” Lu Wei took out the Shennong Token from his sleeve under the table, rubbing the hard patterns on it, but did not bring it up: “The composition of the criminals in Lishan is very complicated.”

“On this point, you agree with what Yan Ri said.” Tian Guang chuckled upon hearing this: “Making friends with all sorts of people is something I learned from the first day I ventured into the world at the age of fourteen.”

"The more friends the better, this is one of the tenets of the Farmer's School. It is because of adhering to this tenet that the Farmer's School has 100,000 disciples today."

"The number of convicts in Lishan is probably many times greater than the number of disciples in the entire farming family," Lu Wei said meaningfully.

"So, is the Heroic Leader going to give Tian Guang orders?" Tian Guang slowly stood up, solemnly clasped his hands, and bowed to Lu Wei.

He had been the leader of the chivalrous sect for decades, but if Tian Guang were to return to the way he was when he was an ordinary disciple decades ago and bowed respectfully to others, he would not be surprised.

After all, whether he was a lofty peasant hero or a solitary wandering knight, Tian Guang's pure heart for farming never changed.

"Why must the leader of the sect do this?" The hall master jumped up in surprise and helped Tian Guang up, seemingly unwilling to accept the bow.

“Now you are the true leader of the knights~” Tian Guang calmly stared into Lu Wei’s eyes. Lu Wei did not flinch, letting his true feelings show: “But Tian Guang, the leader of the knights, will always be my leader of the knights!”

Nine years ago, before the autumn harvest festival, when the two first met outside Jicheng, Tian Guang could always easily read the boy's thoughts at that time.

However, after several years, he can no longer see through Lu's thoughts and words to the truth.

Emotionally, Lu Wei was deeply moved at this moment. But rationally, Tian Guang knew that this statement was definitely false: it was only because the other party hoped that he would have more value in going to Lishan.

The successor he had chosen was cold-hearted to the point of being cruel. This was one of the reasons why Tian Guang had chosen him.

The 100,000 disciples of the Farmer's Clan, nominally bound together by brotherhood, always need a most ruthless leader to guide them... just as he himself would personally kill his own clansmen, Tian Zang and Tian Du, whom he had watched grow up.

Tian Guang believed that his betrayal of Changping Jun, who supported farmers, was also extremely contrary to the code of chivalry.

Despite being constantly watched, Lu Wei remained calm and composed: "With the chief of the chivalrous sect at Mount Li, there's no need for me to give any instructions. The chief will make the best choice for the farmers based on the actual situation."

"I will," Tian Guang temporarily banished rational thoughts from his mind, made himself appear as if he was moved, nodded emphatically, and then said, "You shouldn't stay in Shouchun either. After the New Year, the Qin army will be ready to attack. This place is very dangerous."

"I understand the principle of seeking advantage and avoiding harm."

...

After seeing Tian Guang off, Lu Wei's smile immediately vanished. He frowned and pondered for a while before returning to the Yin Yang School's stronghold.

The three members of the Yin-Yang School, Sun, Moon, and Star, have made slow progress in their exploration of the Chu King's Palace these days, mainly because they are not revealing their identities.

Xinghun was very dissatisfied with this efficiency. He wanted to capture King Fuchu of Chu... or at least capture a few princes of Chu to manipulate and play with them using his silk-string puppetry technique.

At this very moment, without the Moon Goddess Dongjun's intervention, Xinghun suddenly remembered: In recent years, the King of Chu had changed frequently, and the current King of Chu, Fuchu, was born out of wedlock. The previous King of Chu was assassinated by him.

Fu Chu could not have obtained the Azure Dragon Bronze Box through legitimate means. Even if he had obtained it from the secret records kept by the royal family, given the current situation facing the State of Chu, he would not have had the time to study it.

Considering the existence of so many fake bronze boxes in the palace, it is indeed very likely that even Fu Chu was unaware of the existence of the real bronze box, or that it was not in Shouchun but in Chenying City.

“The situation in Chenying next year is likely to be even more difficult. There won’t be as many fake bronze boxes there as in the royal palace. Let’s go to Chenying first to check the situation,” Xinghun suggested eagerly.

Although Chen Yingcheng has attracted much attention, there are not many martial arts figures within his own ranks.

The search there would be much easier than in Shouchun. If nothing is found in Chenying City, returning to search Shouchun would just be an extra trip.

Alternatively, they could split their forces and act separately.

The combined strength of the four of them is such that there are virtually no opponents they need to worry about in the martial arts world. Even if they split into two teams, it wouldn't be difficult for them to escape if they encountered danger.

After realizing that Lord Changping had no intention of returning to Shouchun, Lu Wei was basically certain that the box was in Lord Changping's hands, and he advocated against the idea of ​​splitting up the troops.

Ultimately, the four of them left Shouchun, following Xinghun's decision to go to Chenying and Lu Wei's decision not to split up their forces.

Before leaving, Lu Wei found Xiao Han Xin again in the city.

During this period, various forces emerged one after another in Shouchun City. Taoists, Confucians, and even the White Phoenix of the Flowing Sands all showed up in the city.

These forces emerged after the Chu army's victory, each with their own motives. Before Lu Bu, Zhang Han of Qin had already made contact with Han Xin.

Zhang Han's Shadow Guards, operating on enemy territory, dared not delve too deeply into investigating the newly emerging schools of thought and martial arts forces. They could only record their names and locations. However, they could be more daring in their investigation of Han Xin.

After investigating, Zhang Han made an unbelievable discovery: Han Xin had no background whatsoever.

Judging from Han Xin's performance, although this young man usually remained silent, the abilities he occasionally displayed were extraordinary.

Furthermore, when he heard some criticisms of the Qin state, he seemed indifferent, indicating that despite being a Chu person, he harbored no hatred towards the Qin state, which was about to attack Chu.

This is perfect for bringing in a close-knit team and nurturing them carefully.

"What is your opinion on the Qin people's attempts to win them over?"

Having heard information about Zhang Han from Han Xin, Lu Wei asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know the identities of those people, but Nan Gong deduced that they were Qin people." While wolfing down the food on the table, Han Xin found a moment to answer the hall master.

The two are currently in a private room at a restaurant in Shouchun. Han Xin has no money, so Lu Wei is naturally paying for this lunch.

Even Chu Nan Gong didn't know the name 'Shadow Guard,' but it wasn't difficult to deduce the Qin people's identities from their actions.

"Is that so?" Hall Master Lu looked at Han Xin's gluttonous appearance and suddenly laughed, "Your current performance doesn't seem to fit the role of a 'disciple' that Chu Nan Gong could choose?"

"Chu Nan Gong taught me, but he is not my master, and I am not his disciple yet." Han Xin said vaguely and indifferently, "I won't have many opportunities to eat such a feast for a long time to come, so I can't deprive myself for the sake of 'politeness' now."

"Besides, Hall Master Lu isn't the type to care about such things, so I don't need to eat slowly."

"Moreover, keeping yourself busy limits the questions I can ask, right?" Lu Wei added a third point with a faint smile.

"I am at a disadvantage when facing Hall Master Lu, so resorting to some tricks is a last resort." Han Xin's expression did not change when his thoughts were exposed; he simply nodded and admitted it.

"It seems you have a clear plan for your future at such a young age." The sect leader crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Han Xin's patched-up old clothes, and smiled slightly. "Then you should be able to understand my intentions and know that I'm someone who finds it hard to refuse."

"This... the Gonggong Hall of the Farmers has tens of thousands of disciples, and I imagine there are quite a few talented and ambitious people among them." Han Xin tried to play dumb: "Besides, it doesn't make a difference if I'm not one of your children."

"You want to be granted a title and appointed as a general?" Lu Wei stared at him and suddenly asked.

“Ambition…it definitely needs to be grand.” Han Xin did not answer directly.

"Very well." The hall master stood up, not pursuing the topic further, but seemingly preparing to leave. He had also been a child once, so he generally... never bullied children.

Before leaving, Master Lu said, "Today's meal consisted of eighteen dishes. How about you owe me eighteen favors?"

"Master Lu, this..." Han Xin opened his mouth wide with a strange expression, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Lu, who blatantly and unreasonably said, "Since you think eighteen is too many, then let's just call it one."

"...yes"

Han Xin nodded somewhat reluctantly in agreement...

Chapter 231 Chen Ying Palace

Compared to Zhang Liang, Han Xin had an advantage in that he was not overly attached to his identity as a Chu person, and therefore there were no constraints restricting his choices.

After all, one was a prime minister of Han for five generations, while the other was orphaned at a young age and had problems with eating and sleeping every day.

Han Xin was more like an ordinary person in the border areas. Today he was a Chu person, tomorrow he would become a Qin person when the Qin army attacked, and after the Chu people fought back, he would return to being a Chu person.

For these people, the change in status was merely that the officials who ruled them had changed into different colored clothes; nothing else had changed.

While Chu Nan Gong was indeed teaching Han Xin, he did not provide him with any financial assistance and even frequently ate and drank at Han Xin's place. This was also part of his teaching.

The hardships of life did not make Han Xin too eager to change his current life. What he pursued was the life of a true "great man" in the future.

Neither Zhang Han's initial attempts to win him over nor Lu Wei's invitation were met with immediate acceptance. Han Xin knew he was still young and hadn't yet had the chance to truly observe the world.

My studies with Nan Gong were incomplete; my experiences and perspectives in Shouchun were far from sufficient.

Master Lu was not surprised by Han Xin's choice; he only needed Han Xin to remember him for now.

After Lu left, Han Xin looked at the large table of dishes, sighed deeply, and then continued eating.

I've already incurred this favor, and I can't let something that can't be changed make me miss out on this delicious meal...

Leave a few dishes untouched; you can bring them to Master Nan to taste and ask him to teach you some more things.

Nan Gong may not care about these cold dishes, but he can certainly guess from them his meeting with Master Lu of the Farmhouse.

Perhaps the Southern Guild will teach me a lesson from this.

...

After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, Lu Wei wandered around the Yunmeng Market for a while but did not encounter Chu Nan Gong. He only saw Da Tiechui, the leader of the Mo family, competing in strength with a blacksmith.