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    Edict of Peace 43

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    Chapter 43 Xuanwu!

    July 31, 2024

    Chapter 43 Xuanwu!

    Ranked thirty-fourth among the nation’s renowned generals.

    The number one land warrior of the Southern Dynasty.

    Wielding a double-dragon war halberd, he could slay a grandmaster within thirty-three paces.

    Leading the army as a halberdier, he could defeat cavalry on foot, fearlessly charging into battle, sweeping aside all opposition. Together with Ying Country’s Guan Zhong elite Mo Dao troops, they dominated the north and south. Yet, such a valiant general betrayed his allegiance and became a notorious bandit.

    “Yue Qianfeng…”

    In the quiet room, an elegant old man murmured the name, his voice laced with killing intent and confusion.

    “Those of Yue’s subordinates have all been stationed in the border regions, suppressed by the emperor’s younger brother, the general. After several rounds of taming, employing both rewards and punishments, they’ve all calmed down. Only, only this Yue Qianfeng… he resigned his official position, abandoned his troops, and charged into the national territory like a mad dog.”

    “What happened to Xiao Wuliang?!”

    “Previously, he and the Luzhou Sword Immortal joined forces, yet Yue Qianfeng still survived!”

    Someone bowed his head and replied: “ …General Xiao said, General Yue…”

    He paused, then said: “Yue Qianfeng’s cultivation has reached its peak. When his Red Dragon Law Physique erupts, it can incinerate mountains and boil rivers. He intercepted them secretly, unable to bring his subordinates, and in a one-on-one situation, Yue Qianfeng was no match for him, but escaping wasn’t difficult.”

    “The Luzhou Sword Immortal’s sword energy is unparalleled, capable of splitting mountains and cleaving seas. But that martial artist had seventeen meritorious feats of first assault, beheading eight generals, capturing three flags. His skill with the halberd, taking enemy heads from amidst ten thousand troops was as easy as picking something from one’s pocket. Wearing the soft armor bestowed by the late emperor, he survived.”

    The elegant old man slammed his fist on the expensive table, shouting angrily, “Absurd!”

    “He uses the treasure armor bestowed by the late emperor to rebel against the court! What a traitor!”

    “Xiao Wuliang can charge into battle with seven cavalry, and can throw hand-held projectiles to kill the strongest Turkic archers.”

    “How many current fierce generals are stronger than him? This is the second time. Ten years ago, he led the night-charging cavalry, yet allowed that weak woman and child to survive. Ten years later, he can’t even stop Yue Qianfeng?”

    “Ten years ago, he was twenty-three, his cultivation hadn’t reached its peak, and he had help.”

    “Ten years later, at thirty-three, his cultivation still isn’t sufficient?!”

    “He’s disobeying orders! He’s relying on his martial arts prowess!”

    “Has he forgotten who promoted him back then?!”

    The man who responded bowed his head: “General Xiao Wuliang said he failed to fulfill the Prime Minister’s request.”

    “I implore you to demote him, and send him to the border region to be a common soldier.”

    “To guard the border gates for the country.”

    The elegant old man’s expression froze, ultimately speechless. He waved his sleeve and scolded, “Fool! He doesn’t understand that the affairs of the nation lie in the capital, with the ministers, within these thousand-year-old families. Day in and day out, all they want is to go to the border, to lead troops in battle.”

    “Does he know that it’s the common people who suffer from war? Does he know that military force has always been a weapon, and only used by the sage when there’s no other option? At the age of thirty, he’s still like when he first went to battle.”

    He calmed down, looking at the map of the nation’s situation spread on the desk. Chen Kingdom was the most detailed, the other countries only roughly sketched.

    He stared intently at the borders of Ying Country and Chen Kingdom.

    After Yue’s forces were suppressed, Ying Country and Chen Country became amicable, opening up trade.

    Two months later, Chen Country’s ancestral worship ceremony will be held, and Ying Country’s Second Prince, Jiang Guang, will also come to congratulate.

    However, Ying Country has also stationed thirty thousand Hu Man cavalry at the border.

    Yue’s army is also stationed across the river, maintaining a balance, forcing Yue’s veteran generals to remain there, unable to return to rescue their commander. But unexpectedly, there was another reckless brute who disregarded everything.

    Throughout history, fierce generals have mostly possessed this temperament. Without it, they wouldn’t possess the reckless courage to disregard life and death.

    Ying Country and Chen Country have enjoyed a brief period of peace, and Ying Country’s General Yu Wen has transferred some of his troops northward to drive out the Turks, while the Tu Gu Hun are resisted by the Guan Zhong nobles, leaving them no time to attack Chen Country. The overall situation has entered a stable state, a peace maintained by a balance of power.

    This is the perfect state of affairs deduced and judged by the ministers.

    But now, things are different.

    A top-tier general has turned his army’s edge, like a long spear piercing into Chen Country’s territory.

    Yue Qianfeng’s repeated appearances have already led to several secret changes, the interception by grandmasters of the martial arts world, and the deployment of Chen Country’s current top general, Xiao Wuliang. Jiangzhou is briefly in turmoil, leading to surrounding troops being recalled to intercept Yue Qianfeng.

    A completely conciliatory policy must be adopted towards the rest of Yue’s army.

    The deployment of Ying Country’s Hu Man cavalry and the famed Shang Zhu Guo, Ying Country’s great general who breaks enemies, to stop Yue Qianfeng, necessitates troop transfers from the northwest, causing the Tu Gu Hun to eye Chen Country;

    And the Turks are waiting for Ying Country, watching to see if Ying Country will take other strategic actions in the face of Chen Country’s upheaval.

    The old man’s eyes were sharp, instantly seeing that the key to the overall situation lay with Yue Qianfeng.

    Once he successfully breaks through the court’s city gates and the border troops return to suppress him…

    The old man clenched his fist in anger.

    “Fool! Fool!”

    “Utterly stupid!”

    “This is the so-called renowned general.”

    “A bunch of untamed horses, wantonly devouring their master. As long as they go mad, disregarding their own lives, they are enough to stir up the changes of the world. They are called important national assets, but if they don’t respect the emperor, they are merely traitors and rebels!”

    The old man said, “The border troops cannot be moved. I will write a letter inviting the Ying Prince to come.”

    “Order the Guan Yi City commander to move troops from another city to create a pincer movement. No matter what Yue Qianfeng wants to do, he must be stopped, killed!”

    “Order the border region to contact the Dangxiang people, offering a thousand gold and silk, inviting them to the court for an audience.”

    “The Tu Gu Hun’s right princess loves jade, send jade and beautiful women to congratulate her.”

    The old man issued one order after another, blocking the upheaval caused by Yue Qianfeng, his actions steady and measured.

    As he wrote the letter, his expression was calm, as if he could control the overall situation. But someone hurried in, a palace eunuch, his tone urgent: “Minister, the emperor obtained a Thousand-Mile River and Mountain Peaceful Scroll, and the ministers cannot appreciate it, so the emperor is angry.”

    The official who had just reported on important matters frowned and rebuked: “Absurd! The Prime Minister has great…”

    The old man shouted, “Absurd!”

    The official was about to respond when an inkstone slammed into his forehead, making him dizzy and bleeding.

    The elegant old man put down his brush and hurried to the eunuch, grasping his arm:

    “This is a major event. No one can appreciate the sage’s masterpiece.”

    “Although I am dull, I am willing to take a look.”

    “Please lead the way.”

    The official from the Ministry of War sat on the ground, clutching his forehead, dazed and lost.

    The old man, wearing a vermilion official robe and jade belt, hurried away. The young official looked at the scroll representing the nation’s overall situation, only a few sentences written, the old man’s back already invisible. He could only see the rising wind and high-hanging clouds under the night sky.

    If General Yue Qianfeng really breaks through the city gates and reaches the capital of Jiangzhou.

    Or rather, if the whole world knows that General Yue Qianfeng seems to be planning to attack the city gates, is that truly his intention?

    He looked at the flowing clouds, obscuring the bright moon.

    “The world is about to change…”

    ………………

    In the secret realm.

    Facing Xue Shuangtao’s questions.

    Li Guanyi vaguely responded using the Sun Tzu’s Art of War and other allusions he knew. Xue Shuangtao shook his head, saying lightly: “Empty talk. The battlefield is not that simple. You haven’t been on the battlefield. What you say is what military scholars would say, but you don’t understand its subtleties.”

    “Just correct nonsense. You only repeat yourself. You say it well, but don’t say it next time.”

    “Avoid the strong and attack the weak, how do you know what is strong and weak; know yourself and know your enemy, how do you know if what you know is true or false? The five virtues of a general, how to conduct oneself, how to train troops, how to form formations, how to unite the spirit of war, how to make soldiers have the will to die without the thought of certain victory, yet be able to fight and win?”

    “Mountains and rivers, where can you set up camp; weather and wind, how to take advantage of the situation to attack strongly?”

    “If there are conflicting intentions within the army, how to suppress them; if a general in the army is defeated, what should be done?”

    “Thirty-two methods of using spies, sixteen methods of death spies, what are they?”

    “How to identify enemy spies, how to use them instead, thirty-six basic battle formations. These are only the skills of military strategists in battle. Mastering these makes you a general, only then are you qualified to bear the lives of hundreds and thousands of people and the fate of the country.”

    “Long-term vision, capable of planning the overall military strategy, not just formations, is what makes a renowned general. But you are just a parrot repeating words. How can someone like you be among my descendants? Has my Xue family stopped studying military books?”

    Xue Shuangtao seemed to begin doubting his descendants, but his eyes were mostly teasing and joking.

    Li Guanyi twitched his lips.

    The general picked up his pen and wrote a ‘one’ on the young man’s forehead.

    The corners of his mouth slightly curled up. “However, it’s good. It seems my preparations haven’t been in vain.”

    “I will tell you how to deal with various situations.”

    He began to explain cavalry tactics and crescent moon impact formations, and after a full hour, the young man surfaced, Yao Guang seeing Li Guanyi fall back on the stone.

    Yao Guang’s voice was calm: “You look very tired.”

    Li Guanyi covered his forehead.

    Thinking of how exhausted he was when Xue Shuangtao kept explaining and analyzing battle formations.

    Complex, meticulous, and systematic.

    “I feel that military knowledge has entered my brain in a despicable way.”

    Li Guanyi entered a regular life. He practiced archery and martial arts during the day and went to the secret realm to cultivate in the afternoon. He wanted to get the starlight to refine his foundation and prove the supreme entry method, so he had to come. After each battle, he would take medicine, and when his body was tired.

    Xue Shuangtao would unilaterally and forcibly instruct him in military strategies.

    “Comprehensive Battle Array”, “Essentials of Military Strategy”, “Military Canon”, “Grass Hut Strategy”, “General’s Garden”, “Ten Thousand Machine Theory”, “Six Tao Three Strategies”, “Naval Warfare Strategy”… Li Guanyi memorized various military books, his mind quick and agile, able to learn from one example and apply it to others. Xue Shuangtao then increased the difficulty of instruction.

    For each person he defeated, he would use the military strategies and tactics used by that person five hundred years ago to teach him.

    Li Guanyi had to break through.

    These days were fulfilling. More than ten days passed, and Li Guanyi still didn’t know the use of this teaching, but one day on his way back, he looked up at the city defense and was slightly startled, naturally reaching a conclusion.

    The city defense had tightened.

    Even the changed city guards were elite troops who had experienced real battles, skilled in foot combat. The bows and crossbows were arranged in staggered shooting.

    It was a defense against strong foot combatants suddenly charging into the formation.

    If the city gate is used as a reference point, there should be a general not far from here. Yes, although these people are plainly dressed, they should be special troops with iron chains and hooks to trip horses, a solid defense.

    When Li Guanyi walked into the city, he realized what judgment his brain had made.

    His expression was heavy, and he reached out to press on his forehead.

    He was first delighted, then puzzled. Delighted that Xue Shuangtao’s teaching had brought about such a transformation, yet surprised and puzzled that Guan Yi City, such a large city, had such defenses. That meant someone was going to attack the city?

    Who is so crazy?

    If so, he had to take his aunt to the Xue family first. Li Guanyi made the judgment and went to the Xue family, meanwhile pondering the fact that his pills were finished. Because of the tempering in the secret realm, his consumption of pills was much greater than that of ordinary people.

    And the pills were expensive. He couldn’t keep asking the young lady for money.

    Recently, he had told Xue Changqing stories and got some money, barely enough to get by.

    Turning around, he heard someone shouting: “Fortune-telling and prediction, nothing is unknown. Zi Wei Dou Shu, Da Xiao Liu Ren, all are in my hands. Oh, young friend, please stop. I see black air on your forehead. I’m afraid you will have bloodshed and war soon.”

    Li Guanyi heard a familiar voice and saw an old man.

    It was the Si Ming who had climbed the wall before.

    The old man also saw Li Guanyi, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

    Just about to speak.

    Li Guanyi’s pupils contracted, his gaze shifting to the huge Xuanwu tortoise next to the old man.

    The old man’s stroking beard movement froze, his eyes widened.

    He saw the White Tiger on Li Guanyi’s shoulder and the Red Dragon on his arm.

    Both sides were momentarily stunned.

    Then both sides noticed each other’s gaze, their expressions changing.

    The old man said, “You can see it?!”

    Li Guanyi frowned and turned to leave. The old man threw down his stall, jumped onto the table, and chased after him, shouting: “Disciple, disciple, stop!”

    Li Guanyi walked faster.

    The old man pounced and hugged the young man’s thigh.

    “Disciple, no, not…”

    “If you don’t want to be my disciple, then how about you be my master?!”

    “Master!”

    (End of Chapter)

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