Edict of Peace 72
Chapter 72: The Phoenix’s Gift
Tugu Hun, gone?
Li Guanyi’s thoughts paused slightly. His impression of this country stemmed from his past escape. Tugu Hun occupied the vast Western Regions; they were a nation of horsemen. Under their monarch’s leadership, they had defeated other tribes in the West, sharpening their weapons and eyeing the Central Plains with ambition.
Its territory was vast, not much smaller than Chen Kingdom.
Such a powerful and valiant nation, so blatant in their ambition, how could it be destroyed overnight?
Was it that letter?
This thought instinctively flashed through Li Guanyi’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it. Impossible, absolutely impossible. His suggestion was merely to plunder their land and wealth, weakening them to strengthen himself—not a strategy of annihilation.
Tugu Hun was the overlord of the Western Regions. The disappearance of such a behemoth would have a huge impact on the world. Li Guanyi steadied himself and said, “Old Xue, what happened? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“I was only a teenager.”
“I’ve always been in Jiangnan. How could something so far away be related to me?”
The old man said, “…Tugu Hun has become a dish on the table of this world.”
He pointed to the map.
Thirty-six tribes in the Western Regions had mostly been pacified by Tugu Hun.
Because of this, the Western Regions had amassed strength, preparing to advance south to confront Chen Kingdom. The old man said, “Due to the confrontation with Yu Qianfeng, troops were mobilized from the border region…leaving it undefended. Tugu Hun’s overlord decided to strike from here, annexing Chen’s southwestern territories. And they did just that.”
“The original plan was to contact the State Duke’s Mansion outside Ying Country’s border, and the Dangxiang people.”
“To strike at their center while Tugu Hun’s battle line was stretched thin.”
Li Guanyi nodded.
He didn’t mention the advice he’d given the second son of the Ying Country State Duke’s Mansion.
The old man let out a sigh, lamenting, “But at this time, an unexpected event occurred. I’ve traversed the world for a hundred years, yet I still made a mistake. I ultimately underestimated the heroes of the world. Tugu Hun’s renowned general led his troops south, and the Dangxiang people revolted.”
“They lost contact with their rear, and worried, turned their army back.”
“Then, an army emerged from Chen’s border.”
“They had laid an ambush, skillfully seizing the opportunity to pierce Tugu Hun’s rear, ultimately routing the Tugu Hun army. They pushed their advantage forward, and ultimately, three hundred li of Tugu Hun’s southern land were taken.”
“Chen’s envoy was in the army, negotiating with the Dangxiang people, supporting the Dangxiang king in establishing his own kingdom, while the Dangxiang people would submit to Chen. Chen would marry a woman from a collateral branch of the imperial family—the princess whose name was bestowed three months ago—to the Dangxiang leader.”
“Then, they invited the Dangxiang crown prince to Jiangzhou in Chen Kingdom to participate in the grand festival.”
“Yesterday, the Dangxiang people established their kingdom.”
“Dantài Xiànmíng’s congratulatory letter arrived there at the same time.”
“The Dangxiang people will become Chen’s defense against the other border regions.”
Li Guanyi’s pupils constricted. This massive change left him a little stunned. In the young man’s impression, that Dantài Xiànmíng was merely the chancellor who had ordered Xue Daoyong’s assassination.
Xue Daoyong’s face was complex, sighing:
“It was Dantài Xiànmíng’s strategy.”
“While he was in the palace playing the qin for the emperor, he had already issued his plan; while he raised his wine cup, reciting poems in response to Zǔ Wényuǎn and Wáng Tōng, the general he personally promoted from among the servants had already set foot on the battlefield.”
“The troops withdrawn from the border region to deal with Yu Qianfeng were bait for Tugu Hun.”
“And beside that bait, swords were already prepared. Ultimately, Tugu Hun’s arm was severed. The mountain of problems facing the country right now—those loopholes in taxation, the anger of the people—will be poured out onto the newly conquered territories of the West over the next ten years.”
“What a clever courtier, what a treacherous chancellor, what a supportive chancellor in this chaotic world!”
Xue Daoyong closed his eyes and sighed.
Li Guanyi said, “Even so, Tugu Hun wouldn’t have been destroyed.”
Xue Daoyong said, “Of course, not under those circumstances alone.”
“But there are others in the world with sharp eyes, not just Dantài Xiànmíng.”
The old man’s finger rested on Ying Country, saying:
“The turmoil within Tugu Hun wasn’t just our preparation.”
“The seven kings of the vanished Turkic appeared above Tugu Hun. The Western Regions’ Golden Curved Saber cavalry were never a match for the Tie Futuo (Iron Floating Cavalry), let alone with Tugu Hun’s main force dispatched. For these Tie Futuo, the Western Regions were like an undefended pasture, allowing them to run rampant.”
“The Turkic tactics of the past were straightforward. This time, however, they were like ghostly apparitions, coming and going like the wind, difficult to track. Tugu Hun’s defense and experience against Turkic heavy cavalry became completely ineffective, leading to even greater casualties. I suspect that the seven Turkic kings have a top-level military strategist under them.”
“I don’t know who it is.”
“And Ying Country also acted.”
“Everyone thought that after Marshal Yue entered the court and was imprisoned, Chen and Ying had made peace; Ying’s troops turned north to face the Turks. However, two days ago, the general who should have been at the Turkic front was quietly replaced.”
“The original Ying Country general led eight thousand iron cavalry.”
“Supplies had already been arranged along the way. They raced through the night, breaking through Tugu Hun’s gates at sunrise, winning consecutive battles. It takes decades to build a powerful country, but a single failed decision can lead to it being devoured instantly by the ambitious heroes of this chaotic era.”
Li Guanyi said, “If the Ying Country general left, wouldn’t the Turkic discover it?”
The old man said, “They did…”
He whispered, “Just as several Turkic tribes seized the opportunity to invade Ying Country, the general who had attacked Tugu Hun changed horses, leading the already prepared light cavalry back to Ying Country’s border; the Turkic people occupied Ying Country’s border cities, the people all fled, they drank, but that night, they were surrounded by that general.”
“Ying Country’s border was burned by its own general.”
“Tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry were burned alive.”
“Then, using the pretext of the Turkic burning the border, he gathered an army to attack the Turkic. In just four or five days, he raced thousands of miles overnight, broke thirteen cities, and beheaded more than thirty generals. With one country destroyed and three countries in turmoil, the world is unstable. Such a man is only thirty-seven years old! How young are the heroes of the world!”
“Tugu Hun was destroyed at his hands.”
“Even Dantài Xiànmíng’s strategy only served to create chaos and seize benefits; he didn’t think of destroying a nation, because destroying Tugu Hun wasn’t good for him either. But when Ying Country’s general destroyed the nation, he showed no mercy.”
“Then, he thoroughly searched Tugu Hun’s capital, seizing all the nobles, not knowing what he was looking for. More than three thousand Tugu Hun nobles died because of this; it seems Dantài Xiànmíng was also searching for this thing, but in the end, neither of them found it.”
A few casual words, and it’s the grand scheme of the world, countless lives at stake.
Li Guanyi said, “Who is this general?”
The old man said, “Ying Country’s renowned general, Yu Wen Lie.”
“Guanyi, wait a moment.”
The old man took out a scroll and handed it to Li Guanyi. It was the Divine General List.
This was naturally without a doubt. Li Guanyi scanned it but didn’t find the name, until the old man helped him turn page after page, pointing to the very front of the Divine General List, even the part with portraits, did Li Guanyi finally find the name.
But when Li Guanyi looked at the corresponding portrait, his expression froze slightly. He saw the man on the Divine General List, wearing heavy plate armor, his face obscured, riding a strange beast, holding a long spear, his eyes cold.
That gaze was the same one Li Guanyi had glimpsed before.
The true White Tiger Grand Master!
“Fifth on the Divine Generals List.”
“Ying Country, Yu Wen Lie.”
“Victorious on land against the Western Regions, victorious on water against Chen Kingdom, broke through eighty thousand with three thousand heavy cavalry, victorious against the Turkic.”
“A true fierce general!”
White Tiger Grand Master.
A top-tier general of the current era.
Li Guanyi was silent, not speaking for a long time. At this moment, he seemed to feel the starlight in the sky. The destined slaughter seemed to be laid before him, the peaceful days in Jiangnan shattered by the edge of iron and fire.
He looked at the general on the scroll, as if seeing him looking back at him.
Those who carry the Mandate of Heaven are naturally heroes. Compared to the older heroes, he has already established astounding feats.
After Li Guanyi said “to the death,”
The true White Tiger Grand Master, with the merit of destroying a nation, appeared before Li Guanyi.
Xue Daoyong said, “You and I are plotting in the Western Regions, using the iron cavalry and salt and iron to stir up the Western Regions, but there are so many heroes in this world, everyone is waiting for each other to make mistakes, one wrong step, death and national destruction—that is the world in a time of chaos.”
Li Guanyi held the Divine General List and nodded.
He chatted with the old man for a long time. He left Tingfeng Pavilion, sat in the courtyard, looking at the sky. The sky was a bright blue; now, Li Guanyi could see the position of the White Tiger asterism. He could hear people on the street chatting about daily matters—how the price of vegetables was today, how a certain woman and a certain man were arguing today.
This was completely different from the fierce spirit of the Western Regions. Li Guanyi felt a sense of tearing.
He looked up, the White Tiger asterism shining brilliantly in the sky. This must be due to the achievements of that White Tiger Grand Master. He was to fight this world’s top military strategist in the future.
Si Ming refreshed from the corner of the wall again.
Carrying a gourd of watered-down liquor that cost one coin a cup, and a handful of peanuts.
The old man said, “The Western Regions have changed.”
Li Guanyi nodded, dazed.
He propped up his chin, thinking casually.
The world is changing, and this is just the beginning. The Western Regions will definitely descend into chaos.
And the changes in the world’s situation will ultimately be presented at a major event that will bring together the high-ranking officials of various countries. Somehow, the first thing that came to Li Guanyi’s mind was the Chen Kingdom’s grand festival.
This event was still more than a month away, but Li Guanyi already felt that the Chen Kingdom grand festival had become a vortex, likely to suck in the world’s heroes.
Like the part of an iceberg floating on the surface of the sea.
More and more troublesome.
The old man sighed, teasing, “Before you said, ‘to the death,’ wasn’t that a bit too big a mouth?”
“Do you regret it?”
Li Guanyi replied, “A man should have the heart to draw a sword.”
“To fear the strong and bully the weak—I’m not at that point yet.”
The old man grinned, saying nothing.
He just sat on the wall, looking at the starlight visible in the daytime sky, took a sip of wine, and comforted:
“It’s a pity; if this achievement had something to do with you, we could ask the Donglu Astrology school for help, let the starlight refine it, and see if we can make something of your worthless ‘Tiger Roar Bone Forging Art’.”
“Where did you dig that thing out? It’s so difficult to practice.”
“Besides starlight, let me think… Qiyun (heavenly luck) can also be used to temper the body, like, for example, my Yin-Yang school…cough, like our Yin-Yang school.”
“Our!”
“We also have similar methods, using the art of observing Qi as the foundation, then how to borrow Qiyun is the core, but this method needs some kind of symbolic thing. Did you really not get involved? Now the heroes of the world are using the Western Regions as goblets and Tugu Hun as soup, everyone wants a share.”
“You really didn’t get involved?”
The old man asked suspiciously.
Li Guanyi thought for a moment, and affirmed, “I was somewhat involved, but certainly not much.”
Si Ming grinned, “Indeed, you brat are still so young.”
“How much involved?”
Li Guanyi held up a finger to gauge it, “A little bit.”
Si Ming teased, “This much?”
So Li Guanyi’s finger became smaller.
Paused, and then even smaller.
He himself felt that he had little to do with the Western Regions, and with the major events of the world.
The only thing that might have a little connection with the Western Regions was the letter from Ying Country’s border.
But such a huge matter, Li Guanyi suspected that the second young master probably just went for a stroll; his father probably didn’t even know about it. He was half a strategist for him. Now, in the young man’s heart, it felt like the world was changing, various heroes were making their appearances, and he and another were just going to grab some experience.
The old man was about to spit out a peanut shell when he saw a large iron pot faintly visible behind a certain door, so he obediently put it away, comforting, “It’s okay, even a little bit is impressive. How old are you? Old man believes you will definitely achieve great things in the future.”
“Temporary setbacks are nothing.”
“Right?”
“Tell me, what exactly did you do?”
Li Guanyi thought for a moment, took out the letter, decided to see what the second young master had done, and then tell the old man about the situation, to see if he could get a little bit of Qiyun, the words in the letter were still vigorous.
“Upon receiving this letter, brother, your strategy is excellent, I have followed it.”
“Any gains are thanks to your strategy.”
“A gift is enclosed, to show our friendship. Your strategy, my bravery.”
There was something in the envelope, Li Guanyi shook it, and the thing fell out.
Clang!
It was a seal.
A gold seal, with a tiger-shaped knob, antique in style, with Tugu Hun characters on the back.
The old man glanced at it.
His expression froze instantly.
“?!?!?!”
(End of Chapter)
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