Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 129

"Speaking of Quicksand, my senior brother once told me that Hall Master Lu fought against Quicksand in Sanghai?"

It was Zhang Liang who brought up this topic first; he still had plenty of patience, but that patience was better suited for use against enemies.

The third leader of the Confucian school is much more frank with allies he wants to form alliances with.

"I exchanged a move with the famous disciple of Guiguzi, but it can't be considered a formal duel."

Lu Wei became more serious, and after discussing the important matter, the two deliberately kept in sync.

"Regarding the ruthless assassin organization, Quicksand..." Zhang Liang paused for a moment without concealing his thoughts, "What does Hall Master Lu think?"

"The farmers do not wish to be enemies with anyone, nor are they afraid of anyone's challenges." After a moment's thought, Lu Wei chose a more official statement.

"The fact that the sect leader was able to stand out among hundreds of thousands of disciples in the farming community truly demonstrates his great wisdom."

Zhang Liang stopped and looked at Lu Wei, who had turned around, his eyes shining brightly: "If Liu Sha finds out about this, they will definitely stop being enemies with Hall Master Lu."

"I have never been an enemy of quicksand."

The sect leader exclaimed, "Do you believe that Quicksand will also hear of this?"

"Very likely~"

------

Confucianism is the school of thought that emphasizes "rites" the most among all schools of thought, and the ceremony for the succession of the head of the school is even more complicated.

As an observer, Lu Wei felt exhausted after watching the entire ceremony. Fu Nian, as the main character, remained calm and composed all day, so one can imagine how tired he must have been.

The Analects, in the chapter "Zilu," states: "If names are not correct, then words will not be in accordance with the truth of things. If words are not in accordance with the truth of things, then affairs cannot be carried on to success."

This statement contains valuable wisdom that can be applied anywhere. In the Confucian process of rectifying names, elaborate rituals constituted the "name."

The Farmer's School has a strong江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) atmosphere, so the Farmer's School's legitimacy is mostly about showing off its strength. Hall Master Lu will definitely not need to go through all that trouble like the Confucian School in the future.

After the ceremony, Fu Nian could not rest yet, as he still needed to discuss philosophy with several guests. He would be extremely busy for the next few days.

Only a leader who can remain composed and speak with such composure after experiencing such etiquette has the ability to lead Xiaoshengxianzhuang to survival under pressure.

The old-fashioned Confucian scholar Xun Kuang was not yet in seclusion and did not see outsiders, so he naturally had to attend this ceremony for the succession of the sect leader.

Lu Wei stayed with Feng Huzi throughout the ceremony, and by taking advantage of the sword-appraising master's reputation, he also made many friends.

Even if it's just a one-time encounter, something is better than nothing.

This included Xunzi, with whom he exchanged a few words. Master Lu believed he had left a fairly good initial impression on the other party.

Lu Wei will be leaving Sanghai soon, so there's no need for him to spend too much time cultivating a deeper relationship with Xunzi.

In Xiaoshengxianzhuang, he valued only two people the most: Fu Nian and Zhang Liang.

Being able to get along well with these two people is equivalent to being in harmony with Confucianism.

To befriend Fu Nian, one needs to act as the head of the peasant faction; to befriend Zhang Liang, one needs to adopt an anti-Qin stance.

He can have both of these; all he needs to do is let time gradually deepen the bond between the Confucian scholar and the farmer.

When Lu Wei arrived in Sanghai City, he was accompanied by Li Shiqi. When he returned to Daze Mountain, he was also accompanied by two others, but this time his companion was Feng Huzi.

I visited Dazeshan once ten years ago.

Along the way, Feng Hu Zi told Lu Wei many stories about ancient swords, including his first trip to Da Ze Mountain:

"That time we didn't go deep. We just passed by Jingzhe Slope in Daze Mountain and met a strong man carrying the Juque Sword. Was he also a disciple of your Farmer's Clan?"

"It used to be." Lu Wei did not shy away from the topic. The burly man who possessed the Giant Sword, namely Chen Sheng, has had his name avoided within the peasant community ever since because of the scandal at Kuiwei Hall a few years ago.

This is a reputation that has already been lost. If he wants to clear his name after becoming the leader of the chivalrous sect, he can shift the blame onto the Luo Wang organization.

"Yes, he's quite a prominent figure in the martial arts world now." Feng Hu Zi stroked his beard, focusing less on Chen Sheng and more on the sword.

"Juque is a famous sword known as the supreme sword in the world. I have traveled the world for nearly forty years and have heard of this sword more than once, and I have seen this sword more than once."

"But it is too big and not suitable for most swordsmen to use, so I have never thought highly of the Giant Sword."

"A sword can only demonstrate its power when it is wielded by a swordsman. How can anyone believe in the supreme title of a sword that can only be admired from afar?"

"However, now that the Giant Sword has found its master, I need to seriously consider its current status."

“In the Farmer’s family, not only are Juque and my Tunhai swords famous, but the sword of Tian Hu, the head of the Chiyou Hall, can also be appraised by the master.”

Tian Hu has a role to play in Lu Wei's "hunting net" plan, and the Tian family's power in the peasant community is no weaker than that of the Xu family in Luqiu Pavilion many years ago.

There's no harm in temporarily helping Tian Huyang gain fame.

But the Xu family once gave the head of the hall a profound lesson.

Once bitten, twice shy; the Tian family should be dealt with more thoroughly.

"The Tiger Soul Sword? I've heard of it..."

...

Having just returned to the Gonggong Hall headquarters in Daze Mountain, and before even Feng Huzi could settle down, Lü Qing hurriedly reported a message to Lu Wei:

"The chieftain sent me three letters in three days urging me to go to Yan Kingdom quickly?"

He instantly felt that his travel plans would have to be changed again.

“Yes, Master.” Lü Qing handed the three original letters to Lu Wei for inspection.

Lu Qing sent a messenger towards Sanghai City three days ago, but it is clear that the messenger did not encounter Master Lu himself on the way.

"Master Feng Hu Zi, please go to your lodgings and rest first. I will host a welcome banquet for you tonight."

Staring at the small token engraved at the end of each letter, Lu Wei's pupils trembled slightly. He then beckoned Lü Qing to take Feng Huzi to his residence to settle in.

He wandered alone in the main hall:

The message ended with the inscription "Shennong's Decree," signifying extreme urgency.

'What urgent matter in Yan Kingdom requires my immediate attention...?'

'The assassination plot against the Qin emperor? That's none of my business.'

'Something happened at Luqiu Pavilion? Ashan's communication is still normal.'

'Has something happened to the leader himself?'

The lord swiftly sat down and made a decision:

He must obey this order and set off immediately!

Chapter 150 The Zhao Army's Defeated Defeat

A spontaneous trip is not so easy to do; Lu Wei needs to settle things in Dazeshan in the shortest possible time.

Lü Qing already has a wealth of experience, so there's no need for me to say more.

While tutoring Xiao Yan'er, Lu Ni and Xue Nu also took charge of the hall's finances. Lu Wei gave each of them one of the two wind chimes he had bought in Sanghai City, encouraging them to continue their efforts.

Next, they arrived at Bailu Rock and inspected Amu's mechanical workshop. The mechanical ox version had been revised again and again, and its practicality was highly praised by the farmers who used it, so Amu was now focusing on mastering the mechanical rooster.

After ensuring the workshop was safe, he rushed to Yan Gui Ridge and, on a whim, promoted Li Mu to a two-star Pearl Grass. He inspected the military formations of Lü Chen and the Yan brothers and, with a stroke of his pen, added fifty more disciples to each of their ranks.

Finally, the Hall Master returned to headquarters and apologized to Master Feng Hu Zi: the welcome dinner for the evening was canceled, and Lü Qing would have to accompany Gan Jiang and Mo Xie to complete their job search.

Feng Hu Zi was slightly disappointed by this, but he still expressed his understanding and refused the suggestion to hastily evaluate Lu Wei's Devouring Sea Sword.

"Ancient swords have their own lives, and every famous sword deserves respect."

"Master Lu, please go to Yan. Once I have finished dealing with matters in Daze Mountain, I will also make a trip to Ji City."

"We will meet again, and then we will appraise the sword once more!"

By this time, it was already dusk, and another day had quickly passed.

Lu Wei pondered for a moment before heading to the back mountain. After having dinner with Xue Nu, it was already past midnight. He quickly dressed and stealthily made his way to Lieshan Hall like a thief.

In less than half an hour, after discussing the plan against Luo Wang with Jia Tianmeng and discreetly discovering that only he had received the letter from Xia Kui, he set off north overnight.

As the morning breeze stirred the wind chimes by the Snow Woman's window, a pair of white arms instinctively reached out to hug the person beside them, only to find nothing there.

"They've left again..."

Covering her mouth and nose with the blanket, the Snow Woman imagined for about ten breaths the nonexistent lingering warmth. She got up and flicked the wind chimes again with her slender, white fingers, making the pleasant tinkling sound even louder...

After washing up and quickly changing into her sword-practicing clothes, she focused on practicing her sword against the backdrop of the pale white sky: I am still too weak. If I could become stronger, I could walk with him forever!

At this moment, the sect leader that Xue Nu had been longing for had already ridden the three fast horses she had casually borrowed from Lieshan Hall the night before, alternating between them, and left the Daze Mountain area, heading towards the Qi-Yan border without rest...

"Heroic leader, you'd better wait for me... at least leave the Shennong Token behind before anything happens..."

...

The first snow in Yan (a region in northern China) came a few days later than usual this year.

Yan Dan sat silently in the somewhat deserted Golden Terrace Restaurant.

New battle report from Zhao:

After Zhao Cong and Yan Ju placed their own people in key military positions in the Zhao army, they immediately launched an attack on Wang Jian and feigned defeat in an attempt to lure Wang Jian into an ambush set up by the Zhao army.

Meanwhile, the elite cavalry of the Zhao army on both flanks gathered together, ready to strike at the Qin army's main supply camp as soon as the main force of the Qin army left the camp.

It could be said that Zhao Cong and Yan Ju had at least seriously considered this strategy. They were also corrupt, but ultimately they were not like Guo Kai, and they were genuinely trying to utilize their abilities to fight the Qin army.

However, military campaigns are not games, nor are they like reading or writing. On the battlefield, weakness is the greatest original sin, and generals with insufficient ability cannot change the outcome of a battle through temporary efforts.

Wang Jian seemed to have fallen for the trap and launched an attack, and then... the Zhao army collapsed.

The supposedly flawless ambush was riddled with loopholes in practice and was easily breached by Wang Jian, whom Zhao Congyan perceived as 'not good at attacking'.

Meanwhile, the Zhao cavalry that attacked the Qin army's supply camp fell into a trap. After being ravaged by powerful crossbows, Meng Tian personally led his Golden Fire Cavalry in a wanton slaughter.

These once-mighty cavalrymen of Zhao, capable of crushing the steppe wolf-like cavalry head-on and repeatedly defeating Qin under Li Mu's leadership, are now mired in a quagmire of death...

The stalemate was broken instantly, the Zhao army suffered heavy losses, and the Qin army marched south, heading straight for the Zhao capital, Handan.

After Zhao Cong, the main general of the Zhao army at the front, was defeated on the main battlefield, his central camp was also targeted and attacked by the armored troops led by Wang Ben. He was killed on the spot by Wang Ben himself.

Deputy General Yan Ju ran very fast and was not caught, and thus disappeared.

The remnants of the Zhao army, having been defeated, gathered several thousand men under the command of several captains promoted by Li Mu, and fled north to Dai to rest and regroup.

They were unable to hold off the main Qin army and relieve the burden on Handan...