fifth form

Chapter 3284 Contest and Countermeasures

"This was my oversight. I never imagined that Daojun's destination in Chang'an would be Pingyang!"

After escorting Kong Ning to Chang'an, Zhang Xuezhou, as usual, had to report to the new emperor.

Moreover, he also needed to obtain a set of formation materials from the new emperor for practice, which involved familiarizing himself with the Mount Tai patrol members who could be mobilized.

During the handover, Zhang Xuezhou also mentioned Princess Pingyang, who had just recovered from her illness and returned to her residence.

Zhang Xuezhou, like a cunning rabbit, had three burrows to hide in. The new emperor concealed himself by his unfamiliar face and the code names he used. The empress dowager, clad in armor, was equally inconspicuous. Among the crowd, only Tian Fen was somewhat blatant.

Among the many rehearsals, Tian Fen was the most dangerous, and an ambush was set up around him to lure the enemy out.

But no one expected that Daojun only came to Chang'an to see Princess Pingyang.

No method of sending messages can compare to Daojun's ability to fly. If we cannot be one step ahead of Daojun, the way we communicate will further expose the location of Marquis Pingyang.

It was indeed difficult to find the Marquis of Pingyang, who was often used by the new emperor to impersonate him and lived a secluded life. His appearance was also difficult to distinguish normally, even after Princess Pingyang exposed his location.

This matter ultimately took on a degree of reliance on fate, and it was a gamble whether Daojun was better at finding people or whether Pingyanghou was better at concealing himself.

"Prevention will never solve the problem," the new emperor said. "Only by attacking Beiju Luzhou, forcing them to fight in order to maintain their ruling position, can this threat be resolved once and for all!"

"Your Majesty said so!"

Zhang Xuezhou watched as the composed new emperor made his statement.

He had to admit that the emperor's ideas were radical and his methods were the most practical; the emperor possessed some qualities that Zhang Xuezhou lacked.

Let alone comparing Zhang Xuezhou to his peers who were constantly wandering around, even now he is somewhat inferior in this respect.

For example, in the real world, all the countries know that the capital of Qin Meng is the lair of ferocious beasts, and may also contain factors that lead to the destruction of Qin Meng, and even involve a possible survival crisis, but so far no one has announced that they will go deep into Qin Meng.

Even when the Omega Alliance encountered the Spider Swarm, it was only a small squad of Sequencers that probed the enemy; there was no incitement for the entire population to mobilize and sweep through it.

"I have been making adjustments as much as possible, striving to launch a large-scale war within the next two years, until we achieve a numerical advantage and annihilate them," the new emperor said with bright eyes. "If we can use the Celestial Court to restrain Zhujiuyin, our chances of winning will be even higher. If we can defeat one of them, the remaining two will find it difficult to support each other. Even if we don't take action, other forces will covet them!"

"Your Majesty said so!"

Zhang Xuezhou occasionally chimed in.

Compared to the Han Dynasty's past defensive strategies, the new emperor was clearly not satisfied with being attacked and decided to take the initiative.

War involves many aspects and its losses are beyond what ordinary people can bear.

The new emperor did not immediately launch a military campaign regardless of the cost, but rather mentioned a timeframe, which clearly required extremely thorough preparation.

"He doesn't object to your plan to take the initiative to attack the Xiong Kingdom!"

The exchange and handover at Weiyang Palace took quite a while; Zhang Xuezhou didn't leave until almost an hour later.

After the main hall doors closed again, the Empress Dowager came out from the rear hall area and gave her comments on Zhang Xuezhou.

Following the ambush at Mayi, the frequency and scale of the Xiong Kingdom's harassment and attacks on the border reached unprecedented levels. This signified a complete break with the Xiong Kingdom, and the court maintained a warlike stance towards them. However, a division still existed within the court between the conservative faction and the radical faction.

Some, like Han Anguo, believed that the city walls were the only means to continuously eliminate the Xiong Kingdom's forces, while the younger generation, including Wei Qing, believed that it was necessary to launch a proactive attack on the Xiong Kingdom.

The attitude towards the Xiong Kingdom has changed, and the peace faction dares not show its face, but the controversy has not been eliminated.

This is not just a matter of talking; supporting one side may require personal involvement, and the level of risk involved will be completely different.

Zhang Xuezhou's lack of objection implies that he will also join the fight. If the new emperor has a need to control the Imperial Shuttle, the other party will inevitably cooperate.

This attitude pleased the Empress Dowager.

Putting aside the fact that Zhang Xuezhou might have had his own selfish motives, this cooperation was enough to make up for his mistake.

Few civil and military officials in the court had the courage to cooperate with the new emperor in attacking Daojun, and even fewer had the ability to do so.

"He is never confused about the big picture," the new emperor said. "When I made the suggestion, he didn't utter a single word of objection or dissuasion, but completely agreed with it!"

"Daojun is a very dangerous cultivator," the Empress Dowager said worriedly. "No matter how many methods I've tried, I can't defend against his flying knife technique. Is it really worth it for my son to do this?"

"Only through the clash of swords can we know who will survive to the end," the new emperor said. "If I die, the enmity caused by the death of an emperor will be irreconcilable. As long as the Han Dynasty exists, someone will avenge me. Moreover, I have life-saving pills. Even if I am hit by a flying knife, I have a high probability of surviving. I should be able to survive by using the incarnation method that Mother Empress mentioned!"

"This method is good, but the cultivation of the avatar will drop significantly. Only by mastering the fusion method mentioned by Dongfang Shuo can the cultivation of the physical body be completely transferred," the Empress Dowager said. "The avatar cannot consume pills and constantly consumes magic power. Only by carrying the spirit jade at all times to continuously restore the avatar's magic power can it maintain its vitality!"

“Wearing spirit jade is not a drawback,” the new emperor said. “Although our royal family has fallen on hard times, we can still afford over a hundred pieces of spirit jade ornaments. The problem lies in the method of fusion!”

"Dongfang Shuo said that only Xiao Huo has mastered the fusion method so far, but Xiao Huo's cultivation level is too low. He is currently only at the level of the Body Control Realm and can only refer to the fusion methods of the first three realms," the Empress Dowager said.

"The sick child has already stepped into the True Spirit Realm by releasing the power of Qi and blood from Mount Tai. With proper nurturing, the sick child should have no problem reaching the Middle Three Realms. As for the Divine Power Realm, the Empress Dowager will need to guide and instruct him," the new emperor said.

"Young Huo started his cultivation too early. Trying to force him to grow too fast will only make it harder for him to reach great heights. His comprehension is far from sufficient, and it will be much more difficult for him to attain supernatural powers than for ordinary people," the Empress Dowager said with a headache.

"This sick child has a strong ability to understand!"

The politics of the court is always a tangled mess that is difficult to untangle, and spiritual cultivation makes one feel powerless to climb to higher levels. The new emperor only showed some ease when discussing Huo Qubing.

Although he was someone else's son, the new emperor raised Huo Qubing almost like a prince.

He was not Emperor Jing's eldest son, and there was another crown prince, which resulted in a lack of education for him. When the former crown prince's incident came to light, the new emperor was summoned to Chang'an for short-term training.

After Emperor Jing was traumatized, this kind of training became even more eager for quick success and instant benefits.

The new emperor felt like a wild, overgrown weed; his growth lacked detail and sufficient guidance.

This led him to try to make up for this regret by training Huo Qubing, wanting to see if there would be any difference if the latter received a more detailed education.

The new emperor gave Huo Qubing many preferential treatments, even making him the youngest member of the Imperial Academy.

As for Huo Qubing's involvement in the method of fusion, that was an accident.

The Empress Dowager did not have a high opinion of Huo Qubing, while the new emperor had some confidence in him, believing that Huo Qubing would definitely not be limited to the realm of supernatural powers in the future.