I am a soldier in the border army

Chapter 531: The True Destiny! A Feint! (Happy New Year's Eve!!!)

The person who came from the governor's mansion was none other than Yuan Feng's trusted aide Daocheng.

"I am a humble official from Youzhou. I am honored to see Lord Yan."

Han Shao, who was sitting in the hall, looked down at the remnant of the fortune-teller with interest for a while, then waved his wide sleeves to signal.

"sit."

Daocheng bowed respectfully and thanked him before taking a seat in the hall.

However, after sitting down, he did not speak directly as expected. Instead, he casually looked around the furnishings in the hall, and finally shook his head and made a comment.

"It is indeed a bit crude and unworthy of Lord Yan's dignity."

The visitor's wanton disparagement of the host's residence is beyond words.

Xiao Yu, who was standing aside, looked cold and was about to explode, but was stopped by Han Shao with a smile.

"To have a roof over one's head is enough for one's life. No matter how luxurious a mansion or palace is, it is nothing but vanity and is of little use."

"Besides, my current mansion is much better than the dilapidated ancestral home. Why should I be dissatisfied?"

Dao Cheng looked at Han Shao in surprise when he heard this.

"Mr. Yan knows how to be content."

Han Shao laughed.

“Does any wise ruler know that only those who are content can always be happy?”

Contentment is always happy.

Daocheng lowered his eyes, as if savoring the charm of these four words.

After a moment, he suddenly laughed.

"In my opinion, Lord Yan's words may not be sincere."

"If we are content with what we have, such a great talent as Lord Yan, wouldn't it be a waste of God's efforts?"

When Daocheng said this, he looked at Han Shao with a burning gaze. His eyes, filled with golden light, seemed to be able to see through the heavy fog, illuminate the past and the future, and see the truth of everything.

This time Xiao Yu really couldn't hold back anymore, he glared with his tiger eyes and shouted angrily.

"How dare you use this evil method to spy on my master!"

After saying this, the long sword at his waist was already half unsheathed, and murderous aura filled the sky.

But in the end, he was stopped by Han Shao's calm words.

"Wu Lang, please be patient."

Waving his hand to let Xiao Yu retreat temporarily, Han Shao looked at Dao Cheng with interest and asked.

"My Lord, what have you seen?"

The golden light in his eyes gradually dissipated, and Dao Cheng's face lost some of its color. He shook his head regretfully and told the truth.

"Lord Yan's temperament is like the abyss, which is hard for ordinary people to fathom. The lower officials are shallow and have never seen through it."

Han Shao smiled playfully.

"You can't be a qi-watcher, either?"

Daocheng heard this and nodded seriously.

"I dare not deceive you, but I am not good at observing your aura."

Although the two met for the first time today, Daocheng's background was no longer a secret to Han Shao.

He wasn't going to hide it.

However, he used the word "deceiving the king" in a very interesting way, which made Han Shao laugh again.

After laughing, Han Shao changed the subject.

"Your Majesty, you came here today with a mission, why are you just chatting in front of me instead of talking about business? Aren't you afraid that you won't get the job done and that old man Yuan will blame you later?"

Daocheng also laughed when he heard this.

"Lord Yan has a keen insight into the world. He must have planned all the matters long ago. How can it be changed by a few words of instigation from others?"

"In that case, why should I waste my time and energy talking so much?"

"Why not take this opportunity to meet Lord Yan and have a chat with him? It would also help to verify whether Lord Yan is really as the nephew of the lower official said in the secret letter..."

Han Shao knew the purpose of Daocheng's visit today.

He also knew that Han Shao knew.

So as he said, it would be a waste of time to waste any more time talking about this.

As for his last sentence, it aroused Han Shao's interest again.

"Oh? How did Zhou Xuan describe me in his letter?"

Daocheng smiled bitterly when he heard this.

"If you take what your junior nephew said in the letter, Lord Yan is undoubtedly wise and sage. When I read the letter, I almost thought that the imperial star moved north and the holy emperor descended from heaven to this land..."

Han Shao narrowed his eyes slightly as he listened to Dao Cheng's deep words.

"Then... how do you feel about your personal test with me this time?"

Feeling the murderous intent rising from Han Shao, Dao Cheng remained calm and fearless, and just smiled faintly.

"Duke Yan has armored warriors who are victorious in every battle. He is a man of great martial virtue."

"Just now, the lower official was rude and offensive several times, but he was tolerated by Lord Yan every time. It can be seen that Lord Yan is also a benevolent person."

"With such inner and outer cultivation, he already has the qualities of a Holy Son of Heaven."

Han Shao was happy.

No wonder his lineage of Qigong scholars was doomed to failure more than a hundred years ago.

This kind of misleading rhetoric is really the source of trouble.

If he were the emperor, he would regard it as a thorn in his eyes and a thorn in his flesh, and would eliminate it as soon as possible.

"If you and Zhou Xuan didn't have that little bond as fellow disciples, just these few words of yours would have been enough to get you killed."

Daocheng was also amused by Han Shao's words.

"Mr. Yan doesn't like to hear this?"

Han Shao snorted coldly.

"The chaos in this world is because there are too many people who think they have the 'Mandatory of Heaven' in their hands!"

Having said that, he emphasized one more sentence.

"I never believe in destiny."

Daocheng laughed when he heard this.

"Lord Yan is wise. Now I believe more and more in what Junior Brother Zhou said in the letter."

Perhaps destiny really does exist in this world.

But when a group of people gain the right to interpret destiny, the word "destiny" is no longer credible.

Daocheng used to be a firm believer in destiny, but as he personally manipulated "destiny", he discovered how ridiculous the word "destiny" was.

Never believe in destiny?
It’s better not to believe it!

If you don’t believe, you won’t be seduced by selfish desires, nor will you be fooled by others. Only such people have the opportunity to realize their true destiny!

Daocheng laughed loudly, then stood up and bowed.

"I have done with my work today, and I bid farewell to Lord Yan."

"When there is a chance in the future, I will have tea with Lord Yan and discuss this destiny!"

Han Shao rolled his eyes at him.

"You really don't know how to die. Don't you know that I, a loyal and good man from Dayong, am loyal to Your Majesty? Heaven and earth, the sun and the moon can bear witness to that."

In response, Dao Cheng laughed even more happily.

The poorer you are in this world, the more you care about your dignity.

In other words, the more something is lacking, the more it will be emphasized.

"Then I will leave this head here for now. Whenever Lord Yan wants to take it away, you can do so."

"Before that, I still have to say what I should say and do what I should do."

At this point, the expression on Daocheng's face gradually became dim and gloomy.

"After all, as long as Daocheng is still alive, all the scenes of the past will appear before his eyes, and he will never dare to forget them for a moment..."

Looking at Dao Cheng's slowly disappearing figure, Han Shao narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Kang Cheng, your uncle is really... interesting..."

Zhou Xuan walked out from the darkness in the hall and smiled bitterly.

"Blinded by hatred, he has gone mad."

Han Shao did not comment on Zhou Xuan's evaluation.

Speaking of which, the lineage of Qi Wangshi was exterminated more than a hundred years ago.

He inexplicably felt a sense of respect for the fact that this hatred had lasted for more than a hundred years.

Seeing that Han Shao remained silent, Zhou Xuan, who had vaguely guessed Han Shao's thoughts, hurriedly advised him.

"Your Majesty, please do not place too much reliance on this person..."

A crazy person's behavior is unpredictable.

It might help, but it might also ruin.

It can't be judged by common sense. Han Shao couldn't help but feel a little amused at Zhou Xuan's attitude. He looked at Zhou Xuan with amusement and said.

"You, do you really not care about the incense and love of this sect's inheritance at all?"

Zhou Xuan looked serious and bowed deeply.

"If it weren't for the emperor's selection, Kang Cheng would be nothing more than a humble official in the capital! How could I ignore the emperor's great cause for personal feelings?"

The word "blind loyalty" is indeed irritating if you are just observing from the sidelines.

But if you are the object of blind loyalty, this feeling... is really pleasant.

Han Shao stood up, went forward to help him up, and spoke in a serious tone.

"If you don't let me down, I will never let you down."

As for whether, as time goes by, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects will become more like drinking from a golden cup while refusing to spare each other a knife.

No one can tell.

But at least for now, Zhou Xuan and Zhou Kangcheng have indeed become his confidants.

……

Just as Han Shao expected.

Not long after Daocheng left, someone else came to the door.

This time it has some weight.

Looking at the divine consciousness sent down by Wei Wei, the governor of Zhuozhou, Han Shao sneered.

"Is it against the rules for the governor to come from afar?"

Wei Wei, who was already in a hurry, had no time to argue with Han Shao, so he spoke frankly.

"The Huang Tian bandit army is attacking very quickly, Lord Yan, please don't hesitate to send troops to help!"

Han Shao laughed even more happily.

"Have you forgotten, Governor, that our Liao-controlling army is a frontier army and cannot march out of the country without an imperial decree?"

No leaving the country without an imperial edict?

Didn't you just do it once?

Wei Wei's eyebrows twitched, and he tried his best to restrain himself.

"In an emergency, we must make decisions based on our own needs! As long as we can wipe out the Huang Tian rebels and restore peace to the area, why would the court punish Lord Yan?"

In fact, since the Huang Tian bandit rebellion, many rules in the world have been disrupted.

The so-called collapse of rituals and music is the most appropriate way to describe the current situation.

Didn’t the imperial court see that the Zhen Liao Army briefly passed through the border before, and has remained silent until now?
In response to this, Han Shao said in a high-sounding manner.

"The 10,000 cavalrymen under my command passed through your Zhuozhou earlier because I failed to discipline them strictly."

"Now that things have come to this, I have already reprimanded them and submitted a petition to apologize! How can they keep committing the same mistake when they know it is wrong?"

Seeing Han Shao putting on such a loyal and upright face, Wei Wei, the governor of Zhuozhou, was so angry that he laughed.

"Since Lord Yan is so loyal to Dayong and to Your Majesty, how can you sit back and watch Your Majesty's people suffer from the scourge of the rebels?"

Han Shao was also annoyed when he heard this.

"What Governor Wei said is so unreasonable!"

"Are you the governor of Zhuozhou, or am I the governor of Zhuozhou?"

"As the governor of Zhuozhou, it is my duty to defend the land and protect the people. Now that the land has been lost and the people have been abandoned, you are blaming me. Is the governor of Wei confused?"

These words were almost pointing at Wei Wei's nose and scolding him for being incompetent and stupid.

Faced with such blatant humiliation, Wei Wei was so angry that his nose was crooked.

He didn't have much hope for this matter, and seeing Han Shao's attitude, the little hope left in his heart gradually disappeared.

Thinking of this, he was too lazy to talk nonsense with this man anymore and directly severed the spiritual connection that they had just established.

Han Shao curled his lips at this and didn't take it to heart.

To beg for help to this extent, the faces of these noble families are really ridiculous.

"Your Majesty, if they... we really don't send troops?"

Once Zhuozhou is lost, the next choice is Youzhou.

Even though there is Yuan Feng's governor's mansion in Younan as a buffer, the entire Youzhou will inevitably be in turmoil if that happens.

The many strategies Han Shao had previously set would inevitably be greatly affected, or even fail halfway.

However, Han Shao was not anxious or panicked about Zhou Xuan's worries.

"Don't worry, just wait."

Without truly feeling the pain, some people are destined to be unable to bend their noble backs and learn to be humble.

Just take everything for granted.

So even though he has his own interests to pursue, even though the final decision to send troops is inevitable, he has to endure them.

They were forced to bend down.

They were forced to let go of their pride as a noble family and truly learn what it means to be humble.

This way, he could take the opportunity to ask for a price.

……

Yuan Feng was quite surprised that Wei Wei returned empty-handed again.

After all, based on his previous understanding of Han Shao and his deduction from some of Han Shao's traces, he would definitely be unable to sit still when Huang Tian's army was marching north on such a large scale.

It was a pity that the poor man once again exceeded his expectations.

He refused to send troops twice in a row, and his attitude was so firm, as if he was determined to stay put.

"Are you going to sit back and watch the fight, letting Huang Tiandao consume the power of the governor first?"

This seems to be the only explanation.

Thinking of this, Yuan Feng became angry and annoyed.

"You keep saying that you are a loyal and good man of Yong! But when something big happens, you just stand by and watch! You are really not a good man!"

He cursed for a while, but the other party didn't fall for it, and he had no other options.

You can't put a knife to that poor guy's neck and force him to send troops, can you?
Well, although the idea was tempting enough, he couldn't do it.

So even though he had already seen through the poor man's sinister intentions, he had no choice but to go ahead and do it himself.

"Don't worry, Lord Wei! I will send someone south right now to ensure that Zhuozhou is safe!"

Now that things have come to this, I have been raising those people for such a long time and have consumed countless resources during this period. It is a good opportunity to use them to practice.

After a long period of trials and tribulations, perhaps it can be reborn and completely condensed into an elite force.

After comforting himself in this way, Yuan Feng gradually felt less angry.

Wei Wei also breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his assurance.

As bad news continued to come from the counties ahead, he really couldn't bear it anymore.

If we disperse our forces to defend the city, we will not be able to do so.

He also had no confidence in concentrating his strength to fight a big battle with Cheng Yuanyi.

If the enemy continued to capture cities one by one like this, it would not take more than ten days or half a month before they would reach the capital of the Zhuozhou governor.

By then, he would really be a trapped beast.

"Thank you for your help, Lord Ming! If you need me in the future, Lord Ming..."

Yuan Feng quickly interrupted Wei Wei's words of loyalty.

"What is the difference between you and me?"

indeed.

Wei Wei was nominally the governor of Dayong, but in reality he was a retainer of the Yuan family.

In that case, why be so polite?

……

And the secret power in Yuan Feng's hands was continuously transported into Zhuozhou.

The Huangtian army, which had been unstoppable before, finally felt some resistance.

Especially since Yuan Feng had used some things he had learned from the previous peace talks with Huang Tiandao to capture and kill the Huang Tian followers hiding in various places in advance, it became an impossible thing to then calmly break into the city by cooperating inside and outside as he had done before.

However, for Cheng Yuanyi, who was taking advantage of the situation, all this was just a slight obstacle.

Break the city, break the city one after another.

They headed straight for Zhuozhou City, the core capital, as if they were going straight to Huanglong.

Under the enormous pressure of the ochre-yellow ocean, the entire Zhuozhou, including the support forces of Youzhou, were constantly shrinking, and were forced to converge towards the Zhuozhou prefecture where Wei Wei was located.

Looking at the densely packed large flags waving on the top of Zhuozhou City in the distance, Cheng Yuanyi, who was riding a divine deer, laughed heartily.

"What a momentum!"

After saying that, the troops turned around, went around the city, and headed north again.

Huang Tianjun's unexpected action shocked everyone, including Wei Wei.

"Not good! He is going to take advantage of Youzhou's emptiness and attack Youzhou directly!"

……

(End of this chapter)