knife

Chapter 85 He deserved it all.

Wu De turned around and looked at the city of Tai'an that was gradually receding into the distance.

Amidst a sea of ​​silver and white, the gray city of Tai'an resembles a giant beast lying there, eyeing the world with predatory intent.

Who knows when, this giant beast will grow four legs and two wings, thus enabling it to travel the world and soar through the skies.

Just like their city emblem,
A cute little tiger sitting there waving its paws is adorable to anyone.

But what if this little tiger grew wings?

A tiger with wings becomes a xiao!
That's a real beast.

This trip to the border region filled Wu De with great unease.

The area within the Great Wall is now fraught with crisis. Countless simmering fires are burning fiercely outside the court's sight, and the only reason it is barely holding on is because it lacks a spark.

Once the right opportunity arises, a raging fire, powerful enough to consume the world, will engulf everything.

The imperial court was not unaware of all this.

But so what?
We know there's a problem, and we know where the problem lies, but we don't know how to solve it.

We could only watch helplessly as the situation worsened step by step.

Sometimes, in order to slow down the rate of deterioration, we even have to go against our conscience and deal with those who openly expose the problems.

If everyone is drunk, then no matter how many problems there are, they won't be problems anymore.

But what if everyone else is drunk and you're the only one sober? That won't do.

Actually, the most despicable ones are those who pretend to be drunk.

Those wicked aristocratic families.

They are pushing the situation, whether openly or covertly, towards an even more unpredictable direction.

When the power of the central government is insufficient to effectively suppress local authorities...
The powerful clans that had established themselves in various regions began to become active.

It's a pity that if General He Qiku had won the battle against Southern Chu a few years ago, the situation of Great Qin would be very different now.

That was also the most valiant struggle the Qin Dynasty ever made.

The final result was not good, and General He Qiku ultimately took full responsibility.

Wu De was ordered to conduct a secret investigation into the reasons for this defeat. The truth behind it sent chills down Wu De's spine and made him feel cold inside.

The final investigation results were shelved, and it's hard to say whether they will ever be released again.

The person who asked him to investigate the matter instructed him to keep it a secret forever.

This made Wu De feel very sad.

I feel so sorry for the great general who is still under surveillance in Chang'an and reviled by countless people there. The Chang'an Imperial Guard suffered the most casualties in this great battle, and these guards were mostly from Chang'an and the surrounding areas. One can only imagine the pressure that He Qiku is under now.

If this veteran general, who had spent his life on the battlefield, knew the real reason for this defeat, would he vomit blood and die on the spot?

not sure.

When investigating this matter, Wu De met with He Qiku.

The old man, with his hunched back and wrinkled face, spent most of his days reviewing the battle, scrutinizing every single detail.

Even now, Wu De's nose still stings when he thinks about the old man's endless ramblings about those tiny, insignificant mistakes he made on the battlefield.

Is there any hope for this empire?
So many people are hoping he will collapse.

Everyone wanted to extract the greatest benefit from the empire's ruins when it collapsed, to tear off the biggest piece of flesh.

He desperately didn't want the empire to collapse because he came from a poor background and knew the suffering of those below.

Wu De didn't want him to collapse because he was an orphan who had begged for food for several years. If his master hadn't found him, he might have died in some unknown corner long ago. So Wu De just wanted the world to be peaceful. If the world was peaceful, even begging would be easier to fill one's stomach, wouldn't it?
Linghu Ye was also one of the beasts that wanted to tear apart the remains of the Qin Dynasty, and he was the most ferocious one.

Although the most ferocious at the beginning is not necessarily the one who will ultimately emerge victorious.

But the most ferocious will certainly cause the greatest damage to this world.

When Wu De first stepped out of the pass and saw the mighty army there, his heart sank. The most capable fighting force inside the pass at that time was none other than the Southern Garrison Army, formerly under He Qiku's command.

However, the Southern Garrison Army was still far inferior to the Border Army outside the Great Wall.

Wu De was actually quite desperate.

But now, hope has been rekindled in his heart.

At least, Linghu Ye will certainly not cause too much harm to the Qin Dynasty in the future.

Regardless of Li Dachui, Xiao Changche and others' motives, their rise to power did indeed restrain Linghu Ye.

Without eliminating them, Linghu Ye would be unable to lead his troops into the interior.

Based on what Wu De knows now, Linghu Ye probably won't have a chance to deal with these two people.

The crisis of the Great Qin Dynasty was resolved in such a way that Wu De found it both laughable and absurd.

No matter what method is used,
In the end, it was a good ending.

Therefore, returning to Chang'an as quickly as possible, reporting the situation to the court, and then promoting Xiao Changche so that he could legitimately confront Linghu Ye was indeed a brilliant move, and the most ideal outcome for the court.

"Wu, will you come to Tai'an City again in the future?" Luo Ying was also looking back at Tai'an City. Unlike his second uncle Luo Liang, whose eyes were full of longing, his eyes were full of eagerness.

A passionate yet naive young man is eager to step into this exciting yet unpredictable world.

"I don't think you'll come," Wu De hesitated for a moment. "I have a lot to do, and the area outside the pass is too far from Chang'an. Luo Ying, you've come with me this time, and I'm afraid you won't be able to come back anytime soon. Will you miss home?"

"Of course I want to!" Luo Ying said, "But wouldn't it be better for a good man to have ambitions beyond his hometown, to make achievements and then return home in glory? Wu, our Luo family is just a small family outside the Great Wall, running a small fortress with a few hundred households helping each other. We are often bullied. I will not let any of this happen again. I will definitely make the Luo family a renowned family."

Wu De nodded. "Then I wish you success in advance, but achieving all this won't be easy!"

"Take it one step at a time, do it one step at a time!" Luo Ying laughed loudly, "I'm young, I have time!"

Luo Liang, standing to the side, smiled and said to Wu De, "Chief Wu, this child is young and inexperienced, and speaks arrogantly. Please don't take offense!"

“How could that be? When I first left home, I was full of ambition! Looking at it reminds me of my youth!” Wu De laughed. “Let’s go, time is short, everyone will have a hard journey.”

The crowd responded in unison.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Zhou Zhi did not go out to issue fines today, but instead sat in a quiet room. Apart from a portrait hanging on the wall, there was nothing else in the quiet room.

The door to the quiet room opened silently, and Li Kaixin walked in, standing beside Zhou Zhi with her hands at her sides.

"Have Wu De and the others already left?" Zhou Zhi asked.

“Yes!” Li Kaixin nodded and said, “Luo Liang and Luo Ying went with them, and the affairs within the pass that Miss Qingyun is in charge of can be considered to have officially begun. City Lord, we can be said to have taken another first step in our return.”

Zhou Zhi stood up and stared at the painting of ladies on the wall: "Kaixin, Da Chui will use Wu De to investigate what exactly happened 25 years ago. This is not a problem for Wu De."

“Young Master is extremely intelligent. In fact, I think he already knows some things to some extent,” Li Kaixin said. “Young Master is already twenty-five years old. I think he can understand the truth of what happened back then.”

Zhou Zhi shook his head: "If you don't have enough strength, knowing the truth about what happened back then will only be a burden. It's better to just be a carefree bandit!"

"Do we really have to wait until the young master becomes the king of the borderlands before telling him those things?" Li Kaixin asked.

“Yes,” Zhou Zhi said.

"But where is Wu De?"

“I will go see him!” Zhou Zhiyi said with a smile. “He can investigate, he can know the truth of what happened back then, and maybe that will make Wu De truly one of us. But he can’t let it leak out now. I think my influence with him will still be effective.”

“Of course!” Li Kaixin laughed.

Zhou Zhi gazed at the portrait of a lady on the wall and said softly, "Don't worry, Da Chui has already gained considerable strength. Moreover, he is smart, capable, and wise. He plans things carefully before acting and is never reckless. It seems that he has inherited your strengths and is far superior to his useless father. I see hope for revenge in him."

After a pause, Zhou Zhi continued, "Back then, you told me that you only hoped your child could grow up happily, live a peaceful life, and have an ordinary but fulfilling life. But how could your child be that kind of person? Even without my encouragement, he would still be restless and would still stand out."

At this point, Zhou Zhi recalled the time when Li Dachui was fifteen years old. He had abandoned him in the wilderness to start a business, and the boy had pulled out a thick development plan for Tai'an City before leaving. He was shocked by the result.

“Your child is destined to be extraordinary, destined to do great things, so I will help him get back what he deserves.” Zhou Zhi’s face lit up with a bright smile: “That should have been his child all along. Da Chui is not as indecisive and soft-hearted as his father. This child is tough when he needs to be tough and soft when he needs to be soft. He is the kind of person who can achieve great things.”

A gentle breeze seemed to come from nowhere, and the painting of a lady on the wall trembled and swayed, as if the woman on the wall were laughing.

(End of this chapter)