My Immortal Brother-in-law

Chapter 104: Famous Ministers and Powerful Rulers
While Zhong Su and Wen Zhong were drinking, on the Xiqi side.

In Zhoucheng, Ji Chang looked at the bamboo slips in his hand with a bitter expression, and his right hand holding the bamboo slips began to tremble slightly.

"During the five hundred days since I was away, it has become like this."

With a long sigh, Ji Chang put down the bamboo slips and said to Shuye who was standing beside him.

"Uncle Ye, do you think it is necessary to continue this war?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know."

In response to Ji Chang's questions, Shuye knew nothing about them, because he knew that Ji Chang was making a decision secretly at this time, and he had not seen Ji Chang for more than a year, so he could not understand what decision Ji Chang would make now.

Although Ji Chang did not have a very smart mind, he could easily see through Shuye's thoughts, so he sighed again, then picked up the bamboo slips and wanted to read them again.

But just as he was about to look at it again, Ji Chang could not bear to look at it any more, so he had to put down the bamboo slips, sit there with his eyes closed, thinking, and did not say a word for a long time.

Shuye didn't like to guess Ji Chang's thoughts. Since the king was sitting quietly, Shuye also knelt down and accompanied him quietly.

This silence lasted for nearly two quarters of an hour before Ji Chang finally opened his eyes and said something to Shuye.

"Uncle Ye."

"The minister is here."

As Shuye looked up and responded, Ji Chang stroked the bamboo slips and looked up at the starry sky with some reluctance.

After looking for a while, Ji Chang turned around and continued speaking to Shuye.

"Since I told the fortune about my father last day, I have never told the fortune again.

But tonight, I really want to tell another divination, but the more I think about it, the more I feel I shouldn't do it.

Forget it, forget it. Things have come to this. You actually know what to do better than I do.

Since we can’t dig into the Sishui River, then don’t delay any further. It will turn the Sishui River into a living hell, and it will also make Xiqi… the people will suffer!”

After he finished speaking, Ji Chang raised his hand and tapped the table, then gave Shuye serious instructions.

"This is an order for me to tell Faer to withdraw his troops from Yanshan and not to confront us at Sishui Pass.

The reason why you have dragged on until now and have been fighting until now is because I have not returned yet. But if I had not taken the risk that day, my Xiqi would not have had the opportunity to win the great victory at Yanshan. It can only be said that it was fate and time.

To this day, both countries are suffering from the war. This pain is not only causing grief to tens of thousands of households, but also causing millions of households to be in mourning.

Let everything end. It seems that now is not the time for Xiqi to rise. The Shang Dynasty today is no longer the Shang Dynasty of Wu Yi's era.

Although King Tai Ding imprisoned and killed my father, he reduced labor service for the people and allowed them to recuperate. Although his reign was short, it did bring about a slight easing of tensions in the Shang Dynasty.

As for the present King Di Yi, I have had very little contact with him, but how can I not see now that he is also a ruthless and scheming king.

Look at the Sishui River. Wen Zhong and his party were suffering in the Guancheng. But I know that Emperor Yi in Yindu was also suffering.

He Wen Zhong can withstand the attack of my Faer, and Di Yi can withstand the momentum of my Xiqi, which is very powerful.

The memorial your uncle handed to me specifically emphasized that Emperor Yi had frequent contacts with the two dukes in the northeast during the first month of the war.

It is obvious that Emperor Yi has long intended to make peace, and you are using this memorial to persuade me to wait a little longer, hoping that King Emperor Yi and I can hold out until the other side can no longer endure.

It is true that I can endure it, but I can endure it, and so can Emperor Yi. But how can the people of Xiqi and the people of the Shang Dynasty in the Sishui area endure it?

This old man and Emperor Yi have been entangled in many undertakings, and we deserve to endure and suffer, but what have the people of the world done to us?"

Having said this, Ji Chang looked up at the sky dejectedly and stared at the moon for a moment.

After a moment, Ji Chang lowered his head, lightly touched the letter with his trembling fingertips, and said.

"Uncle Ye, take a look at King Di Yi from more than a year ago.

As soon as the battle situation on the front line became clear, he decided to cut his losses in time and sell his own meat to feed the eagle. This shows how capable he is.

As for what happened afterwards, I'm afraid Emperor Yi has not been able to have a good sleep until now. Sishui's concern for Dingmo has made him unable to sleep or eat.

Even so, he still kept his intention to seek peace in mind, which showed his determination to lose while being prepared to win.

King Di Yi was like training an eagle. On one hand, he was training Xiqi, and on the other hand, he was training himself and Wen Zhong. If this is not the appearance of a heroic ruler, then what is the appearance of a heroic ruler?
In this battle, although the Shang Dynasty lost a loyal member of the Deng family and the contemporary King Wucheng, the three young generals deliberately cultivated by Tai Ding and Di Yi made the most meaningful one, Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.

From now on, the Shang Dynasty has the great ruler Emperor Yi on top and the famous minister Wen Zhong as its assistant. As long as this ruler and minister survive, Xiqi will never have a chance to rise to prominence."

Ji Chang's face looked a little bitter, but it only lasted for a moment, and then he relaxed his brows, raised his hands and stretched his waist. "I have only sat here for a moment, and I am too tired to talk. You can imagine how tired you will be in the next year or so.

Go, don't stay here with an old man like me, go and deliver the order to the front line, and let the generals return to Yanshan to recuperate.

I will now set out for Yindu, bringing with me 600,000 Guifang slaves and 800 carts of Western treasures to send to King Diyi in order to seek a truce.

What's more, my position as the Marquis of Xibo still requires the king's approval. Without the king's order, I am just a commoner now. That's all.

What a sin! What a sin!

I wonder if the future I imagine is worth the efforts of you and the people of the world."

……

……

……

The next morning, Wen Zhong woke up from his couch and immediately saw Deng Jiugong standing guard at the door.

So he calmed down, stood up, pounded his head dizzily, and asked Deng Jiugong again.

"General Deng, where is your master?"

"In reply to the Grand Tutor, my master is in the camp, taking Senior Sister Hu Jiao to set some rules for the Northern Di slave army."

"what!"

Hearing what Deng Jiugong said, Wen Zhong grinned.

"Brother, are you going to pick out some of the most sinful creatures in our army to serve as wine for his White Tiger?

Well, you can find a few people to take my black unicorn to big brother's place, and let him eat together with big brother's white tiger.

Over the past year, Mo Qilin has suffered a lot with me, and I really have wronged him.

Forget it, forget it. You don’t have to go. I will take Qilin to have a meal with big brother myself.

When I'm away, General Deng, please keep an eye on my tent and make sure no one is allowed in, especially the Northern Di people!"

After saying that, Wen Zhong put on his helmet and walked away.

He hadn't taken off his armor for more than a year, so naturally there was no need to go through the trouble of putting it on.

After Wen Zhong left, Deng Jiugong quietly came into the tent and stared at Wen Zhong's chair in a daze.

As he was looking at it, his whole body suddenly swayed, and then he fell to the ground like a piece of gold and jade, and his whole body was shaking.

Outside the tent in the distance, after hearing the sound of armor colliding inside the tent, Wen Zhong paused slightly, but only for a moment.

It was because he saw that Deng Jiugong was exhausted that he allowed this poor child who had just lost his father and six brothers to go into the tent to rest.

But Wen Zhong didn't know that after Deng Jiugong stared at the chair in a daze, his mind kept recalling what his mother had said to him last night.

His mother said a lot, and many sisters-in-law joined in. It was so confusing that Deng Jiugong couldn't remember clearly, but he managed to remember two sentences.

One sentence is: Don't forget the blood feud with Xiqi, and the other sentence is: Don't hate the king for not sending reinforcements.

These two sentences kept spinning in Deng Jiugong's mind, making him more and more confused. He really wanted to fall asleep.

Deng Jiugong tried hard not to fall asleep and kept his eyes open. He fell to the ground, looked at the ceiling of the tent, and could not help muttering to himself.

"When the two armies fought, the swords were merciless. Ji Fa did not resort to any trickery and won the battle in an upright manner. My father and brother were defeated but refused to surrender. They chose to commit suicide and were even respected by Xiqi.

Even though we are enemies, Young Master Zhou gave me such a gift because of my father and brother's deeds. Uncle Ji Chang even raised me for a year and a half, like a fake father to me. So should I really hate Ji Fa for winning against my father fairly?
Sishui is an isolated city, without food for ten days. My mother said that when my family came, not only were the food and fodder they brought with them robbed, but many of the servants and slaves were killed and eaten. It was truly a scene of hell on earth.

Without reinforcements and food, if Sishui was left alone, even with a few reinforcements, my Deng family would not have died so uniformly. So should I not blame the king for ignoring the isolation of Sishui?

But my father was a subject who obeyed the king's orders and died a worthy death. How can I blame the king?

What's more, Ji Fa did kill my loved ones and eat my flesh and blood. Shouldn't I hate his entire family?

What should I do..."

(End of this chapter)