As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 280 Intending to Send Yueyang

Time passed slowly, the New Year came and went, and Qian Yuan, relying on Shenjiang, remained stable and developed in the west.

Farmers received new seeds from local officials and began the new year's planting, praying for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest. Craftsmen smelted iron, diligently developing and crafting new tools and weapons. Soldiers trained hard, forging ahead with determination. Officials engaged in open and covert struggles in the imperial court, each holding their own opinions.

Everything is getting better, and everything is moving forward peacefully.

However, the situation is completely different in the east.

A year has passed, the snow has melted, and spring has arrived.

Xiaoyao City stands atop the plateau, surrounded by the menacing Blood-Clad Army.

The two sides confront each other.

"Your Majesty, our Southwest Army's night raid was discovered, and we suffered heavy losses, with a thousand killed in action. The Blood Warriors have also vanished without a trace."

Inside the Great Qi camp, the tall Wang Huai, dressed in armor, looked at the sand table in front of him and listened to his subordinates' reports, his brows furrowed.

This battle was completely unexpected.

He led his elite, blood-clad soldiers south, sweeping away all resistance forces in their path, but they were stuck here.

Liang, Xu Zhongling.

The name of a petty person, which he originally didn't even notice, has now become a major problem.

The two sides are in a race, and Xu Zhongling is gambling with his life.

He was betting on whether Wang Huai would catch up with him first on his southward journey, or whether he would conquer Xiaoyao City first.

If Wang Huai catches up with Xu Zhongling, then Xu Zhongling's armed force is probably doomed.

If Xu Zhongling can capture Xiaoyao City first, then he will be able to turn the tide and everything will be possible.

Xu Zhongling was lucky. After Wang Huai's successive battles, the elite troops were all transferred to fight in the north. Due to the chaotic policies, the people here did not engage in production, just shouted slogans. Resources were insufficient and the fighting strength was weak. Even though it occupied an extremely advantageous geographical location, Xu Zhongling took it over in the shortest time.

Wang Huai arrived later, but was blocked by various small and medium-sized resistance forces tricked and manipulated by Xu Zhongling, and was a step too late. By the time he cleared all obstacles and headed south, his once beloved Xiaoyao City had already fallen into the hands of others.

The two armies faced off and were locked in a stalemate.

Only now, during the attack on the city, could Wang Huai truly appreciate how excellent the location Mingchen had chosen for him was.

The location of Xiaoyao City is very special. The surrounding area has been eroded by rivers, forming a natural barrier of sheer cliffs and high slopes. The steep cliffs divide the north and south sides, reaching a depth of up to fifty meters, making them impossible to climb. The only way to enter the city is through the gentle slope to the south, making it extremely difficult to attack from the north.

Moreover, the climate here is suitable, the soil is fertile, and the water source is abundant. If managed properly, it could be another seasonal source of income.

Previously, Wang Huai used this place as his capital and kept advancing north to attack Qian Yuan. He had always been fighting others and had never been attacked by the enemy here. He had never been threatened by defending the city, so he had never experienced the wonders of this city.

However, Xu Zhongling saw the city's merits and decided to take it over regardless of the consequences.

Now that the city has changed hands, Wang Huai is also having a headache looking at this fortified city that's as tough as a tortoise shell.

Wang Huai is an unparalleled leader, a current overlord, and invincible in battle.

His reputation and status were earned through his leading by example and through hard work, one stroke at a time.

They terrified the powerful nobles of the old Qian Yuan dynasty, and brought about the downfall and death of the Chen state.

He had been winning all along, but now he was stuck here by an unknown little Xu Zhongling.

Leading an army in person and going all in carries risks.

Even if Wang Huai wins, he won't gain anything; that's only to be expected. You are the Demon Lord of this era. You've already destroyed the Chen Kingdom, so there's nothing to say about winning against a separatist force.

But if you lose, or if you fail to break through after a prolonged siege, then things will be in trouble. This would undoubtedly deal a huge blow to Wang Huai's dominance.

As everyone will see, even the invincible war god Qi Huang is nothing more than this. Those who oppose him have not been wiped out, but instead survived by occupying his original capital, which will incite even more people to resist.

The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Xu Zhongling.

He is the only armed separatist force that can stop Wang Huai. He will seize fame by stepping on Wang Huai's head, and other forces that also oppose the Great Qi will flock to him.

"You go first, comfort the soldiers, and get some rest."

Looking at the general covered in blood, Wang Huai sighed and waved to him.

He'd been dominating weaker opponents all the way, and he'd become a bit arrogant.

It seems that Xu Zhongling cannot be taken down in a short time.

"Yes!"

The subordinate bowed respectfully with his hands clasped, and then withdrew.

Not long after he left, a scholar came quickly over, his face grave: "Brother! Our provisions can only last for six months at most."

Wang Liu also accompanied the army on this expedition.

Three of the Nine Blood-Clad Demons died in the Battle of Yueyang, and the Greedy Demon, who was in charge of logistics, also died of illness not long ago. Talented people are dying one after another. The capital is being managed by the Crown Prince, and now he is personally in charge of logistics and supplies.

Wang Huai lowered his eyes, unconsciously clenching his fists: "Six months..."

"Brother, we have no way out now."

"We must use any means necessary to eliminate Xu Zhongling as quickly as possible and at the lowest cost, and take back Xiaoyao City."

Just a few days ago, Wang Liu was still trying to persuade Wang Huai to return to Xiaoyao City.

Now, the city has been occupied, and there's no way to go back.

Now they are caught in a dilemma, and their only option is to go all in. If they fail, they will return to Yueyang capital and grow in soil that is not suitable for them. They will probably not escape the fate of gradually withering away and being beheaded.

How long has it been?

Less than a year later, the Blood-Clad Army, which had gloriously destroyed the Chen Kingdom and occupied most of the Qian Yuan Kingdom, found itself mired in such a quagmire.

Looking at her elder brother with his furrowed brows, Wang Liu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The higher one's position, the more one feels the limitations of one's own abilities and vision when faced with a vast amount of resources and information.

Managing a country is no easy task.

"Brother Liu...of course I know!"

Wang Huai frowned and sighed softly.

The important thing is never to discover a problem, but to solve it.

Can't Wang Huai see his current awkward situation, where he's caught in a dilemma?

Doesn't he want to get rid of that scoundrel Xu Zhongling as soon as possible?

Isn't it blocked by Xiaoyao City?
Wang Liu shook his head: "Brother, there is another way we can go."

"Oh?"

Wang Huai raised an eyebrow.

Wang Liu pointed to a corner on the map that had been quiet and unnoticed for a long time: "Here, Qian Yuan!"

Wang Huai was a warrior, an idealist, and a domineering figure, but not a mature politician or strategist.

His vision was limited from beginning to end. He rarely went on diplomatic missions to form alliances with others when he was conquering the world. He relied entirely on his own sword and his soldiers to carve out his future.

One force can bring down ten.

If you can solve a problem yourself, you won't think about teaming up with others to share the profits.

He and Hong Ling Shuang, who stirs up trouble everywhere, are two completely different kinds of people.

This approach has limitations. He keeps winning and eliminating enemies, but he doesn't gain any tangible benefits from these victories. Instead, his strength is constantly being depleted. When he is exhausted and his power weakens, he will fall into a state of helplessness.

"Let me represent the Great Qi and go on a mission to Qian Yuan."

"Let them send troops to help us wipe out Xu Zhongling and return Xiaoyao City."

Wang Liu also has a good eye for people.

He recognized that Xu Zhongling was no ordinary person. Now that he occupied Xiaoyao City, he was not so easy to control, and it would probably be difficult to conquer him in a short period of time.

Although the Great Qi is now vast, it has many internal problems. If it gets bogged down here, it might be dragged down to its death.

The best course of action now is to unite with Qian Yuan and request them to send troops to crush Xu Zhongling's emerging power.

Wang Huai frowned slightly: "Join forces with Qian Yuan? Ming Chen..."

Wang Huai had a complex feeling towards Qian Yuan.

Mingchen is his white moonlight.

He hoped that the Great Qi would prosper and prove its strength to Mingchen, showing that Mingchen's choice was wrong. However, he was now trapped in a predicament and had to ask Qian Yuan for help, which made him somewhat embarrassed.

This feeling is like breaking up with your ex and trying to prove you're doing well, but then failing in your business and ending up with a mountain of debt, and then sheepishly running to your ex and their current partner to ask for money.

"Xu Zhongling's claim that he has the support of Qian Yuan is definitely a bluff and a fabrication. Otherwise, Qian Yuan would not be holding back his troops now."

"If Qian Yuan really wants to attack us, now is the best time. Send troops to attack us from both sides with Xu Zhongling, and our army will surely be defeated."

Xu Zhongling's promotion of the alliance with Qian Yuan attracted a lot of support. Riding on Qian Yuan's coattails, Xu Zhongling was able to make such a smooth progress, and Wang Liu was of course aware of this.

But based on his understanding of Mingchen and Xiao Xinyue, he knew they wouldn't issue such a decree; this must be the work of that villain Xu Zhongling, stirring up trouble.

However, Qian Yuan's attitude was ambiguous.

They are the final piece of the puzzle; whoever they support will win.

But they have not made any statement from beginning to end.

They neither sent troops to attack Daqi nor to attack Xu Zhongling; they simply watched quietly from the sidelines, clearly adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

I heard that a grand event was held during the Spring Festival, but they were living a carefree and leisurely life in their secluded corner.

National interests transcend personal feelings and face-saving.

Wang Liu remained calm and said to Wang Huai, "Nominally we are still allies. Now, we are sending envoys to Qian Yuan to show that Xu Zhongling has spread false information and damaged Qian Yuan's dignity. It is only right and proper for Qian Yuan to send troops to punish the traitor."

Wang Huai shook his head: "Why would they help us?"

Mingchen said that they would be rivals the next time they met.

The other side is happy to see their forces weaken each other.

Wang Liu lowered her eyes and said, "If they send troops to help us take Xiaoyao City, they can get Yueyang City and the northern border. Don't they want that?"

"Hasn't Xiao Xinyue always wanted to return the old capital? Now that we've taken it, we'll give it to her for free. All she needs to do is send troops to attack Xu Zhongling. No... if that doesn't work, she doesn't even need to send troops. All she needs to do is make a statement to the world that Xu Zhongling is an opportunistic, treacherous villain who altered the imperial edict, fabricated an alliance, and is an enemy of Qian Yuan. We will send troops to punish him soon."

Wang Huai was shocked, his eyes widening: "What? Yueyang City, this... Yueyang City is being given to Qian Yuan?"

"If you want to ask someone to join you, then you should offer them conditions that they cannot refuse."

Wang Huai clenched his fist: "Brother Liu, that's Yueyang City! It's the city that Kai Feng and Xing Yong risked their lives to win."

He was not an indecisive person, but he had paid too high a price for this city and had longed for it for far too long.

Yueyang was the capital of the Qianyuan era for five hundred years. It has been a very long time, and it holds special significance for the people of this land. It is a place where the hopes of the world converge.

Especially since someone like Wang Huai, who rose from humble beginnings to power, was based in Yueyang City, it signified the legitimacy of their regime.

Even if Wang Huai could let go, and was willing, his subordinates, who had seen the prosperity of Kyoto, might not be so willing.

In a sense, this city was their guiding light and the target of their uprising.

But now, just to fight an armed separatist force, they're going to hand over this city, which has cost them countless lives and blood?
"Big brother!"

Wang Huai raised his voice, his tone filled with sorrow: "Why can't you understand?!"

"The people in the north have been ravaged by our soldiers, and the nobles of Yueyang have all been killed by us. Yueyang is not our city; Xiaoyao City is!"

Wang Liu has told Wang Huai this many times.

They should have returned to Xiaoyao City long ago.

However, the elder brother refused to see through it all and held onto Yueyang tightly, refusing to let go.

Now things are even worse; their escape route, Xiaoyao City, has been occupied by someone else. If they don't find a solution soon, they won't see a future.

"As you can see, there are widespread civil unrest now. We don't have enough power to control so much land, and the northern border has not yet been recovered."

"Brother, don't forget, there's the Northern Fierce army preparing for battle to the north! Once their irrigation canals are repaired, they'll inevitably march south and sweep everything away. The leader of the Jinglan Alliance is a shrewd and calculating woman; she won't help us hold off the Northern Fierce cavalry. We'll be the first to bear the brunt!"

"Why do you think Mingchen allowed us to occupy such a large area of ​​land in the east?"

"The Northern Lie people have crossed the Lie River and passed three passes; now they'll be fighting us!"

“I know that my elder brother is brave and fearless of any enemy.”

"But we've been fighting for so many years, and we're out of food! Our soldiers aren't even getting enough to eat, how can we fight?"

Wang Liu grasped Wang Huai's hand, her voice trembling with emotion, "Big Brother!"

"Let's retreat! Only by retreating can we have a future. Let go of what needs to be let go, and dismiss the soldiers who need to be dismissed. Let anyone who doesn't want to leave stay. We'll return to Xiaoyao City. Now that we have experience, we can plan for the long term, manage slowly, and why worry about making a comeback?"

"Did you see how Qian Yuan recovered his vitality step by step in such a short time? We can do it too!"

"Now you know how good and easy to defend Xiaoyao City is."

"We should give away what doesn't belong to us in exchange for what we need. That's the right way, brother!"

True wisdom lies in knowing when to retreat and when to let go after you've gained everything.

The current Qi state is not worthy of these territories. If it continues to fight and deplete resources in the Central Plains, it will only perish.

Retreat to the south, occupy Xiaoyao City, rectify internal affairs, develop properly, and learn from the current Qian Yuan; only then will there be a future.

Wang Liu leaned closer to Wang Huai, raising her voice slightly, "Big Brother!"

"Ugh."

Wang Huai remained silent for a long time before finally sighing. The hero who rose from humble beginnings, the spirited and incomparably brave overlord, now seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

He knew, of course, that his brother was sincere and did everything for his own good; he knew his brother was right.

But people aren't machines, and there's always some resentment.

The higher you go, the farther you go, and the more powerful opponents and outstanding geniuses you encounter, the more you will feel the immense gap between you and the limitations of your own abilities.

The Blood-Clad Army has exhausted everything to get to this point. If they retreat... is there really a future for them?
What meaning does the future hold?
What did he bring to this world?
He lowered his eyes and murmured softly, "Brother Liu... if we retreat like this, will we ever be able to return to Yueyang?"

Wang Liu paused.

He gritted his teeth: "Okay!"

Wang Huai's eyes were somewhat vacant as he stared fixedly into the distance: "Brother Liu, what was the reason for my uprising? What was the reason for Kai Feng and the others to die? What was the reason for the deaths of those loyal warriors who followed me?"

Ten years ago, I was full of vigor and ambition. In the south, I raised my arms and shouted, "Blood forged armor, heroic souls sacrificed for peace!" This call drew a huge response. Loyal and righteous people fought bravely, shedding their blood and sacrificing themselves one after another, all to create the bright and clear sky that I had promised.

What now?
After the glory fades and the passion cools, what's left?
Those officials and powerful figures who were hated by the people were indeed killed and uprooted, but who will govern the country again?
Loyal and righteous people either turned into piles of bones or into even more brutal and despicable individuals.

The world was ravaged, chaos reigned, and people were displaced.

He once vowed to eliminate all corrupt officials and cruel bureaucrats who oppressed the people. But what has become of him?

Corrupt officials and cruel bureaucrats were indeed killed, but were the people truly redeemed?

Blood-stained clothes left the land barren.

He is not a hero, he is a demon, a ghost.

Everything turned out completely contrary to his initial plans when he started the uprising.

Mingchen once told him, "Never forget your original aspirations."

It's so hard.

His original aspirations, the original aspirations of the Blood-Clad Army... seem to have gradually faded away.

What exactly is he doing?
Does he really want to become a warlord who controls a region?
Those choices made out of necessity ultimately turned into blades stabbing themselves.

Wang Liu fell silent upon hearing this, unsure how to answer Wang Huai's questions.

In reality, from a self-interested perspective, the slogans Wang Huai shouted back then were nothing more than slogans, merely a means to win over the people; they were impossible to achieve.

However, Wang Huai took it seriously.

He did not deceive himself, nor did he deceive anyone.

Wang Liu felt that he was more insightful than his brother in some aspects, but in terms of magnanimity and breadth of vision, he could never match his brother.

Wang Huai was always an idealist, a sincere man who always carried everything forward. From the uprising until now, he has never lived a single day for himself.

However... reality is frustrating.

Inside the tent, the flames flickered.

The two brothers remained silent for a long time before Wang Huai waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Go ahead, I agree."

(End of this chapter)