My lord, spare his life!

"What main quest?"

Fan You looked somewhat annoyed.

He wanted to know who had given Zhang Yang the task, making her so idle! Did she feel uncomfortable if she didn't do tasks? If he hadn't forced his lord to study, she could have been wandering around outside for twelve hours a day.

"Can't the lord learn how to handle official documents?"

Even the Prefectural Assistant and Chief Clerk cannot do all the work for the Prefect.

In the short few months I've known her, I've sighed more than I have in the first half of my life.

"I'm disgusted by the daily tasks, I want the main quests." Zhang Yang wasn't a very patient person to begin with. At first, she quite enjoyed the emotional support her children provided, but doing too many trivial and boring daily tasks would affect her enthusiasm for the game. "Handling official documents is even more boring than daily tasks, I won't do it."

One sentence almost made Fan You faint from anger.

Zhang Yang ignored his reaction and forcibly changed the subject.

"Didn't you send someone to say you had something important to discuss?"

Fan You hesitated for a moment: "No rush, everyone isn't here yet."

Zhang Yang: "So solemn?"

This shows how serious the matter is.

Zhang Yang judged that this was definitely a sign that the main quest was about to begin!

"Chief Clerk Fan, I heard there's news from Dog Kingdom County?"

The person arrived before the voice.

Puyang Kui's voice was much hoarse than usual, accompanied by the muffled thud of her combat boots on the stone bricks.

The door was pushed open, revealing a figure behind it.

Puyang Kui stood tall and straight like a drawn blade. His helmet, removed from its sheath, was tucked under his arm, and the crimson headband on his forehead was repeatedly soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to a few strands of hair. A long sword hung at his waist, its scabbard occasionally clashing against the plates of his skirt armor, exuding a chilling aura.

As she stepped inside, a large shadow fell, seemingly forcing the air in the room to retreat and compress.

He Zhi, who had arrived at some unknown time, subconsciously paused in his breathing.

Thanks to Lü Yuan, he now finds himself unable to resist visualizing Lü Yuan whenever he sees a female general with a similar physique. Although Puyang Kui and Lü Yuan have different temperaments—both are calm and reserved yet brave and decisive—the sense of oppression they exude is the same.

That aura honed through battles was also similar.

"Cointreau is here."

Zhang Yang gestured for Puyang Kui to sit down.

Perhaps due to his formal training, Puyang Kui was always serious and solemn, rarely smiling, but also rarely showing such anxiety. This further piqued Zhang Yang's curiosity.

"Heavenly Bodhisattva!" A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, followed by Guan Zong's rapid-fire shouts, "What? I heard the Xuanwu Token has reappeared? Haven't they used up all that stuff yet? Have they all gone mad?!"

"The Xuanwu Token?"

This word does sound familiar.

Zhang Yang pulled a class memo book from his game inventory, precisely flipped to a certain page, slid his finger across a certain line, and muttered, "The Xuanwu Token? In layman's terms, it's... a bounty?"

Each of the Three Enclosures, Four Symbols, and Seven Kingdoms has its own decree.

The Xuanwu Kingdom has something called the Xuanwu Token, and there seem to be seven of them.

According to Fan You's lecture, the Xuanwu Decree was originally established by the founding emperor of the Xuanwu Kingdom, with the initial intention of rewarding a few outstanding founding ministers who had no further rewards to offer. Now that this decree has been issued, the Xuanwu Kingdom and its vassal states can launch military campaigns to hunt down and kill the targets of the Xuanwu Decree, relentlessly pursuing them to the death.

but--

"But didn't Uncle Yan say the Xuanwu Token is useless?"

Some people use the Xuanwu Token to punish a certain enemy, some use it to eliminate a certain force, and some people's descendants have fallen so low that they have to use the Xuanwu Token to exchange for benefits... With each re-release, the Xuanwu Token has lost the appeal that stirred up a bloody storm when it first appeared.

These are Zhang Yang's class summaries.

There are two more personal thoughts (complaints) after the summary.

Firstly, the deterrent power of the Xuanwu Decree is linked to the national strength of the Xuanwu Kingdom. The stronger the Xuanwu Kingdom, the more submissive the vassal states become, meaning the greater the probability that the "wish fulfillment" represented by the Xuanwu Decree will be achieved. The Xuanwu Kingdom will therefore strive to achieve its goals.

vice versa.

Secondly, a lack of returns can also dampen enthusiasm.

No one can risk their life for a job and not get a reward.

Everyone is too busy taking care of themselves to care about an inanimate object.

"It's useless, but it's disgusting." Guan Zong plopped down, his face full of annoyance and anger. "Who doesn't want a just cause when they go to war? Even the most shameless people in the world will still pull out a fig leaf to cover up their shame and give people a plausible excuse before they send out troops."

"Oh, the Xuanwu Token is the perfect excuse."

That's roughly the meaning.

"and then?"

"And then things got even more chaotic."

A Xuanwu Token is equivalent to giving the Xuanwu Kingdom and its vassal states a perfect excuse. As long as your ultimate goal is to achieve your objective, you can attack whomever you want and seize whose territory you want in the process, under the pretext that the other party refuses to pass through your territory.

This hidden danger was discovered when the Xuanwu Decree first appeared. Everyone sought revenge, causing widespread chaos. However, the current ruler of the Xuanwu Kingdom was no longer the founding emperor, while the key ministers who had followed him were still alive and kicking. Upon hearing that the second ruler intended to reclaim their privileges, who would willingly relinquish them? They simply decided to go all the way, depose the current ruler, and install another one who was on good terms with them.

Zhang Yang: "This has nothing to do with us, right?"

The essence of PVP lies in players fighting players.

Being bad at the game is the original sin; whoever is bad gets attacked. Some people who get attacked will choose to fight back, but others will be pushed to their limits and, in a fit of anger, will put up bounties out of their own pockets, asking players to help them take down the target. Zhang Yang is often the subject of bounties from some players.

However, she is not alone now.

Tianyue County is just starting out and can't withstand a group attack.

Guan Zong chuckled and said, "My lord overestimates himself."

To outsiders, Zhang Yang was just a rural prefect, ruling a remote and unprofitable region, his trade routes blocked from both sides. Giving such a place away would only lower the status of others. Why would he use the Xuanwu Token to hunt her down?

He Zhi secretly observed Zhang Yang's reaction.

Despite Guan Zong's impolite words, he showed no anger, even nodding in agreement, and said proudly and happily, "What you say makes sense, but times change. One day someone will use some kind of token for it. If it's not the Black Tortoise Token, it will be the Vermilion Bird Token or the Heavenly Market Token."

Guan Zong was speechless after being cornered by Zhang Yang.

He Zhi: "..."

What's something to be proud of when someone uses the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols Decree on you?

He simply couldn't understand Zhang Yang's mind.

Only after Du Guan arrived did Fan You count the number of people and prepare for the meeting. He took out a secret letter from his pocket: "It is indeed a Xuanwu Token that has appeared in the world. The content is to suppress the traitors Qin Huang and Zhao Chai. The Xuanwu Token is used by a member of the royal family, but I suspect that the real holder is the ruler of Dou Kingdom... The so-called royal family is a smokescreen."

Zhang Yang exclaimed in surprise, "He's not dead yet?"

After the Dou Kingdom's royal family fled in disarray, Zhang Yang stopped paying attention. She had been thinking that in that situation, these royals would either have died on the run or been captured and killed by some warlord. But they were still alive, and even brought out their most prized possessions. Even though the Xuanwu Token had lost its intimidating power, it still sold for a very high price. Fan You had even told her that a Three Enclosures and Four Symbols Token had sold for an astronomical sum.

Fan You said, "He's not dead, and he's in high demand."

"Just how popular are they?"

"The Dou Kingdom's royal family, along with the remaining civil and military officials, fled to the Dog Kingdom. They were first captured by Zhao Chai, and later abducted by Qin Huang..." As for the widely circulated stories like "Zhao Chai Appreciating the King's Portrait Under the Moon" and "Qin Huang Killing Loyal Ministers Three Times," there's no need to go into detail. "It's said that Qin Huang also deliberately imprisoned some loyal royal ministers in solitary confinement and intentionally starved them to death..."

Puyang Kui clenched his fists.

"Is there any news about the Puyang clan?"

Fan You shook his head: "Not yet."

So far, according to the news circulating among the people, no one with the surname Puyang has been killed, and it is possible that they are already dead. The fact that the news is spreading like wildfire among the people does not mean that these warlords have no ability to suppress it; they are just deliberately trying to embarrass the royal family.

Zhang Yang slammed his fist into his palm.

"That's not right, there's no way we could have received a secret message."

The Xuanwu Order was aimed at Zhao Chai and Qin Huang, but Zhang Yang was ostensibly Zhao Chai's subordinate, meaning this secret letter couldn't possibly have reached him. Zhang Yang looked at the letter suspiciously: "Are you sure we haven't been tricked? We're still under Zhao Chai's name... Is the person who sent this letter really not afraid I'll report them to my 'superior'?"

Fan You said, "I've had my doubts about that too."

But he had already secretly verified it with Tianjiang County.

The story of Xuanwu ordering the siege and killing of Zhao Chai and Qin Huang is true.

He Zhi timely reminded him: "Perhaps the person who issued the Xuanwu Decree also knew that the lord had nothing to do with Zhao Chai? After all, it's quite obvious."

Or rather, Zhang Yang never kept it a secret from beginning to end.

"...That's possible too." However, whether he knew or not didn't really matter, so Zhang Yang put it out of his mind. "Is Uncle Yan worried that the neighbors might take the opportunity to beat us up?"

Even Shi Xu could see that this was impossible.

The biggest threat is Tianjiang County, but the relationship between Tianjiang County and Tianyue has eased, and there is no reason to break ties at present.

Fan You shook his head: "No."

"That is?"

"We need to take the initiative."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Fan You said, "This is a good opportunity."

Two dogs fight, play off.

Opportunities to expand one's power legitimately are few and far between.

"No, Uncle Yan didn't say he wanted to take over the mountain prefectures, and then—" Zhang Yang paused here, and a sneer came from the rooftop. She closed her eyes and said directly, "Then take Dongxian, and after that, Tianjiang Prefecture?"

They temporarily avoided the brunt of Qin Huang's attacks.

Fan You said, "Plans can't keep up with changes. I originally thought that Qin Huang's forces could hold out for a while, enough for us to take over the counties in the mountains... But with the Xuanwu Decree, and the secret letter saying that the Dou Kingdom's ruler promised to send troops, as long as we kill Qin Huang and Zhao Chai's forces, we can divide everything among them after the matter is settled..."

Zhang Yang: "Let me think about it, let me think about it carefully."

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Zhang Yang looked at the counties in the mountains, then at the cake on the other side, caught in a dilemma. Puyang Kui hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. Compared to the counties in the mountains, she preferred Qin Huang and Zhao Chai, but this concerned the future of her lord and should not be mixed with her personal feelings.

Just then, another sneer came from the rooftop.

However, it wasn't Wang Qi, but Guan Si.

The other party seemed to be deliberately letting Zhang Yang hear, not even trying to hide it. Strangely, Zhang Yang was able to guess what he meant; he just wanted her to give him a title—Che Si County had both soldiers and generals, and with the help of the Imperial City, they could launch a surprise attack on any of the counties in the mountains. If Guan Si were to assist them, it would be even more powerful.

In this way, Zhang Yang can free up his hands.

She gazed at the map, lost in thought.

The land beyond Tianyue is vast, and she wants to see it.

"Hey Egg Bro, I need to talk to you about something."

Guan Si looked at Zhang Yang, who had run out of the meeting in the middle of the session, and remained silent.

He had given her opportunities before, but she didn't value them.

Now you're thinking about your own good points?

Before Guan Si could even begin setting out, Wang Qi's face loomed closer.

"Actually, the Mountain Spirit can also come to me. Why choose one of the two? Can't we quickly defeat the counties in the mountains and then go after that Qin Huang Zhao Chai? As long as we're fast, we can fight whoever we want." His voice carried a hint of instigation and persuasion.

Guan Si said coldly, "He has ill intentions."

Wang Qi's actions were akin to a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.

If the mountain counties are successfully attacked by Chesi County, that period will be the weakest time. How can we guarantee that Wang Qi will not suddenly turn against us and bring Dongxian troops to take advantage of the situation?

This was also the main reason why Fan You reluctantly gave up the counties in the mountains first.

Wang Qi is a huge hidden danger. He seems obedient now, constantly calling Zhang Yang "mountain spirit," and following him like a shadow every day, ostensibly to protect the mountain spirit. But what's the reality? Fan You doesn't believe a word he says!

This person's temperament is fickle and unpredictable!

The scene of the sudden, violent murder is still fresh in my mind.

Wang Qi's smile held a hint of cruelty.

"I may have ill intentions, but my purpose is simpler than yours. I just want the mountain spirit to be well, to have eyes for me, and for the whip to fall only on me. What could I have done wrong? Mountain spirit, you have to believe me. How can that old bastard Wang Ba compare to you? We're best friends."

Guan Si: "..."

Wang Qi reminded Zhang Yang, "You don't have much time to consider this."

While the mountain prefectures are still relatively uninformed, we should launch a surprise attack and capture them first. Once they find out, they will be more vigilant to avoid being caught in the crossfire, making a surprise attack much more difficult. The lower their vigilance, the greater the strategic value of the Imperial Throne City.

Zhang Yang: "..."

Wang Qi continued, "Didn't you say you wouldn't use someone you suspect?"

Zhang Yang asked him, "What are you after?"

Don't even mention wanting her whip; nobody would believe that.

Zhang Yang was serious, and Wang Qi also became serious, but his tone was still as sick as ever: "What else could it be? When you eat fish, do you prefer small fish with many bones? Naturally, the fatter and more delicious, the stronger the mountain spirit, the more valuable it is, and the more interested I am. The sense of accomplishment from killing a rural prefect is different from killing the ruler of a country."

"...Indeed, Uncle Yan can't keep up with your condition."

These NPCs cannot be predicted using normal thinking.

Wang Qi: "Actually, I have another idea."

Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow: "Go on."

"You could try collaborating with that old man."

"Don't you want to listen to what you said? By doing this, aren't I just walking into a trap?" Fan You was afraid that Wang Qi would collude with Wang Ba to launch a sneak attack. Why would she want to cooperate with Wang Ba?

??|??w?`)

Somewhat surprisingly, this year's China Literature Annual Conference was more interesting than in previous years.