Starting from the prison, an infinite simulation

Whoa!

A clear neighing of a horse rose from the outskirts, and four black hooves landed steadily on the ground. Zhang Yuqian and her companion dismounted at the same time.

Jiang Yueming looked around at the beautiful scenery, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, and said, "Thank you for seeing me off, Miss Zhang."

"No need to be so polite, just call me Yuqian."

Zhang Yuqian held the reins and fed the horse water by a stream. A gentle breeze blew, causing her dark hair and ponytail to sway, revealing a large expanse of her fair and tender neck, which looked extremely alluring.

Jiang Yueming paused slightly, then concealed a flicker of emotion in her eyes and said, "Yuqian, I'd like to ask about the border. What's the situation there?"

On the banks of the clear stream, Zhang Yuqian gently stroked the horse, paused briefly, and looked up at Jiang Yueming: "You still care about this?"

His question truly startled her. Ever since returning to the Zhang family, she had been constantly emphasizing that the Imperial State would face the danger of war, and she intended to stop the infighting among the three families.

But the results were all disappointing; those family heads only cared about power and their own status.

What do border issues have to do with them?

If the border is breached, all blame can be placed on the defending soldiers; at the very least, it is a matter for the royal family to handle.

It has absolutely nothing to do with those sects!

In reality, they were pretending to be ignorant. The three families almost monopolized more than 80% of the wealth of the Imperial State. The royal court's tax revenue was in trouble, so how good could the combat strength of the border garrison be?

At worst, the three families could simply send some money to the foreign tribes on the border as usual to temporarily seek peace.

The money sent out was like falling into a bottomless pit; no matter how much was sent, it could never satisfy the greed of the alien race.

On the contrary, this ebb and flow made the alien races stronger and stronger, the imperial state's strength weakened day by day, and the common people's lives became more and more difficult.

Jiang Yueming met Zhang Yuqian's probing gaze and chuckled, "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen, let alone a mere commoner like me."

In his previous life, he was a soldier who had been on the battlefield and knew all too well the disasters that war brought to the country and its people.

It may only be a brief skirmish between the two armies, but those guns and ammunition represent a year's worth of living expenses for hundreds of families!

Not to mention airplanes and artillery; war is not only a contest of people, but also a contest of the financial resources of two countries!

A battle consumes not only military strength, but also the food supplies of tens of thousands of families.

Therefore, he especially does not want war to break out in the Imperial State, and if it does, he will definitely stop it to the end!

"Jiang Yueming, I really didn't expect you to say such a thing." Zhang Yuqian's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and a smile of admiration curved her lips. Her appreciation for him deepened.

"Those short-sighted bastards in the Imperial State actually think you're a piece of trash, little do they know they're the real cowards!"

Since she met Jiang Yueming, she has discovered many virtues in him that ordinary people do not have: his calm and composed demeanor when his life contract was taken away, his kindness and innocence when distributing the hunted meat, and his intelligence and confidence when confronting the three families in the wedding hall.

Didn't the Jiang family notice any of this before? Just because he was an adopted son, they looked down on him in every way.

Indeed, in the eyes of those in power, class contempt is eternal!

Although she came from a prestigious family, her years of military service on the frontier had taught her the principle that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

Without the support of ordinary people at the bottom, how noble could those in power be?

In comparison, the boy in front of them, though young, was much more sensible than the other three.

"Hehe, don't praise me like that. If the Imperial State falls into chaos, we will have nowhere to go either," Jiang Yueming said, clearly understanding Zhang Yuqian's meaning of praise, and touched her nose shyly.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuqian gently stroked her forehead and sighed softly, saying, "If the three families had your thoughts, many fewer soldiers would die on the border."

"The Yingquan tribe beyond the Great Wall is now making moves against the Imperial State, and the situation is extremely serious. I think a major war is inevitable."

Zhang Yuqian's beautiful face showed a hint of solemnity, and she said with some helplessness, "I have been appointed as the magistrate of Pingjing, and I am afraid that I will not be able to return to the border in the future. I wonder if General Lin can hold the last line of defense of the Imperial State, Humen Pass."

Humen Pass is the last stronghold of the imperial capital. If it falls, then a devastating massacre awaits them.

"Hmm, I understand. What reason could the Ying Dog Clan have to launch an invasion? Are they truly shameless?" Jiang Yueming pondered for a long time before speaking in a deep voice.

"They have their reasons; they want the Imperial State to open up more trade markets," Zhang Yuqian shook her head, denying Jiang Yueming's previous idea.

"Open up more trading markets?" Jiang Yueming asked, looking puzzled.

He had only recently arrived in this world and was unaware of some of the affairs of the Imperial State.

Zhang Yuqian understood Jiang Yueming's doubts and continued, "Their previous desire to open more trading markets was to better sell a poison called poppy within the Imperial State."

"That drug is highly addictive once ingested, and once addicted, it is extremely difficult to quit. Moreover, the drug is extremely harmful to the soldiers' bodies."

"Their move is undoubtedly aimed at weakening our military strength and completely disintegrating the Empire from within!"

Upon hearing the word "poppy," Jiang Yueming's eyebrows twitched instantly, and she asked urgently, "Yuqian, is the reason they sell poppies because they've been losing money for years in their trade with the Imperial State?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuqian's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she was immediately startled: "Yes...yes, how did you know?"

The royal court kept this trade a closely guarded secret; if she hadn't been the border guard, she wouldn't have known about it.

But how did Jiang Yueming know this?

Jiang Yueming reached out and rubbed her throbbing temples, her expression turning rather unpleasant.

He had a vague feeling that the predicaments he had only seen in textbooks before might soon unfold before him.

"Yuqian, let me ask you again, are the border troops strong enough to hold off the Yingquan tribe?" Jiang Yueming still didn't answer Zhang Yuqian's question first, and started a new topic.

Zhang Yuqian paused, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, and said, "I'm not sure about that either, but I'm certain that as long as the three families unite in the royal court, the Yingquan tribe will definitely not dare to invade!"

"Right now, they're all vying for power, and you know how that makes it difficult to unite the three families..."

Jiang Yueming gave a soft "hmm," a confident smile playing on her lips, and said, "Don't worry about that. They'll be united in a year. I just hope the border can hold out for this year."

"Huh?" Zhang Yuqian opened her mouth slightly, her face flushed, and her eyes met that captivating smile again.

Sometimes she couldn't understand Jiang Yueming either, and always felt that he was unfathomable.

"While it's commendable that you have the world in your heart, you must be facing your own difficulties as well. Which sect are you planning to join?"

"The Holy Dragon Empire, Taoism," Jiang Yueming replied to Zhang Yuqian without hesitation.

"Taoism? It seems to be a third-rate sect. You might need to nurture it carefully," Zhang Yuqian said thoughtfully, lowering her eyes.

To participate in the Martial God Tournament, there are two requirements: first, you must be backed by a major sect; second, you must form a seven-person team.

Given Jiang Yueming's current circumstances, none of these options would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

However, she will always be Jiang Yueming's last line of defense. If she successfully reaches the Bloodlust King Realm, this situation can be broken.

If not, the game ends, and he can save his life.

"Hey, you don't really think I'm going to lead a small sect, slowly level up and grow, and finally participate in the competition, do you?"