Douluo Continent: Half-level Innate Realm, but a Sword Cultivator with a Heart-Only Mind

Chapter 196 Yu Xiaogang's Cleverness Backfires: An Incompetent General Causes the Death of His Army

After Qi Dao and the other two left, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School...

Sword Douluo looked at Ning Fengzhi and said in a deep voice, "Fengzhi, how much of what Qi Dao said about Rongrong having the potential to become a god do you think is true, and how much is false?"

Ning Fengzhi's eyes deepened, and he shook his head slightly.

"I don't know either, but even if what Qi Dao said isn't true, it won't cause any loss to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, right?"

"And if what he said is true, then it would be an incredible opportunity for Rongrong!"

"Perhaps, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School also has a chance to give birth to a god!"

By the end, Ning Fengzhi's face had become more expectant.

As for the internal conflicts within the Spirit Hall, he didn't take them to heart.

In his view, as long as Qian Renxue knew who was behind the trouble, Bibi Dong, an outsider, would never be able to defeat the combined forces of Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu, and Qi Dao.

It might not be long before Bibi Dong is removed from the position of Pope!

The Imperial Palace!

Qian Renxue remained depressed.

She looked at Qi Dao beside her and said in a deep voice, "A-Dao, do you really think it's possible that Bibi Dong betrayed me?"

In truth, she already believed about 70% of what Ning Fengzhi had said, but she still didn't want to believe that Bibi Dong would betray her, so she hoped to hear a different perspective from Qi Dao.

But Qi Dao shrugged and answered truthfully, "She is indeed the most suspicious, and she also has the motive!"

Qian Renxue's emotions suddenly intensified.

"But I'm her daughter!"

Qi Dao simply replied, "Throughout history, how many cases have there been where power has led to fathers and sons turning against each other, and even fratricide?"

"Besides, although you are mother and daughter, how much affection do you actually have for each other?"

Every word was like a knife stabbing into Qian Renxue's heart.

After a moment, Qian Renxue forced a smile.

"Ado, you go ahead and do your thing, leave me alone."

Seeing her like this, Qi Dao could only offer a word of comfort before leaving.

"Sister Lao, no matter what happens, I'm on your side."

After saying that, he turned and left.

As Qian Renxue watched his retreating figure, a warmth filled her heart, but also a deep sadness.

Bibi Dong, who was related to him by blood, betrayed him for power, while Qi Dao, his adopted younger brother, stood firmly on his side.

As time went by, Qian Renxue's heart gradually calmed down, but her eyes grew colder.

Her slightly narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes gazed into the distance through the window, murmuring softly.

"Bibi Dong, do you think you can dethrone me by revealing my identity to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan?"

"A bunch of worthless scoundrels, mere skeletons in a tomb. So what if they know who I am?"

From that day on, Qian Renxue reorganized the military while using the pretext of selecting capable individuals to gradually place the Spirit Hall's confidants into the army as officers, ensuring that even if her identity was completely exposed one day, the army would not mutine.

In addition, she also paid all the back pay owed to the army and established an Inspectorate to oversee the distribution of military pay.

These inspectors are all core believers of the angel race and are absolutely loyal to her.

Qian Renxue's actions instantly made her a wise ruler in the eyes of the soldiers, winning the support of millions of soldiers.

Such a high-profile move naturally caused panic among the four kingdoms.

The capital of the Kingdom of Barak.

In the luxurious palace, the King of Barak looked at the crew-cut man opposite him with a worried expression and a face full of respect.

"Master, that imposter Emperor Qinghe has been putting on a show these days to win over the army."

"If this continues, even if we expose his identity, those spineless soldiers in the army will probably still side with him!"

Clearly, the man with the buzz cut was none other than Yu Xiaogang.

He was recommended by the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family to the King of the Barak Kingdom to offer him advice.

Because of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family, and because Yu Xiaogang has indeed gained considerable fame recently, the King of the Barak Kingdom relies heavily on him.

Faced with the King of the Barak Kingdom's inquiry, Yu Xiaogang calmly took a sip of tea, his expression indifferent, but secretly pleased with himself.

His extraordinary wisdom finally had a chance to shine!

In fact, he should thank Xue Qinghe!

If he weren't an imposter, his family wouldn't have invited him back, and the king of the Barak Kingdom wouldn't have treated him with such respect.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Xiaogang put down his teacup, looking profound.

"It seems Xue Qinghe has a powerful ally by his side!"

"They probably already guessed that their identities had been exposed, so they tried to win over the soldiers by paying them salaries."

The King of Barak continued, "Master, what should we do then?"

"We can't just stand by and watch him win over the soldiers, can we?"

Yu Xiaogang sneered, "That's easy. Just send someone to rob the military pay on the way, and then send people to spread rumors among the troops that he's an imposter, right?"

"Besides, Your Majesty, you could also follow suit and pay military salaries to win over the hearts of the kingdom's army."

"Now that you've paid them, won't those soldiers be eternally grateful to Your Majesty?"

"In this way, when the war with the Heavenly Dou Empire truly begins, they will also be able to fight fiercely for Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, King Barak's eyes lit up at first, but when he heard that military pay was to be issued, his face immediately darkened and he began to complain about being poor.

"Master, it's not that I don't want to pay the soldiers, it's just that the national treasury is empty!"

Yu Xiaogang frowned after hearing this.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

"Your Majesty can collect taxes from the people for the next year to pay the military. Once you become the emperor of Tiandou, you can exempt them from taxes for another year."

King Barak's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"Great idea!"

"Master, you truly are a wise man!"

"I will order someone to do it immediately!"

Seeing the admiring expression on King Barak's face, Yu Xiaogang was secretly pleased and continued to offer his advice: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing you need to do!"

"What is it?" King Barak asked hastily.

Yu Xiaogang said, "If war breaks out, even with the help of my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the military strength of the four great kingdoms may not be enough to defeat the Heavenly Dou Empire."

"Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty recruit more soldiers."

"Good!" King Barak clapped and cheered.

However, things did not go as Yu Xiaogang had imagined.

First of all, Qian Renxue had long anticipated that someone would embezzle the military funds, so she sent out a titled Douluo to secretly escort them.

This resulted in all the powerful figures sent by the four kingdoms to rob military supplies losing their heads, and the spy who sent people to the Tiandou military camp to spread rumors that Xue Qinghe was an imposter was reported as soon as he showed his face.

In contrast, the four kingdoms, on Yu Xiaogang's advice, levied taxes on a large scale, but there was no supervision or oversight.

The higher authorities said to levy taxes for one year, but the lower authorities changed it to levy taxes for three years, then five years, causing public resentment to boil over.

Furthermore, the imposition of taxes was followed by mandatory conscription, causing widespread panic.

Of the taxes collected, part went into the pockets of the four kings and part into the pockets of the kingdom's high officials. Through layers of exploitation, by the time the army reached them, there was less than enough money for a meal.

Before the four kingdoms had even started their war, they were already in disarray!

Upon receiving this news, Qian Renxue laughed three times.

This is a classic case of a general's incompetence causing the death of his entire army!

What a "master"!