Isolated town in northern border region

"If the Emperor of Chu were truly your father's killer, would you still shamelessly cower like a coward?"

Upon hearing this, the flippant expression on Xiao Lie's face gradually disappeared.

He stared at Jiang Min for a long time.

Then he stood up and walked over to her.

"Walk."

"Where to?"

"I'm going to see something."

Xiao Lie pulled Jiang Min out of the government office.

The Trapped Camp was already lined up at the gate, protecting them as they walked towards the industrial park outside the city.

Jiang Min didn't know what Xiao Lie wanted to show her, but she didn't refuse.

She sensed that Xiao Lie's aura had changed!

He was no longer that carefree, roguish man, but rather possessed a profound seriousness that made people hesitant to ask further questions.

In the industrial park, flames from blast furnaces soared into the sky, and the roar of steam engines was deafening.

The craftsmen worked shirtless, sweating profusely, with sparks flying everywhere.

Xiao Lie led Jiang Min through the steel mill, cement plant, and coking plant, finally stopping at the finished product warehouse. He picked up a newly forged steel knife from the shelf and handed it to Jiang Min.

"Take it."

Jiang Min took the knife; it was heavy, twice the weight of an ordinary knife.

The blade had a bluish-gray sheen, and there was a fine line on the edge.

Xiao Lie pointed to the wooden stake next to him, which was used to test his knife.

"cut."

Jiang Min gritted his teeth, gripped the knife with both hands, and slashed down.

The wooden stake was broken in two, the cut was as smooth as a mirror, and the blade was intact.

Jiang Min's hands were trembling.

"What a fine blade! Even a weak woman like myself can cut through a wooden stake; this shows how sharp it is!"

Xiao Lie took the knife and flicked the blade lightly with his finger, producing a crisp sound.

"The earliest iron knives would chip when they struck even slightly hard wood."

"Today's steel knives are several times more lethal."

He turned around and looked at Jiang Min.

"As a princess of Jing, you are devoted to your country, and I admire you."

"But have you ever considered how many people will die under this steel blade?"

"Does the spirit of the late emperor wish to see his son use this steel blade to wash away the blood of the Great Chu?"

Jiang Min was stumped by the question.

But she refused to back down and retorted with a cold sarcasm.

"If Your Highness is so benevolent, how could you have forged such a deadly weapon?"

Xiao Lie gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"This sword is called the Peace Sword!"

"I created this solely for the peace of the northern frontier, the peace of the Chu Kingdom, and even the peace of the entire world!"

"Tell me, if you were in my shoes, would Princess Minyue, with such military might, have spared the thousands of herders on the grasslands?"

Jiang Min fell silent.

She recalled Xiao Lie's treatment of the grassland people in the case file.

She asked herself honestly, if it were her, with absolute overwhelming strength, she would only eliminate the enemy who had repeatedly plundered her country!

But what about Xiao Lie?

He opened a breeding farm on the grassland, enabling the grassland people to live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

It's not that he can't eliminate the problem completely, it's that he doesn't want to.

Jiang Min looked at the knife in his hand, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions, and for a moment he was speechless.

"Three days later, I will personally escort the princess back to her country."

Xiao Lie's voice came from behind her.

"I will present these technologies to the Jing Kingdom as a betrothal gift."

Jiang Min turned around abruptly, her pupils shrinking sharply.

"What did you say?"

"I will pass these technologies on to the Jing Kingdom."

Xiao Lie repeated himself, his tone as calm as if he were asking what to eat today.

Jiang Min's mind was buzzing.

The technology she longed for, the technology she was willing to give herself to in exchange for, was given away by Xiao Lie so easily?

Jiang Min was naturally intelligent, and considering Xiao Lie's attitude towards Xiao Yu, as well as the Chu Emperor's sudden agreement after delaying for half a month, she immediately realized what was going on!

She suddenly thought of an even more terrifying possibility.

"You...could it be...could it be that you already handed over these technologies to the Chu Emperor through Xiao Yu?"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Yes! You must know what kind of person the Chu Emperor is."

"What the Chu Emperor has, how could your Jing Kingdom not have?"

Jiang Min looked bewildered, her eyes filled with confusion.

"So, you want to give it to both the Emperor of Chu and the State of Jing?"

Jiang Min's voice was trembling.

"Aren't you afraid of an arms race between the two countries, leading to global chaos?"

Xiao Lie looked at her calmly.

"I want them to be in chaos."

Jiang Min was stunned.

"The Chu Emperor was a man who would stop at nothing to gain power."

"I need to find him a strong enough opponent to suppress his ambition."

"This opponent is the State of Jing."

He paused.

"vice versa."

Jiang Min's mind was racing.

She finally understood: Xiao Lie wasn't giving away his skills; he was playing chess!

With new military equipment, the Chu emperor will surely expand his territory.

With its new military equipment, Jing Kingdom is bound to expand.

Both countries want to annex each other, but this will only lead to mutual restraint and attrition.

Meanwhile, the northern border region can develop peacefully in the cracks, sitting back and watching the tigers fight.

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to hide his smugness.

"To be honest, I really don't understand why you guys always like to come up with schemes and plots."

"I didn't want to bother, but if I don't use some tricks, you all become more and more demanding!"

"Since the Chu Emperor already possesses these technologies, your Jing Kingdom has no choice but to accept them!"

"Actually, even if Princess Minyue hadn't come to the Northern Frontier, I would have taken the initiative to contact the Jing Kingdom."

Only then did Jiang Min truly understand how terrifying Xiao Lie was.

Xiao Lie had no interest in playing tricks with them; he only used fair and square strategies!

Would any leader not want something that could change the fate of a nation?

If one country acquires the technology, what about the other countries? Would they dare not accept it?

What's even more terrifying is that these technologies were given to him by Xiao Lie!

If he dared to hand over these things without reservation, he must have something even more deadly in his possession!

Whether it's the Chu Emperor, the Jing Kingdom, or even the entire world, they can only ever follow in Xiao Lie's footsteps!

Jiang Min looked at Xiao Lie and suddenly felt that the man in front of her was like Mount Tai, pressing down on her and almost suffocating her.

There was no ruthlessness, no cunning, only a calm composure that looked down upon the world!

But while feeling alarmed, Jiang Min also felt a secret joy.

Jiang Min's man should be like this!

She bit her lip and uttered words that, for the first time since arriving in the Northern Frontier, she had broken free from the stance of the Jing Kingdom's princess.

"So, the feud between Emperor Wu and the eldest prince is just going to be dropped like this?"

Xiao Lie's eyes finally turned cold.

"I will settle this score with the Emperor of Chu myself."

Jiang Min looked into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

Then, she raised her head, and a smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"Very well. If there's anything I can do to help, I will certainly do my best."

…………

Xiao Lie and Jiang Min spent almost half a month in the factory in the northern border region, and the Chu Emperor also received news from his spies.

"got engaged?"

"As a member of the royal family, how dare you bypass me and secretly become engaged to a princess of another country?"

"Xiao Lie! He completely disregards me!"

The Chu Emperor could no longer maintain his composure and transformed into a desktop cleaning master, scattering all the memorials on the table all over the floor.

The leader of the secret agents knelt at the feet of the Chu Emperor, trembling with fear.

"Tell me, what's the situation in northern Xinjiang? Is it even allowed to kill people?"

The spy chief sold it for an even lower price.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Lie and Jiang Min have been in the industrial park in the northern frontier these days."

"All the workers in the park are on a register, and even the food delivery teams are made up of soldiers from the elite elite units. Entry and exit require rank; our people simply can't infiltrate!"

"Your Majesty, please grant me some more time. Even if it means death, I will..."

Before the spy chief could finish speaking, Emperor Chu picked up an inkstone and smashed it on his head. With a loud "bang," a stream of bright red heat gushed from the spy chief's head.

"roll!"

"Don't kill anyone! Bring everyone back!"

"roll!"

The leader of the secret agents withdrew, and the Chu Emperor slumped onto the dragon throne, his chest heaving violently, clearly furious.

The reason why the Chu Emperor was so angry was that when he heard Xiao Lie bring Jiang Min into the industrial park, he realized that it was too late.

The technology that Xiao Yu brought back back back then is probably already in the hands of the Jing Kingdom.

Given Jing's wealth, its national strength would rise much faster than Chu's after acquiring these technologies!

If the Emperor of Chu were to go to such lengths to kill Jiang Min at this point, it would truly be a sign that he had lost his mind!

When the Jing and Chu states go to war, Xiao Lie will stab them in the back, and the Chu emperor will have nowhere to cry!

As for using the death of the eldest prince Xiao Yu to punish Xiao Lie?

That would directly force Xiao Lie to rebel!

The Chu Emperor was not confident that he could conquer the five northern states in a short time, especially since Xiao Lie had the support of the Jing Kingdom.

If it comes to a fight that results in mutual destruction, the Jing Kingdom won't just stand by and watch!

The Chu emperor racked his brains but still couldn't come up with a solution to break the deadlock.

This is Xiao Lie's open scheme!

The Chu Emperor put his hand to his forehead and gritted his teeth as he expressed his regret.

"Xiao Lie! I should have killed you with my own hands back then!"

"Xiao Yu, I only allowed Xiao Lie to grow powerful because I believed your lies. Now, not only have I failed to poison Xiao Lie, but that brat has also given me leverage against him!"

"The traitor! The traitor!"

"I am furious!"