Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

Chapter 84 Undercurrents

Inside Wei Qiankun's command tent, the lights were on full display.

The entire tent completely blocked out the sunlight from outside, making it as dark as night, with only three rows of gilded crescent lamps hanging from the top of the tent for illumination.

Wei Qiankun sat in the main seat, his eyes slightly dark and his forehead creased with several vertical lines. He no longer had the same arrogance he had shown in front of Li Lin.

On the jade table in front of him lay a military formation map several feet long, with all the mountain ridges, valleys, and official roads clearly marked in vermilion ink.

The jade plaques pressed against the corner of the table were covered with densely packed small characters, each line representing a unit undergoing reorganization.

He was almost overwhelmed by the logistical burden of supplying five thousand men.

"The Huai tribe's garrison can accommodate 420 men, but they lack armor and have only managed to muster 200 spears..."

"If you don't have enough, go to the armory! If you don't have any, buy some from those merchants! Do you really want to spend my money?"

Wei Qiankun slammed the wolf-hair brush in his hand onto the table and roared at the kneeling officers on both sides.

These people were none other than the Southern Tomb officers who had previously clamored to execute Li Lin.

This included Lu Pingchuan, whom Li Lin hated to the core.

Startled by Young Master Wei's shout, the crowd bowed their heads to the ground, repeatedly agreeing before fleeing in a panic.

Where was that arrogant demeanor she had in front of Li Lin?

After all, when they arrive at Nangao, Young Master Wei will truly be able to decide the life and death of each of them, and even their families!

"These good-for-nothings, if my father didn't need them, they should all have been shot in the Stone Fortress back then." Wei Qiankun cursed under his breath, rubbing his chest repeatedly, feeling a tightness in his chest.

He did not bring any staff to assist him with military affairs.

By the standards of a descendant of the Moon Palace, he should have the ability to command a million soldiers.

But now, even commanding only ten thousand men is already giving him a huge headache...

The lights inside the tent suddenly dimmed for a moment.

"Young master, have you missed me?" Liu's voice slipped out from the shadows, brushing against Wei Qiankun's ear like a snake's tongue, soft and close.

Wei Qiankun paused, his pen still on the paper, without looking up.

"This is boring," Liu said coquettishly, "two troublesome people have come."

"Who?"

"That Yin Dragon descendant of Qingluan Tower, and her..." Madam Liu paused, seemingly sensing danger, and stopped midway through her sentence.

By the time Wei Qiankun turned to look at her, Madam Liu had already silently disappeared into the shadows once again.

She had barely disappeared for three breaths when the tent curtain was lifted from the outside.

The Fengyun Guard did not come to report.

Chu Yao, Tang Zhi, and Wu Tamei entered one after another, as if his general's tent were just an ordinary summer pavilion.

"My apologies for not greeting you properly, my three distinguished guests. Please come in and have a seat!"

Wei Qiankun remained calm.

He put down his pen, put on his signature gentle smile, and rose from his seat to greet him.

Tangzhi bowed respectfully and stood somewhat reservedly behind Chu Yao.

Chu Yao nodded slightly, neither overly enthusiastic nor impolite.

On the contrary, Wu Tamei's condescending gaze was filled with icy coldness.

Wei Qiankun summoned a maid, laid out a brocade cushion, and personally served tea to Chu Yao and Tang Zhi, demonstrating impeccable royal etiquette and exceptional attentiveness.

On the contrary, he only gave Wu Tamei a simple greeting, and anyone could tell that he was being perfunctory.

Dragon descendants are also divided into different levels based on their background, strength, and status.

Of the three guests, it was easy to tell who was taller and who was shorter.

Wu Tamei crossed her arms and frowned.

Chu Yao politely took a sip of tea, tapped her index finger lightly on the table, and then said to Wei Qiankun, "No need to bother. I'm here today because Ta Mei has something to discuss with Young Master Wei. I'm just accompanying you."

Tangzhi also pointed at the tray with her finger in a very professional manner.

"Oh?"

Wei Qiankun looked at Wu Tamei and chuckled, "So it's Madam Wu who has something to visit. I invited her a few days ago, but she never came. Today, she's finally graced us with her presence."

Wu Tamei had no intention of playing along with him and went straight to the point: "I'm here to warn you this time. Whether Li Lin is the military commissioner or not is a family matter in Nanli. Since it's a family matter, it can only be handled by our own people. It's not up to an outsider like you to add fuel to the fire."

Wei Qiankun paused, his eyes flickering.

He took a sip of tea, slowly put down the teacup, clasped his hands together on his knees, and straightened his back: "Miss Wu, you've spoken too harshly. Between me and Steward Li, it's always been him who causes me trouble."

"His behavior these past few days has been witnessed by everyone; his methods are simply appalling. He has absolutely no idea how to blend in with the world. What are the others supposed to do?"

"If I don't retaliate, losing face for the Wei family is a minor matter, but what about the Moon Palace's reputation?"

"So you're going to set up military exercises outside, collude with the Six Young Masters of Nan Dou, and gather a group of outside experts and Wei Fu's retainers to set him up?" Wu Tamei sneered, her voice suddenly rising, "Wei Qiankun, what are you plotting? Do you think I can't see through you?"

Wei Qiankun's face immediately darkened.

The tent was eerily quiet for a moment, except for the drumbeat-like heartbeat of Wu Tamei; there was not a sound at all.

"Either you're planning to take advantage of the chaos to kill Li Lin, or you're just like those unscrupulous merchants who hoard grain and raise prices. No matter how you look at it, you're no good."

"Since Miss Wu has already condemned me in her heart, there's nothing more to say." Wei Qiankun stood up, not intending to waste any more words with Wu Tamei.

He gestured for them to leave: "Please go back, everyone. The army is very busy. We'll entertain you properly another day."

Wu Tamei snorted coldly, showing no hesitation, and turned to walk out of the tent.

Chu Yao and Tang Zhi followed closely behind, seemingly just accompanying them.

The curtains fell.

Wei Qiankun closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. The gentle smile on his face vanished completely, leaving only a withered look of weariness.

"It makes me look like the bad guy..."

'

After a while, Lady Liu slowly walked out from behind the tent pillar, her jade feet stepping silently onto the exquisite red carpet embroidered with phoenixes seeking their mates.

"The Six Young Masters of Nan Dou have already started fighting," she said lazily, leaning against the jade table. "With Li Lin personally involved, when do you plan to have your aunt make a move?"

"What? Sister, you also think I arranged for her to get in?" Wei Qiankun chuckled helplessly.

"Otherwise what? You only supported this military exercise because you wanted to kill him and frame those idiots in Shangyang, right?"

"He's not worth my clumsy tricks," Wei Qiankun said calmly.

He picked up a scroll of silk that was pressed against the corner of the table by a paperweight.

"At two quarters past Shen time, Qian Doudou and Kong Ling, musketeers of the Jiazi Battalion, reported that they each fired three shots and hit the enemy scout captain designated by the young master."

"The military intelligence battalion recovered the bullet, calculated the range, and confirmed that the bullet did indeed hit the enemy general."

"It's just that we don't know what kind of sorcery they used to be able to take people away out of thin air and leave the bullets inside their bodies in place."

Wei Qiankun clutched the scroll, rested his head on the soft animal hide, and muttered to himself, "No matter how much commotion there is today, he's already dead, just like most people here."

He seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly turned to Liu, his eyes gleaming: "The most important thing right now is the Dragon Palace. Sister, how are your preparations going? When can the Dragon Palace be activated again?"

Lady Liu closed her eyes and counted breaths, as if sensing something.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, a glint of red light flashing in her brown pupils.

"Soon."

"It should be ready by 9 PM tomorrow."

Wei Qiankun frowned slightly, nodded, and said nothing more.

At this moment, a member of the Fengyun Guard lifted the curtain and entered to report: "Young Master, Bai Muyan, who left the camp earlier, has returned!"

Wei Qiankun sat up abruptly, his weariness vanishing instantly: "Bring her in!"

Before long, Bai Muyan was led into the main tent.

She changed into a plain dress, her hair was a little messy, her eyes were slightly red, and her lips were pressed together until they were pale.

"Miss Bai." Wei Qiankun quickly stood up, even more enthusiastic than when he greeted Chu Yao and the others earlier.

He gently helped you up, his voice softening, "What happened to you? Who wronged you? Tell me, and I'll definitely stand up for you."

Bai Muyan shook his head, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, "It was my own fault for speaking out of turn. I had a quarrel with... Zhao Lang. Now I have nowhere to go, so I have no choice but to swallow my pride and come to seek refuge with Young Master Wei again."

A barely perceptible gleam of ecstasy flashed in Wei Qiankun's eyes, but his expression softened further as he said repeatedly, "What are you saying! I'm overjoyed that you're back."

He immediately turned around and instructed those around him, "Send Miss Bai to my palace to rest! Bring the finest sandalwood incense, and have a few attentive maids look after her!"

Several maids stepped forward and carefully helped Bai Muyan up.

Bai Muyan seemed a little uncomfortable, but in the end he did not resist. He thanked her softly and left the tent with his head down.

Wei Qiankun watched her leave as if he had seen some lost treasure that he had found again, and it took him a long time before he sat down again.

In the shadows, Liu crossed her arms, looked in the direction of the tent curtain, and rolled her eyes.

"Lust is the mother of all," she said in a low voice, then chuckled maliciously.

Bai Muyan acted very well.

No, it shouldn't be called "acting." Her emotions were genuine; she had truly broken up with her fiancé.

But the chilling coldness in her eyes could be hidden from others, but it could not be hidden from Madam Liu.

No one knew those eyes better than she did; she had seen them countless times in mirrors and on lakes.

She did not warn Wei Qiankun that this person was a fraud.

This might be an opportunity.

An opportunity for her to completely escape the Dragon Palace.