I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

However, looking at the map, Xiao Yue realized that even if she wanted to take the initiative to attack, it wouldn't be an easy task in Hanzhong.

To the north lies the territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Attacking the Northern Wei at this time would only invite a pincer attack.

Jingzhou, to the south, is a strategically important defensive location, and it's unrealistic for these tens of thousands of troops to take it over.

The further east one goes, the more it falls into Xiao Zhao's territory. Yongzhou is a prosperous region in the Central Plains and occupies a very important position in Xiao Zhao's territory.

It's unlikely that they could seize it.

Of the four directions, upon careful consideration, entering Yizhou is indeed the best approach.

Xiao Yue had a gut feeling that she had built her current little bit of success through sheer hard work, and if she were to seek stability now, she probably wouldn't have much of a future.

This was just a gut feeling, but Xiao Yue also understood her own heart.

She doesn't like to work herself to the bone.

You only have one life, who would be willing to trade their life for something else?

When you have nothing, you'll naturally want to fight desperately, since you have nothing left to lose.

But now that she has something, and it seems that there is no danger to her life in the short term, is there any reason for her to risk her life?

Xiao Yue asked herself honestly, if she had already had tens of thousands of troops, she would never have risked seizing the camp.

The situation seems the same now; it's time for her to make a choice again.

With such meager power, how could she possibly seize power and achieve such a great victory without risking her life?

"I have a plan: we should march north to attack Wei, which will allow us to escape with our lives."

When Xiao Yue shared her thoughts, Chen Nan and Liu Jian were both taken aback.

Where did Princess Tianxuan get her courage?

The words "heading north to attack Wei" are enough to make anyone's blood boil, but Liu Jian knew very well what the price of acting on impulse would be.

The Liu Song dynasty was destroyed because of these four words: "Restore the Han dynasty and expel the Tartars." Which man wouldn't be moved by such a slogan?

Liu Jian was not against the Northern Expedition, but the blind pursuit of quick success and instant benefits served as a lesson.

So when Xiao Yue excitedly announced the northward expedition against Wei, Liu Jian was completely taken aback.

"Why would the princess have such thoughts? Aren't we supposed to be suppressing the rebels?"

Liu Jian was very anxious, but Xiao Yue was excited and calm.

She was excited because she felt she had come up with a brilliant idea; she was calm because she had already figured out how to implement the decision and its benefits.

"We do indeed intend to punish the rebels, but their forces are too great for us to handle."

"Then we already have to face a powerful enemy. If we provoke the Northern Wei, wouldn't that be courting death?"

"That's not the case. If we were to fight the court in Hanzhong, we would be attacked from two sides. The Northern Wei might take advantage of our internal strife to move south. If we fight amongst ourselves, wouldn't that give outsiders an advantage?"

Or perhaps they will cooperate with the rebels, putting us in a dilemma. In that case, we might as well do the opposite and lead our troops alone into the north. We will still be fighting alone, but at least we will only be facing one enemy.

Firstly, we can use the Northern Wei's territory to train our troops; secondly, we can evade the imperial court's pursuit; and thirdly, we can prevent internal strife from benefiting the Northern Wei. It can be said that this is a win-win-win situation.

Upon hearing this, Chen Nan's eyes lit up. This princess was truly remarkable. Although the plan was extremely risky, even absurd, she was still able to come up with this strategy in this situation, which earned her his admiration.

Liu Jian naturally disagreed; such a risky act was no different from suicide.

Fortunately, Xiao Yue didn't care.

"General Liu, how about this? Since we have different opinions, why don't we split our forces into two groups? You follow your plan, take over the Qin and Liang regions, steal Yinping, and enter Yizhou."

I led a contingent of troops deep into Northern Wei, secretly developing our strength.

Let's help each other, share what we have, and see what others need. How about it?

Liu Jianzhen never expected Xiao Yue to say such a thing. Couldn't she see that he wasn't on the same page as her?

How could she be so trusting?

For a moment, Liu Jian felt a little embarrassed.

Deceiving a little girl is a bit unethical, but he really couldn't refuse the offer.

Chen Nan saw through his thoughts and took the initiative to stand up and agree to the proposal on behalf of Liu Jian. He admired Xiao Yue even more.

Despite being a woman, her boldness is no less than that of any man.

In this way, they can be said to have reached a consensus.

The city of Hanzhong was handed over to Liu Jian, who was then appointed General Who Conquers the West. This appointment, made while Liu Jian was not in power, was practically equivalent to him declaring himself king. It was merely a way of defining the relationship between the two men.

In name only, Princess Tianxuan is the eldest, nothing more.

The eldest brother gave the second brother a benefit, so naturally he needed something in return.

All she wanted were 30,000 soldiers from Hanzhong Commandery, along with their warhorses, weapons, armor, and a certain amount of provisions.

All of these had to be provided by Chen Nan, which was equivalent to spending money to buy the city of Hanzhong. That's the idea.

Both sides were very satisfied with the result and naturally had a pleasant conversation. After agreeing on the terms, they returned to their respective camps.

Xiao Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief when she returned to her tent.

Negotiating with people is really a tough job.

She returned to her tent, and someone immediately came to report.

She had previously sent people to bring people from outside the city into the city, but they happened to encounter Wu Sheng causing trouble.

The two hundred or so people who escaped thought that Xiao Yue had led them in to their deaths and that they would definitely not come back.

At Wu Sheng's urging, the group made Wu Sheng their leader.

At this point, Wu Sheng had lost his previous arrogance. He had come to terms with it. What did it matter if a peasant like him, who had no status, had some ideas and skills?

No matter how eloquently he speaks, once people hear there's a princess over there, they immediately bow down and worship at her feet, and they won't care about him at all.

Moreover, if he really led these small fry, what could he possibly achieve besides becoming a bandit king in the mountains?

To conquer cities and seize territory?

Stop being funny.

Having figured these things out, Wu Sheng became more open-minded.

Since we're destined to be bandits, we might as well rob someone now.

He wasn't mistaken; those imperial concubines and princesses had a lot of money. The Taoist priest who saved them was kind-hearted and gave each of them some travel expenses. When all of it was added up, it was a considerable sum.

If they rob everyone of their money, how could they not become rich?

When Wu Sheng shared these words with several people he sensed were ambitious, they immediately became interested in him.

Among the more than two hundred people who escaped, some were genuinely cowardly and weak, while others were unwilling to risk their lives for Xiao Yue. If they were offered tangible benefits, how could they not be tempted?

If they can't beat soldiers, how could they be no match for a group of women and children?

Not to mention that among those women, there were many who were beautiful, and those who were not beautiful would not have been chosen as cauldrons.

I've got both women and money, why not rob him of some?

So, of the two hundred men, nearly a hundred more followed Wu Sheng and prepared to become thieves with him.

The first thing a thief does, of course, is to go back and have some fun.

Previously, everyone was down on their luck, without even enough to eat or wear, and their minds were in turmoil. Some people had lustful desires, but they didn't dare to show them openly for fear of being beaten. Now that these perverts have banded together, what is there to fear?

However, they were really unlucky.

Those women and children left in the mountains and forests were indeed without any protection. Xiao Yue was in the city, Lin Yi was in the city, and even the Demon-Slaying Sword was gone.

Deep in the mountains and forests, who can save these frail women?

But then, a catgirl appeared in this place.

The dark cloud followed Lin Yi's aura. Unlike when it seeks its master, it cannot have telepathy and can only track him by his aura.

Lin Yi's aura was barely visible, so Little Cloud could only look for the aura of the Demon-Slaying Sword, which was easier to identify. After several searches, Little Cloud arrived at the simple camp of the survivors.

There are traces left by the Demon-Slaying Sword here, but Lin Yi has disappeared without a trace.

Dark Cloud is having a headache. He promised to come find him if anything happened, but now he can't be found.

Left with no other choice, she had to lie down and write the letter.

Wu Yun understood that, given Lin Yi's personality, he would definitely not leave these defenseless mortals unattended; there had been precedents for this before.

The aura of the Demon-Slaying Sword is very strong here, indicating that the Demon-Slaying Sword has stayed here for a long time, which is evidence that Lin Yi will not abandon these mortals.

He's not here, he must have something to do. She can just wait here.

And so they waited, until Wu Sheng and his gang finally arrived.

Seeing that they were about to do something bad, Wuyun certainly wouldn't stand idly by. She didn't kill them, but simply blew out a gust of cold wind, making it impossible for them to move an inch.

Wu Sheng and his companions encountered a maze of illusions, getting lost in the fog. When Xiao Yue's men arrived and questioned their frightened companions, they learned what they had done. They then tied them up and brought them back to report to Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue had originally been thinking of a way to get rid of Wu Sheng without making him feel bad, and to resolve this troublesome situation. She never expected that he would deliver his own weakness to her door.

"That Wu Sheng is quite talented, what a pity. Let's give him some money and send him on his way..."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yue made her decision.

She was about to become Lin Yi's disciple, and she wondered what Lin Yi thought of her in secret. She should be more lenient to avoid giving Lin Yi any misunderstandings.

Sure enough, just as she dismissed the person, Lin Yi's voice rang in her ears...

Chapter 368 The team battle is about to begin, but I've lost connection.

"If you don't nip the problem in the bud, aren't you afraid of future troubles?"

Xiao Yue originally thought that Lin Yi's thoughts were similar to those of righteous people, that is, to be lenient when possible, which is why she let Wu Sheng go, since Wu Sheng no longer posed any threat to her.

Otherwise, given that Wu Sheng wanted to harm her mother, she would never let him get away with it.

Little did anyone know, Lin Yi wasn't a living bodhisattva, but a living devil.

Xiao Yue then realized that she had made the wrong choice, but it shouldn't be a big problem.

Since she has made a choice, she should justify it and not let Lin Yi think that she is only good at taking shortcuts.