“The weakness you mentioned seems to be one that I also possess,” Ling Qi said slowly. “Leaving aside Liu Guang, Li Jun already has offspring, while I, like Liu Guang, have no children. If I were also ‘beheaded,’ I wonder who would fall into the hands of this great Huai Kingdom.”
Zuo Pinglin lowered his head to hide the fear and eagerness in his eyes. He said, "Your Majesty is invincible. Who could assassinate Your Majesty?"
"So what if he's invincible? The Khan of the Four Seas was also invincible, but didn't he die from the slow poison of the Divine Sect, becoming tyrannical and suspicious?" Ling Qi said each word clearly, but his face remained expressionless.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is different from the Khan of the Four Seas..." Zuo Pinglin deeply regretted. He had tried to act fanatical, but he had accidentally let slip that Ling Qi was so cunning that no one in the world could rival him. If he were to investigate further, even the Pope might not be able to protect him.
"Hmm." Ling Qi remained noncommittal. After a while, he asked, "Did the Pope know about this beheading beforehand?"
"This... I reported to the Pope afterwards."
Ling Qi shook his head and said, "Zuo Pinglin, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you did this arrogant thing without consulting the Pope or getting my permission. Although you've cooperated well with me all these years and I've helped you get rid of your rivals in the Divine Sect, as long as the Pope is still alive, you must be careful. You should know that the Pope can appoint you as his successor, but he can also replace you with someone else."
Zuo Pinglin's eyes flashed a few times. If it weren't for the Pope's restraint, he would have done far more than this! However, Ling Qi's words reminded him that the Pope seemed to have become somewhat distant from him recently. If he could not ascend to the throne as soon as possible, there might be unforeseen changes.
"I am utterly loyal to Emperor Shenzong and only wish to carry forward his glory. Your Holiness is wise beyond measure and surely understands this." He said slowly, but in his heart he began to plan his next move.
"Also, it's best not to do anything as reckless as beheading in the future." Ling Qi smiled faintly, picked up a glass goblet brought from Xiguang Ezhou, and poured the blood-like wine into it. He liked to see the blood-like liquid tumbling in the transparent glass, stirring up fine bubbles and ripples.
“Even if we suffer a setback this time, I will still send someone to take action next time if the opportunity arises,” Zuo Pinglin said.
"It seems you won't understand unless I explain things clearly," Ling Qi said. "Look, is it more satisfying to drink this wine cup by cup, or to down it in one gulp?"
“Naturally, it’s the latter,” Zuo Pinglin said, “but that’s a bit impolite.”
“The Divine Continent is like this pot of wine, but it’s contained in many small cups. If I want to drink it, I have to search for each cup one by one,” Ling Qi said. “Now that someone is pouring the wine all together for me, why shouldn’t I be happy about it?”
Zuo Pinglin said, "But if we drink like this, firstly, what if the person pouring the wine drinks it first? Secondly, isn't His Majesty afraid of getting drunk after drinking so much wine all at once?"
Ling Qi suddenly poured the wine in his cup into his mouth, stood up, and said arrogantly, "Can they act faster than me? Can this mere Divine Continent possibly get me drunk?"
Zuo Pinglin moved his lips a few times, but finally said nothing more. His most important task now was to stabilize his position in the church, which had been somewhat shaken by his risky "decapitation" act. And this required the support of the young, confident, and domineering monarch in front of him.
"Is it really just to drink the whole bottle in one gulp?"
After Zuo Pinglin left, Ling Qi poured himself another glass of wine and slowly sipped it. Beneath his expressionless face, a certain thought was hidden.
"Bloodshed and slaughter—if used in extraordinary times, it is certainly acceptable, but if it is bloodshed and slaughter all the time, can this dynasty last long? Destruction without construction will never be the way of a king. Zuo Pinglin, Zuo Pinglin, how could you, who enjoys playing tricks and assassinations, understand the way of a king and the art of nurturing the people?"
As Zuo Pinglin withdrew from the hall, a chilling smile appeared on his face: "If we don't divert the war to the south, who knows when you'll be willing to advance north? If you never advance north, where will my opportunity come from?"
Chapter Nine Turbid Current
one,
Li Jun shrugged his shoulders, let out a long sigh, and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Lei."
Lei Hun's face was covered in beads of sweat; he had expended a great deal of spiritual energy to heal Li Jun. He placed the silver needles back into the small box and slowly said, "Netherworld Sect."
"Brother Lei, are you sure it's the Netherworld Sect?" Li Jun frowned. The Netherworld Sect was the state religion of Huai Kingdom, a fact known to the whole world. And Ling Qi of Huai Kingdom had clearly formed some kind of secret alliance with him. Could it be that Ling Qi was unwilling to sit idly by and watch him grow stronger, and wanted to take advantage of his carelessness to eliminate him first?
Lei Hun said, "The Seven Emotions Sword that hurt you was the Seven Emotions Sword, a secret recipe of the Netherworld Sect. It can transform a person's seven emotions and six desires into spiritual power to injure people."
"I see." Li Jun thanked Lei Hun again. Upon hearing of Lei Hun's injuries from the assassination attempt, Lei Hun had rushed over from Kuanglan City at top speed. Li Jun held this mentor-student and friend-like figure, the Saint of the Three Religions, in high esteem. He had heard a little about the millennia-long feud between the Saint of the Three Religions and the Netherworld Sect. It was said that the Khan of the Four Seas had initially accepted the Netherworld Sect, but wherever he went, he destroyed the deities of the three religions and slaughtered their followers. The three religions then joined forces to cultivate a person, known as the Saint of the Three Religions, who accompanied the Khan to gradually influence him. The Khan indeed repented and finally broke with the Netherworld Sect, but by then the Netherworld Sect's power had grown too strong, ultimately resulting in a mutually destructive outcome. In light of this, the title of Saint of the Three Religions has been passed down ever since. Whenever the Netherworld Sect makes any moves, the Saint of the Three Religions must enter the world to stop it.
After Lei Hun's treatment, Li Jun's health gradually improved. Although he was still unable to engage in direct combat on the battlefield, his ability to command was no longer a major obstacle. The Peace Army advanced rapidly and had already reached Nan'an Pass. Nan'an Pass was situated on a plain formed by the alluvial deposits of the Nan'an River, surrounded by a ring of continuous high hills. The terrain was not particularly treacherous, but it was the only way for the Peace Army to enter the Liu River basin to the north. The Su Kingdom had long since amassed tens of thousands of troops there in preparation for the Peace Army's northward invasion. Meanwhile, Wu Peng's 100,000 Lan Kingdom soldiers, who had been plundering along the way, were less than ten days' journey from Nan'an Pass.
"Although Nan'an is a strategically important location, it is a well-fortified city with a large army and should not be underestimated." Wei Zhan gently shook his paper fan, his brows furrowed. "Commander, I have a plan. What do you think?"
Li Jun nodded and said, "Mr. Wei, please speak."
"Although the enemy is trapped in Nan'an and dares not come out to fight our army, they are determined to defend it because they have reserves inside and reinforcements outside. To defeat the enemy, we must first break their spirit. Why don't we pretend to launch a rapid attack on Nan'an and send another army to intercept the Lan Kingdom's reinforcements halfway? If the Lan Kingdom's reinforcements are defeated, the enemy defenders in the city will lose heart."
“I think it’s not advisable,” said Shi Quan, the military advisor. “Our army is small, so it’s better to keep our troops together than to disperse them. The enemy defending Nan’an City is only about 10,000 fewer than ours, while the Lan Kingdom’s troops are twice our size. If we split our forces, we might just allow the enemy to defeat us piecemeal.”
Looking at the topographical map of the Nan'an Pass made of sand and soil in front of him, Li Jun thought quickly. Wei Zhan's strategy of dividing the troops was a good plan, but Shi Quan's concerns were also reasonable. If the plan was not well-thought-out, it would be taken advantage of by the enemy.
"What's your plan?" Wei Zhan glanced at Shi Quan. This man was only in his early thirties, but he was as mature and serious as a seventy-year-old man. His most common saying was "I think it's not advisable." Although Wei Zhan knew how important such a mature and serious person was to Li Jun, perhaps it was due to their innate natures that he looked down on Shi Quan.
"In my opinion, the best course of action is to exercise extreme caution." Shi Quan's plain face remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected by Wei Zhan's disdainful look. He paused, then slowly said, "Perhaps we should temporarily garrison here and await news from Dong Cheng and Tu Long Ziyun."
"Is it the act of a true man to sit and wait for success?" Wei Zhan retorted without any politeness. "Should we just sit here and watch Dong Cheng and Tu Longziyun fight a bloody battle after conquering the Su Kingdom in one fell swoop?"
Shi Quan shook his head and said, "How can you say we're just waiting for success? Our army is holding back the enemy's main force and the Lan Kingdom's reinforcements. Dong Cheng and Tu Longziyun's two routes will definitely be undefended. If their advance goes smoothly, we will naturally get a share of the credit. Who is the commander? Why should we compete with our subordinates for merit?"
Wei Zhan was taken aback by Shi Quan's aggressive manner, which he had not expected. He had initially been quite skeptical of Li Jun's decision to promote this unknown man to such a high position as military advisor, but now it seemed that Li Jun's ability to judge people was indeed superior to his own.
"There's no need for you two to argue," Li Jun said. "I have a plan; please take a look and see how it can be improved."
Seeing that the two men had focused their attention, Li Jun continued, "If we remain here now, we will only waste our supplies and morale. Moreover, if we do not move, the enemy will not move, and if the enemy does not move, we will have no weaknesses to exploit. We must fight. Nan'an Pass is not a strategically important location, and the city is well-fortified. A frontal assault would not be possible in a day. If we wait for enemy reinforcements to enter the city, our army will have no choice but to retreat. If enemy reinforcements arrive while we are attacking the city, we will be attacked from both sides, and we will only suffer a crushing defeat. Therefore, we must concentrate our forces to defeat the enemy reinforcements first."
“I think that’s not advisable,” Shi Quan interjected. “If our army abandons the city and seeks enemy reinforcements, not to mention that the enemy reinforcements far outnumber ours, if the garrison inside Nan’an Pass were to attack now, our army would also be attacked from both sides.”
"The key is to prevent the enemy troops inside the city from coming out. Just now, Mr. Wei suggested using a portion of our forces to launch a feigned attack. This would both divide our forces and leave us to deal with the enemy if they see through our plan. Therefore, I think you should consider the Nan'an River."
Wei Zhan and Shi Quan looked in the direction Li Jun was pointing. On the map made of sand, a green ribbon represented the Nan'an River, flowing about a mile from Nan'an Pass.
"Flood the city?" Wei Zhan's eyes lit up, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Nan'an Pass is located on high ground. If our army floods the city, I'm afraid the water will flood our camp before it even enters the city."
“Exactly, this plan is even more risky,” Shi Quan agreed.
“What if I were to besiege the city instead of flooding it?” Li Jun pointed around Nan’an Pass. “Because Nan’an Pass is situated on higher ground, and its surroundings are all lower, I can divert the river water to create lakes around it. Since Nan’an Pass is not equipped with such lakes, it will lack boats. In this way, I can trap the Nan’an garrison with only a small force. Wu Peng’s Lan Kingdom army has already arrived in Zhang County, but he is hesitant to advance. I estimate that he wants my army to launch a strong attack on Nan’an first, and then launch a surprise attack from the rear. However, if he learns that I am flooding the city, he will only have two choices: one is to remain still and not advance even if Nan’an Pass falls, and the other is to think that my all-out attack on the city is the perfect opportunity for him to launch a surprise attack from the rear, and then advance his entire army lightly. I think that with the arrogance of the Lan Kingdom soldiers, they will not make the first choice.”
"Surround the city with water?" Wei Zhan and Shi Quan exchanged a glance. In military strategy, a city near water can be flooded, which is common sense. And for the defending side to use water to protect the city is something any general knows. Li Jun's idea of surrounding the city with water is quite ingenious. But to go to such lengths to dig a canal, not to breach the city walls, is too bizarre.
"What, do you two think it's unacceptable?"
Shi Quan examined the map carefully and said, "I still think there's something wrong. Wu Peng's reinforcements have arrived. How can our army fight now?"