As the short sword, imbued with immense killing intent, entered Wu Zhi's attack range, Wu Zhi's accumulated spiritual power erupted instantly. His blade scattered a red net in the air, whipping up a raging dragon of spiritual energy. Wu Zhi was certain that not only the short sword, but also Li Jun, who had thrown it with all his might, would be reduced to blood and gore under his blade.
Pinkish blood mist spread as the flesh ruptured. Wu Zhi smiled slightly, but the smile was immediately replaced by immense pain. He saw blood gushing from his throat, and his consciousness gradually faded as the blood flowed out. He struggled to stand, but his legs gave way and he collapsed. Before falling to the ground, he managed to mutter, "How is this possible..."
Li Jun wiped the sweat from his brow. Although it was only one round, he had given it his all. First, he forcefully threw his short sword to draw Wu Zhi's strength, then used the thin iron chain on the back of the sword to control its flight, piercing Wu Zhi's throat after he had exerted all his strength. Even Lu Xiang couldn't execute such a move, but Li Jun was able to because of the power of the red dragon within his body.
Lu Xiang looked at the corpse on the ground with some disgust. Li Jun, without any politeness, used Wu Zhi's own knife to cut off his head, and carried it out of the courtyard. The group of guards who were amazed by Meng Yuan's bravery scattered in panic when they saw the head of the "Pillar of Lan Kingdom" before Li Jun could even speak.
“As a soldier, yet afraid of death.” Lu Xiang, who had followed along, shook his head. “Perhaps this is one reason why chaos never ends.”
Meng Yuan laughed heartily: "The more afraid they are of death, the better, it will save us a lot of trouble."
Li Jun also laughed and said, "That's right, now all we need to do is take over Wuyin City."
They spoke casually, but they all knew in their hearts that three people alone could not possibly take over a city guarded by 50,000 men. Fortunately, Wuyin was originally a city of the Su Kingdom, and Lu Xiang had already planted informants within the city to contact those who still cherished their homeland. Half of the 50,000 garrison were locals of Wuyin, and they surrendered immediately without being forced. The remaining Lan Kingdom soldiers, upon seeing Wu Zhi's head, were terrified and collapsed like a house of cards. Half a day later, the invincible army smoothly entered Wuyin City.
The news of the bloodless capture of Wuyin invigorated the entire Su Kingdom, and calls for the recapture of lost territory arose everywhere. Even Prime Minister Wu Shu, who had always advocated ceding territory, switched his stance and supported a decisive victory over the Lan Kingdom's army to reclaim the lost northern lands. It seemed that the decades-long dream of countless Su patriots to conquer the Wuling Mountains was about to be realized.
The only high-ranking official in the court who advocated postponing the attack was none other than Lu Xiang, who had captured Wuyin City. The capture of Wuyin by the three of them was seen by others as another display of his brilliant military strategy, but he himself knew that such a tactic could not fundamentally solve the problem.
"The best course of action now is not an immediate northern expedition, but rather to allow the nation to recuperate and rebuild its strength," Lu Xiang earnestly stated in a memorial to King Li Gou. "For thirty years, the State of Su has been at war every day, and its people are exhausted. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, Your Majesty has implemented new policies and recruited many talented individuals, leading to a revival of the nation. However, to seek a century's worth of achievements with a single victory, to exhaust the nation's resources, and to risk everything is not the act of a wise man. Your Majesty is wise and should know that this is impossible. Moreover, in the Battle of Wuyin, the enemy suffered only a minor defeat, and our army did not achieve a great victory. The enemy still has millions of soldiers, while our country has only two hundred thousand soldiers capable of fighting. Even if our soldiers fight with all their might to repay the nation's kindness, we cannot achieve victory."
Immediately afterwards, Lu Xiang looked further ahead. Although he knew that what he had said in his memorial was beyond the scope of a general, he believed that with the whole country blindly optimistic, it was very necessary to exert influence on the king to prevent irreparable damage to the country.
"In my humble opinion, although there are many countries in the world today, this situation is not far off. The people of these countries are weary of war, and the desire of the people of China to unify the land is clear. Your Majesty should cultivate your virtue and practice the way of being a sage on the outside and a king on the inside. If you do this, the day when our Su Kingdom unifies China will be just around the corner."
"Your Majesty, I dare to offer suggestions and request that you decide on these five matters. First, establish a Crown Prince. Your Majesty is advanced in years, though in good health, but the princes are also growing old. If a major plan is not made soon, internal strife will surely arise. Second, abolish the system of public lands. The late king established the system of public lands to prevent the weak from being swallowed up by the strong. Now, the rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have nowhere to stand. The late king's intention has been violated. Your Majesty should implement a new system. This matter can be discussed and decided by the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Third, Your Majesty should pardon all slaves in the land. Local powerful families rely on..." "The power of the state is unlawful, and the excessive number of slaves has deprived the nation of its source of military revenue. Your Majesty, after abolishing the public land system, should distribute the slaves within the public lands. This would both broaden the source of revenue and increase the population. Fourthly, Your Majesty should issue a decree throughout the land, treating all people—commoners, Qiang, Yue, Yi, and Rong—equally, to win the hearts of all ethnic groups and make them serve you. Fifthly, Your Majesty should strictly enforce the system of rewards and punishments, ensuring that those who perform meritorious service are rewarded and those who break the law are punished, without delay, lest you lose the support of the people. If this is done, then the State of Su will be fortunate, and the entire nation will be fortunate. Your humble servant, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lu Xiang, submits this memorial with trepidation."
While holding the torch, Li Jun silently memorized the five countermeasures. After a long period of contemplation, he said, "These five measures all address the current problems. If His Majesty the King truly implements them, the Su Kingdom can unify the Divine Continent in thirty years. The Deputy Commander's knowledge of governance is no less than his knowledge of warfare."
Lu Xiang smiled slightly and said, "These countermeasures were not my idea. The one who came up with these countermeasures is an extraordinary person, and these are only one ten-thousandth of his ideas."
Li Jun was filled with longing, wondering what kind of person could inspire such admiration in Lu Xiang. He didn't press further, only asking, "Does the Vice Commander think His Majesty can accept this earnest advice?"
Silence fell over the tent for a moment. After the torch flickered for a while, a sorrowful expression appeared on Lu Xiang's face. Li Jun's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition rose within him. In the three years he had followed Lu Xiang, no matter how turbulent and unpredictable the changes on the battlefield, no matter how much intrigue and power struggles there were in the court, Lu Xiang had never been so sorrowful.
"The person who proposed these solutions is a recluse from the Kingdom of Lan. His name is Feng Jiutian, and you may meet him someday. He lives on Wutong Ridge outside Lingjiang City in the Kingdom of Lan." Lu Xiang changed the subject, subtly drawing Li Jun's thoughts back to Feng Jiutian. Some time later, when he recalled this matter, he realized that Lu Xiang's seemingly unintentional change of topic actually contained a deeper meaning. This extraordinary person's solutions were useless to King Li Gou of the Kingdom of Su, but extremely useful to him, Li Jun.
The express horse quickly delivered Lu Xiang's memorial to Liuzhou, the capital of the Su Kingdom, where it, as usual, first fell into the hands of Prime Minister Wu Shu. After carefully studying it repeatedly, Wu Shu suddenly burst into laughter.
"Are you sick?" His wife rolled her eyes at him. Although women in Shenzhou were expected to follow the three obediences and four virtues, Wu Shu's wife, Madam Xiong, was not afraid of her powerful husband at all. On the contrary, Wu Shu had a certain respect for his wife, who was good at devising strategies.
“Lu Wudi, Lu Wudi, he’s always been cautious, but this time he’s been caught red-handed.” Shaking the memorial in his hand, Wu Shu couldn’t hide his excitement. “This time we can let him rest. They’re pressing us hard over there.”
Madam Xiong knew without tacitly who they were referring to. Others might not know that the Prime Minister of Su had been bribed by Lan, but as his wife, she was well aware of it. She reached out and snatched the memorial from Wu Shu's hand, glanced at it briefly, and said with surprise, "There's nothing there, just a lot of things about considering the greater good of Su."
Wu Shu snatched the memorial back and said smugly, "You women don't understand. The most taboo thing in our country is military men interfering in politics. Lu Xiang used Wu Yin's great victory to propose these countermeasures to His Majesty, and all five of them are related to the foundation of the country. Even if His Majesty does not suspect him of plotting a rebellion, he will worry that his achievements are too great and will overshadow the emperor. Although His Majesty is smart, he is also suspicious. If anyone mentions it again, Lu Xiang's military power will be stripped away immediately."
Madam Xiong chuckled instinctively: "Hmph, what do you know besides womanizing, you old scoundrel?"
Wu Shu was delighted and, half-jokingly, bowed to Madam Xiong, saying, "So, Madam, you know a lot more than just whoring. Please teach me, Madam."
Madam Xiong, who had initially been merely sulking with Wu Shu out of habit, suddenly had an idea and said, "His Majesty probably won't kill Lu Xiang for this. He'll just sideline him for two years and then reinstate him, and your life will be difficult then. I think it's better to nip it in the bud and resolve the issue before it escalates..."
Wu Shu's expression returned to calm, still maintaining his usual inscrutable demeanor. He simply stared at Madam Xiong with a sinister gaze, while Madam Xiong's return gaze was even colder. The two gradually brought their heads together and began to whisper among themselves.
More than ten days later, Su's commander-in-chief Fu Lian arrived at Wuyin with reinforcements, bringing with him an imperial edict from King Li Gou. After praising Lu Xiang for capturing Wuyin, he encouraged Lu Xiang to press his advantage and drive the Lan army completely out of Su territory.
After the memorial was read aloud, Fu Lian sat down in the seat of honor, while Lu Xiang sat beside him. Lu Xiang still had some questions about his memorial and asked, "I wonder if His Majesty has read my memorial?"
Fu Lian said with a gentle smile, "His Majesty read it and greatly admires Marshal Lu's deep patriotism."
"If that's the case, why continue the attack?" Lu Xiang asked, puzzled. "This is not the time to mobilize the entire nation to fight the enemy to the death."
Fu Lian remained calm and composed. “Your Majesty is wise and has a long-term plan. Commander Lu, rest assured, the 300,000 reinforcements I brought will bring you here. With your abilities, the mere bandits from Lan Kingdom are nothing to worry about.”
Lu Xiang couldn't discern anything from Fu Lian's face. Fu Lian's position above him, as the Grand Marshal of the Su Kingdom's army, stemmed partly from his status as King Li Gou's brother-in-law, and partly from his years of experience as an official, making him adept at reading people and situations. Lu Xiang was quite moved that Fu Lian had led 300,000 troops to provide support. He was very clear about the Su Kingdom's strength, and these 300,000 were indeed the Su Kingdom's elite forces. 50,000 armored cavalry, 50,000 light cavalry, 100,000 armored infantry, 30,000 light infantry, 60,000 soldiers, and also a 10,000-strong mage force guarding the capital—this was an unprecedented level of trust for Lu Xiang, who usually commanded only tens of thousands of troops.
But Lu Xiang also understood that this trust was not unlimited. Sending Fu Lian, the commander-in-chief, as the deputy commander to reinforce him was actually a way of monitoring him. Lu Xiang was quite at ease about this. Fu Lian didn't understand military affairs. As long as he stayed in Wuyin and didn't make any rash moves, he was confident that even if he couldn't defeat Lan Kingdom, he could at least maintain a stalemate.
However, Fu Lian's next words made Lu Xiang immediately understand what King Li Gou meant.
"This army of 300,000 has arrived hastily, and supplies have not yet caught up. It is not advisable to fight for a long time. Commander Lu should send troops to defeat the Lan Kingdom bandits as soon as possible."
Li Jun, standing behind Lu Xiang, raised an eyebrow, almost about to explode, but Lu Xiang sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from him and turned to glare at him. Military regulations stipulated that junior officers who arbitrarily interrupted the commander-in-chief's meetings would be beheaded. Although Li Jun wasn't afraid, he could only endure it.
Fu Lian was sent to the general's mansion where Wu Zhi had lived, while Lu Xiang continued to live in tents like ordinary soldiers. Only the generals of the Invincible Army remained in the main camp. Meng Yuan could no longer contain himself and said, "An army cannot move without provisions. If we are not adequately prepared, why fight this battle?"
Lu Xiang frowned and said, "Meng Yuan, don't discuss things recklessly."
Li Jun had calmed down and said, "We can still stall for time. It's not too late to fight after the supplies arrive."
Lu Xiang gave a wry smile; no one knew better than him. Now that the decision had been made, King Li Gou would not allow him to delay any longer.
Sure enough, a guard outside the tent reported: "An envoy from the capital has come to see the deputy commander!"
Those in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment. Fu Lian, who held the triple roles of commander-in-chief, reinforcement, and imperial envoy, had just arrived, so why did the messenger with the urgent imperial decree follow him? Lu Xiang had just led everyone out of the tent to greet him when the messenger with the imperial decree rushed in.
No one is allowed to ride horses in the army, so the messenger dismounted and ran in: "His Majesty has ordered that the deputy commander of the army has not yet dispatched troops?"
Before Lu Xiang could explain, the messenger of the golden decree cupped his hands and said, "His Majesty is eager for me to return and give a reply. The golden decree has been delivered, so I will take my leave now." He then jogged out of the military camp.
Lu Xiang laughed, his voice unusually hoarse, then returned to his central command post and ordered: "Wang Xian, you will oversee the transport of a month's worth of rations for 30,000 men within three days, without fail. Chen Liang, you will draft a proclamation to convey the message regarding the territory of our Great Su that the Lan bandits have seized. Huang Xuan, you will send spies to scout out the location of the main force of the Lan bandits' commander, Wu Wei; to capture the bandits, capture their leader first. Li Jun and Meng Yuan, you two will inspect the various camps and await orders at any time."
Li Jun opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent. After arranging all the military affairs, Lu Xiang loudly ordered, "All generals must come to report in three days. Those who fail to do so will be punished according to military law!"
Everyone retreated in fear. But Li Jun found these three days exceptionally difficult. One after another, imperial messengers from the capital arrived, nineteen in three days, all with the same question: "His Majesty has ordered that the deputy commander of the army not yet send out troops." Lu Xiang did not take it seriously and continued to preside over military affairs as usual, waiting for preparations to be completed in three days before sending out troops.