Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 160

Zhang Liang chuckled softly, "If Brother Lu discovers anything interesting, I hope you can let me know."

“Of course.” Lu Wei raised his eyebrows and suddenly said, “Didn’t Zifang say last time that he wanted to visit Daze Mountain? Since that’s the case, why not do it now? When I return, why don’t you come with me?”

The lord's tone suggested a potential kidnapping: "After touring Daze Mountain, let's go to Daliang together to investigate the strange merchants. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I appreciate Brother Lu's kindness."

With a more gentle smile, Zhang Liang replied calmly, "However, I have only been a member of the Confucian school for a short time and have not yet completed my studies, so I really cannot travel far."

"It's a pity, but since that's the case, I won't try to persuade you any further."

From Xiao He to Zhang Liang, none of them wanted to be brought home and entertained by him, and Lu Wei, the head of the Lu family, isn't a bad person.

They changed the subject and chatted for a long time until they reached the foot of the mountain. Since Zhang Liang was going to the market to gather material, and considering that they would be spending a lot of time together in the future, the sect leader did not accompany him, but returned to the branch headquarters instead.

The investigation of various matters at the branch in Sanghai City took a total of twelve days. After making a detailed assessment of this coastal city, Lü Qing returned to Dazeshan ahead of time.

Lu Wei stayed for ten more days, spending most of his time accompanying Zi Wu on his voyage to comprehend sword intent and visiting the three Confucian leaders at Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

During this time, he met Master Xun in the library. Master Xun took the initiative to talk to Lu Wei, and the main topic of their conversation was the painting "Confucius Observing the Leaning Vessel".

Fu Nian had given him a lesson beforehand, and the headmaster imitated him, pretending to understand and respond to the picture in a way that suited Xunzi's tastes. The old man chuckled as he spoke.

This made Lu Wei feel relieved, but he couldn't help but develop a fourth interpretation of Fu Nian's previous words: This Confucian leader probably foresaw this, which is why he explained the painting to me in detail beforehand...

Being able to wield the Tai'a sword and serve as the head of the Xiaoshengxianzhuang sect, Fu Nian possesses the political wisdom befitting his position.

'I have far too many great-grandfathers!'

Chapter 179 The Tian Royal Family

Typically, pubs do not open in the morning.

Especially those small taverns with a single business, their working hours are mostly close to the kind of life that quietly avoids the sun.

In the eyes of those who yearn for the martial arts world, the "wandering knight" represents a chivalrous man who is quick to repay kindness and avenge wrongs. Even if some scoundrels occasionally infiltrate the group, they are still free men who can go wherever they want.

However, in reality, it is precisely because so many people have to bow down for a mere three pecks of rice that the reputation of not bowing down for a mere three pecks of rice has been passed down through the ages.

Even during the day, the wanderer needs to work hard to earn money for drinks at night.

These days of silently working somewhere during the day and recklessly running wild in taverns at night were irrelevant to Lu Wei, but on the night before leaving Sanghai City, his figure appeared in a nameless, dilapidated tavern:

The repaired wooden door, illuminated by the lamplight, had a rustic, old-fashioned feel. The tavern had only eight tables, with plenty of space between them, so it didn't feel crowded. But once it was full, the chaotic scene of people leaning on each other left and right left no room to stand.

The lord, whose life had been corrupted by luxury, hadn't been to such a 'delicate and compact' place in a long time. He preferred and was more accustomed to spacious and generous areas.

For example, Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

The reason he unusually came to this dilapidated place crowded with forty people was because when Master Lu was strolling around the Sanghai Night Market, he inadvertently saw an acquaintance, an acquaintance with special significance.

Therefore, we followed them all the way here.

This familiar face frequented the tavern and appeared to be one of the two leaders of the tavern's group of rugged wanderers.

Tian Du!

He was a confidant of the chivalrous leader Tian Guang, and had worked in Handan to take over the work of Master Lu and had negotiated cooperation with Li Mu, who was then the Lord of Wu'an.

Later, when the farmers sent a large number of people to Zhao's garrison to cultivate land, Tian Du was in charge of managing all matters, big and small.

On the eve of the war, as the garrison troops withdrew, he left the State of Zhao with the main force, and the two never met again.

Before leaving, Tian Du handed over a letter from Tian Guang, which asked Lu Wei to continue to help Li Mu and to secretly assassinate Zhao Xiangguo Guo Kai.

Of these two orders, the Hall Master only carried out the first one, helping Li Mu join the Gonggong Hall. However, according to information from Zhao, the second order was also actually completed.

It's just that the implementers weren't organized by him.

After the fall of the Zhao state, Guo Kai made indelible contributions to persuading the King of Zhao to dismiss Li Mu and abandon resistance, choosing to surrender. For his merits, he was appointed as a high minister by the King of Qin, who personally came to Handan City.

Unfortunately, Guo Kai, who had become a high-ranking official in Qin, was surrounded by a mob and died in a riot while transporting his family's treasures to Xianyang to take up his post.

All the countless assets he had painstakingly accumulated throughout his life were looted by the mob, leaving him with nothing.

It's unclear what kind of 'mob' managed to precisely block the main road and, under the protection of two hundred Qin soldiers specially arranged by Luo Wang and over a hundred Jianghu retainers recruited by Guo Kai himself, kill him.

Afterwards, the belated Qin army reinforcements cleared out the refugees in a large area around the crime scene, but failed to recover a single penny.

The sheer audacity of such an assassination attempt on Qin territory would easily draw parallels for those with inside information to the recent assassination of Qin envoy Gan Luo...

His thoughts returned to reality. Lu Wei stood at the door and waved to Tian Du in the center of the crowd. After the latter noticed him, he walked out of the tavern and waited in the dark alley.

Tian Du came out quickly, but he wasn't alone. Another wandering knight leader, who had just been arm in arm with him in the tavern, was also by his side.

"Tian Zang greets Hall Master Lu."

The unfamiliar leader took the initiative to clasp his hands in greeting and introduce himself, saving Tian Du from explaining his skills.

Lu Wei had heard of the name Tian Zang.

After Zhou He faked his death, Tian Guang announced that this person would enter the Six Sages Tomb and 'replace' the position of Elder Yu Tu among the Six Elders.

Judging from the reactions of Tian Hu and the Zhu family at the time, they had no objection to the Xia Kui's decision, which indicates that Tian Zang's strength was at least comparable to Zhou He's, and that he was highly trusted by Tian Guang.

"So it's Brother Tian Zang!"

Having gained a preliminary understanding of Tian Zang, Lu Wei returned the greeting with clasped hands.

"Why did Hall Master Lu come to Sanghai?"

After exchanging greetings, before Lu Wei could ask a question, Tian Du preemptively asked the question with a serious expression.

Raising an eyebrow, Lu Wei didn't answer Tian Du. Instead, he raised his chin, exuding arrogance, and changed the subject of the question, returning it to the two Tians:

Why are the Tianzang brothers and the Tiandu brothers in Sanghai?

The atmosphere in the alleyway immediately became tense...

According to the ranks of the farmers, Lu Wei is the head of the Seven Star Pearl Grass Hall, while Tian Du is only the head of the Five Star Pearl Grass Hall, and Tian Zang is probably the same as him.

At best, they are only at the level of the Pavilion Master of Luqiu Pavilion. Just like Xu Qiu in the past, no matter how much the chivalrous leader Tian Guang trusted him, he was not as noble as the Hall Master.

Neither of them were qualified to question Lu Wei, especially Lu Wei who had accepted the Shennong Decree.

"Master Lu, this is a secret mission of the Heroic Leader, and we cannot disclose it to you."

After a full ten breaths of silence, Tian Zang finally spoke in response.

He was physically strong, and the muscles in his bare arms were three times as wide as the arms of the man next to him, Tian Du.

As he answered, Tian Zang raised his hand to block Tian Du, whose face showed resentment, and stared wide-eyed at Hall Master Lu.

They disliked the lord's condescending attitude.

Their status was indeed inferior to Lu Wei's, but they shared the surname Tian!

"Which of the six halls do you belong to?"

With his hands behind his back, the hall master continued to deliberately provoke the two.

"Chiyou Hall is under the command of Hall Master Tian Hu."

Tian Du's voice was icy. He had never liked Lu Wei from the very beginning, and the respect he had developed during their time together in Tuntian was now shattered by the Hall Master's arrogant tone: "A mere Hall Master from another family..."

"It has nothing to do with Hall Master Lu."

After he finished speaking, he paused for three breaths and then added this sentence.

Placing trusted confidants surnamed Tian under the name of Tian Hu, who valued kinship above all else, would not result in any additional interference.

"I see." Sensing that the two people in front of him had reached a similar emotional state, Lu Wei nodded with a half-smile: "The Xia Kui sent you to contact the Tian clan's royal family, so why didn't you go to Linzi? Why did you come to Sanghai?"

"!" The sudden, sharp contraction in the depths of Tian Zang's pupils indicated that Lu Wei had guessed correctly; Tian Guang indeed had other plans.

Having confirmed a suspicion in his mind, the hall master turned around, unwilling to talk to the Tian couple any longer, and was about to leave.

"Wait!" Tian Zang and Tian Du exclaimed in unison. They exchanged a glance, nodded, and rushed towards the departing figure, shouting in deep voices:

"Where did you get the secret order from the Heroic Leader?"

Sensing the movement behind him, Master Lu turned around with a flourish, casually unleashing two palm strikes. The Spring Chill Severing Palm, amplified by his profound internal energy, struck, and Tian Du and Tian Zang felt a bone-chilling cold before them, followed by a tightness in their chest, before being sent flying to the ground by the force of the palm strikes...

This is even more profound internal strength than the leader of the chivalrous sect...

"Although the rules in farming families are not as complicated as those in Confucianism, there are no regulations that allow subordinates to disobey their superiors."

Approaching and looking down at the two people lying on the ground, shivering with cold, Lu Wei snorted:

"I'm sparing your lives this time out of respect for the leader of the sect. But if there's a next time, even in front of the leader, I will send you to repent before the ancestor Shennong!"

Ryota is actually not very useful. Killing him or not has its pros and cons. Compared to the possibility of falling out with Tamitsu after killing him, it's better to just teach him a lesson for now.

As for the fact that Er Tian reported Tian Guang's plans to Er Tian, ​​that's not a big deal.

The Tian royal family may sound prestigious, but in reality, they are just a side pawn in Tian Guang's scheme.

Tian Guang's foundation is the entire farming family, and so is Lu Wei's. The two share a common ground, which is why they can inherit each other's positions.

The foundation of the Tian royal family will never be that of a peasant family.

Moreover, Tian Guang still vividly remembers the mess the previous leader of the Mohist school made after he recruited a member of the Yan royal family into the school.

However, this is ultimately a hidden danger, and Lu Wei has worried about it many times. It all comes down to this:

The royal families and nobles of the six kingdoms, who once saw their prestige as an advantage to act as allies, are now increasingly becoming obstacles as their power expands.

He can't very well be the one to personally clean up these old guard after the uprising begins; he'll need someone else to handle things when it really matters.

The Qin state, the Yin-Yang school, can be of assistance to you, Master, in this regard.

------

On the battlefield of Jicheng, the city walls were stained with blood of a deep color and teeming with flies.

After months of siege warfare, the morale of the Yan army was soaring. Under the reward of King Dan of Yan, which could be described as tearing down the entire palace, the soldiers were fearless in the face of death.

The Qin army achieved very few results, but its commander Meng Wu showed no signs of impatience.

The number of soldiers in Jicheng was limited, and the number of able-bodied soldiers was far less than that of the Qin army.

Despite the Yan army's current strong defenses, as losses increase day by day, once the number of defenders in the city decreases to a certain critical point, they will be overwhelmed and casualties will rise rapidly.

The Qin army could fight in batches, and whether to rest or engage in battle on a given day was entirely up to the Qin army. However, every soldier in the Yan army had to be on edge every day.

No matter how excellent the methods for boosting morale are, they all fall short in the face of time.