Chapter 1513

When He Lingchuan was investigating the missing messenger case in the Chiyan State, Zhongsunmou, who obstructed him everywhere, was also out gaining prestige with the status of a Lingxu City inspector, only to run into such a big nail. "The battlefield doesn't care about human feelings, but it's a pity that Beijia can never get out of this circle. Bai Mojie coming to the Jin Tao front line is a human favor, and Lu Wushuang jumping from Xiluo supervisor to Beijia acting general is also a human favor."

Xin Yi wondered: "Didn't you say Lu Wushuang is quite capable?"

"Capable is capable, but she still relies on the Qinggong's human favors. If it were someone else, or another identity, where would such an opportunity come from?"

Xin Yi sighed softly: "Even the Demon Emperor cannot use talent without sticking to patterns; Beijia is indeed old."

Bai Mojie suffered a loss here, Beijia lost face here, and the Demon Emperor actually continued to walk the path of human favors a second time; I don't know if it's arrogance or helplessness? He Lingchuan shook his head: "Everyone can only move within a limited space, and even the powerful Demon Emperor is no exception."

The next day before dawn, a sparrow hawk flew hurriedly into He Lingchuan's window, crashing into the barrier he had released, chirping in pain.

He Lingchuan was adjusting his breath, opened his eyes at the sound, and picked it up from the ground: "What happened?" So reckless.

The sparrow hawk flapped its wings: "The northwest front line has started the war!"

Finally, the war had started! For this Battle of Xianyou, Panlongcheng had been secretly preparing for two years. He Lingchuan's heart tightened: "Attacking Xianyou?"

"Yes!" The sparrow hawk had flown too fast and was struggling to breathe with its mouth open. "The march started at the hour of the Rat, and it waded across the Buqiao River in just one hour!"

After Panlongcheng collected the Maohe Plain, it happened to catch the east wind of spiritual energy recovery, and its strength expanded rapidly, in turn beating the Xianyou and Baling countries that used to bully it until they squealed. Among them, the Xianyou country cursed the most fiercely, so it was gradually eroded by Panlongcheng, and now only half of its territory remained, repeatedly asking Beijia for help.

He Lingchuan knew Zhong Shengguang's intention very well: to uproot the Xianyou country! Only in this way could the safety of Panlongcheng's northwest line be basically guaranteed.

As for Baling, its stance had become increasingly flexible in recent years, frequently showing goodwill to Panlongcheng, and it currently did not want to choose sides between Panlongcheng and Beijia.

Zhong Shengguang chose to launch a general offensive against Xianyou at this time, which had Panlongcheng's own factors, but the situation on the Yuheng east line was also in his consideration.

Bai Mojie had been transferred away, and the new general had not yet arrived; there was a gap of more than fifty days, which was a great opportunity for Panlongcheng to launch a blitzkrieg against the Xianyou country!

As for the Qinggong Executive Assistant Lu Wushuang, who was acting as the military leader of the front line, she had no outstanding battle achievements in the past, so Zhong Shengguang would not delay the operation because of her.

He Lingchuan immediately got up to wash and tidy his clothes, walking out with big strides: "Convene a military council!"

Since the northwest line had already started the war, the Jin Tao front line would soon be under a new round of pressure! Lu Wushuang had finally taken office. The Beijia army under her leadership and the Yuheng army under He Lingchuan's command were about to start a new round of competition.

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Over the next two days, the gossip about the "shocking change at the Yao King's birthday celebration" spread rapidly through the court and the public in Tianshui City, becoming the hottest topic this summer.

All the officials were witnesses, having seen with their own eyes the mutual struggle between the Yao King and Qingyang.

First, the monarch used He Xiao to severely slap Qingyang in the face, but Qingyang immediately got his own back, killing the old pear tree in the Jade Spring Palace that the monarch loved deeply.

Life for life, one for one.

And at the very center of the public opinion vortex, He Xiao's reputation was like a thunderclap, spreading far and wide.

Now, not to mention the upper-class nobles, even if you went to the city area to drink a cup of tea, the idlers and onlookers in the teahouse would be familiar with the great name "He Xiao."

He was a powerhouse who had calmly killed the head of the Green Guards in a one-on-one head-on confrontation! And the Flash Gold Plain admired powerhouses the most.

The methods he used were even more talked about by everyone.

That battle was not only a fight of ruthlessness but also a fight of wealth.

Whoever had the best magic treasure lived to the end. No matter how good the Qinggong's magic treasures were, they couldn't protect the life of the Green Guard head.

The topic of "fighting with wealth" had always brought its own traffic. Even the refugees in the dilapidated houses, while catching fleas in their tattered clothes, were describing to their companions that exaggerated, brilliant battle at the birthday celebration that overflowed with the scent of money! But some voices expressed deep concern: "Offending the Supervisor like this, will Beijia really not be angry? What if..."

"The one who died was just a guard, not the Supervisor..."

"Shh, shh, don't talk nonsense!"

"People die every year at the imperial performance; that's the rule."

"Will Beijia follow our country's rules? If they are unhappy with us, won't we be finished?"

A birthday celebration competition stirred up the chaos of the whole city.

From the second day of the Yao King's birthday celebration, the threshold of the Sanmentou relay station was almost worn down, and the visiting cards were like snowflakes. If it were just about money, power, and connections, that would be one thing, but He Xiao himself had such cultivation, and others said he deserved to be the rising star of Tianshui City.

However, He Lingchuan only met a few new visitors and ignored the rest.

Time was precious, and he invested it all in the construction of the Youhu Villa.

Bai Tan did not go to find He Lingchuan again. The general manager of the mansion came to ask him: "The second young master is getting married and wants to invite He Xiao; what do you think?"

It was time to send out invitations widely.

"No need." Bai Tan was writing in the study and didn't lift his head. "He Xiao may not have time, and we shouldn't join in that excitement."

"Yes." General Bai did not allow it, and the second young master would probably be disappointed. The day before yesterday, at the Gu family's grand banquet, He Xiao was invited.

Bai Tan seemed to hear his inner voice, stopped writing, and said to the servant at the door: "Everyone out."

In the blink of an eye, only the master and servant were left in the study.

The old manager had served the Bai family for thirty years and was loyal; only then did Bai Tan speak clearly to him: "He Xiao has offended the Supervisor sent by Beijia to the death and doesn't have long to live. No matter how glorious he is now, it's just a reflection in the mirror. We shouldn't get involved with such a person."

He Xiao's current popularity was all self-inflicted; who would dare to imitate him?

When the King no longer had a use for this person, that would be the day he died.

Therefore, he only watched the noise and excitement of the city coldly.

"The General is wise." The old manager was convinced; everyone said General Bai was reckless, but in this huge Tianshui City, how many people saw things more clearly than he did?...

Just three days later, the main gate of the Youhu Villa was built.

This speed was something that not only others but even He Lingchuan himself had never expected. This was due to two aspects: first, the green square stones that Tonglin Ji dismantled for him from the abandoned villa had already been trimmed, and the specifications met the requirements.

Secondly, after the birthday celebration, the Yao King ordered the General Affairs Department to send him several giant gate stones, all of which had been carved in advance; the patterns and lines were praised as exquisite even by old stonemasons with more than twenty years of experience. After being transported to the site, they only needed a little trimming, lifting, framing, and installation, and it was done.

When Foreman Guan saw these gate stones, he exclaimed: "Panjin Stone?!"

This was actually the Panjin Stone used by the royal family!

The official from the General Affairs Department responsible for the escort said that these Panjin stones were originally intended for the construction of a new palace, but the King anticipated that the Youhu Villa was short of materials, so he prioritized the supply here.

As for the rules and etiquette of using the stones, He Lingchuan didn't need to worry. When the royal family rewarded high officials and meritorious ministers, they often gifted Panjin stones, just not in large quantities; carving a gate stone or building a pair of house-guarding beasts would use up most of them.

Rules, after all, were always flexible when used by those in power.

The Yao King gave so many Panjin stone materials in one breath, and they were already finely carved, which showed that he was very satisfied with He Lingchuan's actions!

Killing He Yang was a heavy blow to Qingyang. Although there were many talents among the Green Guards and it wouldn't be difficult to pick another one to be the Left Commander, those in power knew that the most precious quality of their own direct subordinates was not intelligence or talent, nor was it being able to calculate everything, but loyalty!

No matter how good the brain was or how many schemes were in the heart, if there were always hidden agendas, one would never gain the monarch's trust.

Besides, it took a long time to cultivate a loyal subordinate like He Yang.

Qingyang must be brooding over his losses.

From the moment He Yang died in He Xiao's hands, the Yao King knew that he had won this game, so he had to press the advantage and quickly win over the officials in the court.

Therefore, the construction progress of the Youhu Villa had to be accelerated.

The current Construction Office and General Affairs Department had no objections to He Lingchuan's requests, and even followed the King's orders to mobilize more than six hundred craftsmen to work day and night on the south bank of Youhu Lake.

At this time, they didn't require any "ten-year" qualifications; as long as they were skilled workers, they could join. In addition to building the main gate, the first villa under the name of the Qing King's Mansion was also working overtime.

The villa's roads, drainage, plant transplantation, rockeries, and springs were also advancing rapidly.

With sufficient manpower, the construction progress naturally shot up.

The south bank of Youhu Lake these past few days was a bustling construction site. Only then did Foreman Guan's ability show; he could lead a small team of a dozen people, and a large team of hundreds was also no problem, with everything arranged in an orderly manner.

The Yao King specially transferred a battalion of elite soldiers to be stationed at the site to protect the safety of the entire construction site.

Everyone knew who they were guarding against.

At such a time, there could be no mishaps.

After calculating the date, He Lingchuan distributed invitations to the powerful and noble people of the whole city, inviting them to attend the unveiling of the villa's main gate.

On the day of the ceremony, it was another good day with clear skies for ten thousand miles.

Including Gu Xuan, most of the powerful and noble people had not been near the south bank of Youhu Lake for a year, and their impression of this place was limited to green mountains, beautiful waters, and quiet vegetation. But on this sunny morning, when everyone walked into the Youhu wetlands again, they couldn't help but exclaim "Oh."

This gate tower was so imposing! It was six zhang high, and its width reached an astonishing nine zhang (nearly thirty meters)!

It could accommodate more than a dozen carriages driving side by side.

Even people as well-informed as Gu Xuan and Yuwen Yong were seeing such a broad gate for the first time.

It was built on an artificial low hill, and the top of the gate was a full seven zhang drop from the low-lying area by the lake.

At that time, the morning sun in the east shone on the gate tower, the ochre-red stone pillars flashed with faint golden light, the exquisite auspicious beast patterns had beautiful lines, and the stone materials didn't need aging techniques; the feeling of vicissitudes and majesty came rushing toward them.