Chapter 295

Le Luo Luo's face stiffened in fear:

"The master of all birds? Could it be that father is saying he..."

Old Zou Ye said calmly:

"I didn't say anything. It's just that I have always felt that there is nothing impossible in the world. I asked you what you thought of Wang Yang before, and you answered a long string. If I were to answer this question, I would only say four words—his depth is hard to measure. I have lived to this age, and except for him, no one has ever given me this feeling. That's why I said the extraordinary points you listed before were general, because for a person whose 'depth is hard to measure,' no matter how many extraordinary points there are, it is not strange. Aren't you curious about whose handwriting the opening of the barbarian road is? If I guess correctly, the person who drew this strategy is Wang Yang!"

Le Luo Luo was startled, his tone hesitant:

"No way, although Wang Yang is a genius and is from the Langya Wang clan, he is still young after all. Would he have the qualifications to participate in such a national strategy?"

Old Zou Ye seemed not to have heard his son's words, his gaze a bit blank, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said:

"It's not participation; this should be his strategy. Even if someone helped him plan it, he is the main planner."

Le Luo Luo dared not believe it even more and asked: "How does father know?"

Old Zou Ye's gaze slowly moved to the water jar by the bed, and his Adam's apple moved. Le Luo Luo hurriedly poured water for his father, carefully supporting his father's back neck, and brought the bamboo tube to his father's lips.

Old Zou Ye sipped two mouthfuls "as if facing a great enemy," as if he had exhausted a lot of strength. His body went limp, and he closed his eyes, letting his son wipe the water stains overflowing from the corners of his mouth. He rested and said:

"If you don't understand this strategy very thoroughly, you can't say those things he said..."

Le Luo Luo waited for a while, seeing that his father didn't speak, and didn't know if he was distracted or had finished speaking. He tentatively leaned forward, as if afraid of disturbing the energy his father had accumulated, and lowered his voice:

"This doesn't mean that this strategy came from him. As an envoy, the imperial court must have given instructions before he set out. With his intelligence, it is not difficult to understand it thoroughly."

Old Zou Ye made a low "hmm" sound in his throat and rested for a while before opening his eyes:

"Think about problems from the source of the problem. Don't think about how he is as an envoy; you have to think, why did the imperial court let him be an envoy? Sending a young noble son, without bringing a tally or edict, without bringing gold, silver, or silk, although he claims to have a great army behind him, it is also difficult to tell whether it is true or false. Just like this, he entered Wenyang Gorge alone, relying on a mouth to recover the barbarian tribe. Is this hoping he succeeds or doesn't succeed? This is also one of the reasons why I somewhat believe that there is indeed a war faction, because if no one was holding him back, it wouldn't be like this.

Therefore, there are three possibilities for Wang Yang to come here. One is youthful spirit, wanting to establish merit and fame. Two is helplessness, having to come. Three is both forced and seeking something. These three possibilities are one active, two passive, and three active with passive, and passive with active. And regardless of which possibility it is, it requires a sufficiently sufficient, sufficiently legitimate reason. This reason is perhaps—this strategy was drawn by him, so it should be carried out by him..."

Le Luo Luo was greatly impressed: "Father sees the small and knows the big; this son cannot reach it!"

"This person has a big heart and can win the masses. He has a measure and can hold balance. He has wisdom and can plan things; he has courage and can do things. Being able to plan and do, this is extraordinary. Coupled with his broad vision and ability to adapt to changes, I won't feel strange about whatever achievements this person has in the future. This bet is truly worth making... It just so happens that he also has a lot of demands on us..."

Old Zou Ye narrowed his eyes, his gray-white eyebrows rising and falling slowly with his thoughts.

Le Luo Luo nodded and said: "Wanting us to submit, this is seeking merit. Wanting our goods, this is seeking wealth. He has gained a lot from this mission..."

"No, no, I am not talking about this, or rather, not just this. If I guess correctly, he may make other requests later. So he said before that although the submission was decided in the Wenyang Tribe, it might not be settled in the imperial court, and he mentioned the war faction, saying what would happen if the winds and clouds changed one day. This is probably the foreshadowing he laid down, letting us have psychological preparation in advance so that it will be easier to accept when the time comes. But it may also be that I am thinking too much. Perhaps he just wants to put the ugly words in front to avoid blame if something goes wrong in the future; or perhaps he deliberately emphasizes the twists and turns to raise his own value..."

Old Zou Ye repeatedly deliberated in his heart and fell into deep thought. Le Luo Luo was very vigilant:

"We have already agreed to pay a two-part transaction tax. If there are other requests, is it on the 'six nots'? This is the bottom line; we must never make concessions! Otherwise, if the Han court pushes for more, we will have no autonomy at all in the future—"

"We are betting on Wang Yang, not on the imperial court. If it is about submission and the barbarian road, do as you should. But if Wang Yang wants things in other aspects..."

Old Zou Ye paused, his eyelids slowly drooping, as if he were weighing something.

Le Luo Luo didn't understand:

"Other aspects? What other aspects? Want money? Want goods? It shouldn't be wanting troops!"

Old Zou Ye's eyes condensed, looking at his son:

"What if what he wants is troops?"

Le Luo Luo almost stood up!

"How is that possible?! What does he want troops for? Rebellion! Besides, our Wenyang Tribe's sons cannot risk their lives for him!"

"I didn't say he would definitely want troops; I just assumed a price you are most reluctant to pay. Wanting troops is the price you are most reluctant to pay, right?"

"Father must never agree! Troops are our lifeline. If there is any mistake, our Wenyang Tribe will be finished! Anything else is easy to say, even if we give up more profit! But troops must never be given to others! Our Wenyang Tribe has finally saved up this little family background, besides... besides, we cannot bleed for others!"

Le Luo Luo was so scared that he hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him, his eyes full of anxiety, as if Wang Yang had already come to ask for troops.

Old Zou Ye glanced at his son, who was already anxious and red-faced, and said lightly: "Didn't say 'give' troops..."

"Borrowing is not okay either! Isn't this the same thing?!"

Le Luo Luo felt worse and worse!

"Then let me ask Young Zou Ye, you bet on Wang Yang, what are you prepared to bet?"

Old Zou Ye looked at his son and asked.

Le Luo Luo hesitated for a moment, hardened his heart, gritted his teeth and said:

"I can pay another two-part transaction tax..."

Old Zou Ye said angrily: "Let you bet on a phoenix, you think it's a pheasant!"

Le Luo Luo felt a bit ashamed, feeling that he was indeed small-minded, but isn't his father another extreme?

"Then... that can't..."

"Want to earn big but not willing to bet the capital, how can there be such a good thing in the world? Betting on a phoenix is not an ordinary bet. Ordinary bets can be big or small, but betting on a phoenix, either don't bet, or if you bet, you must bet a heavy bet! Besides, betting on a phoenix is a once-in-a-century encounter for the Wenyang Tribe. If you don't bet a heavy bet, you are sorry for yourself."

Old Zou Ye's withered face was still as calm as an ancient well, but those clouded pupils were like suddenly being injected with living water, flashing with strange brilliance.

Le Luo Luo's expression became more solemn, and he asked:

"Dare to ask father, how heavy a bet counts as a heavy bet?"

Old Zou Ye looked at his son, his eyes full of deep meaning:

"This depends on how big your own heart is. I cannot make decisions for you forever, especially in this matter. The one who grows up with Wang Yang in the future is you. If you cannot sincerely recognize this matter, then it is better to stop here. It is like drawing a bow when hunting. If you are hesitant, it is better to take the arrow back into the quiver than to shoot a half-hearted arrow."

Le Luo Luo's brows were tightly locked, his palms loosened and tightened, tightened and loosened, back and forth, and even his palms began to feel hot.

Old Zou Ye suddenly gave a clear shout:

"Kasa!" (Barbarian language, meaning to shoot an arrow, is the command for a volley in hunting and combat)

Le Luo Luo's back instantly tightened like a full moon, his left hand stretched forward to hold it, his right arm pulled back fiercely, and he was stunned after shooting an arrow that didn't exist at all in the flash of lightning. There was no bow, and no arrow.

Old Zou Ye laughed loudly:

"You are the same as your old man, a natural hunter! In fact, the bow and arrow were already in your heart; just take them out and use them!"

Le Luo Luo looked at his right hand, which was holding it, and realized something. A moment later, his brows relaxed, the confusion in his eyes dissipated, and he looked at his father and grinned:

"This son has been pretending for a long time in front of people and almost forgot that the real arrow has always been the hunter's courage."

Old Zou Ye didn't know where the strength came from, pulled his son's collar, forehead against forehead, his voice hoarse and out of tune, but with uncontrollable ecstasy:

"Little wolf cub, I was afraid that you had been pretending to be a sheep for so long that you forgot you were a wolf! Finally smelled the blood this time!"

Old Zou Ye coughed violently as soon as he finished speaking, his shoulders trembling constantly, like withered branches falling in the autumn wind. Le Luo Luo felt a sourness in his heart, hurriedly supported his father, patted his hunched back, and said with red eyes:

"Father, don't worry, this son will never forget again!"

Old Zou Ye breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"Good, good, good... is my son, is my son... you don't need to worry about borrowing troops for now. I just pushed it to the extreme; he doesn't necessarily really want to borrow. Even if he really wants to borrow, with his intelligence, he will either make you gain profit, or make you have to borrow, or both, just like the strategy of opening the barbarian road this time. This person's style of doing things is like this, the momentum is fully exerted, and the rings are linked. You have to learn more from him... I cough cough... how is the matter I asked you to check before?"

"The information checked is not much. Wang Yang doesn't like people to disturb him. There are only two of them in the tent. The guard is surnamed Chen, and Wang Yang calls her 'Xiao Shan.' I don't know which character it is. She carries a piece of green jade, and Wang Yang also has one, but the style is different. Wang Yang is very good to her, eating and living with her, the two of them laughing and talking, not treating her as a servant. It looks like she should be Wang Yang's woman, but looking at their behavior, they might not have shared a room yet..."

Old Zou Ye smiled: "This is enough."

Le Luo Luo didn't understand: "Why did father ask me to check this?"

"To judge some things..." Old Zou Ye said vaguely, and turned to say:

"At this stage, you don't have to be too submissive when dealing with Wang Yang, and don't care about gains and losses. Just treat it as making friends, being loyal, and following your heart. But you must remember, the phoenix is always a phoenix and will eventually fly high, so you must have the proper sense of proportion. Respect but not distance, close but not intimate, is the way to get along for a long time. Also, tell Lema that she can be as close to this female guard as a family member. Order everyone responsible for hospitality to be respectful to this woman. The food and drink should be compared to Lema, and those who neglect will be punished. By the way, prepare a gift for her too..."