Chapter 174: Whoever benefits the people, I

Zhao Tiechuan stared at the map; they had been marching through the night, and now that daylight had come, the men and horses were utterly exhausted.

But he had no intention of halting this forced march.

"Once we pass Chongwei Valley, we'll reach LinYuan City."

"Let's rest inside the valley first," continued Han Meng, Zhao Tiechuan's sworn brother. "This terrain is easy to defend and hard to attack—perfect."

"Otherwise, our men will be limp as jelly even if they make it into the city."

Hearing this, Zhao Tiechuan weighed his next moves in his mind, then nodded in agreement: "Set up camp, light the stoves, and let the men eat and rest."

They would reach LinYuan City today anyway—no need to rush.

In his view, arriving one day earlier or later made little difference.

Only those ignorant of warfare would panic over it.

With troops under his command, why negotiate with them? Just strike. After all, the Empress Dowager has his back.

Hearing Zhao Tiechuan's agreement, Han Meng exhaled in relief.

His sworn elder brother was obsessed with climbing the ranks.

This time, the Empress Dowager had promised him promotion to Grand Coordinator of the Two Rivers if he eliminated Ma Yunfeng and crushed the Zhao Ming Society.

Thus, Zhao Tiechuan took this mission extremely seriously—even tightening discipline on the march to avoid unnecessary complications.

After entering the valley, they first established defenses, then rested.

Scouts were sent ahead to reconnoiter.

Not long after, they received bad news.

"What? A ditch up ahead? And it looks freshly dug?" Han Meng's voice rose two octaves.

"Ditch" and "freshly dug" were never meant to go together.

"Take me to see it!" Han Meng leapt up, and Zhao Tiechuan immediately sensed something was wrong.

He suspected Ma Yunfeng was targeting him—but he couldn't understand why.

Minutes passed, yet Han Meng did not return. Zhao Tiechuan knew something had happened.

Still, he did not act immediately. He waited silently until the soldiers had eaten, drunk, and rested for roughly half an hour, then gave the order to move out.

How could they fight if their condition hadn't recovered?

As the army marched, Zhao Tiechuan, as commander, led from the front.

Suddenly, a flash of light—then a heavy object landed before him.

Just as he made out its shape, another flash came—he couldn't react in time—and he was snatched away.

The heavy object rose to its feet—it was Han Meng, who had not returned earlier.

"Everyone, set up camp right here!" he barked, instantly calming the chaos and organizing orderly deployment.

His gaze subtly shifted toward the direction of the light that had taken Zhao Tiechuan—his eyes filled with wariness.

"Ma Yunfeng has found someone extraordinary. No wonder he's called a statesman."

"My elder brother and that kid Qi are probably finished," Han Meng thought bitterly.

The opponent won't kill them—true—but that doesn't mean they have any chance of winning.

On the other side, Zhao Tiechuan came to his senses and saw Chu Danqing.

"You—the former Blue Robe Corps Battalion Commander, Chu Mo," Zhao Tiechuan's eyes narrowed, fixing on Da Bao.

Yes, Chu Danqing's distinguishing feature was Da Bao.

"When you say that, look at me," Chu Danqing said flatly.

So his recognition value was this low? Then how was his 13-point Charm stat so unremarkable?

Zhao Tiechuan shifted his gaze to Guo Ming beside Chu Danqing.

Only then did he realize the light that had abducted him were two floating swords, circling Guo Ming.

"Ah, forget it. Ma Yunfeng told me to hold you up for a day."

"I've sent your deputy to maintain order. You'll stay as a hostage."

"I'll let you go tomorrow morning. Do you have any requests? If they're reasonable, I'll grant them."

"Provided you behave," Chu Danqing added.

Only then did Zhao Tiechuan finally look at Chu Danqing and speak: "I have no demands."

"Do as you say."

He never cared about one or two days—this wasn't an external enemy. What chance was there to turn things around?

"Glad you understand. I spent hours talking sense into your deputy—turns out, a sword's more effective," Chu Danqing sighed.

"Blades are more effective than words," Zhao Tiechuan agreed, then found a spot, pulled a book from his armor, and began reading.

Reading gave him more leverage to climb higher.

So whenever he had free time, he read.

Even during battle.

Seeing this, Guo Ming retracted his two flying swords. Since the matter was settled, he planned to leave.

Otherwise, Chu Danqing's wallet wouldn't survive much longer.

Chu Danqing gladly escorted Guo Ming back, and also asked him to collect martial texts similar to San Jun Ce.

Naturally, this was for Xiong Zhigang.

Quality didn't need to be high—just varied, to serve as complementary learning.

Such transmissions were rare, so even if he wanted high-quality ones, none were available.

Though Bing Dao Wu Jing bore traces of San Jun Ce, it ultimately focused on individual cultivation, not military strategy.

【You returned the covenant partner; cognitive rationalization update complete. Current duration: 2 hours. Cost: Paradise Points ×980】

【Detected covenant partner carrying a Premium-grade equipment item belonging to a Reserve Dimension Adept. You may choose to pay a fee to transfer it, or abandon the transfer.】

【1. Fee: Paradise Points ×5000】

【2. Abandon transfer—the item remains where it is.】

Upon sensing Guo Ming's departure, Zhao Tiechuan's expression shifted slightly—he seemed to consider acting.

But he glanced at Da Bao, then abandoned the thought.

He was battle-hardened, but never a frontline fighter—he was no match for Da Bao.

Not to mention the three Beastsuit Warriors beside Chu Danqing.

"I've been away from the capital for a long time. Could you tell me about the current situation there?" Chu Danqing asked.

Zhao Tiechuan frowned: "You're asking me? Why not ask Ma Yunfeng?"

"I'm not close to him. Besides, I heard you're the Empress Dowager's confidant—you likely have better channels," Chu Danqing said offhandedly.

Mostly, he was bored. With Zhao Tiechuan—an outsider—around, he couldn't cultivate or read, so he might as well probe indirectly.

"The capital's the same: the powerful drown in luxury, the powerless serve as beasts of burden," Zhao Tiechuan sneered, then countered: "By your tone, you're not working for the Zhao Ming Society?"

"I'm an external contractor," Chu Danqing replied.

"Then why bother wading into this mess?" Zhao Tiechuan bowed slightly. "The Blue Robe Corps has always been a thorn in the Empress Dowager's side."

"The Zhao Ming Society is a dying force. If you're entangled with them, you'll face harsher punishment when the reckoning comes."

Chu Danqing shook his head: "The Zhao Ming Society seeks to enlighten the people and strengthen their power. Just those two goals are worth my support."

Before leaving, Ma Yunfeng had already begun planning literacy campaigns—today should be the start.

Though they used coercion and violence, without such methods, nothing could be pushed through.

They meant what they said—and Chu Danqing was willing to lend a hand.

Zhao Tiechuan fell silent. He hadn't expected Chu Danqing's reason to be this.

Why else would Chu Danqing help a group of rebels and politicians? Precisely because he valued this.

With his strength, he couldn't change the fate of all commoners—but he could help where he could.

And with greater strength, he no longer needed to be restrained; his actions became bolder and more efficient.

"They won't succeed," Zhao Tiechuan snapped. "The Empress Dowager won't allow it. The Son of Heaven won't allow it. Among the court ministers, only Ma Yunfeng is willing to be the scapegoat."

"Didn't the Zhao Ming Society come under the orders of Emperor Shuo?" Chu Danqing didn't understand.

Zhao Tiechuan had no reason to lie to him.

"If every person understood reason and knowledge, do you think the Son of Heaven's throne would be secure?" Zhao Tiechuan sneered. "He only wants to use reform to seize power."

"If the Empress Dowager returns power to the throne, the first person to crush reformers will be the Son of Heaven himself."

"The Son of Heaven needs a pretext to resist the Empress Dowager—and that pretext birthed the reformists."

"Even if he wins, you reformists will still be remnants," Zhao Tiechuan realized now: Chu Danqing was a third-party actor.

A reformist faction evolved from the court's younger, progressive officials.

Chu Danqing's expression remained unchanged.

Of course—it was normal. Which emperor would cut his own throat?

Fortunately, it didn't matter. With strength, he had shifted from moderate to radical—even if not as extreme as the conservatives, he could still resolve many things.

"No problem. When I get the chance, I'll go to the capital and kill the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, then install a new emperor willing to reform."

"As the saying goes, the ruler sets the tone. With Ma Yunfeng and the Zhao Ming Society, it won't be hard." Chu Danqing glanced at his trial task—why was progress so slow?

These words left Zhao Tiechuan stunned into silence.

He had imagined Chu Danqing scolding him, or lamenting his apathy.

He never imagined killing them and replacing them.

Chu Danqing's solution was simple: fix what's broken.

Since the biggest problem is the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, just eliminate them.

As for chaos? If you want to reform and revolutionize, how can you succeed without bloodshed?

Do you really think this is a dinner invitation?

In the previous trial world's Taichang era, there was no such opportunity, so Chu Danqing naturally became a patchwork repairman.

But this Great Shuo is no longer just showing signs—it has begun a desperate last stand, so Chu Danqing will certainly choose to add fuel to the fire.

Different environments demand different responses; you can't mechanically apply one method everywhere.

"One day isn't enough," Zhao Tiechuan suddenly said. "Go back and tell Ma Yunfeng I'll enter the city in five days."

"The rest is up to you."

Chu Danqing hadn't expected Zhao Tiechuan to say that, but he simply agreed.

"Fine, I'll set out tomorrow morning to tell him." Chu Danqing wouldn't believe Zhao Tiechuan's word alone.

But if Zhao Tiechuan's attitude is genuine, the Black Flag Army might be open to defection.

Ma Yunfeng and Zhao Ming's greatest weakness is having no troops.

If the gun barrel isn't strong enough, it will weaken the pen's influence.

Precisely because of this, Ma Yunfeng needs elaborate planning and strategy.

(End of Chapter)