Chapter 1349

Gao Yuan said: "The court's actions are truly chilling; if it weren't for the lord guarding the Yongjiang defense line for Dakang, those Yong people would have already crossed the river, let alone Dongliang Jun—most likely the vast lands south of the Yongjiang would already have been occupied by the Yong."

Zu Dacheng said: "We all follow the lord's orders; as soon as the lord gives the command, we will march on Kangdu to confront that foolish and corrupt emperor, demanding an explanation and seeking clarity."

The crowd was stirred up, speaking in all directions about marching straight to Kangdu to seize Dakang's realm and support Hu Xiaotian as emperor; only Yu Tianxing remained silent throughout.

Hu Xiaotian knew that since suffering a setback at the Battle of Yunze Bixin Mountain, Yu Tianxing's mood had become much lower, seeming unable to lift his head in front of others. Hu Xiaotian smiled and looked at him, saying, "Military advisor, you haven't given your opinion yet." As soon as he spoke, everyone turned their gaze to Yu Tianxing.

Yu Tianxing smiled, clasped his hands toward Hu Xiaotian and said, "Lord, I think drawing a clear line with Dakang now is not necessarily a bad thing, but imitating Xichuan's approach is inadvisable. Calling oneself king is merely a title, something that will come naturally when the time is right; the urgent priority is to temporarily halt expansion and fortify the borders."

Hu Xiaotian slowly nodded; Yu Tianxing's words exactly matched his thoughts. Over the past two years, their expansion speed has been rapid, they now hold three cities downstream of the Yongjiang, and recently they captured Yunze Bixin Mountain. In fact, the vast waters stretching south to Yunze and north to the Yongjiang are already under his actual control. The larger the territory, the more defensive troops needed, yet his current forces are still stretched thin—just enough for self-defense. Launching a full-scale war against Dakang would offer no chance of victory, and moreover, behind him lies Su Yuchi of Yunyang, a dagger hanging over his back; should he launch an attack on Kangdu, he could at any moment find himself caught between enemies.

Xiong Tianba loudly protested: "Are we just going to let it go like that? Allow the court to falsely accuse the lord of being a rebel?"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh: "The court hasn't even spoken, yet you've already slapped the rebel label on me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The military advisor's view exactly suits my heart; we are not afraid of battle, but we must absolutely avoid fighting without certainty, avoid meaningless battles—everyone has wives, children, and elders. In my heart, each soldier's life is more precious than gold; I will not let them make pointless sacrifices. Forging iron requires strength in oneself; if one does not temper one's own bones and sinews, what ability does one have to instruct others?"

Everyone who heard Hu Xiaotian's words felt deeply moved, all believing Hu Xiaotian truly a wise lord; in today's age, few rulers care so much for the lives of ordinary soldiers. They proclaim love for the people as their own children, yet whose ruler does not regard the populace as mere weeds? Hu Xiaotian's words, moving by emotion and clarifying by reason, won the hearts and sincere conviction of all.

Hu Xiaotian's rejection of launching war is absolutely not due to lingering feelings for Qiqi, but a clear-eyed assessment of the current situation. For him, the first thing to address is not the Dakang court, but to remove that poisoned dagger at his back. Su Yuchi is a rare great general of Dakang; initially Long Xuan'en placed him in Yunyang because of his extraordinary abilities. When Su Yuchi first garrisoned Yunyang, he once took advantage of Hu Xiaotian's trip to Mangjiao Island to launch a surprise attack, aiming to seize Dongliang Jun and gather evidence against Hu Xiaotian, but Hu Xiaotian promptly thwarted him. Since then, Su Yuchi and he have remained in an uneasy peace.

However, Hu Xiaotian has never relaxed his guard against Su Yuchi. Earlier, when attacking the Heishui Village water pirates of Yunze Bixin Mountain, he deliberately contacted Guo Guangbi of Xingzhou to keep Su Yuchi occupied, which allowed the smooth capture of Bixin Mountain. Originally, Hu Xiaotian could have solidified his foothold in Dakang's political arena through this marriage, but now that plan has come to nothing; he must face the possibility of being attacked from both sides and must break the deadlock before forces from either side can encircle him.

Hu Xiaotian did not actively proclaim Long Xuan'en's death; this is a card he must play to its fullest effect.

The meeting lasted an entire morning; everyone reached a consensus, deciding to temporarily halt expansion, consolidate the current defenses, and take advantage of the instability in Dakang's power transition to plot development and actively strengthen their own strength.

When Hu Xiaotian arrived at Zhuge Guanqi's residence, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon; Weisah had been waiting at the door, eyes strained, and upon finally seeing Hu Xiaotian's figure, she came forward and softly chided, "We agreed you'd come before noon—what time is it now?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "You've been waiting anxiously?"

Weisah said: "I'm fine, just……" She lowered her voice to Hu Xiaotian and said, "Older sister is pregnant!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian was also very happy; Zhuge Guanqi and his wife had been childless for many years after marriage, and now Hong Lingxue finally became pregnant—this is a great joy for Zhuge Guanqi. Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "So it seems it's indeed my fault for making my sister-in-law wait so long."

For this matter, Zhuge Guanqi and Hong Lingxue both came out to greet him; Zhuge Guanqi clasped his fists in salute and said, "Lord, all is well!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Good! Very good! Just hearing the good news makes it even better."

Hong Lingxue guessed that Weisah must have told Hu Xiaotian the good news, she smiled a little embarrassedly; Weisah walked over, linked arms with her, and said, "You two go chat; I'll accompany older sister to talk."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Go after you've eaten; don't go hungry."

Watching the two sisters walk away, perhaps chatting and seeing the smiles on Zhuge Guanqi's face, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but think of himself: he had been diligent these two years, yet none of his lovely confidantes had borne offspring—strange! Clearly he is strong in this regard; could it be that this transmigration has affected his fertility? No need to worry about contraception anymore.

Zhuge Guanqi saw that this fellow looked deep in thought and assumed he was worried about the current situation; he smiled and said, "Lord, let's sit inside; the dishes have gone cold."

The two arrived at the living room and sat down; after three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, Hu Xiaotian then began to discuss the details of this morning's deliberations.

Zhuge Guanqi listened, smiled, and sincerely praised: "Lord, your vision is far-reaching; this layout aims for a thousand years."

Hu Xiaotian set his wine cup on the table: "So does Brother Guanqi also approve of my decision?"

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Approved, I wholeheartedly approve."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Actually, I have no choice either; the situation forces us, and if we fail to read the times, we will be the ones to suffer."

Zhuge Guanqi nodded in deep agreement: "Yield a little to keep calm; step back and the sea and sky widen—moreover, the lord suffers no substantive loss this time."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I can't agree with that; I have now become a rebel who plots to overthrow the dynasty, despised by righteous men of the world."

Zhuge Guanqi chuckled: "In such turbulent times, what is justice? What is loyalty? The Dakang emperor is foolish and corrupt, imposing harsh taxes and levies, causing the people to suffer, the masses in misery; one who does not place the people's welfare in his heart has no right to speak of morality. To the common folk, this emperor is hardly one who keeps morality in mind, so why should the lord care what the court says?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Guanqi always knows how to speak to my heart; come, let's drain this cup."

The two drank a cup together; Hu Xiaotian lowered his voice and said, "Actually, the old emperor is already dead."

Zhuge Guanqi exclaimed in shock upon hearing this: "Dead?"

Only then did Hu Xiaotian recount in full how Qiqi and Hong Beimo, among others, had jointly plotted the coup; hearing this, Zhuge Guanqi was also greatly shocked, for if Hu Xiaotian hadn't spoken, outsiders would find it hard to imagine the brutality of this palace intrigue.

A hint of helplessness tinged Hu Xiaotian's smile: "Qiqi's ambition is too great!"

Zhuge Guanqi said: "The greater the ambition, the easier it is to lose oneself; in this matter, she was clearly used by Hong Beimo."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "It's not that she was used, but mutual exploitation; Hong Beimo wants the imperial tomb, Qiqi wants the throne—each has what they need, and they hit it off immediately."

Zhuge Guanqi handles affairs with utmost discretion; although from Hu Xiaotian's words he inferred that the imperial tomb must hide a tremendous secret, if Hu Xiaotian did not bring it up himself, he would never proactively ask. Zhuge Guanqi said: "In fact, the emperor's death could be exploited; my lord might as well reveal the truth—once this spreads widely, they will inevitably face questioning from the populace."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not the time yet; if I'm not mistaken, they won't announce the emperor's death until the imperial tomb is finished, and even if we announce it, people may not believe it."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "My lord, do you really intend to just let it go like that?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Announcing the emperor's death now benefits neither Dakang nor us; the fewer who know, the more valuable this information becomes."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "That's true as well; at least the court currently lacks the energy to attend to matters here."

Hu Xiaotian, however, shook his head and said in a low voice: "Brother Guanqi, there's something I want to ask you—the one who designed the Jade Pool, the Lofty Mist Mountain, and the Spirit Heaven Palace within the imperial palace back then was none other than the military sage Zhuge."

Zhuge Guanqi nodded; Zhuge Yunchun is his ancestor, so he naturally knows this.

Hu Xiaotian said: "May I ask, Brother Guanqi, did Master Zhuge leave any records concerning the construction of the Lofty Mist Mountain back then?"

Zhuge Guanqi furrowed his brow, then shook his head and said: "I have never seen any related records in the classics left by any ancestors, nor have I ever heard family members talk about this matter."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The cultivation on Ethereal Mountain is very strange; there are three long dragons on the mountain."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "How exactly are these three long dragons distributed?"

Hu Xiaotian dipped his hand in wine and drew a rough shape on the table.

Today I set off for Shanghai to attend the Yuewen annual meeting; I can only return home on the 7th. I will try to keep updates going these two days; as for any outbursts, I fear I lack the energy, so please don't forget to vote. Zhangyu will continue to work hard after returning home. (To be continued~^~)