Chapter 1893

Hu Xiaotian sneezed repeatedly, and Yu Tianxing, who was reporting military affairs to him, had to stop speaking and wait for him. Hu Xiaotian rubbed his nose, smiled, and said, "Sorry, maybe someone is cursing me?"

Yu Tianxing laughed, saying there are probably few people in the world who dare to openly curse Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Where did we just leave off?"

Yu Tianxing said, "According to news from Xichuan, Li Honghan and Yang Haoran have recently been in constant conflict."

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly, "He's nothing but a puppet; he must have realized his true situation and is unwilling to be manipulated."

Yu Tianxing nodded and said, "Prince Long Yefang is already dead."

Hu Xiaotian said, "For the Li clan, his mission is already fulfilled, so there's no need to keep him wasting food." Thinking about Long Yefang's life, it's truly too tragic: in his youth he was ignored by his father, later he became a prisoner of the Li clan, a tool for them to oppose the court, and in the end he still couldn't escape his grim fate.

Hu Xiaotian handed the map brought by General Dong Tian to Yu Tianxing and asked, "What do you think of Da Yong's sincerity?"

Yu Tianxing laughed, "It's just a perfunctory gesture; Dongluo Warehouse was already under the lord's control, but this shows Da Yong's internal contradictions are numerous, and Xue Daoming's vision is ultimately limited."

Hu Xiaotian said, "To repel external threats, one must first secure the interior; if I were in his position, I would first resolve the domestic crisis. Without removing Li Chenghzhou, he cannot truly control Da Yong's power. But sacrificing territory, even refusing to spare Wen Chenghuan, just to eliminate Li Chenghzhou seems overly costly."

Yu Tianxing nodded in deep agreement, saying, "My lord might as well agree to him for now; after eliminating Li Chenghzhou, we can reveal the truth externally, letting all of Da Yong know that Xue Daoming harmed the loyal and removed the Li clan for his own selfish desires."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Actually, even if we don't act, Xue Shengjing won't stand by idly."

Yu Tianxing laughed, "If he's willing to step up and play the villain, that would be perfect."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Da Yong's decline is inevitable."

Yu Tianxing said, "My lord, although the world's situation is chaotic, for us it's not necessarily a bad thing; as long as we stabilize our relations with the court, the surrounding territories have no immediate worries."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "One who lacks foresight will surely face near-term troubles; we cannot remain complacent with the status quo."

Yu Tianxing said, "My lord's words are absolutely correct; I believe the situation in the Central Plains should not be rashly disturbed for now, but we must begin preparing to break the deadlock."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Where do you plan to start breaking the deadlock?"

Yu Tianxing said, "Yuelan State—we have already occupied the Ankang Grassland, giving us the conditions to attack Yuelan. If we take Yuelan, we can control the throat of the Black Hu descending from the west, and to the west we can check the eastward advance of the Shajia people; only thus can we lay the foundation for a future great state."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although we occupy the Ankang Grassland, reaching Yuelan still requires crossing the vast desert; this campaign may suffer heavy casualties."

Yu Tianxing said, "Any empire's beginning must be paid for with blood; the Black Hu people will likely launch a decisive battle with Da Yong next spring. We can take advantage of the Black Hu army being tied down by Da Yong to launch a surprise attack on Yuelan; by the time other nations notice, it will already be a fait accompli."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Use this time to send personnel in the guise of a merchant group to infiltrate Yuelan, minimizing our casualties as much as possible."

Yu Tianxing knew Hu Xiaotian had finally agreed to his plan to attack Yuelan, his face lit up with joy, and he said, "Yes!"

Hu Xiaotian harbors no ambition to unify the world, but having been thrust into this era, fate has pushed him step by step to his present position; to control his own destiny he must grasp greater power—this is the survival law of the age. To live freely and at ease, one must obey this law and make it serve him.

Autumn deepens in Jiangbei; standing at the mountain's base and looking out, the distant mountains are layered in color, maple leaves blaze like fire, the autumn waters are jade-green, and even the breeze carries a chill.

Weisa came back carrying a basket of freshly picked persimmons, like a small orange-red lantern piled full.

Hu Xiaotian went up to meet her, took the basket from her hand, felt its considerable weight, and couldn't help but smile, saying, "How did you pick so many?"

Weisa said, "Sister Yutong said her appetite has been bland these two days, so I picked some to change her taste."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, secretly thinking that Qin Yutong must be pregnant; since returning to Dongliang Jun, he's been busy with government affairs these two days and hasn't had a chance to visit her at the Tongren Hall.

Hu Xiaotian said, "In a couple of **** I'll be leaving; you sisters look after each other."

Weisa nodded, reluctant, and said, "Master, can you take me with you this time?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "The place I'm going isn't suitable for women, and besides, I can't leave you here."

Weisa gave an affirmative hum.

Hu Xiaotian said, "This time I won't be gone long; you don't need to worry."

Weisa said, "When you go to Bei Jiang, will you go see Sister Shengnan?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Yes!" It's been a while since he last saw Huo Shengnan; after she went to Bei Jiang to visit her foster father Weichi Chong, she hasn't returned.

In the distance a rider galloped toward them; Hu Xiaotian focused his gaze and saw it was Zhan Peng. Zhan Peng rode up, dismounted, clasped his fists in salute, and said, "My lord, someone from Xichuan has arrived."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Who?"

"Meng Guangxiong!"

Meng Guangxiong is now the chief of the Xichuan branch of the Beggars' Sect, overseeing its thirty-six halls. After Hongchuan was taken by Tianxiang Guo, the Beggars' Sect had to shift its forces to Xichuan; Meng Guangxiong's power grew, but so did his pressure and responsibility. Long Xi Yue promoted several newly outstanding young cadres to assist him, including An Di.

Meng Guangxiong's visit this time was merely passing through; he was on his way to Kangdu to attend the Beggars' Sect conference. Coming to Dongliang Jun required a detour northward, and if he had no business meeting Hu Xiaotian, he wouldn't have taken the extra route.

That evening Hu Xiaotian hosted a banquet for Meng Guangxiong in his private residence. After three rounds of drinks, Meng Guangxiong reported the situation in Xichuan to Hu Xiaotian. Since Hu Xiaotian last left Xichuan, Tianxiang Guo began planning a purge of dissidents, led by Yang Haoran, who started sweeping away Li Tianheng's old followers in broad strokes, initially under the banner of strengthening Li Honghan's rule, but soon revealed their true nature, even beginning to purge Li Honghan's close aides, stripping him of power to the greatest extent. Feeling his interests harmed, Li Honghan's conflict with Yang Haoran became inevitable.

This roughly matches the situation under Hu Xiaotian's control; he nodded and said, "Li Honghan will soon lose his utility value; that day will be his death."

Meng Guangxiong said, "Although Yang Haoran now controls Xichuan's authority and has Tianxiang Guo's backing behind him, Li Tianheng's years of effort in Xichuan were not in vain; he still cultivated a large body of loyal subordinates, Yan Huacheng being one example."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and asked, "How do you get along with Yan Huacheng?"

Meng Guangxiong laughed, "We've already sworn brotherhood; he's now my brother."

Hu Xiaotian said, "That's perfect!"

Meng Guangxiong said, "If we gather the Li clan's former troops, add our Beggars' Sect's strength, and combine with the power of Yan Kui of Tianlang Mountain, the three of us working together should easily retake Xichuan."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "The timing isn't ripe yet; the moment Li Honghan is abandoned will be when we act."

Meng Guangxiong said, "Actually, Yang Haoran is merely following orders; behind him are Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu, both of whom are from Tianxiang Guo."

Hu Xiaotian said, "To be precise, they are people of the Xu clan; they too are merely pawns manipulated by others." After learning so much of the inside story, Hu Xiaotian no longer harbors the old resentment toward these two sworn brothers; everyone has his own fate, and Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu are no exception.

"Master! Something serious has happened!" Weisa's appearance interrupted their conversation.

Hu Xiaotian saw her panic-stricken face, realized something major might have occurred, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Elder Brother Xia was attacked and seriously injured; he has already been sent to the Tongren Hall."

Upon hearing that Xia Zhangming was injured, Hu Xiaotian could no longer stay seated; he immediately set off for the Tongren Hall.

Xia Zhangming's injuries were horrifying—his chest and abdomen appeared torn open by claws, his viscera exposed. Had he not promptly directed a flock of birds to escape, he likely would have died at the attacker's hands. Qin Yutong has already stanched his bleeding, and Fang Fang has prepared for surgery; all that remains is for Hu Xiaotian to arrive and perform the operation on Xia Zhangming.

Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming have known each other for many years; Xia Zhangming has made countless contributions to Hu Xiaotian's great cause. They have shared life-and-death experiences countless times; in Hu Xiaotian's heart, Xia Zhangming is not only a loyal subordinate but also his best comrade and closest brother. Seeing Xia Zhangming so gravely wounded, Hu Xiaotian's eyes reddened; he bit his lip hard. If the one who harmed Xia Zhangming appeared before him, he would surely tear the culprit to pieces, avenging this injustice for Xia Zhangming.

Qin Yutong, knowing his bond with Xia Zhangming, reminded him, "You must stay calm; Xia Zhangming hasn't passed the critical phase, and I lack confidence I can cure him—his condition may be such that only one person in the world could save him." Her clear, beautiful eyes fixed on Hu Xiaotian, clearly indicating that person is Hu Xiaotian himself.

Hu Xiaotian drew a deep breath, forced himself to calm, drove out his hatred and anger, and said softly, "I'll go change clothes; Yutong, Fangfang, you two be my assistants!"

Sunday, Zhangyu didn't rest, already posted two chapters; thanks to everyone's monthly ticket support! (To be continued~^~)