Chapter 1150

Chen Wuji heard Xu Zengyi's words and felt a little dazed, "How come someone else wants to ally with me again? Am I really that sought after now?"

Xu Zengyi's expression showed a moment of surprise, "My lord, shouldn't you be sought after now? The entire Southwest, Lingnan Half, Qiang Land, and Uyghur Half are all in your hands. On this land, who can still match you in a wrist-wrestling contest? I just carefully counted, and it seems there's no one left."

"Sir, you seem to be overestimating me. Ruan Yuchang, Yu Zhongzhen, Yan Yan, and those generals in the northern borders who have stationed heavy troops with me—don't they seem hardly inferior to me?" Chen Wuji asked.

As for the local self-raised military forces in various regions, he now genuinely looks down on them.

Except for the Great Yu Northeast, Northwest, Lingnan, and Southeast corners, and Jingji which has garrisons, other commanderies lack formally trained troops. Don't be fooled by the current bustling preparations everywhere—the quality of the soldiers is a major problem.

Especially when he commands nearly 150,000 martial artists, the gap became very clear to Chen Wuji during the attacks on Shangfang Commandery and Jiannan Commandery.

On this point, Chen Wuji does not consider himself arrogant.

Rather, it is a clear understanding of his own strength.

Xu Zengyi fell silent for a moment, "They, barely count. But actually, in my mind, I no longer regard them as capable of opposing the lord, unless they join forces."

"Sir, you seem to have overlooked one thing—we are poor!"

Xu Zengyi choked slightly.

That really does seem to be the case.

"If we had sufficient grain and funds, I might say that." Chen Wuji said with a hint of regret. If not for the lack of sufficient grain and funds, his troop strength would far exceed the current 500,000-plus, and who knows how many times it would have multiplied by now.

Just a few days ago, he had discarded over 100,000 reserve troops.

These soldiers, even after removing some elderly and weak, still leave 150,000 or more than enough. Even if not reinforced into the main war army, training them for half a year to garrison localities would be absolutely sufficient.

But he truly dares not accept them all at once—he couldn't afford to support them if he did.

"What is Fu Jiuyou trying to do? I don't feel like looking—just tell me directly, sir." Chen Wuji was still busy writing a letter to Gao Jianshen, needing to carefully choose his words.

This is not only because of Gao Jianshen, but also involves the very serious matter of loyalist support, which must be handled with caution.

Xu Zengyi stared for a moment, then said seriously: "After all, this is a letter sent to the lord. I dare not casually look at it. My lord, you might as well check the wax seal—I truly haven't touched it. I only met the envoy sent by the other party and learned of Fu Jiuyou's intention to ally with the lord."

Chen Wuji laughed helplessly, "Sir, do you really need to be this tense? It's just a letter placed in the open, not my private letter—what harm is there in looking?"

Xu Zengyi's face suddenly turned solemn, "My lord, you must never think this way, nor must you ever grant others such power—otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. Whether public or private, these letters are written to the lord. You had better read them yourself, not rely on others."

Chen Wuji nodded seriously, "I will pay attention from now on. Please, sir, look at this letter for me—I am indeed quite busy right now. Rest assured, I have taken your words to heart, and I will not easily entrust such matters to others in the future."

Xu Zengyi gave Chen Wuji a helpless look for a while, then picked up the letter on the desk.

However, he did not rush to read it, but hesitated and said: "I know my lord always has his own judgment, and it rarely errs. But… I still wish to advise my lord not to indulge subordinates. Power, sometimes just a small mistake, can lead to irreversible consequences."

Chen Wuji stopped writing, "Sir, I have truly taken your words to heart."

"On major directions, I might err, but I have always avoided troubles arising from trifles and personnel matters, after all, the lessons left by our senior ancestors from ancient times are already more than enough."

Xu Zengyi then relaxed and began reading Fu Jiuyou's letter.

The letter's content seemed extensive; Xu Zengyi read it for a long time before stopping, placing it on Chen Wuji's desk, "My lord, this person harbors ulterior motives and is not of good stock."

Chen Wuji paused his pen, "To be given such a description by you—looks like he truly is a bundle of trash. What does he want to do?"

Bai Sha Jun is located in the Southeast, its terrain resembling a very irregular pomelo—large on top, small at bottom, with part of the area by the sea.

It crosses the territory of three full commanderies in the middle of Chen Wuji's current domain.

Although these three commanderies are not complete, judging by the current power distribution, they are roughly equivalent to three full commanderies.

Despite such a great distance, this fellow has crossed the southern commanderies and delivered the letter to his presence.

To be honest, Chen Wuji really is a little curious about what exactly he wants to do.

"Fu Jiuyou claims willingness to become the lord's vassal, to open up the Southeast maritime route for the lord, and to develop sea lanes." Xu Zengyi said.

"In his letter, he says his request is simple—he only hopes the lord can provide certain financial support and lend a small number of tens of thousands of troops."

Chen Wuji laughed after hearing it, "This is 'empty-handed seizing a white wolf'—right up to my face. This grandson is rather shameless, daring to ask for a 'small number of tens of thousands of troops'—how can he say that with a straight face? Does he still want to demand payment from the sky and repay from the ground?"

"However, the maritime route in the Southeast..."

Chen Wuji murmured, "This is indeed a condition with certain appeal."

"My lord, this person clearly uses the title of vassal as a pretense, intending to extort benefits." Xu Zengyi reminded.

"I don't know Fu Jiuyou personally, but the Fu Clan of Bai Sha Jun is indeed famous—when the court was prosperous, they could do nothing about them. Now that the world is in chaos, the Fu Clan has also risen with the tide."

Chen Wuji showed some interest, "Is this Fu Clan very strong?"

"They do have some strength—the Fu Clan is the foremost clan among the Southeastern commanderies." Xu Zengyi weighed his words, then said, "In Bai Sha Jun they can be considered strong, but beyond Bai Sha Jun, whether they are strong or weak remains to be assessed."

"The court previously could do nothing about them, repeatedly compromised, and there is also a major reason: the complex terrain and geography of Bai Sha Jun."

Chen Wuji nodded, "In this day and age, anyone who can rise locally is no simple commodity. I admit we are quite strong now, but we must not underestimate the heroes of the world. This person… let me set him aside for now, I need to think further."

"My lord, are you truly moved?" Xu Zengyi asked anxiously.

Chen Wuji laughed, "I won't do the 'meat bun beating dog' thing—I'm just thinking, I can't let others just slap their accounting board on my head. If he doesn't put in something, how can it work?"