Chapter 648

Forming an alliance is impossible; allying with the Qiang People is no different than seeking skin from a tiger.

Such a thing, let alone Chen Wuji currently being the victorious side, even if he were to suffer a crushing defeat, he would absolutely never do such a thing.

The countless years of history between the Zhongyuan Dynasty and the borderland foreign tribes have long taught Chen Wuji a profound lesson: allying with them will only yield one result—raising a white-eyed wolf that sucks blood.

The only victims will be the people of Zhongyuan.

The Peace Faction of the Zhongyuan Dynasty, faced with the recurring border conflicts, had also made countless attempts.

For example, forming alliances, establishing Border Markets, and so on.

But in Chen Wuji's impression, such methods that should be effective are completely useless here.

The foreign tribes, taking advantage of the markets, learn Zhongyuan Dynasty's cultural knowledge, strengthen their strength, then their ambitions instantly swell, and they then ravage the Zhongyuan Dynasty's borderlands like mad dogs, sparking larger-scale wars.

In their eyes, looting always seems far easier and more relaxed than honest trade.

Chen Wuji is now waging war exactly as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian.

Benevolence and righteousness are first shoved to the side.

What he wants now is bloody suppression, to exterminate their lineage, to leave them unable to recover their vitality for hundreds of years.

"My lord, what does the letter say?" Xu Zengyi asked.

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "Mr. Xu, you're the strategist; this sort of thing is child's play for you."

"I don't know what the lord wants to discuss with Zhong Qiang's chieftain and Shi Bi; if it's merely asking which big figures died, they certainly won't tell us." Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji pondered for a moment, then smiled, "Actually, we could give it a try; who knows, they might be willing to share."

Xu Zengyi: ……

Chen Wuji waved his hand, "Alright, just kidding; I just want to meet their chieftain or Shi Bi, have a chat, nothing else needs to be said. I've had quite a few dealings with the Qiang People, but I've never seen their important figures yet, which is a pity."

The large-scale battles have already been fought twice, yet we still don't know who the enemy's commanding general is; this indeed lacks a sense of accomplishment.

"Here!"

Xu Zengyi responded, immediately ordering someone to bring the Four Treasures of the Study to write, without even a moment's delay.

Chen Wuji watched him wielding brush and ink, then suddenly asked, "That little thief Gu Wenjie has run away again?"

"No corpse was found; he must have run away, and the whereabouts of the Snake Staff Old Man are unknown." Xu Zengyi said.

"According to earlier intelligence, the Snake Staff Old Man wasn't even supposed to be here; it's just that little thief Gu Wenjie…" Chen Wuji snorted, "Damn, this old man and youngster seem to have truly cultivated successfully; I'm not sure about their other skills, but escaping is top-notch."

Xu Zengyi held his pen, "I guess they manage to escape so smoothly each time because they had already prepared a retreat for themselves."

"Possible." Chen Wuji nodded.

"Lu Chuan has taken people to investigate the background of the Snake Staff Old Man; actually, I really hope he can dig up some unexpected surprises for me, and also let me broaden my horizons."

Xu Zengyi: ……

"Anyone with the character 'Chuan' in their name seems not to be a pushover; maybe they can really give the lord some surprises."

Chen Wuji nodded, "This kid does have some reputation, but whether he's a mule or a horse, we'll have to take him out for a spin to find out."

"The letter is ready." Xu Zengyi lifted the finished letter, blew on the slightly damp ink, and handed it to Chen Wuji, "My lord, please review."

"Never mind that; just send someone to deliver it." Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi asked, "No need to send an envoy?"

"No need; sending them a damn envoy would be wasted—they don't deserve it." Chen Wuji said contemptuously.

"Alright."

……

The battle on Wuyang Mountain lasted two days and one night, and cleaning up the battlefield took about the same amount of time.

After all matters were settled, Chen Wuji moved the Daying to Wuyang Mountain.

The Daying and the burnt-out Wuyang Pass, whose original appearance is now unrecognizable, are far apart.

Although that location is the best and close to water sources, the stench is so bad that even without wind, few can tolerate it; those nearby likely won't even think about eating.

They simply couldn't have an appetite.

Wuyang Mountain is densely forested with several mountain streams; though not wide, they are sufficient for daily use, flowing down from the mountainside, and there's no need to worry about the enemy cutting off the water supply.

The condensed Luotian Grand Sacrifice is today its final day; Zhi Xu Daozhang also set up a ritual altar outside Wuyang Pass, and he personally presides over the rites here with several disciples.

Chen Wuji was invited to observe.

Although he didn't understand a thing, he watched extremely attentively.

He was merely thinking about something entirely different.

Wuyang Pass is now essentially a slumbering Lian Yu; it definitely needs to be demolished, but how to do so is a major problem—once the walls are torn open, the stench inside could likely kill several people.

If there were a bulldozer, this would be just a small project.

But in this era, there's no such thing; to dismantle this gate, only manual labor will do.

Chen Wuji thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a proper idea, so he turned his gaze again to the Shocking Heaven Thunder; perhaps the only way is to hollow out the base of Wuyang Pass, sacrifice some Shocking Heaven Thunder, and level the place.

When the ceremony was halfway through, Zhi Xu Daozhang had the disciples rest first, then approached Chen Wuji, saying, "The Zhai Jiao Ritual still has the final Scattered Altar Sending Saint left; does the Commander have any other orders?"

"Daoist, please take a seat." Chen Wuji had someone arrange a seat for Zhi Xu Daozhang, then said, "There's nothing else; these past few days, the Daoist and his fellow martial brothers have worked hard—let's discuss the hardship allowance, plus a few other minor matters."

Zhi Xu Daozhang clasped his hands, "Commander, though you are benevolent and righteous, I will not accept the hardship allowance. The Commander has fought bloody battles for the people of Nan Jun; this humble daoist has only contributed a trifle—how could I take any reward?"

"Then how about this: I'll have a few halls built for Fuyun Guan!" Chen Wuji said, "I've heard that Fuyun Guan was earlier destroyed by the Qiang People, and many of its halls remain unrebuilt to this day—I'll also contribute my modest share."

"I originally had a heart for the Dao, but alas my talents are dull, and now I've walked this path of slaughter; all I can do for the Dao are these small things."

Zhi Xu Daozhang felt a slight surprise in his heart.

He was actually quite surprised that this ferocious Commander could utter such words; inside and out, it doesn't sound like someone completely ignorant of the craft, unaware of the Dharma, could say.

He didn't stand on ceremony any further, performed a Daoist bow, and thanked Chen Wuji for his kindness.

"Daoist, I've heard that after death there is corpse poison; is that true or false?" Chen Wuji asked.

"It's true."