Chapter 361: The Heroes Enter the Game, the Wolf King

Li Guanyi's forces had already taken all the cities; originally, outside Yemeng City, there were only forty-one small and large city-states, but because Li Guanyi had previously released all captured soldiers, the people near these cities all knew that Anxi City did not kill prisoners and possessed divine might like a heavenly descent.

Just as the Wang Zhi seized the core, he subtly established himself as a hegemon.

Just as Po Jun had said, Li Guanyi's move directly opposed the Wang Zhi's: the more the Wang Zhi's momentum grew, the higher Li Guanyi's reputation rose; moreover, each of the various khans and chanyus had dispatched their top generals, brothers, even uncles, to form armies and contend with Xiao Wuliang, creating a continuous logistical burden that heavily oppressed the western regions' civilians.

The current situation was taut, and the Wang Zhi's momentum grew ever stronger.

Li Guanyi's troops, disciplined and orderly, were all the more striking by contrast.

As this great army mobilized, not only did the cities originally promised by the Duke of Li open their gates to surrender, but many other cities came to submit—some led by their defending generals, others by civilian uprisings, and even more by city lords bringing their entire populations.

Over fifty cities, with over a million people submitting, vast territory, and momentum already formed—even the most remote reaches of the western regions had heard the name of Anxi's Tian Ge'er, subtly surpassing the great and small khans.

Across a thousand li of the western regions, large and small cities.

All accepted Li Guanyi's seals.

Wherever one went, displaying Anxi City's imperial seal, all were treated with courtesy, none dared defy it—such was the current magnitude of its authority.

Even now, city lords and nobles continued to send envoys with letters, their tone extremely respectful, all declaring that when the imperial army arrived, they would surely submit, willing to offer gold, silver, precious artifacts, and beauties.

The Central Plains script was written with simple sincerity.

"If you are willing to accept us, we will come; if not, please write us a reply."

Li Guanyi set down the letter, and Po Jun said: "Lord, several more cities have come to submit."

"More than one hundred thousand civilians, bringing three thousand troops, armor, gold, and silver in abundance."

"Large and small cities, their troops ranging from several thousand down to a thousand—now there are sixty cities; if we unite them, we can muster one hundred thousand troops; add to that Anxi City's original forces, and Lord, if you raise your arm, you can summon two hundred thousand elite soldiers!"

Two hundred thousand troops!

If seeking to contest for all under heaven, this is still insufficient.

But to become a regional hegemon, it is more than sufficient.

After listing the advantages, Po Jun said: "However, correspondingly, these large and small cities and their nobles have looted their own gold and silver, and with the maintenance costs of these hundred-thousand-strong armies—pay, rations, weapon wear, and…"

Po Jun unrolled the Juan Sect records and detailed over a dozen types of gold and silver expenditures.

He said this for no other reason.

Only to show Li Guanyi how his vast territory's wealth had vanished—finally, all figures converged into a number sharp enough to pierce the heart of this mighty hero who had shaken the western regions.

"All cities are in deficit; civilian consumption is enormous—requiring roughly seven million taels of silver in supplies…"

Li Guanyi's temple veins twitched.

Po Jun spoke slowly: "In short."

"The more cities we hold, the more the Anxi Protectorate runs short of funds."

"Unless you, Lord, are willing to release your troops to plunder these two million civilians, then we could indeed extract vast gold and silver—but casualties across the regions would be catastrophic…"

Po Jun paused, then whispered:

"This is precisely why, in chaotic times, massacres of cities are so common."

"There are even rumors that soldiers and civilians are killed, their bodies dried into meat, mixed with pork in a four-to-six ratio, turned into military rations and meat porridge to reward troops."

"In chaos, saving lives is a luxury, Lord."

Li Guanyi said: "If we cannot save lives, what use is our army?"

Po Jun whispered: "I knew you'd say that."

Without such magnanimity, how could dozens of cities have come to submit so willingly?

If it were the Duke of Li who came, they would only sign alliances with him, forming mutual partnerships—this is profit-seeking; precisely because they come for profit, when greater profit appears, they will choose that side.

But if the Wang Zhi came—

The entire city, top to bottom, would unite in an instant.

Falling into the Wang Zhi's hands carried the risk of massacre.

The westerners' blood was fierce; no matter where they turned, death was inevitable—better to die on the battlefield!

Only Li Guanyi's forces left nothing unharmed, enforced strict orders, and thus the people willingly submitted; moreover, once they joined, they immediately felt the vast difference between Li Guanyi's troops and the era's typical warlords whose soldiers plundered like combs through grain.

At first, only a few of the forty-plus cities submitted.

But when surrounding people saw what Li Guanyi's forces were doing, they flooded in.

They surpassed even the Duke of Li's promises.

Khan Qibili was awestruck.

Fan Qing said: "If the Qilin Army can grow from mountains, and the Protectorate emerge from the desert, then is it unreasonable that city-states should rise from the oases Li Guanyi has passed through?"

Khan Qibili looked at Fan Qing, unsure whether this friend and colleague was serious or jesting.

He could not help but suspect.

Could the Qilin Army and Tiance Prefecture truly have such a style?

Soon, as Li Guanyi's city-states gathered, the rewards granted by the Duke of Li were visibly exhausted—even after every captured city, Nangong Wumeng had rummaged through the treasury and found many hidden gold and silver reserves.

Li Guanyi flipped through battle reports, murmuring: "More cities, more troops; more troops, less grain; less grain, more need for cities and land; more cities and land, need more troops; more troops…"

Sixty cities, two hundred thousand troops, over two million western civilians.

Within this twisting, swelling vortex—

Li Guanyi's thirty years of fortune were reduced to dust.

Li Guanyi sighed to Po Jun: "To gather so many people in such a short time shows the Wang Zhi's power; two hundred thousand troops still fall short compared to the Wang Zhi's army."

"How is the front line?"

Po Jun answered: "The Wang Zhi's momentum grows stronger; Xiao Wuliang is locked in fierce battle outside Hongxia City, facing the combined forces of nearly the entire western region, who have launched a ferocious assault—but Xiao Wuliang has held firm, not retreating."

Li Guanyi said: "No wonder he is the 'Moke Wuliang.'"

Both Po Jun and Li Guanyi realized the western region's situation had entered the critical phase of rivalry: whether the Wang Zhi would subdue the four directions, or Li Guanyi would rise fully—both sides raced against time.

Po Jun said: "Lord, the Wang Zhi's prestige is immense, his military power invincible—but precisely because he amassed such strength through ruthless, brutal, tyrannical means, the western tribes' resistance against him is fierce."

"The Wolf King's army is vast, numbering five hundred thousand troops."

"But his logistics, supply lines, and capacity for sustained warfare are far inferior to those of His Lordship and the Western Regions' tribes. One could say, his five hundred thousand troops are lost one by one, reinforcements are hard to come by, and securing troop morale to the point of absolute obedience to the Wolf King's massacres will take time."

"His Lordship's renown is grand; with a single call, he can muster over two hundred thousand troops. But to raise more soldiers, he must inevitably rely on conscripting civilians."

Po Jun said: "I have just seen a decisive opportunity."

He whispered: "If the Wolf King's elite and the Western Regions' forces fight to the death outside Hongxia City, inflicting heavy mutual losses, then when the Tiance Prefecture generals arrive and His Lordship leads his army forward, he can seize the initiative."

"Yet the Wolf King is a famed general of the realm—will he not make some move?"

"No, there will certainly be a change."

Po Jun's expression was complex, his eyes faintly troubled.

Li Guanyi nodded, looking at the map, and said: "It will soon be November. By the way, Lord Li's battle report has already reached Jiang Wanxiang and Jiang Su."

Po Jun nodded.

The Western Regions are one end of the realm; as the strife there grows fiercer and more intense, the Central Plains witness conflict between Chen and Ying states—with Ying gaining the upper hand. When the battle report arrived at Ying's capital city,

Jiang Wanxiang studied the report, then the Twenty-Seventh rank on the Divine General List, and Lord Li's reply. Suddenly he laughed and said: "So this is it—remarkable indeed. So young, and already ranked Twenty-Seventh."

"Whose Fire Qilin is this?"

"If so,"

"How can my son compete with him?!"

The current Fifth Divine General, He Ruo Qinhu, said: "Your Majesty, are you saying this Tian Ge'er is Li Guanyi?! If so, then Li Shude's alliance with Li Guanyi—isn't that arming the enemy?!"

Jiang Wanxiang said: "I too have allied with Li Guanyi. Am I arming the enemy as well?"

He Ruo Qinhu's furious accusation was instantly silenced.

Jiang Wanxiang praised: "So young, yet already rising. Li Guanyi, Li Guanyi—quite impressive. The Wolf King does not know of my alliance with Li Guanyi; he fears Li Guanyi's identity will be exposed, and I will strike him without hesitation."

He Ruo Qinhu said solemnly:

"But in my view, Li Guanyi is a greater threat than the Wolf King."

The Emperor of Ying, seemingly casual, smiled: "Li Guanyi is young. Even if his Wu Gong is strong and his tactics brilliant, he is still only ranked Twenty-Seventh. The old Wolf King is hardened by age, and his position on the Divine General List is even higher than yours."

"Do you think he is stronger than you?"

He Ruo Qinhu said: "The Wolf King is stronger than Li Guanyi—but only the Wolf King of this age compared to a seventeen-year-old Fire Qilin. Yet the Wolf King's Wu Gong was once destroyed; now he is rebuilding it using Chen's forbidden arts, and he cannot live much longer."

"Li Guanyi is younger than him!"

The Emperor of Ying fell silent for a long while.

He Ruo Qinhu said: "This man swallows the Western Regions whole, standing nearly equal to the Wolf King. I believe he is nearly our enemy. But I, at forty-seven, am already old. Li Guanyi is half a generation younger than me."

"When the Fire Qilin matures, and Your Majesty passes away, and we elders grow frail, who among the younger generation can stand against Li Guanyi's blade? The Crown Prince? Or the Second Imperial Prince?"

"By then, heroes grow old, while Li Guanyi is in his prime!"

"To become king, to become emperor—"

"It is not yet certain!"

"My Lord, military doctrine says: strike the enemy mid-river, while half-crossed. Li Guanyi is still young—please allow me to lead a cavalry force from Lord Li's territory, sortie out, and strike him down to curb his momentum!"

"As for the Wolf King, Chen Fubian, his front is too extended to defend himself. When he and the Thirty-Six Tribes' armies slaughter each other outside Hongxia City, they will suffer Must Have Weight losses—no cause for concern."

Jiang Wanxiang fell silent for a long while, visibly struggling.

He held the battle report tightly, his eyes filled with killing intent and silence.

Finally, he shook his head and said:

"Though we live in chaotic times, one must still hold a righteous heart, standing firm between heaven and earth. Since we already made an alliance, it is known to heaven, earth, and me. Though no one scolds me, how could I break my vow merely because he rises?"

He Ruo Qinhu tried to persuade again.

Jiang Wanxiang rebuked: "Are you trying to cast me among the likes of Chen Dingye?!"

He Ruo Qinhu could say no more.

Yet when he turned away, he met the Chancellor and angrily said: "When Your Majesty was young, you were bold and heroic, possessing the aura of a great warrior—that is how you achieved your empire. But now, because of some foolish notion of noble honor, you have shackled your own hands."

A true sovereign knows no good or evil—only the victor becomes king!

To see this formidable hero is like witnessing a cub roar in the deep mountains, making all beasts tremble. Your Majesty does not seek to slay the young tiger before it grows to prevent disaster, but instead clings to your promise. When this tiger rises,

"Your Majesty will regret not listening to me!"

The Chancellor Wei Yiwen said nothing, but later informed Jiang Wanxiang of this.

Jiang Wanxiang laughed heartily, unconcerned, saying only: "You informed me afterward—does that not betray He Ruo Qinhu?"

Wei Yiwen said: "I am loyal to Your Majesty."

Jiang Wanxiang shook his head, smiling and scolding: "Old fox."

Wei Yiwen said: "If I were not an old fox, how could I have navigated for over a decade among Your Majesty's tiger-like nature, the Grand Master's indomitable spirit, General Yuwen Lie, and General He Ruo Qinhu—all fierce temperaments—and still sit here alive?"

"I propose: General He Ruo Qinhu has spoken disrespectfully of the sovereign—please demote him."

Wei Yiwen then feigned senility:

"But Lord Li also called him Tian Ge'er?"

"I wonder if I've gone senile."

Jiang Wanxiang smiled faintly: "Perhaps he drank too much wine."

"Enough—let it be."

This casual exchange lifted the matter of Xiyicheng high, then let it fall lightly.

So they summoned He Ruo Qinhu, scolded him severely, and demoted the great general outright, sending him to guard the link with the southern lands. He Ruo Qinhu, seething with rage, went to Wei Yiwen and cursed him, spitting saliva all over the old man's face.

He nearly drew his precious blade and cut Wei Yiwen down.

Wei Yiwen "gasped in shock," dodged around the pillar. He Ruo Qinhu slashed at him with his sword, nearly chopping off what little hair the old man had left. Only then did Wei Yiwen, furious, cry: "You fool! I'm helping you—why are you acting like this?!"

"If I hadn't revealed this, and your secret talk about the Emperor was later discovered, he would have been deeply displeased. Now I've given you a way out—sending you far away—isn't that perfect?!"

He Ruo Qinhu roared: "Send me to the Western Regions as a horse archer?!"

"I can't go fight the Yu Langwang or the Fire Qilin!"

"Does Your Majesty really allow me to mobilize troops against Li Guanyi?"

Wei Yiwen said: "The Emperor said he does not permit it."

He Ruo Qinhu said: "You this..."

Wei Yiwen said: "But General, have you forgotten the old saying of military strategy?"

He Ruo Qinhu fell silent; Wei Yiwen smiled and prompted him:

"When a general is abroad, he may disregard the sovereign's orders."

He Ruo Qinhu's eyes flickered with sudden light; he fell into thought. Wei Yiwen chuckled:

"I'm only speaking nonsense—this isn't the Emperor's intent at all. The Emperor insists on keeping his word and refuses to act against Li Guanyi, yet he fears his own stubbornness might alter the tide of the realm."

"After much inner struggle, he made this choice."

"You are a famed general—you'll see the shifts on the front lines better than anyone. Then, you may decide for yourself."

"In any case, the Shi Guan's records will only say: the Emperor kept his word, Wei Yiwen was a treacherous minister who betrayed his friend's trust and informed, the Emperor grew furious, and exiled General He Ruo Qinhu—yet General He Ruo Qinhu later earned military merit and returned..."

He Ruo Qinhu insisted: "Can I strike Li Guanyi?"

As a famed general, he was deeply wary of Li Guanyi's rapid rise—this explosive momentum was all too familiar. He had once thought Qin Wu Hou, ranked forty-seventh on the Divine General List, was astonishing enough.

Yet he never imagined Li Guanyi would change his name and relocate.

His ascent was even more absurd!

From spring to winter, he fought his way to the title Tian Ge'er.

He now ranked among the top thirty on the Divine General List.

Wei Yiwen considered, then said: "Only if he truly threatens the Lord."

"Otherwise, no."

"The Emperor keeps his word, yet he also values the realm. Our current strategy still calls for an alliance with Li Guanyi to jointly strike the Yu Langwang—but if..."

"You, as a famed general, understand."

He Ruo Qinhu fell into thought, realizing he was effectively a living pawn.

At this stage, he was meant to aid Li Guanyi in restraining the Yu Langwang's terrifying momentum and halting his rise—yet secretly, he was also a hidden blade to contain Li Guanyi, preventing him from fully ascending and replacing the Yu Langwang as an even greater threat.

Jiang Su was a formidable hero, an overlord.

He Ruo Qinhu pondered long, then praised Wei Yiwen:

"The good falls to the Emperor, while you bear all the blame—even your posthumous reputation is cast aside. Hahahaha! No wonder you're you, old man. How rare that you've held the Chancellor's seat for over a decade without moving!"

"Tell me—how does one remain unshaken in officialdom?"

"Does one need earth-shattering talent?"

Wei Yiwen replied:

"Just read the Emperor's mind, and bear the blame for him."

"That's enough."

He Ruo Qinhu fell into thought, bowed deeply, and said: "I humbly accept your teaching."

He then packed his gear and rode swiftly to Xiyicheng, delivering Emperor Jiang Wanxiang's letter to Li Shude. When Li Duke unrolled it, he saw only these casual words: "The Double Li Alliance—you've done a great deed."

Double Li...

Li Shude's pupils contracted; a chill crept down his spine.

The former fourth Divine General, now fifth, He Ruo Qinhu, took up garrison in Xiyicheng.

He swiftly organized his troops, awaiting the Yu Langwang's bloody clash with Xiao Wuliang in Hongxia City and among the various clans.

In Chen State, Lu Youxian remained silent, quietly reinforcing the city walls.

Chen Dingye allied with the Tian Kehan of the Tujue, yet still could not match Jiang Su.

Chen Dingye had grown increasingly detached and calm—until one day, a general sighed: "If Tai Ping Gong were still alive, it wouldn't have come to this." The general had spoken during a military banquet, but Chen Dingye's face darkened with fury.

Finally, he stared at the Divine General List, seeing countless familiar names vanish—many once Chen State's towering pillars—and his heart ached with bitterness, regret gnawing at him.

Yet though he regretted it, his expression never changed.

Studying the realm's intelligence, he murmured: "Tian Ge'er..."

"Such age. Such methods."

Chen Dingye said: "Li Guanyi?"

Those at the pinnacle of the realm saw not individual rises and falls, but the grand tide of the age itself. In this era, few possessed such ambition.

Chen Dingye fell silent for a long while, then issued an order. Lu Youxian, stationed on Chen State's western frontier, received a secret command—

【Covertly assist the Yu Langwang and the Crown Prince in restraining Anxi City】

This single line of secret order carried immeasurable weight.

Lu Youxian remained silent.

The Yu Langwang had betrayed Chen.

Chen Dingye, even at the cost of allying with the Tian Kehan, sought to restrain Jiang Su—the one Divine General capable of directly crushing the Yu Langwang.

He also called Chen Wenmian the Crown Prince.

He secretly aimed to contain the rising power of Anxi City in the Western Regions.

This Emperor of Chen State had clearly prepared to entrust the entire realm, exhausting his final strength to buy time for the Yu Langwang's rise and Chen Wenmian's ascent.

He sought to let the rotting Chen State cling to Chen Wenmian and be reborn.

Reborn as a vigorous, flesh-and-blood giant.

Even at the cost of himself, even turning the realm into a blade to cut away the rot from this giant's body—he could not be denied a terrible, heroic grandeur: retreating to advance, seeking life through death.

Completely different from the scheming Emperor Chen of old.

Lu Youxian fell silent, then sighed: "Had Your Majesty made this decision earlier, how could things have come to such a pass?"

"Wait for now."

"Yu Langwang's foundation is unstable. Though his slaughter of cities and the ferocity of his troops are formidable, they cannot last; he cannot sustain prolonged warfare. When Yu Langwang's foundation falters, Anxi City will surely press forward, and then we shall strike from behind to clamp down on him."

He Ruo Qinhu seeks to ally with Anxi City to crush Yu Langwang's ambition, yet also aims to clamp down on Li Guanyi's rise; Chen Dingye exhausts himself to balance the realm's greatest general, while Lu Youxian, calm and steady, waits for the enemy to move before acting—yet also clamps down on Anxi City from behind to aid Yu Langwang's ascent.

The fierce generals of the Western Regions formed a united army, while Xiao Wuliang guarded the mighty pass.

In the region besieged by Yu Langwang, the capital of the Tangxi Kingdom stood united in desperate resistance.

Everyone could see that Yu Langwang lacked staying power.

The eyes of the realm's warlords and famed generals fell upon Yu Langwang's rising ambition, yet also upon how his massacres had united the last of Tangxi's people in unwavering resolve, forcing the Western Regions' tribes to form an alliance and march.

The warlords of the realm watched as Yu Langwang's ambition teetered on the brink of collapse.

It seemed they had guessed that the famed generals of the Central Plains were gradually arriving.

The Tian Kehan and Wang Hou of the Western Regions continually sent urgent orders to the generals of the allied army, demanding they break through Xiao Wuliang and Yu Langwang's iron army's blockade at all costs, regardless of casualties.

Many generals were furious and enraged, yet obeyed out of loyalty to the Tian Kehan's commands; famed generals entered the fray, orders flew swiftly, reinforcements poured in from all sides, and the Tian Kehan of the Western Regions relentlessly exploited the people, pouring troops and commanders into the Western Region's Hongxia City.

Even if a general disobeyed, imperial edicts would berate him!

The situation in the Western Regions grew ever more turbulent, ever more intense.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware the oriole waits behind.

Heroes of the realm surged forth in droves.

Yu Langwang's ambition had barely begun, yet already seemed ready to crumble, unsteady on its feet.

Yet Po Jun still harbored doubt and unease, urging Li Guanyi not to rush.

Everyone knew Yu Langwang's plight, everyone knew his weaknesses, and all had placed their moves; this nearly meant Yu Langwang's flaws were obvious and undeniably real—so much so that even Chen and Ying, and the Western Regions, had detected no issue.

Yet precisely because every capable general in the realm knew this—nearly a universally accepted truth—Po Jun grew ever more suspicious, sensing something amiss.

Yu Langwang Chen Fubai sat atop his mighty warhorse, gazing across the realm.

His white hair stirred slightly; a cruel smile curled upon his lips.

He tugged the reins and turned calmly.

"Gentlemen, enter the game!"

After this day, a single piece of news spread across the realm, utterly overturning the already rigid, turbulent, and fierce situation in the Western Regions.

Xiao Wuliang blocked the allied armies of the Western Regions at Hongxia City.

None could advance.

Yu Langwang arrived in person, wielding boundless authority, and forged an alliance—

"By oath to Changsheng Tian!"

Yu Langwang's bearing was composed; his weapon pointed to the sky, addressing the Western allied generals, trapped by his troops, frantic yet unable to advance, oppressed by their Tian Kehan's orders:

【Whoever among the allied generals first conquers Tangxi shall be king】

The situation reversed.

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