Chapter 372: The First Poison Strategist of a Thousand Ages

Flames surged violently, burning the city; his ruthless methods were utterly decisive, causing the Wolf King's pupils to contract sharply. He fell silent for a long time, his weapon seeming to grow dull with decay, and looked at Li Guanyi: "Such a peerless poison strategist is now under your command."

"From this alone, you surpass your father."

The Wolf King once issued the Kill Hu Edict, allowing all clans to exchange Xiangxiang heads for gold and silver; his troops had slaughtered far more in the places their blades reached than this burning of the city, yet the impact was entirely different.

Li Guanyi's gaze froze.

Master Master Wen He told me only that he was handling some trivial matters—this was a trivial matter?

The Wolf King's strategy in the Western Regions, in essence, was merely to set a tiger against a wolf: first the 【Kill Hu Edict】, then, after using Xiao Wuliang to temper the arrogance of the Western generals, promising them thrones.

All of it was like this.

Setting a tiger against a wolf to preserve oneself and conquer the Western Regions.

But now, the most critical link, the very core of it all—the Western Region's capital—was cleanly severed, along with the hundred thousand iron cavalry, even the Wolf King's own title, and the secret treasuries of the Xiangxiang realm.

All gone.

The Wolf King's original strategy had been nearing its final phase; his half-million army had been drained to exhaustion. His rapid rise to towering prestige within just a few years relied on razor-sharp blades, just like his own military doctrine—powerful in momentum, yet unsustainable.

To seize the Western Region's capital, then adopt leniency, control the secret treasuries, command the victorious Western generals, and claim the great moral authority of 【being entitled to kingship】—only then could his entire army catch its breath and continue to attack and devour the remaining clans.

Seated in the northwest, gazing upon the world, great momentum could be achieved; otherwise, the Wolf King's half-million army could not endure. The final outcome would be collapse from endless slaughter and endless warfare.

If time dragged on, rewards would lag, morale would scatter, and the half-million army could not survive—it might shatter instantly, splintering into scattered bands of rogue troops roaming this vast land.

Thus, this step was extremely crucial.

The highest form of warfare attacks strategy; seizing and contending for the great momentum is the struggle of the world's supreme figures, not the victory or defeat of a single city or piece of land.

Now, the most critical step in the Western Region strategy.

Directly shattered.

This was no longer merely breaking the situation.

This was overturning the entire board!

On top of the already hostile Western momentum, it ruthlessly added fuel, slapping a dung-heap accusation directly onto the Wolf King's head—that he had lured men into the city and set it ablaze. Now, even if the Wolf King swore oaths and used desire to lure his generals, the Western barbarian commanders would all have to think twice.

This caused the Western momentum to shift into an unpredictable, extreme state of chaos.

Thus, it slipped entirely from the Wolf King's control.

Even such a haughty hero could no longer contain himself; the more he thought, the angrier he grew, desperate to drag that man who ruined his grand plan before him, chop him to pieces, grind him into paste, and feed him to dogs!!!

The Wolf King slashed his blade violently—the ground split into fissures.

His beard and hair bristled as he roared in fury: "Good! Good! Good!!!"

"What a brilliant poison strategist!"

"What a single stone, three birds!"

"What a Yan Daiqing of the Western Regions!"

"One day, I shall kill you!"

The Wolf King was rarely so enraged, so uncontrollably furious—a mighty hero nearly broken by rage, his hand gripping the blade trembling slightly.

Li Guanyi: "…………"

"This, he, I…"

The Wolf King tore a deep fissure into the earth with a furious slash, his chest heaving several times before suppressing the rage and killing intent threatening to overwhelm him. He forced calm and said: "Good, good, good, Qin Wu Hou."

"I know your subordinate, the upright king's counselor, Wen Lingjun."

"I know Yuan Zhi, who commands a hundred thousand troops and whose battlefield maneuvers rank among the top ten of this generation."

"I even guessed at your Po Jun, from the Shiwaisan Sect."

"But no matter how hard I thought, I never imagined you had such a ruthless, domineering, decisive, bloody military genius under your command—good, good, good, what a peerless poison strategist."

"Such methods. Such insight. Such decisiveness."

"Such slaughter—neither good nor evil, devoid of mercy, only enemy and ally."

"He is perfect material for the military school."

"A thousand years from now, his name will shake the four corners."

"What a Yan Daiqing!"

Li Guanyi: "…………"

The Wolf King's rage slowly subsided. "With such a man under your command, I fear I shall lie awake day and night, startled awake by fury and dread."

"Truly, I shall not sleep a single peaceful night."

"This time, I admit defeat… On the battlefield one day, let us settle this again!" The Wolf King leapt into the air, landing atop his divine steed. Li Guanyi raised his eyes slightly, forcing his cultivation to manifest a technique, smiling: "Uncle, you're old—better stay here and rest."

The Wolf King had already regained his former bold, domineering demeanor and laughed heartily:

"Hahahaha! Good nephew, even your father couldn't hold me back."

"You're still too green."

"Today, Uncle teaches you a lesson."

Li Guanyi led his troops in pursuit; a fierce clash ensued.

After several rounds of maneuvering, the Wolf King abandoned nearly two thousand heavy cavalry of the Grey Wolves as rearguard, then departed calmly—though outwardly calm, for a divine general like him, individual martial prowess and small-unit tactics had failed to overpower Li Guanyi.

And the great momentum had been utterly incinerated by that poison strategist's fire.

Even his most crucial reputation was shattered clean.

It could no longer be called calm.

After this battle, all under heaven would know the Wolf King could never seize the world—whether true or false, people would pin the accusation of luring men into the city and burning it on him.

Master Wen He burning the city was a cold, cruel strategy.

But accusing the Wolf King—who had promised 【whoever enters first becomes king】—of burning the city would utterly destroy his name, staining it with infamy. Even if he could dominate the Western Regions alone, he could never become lord of the Central Plains.

His glorious reputation and great momentum were now utterly extinguished.

Destroy the Western Regions, crush a hundred thousand troops, and cut down the Wolf King's path to dominion.

He still managed to escape.

It was Master Wen Qingyu.

Li Guanyi and General Yue Qianfeng could only glare helplessly as the Wolf King led his troops into formation, broke free from them, and departed without hesitation. The remaining two thousand Canglang Guard heavy cavalry, facing Li Guanyi's seven thousand 【Beiwei】, suddenly laid down their weapons.

These elite heavy cavalry, renowned for their high mobility and stealth, were equally famed for their loyalty—but this time, the forty-year-old cavalry captain dismounted.

Just as Li Guanyi and General Yue Qianfeng were utterly bewildered.

He bowed his head: "Greetings, 【Tai Ping Gong】."

Li Guanyi's breath caught in his throat; he raised his battle halberd, unsure how to proceed.

The cavalry commander said: "By our lord's orders, if we encounter exceptional circumstances, he will instruct us to hold the rear. After holding the rear, we are permitted to surrender—not to fight to the death against 【Tai Ping Gong】, for 【Tai Ping Gong】's nature would never harm us."

"On the day the world changes, so long as the enemy is not our lord."

"We, the Canglang Cavalry, pledge to ride for 【Tai Ping Gong】 across the battlefield."

Li Guanyi: "…………"

He nearly laughed in fury: "Of course, every last one of you is a master of human nature. But what if I refuse?" Li Guanyi raised his battle halberd, yet stared at the Canglang Cavalry who had laid down their arms—men who had once fought side by side with his father and the Wolf King.

Li Guanyi slammed his battle halberd down in rage, carving a deep crack into the earth. Far off, the Wolf King's wild, unrestrained laughter echoed: "Cousin, your temperament is just like your father's."

"Let me teach you a lesson today!"

"Hahahaha!"

The Wolf King's laughter grew even more exultant, as if he had shed a great burden. Li Guanyi's forces now numbered seven thousand 【Beiwei】, two thousand 【Canglang】, and if another thousand 【Golden Crescent Cavalry】 were added.

That would be the ten thousand strongest, most elite cavalry in the world.

A force no less formidable than the 【Tie Futu】 or 【Hu Man Cavalry】.

The Wolf King was cunning—he counted on Li Guanyi refusing to strike his own comrades, and on Li Guanyi and General Yue Qianfeng never expecting him to abandon his own troops—thus he used this to escape.

Even in his moment of overconfidence, the Wolf King had secured his retreat.

Li Guanyi sighed bitterly, raised his head—and there, the plain scholar had already arrived.

Earlier, the scholar had opened his bundle, revealing Mo Family mechanisms.

Hundreds of years ago, the Mo Family had crafted flying mechanical birds. This bundle contained something that provided buoyancy; as the fierce flames roared, the entire city, as Master Pan Wanxiu of the Mo Family had foretold, generated an upward current of air.

"The Mo Family's scrolls… have some substance."

The plain scholar's gaze was calm as he watched the city burn, the army that had once vowed to take three days to unsheathe its blades and massacre the city now writhing in the flames—his eyes held indifference and mockery.

"If you knew this dire end was one you yourselves actively pushed toward, how would you feel?"

"Fan Qing, at least one thing I agree with you on."

"For enemies you cannot win over, you must spare no effort to crush them utterly. Their deaths are far better than yours, or the deaths of those children who had just begun to stand."

"Even if your comrades look at you with scorn, even if everyone shuns you," the plain strategist murmured, then smiled lightly, "at least I am still alive, while you lie cold and lifeless before me."

White ash had settled on the strategist's shoulders, lending him an air of quiet desolation.

"Kill every enemy, so you may live to the end…"

"Fan Qing, Khan Qibili…"

"Hmph… at least live to see 【Tai Ping Gong】."

"I hope that day, all of you are gray-haired, and when you recall this, you still curse Wen Qingyu as cruel."

"If so, then I have no regrets."

When he was young, he wandered the Western Regions with friends.

Only he survived.

Wen He's sleeves fluttered as he bowed his head toward the burning city, clasped his hands lightly in farewell—bold, unyielding. With this act, he precisely shattered the grand scheme, shattering the Wolf King's reputation and cementing his own name as the supreme strategist and poison-mind of the age.

The flames would burn away the old order of Wang Cheng, forcing the entire Western Regions into the final battle in ways no one had foreseen.

And at the very place where the flames reduced the Wolf King's empire to ashes,

the Fire Qilin would truly ascend to the clouds.

Wen He said: "To my lord, I offer my congratulations."

"We have received your tributes."

Wen He leapt lightly backward, activated the Mo Family mechanism, and rose with the rising heat current, watching the city burn, squinting: "Truly beautiful…"

"The fireworks of the old Wang Cheng order, reduced to ash."

Wen He drifted over the city, then was snatched back by Li Guanyi. Though he had escaped, his robes were riddled with holes, his body coated in soot—he strolled casually: "Ah, my lord, all the generals."

"How do you do!"

Mr. Wen He cheerfully waved to the army.

General Yue Qianfeng, Yan Xuanji, even the Fire Qilin.

And the ten thousand heavy cavalry, in perfect unison, stepped half a pace back.

Embarrassment. Silence. Caution. And dread.

On this day, even General Yue Qianfeng and Yan Xuanji—who had never met Wen He—suddenly understood why, in the Academy, the greatest talents and strategists all shared the same unspoken agreement.

You must bind Wen He!

He need not be used if he is in your camp.

But you absolutely cannot afford to be without him.

Damn it, if he's on the other side, you won't be able to sleep.

Literally, physically, cannot sleep.

Even the Wolf King was driven to the brink.

Even Yuan Zhi, a martial hero by origin, had said: "Fine, if we must, we'll break his legs just to drag him away." Names carry weight, trees cast shadows—Mr. Wen He's name, indeed, was terrifyingly dominant.

Wen He: «…………»

His eyes were dark and unreadable; he rubbed his nose, then smiled gently:

«Gentlemen, you're being far too formal. »

Everyone was somewhat afraid of him, but Li Guanyi stepped forward, seized Wen He's wrist, and sent a warm qi flowing into Wen He's body. The strategist froze, then smiled faintly and said: «Lord, I'm fine. »

Li Guanyi nodded, sighing:

«Indeed, after doing something this big, you really are fine. »

«You, Master, are truly first in strategizing for yourself. »

Li Guanyi sighed, then raised his hand and punched straight onto Wen He's crown, sending sparks flying before the strategist's eyes. Li Guanyi stared at the city, his cheek twitching several times; he hooked his arm around the strategist's neck and shoved him down.

Shoulder to shoulder, back to the crowd, he gritted his teeth:

«This is how you handle trivial matters?! »

«What kind of unit is this "some"? »

«This is just "a little" trivial matter? »

The strategist's neck was pinned, though his forehead throbbed; he laughed: «Ah, merely remnants of a bygone age, Lord. Won't you kill these nobles and private soldiers? Do you plan to reason with them? »

«In the future you speak of, such people must not exist. »

«No compromise. »

Li Guanyi said: «But there was no need to burn the city like this. »

Wen He looked at him and smiled lightly: «If I hadn't burned it white and empty, wouldn't your future world still harbor hidden dangers? Someone always has to do these things—and I didn't do this on purpose. »

«Had they not sealed every gate shut, we'd have merely forced them out, shattered Yu Langwang's momentum, and not killed them all. They wouldn't have suffered such losses. »

«Had they not looted the people and smashed open their homes, the fire wouldn't have spread so fast. »

«We only meant to burn the city—they could have escaped. »

«But it turned into this. »

«Lord, isn't this their own doing? »

Master Wen He spoke with perfect conviction.

A brilliant disciple of the Gongyang School, eloquent and persuasive.

Li Guanyi held his breath, helplessly deciding he'd better not summon Wen He lightly again.

Wen He smiled: «Besides, the fire spread so fast because of that fellow Hou Zhongyu's accelerant. Hmm—though this slightly offends Heaven's harmony, it doesn't harm Wen He. »

«Buddhists speak of merit. If any exists, let the Buddha deduct it from Hou Zhongyu. »

«As for Yan Daiqing…»

Wen He paused. A faint smile appeared on his plain, expressionless face—this tiny smile added humanity to the humble scholar's features, tinged with playful mockery:

«Then I wish him joy. »

Li Guanyi looked at him: «It's because Daiqing once served Chen Wenmian. »

«So when Yu Langwang returns, he'll immediately know you lied. »

«That's why you deliberately provoked him again. »

Wen He's expression didn't change; he smiled:

«I only think Yan Daiqing is too gloomy. »

«I'm giving him something to amuse him. »

«Then he'll realize there are things in the world more unusual than a fiscal deficit. »

Li Guanyi looked at Wen He: «Today's deeds will eventually be recorded in history. Master, you can't hide forever—will you bear the world's infamy? »

Wen He looked at him and answered calmly:

«If this can bring peace to the world, as you envision it—»

«Then let me descend to the eighteenth layer of hell. »

This was a rare truth.

Then he saw the Qin Wu Hou answer:

«If that day comes—»

«I shall go with you, Master. »

Wen He paused, then smiled:

«Then I'll have to live a little longer. »

…………………

The burning of the Western Regions' capital utterly shifted the balance. The entire world's momentum surged violently—yet the hundred thousand troops weren't truly killed; they broke free, escaping complete annihilation within the blazing city.

But the heat, the iron armor—every survivor suffered severe burns, left in excruciating pain, unable to fight, even becoming a burden to their own units.

Flames roared upward.

Li Guanyi's forces caught up with Hao Yuan Xia ahead.

They raced full speed toward Anxi City. This time, it was Yuan Zhi, Po Jun, and Wen He, joined by Li Guanyi and the Whale Fisher, who finally overturned Yu Langwang's momentum in a near-total collapse of strategy.

They severed and halted Yu Langwang's plan at the Western Regions' capital.

Though the younger generation's tactics were visible, Po Jun and others now understood the terrifying methods of the elders—even the first allied troops to storm the capital had sealed the gates, preventing later forces from entering.

But precisely because of this, they witnessed the burning city, saw the soldiers who burst out—faces unrecognizable, unfit to fight—and the psychological blow to their morale was extreme and terrifying.

At this moment, both He Ruo Qinhu and Lu Youxian made their judgments—

Yu Langwang's plan to drive the tiger to devour the wolf, swiftly seize the entire Western Regions, then recover strength and ride the momentum had failed. His five hundred thousand troops had lost sustained combat capability. Yu Langwang now had only one battle left.

At this moment, Yu Langwang raised his sword again.

He summoned the stunned and furious commanders of the remaining Western Regions alliance. No one knew what transpired—but the Western generals realized: even if they refused to cooperate with Yu Langwang, they could never return home.

The arrow is already on the string—must be released; one is no longer master of one's own fate.

Or perhaps still lured by the great rewards promised by the Wolf King.

That day, the Wolf King summoned all his generals, lavishly rewarding them with gold and silver, bestowing upon them all the treasures he possessed, and declared that before public opinion fully erupted, he would enfeoff all other generals as 【Tian Kehan】, recognizing each tribe's legitimacy.

The various tribes of the Western Regions, who had previously rejoiced at the fiery destruction of the city, were now stunned and enraged.

The Wolf King enfeoffed them by name, granted heavy rewards, and laid out the advantages and the grand trend.

Thus, most of the barbarian tribes submitted, each accepting their enfeoffments and rewards; the rest led their troops away, but the Wolf King did not pursue or kill them—he treated them with courtesy, seeing them off for dozens of li, and only then did all believe the Wolf King had not burned the city.

He gathered his vast army, the original five hundred thousand troops, now united with the former allied forces of the Western Regions that had attacked them, publicly proclaiming a force of one million soldiers, their prestige towering, blazing like a hurricane, even stronger than before.

Within the Duke's mansion, He Ruo Qinhu's eyes gleamed brightly as he laughed heartily: "Old Wolf King, old Wolf King—you've reached your final step. Though your military power has surged, it is but this one last wave."

"A crossbow at its end, a final flicker of light."

"So domineering, so brilliant—he plans to pour every last ounce of strength into this final gambit, disregarding the future, determined to seize his place in this world."

"What a gambler—he refuses to die quietly, refuses to retreat, consolidate his power, and claim a kingdom; instead, he chooses this domineering, blazing end."

"Rallying a million troops, contending for the realm!"

"Even if I die in the eyes of the world, I will never settle for a corner, seeking survival by clinging to a petty kingdom."

"If the grand tide fails, then let jade and stone shatter together."

"No wonder he is such a divine general!"

"Lord Li!"

He Ruo Qinhu, eager to act, said: "Prepare the army, dispatch messengers to Anxi City to join forces with Tian Kehan. The Wolf King's army is vast, but this is his final gamble—defeat him, then contend for the Western Regions!"

The Western Regions stirred with wind and clouds, one wave unceasingly following another: the Wolf King raised a million troops, He Ruo Qinhu's forces converged, and Lu Youxian, staring at the chaotic battle reports, fell into long, silent stillness.

After the burning of the city, the decisive moment had arrived.

The decisive battle to determine the master of the Western Regions would not be long in coming.

Lu Youxian too felt a surge of emotion, sensing the entire era's wind and clouds rising—and as the world transformed, Li Guanyi, leading the rescued people, became the first to enter the region of Anxi City.

He and Wen He went to the Anxi Protectorate.

Li Guanyi was untroubled—he needed to discuss with Po Jun and the others the most critical battle in the Western Regions. The Wolf King was indeed still the old Wolf King, utterly unwilling to settle in a corner, still harboring the ambition to swallow and exhale the world.

After being suppressed by the Tiance Prefecture.

He immediately reacted, before the situation against the Wolf King sank to its worst, igniting a vortex of final-war scale, dragging the entire Western Regions into this tide.

Defeat the Wolf King—or even merely hold back his assault.

The Wolf King's million-man army would collapse.

But if they could not withstand this final desperate strike, the situation would grow even more chaotic.

A million-man army, shattered—each 【Tian Kehan】 galloping in all directions.

Li Guanyi, merely imagining it, wore an Expression Solemn.

Even if the wolf falls, he will not fall weak and helpless—he will die, yet plunge the entire world into utter chaos, forcing all to contend like blades clashing. Li Guanyi strode forward to find Po Jun and the others.

But Wen He moved like a thief, quietly shielding everyone before him.

He soon wished to leave, but after winding through alleys, shaking off all followers, Wen He sighed in relief, thinking of where he should go to lie low for a while.

A hand reached out from the shadows and pressed upon Wen He's shoulder.

The palm was Bai Xi, slender and long, veins bulging—Wen He could not break free.

The master strategist, the legendary poison-scholar of the ages, the peerless schemer Wen He, rarely paused—behind him came a nearly tangible aura of resentment, and a gentle voice drifted softly.

"Isn't this Master Wen He?"

"Where are you off to today?"

From the shadows stepped a man, smiling, his expression gentle, his brows noble, his bearing refined as jade—yet carrying a visible aura of resentment, almost solidifying into substance.

Tiance Prefecture.

Master Yan Daiqing.

It's barely around three, hope to keep maintaining a regular schedule.

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