Chapter 373: Riding the Chaos, All Bets Are Heavy

Mr. Master Wen He felt at once the deadly aura behind him.

Unfazed, he spoke with righteous indignation: "You're mistaken."

"I am Wen Lingjun."

"Not Master Wen He."

The refined gentleman's forehead twitched with a vein, his face darkening further, yet his smile grew even more cheerful: "Oh? Wen Lingjun? Marvelous, marvelous, truly marvelous."

"I wonder whether I should call you Wen Lingjun."

"Or Yan Daiqing of the Western Regions?"

Yan Daiqing's face turned nearly black; honestly, he had a headache, stomachache, and his heart ached from rage.

He had toiled behind the lines for logistics and finance, exhausting himself day and night, barely resting at all, just barely containing the fiscal deficit, maintaining civilian life during the most chaotic winter in the Western Regions and the steppes.

The headache and stomachache from that pressure had just begun to ease.

That day, for once, he felt refreshingly clear-headed.

He slept.

When he woke up, he found himself at the top of the Western Regions' Most Dangerous Men list.

He'd left the second-place leader far behind.

The refined gentleman felt the sky was collapsing.

Now Yan Daiqing's face was black, smiling at Mr. Master Wen He, pulling out a massive brick—personally supervised by Mo Jia's Pan Wanxiu—something everyone in Anxi knew: Yan Daiqing had spent this entire time in the rear.

All this evidence preserved the gentleman's spotless reputation.

Yan Daiqing was ready to fight this bastard to the death.

Even so, he wouldn't let this man off easily today. Master Wen He turned around, straightened his robes; even now, his expression remained calm and composed, as if he held all cards.

As the brick, swung with Triple Heaven Wu Gong and infused with the essence of Kunlun Sword Sect techniques, came crashing down toward Mr. Master Wen He's forehead.

Mr. Master Wen He's lips paused, then spoke:

"Gold."

The brick, charged with sword qi, halted precisely one finger's width from touching Mr. Master Wen He's skin.

The sword qi tore at the air, pulling Mr. Master Wen He's hair backward.

Even his cheeks trembled slightly.

The Tiance Prefecture truly teemed with talent in every conceivable sense.

The refined gentleman asked: "How much?"

Mr. Master Wen He's lip twitched: "The imperial treasury."

The refined gentleman blinked in surprise, pulling the brick slightly away from Master Wen He's face, then asked skeptically: "How much?"

Mr. Master Wen He smiled: "Three hundred years' worth of the Western Regions."

The brick fully withdrew; the refined gentleman's eyes lit up.

"Not taken away?"

Mr. Master Wen He chuckled: "Relax, relax—red-hot gold, no one wants to touch. The city still hides glowing embers beneath its ashes, and with the great currents clashing, no one dares enter first, fearing they'll be accused of burning the city."

"Once we fully seize the Western Regions, then we go in."

"All the gold and such—"

Thus, the refined gentleman rejoiced, flicked his hand, and the brick fell down.

The refined gentleman beamed, his hand jerked, and the brick dropped.

Then he saw the refined gentleman clench his fist the instant he released the brick—pale, slender fingers, yet strong—punching straight toward Mr. Master Wen He's face.

In that single breath, Mr. Master Wen He's mind flashed through countless thoughts.

They condensed into one choice.

Dodge—or don't.

In the end, Mr. Master Wen He simply stood there, motionless, taking the blow full force.

The world was vast—the Western Regions, the Jiangnan—hundreds of millions of people; later, battles across the four corners, twenty thousand troops, grain, gold, personnel, civilian welfare—none of these were any less critical than warfare, generals, or strategists.

In one phrase:

Logistics is Dad.

BOOM!!!!

When the many strategists and generals of the Anxi Protectorate gathered that day, they saw Mr. Master Wen He's right eye blackened, his face swollen and bruised.

Then they looked at Yan Daiqing.

Yan Daiqing looked refreshingly clear-headed!

Li Guanyi asked Master Wen He why he didn't dodge; Master Wen He could only answer that if he had, he feared Yan Daiqing would be so enraged he'd lie in bed unable to rise.

Li Guanyi asked him not to use Yan Daiqing's name again.

Mr. Master Wen He chuckled: "But it's fun."

"Such traditional, rigid gentlemen are the most entertaining."

Li Guanyi: "…………"

The Tiance Prefecture teems with talent.

Why had these wildly varied yet extraordinarily gifted individuals inexplicably gathered in the Tiance Prefecture? Li Guanyi himself didn't know. The sky darkened, winter snow drifted down, and the Anxi Protectorate's generals and strategists discussed the current grand situation.

Yu Langwang isn't the type to hunker down; if it were Chen Dingye, faced with such strategic defeat, he'd retreat to a corner—unable to vie for the throne, he could still rule the Western Regions as king.

Yu Langwang won't.

Even if he raised a million troops and fought to the death, he'd never choose to survive in safety.

Xiyicheng has sent envoys to form an alliance, offering to join forces; if Yu Langwang grows strong, this nearly dead wolf will claw back to life—and the Western Regions' warlords and factions might as well give up.

Possessing the foundation to mobilize a million-level military force.

Yet after a war of this scale, the state's core remains unshaken, its sinews and bones undamaged, not collapsing from within.

This is fundamentally the level of a true overlord.

But with Xiyicheng's arrival, this was no unexpected issue—what surprised Li Guanyi and Pojun was that Lu Youxian, a general from Chen's borderlands who had long clashed with Li Guanyi, also sent a commander here seeking alliance.

"Lu Youxian? That old turtle wants to ally with us?"

Li Guanyi had a deep impression of this quiet general.

Of course, what impressed him even more was this man's tactic of avoiding battle, building walls and fortresses.

Pojun mused: "... Chen Dingye appears to have broken with the Wolf King, yet strategically, he has tied down Jiang Wanxiang, Jiang Su, Yuwen Lie, Qin Yulong, and other generals—actually creating momentum for the Wolf King's rise."

"Yet the general stationed here by Chen is Lu Youxian—a renowned commander who never launches offensive strikes. If we ignore the affairs between Chen Dingye and Chen Fubì, this is clearly strategic coordination."

"Now, seeking alliance with us... intriguing."

Chen State · Borderlands.

Lu Youxian's decision to form an alliance left generals unaware of Chen's true strategy deeply confused. One asked: "General, though the Wolf King now boasts great momentum, it is clearly a force spent at its peak."

"At this moment, when the Wolf King's edge is sharpest, engaging him directly is unwise. Better to hold firm, avoid direct confrontation, wait until his forces scatter—that is when our opportunity comes."

Lu Youxian replied: "That is a strategy of defeat."

"The purpose of defense is not to stand still, but to know when to strike."

"If the Wolf King grows strong and crushes Anxi and Xiyicheng, we are the first to face him—can we withstand a million plundering troops? And if the Wolf King is defeated, whether Anxi and Xiyicheng carve away his foundations or the Western Regions descend once more into chaos—"

"Would that not be total failure?"

The general, rebuked, stammered and could not answer.

Lu Youxian said: "Defensive warfare means avoiding unnecessary battles, preserving one's strength, waiting in secret for the critical moment—and when it comes, stepping onto the battlefield without hesitation."

"The tide has come—how can we still avoid battle?!"

"Do you truly believe defense means cowardice and refusal to fight?"

"Leave now."

The generals bowed, faces flushed with shame, and withdrew.

Lu Youxian sighed.

He wrote a battle report to Chen Dingye—【Your Majesty, the Wolf King's momentum is like fire poured with oil. If we sit idle, I fear that when Anxi and Xiyicheng unite and block his advance, our continued avoidance of battle and reliance on defense is merely seeking death and defeat.】

【To launch a direct assault against Anxi and Xiyicheng would have little strategic effect, and would expose Chen's true plan to the world. After much deliberation, I must take a slight risk.】

【I humbly beg Your Majesty to entrust me with full command of the border forces.】

【Secretly ally with Anxi and Xiyicheng to restrain the Wolf King's movements on the grand scale, thereby creating opportunity for the Wolf King and the Crown Prince. If we win this final battle in the Western Regions, the Wolf King and the Crown Prince's momentum will be secured!】

【If we fail, the Great Chen will lose all hope of dominating the world.】

【Thus, this is the most stable strategy.】

Lu Youxian submitted the battle report to Chen Dingye, but did not wait for a reply. The quiet, unassuming general stared at the Western Regions map—the current situation had become taut as a drawn bowstring.

Winds rose, clouds churned—just now.

Chen Dingye, upon receiving the urgent memorial, immediately approved Lu Youxian's strategy. A faction of pure scholars submitted memorials accusing Lu Youxian of hoarding military power, urging the Emperor to reconsider.

Chen Dingye had them executed.

His aura turned icy—perhaps under the turning tide of this vast momentum and crushing pressure, Chen Dingye had finally shed the lethargy and balancing tactics of the Dai Tai Xian era, becoming like a venomous dragon baring its fangs.

"Li Guanyi, Li Guanyi..."

Chen Dingye murmured to himself, sweeping his sleeve.

He dispatched General Gong Zhenyong of the Fifth Heaven Realm, leading a large force of halberd infantry.

General Zhou Liu of the Fourth Heaven Realm, leading three thousand night-riding cavalry reserve troops.

General Zhou Liu of the Fourth Heaven Realm, leading three thousand hook-spear infantry.

Alongside young warrior-officers of the Captain rank—the former youths of the Jinwu Guard—all led their troops forward. Ostensibly displaying full alliance, yet secretly, he sent envoys to the Imperial Library to invite one of Chen's ancient ancestors out of seclusion.

The old man was over a hundred years old. Though he no longer possessed the sword-crazed, chilling aura of his youth, his internal foundation and martial cultivation were nearly equal—yet he lacked the celestial talent of other martial legends, and certainly not the peerless arrogance of that sword-crazed master.

His face was lined with wrinkles, his primordial energy tightly locked—each use of his power drained his lifespan. A few more battles, and he would exhaust his primordial energy and die.

The old man's name was Chen Tianyi. He stared at Chen Dingye, voice hoarse, and said:

"You want me to fight?"

Chen Dingye's black hair was now mostly white. His expression was haughty, devoid of grace, yet radiating the cold dominion of a regional sovereign. He nodded.

Chen Tianyi said: "Tell me your reasoning."

Chen Dingye said: "For Chen, the best outcome is that my elder brother rises completely—then Chen will be swallowed, and a new furnace forged. The middle path is that my elder brother's army is shattered, yet merely becomes scattered troops."

"A dozen factions and rogue armies will plunge the Western Regions back into chaos. Though Chen's grand strategy won't achieve its peak, neither will Ying State gain advantage."

Chen Tianyi stared at Chen Dingye: "If he returns, you will die."

That "he" was the Wolf King, Chen Fubì.

Chen Dingye said: "... I know."

Chen Tianyi's gaze was deep: "Tai Ping Gong's death affected Fubì too deeply. Had he not desired to pacify the world, he would have killed you long ago."

Chen Dingye plucked a strand of white hair, speaking calmly: "I know that too."

"Do the deed, pay the price."

"Future generations will know I killed Tai Ping Gong, that the Wolf King killed me—I shall be cursed for eternity. But after me, history will say this:"

"The Southern Chen swallowed the world—and became the Great Chen!"

Chen Dingye lowered his gaze, then suddenly smiled: "Let my death become the proof that the Great Chen swallowed the world. But, Grand Uncle, the one who ultimately succeeds will not be me, nor my elder brother."

Chen Dingye scooped up a handful of fish food and scattered it beside the pond where Chen Qingyan once often sat, watching the fish swim, lost in thought for a long while, then said:

"Our generation—those the world called heroes, warlords—we each had our flaws. We were bound too deeply by the past—so deeply that none of us could truly forge a peaceful future."

"Brother is too brutal, and Li Wanli is too naive."

"One believes only power and law can restrain the people's desires; the other believes the convergence of hearts is the greatest strength. Sometimes I wonder—if these two were forever side by side, who in the world could stand against them?"

"Or perhaps, after Dan Tai Xianming's scheme, it was Jiang Su all along."

"The Heavenly Will did not wish the Wolf King and Tai Ping Gong to unite, nor did he wish the Tai Ping Army and the Azure Wolf Guard to fight side by side—so he engineered the Wolf King's desires, forcing them to turn their blades against each other…"

"No one knows how things truly unfolded in the past."

"But I will take the Wolf King with me."

Chen Tianyi froze, then his pupils contracted. Even this prince of Chen, who had lived over a hundred years and orchestrated the Tuyuhun upheaval one hundred and twenty years ago—eradicating the Tuyuhun bloodline—felt a faint chill, as he looked at Chen Dingye.

Chen Dingye whispered: "Chen Wenmian will be the emperor of the new Chen."

"A ruler without kinship, without friendship."

"A man who watched his mother commit suicide, hated his adoptive father, saw his biological father and adoptive father die before his eyes—tearless, bloodless, devoid of personal good or evil, unbound by kinship, repulsed by emotion, yet carrying the fate of all living beings."

"A perfect, heartless yet compassionate emperor."

"He will not value righteousness like Tai Ping Gong, nor be led by desire as my brother and I were, ultimately falling into that same abyss."

Even Chen Tianyi felt a faint chill creeping up his spine.

"Do you see yourself as part of the whetstone that sharpens him?"

Chen Dingye said: "A solitary ruler must be thus."

"The Emperor must not be a person."

A faint killing intent rose in Chen Tianyi's heart.

He looked at the Chen Dingye before him, then let the killing intent fade, remembering how this prince—once scolded as soft-hearted for pleading on behalf of a young eunuch—had become one of Chen's strongest generation.

Then came the absurd, pleasure-obsessed monarch, and now this reawakened, icy form—he merely said: "... Truly, a venomous dragon of chaotic times."

Chen Dingye said: "I only regret I awoke too late."

"Then my life, and Chen's future, I entrust to you, Uncle Ancestor."

The monarch watched the white-haired old man sprinkle the last handful of fish food, and said: "That killing intent a moment ago was quite potent."

"If you truly wish to kill me, then go aid Wenmian."

"If Chen Wenmian himself cuts off my head—that would be..."

The Emperor of Chen looked at Chen Tianyi, his eyes filled with indifference:

"The finest coronation."

"Is this 'Imperial Father's' sole instruction to his Crown Prince."

Ying State—

Jiang Wanxiang studied the western frontier battle report.

At this moment, across the realm, all regions were locked in balance and rivalry—yet the western frontier grew ever more fiercely opposed: the Wolf King's brutal Edict Against the Hu.

Anxi City rose suddenly; Xiyicheng was besieged.

Eight hundred cavalry charged through ten thousand battle lines, severing enemy generals' heads.

The Western Alliance.

The Wolf King reversed the tide.

Flames of industry burned ten thousand troops in the city.

The Wolf King rallied his last strength, swinging a million blades.

Jiang Wanxiang sighed suddenly: "When future generations study this chapter of history, they will surely groan—this year alone, in the western frontier, the most courageous, cunning, and ruthless battle of the age unfolded in succession."

"I wonder how the State Advisor feels, seeing this report from the front?"

Jiang Wanxiang said: "He Ruo Qinhu wishes to march against the Wolf King... Ha—here lies the empire's vital point. If Chen gains the upper hand, my great Ying must face a resurgent Wolf King."

"But if Li Guanyi rises... Ha—I truly have a headache!"

"For my great Ying, there is only one superior strategy!"

"Shatter the Wolf King's military power utterly, reduce the entire western frontier to chaos—everything else is inferior."

Jiang Wanxiang pondered long, then ordered: mobilize troops, march to the front.

The commanding general shall be—

He Ruo Qinhu as Grand General, Qin Yulong as deputy.

Crown Prince Jiang Gao will personally oversee the campaign.

All remaining commanders, troops, and frontline units are pushed forward; Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua—Li Guanyi's old acquaintances—are also summoned, to demonstrate sincerity. The aged monarch gazed upon this vast, turbulent world.

Then, he pushed everything he currently held onto the chessboard!

Come then, world!

Future historians, when studying this grand war, will find that in December of this year, smoke and fire blazed across the entire realm, each side clashing—Chen and Ying each won and lost on different fronts.

The rivalry between the Heavenly Will and the Second Heavenly General drew the gaze of nearly the entire world.

Yet all remaining forces of the other states began converging upon the western frontier.

Yue Pengwu's 【Beiwai】 Cavalry!

The Wolf King's 【Azure Wolf Guard】

Ying State's 【Tiger Man Cavalry】 【Jade Dragon Corps】 【Tiger Roar Army】

Chen State's 【Night Gallop Cavalry】 【Hook-Sickle Lance Cavalry】 【Great Halberdiers】

Two of the top ten generals of the realm were present, and even more among the top thirty—facing the Wolf King's final counterattack, the world unleashed a massive, overwhelming encirclement.

Within the Wolf King's camp.

Chen Wenmian had not seen his father; after asking many, he finally learned his father's whereabouts. Dressed in battle armor, white robe, raised since childhood under the finest generals of the realm, as a crown prince with no lack of resources—he was now barely at the Sixth Heaven.

Majestic and imposing, a young hero risen through real combat.

Far off, he saw his father's back; for some reason, though the Wolf King's army had reached its peak strength, Chen Wenmian felt from his father's silhouette a sense of desolation and age.

The old Wolf King hummed a folk tune, seated cross-legged on a small hill near the army. This valiant divine general, rare indeed, had shed his armor, wearing only a black robe, his chest exposed with scars from swords and blades, a date fruit clenched between his teeth as he gazed at the distant, boundless sky.

Chen Wenmian walked over. After a long while, the Wolf King paused his motion and tossed the wooden sword to Chen Wenmian. Chen Wenmian said: "Commander… the generals and the Khans have clashed again…"

The Wolf King said: "They bear blood feuds among themselves. Forcing them together naturally breeds conflict. Now they're united only because of shared interests and danger—what appears to be a million-strong army is in truth a scattered mob."

He spoke of all these matters as if brushing off dust.

Chen Wenmian pressed his lips together, his expression taut. The Wolf King laughed loudly, clapped his shoulder, and said: "Don't worry. Even a scattered mob will coalesce under immense external pressure."

"These Xiyu troops cannot be used."

"They were once normal, but after indulging their desires, plundering the Tangut people, their morale has been ruined. Even if they win big one day, these men must be discarded. Wenmian, let me ask you a question."

The Wolf King looked at his son and said: "Now the world is in chaos, with the four directions contending for power. If you seize Xiyu, what will you do?"

Chen Wenmian answered: "Hold the northwest, rest and recuperate, gradually strengthen our military to defend ourselves, then nurture our troops to contend for the world."

He could not be wrong.

The Wolf King fell silent for a long while, then asked many more questions. Chen Wenmian answered each one with reason and evidence, fitting the choices of a wise ruler. The Wolf King nodded, pulled out an object—a tangle of knotted ropes—and handed it to Chen Wenmian.

"I've heard my son has a sharp mind. Why not untangle this?"

"If you can untangle it, Father will give you something good."

Chen Wenmian said: "I can't untangle it right now. Father, may I take it back and solve it later?" The Wolf King nodded. Chen Wenmian took the object and left. The old Wolf King sighed deeply: "Pity, pity. You have a sword at your waist—why not use it?"

"Old Monk, what do you think?"

The Wolf King, long known for destroying Buddhism, turned his head. A bald monk stepped forward, his face etched with sorrow—it was the Xiyu Living Buddha. The Xiyu Living Buddha watched Chen Wenmian depart and said: "The young commander's Wu Gong and insight are top-tier, yet what a pity, what a tragedy."

The old Wolf King said: "Pity—he lacks the ferocity of a true overlord."

"This knot of yours… is interesting."

The Xiyu Living Buddha stared at the tangled ropes, which mirrored the situation in Xiyu. Years ago, he had gone to Jiangzhou, hoping to use outside force to untie this knot, met Zu Wenyuan, and had it severed by Li Guanyi's sword.

The Living Buddha said: "The young commander possesses benevolence, Wu Gong, insight, and depth—all top-tier for his generation. Yet, pity, pity—he lacks that vital spirit."

The old Wolf King only laughed: "Yes. Wenmian lacks the ruthlessness to become a founding monarch—the fury and viciousness to shatter rules."

"Chen Dingye has unknown intentions. If things turn wrong later, Old Monk, you must take him away."

The Xiyu Living Buddha said: "I never thought the Buddha-destroying Wolf King would have ties to this monk."

The old Wolf King replied: "Back then, the Mo Sect from Xiyu went to the Central Plains, setting up altars, preaching Buddhism everywhere, capturing beggars and vagrants, bringing them back to the Xiyumo Sect—secretly linked to the Xiyu Buddhist sects."

"At that time, you were already famed across the land, close to the imperial uncle, yet you decisively returned to inherit this so-called Living Buddha title. Had you not done so, the Mo Sect would have grown too powerful. I think you're a true monk—I kill only false ones."

"If so, isn't that merit?"

The old Living Buddha sighed: "Will the Wolf King give the object to the young commander?"

The Wolf King answered: "No. I give it to no one. To gain the great momentum of this world from me, there is only one way!"

The Wolf King declared: "Defeat me!"

The old Living Buddha asked: "Then, who in your eyes might surpass you?"

The old Wolf King looked at him and burst into loud laughter:

"Slay a million soldiers across the land, my sword still reeks of blood."

"Old monk, you know not heroes—only babble and ask names!"

"Go now, go now!"

The old Living Buddha watched the radiant divine general and sighed.

In Anxi City, Li Guanyi stared at the bronze cauldron.

The destiny of the fallen Tangut nation has fallen upon this body.

This body's destiny.

Subtly, an upheaval! A surge!

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