Chapter 418: Cannot See Through It Anymore

The atmosphere in the room went silent in an instant.

The mood suddenly became incomparably tense and awkward.

The harmony of just a moment ago, where they toasted each other and called one another brothers, was shattered in an instant.

Everyone harbored their own secret agendas, their eyes hiding either mockery or the look of someone waiting to watch a spectacle. Station troops in Meigu? Hahaha, what difference is that from stationing troops directly outside Liangshan?

Qiongdou is the true center of the entire Daliang Mountain!

The insulting nature of Shama Zhuoyi's words showed he simply did not hold this noble from Longyan, nor his fifty thousand troops, in his eyes!

"Shama, you…"

Huobu Quli's face turned livid, and he flew into a rage: "Liangshan was enfeoffed by the imperial court, and the capital is Qiongdou…"

Shama Zhuoyi's face was cold: "Headman Huobu, let's not talk about what happened when the previous Viscount was in power; the landscape of Liangshan has changed! We Liangshan People have always been straightforward! You want us to accept the enfeoffment? Fine, then win our respect first!"

This remark showed a balance of offense and defense.

It was clear that this Shama Zhuoyi was not a brainless man.

As expected.

Hearing this, the group of drunken Headmen responded loudly one after another.

Pair after pair of provocative eyes looked toward Liu Zheng.

As expected…

They were all a bunch of people without brains or independent opinions.

Liu Zheng smiled lightly: "Headman Shama, do you mean that as long as Aluba wins the Torch Festival, Liangshan will accept the imperial enfeoffment again, and we will be allowed to station troops in Qiongdou—is that so, or not?"

"Yes!"

Shama Zhuoyi's eyes were grim.

Liu Zheng nodded: "Good, I hope the credibility of the Liangshan People will not be disappointing! Since that is the case, then today, let us take wine as our oath!"

He raised a bowl of wine.

The others also raised theirs one after another.

Looking around the circle, Liu Zheng said indifferently: "The Grand Bimo who wins this time shall command Liangshan in the future, and the others must not disobey! If Aluba is defeated, I will never again mention the matter of stationing troops in Liangshan!"

"Good!"

Shama Zhuoyi laughed out loud.

The group drained the wine in their hands, and only then did Liu Zheng leave with Huobu Quli and the others.

Returning to his own tent.

A group of people had already gathered around.

"Young Master, this was a bit reckless…"

"My Lord, winning the Torch Festival is not that easy; sigh, we lose to Shama's tribe every year…"

Qin Zhangfeng and Huobu Quli were all filled with worry.

Fearing that Liu Zheng did not know what the Torch Festival was all about, Huobu Quli anxiously began to explain. The Torch Festival lasts for three days. The first day is called "Welcoming the Fire"; on this day, the formal competition has not yet begun, and every household slaughters cattle and sheep to welcome the Fire God with wine and meat, and to offer sacrifices to ancestors. In any case, it is basically eating, drinking, and reveling together.

The second day is called "Duge," meaning to praise the fire and sing of the fire; it is the climax of the Torch Festival. On this day, activities such as horse racing, wrestling, singing, beauty pageants, pole climbing, shooting, bullfighting, sheep fighting, and cockfighting are organized. Among them, the most important is the beauty pageant segment. The elderly elders select a handsome man according to the legendary image of Heiti Aba—diligent, brave, handsome, and dashing—and select a Beauty based on the standards of being kind, intelligent, beautiful, and generous.

Of course, with the changes in the landscape and beliefs of Liangshan.

The procedures of the Torch Festival have also changed somewhat.

For instance, these various events are synthesized, or corresponding rankings are obtained, and in the end, after tallying, the "Warrior" and "Beauty" are selected!

The top place is the one who wins the title!

The last day is Sending off the Fire, which means sending off the fire. But this no longer holds much significance.

Liu Zheng let out a hiccup from the wine and chuckled: "You few, you still cannot see the essence of the matter. Winning or losing is certainly important, but at this time, what we should be guarding against more is how Shama Zhuoyi will fly into a rage out of shame after we win, what will happen in the Liangshan region next, and how we will respond."

"What?"

Huobu Quli almost tripped and fell to the ground.

My Lord!

We haven't even won yet! You are already considering what happens after winning?

He could not help but feel a mix of laughter and tears.

However.

He immediately became filled with respect. To think three steps ahead for every one step taken—only then can one stand in an invincible position; this is the quality that they, the Liangshan People, lack. Compared to the Han people, they prefer to charge ahead recklessly.

"My Lord means…"

Liu Zheng turned around and took a map of Daliang Mountain out of his satchel.

Then, with his brows tightly locked, he said: "I am wondering…"

"Who exactly is this Shama Zhuoyi selling all these poppies to!"

"Only by figuring this out can we dare to fight a great war!"

Once these words were spoken.

Pei Yanran, Qin Zhangfeng, and Huobu Quli's eyes lit up as they listened.

They looked at the map together.

Liu Zheng's heart suddenly sank.

Looking at the Liangshan region at this time, these poppies were very likely flowing in two directions.

One, to the south. South of Liangshan is the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Two, to the north. North of Liangshan is Shuzhou!

…

"Old Immortal, that Han person has agreed!"

It was already late at night.

Shama Zhuoyi returned to his own tent.

Chen Ran was already waiting there; he hurriedly knelt down.

Without even turning his head, Chen Ran said coldly: "Well done! Remember, this Torch Festival, we must win, we cannot lose! Since that fellow has already brought out the doctrine and the religion, we might as well go with the flow! When that Aluba falls from his altar, that will be the time for us to take over the Black Dragon Doctrine and unify Liangshan, understand?"

"Yes!"

Shama Zhuoyi listened with great excitement: "With the Old Immortal here, Liangshan will surely be unified!"

Chen Ran asked: "How is the harvest of this batch of Earth Smoke?"

Shama Zhuoyi said: "Rest assured, Old Immortal, this time the quality is superior, and the quantity is the same; it is already about to be delivered to the Horse Gang."

Only then did Chen Ran smile and turn his head: "Shama, always remember who ensures you have no worries about food and drink, no worries about weapons, and no worries about gold and silver."

"It is the Old Immortal!"

"No, it is Earth Smoke."

He slowly bent down, stroking Shama Zhuoyi's head as if petting a dog, a light of ambition flashing in his eyes: "Use Earth Smoke well, and any Han people, any Longyan, will all be weaklings! This world will be ours, it will be ours! Do you understand? We must all thank the previous Zimo; it was they who discovered the most beautiful flower in this world, but it is a pity they did not know how to choose a master... to actually hope that the Longyan would give them what they wanted, ridiculous! In that great battle, they burned all the Earth Smoke; if it weren't for the fact that the Academy still had some seeds that I stole, we would have nothing at all!"

Shama Zhuoyi knelt obediently, his whole body stiff.

Cold sweat trickled down.

A naked warning!

But he believed these words.

Because he had experienced the charm of Earth Smoke and its absolute control over a person's body and spirit.

……

This thought.

Is very terrifying.

Xie Zhen was his sworn brother. But he was also a hegemon with enough forbearance. Liu Zheng absolutely believed that if he had to choose between this sworn brotherhood and vying for the world, Xie Zhen would choose the latter without hesitation.

Therefore.

What exactly was his intention in letting him come to Liangshan?

Could it be...

That he had long seen the Poppy in this Liangshan, and he himself also wanted to get his hands on the drugs?

This conjecture was possible.

Liu Zheng did not believe that with Liangshan producing so much Poppy every year, none of it would flow into Chuan Shu. In the modern era, among the Horse Gangs born from opium, there were many people from Chuan Shu.

In a TV series called "Warriors from Chuan" that Liu Zheng had watched, the Chuan army inside was known for having two guns: one opium pipe and one rifle. It could be seen that in the modern era, the prevalence of opium in the Chuan Shu region was very serious.

History.

Is always shockingly similar.

Liu Zheng's eyes slowly closed.

The complexity of this Chuan Shu region exceeded his imagination.

He opened his eyes and looked coldly at Huobu Quli: "I want to know the ins and outs of how the previous Zimo was destroyed!"

"What?"

Huobu Quli's expression changed drastically.

【Author's Note】

I had something to take care of at home yesterday, so I took a leave of absence. The three chapters I promised will be delivered today by working overtime. That is to say, I will try my best to do six chapters today...