In the misty rain, Mu Zian’s figure gradually disappeared.
“Father Emperor, the State-Stabilizing Duke has already gone far,” Xiao Xiuning said softly, looking at the Emperor still standing in place.
“Once, I also watched him leave like this,” the Emperor murmured.
Xiao Xiuning naturally knew the ‘him’ her father spoke of referred to the former State-Stabilizing Duke, Mu Zhanying.
“A tiger father will not raise a dog son. In this battle, Mu Zian will surely win,” Xiao Xiuning said.
The Emperor glanced at Xiao Xiuning and suddenly asked, “Ning’er, how old are you now?”
“After this year, I will be twenty,” Xiao Xiuning replied softly.
The Emperor muttered, “Perfect, perfect.”
Outside the capital was a flat and broad road. Thirty thousand soldiers advanced mightily toward Luzhou. Mu Zian, seated on horseback, had no mind to admire the scenery along the way. With his eyes half-closed, he summoned the system.
“Use the Mysterious Strategist Summoning Card!”
As his voice fell, the system’s voice followed.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for using a Strategist Summoning Card! The system will randomly summon three strategists from Huaxia history. The host can eliminate one, and the system will randomly select one from the remaining two. The selected strategist will be one hundred percent loyal to you.]
As a flash of white light passed, the system’s voice sounded again.
[Ding! Three strategists have been summoned.]
[First: Wu Yong, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits of Liangshan, known as the Resourceful Star.]
Hearing Wu Yong’s name, Mu Zian rolled his eyes. This man was the ultimate dog-headed military advisor of Liangshan. His strategies were deceit, infiltration, arson, and setting traps—an embodiment of treachery and cunning. He schemed against Yang Zhi and later against Lu Junyi, using any means to achieve his goals. He was the epitome of being unscrupulous.
[Second: Jia Xu, the top venomous strategist of the late Han and Three Kingdoms.] Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Mu Zian’s eyes lit up at the name Jia Xu. This man was a legend. In the Battle of Wancheng, Cao Cao lost his eldest son Cao Ang, his trusted general Dian Wei, and his nephew Cao Anmin, all due to Jia Xu’s schemes for Zhang Xiu. Normally, Cao Cao should have hated Jia Xu deeply, yet the result was the opposite—Jia Xu not only survived but became one of Cao Cao’s strategists, eventually rising to the prestigious position of one of the Three Excellencies, one of the few strategists in that chaotic era to end well. Chen Shou, the author of the Records of the Three Kingdoms, praised Jia Xu as unparalleled in strategy, comparable to Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. A truly ruthless man among ruthless men.
Before Mu Zian could revel in his joy, the system’s voice sounded again.
[Third: Cheng Yu, Marquis of Anxiang of Wei in the late Han and Three Kingdoms.]
Seeing the three names, Mu Zian couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn!” Each one more ruthless than the last!
If Jia Xu was synonymous with venomous schemes, Cheng Yu was the epitome of brutality. In the entire Three Kingdoms period, two things were most dangerous—becoming Lü Bu’s godfather and being a fellow townsman of Cheng Yu. The latter could result in being turned into dried meat to supply the army. Because of this infamous act, although Cheng Yu was one of Cao Cao’s five great strategists, he never became one of the Three Excellencies. Mu Zian believed Cao Cao kept Cheng Yu around just so he could look at him whenever he felt guilty about doing something inhumane and immediately feel more virtuous.
[Ding! Summoning complete! Please eliminate one.]
Without hesitation, Mu Zian said, “Eliminate Wu Yong.”
Compared to Jia Xu and Cheng Yu, Wu Yong wasn’t even fit to carry their shoes.
[Ding! Wu Yong has been eliminated!]
[The system is drawing… please wait.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully obtaining ‘Jia Xu, the top venomous strategist of the late Han and Three Kingdoms.’]
[Summoning complete. The system will now exit.]
Hearing this, Mu Zian was overjoyed! However, while physical items could be retrieved from the system’s storage, how was he supposed to find a living person?
Just as Mu Zian was pondering this, a scout came rushing in.
“Reporting to the State-Stabilizing Duke! The scouts ahead have captured a scholar. He claims to be a strategist formerly under the previous State-Stabilizing Duke. Not knowing how to handle him, we seek your instructions!”
“What is his name?” Mu Zian asked.
“Reporting, he calls himself Jia Xu.”
With that, Mu Zian spurred his horse, following the scout to a clearing. There, dozens of scouts were binding a handsome man in a scholar’s robe.
Mu Zian quickly dismounted, striding forward to push aside the scouts.
“Are you Mr. Jia Xu?” he asked.
“Indeed, I am,” the bound Jia Xu replied.
Mu Zian hurried forward to untie him.
As they faced each other, Jia Xu stepped up and said, “Strategist Jia Xu greets Young Master. I once served under the old State-Stabilizing Duke as a scholar and strategist. After my parents passed away, I returned home for three years of mourning. Before I left, I promised the old Duke that I would return after my mourning period. Unfortunately, that farewell turned out to be eternal. Now, hearing that you are leading an expedition to Luzhou, I have come to offer my assistance.”
Mu Zian hadn’t expected the system to arrange such a perfect backstory for Jia Xu.
“To have your assistance today guarantees a victorious return!” Mu Zian praised generously.
Jia Xu was quite satisfied with Mu Zian’s behavior—every strategist hoped to meet a master who would respect them.
Brushing the dust off his robe, Jia Xu then said seriously, “I happen to have a strategy to offer, though I’m not sure if you dare to use it.”
Mu Zian’s interest was piqued, and he asked, “Speak freely.”
Jia Xu smiled calmly and pointed toward Luzhou. “It will take the army at least three days to reach Luzhou at normal speed. However, if we force-march with fast horses, we could arrive in one day.”
“Currently, the rebels in Luzhou have not yet received news of another imperial army mobilizing. Having just won a battle, their defenses will be lax. If we send a light cavalry unit ahead to strike first, we can catch them off guard.”
“This has two benefits: First, we can severely shake their morale with a sudden attack. Second, it will draw their attention and prevent them from setting up defenses, reducing the chance of ambushes when the main army arrives.”
Mu Zian’s eyes lit up. He had to admit that Jia Xu’s grasp of military timing left him far behind. If the news of his army’s advance reached Luzhou, the rebels would surely organize ambushes. But if he first sent a raiding force to disrupt them, it would delay their defensive preparations and strike them unprepared—a perfect two-pronged strategy.
Mu Zian exclaimed joyfully, “With you, sir, it’s like adding wings to a tiger!”