“What? Your Majesty wants to provide aid to Li Zhen? Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot be done! If Great Yu finds out, it may lead to war!”
The white-haired Chancellor of Ling Kingdom was so frightened by these words that he nearly fainted.
How could this be allowed?
He knew that his own empress greatly admired Li Zhen, but Ling Kingdom was not a powerful nation like Qi Kingdom and Qing Kingdom.
Even if Li Zhen joined them, Great Yu would not dare recklessly start a war.
But no matter how much Your Majesty admired Li Zhen, even if Li Zhen truly came to Ling Kingdom, they would probably still be unable to accept him.
Because they were too weak!
Their territory was smaller than a single province, and they bordered Great Yu, Great Qi, and Great Chu on all sides.
It could be said that if everyone had not wanted such a buffer zone to exist, Ling Kingdom would have been annexed long ago.
How could a tiny nation like theirs meddle in matters involving the various powerful kingdoms?
Xue Duling, the Empress of Ling, gently shook her head.
“Chancellor-father, you understand Li Zhen’s talent even better than I do. If we provide some grain and weapons now and establish a bond, in the future…”
Under the lamplight, Xue Duling’s breathtakingly beautiful face also showed a faint flush.
The old chancellor sighed deeply in his heart!
He had watched Xue Duling grow up. He treated this girl like a daughter and had served diligently, never daring to slacken in the slightest.
He understood her feelings perfectly!
What investment? It was merely the result of this young girl’s infatuation.
Xue Duling had practically worn out the few books Li Zhen had written from reading them so often!
It was perfectly normal for a young girl to fall in love.
But Li Zhen before had been unsuitable, and Li Zhen now was even more unsuitable!
“Chancellor-father, this is my only request. Please agree to it. We’ll do it secretly; Yu Kingdom won’t discover it.” Xue Duling walked down the steps and came to the old chancellor’s side, her bright, lively eyes filled with anticipation.
“As you wish, as you wish! But only this once. Consider it fulfilling what you desire in your heart. Never do this again!”
In the end, the old chancellor could not withstand her assault and could only sigh helplessly.
“Thank you, chancellor-father. I’ll personally compile the supplies!” Xue Duling’s breathtakingly beautiful face shimmered with delight.
Ever since learning that Li Zhen had suffered dismissal from office, Xue Duling had been thinking how wonderful it would be if Li Zhen appeared in Ling Kingdom.
At the same time, she was worried.
Although she had never truly met Li Zhen, reading a book was like meeting its author. Through Li Zhen’s writings, Xue Duling could sense a spirited genius boy.
Perhaps Li Zhen did not need these things.
But they represented Xue Duling’s feelings!
That faint smile pained the old chancellor deeply.
Li Zhen’s name was renowned throughout the Six Kingdoms, especially among chancellors of equal rank to him.
The chancellors of every kingdom had publicly stated that they were inferior to Li Zhen!
There was no other reason—the achievements were right there for all to see.
Li Zhen had once said something to the officials of Great Yu that had left a profound impression. The old chancellor had never forgotten it!
“I possess all of your methods and abilities, but I have one thing more than you do: a conscience!”
It was a pity that Li Zhen, who should have become a renowned chancellor of his generation, had now gone to the barbarian lands. Serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger!
Throughout history, let alone someone who had assisted a ruler as Li Zhen had, even emperors who had been supported from childhood had turned around and devoured those who aided them after becoming dragons!
One could only say that this was the fate of ministers!
Looking across the Six Kingdoms, how many ministers had actually been able to end well?
…
Elsewhere.
On the official road in Chu Prefecture.
After leaving the Capital City, Shao Xuxue had hurried onward without stopping. The horses rested, but the people did not, as they raced straight toward Northern Cold Pass. She had not closed her eyes for two days!
In the end, Zhao Bugui had no choice but to have deputy general Zhao Jie lead the dragon garrison guard troops while he followed Shao Xuxue in a mad horseback dash.
“Princess, you haven’t closed your eyes for two days. The journey to Dan Prefecture is a long one. Even if you neither eat nor drink, it will still take thirteen days!
You can’t rush things all at once! You’ll damage your health…”
“Zhao Bugui, I told you before: when we’re outside, address me by my rank! If you can’t keep up, you don’t have to follow!”
Shao Xuxue turned back coldly as she spoke.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m worried your body won’t be able to endure it!”
Zhao Bugui paid no heed to Shao Xuxue’s attitude. He was already used to it. Even so, she remained incomparably beautiful!
Shao Xuxue ignored him, instead flicking the reins and speeding up. Great Yu ranked third among the Six Kingdoms in territory, spanning three provinces.
They still needed three days to cross Chu Prefecture. After that came Lu Prefecture, and traversing all of Lu Prefecture would take roughly another eight days.
Her heart was entirely focused on Li Zhen, so she had no time to care about her exhaustion!
Shao Xuxue simply wanted to see with her own eyes whether he had truly married a Barbarian woman!
Zhao Bugui watched that retreating figure, his eyes filled with deep affection. Shao Xuxue was always as beautiful as a heavenly immortal.
Being able to travel alongside her was already an immense happiness.
…
Great Zhen Royal Court.
After destroying Xunfeng Tribe, Li Zhen did not continue expanding by annexing the other tribes.
He was waiting for Great Yu.
Only after this matter passed could Great Zhen Royal Court truly establish itself and expand in Dan Prefecture.
During this lull, the Wolf Cavalry still needed additional training so they could become more mature.
Li Zhen stood with his hands behind his back before the newly erected main tent of the royal court. Watching the Wolf Cavalry and Black Cavalry conduct sparring drills, a faint smile appeared on his face.
At first, the Black Cavalry had been conceited and looked down on the Wolf Cavalry. But after spending two days there, they were immediately captivated by the Wolf Cavalry’s training methods and systems.
Then Chun Xu led his own men to join the training as well. On the third day, everyone had already begun sparring drills.
“Great King, what if the Black Cavalry learns our cultivation method?” Shuoyan Yu’er leaned against Li Zhen’s shoulder, somewhat worried.
“Learn it? All they can see is the surface! They think they’re learning, but they don’t realize they’ve already become training partners for the Wolf Cavalry!”
Li Zhen watched the distance calmly with his hands behind his back.
“When the time comes, will they submit allegiance?”
Shuoyan Yu’er asked uncertainly.
The Black Cavalry were not the only ones. The people of the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains had always looked down on Dan Prefecture.
It would be very difficult to make them give their allegiance sincerely!
“They can’t go back. If they submit, so be it. If they don’t, then they die!”
After speaking, Li Zhen waved his hand.
“Someone, tell Shuoyan Hexu that tomorrow’s training ground will be outside the camp! Make sure they display an attitude of being as close as one family.”
“Yes, Great King!”
Li Zhen glanced back. His eyes passed through the camp and caught sight of a tiny figure, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
From the moment Xuan Yue abandoned them, their fate had already been decided.
They would either join him or be buried upon this grassland.
That night!
Chun Xu finished a day of training, took his men to bathe, and returned to the camp.
These past few days had been incredibly satisfying for him. The same was true of the Black Cavalry; every day had been immensely fulfilling.
When he returned to the camp today, he saw that the ten Thousand-Rider commanders under him were all waiting for him.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
Chun Xu looked at the ten men.
The commander of the first cavalry unit glanced around before lowering his head and saying, “general, three days have already passed. Great Yu…”
Chun Xu’s expression darkened upon hearing this.
He had forgotten about this matter…
The main reason was that Chun Xu was excessively eager for knowledge about cavalry. Once he immersed himself in it, he became completely absorbed.
“Draw the curtain. Come in and speak.”
After entering deeper into the military tent, Chun Xu removed his armor and placed it on the ground.
After becoming familiar with things over the past few days, he was filled with deep confusion and a trace of admiration for Li Zhen.
According to the Wolf Cavalry, Li Zhen possessed a cultivation method exclusively for cavalry.
That alone made Chun Xu’s heart burn with eagerness. Unfortunately, no one had revealed it to him.
Another matter was their training methods.
They were even more advanced than the Black Cavalry. Their formations and close coordination left even these professionals horrified.
After charging into battle, the Black Cavalry could maintain connections at the Thousand-Rider level. That was already extremely impressive.
But the Wolf Cavalry could maintain them between groups of one hundred riders.
This meant that even if the opposing formation charge failed, they could still reorganize in an orderly fashion and launch another attack using smaller units.
And they would not lose contact.
This was extremely remarkable.
He truly could not believe that this had been devised by someone skilled in domestic administration.
Chun Xu pondered for a moment before sighing softly.
“Why have you come to see me?”
……
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