The middle-aged figure slowly furrowed his brow, a grave expression flickering across his face. After Si Hanfei finished speaking, he paused for a few breaths, then said in a deep voice, "What a Li Daoqiang. Royal Brother, what do you think?"
"I believe we can try to win him over," Si Hanfei said without hesitation. He paused, his expression growing more serious as he continued, "There are too many Han Chinese experts in the Central Plains—both those in the open and those in seclusion—far outnumbering those of our Great Yuan. However, they are not united; the experts within their nation are separated from the court, which is why our Great Yuan has been able to suppress them. But the sheer number of experts remains. To unify the world, we must win over Han Chinese experts at all costs—this is also the strategy set by the Great Khan. In my view, Li Daoqiang is precisely the kind of person we can recruit."
"His appetite is enormous, and he is overly greedy, but that also means that as long as we give him enough benefits, he can be used by our Great Yuan. More importantly, his strength is formidable. I am no match for him." With the last sentence, he let out a soft sigh—a mix of reluctance and resignation.
The middle-aged man was taken aback and said with concern, "Royal Brother!" Knowing Si Hanfei's temperament, he would never admit such inferiority without having fought first.
"Royal Brother, I'm fine. I'm just stating the facts," Si Hanfei shook his head and said with a frank smile. The middle-aged figure said nothing, only sighing inwardly. The impact of that battle still lingered, after all.
Si Hanfei's expression turned stern as he continued, "Li Daoqiang's strength must never be underestimated. Among the peerless experts of our Great Yuan, only the Demon Master might be able to rival him." The middle-aged figure's expression shifted, and he said gravely, "Royal Brother, are you certain?" "Though I haven't fought him personally, I am sure of it," Si Hanfei replied without hesitation, his tone resolute.
The middle-aged figure let out a long breath, his eyes flickering with temptation. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "His appetite is a bit too large." "It's just wealth," Si Hanfei said with a hint of disdain, unconcerned about money, though he understood that when wealth reached a certain scale, it was no simple matter. So he quickly added, "Besides, Li Daoqiang is clearly asking for an exorbitant price. We can negotiate slowly. If we try, we might succeed. And if we do, it will bring nothing but benefits."
The middle-aged figure pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said seriously, "Alright, I'll handle this matter. First, report it to the Great Khan, then attempt to win over Li Daoqiang." "Mm," Si Hanfei said no more. "Good. For now, our focus will be on Xiangyang. This time, we must probe out more of the Song's strength," the middle-aged figure said with a determined expression. "Mm."
...
At the Lu Family Manor on the other side, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Hong Qigong, and others were facing Wang Chongyang and his two companions. "Elder, are you all alright?" Guo Jing asked with concern. "Jing'er, we're fine. Don't worry," Wang Chongyang said with a kind smile. Zhuge Zhengwo and the Holy Monk also shook their heads with smiles. "How did the battle go?" Hong Qigong asked with curiosity and gravity. The others perked up at this.
Wang Chongyang smiled and said frankly, "We made them suffer a small loss." The crowd broke into smiles, relieved that their side had gained the upper hand. "However," Zhuge Zhengwo stroked his beard and said seriously, "though this was still just a probe, we must not be careless. This probe is of great importance and likely related to the high-level decisions of the Mongol Yuan." "What's going on?" Hong Qigong asked directly.
Zhuge Zhengwo paused for a moment before saying, "Based on the intelligence gathered so far, it seems the Mongol Yuan high command is divided over their next direction of attack. One option is to continue westward. Another might target the various other foreign nations. A third is the Great Ming—the Prince of Ruyang, who has been overseeing the western front against Ming, had his daughter Zhao Min orchestrate an incident, which was likely a small probe. The fourth, naturally, is our Great Song."
The crowd's expressions grew more somber. They understood that if this were true, a misstep could mean the Mongol Yuan's next offensive would be against the Great Song. It was simple: the first option—continuing westward—was beyond their influence, so they dismissed it. The second was difficult; without first dealing with the Great Song and the Great Ming, the Mongol Yuan wouldn't easily move against those foreign nations. The third was the Great Ming. The probe they faced was vastly different from the one against Ming. That one was orchestrated by a woman. In contrast, they were facing a 200,000-strong army led by figures like Kublai Khan and Si Hanfei. The situation was clear. The reason wasn't hard to guess: compared to the Great Ming, the Great Song was an easier target.
In the heavy silence, Wang Chongyang said calmly, "We'll deal with whatever comes. Let them probe; we'll just do what we need to do." The atmosphere lifted, and everyone nodded. After a bit more discussion, Guo Jing and the others left, leaving only Wang Chongyang, Zhuge Zhengwo, and the Holy Monk in the room. The mood turned slightly solemn as Zhuge Zhengwo said gravely, "After this battle, there likely won't be another engagement soon. I'll return to the court tomorrow and try to invite another Daoist brother to join us." Wang Chongyang and the Holy Monk nodded. Having one more person would be a precaution. It would also make the Song court take things more seriously and provide more support, which was a good thing. Of course, there were many complexities involved, but they didn't dwell on them, leaving it to Zhuge Zhengwo.
"Rest assured, we'll hold the line here. Nothing will go wrong," Wang Chongyang said calmly and confidently. Zhuge Zhengwo nodded; after the recent battle, he felt more at ease. After a moment's thought, he said seriously, "We still need a strategy for dealing with Li Daoqiang." Wang Chongyang and the Holy Monk's expressions turned stern. This was inevitable. Such a powerful figure, who had already made initial contact with the Mongol Yuan, could not be ignored.
After a moment of silence, Wang Chongyang said solemnly, "Li Daoqiang has already grown too powerful. I will keep an eye on him." Zhuge Zhengwo nodded in agreement. It was best for Wang Chongyang to take charge; if the court acted, it might provoke Li Daoqiang. Unless absolutely necessary, the court would avoid that—because he was too strong and because he hadn't done anything yet. On the contrary, this time, Li Daoqiang had technically helped them. Wang Chongyang's involvement was ideal, given their existing connection.
After discussing other matters, the three went to recover. The next day arrived quickly. At dawn, Li Daoqiang followed his usual habit of enjoying breakfast. His subordinates naturally followed suit, including Bi Xuan and Ouyang Feng. This was also because they would be departing after breakfast. As he ate leisurely, Wan Wan appeared unhurriedly. Soon, a pair of eyes shifted, showing surprise as they looked down at Wan Wan's skirt.
(The update will be better tomorrow. Thank you for your support.)