stand back, let me come

Chapter 1211: One Year Can Decide the World [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Cui Hui was able to get out of bed only on the third day after he woke up.

Cui Zhi is still like a dragon that can't be found from head to tail.

Cui Hui only vaguely sensed the other person's brief appearance when she was half asleep and half awake. Every time she woke up, he was gone and she could only smell the remaining incense on his body. It didn't matter if the man was not around, because she still had a filial son to serve her, serving tea and water, and running around.

However, even the eldest son cannot always get what he wants.

Cui Xiong seems to be attentive, considerate and caring, but when Cui Hui is not paying attention, he will look as if he wants to say something but is hesitant.

He thought he was hiding well, but in fact he was nothing.

She saw through Cui Hui's illusion of stomachache and said impatiently, "I know you can't keep things to yourself. If you have anything to say, just say it. If you don't want to say it, put away that expression!"

Cui Xiong hesitated and said, "Baojun has been here before."

"What about her?"

"Son, son, let her go back first. Mother is in poor health, and what she needs most right now is rest and recuperation..."

Cui Xiong's voice gradually became lower.

Cui Hui sneered: "Go on, why don't you continue? How did Baojun offend you? Why did you drive him away?"

The "Baojun" mentioned by Cui Xiong is You Bao, the pseudonym used by Miao Ne. Since the king granted the marriage, the two have been engaged in a legitimate relationship. In order to cultivate the relationship between the two children and prevent them from getting married blindly and becoming resentful couples, both the king and the Cui family are happy to see Cui Xiong interacting with "Baojun". The two did not disappoint the expectations of their elders.

How can two people in love quarrel so easily?

Cui Hui questioned him, and Cui Xiong could only confess: "She...did not offend my son, but she came to see you not...not as 'Bao Jun', but on the order of the king...My son is not angry with Bao Jun, but with the one above her."

The eldest son's resentment was greater than Cui Hui had expected.

He even dared to speak out insolently: "So what if he is the ruler of a country? He used to regard the noble families as a thorn in his side, and he and his confidant Mei Jinghe repeatedly made things difficult for our family, and even extended his hand to my mother, causing you to almost die in the dungeon. Now that he has broken up with Mei Jinghe, he thinks of my family again, trying to reward us with some things to cover up the dungeon matter and use them to compensate for the suffering of my mother. I ask, is there such a cheap thing in the world? I let Baojun go back because I don’t want to quarrel and hurt our feelings. It’s better not to meet.”

In addition, there are other considerations.

  The entire capital of Qi State knew that the former mistress of the Cui family was imprisoned by Mei Jinghe and punished by the Word Spirit. She was destined to die young. How was this different from murder? The king gave her a little reward and the matter was over. In the future, could the royal family arrest anyone from the Cui family they wanted?

Even if he tortured someone to death, he would not be afraid, and would just send him away with a small reward. The life of a Cui family woman is not worth much. Cui Xiong did not know what his father Cui Zhi was thinking, and he would not allow this situation to happen.

Cui Hui: "..."

It must be said that Cui Xiong is indeed Cui Zhi's son.

The father and son are really similar in some ways.

She asked her son, "Big Bear, tell me, have you told Baojun about your considerations? You feel that you have your own difficulties and feel wronged, but isn't Baojun more wronged because you rejected him and treated him coldly? As long as your marriage is still valid, you should consider her feelings. She is not only the king's right-hand man, but also your fiancée."

She knew her fiancée was fake, but her son didn't know.

No matter who the future daughter-in-law is, Cui Hui can't stand the way Cui's father and son think they handle things in a comprehensive way, and it makes him want to have a heart attack.

Cui Xiong looked over in surprise: "But Baojun..."

"Are you worried that Baojun will favor the king and betray you?"

Cui Xiong: “…”

His silence was a kind of acquiescence.

Cui Hui sneered: "Are you dumb?"

"…I know that my mother has always liked Baojun, and I believe that she is not that kind of person. I feel uncomfortable after hearing this, but I feel that no matter who it is, it is foolish to give up one's future for a relationship that could change at any time! As stupid as a pig! Baojun is smart, and if she knew about it and told the king, that would be perfectly normal! I thought so, so I simply didn't say anything."

Telling a secret to someone and expecting them to choose you over their future is like a rich man showing off his gold to a thief and forcing the thief to maintain good morals and not fight, steal or rob. This behavior is really sick!

It would be better to keep silent from the beginning.

Cui Hui: "..."

Okay, the man has his own reasons and the woman has her own reasons.

She did not argue with her son about these minor details. After all, it was imperative for the King of Qi to repair his relationship with her and win over "Shen Zhongli" through her. It was impossible to give up because of one or two rejections. Cui Hui relaxed his mind and focused on healing his wounds.

As expected, the King of Qi showed his full enthusiasm and sincerity, and tried every possible means to appease and compensate Cui Hui. In addition to the material compensation, he also spread the word that he would hold a banquet to meet young talents for Cui Hui's daughter, hoping to promote another marriage.

Although it seems to be a great favor, it may also be a threat to Cui Hui.

It just depends on how the parties involved view the matter.

The ruler of Qi State did not put all his eggs in one basket. In addition to the above measures, he also issued an edict to praise Shen Tang's vest in Qi State, praising her achievements in the past two years as being outstanding. Last year's rainy season, the eight winds were frequent, and as many as one million people were affected in a few months. In addition, the collapse of two dams caused floods downstream, and the refugees had nowhere to settle. In such an environment, she was one of the few areas under her rule that was affected by the disaster but suffered little loss.

The city defense barrier had already been opened before the wind from all directions arrived.

After the disaster wind passed, the people below reported the disaster situation in turn and waited for the allocation of disaster relief funds. Shen Tang only reported that more than 30 houses collapsed, and said that these old houses were originally planned to be demolished, and nature helped and saved labor. Eleven people were injured, three of whom did not listen to the advice and went out and were injured. The remaining eight were old and had typhoid fever due to frostbite. Fortunately, they took medicine in time and no one died.

At that time, Shen Tangmajia was severely scolded by the Qi State Censorate.

  Many civil and military officials thought that she concealed the truth in order to win credit! Cui Zhi's political enemies also used this incident to ridicule her, believing that this absurd memorial was instigated by Cui. It was simply stupid! She only wanted to win credit and flatter, but ignored the victims!

Cui Zhi was attacked badly.

What the truth is doesn’t matter; what matters is being able to strike a blow against political opponents.

The king stood by and watched, leaving the quarrel before the two sides could get angry. He casually said that he would send someone to investigate the truth and clear the innocent. The matter was left unresolved and the results of the investigation were never announced. The hot topics in the court changed every day, and no one continued to pay attention to this matter after a long time. No one expected that the king of Qi would take the initiative to mention it, and used it as an excuse to promote the people in Cui's camp and appoint Shen Tang's vest to govern a county.

The location of this place is a bit delicate.

It not only covers the areas that Shen Tang Majia first governed, but also covers some areas that only the king's confidants are qualified to touch. It is nominally a county, but in fact it is much larger than a "county", which means that this new favorite has unlimited potential.

Those who are interested have to think more.

  Are the king and Cui so close that they wear the same calf-nose pants?

Not only the outside world thinks so, there are also many voices within the Cui family. In the face of many rumors, Cui Zhi, the patriarch of the Cui family, has never responded positively and rarely appears in public. Most of the Cui family's affairs are decided by the eldest son Cui Xiong, and his attitude is ambiguous. The undercurrents in the royal capital have not affected Shen Tang's promotion and wealth at all. Recently, he has been smooth sailing. He has a legitimate excuse to expand the scale of his own private troops and bring the previously hidden forces to the surface one by one. He does not admit, refuse, or promise to the goodwill of the King of Qi. She is the same as the scumbag, and the rest, the King of Qi will fill in the blanks in his mind.

First gain trust, and then send Qi Guo away with a backhanded blow.

Shen Tang did not intend to drag out this battle.

“One year determines everything!”

Shen Tang has been operating in the southwest for more than two years through a pseudonym. Due to limited territory and the close watch of the Cui family, she has not been too crazy in recruiting soldiers and horses. The most important thing is to stay alive. Most of her energy is used to expand her circle of friends, use high-quality rice seeds to store supplies and food, and cut leeks in various ways, acting as an intermediary between small countries in the southwest and Kangguo. Qiguo has been annexing other countries in recent years. Although the frequency is not high, it has also made small countries nearby feel uneasy.

Small countries will feel more secure if they have exchanges with Kang State.

The chess pieces are in place, all that’s left is for the game to begin.

Liao Jia twisted the chess piece and pondered for a while, then lowered his eyes to look at the intricate endgame and said, "One year? Isn't that too fast?"

The battlefield situation changes rapidly. Even if one is fully prepared, it is not easy to defeat the Southwest Continental Alliance headed by Qi State in one year. No matter how confident Liao Jia is in this game, he does not think that being eager for quick success is a good thing, as it is easy to capsize.

Shen Tang: "One year is to conquer the southwest continent."

Not part of the Southwest.

She sighed, "Hurry up."

If the speed is too slow, and the Central Continent reacts and intervenes, it will be a big trouble, and the situation will be several times more difficult than when it was attacked by the Northern Desert and the Gao Kingdom. She has been making arrangements everywhere over the years, including but not limited to giving a taste of sweetness to several small countries in the Central Continent.

On the surface, the small countries pay protection fees to the big countries, and the big countries accept the small countries' tributes and stop sending troops. The relationship between the two sides is as friendly as a honeymoon. In reality, they use them as a buffer zone in the war to prevent the big countries in the middle from sending troops to the north. If not, with Shen Tang's restless personality, she would have digested all the small countries around her over the years. Small countries are not important, as long as they can delay time!

Liao Jia simulated the situation over and over again in his mind, assuming hundreds of thousands of unexpected situations. He did not persuade Shen Tang to be cautious, but just asked: "Master, are the preparations in the country ready?"

Shen Tang: "You also know other people's personalities."

Whether it's the radicals or the conservatives, everyone in Kangguo has a military merit brain. The difference is that the radicals like to use the most brutal and direct means to grab military merits, while the conservatives believe that no matter how good the military merits are, they need to be obtained in a decent way. Shen Tang spent a lot of energy suppressing them and letting them develop peacefully: "If I don't let them out for a walk, I'm really afraid that they will forget the pain after the scars have healed..."

Wasn't it this group of people who instigated Li Wan back then?

"I don't need it, they are already prepared..."

Just wait for the order and the animals will come out of the pen.

Liao Jia couldn't help but smile when he thought of his colleagues.

"My Lord, this is an exaggeration."

Civil and military officials are warlike, but if the Lord is determined to suppress it and stop the war, how can it be suppressed? Those people have the courage to make a move, nothing more than because they see that the Lord also has the intention of provoking a war. The monarch and his subjects are always of one mind.

Liao Jia stroked the chess piece: "There is a chance in one year, but I am just worried that the Central Continent will not give me this opportunity..."

A bit risky.

Shen Tang smiled and said, "Did you know that a few days ago, an unexpected guest came to the palace. I won't keep you in suspense - the visitor is Weicheng, a 20th-rank Chehou who was short-lived in the battle of Gao State. He and his uncle are both loyal to the King of Wu State, and it is impossible for them to switch sides, but they did soften their attitude that day, so it won't be difficult to use them when necessary. In addition, my incarnation 'Zixu' in the Central Continent has accumulated a certain amount of power. If there are really powerful countries in the Central Continent joining forces to snipe us, it will come in handy!"

She gave an example: "For example, it's not difficult to sneak into their allies, burn their food supplies, and cause trouble for them."

  Her Way of the Princes could not provide her with strong military power when she was weak, so she could only rely on her humble development and making many allies to get by during that period. However, after she developed and became stronger, this Way of the Princes became a magical skill that made her even more powerful!

The enemy's food supplies were burned, so they couldn't even move, let alone fight.

What about Shen Tang?

The supply of food and fodder is abundant, and mobility is not restricted by food lines.

Shen Tang said that secretly burning people's food and grass could really delay the interception and sniping from the central part. She gave herself a year to pacify the southwest continent. This year was not her limit but her bottom line!

Liao Jia coughed lightly and made a joke.

"About this...it's a good thing that the attendant is not here." If today's words were written down by the attendant and passed down to future generations, the master would never be able to tear off the label of "shady villain".

The mainstream still advocates a lord who is upright and powerful.

It’s better to let a group of strategists take charge of the shady villains.

Qi Yuanliang must be very happy about it.

The blame was put on him, and future scholars probably won't verify the truth of the matter because it sounds like something he would do.

Shen Tang: "…Why would you mention them to scare me?"

Liao Jia was amused by Shen Tang's true reaction. His smile was so subtle that even Shen Tang silently looked away. The relaxed atmosphere ended as Liao Jia left in disguise, and Shen Tang stood up to count his luggage.

After promotion, the office location must also be changed.

She said that she still had some finishing work to do and postponed her appointment for ten days. Today was the deadline. Although she didn't have many personal belongings, they were packed into a small box, but the weight was considerable. It took two soldiers to lift it onto the carriage. Shen Tang explained everything to the person who would take over the job. When he was almost done, the soldier came over and said, "My lord, everything has been packed up."

Shen Tang nodded: "Well, okay, let's go."

He turned around and said to the people who were about to see him off: "Please don't see me off."

"I wish you good luck in martial arts!"

Shen Tang walked towards the carriage at the door in a very good mood.

As soon as her left foot stepped over the threshold, her heart suddenly jumped, the breath of death followed her like a shadow, and the murderous aura followed. She dodged the attack, but she didn't expect that the killer had some tricks. Not only did he stick to her tightly, but his moves were also tricky and vicious, and his palms condensed thousands of air blades. This hit her one by one, which was no less than being tortured in a small area!

Under the killer's shocked gaze, Shen Tang did not dodge or evade but instead stepped forward to meet the attack. He crushed the incoming blade with his bare feet, and then used his next move to turn his fingers into claws, strangling the killer's vitals: "Who are you?"

  |ω`)

The weather in Xi'an today is so bad that I could sweat a pound.