Chapter Fifty-Six: Secrecy

  Wang Rui hesitated for a moment, then continued: "Sir, even if He Jiong has defected to our side, his rank is far lower than that of Wei Yunfeng's, he won't be of much help to us. We still need to think of another plan."

  "This I know, the bigger the official, the more people are crushed to death!" Qian nodded: "Although we and Wei Chi Feng Yun will meet sooner or later, it's not now, so I let He Jiongming pass on the message to Wei Chi Feng Yun at the fastest speed."

  "What news?" Jia Tianxiang asked.

  "Your Highness has already led the troops out of Liancheng Fortress and is approaching Jiaji Pass."

  Jia Tianxiang was surprised: "This is not a bad idea, Zheng Shuo's reputation and power are not as high as Wei Yunyun's, but he is also a general, and his rank is only one level lower than Wei Yunyun. Moreover, Jiaomen Pass is Zheng Shuo's territory, and Wei Yunyun wouldn't dare to do anything to him. But... why did you tell Wei Yunyun about our destination?"

  "I've never pinned my future on others! If we reach Jiaji Pass, everything will depend on Zheng Shuo. If something goes wrong, we'll lose all our guarantees." Qian Buli smiled: "I told He Jianning that our real destination is to cross Qinglong Ridge and head straight for the Imperial City." Qian Buli didn't say too much, as Zheng Shuo was also one of the targets of the Wei Yunfeng plan. It's inevitable that there are other hidden tricks. If Zheng Shuo suddenly falls ill or gets assassinated, they'll be stuck at Jiaji Pass. Moreover, Qian Buli had an important guess, but it couldn't be said in front of Ji Sheng.

  "Go to the Imperial City?" Jia Tianxiang fell into deep thought, and except for Ji Sheng whose face showed a hint of joy, everyone else's expressions were tense, clearly they thought going to the Imperial City was not a good idea.

  "Our real destination is not the Imperial City, that was just a smokescreen I put out to prevent He Jiong from changing his mind." Qian Buli's words brought everyone's thoughts back.

  "Your Honor, what is a smoke bomb?"

  "Smoke bomb... you can take away the 'bomb' character!" Qian Buli glared at Wang Rui: "Our true destination is to bypass Qinglong Ridge, head south through Yizhou, cross over Nanling, and go to the fiefdom of the Emperor's younger brother, Fuzhou!" Qian Buli's eyes shone brightly, he had already thought about where to go back in Xueyuan City! Qian Buli needed a place with a high emperor far away, without anyone interfering with his power, in other words, he needed an integrated time.

  Jia Tianxiang was stunned: "Commander, do you know what kind of place Fuzhou is?"

  "I know that when the princess was about to come of age, the queen ordered the cabinet to select a place in the state of Qi Zhou with the poorest land and confer it upon you, even giving it the name Fuzhou! Not only is the land poor, but there aren't many people either. Moreover, some of them are Yue tribespeople, and the Qi Zhou people and the Yue tribespeople have always been at odds with each other, with big troubles never-ending and small ones never ceasing."

  "You know Fuzhou is a chaotic place, why still go there?"

  Qian hesitated for a moment, then slowly said: "There's a saying I don't know if you've heard it before - cultivate oneself, put one's house in order, govern the state and bring peace to the world! From small things we can see big principles. We can consider Fuzhou as our own home. If we can't even manage our own home properly, do we have the qualifications to govern the country or bring peace to the world? If that's really the case, then let's just die in Fuzhou, anyway we won't be a match for them when we go out."

  Everyone fell silent, pondering Qian Bu Li's words.

  Money not leave Jie Dao: "From the day I took over as commander, I have been using unorthodox tactics to win, but I said it before, orthodoxy is the king's way! I don't want to continue like this, even if using unorthodox tactics can bring nine victories out of ten battles, just one defeat will lead the commander to a fate worse than death!"

  "We are now at a disadvantage in all aspects and cannot compete with the Wei family! Our army is not as large as theirs, and our generals are only a few...". Qian Buli swept his eyes over Wang Rui and several others: "We have not been tempered yet, so we should find a place to nurture our strengths, recruit soldiers and buy horses. Fuzhou is our only choice."

  Wang Rui and others lowered their heads in shame. If someone else had said such a thing, they would have stood up and protested long ago. But towards Qian Buli, they were convinced and obedient. Some things didn't need to be said out loud for them to understand, the gap was just too big.

  Jia Tianxiang hesitated for a moment: "But... even if we get to Fuzhou, the imperial court will still issue an order and we'll have to respond."

  "This is my business, as long as I get to Fuzhou, I will have a way to deal with them." Qian Buli walked back to his own seat, then gently grasped Ji Shengqing's hand and said softly: "Your Highness, please go to your room and wait for me for a while, I have something very important to tell you."

  Ji Shengqing hadn't yet snapped out of the daze from Qian Buli's words when she was suddenly grasped by his hand, causing her body to involuntarily tremble. Looking around, she saw that everyone was staring at their clasped hands, and Ji Shengqing's face flushed with embarrassment. Hurriedly standing up, she said in a low, mosquito-like voice: "Alright... I'll wait for you." After speaking, Ji Shengqing quickly ran out of the room.

  As soon as Jiyeon left, Qian Buli's face turned stern: "What I'm about to say must be kept confidential. If anyone dares to leak even a hint of it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Jia Tianxiang was stunned for a moment, and his face immediately turned pale. He had a vague guess in his mind, but he didn't dare to believe it, and could only secretly hope that it wasn't true! At this moment, seeing Qian Buli send Ji Sheng away, and then speak in such a stern tone, Jia Tianxiang suddenly thought of his own guess, and his heart became flustered.

  "The queen, Ji Shenglie and Wei Chiyun dare to plot against the prince, it can only mean one thing, Your Majesty won't live for much longer." Qian Buli said slowly: "You must keep this matter in mind, absolutely cannot let the prince suspect anything! Do you understand?"

  Wang Rui and others' faces all changed, Jia Tianxiang trembled and said: "Commander... how confident are you in your judgment?"

  "At least seven out of ten, otherwise, even if the queen had a grudge against the princess, Wei Chi Feng Yun wouldn't dare to take such a great risk and conspire with the queen to harm the princess." Qian Bu Li sighed: "Our future path is going to be very difficult..."