Chapter 56: Boldly Laying One's Cards on the Table

  "Are you making Xun certain acknowledge you as his superior? Just because of your humble position as Protector of the Qiang?"

  Xun You's mouth curled up, his usual elegant and gentle demeanor completely gone, he slanted a disdainful glance at Li Zheng.

  "Not bad, Li thought to make Mr. Gong worship me as the master!" Li Zhuang stood up, his tall and sturdy body pressed forward, his eyes staring at Xun Yu, ignoring his disdain, solemnly said: "My secret will not be made public to outsiders, unless it is my own people!"

  Xun Yu gazed at him for a long time, suddenly burst out laughing, and then shook his head repeatedly.

  "Do you want to know where my war horse and equipment came from? Do you want to know what's going on with Can Mai and the Red Jade Bird? Do you want to know how I dared to provoke the Xiongnu people? Do you want to know why I'm not afraid of those captured rebels? It can be done, as long as Mr. Gong Da agrees to Li Mou's request, everything will be completely open to Mr. Gong Da!"

  Xun Yu heard this and his smile faded away, his face gradually calmed down, his eyes regained their clarity, and the smile on his face became increasingly strange.

  "But then, Xun must know the secret, yet doesn't want to acknowledge Li as his superior?"

  Li Zhong slowly sat down and smiled, saying: "Alright, but Mr. Gong Da can't leave Lingzhou for a short time."

  "Hehe, in a short time? What's the hurry?"

  "At least three years!" Li Zhēng laughed and said.

  "Oh? What's this supposed to mean?" Xun Yu also smiled: "Don't you know, General Li, the consequences of detaining me are something you can't afford?"

  "Hahaha... Mr. Gongda is famous all over the world, and also has Xunshi of Yingchuan as a backer, ordinary people naturally dare not come recklessly. However, at present Lianzhou is in chaos, communication is difficult, anything can happen, right? " Li Zhēn laughed and said with a change of tone: "Moreover, I also know that the 400-year-old Great Han will soon come to an end. At most three years, yes, at most three years, even if I openly raise the flag of rebellion, I have nothing to fear."

  Xun Yu's face changed color upon hearing this.

  "Xun Yu finally couldn't remain calm, his eyebrows deeply furrowed: 'It seems that not only one person can see the overall situation of the world, but I didn't expect that Fu Nan, a virtuous younger brother who is loyal to the Great Han in words, would also have such ambition!'"

  Li Zhong heard this and couldn't help but pause for a moment, letting out a faint sigh: "To be honest, if it were my brother who was leading the expedition against Han Sui instead of Zhang Wen, perhaps..."

  "Don't deceive yourself." Xun You sneered, "Even if Fu Nan Gong personally led the troops to conquer Han Shui, you would at most just put in a bit more effort. Can you still change your ambition?"

  "Not bad." Li Zhēng nodded slightly, with a hint of melancholy on his face: "Brother is someone who truly cares about me, and I must take his kindness to heart. However, my ideals must also be realized."

  "Oh? Your ideal? Let me guess, is it for the sake of the common people, for the sake of all living things?" Xun Yu's sarcasm grew thicker.

  "You're wrong."

  Li Zhēn burst into loud laughter: "I'm doing it for myself. You know, I've always felt that everything around me is constraining me, making it hard for me to move freely. I want to change all this, I want to be completely free and unrestrained! So, that lofty throne up there, I must have it!"

  Xun Yu was stunned.

  He never thought that there would be someone who would expose his ambition so nakedly in front of him. Even those with heroic qualities in his eyes, when facing him, only talked about justice and for the people.

  After a long time, Xun You finally sighed and bitterly said: "You are a selfish person, but fortunately, you have a bottom line. Otherwise, I would be afraid that I, Xun, might not have the chance to leave this Lingzhou City."

  Li Zhong felt a lot more relieved after saying those words, and smiled: "You can't. I can tell Mr. Gongda clearly that after saying these words, I don't want to spread them out for the time being. Finding trouble for myself is not my specialty."

  "So,"

  Li Zheng stood up with a refreshed body: "Let's go, Mr. Gongda, I'll take you to satisfy your curiosity right now."

  Xun Yu was taken aback: "Unconditional?"

  "Unconditionally, of course! If Gong Da is willing, I will naturally not refuse!" Li Zheng smiled and walked out of the hall, beckoning a guard to come over, whispering something in his ear, and amidst Xun You's raised eyebrows, led him away from the Colonel's residence.

  The second time he rode into battle on his green armor horse, Xun Yu was still marveling at him.

  This sturdy and majestic mount with sharp horns on its head is indeed extremely extraordinary.

  As they marched along the broad road, Xun Yu gazed out at the endless fields of wheat and barley stretching as far as the eye could see. He turned to Li Zong beside him and said, "Xun has been thinking that if this were a prosperous age, General Li would make a fine statesman. Perhaps the imperial court might even appoint you as Chancellor."

  Li Zhong smiled and shook his head, pointing to his brain: "Maybe in some ways I'm doing okay, but I have self-awareness. Now that I'm in control of this Lingzhou County, I've already racked my brains, let alone being a prime minister, governing the country."

  "As long as you grasp the overall direction, what can't be done? The details will naturally be taken care of by those below, no need for you to worry." Xun Yu replied.

  "That's what I said. But you also need capable people under your hands."

  As they chatted along the way, their relationship seemed to become even more intimate, just like friends, and the tension was no longer like when they were in the school's martial arts hall.

  Li Zhen himself didn't know what reason it was, maybe because his heart had opened up to Xun Yu.

  As for Xun Yu, it seems that he has forgotten Li Jue's coercion into acknowledging him as his master, and in his heart, there may also be corresponding feelings.

  Along the open road, after half an hour, Li Zhong and Xun Yu's group arrived at the outer edge of the pasture.

  Pointing at the forest in front of him, Li Zhuang said: "After passing through this forest, it is where my roots are. Mr. Gongda, welcome to Shen Zhou Grassland!"

  Xun You didn't say a word, still looking calm and serene, but his eyes revealed a searching gaze, as if he wanted to see through the forest.

  Entering the Divine State Grassland, what first catches the eye is nothing special. Some stables and houses, which are also very rough.

  Xun Yu turned his head and glanced at Li Zong, with a questioning expression on his face.

  Li Zhēn led the way forward, smiling and saying: "Don't be in a hurry, the more important things are naturally hidden deeper."

  The important buildings of the ranch are all in the middle and rear sections. There are hills blocking the view, and they cannot be seen from the entrance.

  Li Zhong led Xun Yu along a stone-paved path at the foot of the hill and the edge of the grassland, walking slowly towards the interior of the grassland. On the way, they saw giant beasts pulling huge carts, passing by their side.

  Xun Yu saw that these unsheltered carts were all filled with various minerals.

  He also saw that the people coming and going on this road were all in a hurry. They seemed to be in a hurry, but he saw the satisfaction and pride between their expressions.

  This is a lush meadow.

  Whether it is the pasture that still looks lush and green in the grassland or the spirited and invigorated people, all show this point.

  Along the stone slab road, winding around a small hill, Xun Yu saw a kind of gigantic domestic fowl. This bird was entirely fiery red, as if it were the purest flame. Its body was enormous, at least thirty pounds or more.

  "Is it... Red Jade Bird?" Xun Yu asked uncertainly.

  "It's indeed the Red Jade Bird." Li Zhēng smiled and said, "Currently, the Red Jade Bird population in the grasslands is developing very well. By next year at most, I will gradually promote this domesticated bird to every household in Líng State County. I think anyone has the right to enjoy this delicacy, of course, on the premise of being loyal to me."

  Xun Yu was silent for a moment before saying, "What are the advantages of this Red Jade Bird?"

  "What are the advantages? There are many." Li Zhuang introduced: "Firstly, although it has a big head, its growth cycle is very short, similar to ordinary chickens and ducks. Secondly, the eggs of the Red Jade Bird are also delicious, and as long as they are not hungry, they will definitely lay one egg per day. Most importantly, this poultry is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients, eating it for a long time can make people healthy and improve their physical fitness."

  "Indeed, it's a good thing!" Xun Yu exclaimed, but then said: "I think General Li's foundation is not stable yet, and he's in such a hurry to promote the Red Jade Bird, isn't he afraid of helping the enemy?"

  "What's the big deal? Even if Red Jade Bird spreads from Lingzhou, the base is too small and there isn't enough time to expand its scale. How can it be used against us? Take Han Shui for example, even if he gets his hands on Red Jade Bird and sees its benefits, by the time he's done promoting it, I'll just pluck the peaches!"

  Xun Yu was speechless.

  Just as they were saying this, another small hill was rounded and a group of massive spiny pigs also appeared before their eyes.

  Xun Yu briefly introduced the characteristics of the hedgehog pig, and the large-scale domestication field reappeared.

  Looking at the massive building complex built along the mountainous terrain, Xun Yu was somewhat surprised and said, "What is that again?"

  "Tamer's Arena." Li Zhēng smiled and said: "That can also be considered one of my foundations. As for what it specifically concerns, you'll know when the time comes."

  Just then, Zhao Wu arrived.

  Introduced to each other with Zhao Wu and Xun Yu, Xun Yu didn't seem to care much, but Zhao Wu was excited.

  Xun's family in Yingchuan is renowned throughout the world!

  As he walked along the taming arena, even a sideways glance made Xun Yu feel astonished. Just on the periphery of the stone road, in the compartments of the taming arena that Xun Yu saw, there were not only wild wolves and wild oxen, but also fierce beasts like tigers and bear dogs!

  Although he couldn't guess what the purpose of capturing and detaining these fierce beasts was, Xun Yu deeply knew that Li Zhong would absolutely not do it for fun.

  After passing through the taming beast arena and circling around two small hills, Li Zhēn's grassland manor appeared before his eyes.

  However, this mansion was unable to attract Xun You's attention. Xun You raised his head and slightly opened his mouth, looking at the several huge buildings behind Li Zheng's mansion!

  A building with a total height of over three zhang, Xun Yu had seen before, there were many in the Luoyang Palace. But the whole body is consistent, and it also has a metallic luster, as if it was made entirely of metal, he had never seen such a huge building before.

  Xun Yu followed Li Jing's footsteps and stepped into the War Horse Hall.

  As soon as he stepped in, he was stunned.

  The soft light in the hall shines everywhere. On the four walls, floor and synthetic operating room exterior wall, those mysterious, wandering light patterns seem like a divine skill!

  A magnificent warhorse hall, making him feel as if he was in a dream-like state.

  "This...this..."

  Xun Yu stretched out his hand and had no idea which direction he should point to.

  "You see, this is where one of my secrets lies."

  Li Zheng smiled and said: "Mr. Gongda doesn't need to be surprised, everyone in this grassland has already seen it all."

  *sigh*

  Xun Yu let out a long sigh, and for a moment his expression was dazed, completely at a loss for words.

  "Could this be the divine spirit of Taiyi?" Xun You muttered.

  "You can consider it done." Li Zhēng said with a smile, then turned to Zhao Wǔ and said: "I just saw that the animal training ground has several more bears, have someone bring them over."

  Zhao Wu roughly knew what Li Zhong was going to do and didn't dare to be slow. He hastily walked out of the hall and called for someone to go.

  Looking at Xun Yu who was still in a daze, Li Jing didn't wake him up.

  Xun Yu was shocked and frightened, perhaps it would have some unexpected effects.