The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#741 - Wonderful chess

【Silently recite the website three times. Do you remember it? If you don't remember, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It would be best to share it on Facebook, oh】

Yingying thought for a moment and felt that her father was right.

Meanwhile, Master Luo stroked his beard and continued, "On the way here, I thought carefully and realized that the official's choice to sneak into Yu Province secretly was both a risky move and a brilliant one."

"Father, what do you mean by this?"

"The official's sacred name still holds weight. After raising an army, many states and counties quickly gathered in response, attacking cities and seizing territories all the way, with unstoppable momentum. The three chieftains of the Northwest Three Provinces, seeing this situation, have also sent envoys to show their goodwill."

"If the official can eventually bring these three provinces into his grasp and gain the assistance of the Northwest cavalry, he will be able to build a truly strong army. However, if he wants to compete with the False Emperor for the world, he still lacks two things."

"Which two things?"

"The hearts of the people and provisions. First, let's talk about the hearts of the people. Nowadays, disasters are constantly occurring everywhere, and refugees are rising up. The False Emperor has been using troops for years, and the taxes are getting higher and higher, which has made many ordinary people miserable. Naturally, many old people have begun to recall the benevolent rule of the official when he was in power, but this is only a minority after all.

"The official was emperor decades ago. Younger people simply don't know what kind of person the official is. Naturally, they have doubts about whether the official can save them from fire and water and give them a better life. Therefore, if we want to gather the hearts of the people that the False Emperor has lost, we still need to discuss it in the long term."

"Secondly, there are provisions. As the saying goes, before the soldiers move, provisions must go first. If you want to pull together a sufficient number of troops, you first need to solve the problem of provisions. This must be the reason why the official left the other battle unattended and ran here.

"Although Yu Province is now plagued by bandits and the people's livelihood is declining, no matter how chaotic it is, this is the granary of the north. If we can take this place in one fell swoop and work hard to govern it for a year or two to restore its vitality, then there will be no need to worry about provisions anymore.

"Moreover, the official's capture of Yu Province also means that the False Emperor has lost Yu Province, a major grain-producing province. Then the grain supply for the capital can only rely on water transport, and the waterway is so long that it cannot be defended at all. Once it is cut off in the middle, the entire Lintian Prefecture, with its millions of people, will be waiting to starve together."

"At that time, the official will not even need to send troops to fight. The False Emperor will only be able to abandon the city and flee. Therefore, I say that taking Yu Province is a brilliant move, but Yu Province is very close to the capital after all.

"Once the False Emperor notices something is wrong, he will definitely send heavy troops to attack. Therefore, before we have recruited enough garrison troops, the best approach is to remain as low-key as possible. I think this is why the official is building forts and stationing troops here."

Master Luo finished speaking in one breath, and Yingying was also sincerely convinced, "Father's analysis of the general trend of the world is indeed insightful and enlightening."

Master Luo first showed a complacent expression, but then sighed, "I am good at observing the affairs of the world, especially good at the art of diplomacy, but unfortunately, I have wasted more than forty years in this remote and desolate place, and it has been difficult to meet a wise ruler. Now that I have seen the True Dragon, then I, Luo, should use all my knowledge to help him establish his reign over the Nine Provinces."

Master Luo's bold words were sonorous and powerful.

Yingying was somewhat surprised to hear this, "Didn't Father say on the way here that he would first meet that Zhaozong before deciding whether to rely on him? Why have you made a decision now?"

"No need," Master Luo shook his head, "Before I came here, I did have some concerns in my heart, but after seeing this earthen fort, I have already seen the official's ambition and strategy. If such a person is not a wise ruler, then there is no wise ruler in this world."

While this father and daughter were talking, Lu Jing had already come out to greet them.

Afterwards, he led the two to the council hall on the mountainside.

This was originally the Loyalty Hall of the Azure Dragon Stronghold.

There was no other way. Lu Jing's manor was newly built, so he could only pick the most urgent things first. The walls were almost repaired, but as for the buildings inside, there was no time to work on them for the time being.

He could only use the existing ones for the time being. Anyway, this place usually doesn't have many visitors. Lu Jing rarely uses the council hall, so he didn't build a new one.

As a result, after entering the manor, Master Luo nodded inwardly all the way.

Although there were not too many people here, their mental outlook was very good, and they looked like they were in high spirits, and everyone seemed to have a strong yearning for tomorrow.

And this is a powerful proof of the vigorous development of a new force.

Master Luo picked up the tea brought up by the peasant woman from the manor and thought happily.

Meanwhile, Lu Jing exchanged a few pleasantries with the two, and by the way, asked Master Luo and his daughter if they had encountered any trouble on the way to express his concern, and then found an excuse to slip away.

However, he didn't slip away too far, and waited under the nearby pergola for the fake Zhaozong who had rushed over.

Lu Jing tugged at the latter's apron, "Why don't you change out of your cooking clothes?"

"I've only done half of my roasted whole lamb. I have to go back and continue making it later," the fake Zhaozong said with good reason.

"Hey, never mind your whole lamb for now. Help me get through this first," Lu Jing asked a clever-looking young man to get clothes for the fake Zhaozong.

Then he asked the latter, "Do you still remember how to play Zhu Zhen?"

Perhaps it had been too long since he had played the emperor, and the fake Zhaozong's business was a bit rusty. He stood on the spot and thought for a while before raising his eyebrows and shouting, "Bold! Who are you, daring to question my authenticity!"

"It feels a bit too forceful, like a stage actor," Lu Jing frowned.

So the fake Zhaozong closed his eyes and thought for a while, and when he opened his eyes again, his tone was a little calmer, "Now is the time to employ people. With the help of the gentleman, why worry that the world will not be settled."

"It's got a bit of that flavor, can you add a bit more of the aura of a superior?"

The fake Zhaozong shook his head, "I can't do it anymore. I haven't been learning for very long, only three months at most. This is almost my limit. Mr. Ji originally said that I could learn as I go, but then I met Grand Knight Lu, and didn't I change careers?"

The fake Zhaozong also felt a little aggrieved when he said this.

Lu Jing didn't want to ask for anything more, so he nodded and said, "Okay, then you can go and meet that Master Luo. Remember to try to act like him as much as possible, and find some excuse to send him away as soon as possible. Well, not too early, after all, people have come all the way, you can eat New Year's Eve dinner before leaving."

【When the chapter started, I asked you to recite it three times, do you remember? Sharing on Facebook may have surprises, oh】