Chapter 840 Rebellious Bone

"If you want to ask, ask yourself."

The Sword Saint said, looking at Liu Dahu.

"Father... they're the ones who sent me to ask you."

Liu Dahu felt a little aggrieved.

"When Hero Chen came to find your father, he hauled water and chopped firewood for our family, seeking only a pointer or two from me;

Seeking the sword is also a form of seeking knowledge and learning. Since you have doubts, it would be one thing if there was no one to ask, but since there is someone right in front of you, why be ashamed to ask?

Without a fearless heart, how can you achieve the Way of Fearlessness?"

Liu Dahu's face flushed red from the Sword Saint's words.

Outside the commander's tent, Chen Xianba and Zheng Man exchanged a look, both feeling a bit sheepish.

It was they who had encouraged Liu Dahu to find the Sword Saint.

"Father, I'm afraid I'll ask something I shouldn't, and be blamed by the Prince."

The Sword Saint glared at his stepson, annoyed, and said:

"He'd punish you under military law just for asking a question? He'd chop you up?"

The implication was, is your father's face worth so little?

This was a tacit understanding everyone knew, but the problem was, Liu Dahu had always been unwilling to acknowledge this tacit understanding.

Young men have the pride of young men;

The Sword Saint waved his hand and said, "Look at you, so lacking in ambition."

Liu Dahu could only walk out.

Chen Xianba reached out and patted Liu Dahu's shoulder, saying, "Forget it, let's just ask ourselves."

Even guards were divided into different ranks. The three of them were responsible for matters inside and outside the Prince's command tent, equivalent to adjutants in later generations.

Right now, the moon was faint and the stars were sparse. The army was encamped here, not far from Sanshan Pass. The vanguard, perhaps, had already begun engaging in battle.

But the central command tent still maintained a slow and steady pace.

Chen Xianba waved his hand.

Liu Dahu brought in freshly brewed tea, Zheng Man followed with the wash water, and Chen Xianba, after entering, began to add oil to the lamps in the tent. Everything was no different from usual;

The Prince was reclining on a tiger skin rug, reading a book.

The army was divided into three routes, and his route was further divided into front, middle, and rear sections, so the Prince didn't have too much official business to handle at the moment.

The book was found in the Zhao Kingdom's palace, and it recorded the secrets of the Zhao Kingdom's emperors throughout the ages;

This should be a great secret of the royal family, but there had always been someone in the Zhao royal family dedicated to recording it. Of course, it couldn't be made public; only the Zhao kings of each generation could flip through it to see what their ancestors had done.

The Prince skipped over matters of state, foreign affairs, and court politics, and focused on the secrets, which included no shortage of incestuous affairs;

He was reading with great interest when he suddenly realized that these three hadn't left after finishing their tasks.

Putting down the book,

Zheng Fan looked at the three of them.

Chen Xianba took the lead in kneeling down and saluting, saying:

"Your Highness, this subordinate has a question about this campaign that I'm unsure whether to ask."

Liu Dahu and Zheng Man also knelt down.

All three were determined to become generals.

Liu Dahu still needed to grow, Zheng Man had enough wolfishness since childhood, and as for Chen Xianba, his merits and abilities were more than enough to be sent out as a deputy general.

All three were very motivated, and they were doing their best to understand and learn while by the Prince's side;

After all,

Everyone in the army knew that General Liang Cheng and General Jin Shuke were both trained by the Prince himself.

But there were rules in the army, some things should be asked, and some shouldn't. The three brothers were really unsure, and even the most irritable Chen Xianba was always as docile as a quail in front of the Prince;

Therefore, they had previously encouraged Liu Dahu to ask the Sword Saint, after all, they had seen the relationship between the Prince and the Sword Saint on weekdays.

Most importantly,

The Sword Saint seemed to often ask the Prince questions.

But the Sword Saint only asked things he wanted to ask himself, he wouldn't go so far as to help these three kids to inquire, and besides, it wasn't in line with the rules. What would it be if he asked Zheng Fan and then turned around to teach them?

"Ask."

Seeing the Prince agree, the three brothers all breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Xianba opened his mouth and said;

"Your Highness, this subordinate has learned that when the Yishan Earl wanted to set up an ambush in advance to swallow up the troops returning to the Zhao Kingdom's capital from Sanshan Pass, Third Master stopped the Yishan Earl according to your instructions.

Then why now, after those troops have returned to Sanshan Pass, is our army now going to attack it?"

Why not attack them in the wild, why wait for them to return to the pass before attacking?

Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart, no, it's like taking off your pants and deliberately standing on stilts to fart.

Zheng Fan tapped his finger lightly on the commander's desk and said:

"Because this Prince did not expect beforehand that the Zhao Kingdom's capital would actually open its gates and surrender, which has had a great impact on this Prince's original plan."

Sometimes, if your opponent suddenly becomes very weak, don't be in a hurry to be happy, because your rhythm may also be disrupted as a result. It seems like you've gained an advantage, but you may fall into confusion next.

Zheng Fan picked up his tea, took a sip, and continued:

"Zhao Kingdom, a small country, if it doesn't have the intervention of a great power behind it, any one of the three kingdoms of Yan, Chu, and Qian could easily destroy it.

This Zhao Kingdom's capital, to this Prince, is not that important.

This Prince's original plan was for the three armies to create pressure on the Qian-Chu allied forces in Liang Prefecture by means of wandering and looting, while also allowing our army to look for weaknesses.

Like those fake masters in the martial world sparring, they like to circle around several times, essentially, it's about the same.

It's like playing chess, this Prince has already made a move, and it's their turn to respond, and then, this Prince can adapt accordingly.

A general, traveling alone for thousands of miles, likes to use surprise troops, this is ability. This Prince liked to do this when he was young, but at that time this Prince was just a general under the Prince's command.

When a commander, one must consider the overall situation;

Li Fusheng can lose, if he loses, at worst the situation will be passive;

If this Prince loses, the situation will collapse.

You must understand this principle.

The one who didn't understand recently, surnamed Nian, is now a eunuch in the imperial palace of the capital."

The three brothers nodded like chicks pecking rice.

Zheng Fan continued:

"The reason why I didn't eat up that Zhao army from Sanshan Pass at the beginning was because there was no need, it would only disrupt this Prince's own rhythm; now, this Prince has taken the Zhao Kingdom's capital, and that general from Sanshan Pass, surnamed Guan, has proclaimed himself king.

His family is still in the capital, and they have been detained, but it is said that he also has an extramarital affair, that is, he also has illegitimate children, and their age is not very old.

Most importantly, under the premise of the large army of my Great Yan pressing down on the border, he dares to directly proclaim himself king and openly oppose my Great Yan, he must have something to rely on.

Moreover, when he was stationed at Sanshan Pass, he once actively cooperated with the Qian-Chu allied forces to encircle and annihilate the Tiger Might Earl, which means that he and the Qian-Chu have a very deep connection.

I think,

What happened in the capital of Zhao Kingdom has been transmitted to Liang Prefecture.

That general, surnamed Guan, proclaimed himself king, he has received a guarantee, he has the confidence to gamble for the riches on this dragon throne."

Liu Dahu was digesting the Prince's words,

Zheng Man was pondering,

Chen Xianba suddenly looked up, realizing:

"The Prince has never cared about that Zhao army, the Prince's purpose is not that Zhao army."

Zheng Fan looked at Chen Xianba,

Logically speaking,

At this time, he should show a gratified smile and praise him as a promising youngster;

But perhaps he had been a "villain" for too long, or perhaps the dark side of his heart was too great, or more likely because he himself had had that kind of "amazing and brilliant" image in front of the Prince of Jingnan back then;

Looking at Chen Xianba now,

It was like looking at himself back then;

It's just that he had Liang Cheng giving him private tutoring back then, and could even get the answers in advance, while Chen Xianba completely relied on his own talent.

This child who came out of a Yan Prefecture fishing village, he really was born to be a great general.

Chen Xianba naturally didn't know what the Prince in front of him was thinking, he continued excitedly:

"This is Your Highness's adaptation, that one proclaimed himself king, and Your Highness ordered the Yishan Earl to lead the vanguard to attack Sanshan Pass, and Your Highness personally leads the central army to follow up."

As Chen Xianba spoke, he stood up, walked to the map in front of the commander's tent, and pointed to a location in front of Sanshan Pass:

"Our army is stationed here now, continuing east will reach Sanshan Pass, but this subordinate believes that Your Highness has no intention of joining the battle from here, but plans to go around the back from here tomorrow.

Our army is mainly cavalry, and our pace can reduce the time more than the Qian-Chu allied forces, and Your Highness, is best at large-scale cavalry maneuvers.

At Sanshan Pass, there must be Qian-Chu allied forces, they plan to take the opportunity of our army attacking the Zhao army at Sanshan Pass to conduct a counter-ambush against our army.

And Your Highness has long since discerned this move, this is using the Yishan Earl's vanguard as bait, and our central army as a backup, going around the back of Sanshan Pass, blocking the retreat of this part of the Qian-Chu allied forces, and completely eating up this part of the Qian-Chu allied forces in a pincer attack."

Chen Xianba became more and more excited as he spoke,

He even reached out and drew circles non-stop in the area of Sanshan Pass,

"Sanshan Pass is the link between Zhao and Liang Prefecture, taking this place, swallowing up this army of the Qian-Chu allied forces, the west gate of Liang Prefecture, will be opened to our army.

The defense of Liang Prefecture, will thus have a loophole.

At that time,

If the Qian-Chu allied forces sit idly by and ignore this loophole, our army can immediately penetrate into Liang Prefecture from here, and take the initiative in one fell swoop. As long as we entangle with them, at least half of the other units of the Qian-Chu allied forces will completely lose the possibility of withdrawing from Liang Prefecture, which can be said to block their retreat.

If the Qian-Chu allied forces want to plug this hole, they must gather other units to force our army back;

But at that time, their other defenses will inevitably be empty, and our left and right armies can take the opportunity to cut into Liang Prefecture from Wei and Qi Prefecture, and have another larger-scale battle of Sanshan Pass, destroying the Qian-Chu allied forces in Liang Prefecture in one fell swoop!"

"Ah!"

After saying all this,

Chen Xianba sighed,

And said:

"Your Highness, this subordinate regrets coming here to be your guard."

"You're itching to lead troops out to fight alone?"

At this time, the Prince of the West was silently taking out a cigarette, and Liu Dahu, who was still in the process of "digesting," instinctively got up to help light the cigarette with a fire starter, but found that the cigarette in the Prince's hand was trembling slightly;

Liu Dahu "understood,"

Took the Prince's cigarette, and tapped it on the back of his hand. This was a detail that he was taught every day when leaving Nanmen Pass.

Hearing this, Chen Xianba shook his head and said:

"Because I discovered that the Prince's art of war, I may never be able to learn it all in this lifetime, and I'm unwilling not to learn it, but I'm unwilling to leave before I've finished learning it."

This flattery was laid on thick…

But you could see that this child was sincere when he said these words.

Anyone could see that this child had great luck.

The old Confucian scholar in the fishing village, abandoned the legitimate son of the Prince of the North, and was wholeheartedly on him. It could be imagined that in the eyes of the old Confucian scholar, once this child grew up, his achievements would not be lower than those of the Prince's son;

He himself, also had extremely strong martial arts talent, and at the same time had military talent;

This, couldn't help but remind Zheng Fan of Lao Tian, a war god in the eyes of the world.

"It's okay, the art of war still needs more understanding and personal practice, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Fan still didn't say anything about letting him lead a small force to gain experience.

It wasn't that he was reluctant, not that he was worried about his rapid growth,

In fact,

Giving opportunities so generously was more like killing by praise.

Go charge,

Go break through the enemy lines;

If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet; no matter how talented Chen Xianba was, he didn't have the configuration of the Seven Demon Kings by his side back then, if he was released early, he might die young.

"Yes, Your Highness, this subordinate understands."

"Come, Xianba, come to this Prince's side."

Although Chen Xianba was puzzled, he still obediently walked over.

"A little closer."

"Bend over."

"A little lower."

"Bring your head closer."

Chen Xianba was almost kneeling in front of the Prince,

The Prince of the West reached out and touched the back of Chen Xianba's head.

Then,

He touched it again.

"Alright, go down, you can ask directly if you have anything you want to ask in the future."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After asking his questions and receiving a promise from the Prince, Chen Xianba happily left the commander's tent with Liu Dahu and Zheng Man.

Zheng Fan sat behind the commander's desk for a while before getting up. He suddenly felt a little stuffy and wanted to go out for some fresh air, but as soon as he walked out of the tent, he saw the Sword Saint standing outside. Suddenly, Zheng Fan was startled.

"Why didn't you make a sound?"

Zheng Fan complained a little.

The Sword Saint opened his mouth and said;

"Just now, in the tent next to yours, Longyuan sensed that trace of murderous intent you were emitting..."

"Huh?"

Zheng Fan was a little surprised.

The Sword Saint then said; "I think, it's not directed at my Dahu."

"What are you thinking?"

The Sword Saint said, "If it was really directed at my Dahu, I would be so gratified."

"My mindset is not that low." Zheng Fan said, "But I am just an ordinary person, occasional emotional expression is not very normal?

It's like seeing a beauty on the street, if she is beautiful, I will take a few more glances, but it is only limited to taking a few more glances, I wouldn't be so out of character as to forcibly snatch a woman from the people.

Like that Zhao Kingdom's queen, oh no, the current Empress Dowager, that figure, tsk tsk, but I didn't even touch a finger?"

The Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan and said:

"Third Master once quarreled with North Master, and I heard a sentence."

"What sentence?"

"Explanation is justification, justification is fact, your words just now were a bit too much."

"You suddenly told me that I was revealing murderous intent, which makes me a little flustered."

"So, did I hit a nerve?"

Zheng Fan didn't answer.

"You are about to have children, and two of them, it is impossible that both are daughters, it is different to have a son, like Tian Wujing back then.

You killed Zhao Jiulang because Zhao Jiulang did that thing back then.

But now ask yourself, are you also worried that the Chen Xianba who grows up in the future will become another... you now?"

"I am very righteous."

"I know."

Zheng Fan simply sat on the ground,

Said;

"People themselves are the product of contradictions, I appreciate Chen Xianba, and I also hope to take good care of him, and there is one more thing, you are wrong."

The Sword Saint raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"

"I'm not afraid of Chen Xianba being like me, I'm afraid of him, not being like me."

Hearing this, the Sword Saint was thoughtful, and then nodded slightly.

Zheng Fan patted his knees and continued:

"Lao Yu, you and I are as close as brothers."

"That's too much..."

"You should understand me, I, Zheng Fan, have always disdained etiquette, ancestral systems, imperial power, and rules from the bottom of my heart, but how do I treat Lao Tian?"

The Sword Saint smiled.

If Chen Xianba could treat the Prince of the West in the future like the Prince of the West treated the Prince of Jingnan, there would really be nothing to worry about.

"Also, you said you sensed a trace of murderous intent."

"Yes."

"It's not that I'm afraid that this child will escape my control in the future, nor am I worried that my son won't be able to subdue him, I haven't actually considered these things.

I at the time,

Maybe just,

A little bit jealous of him."

Zheng Fan supported himself with both hands behind him, facing the bright moon;

"Seeing him, I think of myself back then, which makes me feel that I..."

The Sword Saint said; "Actually, you are not old."

Zheng Fan shook his head and said:

"Old."

The Sword Saint didn't sit or lie down with him, but continued to stand, saying:

"I think, maybe it's because you've been standing behind all the time, next time, you can rush forward again, maybe you'll feel like you've become younger again."

"No, no, no, you don't understand."

"I don't understand?"

"Sitting behind and sighing that you are 'old' is actually a kind of emotional sigh and... enjoyment."

"Heh."

For some reason, the Sword Saint thought of those three words that Mr. Li often liked to say at this time.

Those three words, sometimes placed on this Prince, became more and more appropriate as they were savored.

"Also, if I go forward to charge, your son, as my guard, will definitely follow me to charge, and at that time, will you protect your son first or protect me first?"

The Sword Saint replied without hesitation: "My son."

"You can pause for a moment before replying, you don't have to be so urgent."

The Sword Saint shook his head and said: "If I hesitate, I'm afraid you'll misunderstand."

"Hiss..."

Zheng Fan pointed to the Sword Saint standing there,

Said:

"Lao Yu, you really aren't like you used to be, how did you become like..."

"Why don't you say it?"

"I don't want to say it, I'm also afraid you'll misunderstand."

Zheng Fan patted his butt and stood up,

Said:

"Sleep, sleep, we have to start traveling tomorrow."

Saying that,

Zheng Fan turned around and looked at the Sword Saint again:

"You just said that if you don't charge and kill in front for too long, you will lose your youth, but in fact, if you encounter a smooth situation, I am too lazy to go up and show off.

All the situations that require me to lead the royal banner to personally press forward are the most dangerous and urgent situations."

"So, what does our Prince mean? Is he afraid that they will be difficult to fight, after all, they won against Li Fusheng."

Zheng Fan shook his head:

"No, I'm afraid that they aren't durable and not chewy enough."