Protect Our Patriarch

……

While the Wang Clan was bustling with chaos, dealing with numerous complicated matters, the distance between the armies of two nations and the Great Qian's border was rapidly closing.

War was gradually approaching.

In the buffer zone between the Great Qian and the Southern Qin, there was a vast area known as "Youmen Ridge."

Compared to other regions, this area had sparse vegetation, with bizarre and layered mountain ranges, making the geographical environment extremely complex. Numerous boiling hot springs gathered here, and the steam formed thick clouds that connected the sky and the earth. Thunderstorms and continuous rain were common occurrences.

Such a harsh environment seemed like an entrance to the underworld, hence it was called "Youmen Ridge."

Whether it was the Great Qian attacking the Southern Qin or the Southern Qin advancing towards the Great Qian, this "Youmen Ridge" was an unavoidable natural barrier.

At this moment.

Inside Youmen Ridge.

In several hidden valleys, faint glimmers of inscriptions could be seen on the undulating rocks, indicating that formations had been set up at some unknown time. The thick mist concealed the traces of the formations, enhancing the effect of this hidden array.

Beneath the formations, countless figures clad in dark armor lay silently in wait.

These people moved with precision and discipline, making little noise even when eating or drinking. The atmosphere was solemn and cold, and through the mist, they appeared as a dark mass, exuding an indescribable heavy pressure.

Clearly, these were three well-trained armies.

They lay in wait like three fierce beasts, seemingly ready to strike at the perfect moment and deliver a devastating blow to the enemy.

The central army was known as the "Canglong Third Regiment," one of the nine elite regiments of the Great Qian.

The nine Canglong Regiments were one of Emperor Longchang's lifelong achievements and one of his proudest "creations."

The Great Qian's territory could reach its current scale largely thanks to these nine regiments.

Since three of the Canglong Regiments were stationed on the outer region battlefield, only six were permanently stationed within the Great Qian.

The "Canglong Third Regiment" had returned from the outer region battlefield five years ago. After five years of rest and replenishment, they were now full of morale and ready for battle at any moment.

Assisting the Canglong Third Regiment in the ambush mission were two of the Great Qian's main regiments—the White Tiger Regiment and the Xiqu Regiment.

In his youth, Emperor Longchang was very fond of war, and he had a severe fear of insufficient military power. Thus, he vigorously built up the military, even at the cost of implementing a military family system and a military governance system, which Wang Shouzhe criticized.

From towns to garrisons and then to commanderies, the military system held sway, with the highest officials also coming from the military system, serving as town guards, city guards, and commandery governors.

The advantage of this was that a significant portion of city taxes, commandery taxes, and national taxes would be prioritized for military construction, ensuring that the military maintained strong combat power and could replace national taxes to support ordinary regiments, greatly reducing the national tax expenditure on the military.

The downside was that the military's control over governance often led to neglect in local development. Even with the intention to develop, the remaining tax funds were insufficient due to the need to support the military, making local development difficult.

This was also why Taishi Ankang was willing to let Wang Shouzhe take charge.

With tight finances in the commandery, unable to afford development, he was naturally pleased to have someone willing to help. After all, with the military power in hand, he wasn't afraid of the local families rebelling.

Additionally, Emperor Longchang feared that the military system's power would become too great, leading to local military separatism, so he decreed that a garrison town's city guard must rotate every twenty to thirty years.

Without long-term interests, it was difficult for people to focus on developing and building the local area.

As a result, the development situation in the various commanderies and garrisons within the Great Qian was uneven, with development largely depending on the local families' initiative. Families like the Wang Clan, willing to invest in infrastructure development, saw good local development. In contrast, areas with irresponsible families saw the local populace living more difficult lives.

Fortunately, the Great Qian's cabinet functions were relatively complete, and the Supervisory Office maintained strict oversight. Even if local families wanted to monopolize and amass wealth, they had to be cautious, not daring to incite public outrage, as seen with the Zuoqiu's Clan from Qing'an Commandery, a dignified fourth-grade family, which immediately backed down upon realizing they had stirred public resentment.

Every national policy has its pros and cons.

Emperor Longchang's military policy significantly increased the Great Qian's overall military strength.

Though it might not be apparent in peacetime, once a full-scale national war broke out, even without counting the troops stationed on the outer region battlefield, the Great Qian could mobilize forty formal regiments, fourteen main regiments, and six elite regiments at any time.

If they disregarded the outer region battlefield and recalled all Great Qian troops, their overall combat power could increase by an additional fifty percent. If it came to a one-on-one fight, whether against the Southern Qin or the Western Jin, the Great Qian could easily defeat them.

As a result.

The Western Jin and Southern Qin often acted together. If one had a military conflict with the Great Qian, the other would join the war, fearing the consequences of inaction.

At this moment.

In a seemingly ordinary large tent within the Canglong Third Regiment, a group of big shots was gathered.

The Canglong Regiments were considered "elite" because they were the best-resourced, best-equipped, and most capable regiments in the Great Qian, with the strongest combat power. Additionally, many of the regiment's core members were royal descendants.

Moreover, the regiment's commander and two deputy commanders were all Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.

The commander was usually a commandery prince from the royal family with outstanding military skills. The commander of the Third Regiment was the royal family's Commandery Prince Ning, Wu Yingjun.

Commandery Prince Ning was nearly five hundred years old, with cultivation at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. Even among the many Purple Mansion Realm commandery princes in the royal family, his strength was quite prominent, having achieved good results in several internal competitions within the royal family.

Excluding the great prodigies, his strength was among the top in the royal family, incomparable to those like Commandery Prince Rong and Commandery Prince Fu, who idled away their days.

In the tent, Commandery Prince Ning, still appearing as a middle-aged man, had a burly figure and a fierce expression. When seated, he exuded a domineering and intimidating aura.

He was a typical battlefield warrior, renowned even on the outer region battlefield.

As for the requirements for deputy commanders, they were not as strict. They could be royal descendants or Purple Mansion Masters from military families or local families.

The two deputy commanders of the Canglong Third Regiment were one from the royal family and one from the Great Qian Chen's Clan.

The royal deputy commander was "Wu Zhixing," the newly appointed Commandery Prince Hong of the Great Qian.

Although he was defeated by Wang Liyao back then, Commandery Prince Hong Wu Zhixing was a great prodigy of the royal family with immense future potential. Over the years, he had focused on cultivation and successfully advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm, becoming a key member of the royal family.

Placing him in the Canglong Third Regiment, with the veteran Commandery Prince Ning personally guiding him, showed how much Prince An valued him, striving to cultivate him.

In this tent, besides the three Purple Mansion cultivators of the Canglong Third Regiment, there was also a middle-aged man in dark armor sitting in the main seat.

He had a stern expression and a serious demeanor, exuding an aura of a significant figure.

Compared to Commandery Prince Ning Wu Yingjun and Commandery Prince Hong Wu Zhixing, his presence was much stronger, easily commanding the respect of everyone present.

This person was the newly appointed Prince Yongheng of the Great Qian royal family, Wu Han Heng.

Prince Yongheng had been famous even during his time as a commandery prince.

Back then, he was known as "Commandery Prince Heng" and had opened a "White Cloud Tower" in Guilong City. Over the years, with gimmicks like the "Big Eater Competition" and the "Prodigy Battle," White Cloud Tower's business became exceptionally prosperous.

Because of this, even though Prince Yongheng was a newly appointed prince, he was considered a wealthy big shot among the Great Qian's princes, with luxurious equipment.

This time, Prince An sent him to the front lines, partly as a royal overseer to supervise the front-line operations and partly to serve as high-end combat power.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the reports from our reconnaissance lines on the front lines, the Southern Qin army has already reached the outskirts of Youmen Ridge, led by the Southern Qin's old Grand Marshal Murong Kaifeng," Prince Yongheng said solemnly. "Murong Kaifeng is a seasoned warrior with countless battles under his belt, holding a high position and prestige in the Southern Qin."

"Importantly, he is thorough and cautious, so we must not show any flaws."

"His Highness the Prince is absolutely right."

Upon hearing this, the man seated next to Prince Yongheng nodded in agreement.

This man had a jade-like face and a handsome appearance, looking like a young man, yet he sported a bit of facial hair, adding a touch of maturity and depth. With his wide robes and flowing sleeves, he exuded an air of elegance and composure.

This handsome man was Wang Shizhao, the current young clan leader of the Changning Wang's Clan and Wang Shouzhe's eldest grandson.

Although he was only a fourth-grade official in the Great Qian, he was a close confidant of Prince An, assisting him in handling various national affairs in the capital, essentially serving as Prince An's chief secretary.

Despite being only a hundred years old and still a distance away from the Purple Mansion Realm, no one present, not even Prince Yongheng, dared to underestimate Wang Shizhao.

He was not only a representative of Prince An's will but also of the Changning Wang's Clan's will. The Changning Wang's Clan had arranged for him to follow a political path.

Although no one openly stated it, everyone knew that one day, he would replace Ancestor Yinda of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion as the new "cabinet chief."

After agreeing with Prince Yongheng, Wang Shizhao added, "Murong Kaifeng has the full trust of Emperor Yuan You and has been fully entrusted with military power. This time, in invading our Great Qian, the Southern Qin royal family's elite Kylin Regiments have sent two, along with five main regiments, ten ordinary regiments, and thirty corpse puppet regiments. Their strength is indeed formidable."

The Southern Qin was generally weaker than the Great Qian, with only four regiments worthy of being called elite nationwide and only nine main regiments, with some stationed on the outer region battlefield.

This time, they had dispatched so many regiments, practically an all-out effort.

However, they had an advantage in the form of corpse puppet regiments made from "death row criminals." Ordinary corpse puppets were slightly weaker than regular soldiers but fearless, unaffected by morale, and could fight to the last soldier without retreating. They also carried corpse poison, making them a nuisance even in death.

Their so-called "death row criminals" were just a facade.

The Southern Qin's laws ultimately served the great nobles, and there weren't that many death row criminals. To meet the numbers for corpse puppets, they often gathered slaves with no human rights and mass-produced them into corpse puppets.

These corpse puppet regiments had long been a headache for the Great Qian.

Fortunately, making corpse puppets also required resources, consuming not only population but also materials. Although the materials for ordinary corpse puppets were relatively common and not expensive, the sheer quantity still amounted to a significant financial expenditure.

Moreover, materials didn't appear out of thin air. Yin Kui wood needed time to grow, and mining and initial forging of yin-attributed ores also required time. The short-term consumption of large quantities of materials would lead to price increases, and even the finished corpse puppets would gradually decay over time, reducing their combat effectiveness. Under these circumstances, even corpse puppet regiments couldn't produce unlimited troops.

Otherwise, if they could produce millions or tens of millions of corpse puppet armies, even the Great Qian would have to retreat.

"Shizhao, you and Prince An have been mysteriously working on tactics," Prince Yongheng asked. "Can you tell us the specific requirements for this ambush? Although Youmen Ridge is treacherous, with our forward ambush forces, it's challenging to achieve significant results against such a large Southern Qin army."

Prince Yongheng understood that the highest command of this forward force was nominally him as the overseer prince, but in reality, it was Wang Shizhao. Prince An was concerned that Wang Shizhao's age, cultivation, and experience might not command respect, so he sent Prince Yongheng to hold the fort.

The specific tactical arrangements were still Wang Shizhao's responsibility.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this battle is of great importance, and the principles of the specific battle plan are complex and must not be leaked. Therefore, the tactics have been kept confidential," Wang Shizhao stood up, bowed apologetically, and said, "This is a necessary measure, and I hope you all understand."

"Master Wang, there's no need to worry," the commander of the Canglong Third Regiment, Commandery Prince Ning, quickly stood up and returned the salute. "Our duty as soldiers is to follow orders and maintain confidentiality. No matter how absurd the order, as long as it's legal, even if it's a dead end ahead, we soldiers must charge forward."

"Commandery Prince Ning is a true battlefield warrior," Wang Shizhao praised before sitting down again and solemnly said, "Considering the overall interests, our Canglong Third Regiment, White Tiger Regiment, and Xiqu Regiment, the three regiments, are nominally hunters but are actually bait."

"Bait?" Commandery Prince Ning's face darkened. "An elite regiment and two main regiments are being used as bait?"

"Otherwise, how could we make Murong Kaifeng tempted?" Wang Shizhao said calmly.

"If the three regiments are bait, then who will be the hunter?" Prince Yongheng frowned slightly. "Our Great Qian's Jianling Pass is six hundred miles in a straight line from Youmen Ridge, and the mountain roads are winding and difficult, making it more than a thousand miles in actual distance. It's impossible to mobilize troops from Jianling Pass in time for the hunt, right?"

"Your Highnesses, please be patient," Wang Shizhao said. "This Youmen Ridge itself is a giant 'hunter.'"

"What do you mean by that?" Prince Yongheng became interested. "Could this be another idea from Shouzhe?"

During the Imperial Heir Struggle, the factions of Prince Dexin and Prince Deshun fought fiercely, but in reality, most of the royal princes and capital big shots didn't get involved and watched from the sidelines, including Prince Yongheng.

It wasn't that they didn't want to, but the national policy and Emperor Longchang didn't allow it.

Commandery princes were better off, but princes, especially great prodigies like Prince Yongheng, were secretly monitored by Emperor Longchang's people and weren't allowed to openly interfere in the Imperial Heir Struggle.

In essence, they were voters and judges, supposed to be neutral. Once they took sides, they couldn't remain fair and impartial.

But even without personal involvement, many big shots still remembered the events vividly.

Since Wang Shouzhe entered the capital, he had stirred up the entire Imperial Capital from the Four Seasons Garden of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and his methods were truly astonishing.

Even as a bystander, Prince Yongheng was left in awe by Wang Shouzhe's ability to manipulate events.

If possible, no one in the Great Qian would want to go against Wang Shouzhe.

"Your Highness, to explain this matter, we must start with the Imperial Heir Struggle," Wang Shizhao said, bowing slightly, and began to explain. "The Imperial Heir Struggle represented the transition of old and new powers and was the most chaotic and vulnerable time for the Great Qian."

"To prevent the Southern Qin and Western Jin from taking advantage, our Wang Clan began researching how to resist the Southern Qin and Western Jin from that time and made some preparations. We mapped out detailed maps of the buffer zones between the Southern Qin and the Great Qian, as well as between the Western Jin and the Great Qian, and studied every geographical feature."

"Youmen Ridge has numerous high-temperature hot springs and many geysers. My grandfather speculated that there might be an active mantle plume beneath it. Therefore, decades ago, we commissioned the Longzuo Wang's Clan and Monan Wang's Clan to conduct in-depth surveys of the depths of Youmen Ridge and calculated several weak points of the plume..."

Wang Shizhao spoke at length.

Prince Yongheng found that he understood every word Wang Shizhao said, but when put together, he couldn't grasp the meaning.

"In short, our Wang Clan has arranged everything, and we can detonate Youmen Ridge at any time, turning it into a sea of infernal flames."

Prince Yongheng understood this sentence.

At this point, he and the others present finally understood the tactical plan and the Wang Clan's arrangements.

Prince Yongheng's eyes showed a hint of complexity: "I didn't expect Wang Shouzhe to have been preparing for a joint attack by the Southern Qin and Western Jin since the Imperial Heir Struggle. No wonder Commandery Prince Kang was no match for him back then."

He had thought that Shouzhe's methods against Commandery Prince Kang were already ingenious, but it turned out he had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Commandery Prince Ning frowned and said with dissatisfaction, "It's just luck that we have Youmen Ridge between us and the Southern Qin. But on the Western Jin side, it's not easy to block them."

"Since things have reached this point, there's no need to hide anything," Wang Shizhao said, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "On the Western Jin side, there's indeed no Youmen Ridge, but don't forget that my father, Wang Zong'an, has been digging a giant canal from the Western Sea to the Imperial Capital and the Dala Great Desert since the Imperial Heir Struggle."

"This canal requires the construction of multiple large reservoirs and a dam in the Western Sea Bay due to the terrain. These dams and reservoirs not only ensure the smooth operation of the canal but also serve as a means of defense."

"However, this plan can only work once, so it has been conducted in secret. Everyone thinks the canal project is just a civil engineering project."

Prince Yongheng was taken aback: "I'm even a shareholder of the 'Dala Development Joint Office,' and I didn't know about this?"

"Very few people know about this, not even His Majesty," Wang Shizhao explained. "My grandfather said that His Majesty has a tendency to be overly ambitious. If he knew we had a trump card, he wouldn't be content and might cause trouble before abdicating."

Goodness!

Prince Yongheng praised, "What I admire most about Master Wang Shouzhe is his boldness, even daring to criticize His Majesty. Unlike us royal juniors, who are like mice before a cat when we see him."

"This is called being strong because of having no desires," Wang Shizhao said. "Our Wang Clan only wants to develop the family steadily and live a peaceful life. We have no ambition to rule the world and don't need His Majesty to reward us with anything. The Wu Clan is also loyal to the Great Qian, following every law and regulation. Any advice given is for the overall benefit of the nation. Even if His Majesty is displeased, he can't find fault with us."

"Moreover, there's no law in the Great Qian that says even if the Emperor makes a mistake, no one can speak, and the policies he enacts can't be discussed by ministers. If that were the case, why did the Wu Clan of the Great Qian join forces with other families to establish a nation? They might as well have created their own dynasty."

Of course, Wang Shouzhe dared to do this partly because of Emperor Longchang's personality.

Although Emperor Longchang would jump in anger and threaten to make things difficult for Wang Shouzhe whenever he criticized him, in reality, he never used his status as Emperor to oppress or coerce with force. Even when truly angry, he would only release his aura.

Emperor Longchang might seem capricious and have many flaws, but when it came to national affairs, he had a strong sense of boundaries.

The Great Qian Wang's Clan was a good example. Although they didn't side with Emperor Longchang during the Imperial Heir Struggle, and he was always displeased with them, he secretly protected them twice when they were in decline. Otherwise, under the Zhao Clan's suppression, they might have fallen out of the third-grade families long ago.

Prince Yongheng rolled his eyes and said, "You speak well, but aren't you aiming for the position of cabinet chief, Shizhao? Do you know how the nobles in Guilong City refer to you now? Little Cabinet Elder, yes, you're the 'Little Cabinet Elder.'"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shizhao's expression turned somewhat resentful: "Your Highness, don't think I enjoy it. Prince An insisted on having my grandfather assist in governance, but my grandfather... he'd rather stay home and farm than suffer in the center of power."

"Later, when Prince An couldn't persuade him, he turned to my father. But my father used the excuse of not abandoning the construction of the Dala Great Desert to refuse Prince An's invitation... Eventually, when Prince An wouldn't relent, my grandfather calculated and decided that among the direct line, I was the most useless, so he sent me to the Imperial Capital to deal with Prince An."

Yes.

Deal with.

That's what my grandfather said at the time...

Sigh~ Poor me, Wang Shizhao, a young clan leader of the Wang's Clan, with average talent, just an ordinary great prodigy, and the least promising among the direct line. In this lifetime, I can only muddle through as a cabinet chief.

Ah~ I'm such a failure~~

"The plan is indeed a good one, and Master Wang Shouzhe is truly cunning," Commandery Prince Ning said, still somewhat dissatisfied. "But in any country, the Grand Marshal is stationed on the outer region battlefield and has extensive war experience."

"With Youmen Ridge's treacherous terrain, it's already a suitable place for an ambush. Given the cautious and steady nature of the Southern Qin's Grand Marshal Murong Kaifeng, he will undoubtedly choose a strategy of advancing step by step. Heh~ Master Wang Shouzhe may be skilled in political maneuvering, but the battlefield has its own rules. Trying to win from home, heh heh~"

Commandery Prince Ning's laughter revealed the superiority of an experienced soldier.

No wonder Prince An sent Prince Yongheng to hold the fort.

However, Wang Shizhao, though not prominent in the direct line, was not a simple character.

He immediately smiled and saluted, saying, "As a soldier, Commandery Prince Ning, your duty is to follow orders and maintain confidentiality, no matter how absurd the order."

"Rest assured, my grandfather will find a way to make Murong Kaifeng abandon his cautious combat strategy. Don't forget, you're a soldier, and so is Murong Kaifeng."

Commandery Prince Ning paused, snorted coldly, and said, "As a soldier, I will obey Prince Yongheng's lawful military orders, but I still don't believe Murong Kaifeng will abandon his usual cautious strategy."

"Then let's wait and see."

"If it truly happens, I, Commandery Prince Ning, will personally go to Changning Garrison and apologize to Master Wang Shouzhe."

……

A few days later.

Wang Shouzhe returned to the small courtyard with somewhat unsteady steps.

Liu Ruoling was becoming more and more domineering and unreasonable. Hadn't Wang Shouzhe never considered taking a concubine?

In Wang Shouzhe's view, she was just making up for lost time after being absent for a while...

With such a secretly domineering wife, who even got jealous of his other personality, bringing in a concubine would only lead to chaos and disorder.

As for the big commotion during their fight... the clan members were already used to it, didn't you see Wang Lixian hiding?

"Ancestor Grandfather..."

Wang Shouzhe had just returned to the courtyard and hadn't even warmed his seat when the culprit from last time, Wang Ningxi, came running over: "Ancestor Grandfather, you have to save me, I can't take Heavenly Fire Master's pestering anymore."

"Wang Ningxi..." Wang Shouzhe looked at his troublesome great-grandson and said earnestly, "Do you really want to experience a different life? Like those protagonists in little novels, being expelled from the family, encountering adventures in adversity, and living a peak life where you trample emperors, crush True Immortals, and countless fairies and demonesses cry to marry you?"

"..." Wang Ningxi.