mesbooks Chapter 231 Shattered Dao Heart
Chapter 231 Shattered Dao Heart
Perhaps spurred on, the imperial envoy's team traveled day and night, covering a journey that should have taken ten days in just seven. Only when they saw the red cloud-patterned banner with the character "Lu" on the city wall at the Panshi Pass did they believe that the place had truly changed hands.
Looking at the formidable pass, Wei Chao considered several strategies, but he knew he would never have taken it at the cost of only a few hundred men. The captain who was left behind immediately stepped forward to lead the way when he saw the people from Xuandu.
The group entered the pass and saw the city as a scorched wasteland. They listened to the captain recount the process of attacking the pass that Zhou Yong had already described. But seeing it with their own eyes was a completely different experience. Such ingenious ideas and plans could only be accomplished by those with great wisdom and courage.
"Where are the original garrison troops of Panshi Pass?" Jiang Se sensed something was amiss; Zhou Yong hadn't gone into detail about the post-war situation.
"This..." The captain hesitated, after all, it wasn't something to be proud of.
"Speak! Otherwise, you will be punished for deceiving the emperor!"
The captain's expression changed. He realized that such a serious matter couldn't possibly be kept secret. He gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and slowly recounted what had happened in a low voice...
After a while, Song Yuan and the others looked rather grim. They were still young and couldn't bear to witness such cruelty.
"I will definitely report this matter truthfully!"
The captain lowered his head even further and mumbled a response.
The group continued their journey with pale faces, and soon arrived at Chishan City.
"This place doesn't seem to have been through any war."
"My lord, please look this way." The city guards led Jiang Se and the others up the city wall, where they saw a crack more than ten feet long that appeared abruptly, which looked very out of place.
"This was achieved by General Shen, who single-handedly went to the meeting and cleaved through the enemy lines!"
Although they had heard Zhou Yong praise their general for his unparalleled bravery, everyone remained silent upon seeing the scar-like crack.
Is this a person?
After visiting the city gate, the sun was already setting, and it was inconvenient to continue the journey, so we decided to rest for the night at the Chishan City Inn.
As they were preparing for dinner, everyone suddenly realized that Wei Chao was missing.
Song Yuan found Wei Chao in the backyard. He was sitting dejectedly on the edge of the well, looking so lifeless that one might suspect he was about to throw himself into the well and commit suicide at any moment.
"What's wrong with the young master?"
Wei Chao did not answer, but instead asked, "Why did Song Sheren recommend me to take charge of the military affairs at Pingshan Pass in the first place?"
Song Yuan did not expect Wei Chao to bring up this matter again. He had frankly stated before that it was because the Ninghai Earl's Mansion needed an opportunity to be reinstated, and he was offering timely assistance to establish good relations in advance.
But clearly, that wasn't what Wei Chao was asking. He was asking what he was worth, given that there were so many disillusioned military generals and nobles.
It's hard to say whether Song Yuan's reasoning stemmed from his experience of living an extra life and knowing that Wei Chao possessed exceptional military talent. Therefore, he hoped that Wei Chao could enter the military and take power as soon as possible in this life. This was not only to intercept Jiang Se's Hu tribe but also to hope that Wei Chao could avoid wasting time and achieve great success earlier, perhaps thus making up for many regrets.
"It is because the young master is renowned for his talent that he deserves it."
“I read military books by the age of seven, and I also won first place in the five camps’ archery and horsemanship competition,” Wei Chao said with a self-deprecating smile. “I often felt sad that I was not given important positions because of the mistakes of my predecessors. But now I see that even if a truly talented person is hindered by petty people, there will always be virtuous people who cherish talent and pave the way for him.”
Wei Chao paused and looked north. “Take Shen Qingxi for example. Even though she is a woman, Marshal Lu was willing to pave the way for her, and the Crown Prince also stood up against the opinions of others for her. Even if the officials were dissatisfied, they were speechless in the face of the strength she demonstrated. In the end, I am not worthy of the advice of those in power.”
Song Yuan comforted him, saying, "Young Master is still young and has a bright future ahead of him."
Wei Chao scoffed, “Wen Yan of Jing Kingdom went on a mission to various countries at the age of ten and became a high minister at the age of thirteen. Zhuge Xuan of Di Kingdom went out of the pass at the age of seventeen to recover various tribes and became prime minister at the age of twenty. Even Shen Qingxi killed the commander and seized the flag at the age of fourteen and destroyed An in a month at the age of fifteen.”
“The world’s geniuses achieve fame and success in their teens, and in their twenties… hah…” Wei Chao shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Song Yuan couldn't continue the conversation. He felt that Wei Chao was being stubborn and pedantic. If that were the case, then 99% of the people in the world could just be buried.
Seeing Wei Chao's completely dejected appearance, Song Yuan thought to himself, "Could it be that I've forced things too hard? What if Wei Chao is completely demoralized after this...?"
What does that have to do with him? He should find other allies.
It's just a pity that such a promising young man was born.