Song Yan Shi's CounterAttack

"Where is Xu Guo now? Has Liu Hu found out?"

After a moment of contemplation, Song YanShi realized that Liu Hu's so-called failure was likely because he hadn't found the grain convoy.

After all, even with Xu Guo and his imperial guards watching over it, Song YanShi's goal was to prevent the grain from being transported to Hanwu County. So Liu Hu didn't necessarily need to fight Xu Guo to the death.

Food, as essential as it was, was also fragile.

It could be gone in an instant, just like a flickering flame.

It seemed that Xu Guo and Tang Li had used diversionary tactics. Besides the official road, there appeared to be several ancient paths within Tian Ruo Prefecture.

That's what Song YanShi thought.

"Prime Minister Song... Liu Hu has sent news. Initially, the grain convoy they attacked was filled entirely with gunpowder, so they failed. However, later on, Liu Hu did find the real location of the grain transport. But by the time he traced it to Lou Lan Ancient Road, Xu Guo had already been killed, and the thirty thousand stones of grain were nowhere to be found."

"What!"

Song YanShi was instantly shocked.

He turned around and sternly asked, "How is that possible!? Xu... Xu Guo is dead!?"

Although Liu Hu was ranked third on the Earthly Rankings, just like Xu Guo, they were both considered top experts at the 'Little Celestial Stage.'

But Xu Guo wore an armor made of supreme gold, which was as sturdy as the armor worn by the two great generals, Zhen Nan and Zhen Bei. It was without a doubt a priceless treasure of the world. Coupled with two thousand imperial guards wearing golden armor, even Song YanShi dared not think that Liu Hu could actually kill Xu Guo.

Song YanShi asked in doubt, "Could it be the Grandmaster who took action? What did Liu Hu say?"

"In Liu Hu's message, he said that although Xu Guo was beheaded, they were still able to find his corpse from the supreme gold armor. Liu Hu believed that Xu Guo had experienced a fierce battle before his death, with numerous wounds on his body. So he concluded that it wasn't the Grandmaster who took action, but rather a high-level expert at the Little Celestial Stage with comparable strength."

Song YanShi turned around and nodded in agreement.

It seemed that Xu Guo was indeed dead.

And the grain was gone...

"What's the situation at the scene?"

"Liu Hu said that the entire mountain was burned down. The charred bodies of the two thousand imperial guards were all there, along with hundreds of other corpses wearing white armor. It was evident that there had been a fierce battle."

The fire had consumed the bodies, but the armors of the imperial guards and the White Deer Army were not ordinary goods and wouldn't be easily destroyed.

As Song YanShi pondered, his brows gradually furrowed.

The man in black, however, spoke with delight, "In fact, Prime Minister Song, there's no need to worry. Our goal is to prevent Hanwu County from receiving relief grain. If someone else seizes the grain, then their objective must not be to deliver it to Hanwu County. Given the current situation, it's actually advantageous for us..."

"Fool!" Song YanShi suddenly shouted in anger!

The man in black immediately shut his mouth, lowered his head, and dared not speak further.

Song YanShi angrily said, "Have you ever considered that if the other party has the ability to annihilate the Imperial Guards and kill Xu Guo, then if their goal is the same as ours, they could simply burn the grain during the battle? There would be no need for a desperate fight, leaving behind hundreds of corpses. Soldiers who can fight the Imperial Guards to the death are truly remarkable. If you were in their shoes, would you be willing to waste resources like that?"

Upon hearing this, the man in black suddenly woke up from his delusion.

"Prime Minister Song's words are absolutely correct. I... I was naive."

As Song YanShi said, it was obvious that the other party's intention was not to destroy the food and supplies, but to take them away.

Destroy.

Take away.

Although they might lead to the same result, Song YanShi could instantly tell that the mastermind's goal was definitely different from his own.

Having dominated the court for twenty years, Song YanShi, at this moment, inexplicably felt a trace of fear.

His extremely keen political sense detected a hint of danger in this incident.

He had to retrieve the provisions, or at the very least, find out where they were taken!

In an instant, Song YanShi made up his mind.

But who could it be?

To kill Xu Guo, one would undoubtedly need top-notch experts.

To eliminate the Golden Armor Forbidden Army, one would definitely require an absolutely formidable force.

The thirty thousand elite cavalry from Tian Ge Prefecture had already rushed to the northern region for rescue. So, who had such capability?

Song YanShi was puzzled. He hesitated and paced back and forth, but couldn't think of any suspicious candidates.

It was the black-clad person beside him who, upon seeing Song YanShi's hesitation, offered a reminder: "Lord Song once said to his subordinates, 'Eliminate all that is impossible, and whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'"

Song YanShi abruptly halted his steps.

Indeed, he had uttered those words.

So then...

On the black sect's side, with Bai Junhou taking the lead, the three major black sects remained still, and it was impossible for the smaller black sects to have the ability to devour Xu Guo's Golden Armor Army.

As for the white sect, there had been surging undercurrents in the martial world recently, with the Star Sea Sect at the forefront. However, they were still struggling against the black sects... How could they possibly intercept the provisions?

Regarding the officials, those several civil officials who went to the capital, such as Ming Shu, the Chief Priest, even if they were already known to support Tang Li, if they made a move, they couldn't escape the scrutiny of Song YanShi's eyes.

Could it be an official from another region? Like the prefect of Tian Ge Prefecture...

Hmm.

That person was a waste.

What am I thinking?

Song YanShi found his own inexplicable thoughts amusing.

The six prefects below Tian Ge Prefecture.

Hmm.

They were all wastes.

The more he thought about it, the more humorous it became.

Song YanShi shook his head, silently chastising himself for getting old. The prefect of Tian Ge Prefecture and those several wasteful prefects unexpectedly appeared in his mind.

Were they capable?

Ridiculous.

Although it could be said that they were all wastes, there was one among the six prefects... Lu Gaosheng...

Hold on.

Lu Gaosheng!?

As he recalled this name, Song YanShi gradually fell silent.

He was gradually engulfed by a short but significant memory.

Since the death of Bai ShiXuan, he no longer faced any restraints within the court, and his authority naturally grew stronger over the years. However, during these years, he had always been plagued by one worry.

In this lifetime, he had made too many enemies.

And he was aging year by year.

While he was alive, he naturally had no fear. Whether it was Tang Li or Wang Jue, or even Chief Priest Ming Shu, Song YanShi was confident that he couldn't lose to them.

But what about after his death?

As for those subordinates, as well as the officials, he didn't care. They were merely tools he used to amass wealth. Whether they were beheaded or executed in a cruel manner, Song YanShi didn't care at all. Have you ever seen a hunter develop an emotional attachment to their tools?

The only thing he cared about was his only daughter.

Song YanShi was born in the lowest level of Dawu Country, a den of thieves. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was at the bottom of the bottom.

In those days devoid of sunlight, with a house filled with filthy water and infested with snakes, insects, rodents, and ants, he could never allow his daughter to live such a life after his death.

Later, the appearance of a person briefly resolved Song YanShi's worries.

I remember it was many years ago, on a certain day.

On that day, he happened to be inspecting the various counties in the central region. As he passed by his hometown's residence, it was also the day when his daughter brought home a scholar.

A handsome, young man dressed in tattered clothes named Lu Qingming.

Initially, Song YanShi thought he was just a lascivious wastrel or a useless person trying to climb the social ladder through his daughter.

However, after some examination, Song YanShi was amazed to discover that this young man was well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge. He was well-learned in history, literature, and even had some knowledge of military strategy, making him a versatile individual! He was no less capable than Song YanShi himself.

In fact, he might even be stronger!

This forced Song YanShi to take this young man seriously, and he even went to investigate some of his experiences.

He found out that this person had been living in the city for three years. Three years ago, he stayed in the city because he failed the county-level examination and was preparing for the next one. As for why a person with such talent couldn't pass the county-level exam?

Song YanShi knew the answer to that.

Later, this young man had his money stolen by thieves in the city, so he set up a stall selling calligraphy and paintings, hoping to earn enough money to return to his hometown. However, because he couldn't afford protection fees, he was targeted by thugs from the Black Sect, who destroyed his stall and brutally beat him, even fracturing his hands used for writing and painting.

He lived in the city in a state of extreme hunger, and then he thought about selling his labor. But who would hire a weak scholar like him with injuries? During that period, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he lived the life of a beggar.

In the end, he ended up in a brothel in the city, doing odd jobs. In such a place, with his delicate appearance, he naturally faced disdain and constant harassment.

If it were Tang Li, he would undoubtedly look down on Lu Qingming for enduring such humiliation.

However, Song YanShi was someone who had climbed up from the lowest rungs of society, and everything that happened to Lu Qingming made him value this young man even more.

Because in Lu Qingming, he saw an incredibly strong determination!

A person, especially someone as talented as him, undoubtedly possessed great pride.

How great must his ambition be, how strong must his will be, to endure so much humiliation and survive it for three whole years?

Why shouldn't I cultivate a successor?

That was Song YanShi's most genuine thought at the time.