Go to the Northern Border, or return to the Imperial Capital.
A classic two-pronged choice.
Xu Yuan was in no hurry to make a decision, weighing the matter carefully in his mind. Lou Ji was in no rush either, sitting across from him and quietly awaiting his answer.
After a long while, Xu Yuan leaned back against the chair and smiled.
"I think I'd better return to the Imperial Capital."
Lou Ji didn't show approval or disapproval, merely reminding him, "Your father was the one who asked this question."
"I know."
For Lou Ji to ask him so directly, it was almost certainly under orders from his old man back in the Imperial Capital. Because of this, under Lou Ji's gaze, Xu Yuan wore a deeply helpless expression.
Lou Ji lightly tapped her fair cheek with a finger, her eyes showing a hint of dull disappointment. "Hmm... and here I thought you'd choose to head north with big sister."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan chuckled and asked, "Sister, what could I even do if I went to the Northern Border right now?"
He had always possessed self-awareness; he was hardly an omniscient genius born knowing everything. The situation in the Northern Border was no minor squabble like the Wanxiang Sect; the combined forces deployed by both sides were already approaching nearly a million troops. He understood nothing of military array techniques, knew nothing of battlefield strategy, and his cultivation was so low he was practically cannon fodder. Not a single person active on a battlefield like the Northern Border was anything less than a ruthless character, and the circumstances were convoluted in the extreme.
Heading north under conditions like that?
To play the God of War of Tumu Fortress?
Of course, even if Xu Yuan wanted to play that "God of War" in this northern campaign, it wouldn't be his turn anyway. The Emperor was the one orchestrating the board in the north right now; their Chancellor's Manor was merely lending a hand at best.
Lou Ji's voice was slow, her eyes fixed on his as she prompted, "At the very least, you could go broaden your horizons. Old Man Zong Qingsheng isn't very familiar with you."
Pausing, Lou Ji adopted a gentle, earnest tone. "Though big sister has no objections to you, your father has more than just me under his command. For certain things, you still need achievements to convince the rest."
"..."
Xu Yuan blinked, instantly understanding what this older woman meant.
His father wanted him to go north to pad his credentials and, in passing, establish his presence before Zong Qingsheng, who held the Chancellor's Manor's military authority.
Yet after a moment's thought, Xu Yuan declined. "Forget it. There will be plenty of chances in the future to earn achievements that convince people. As for Master Zong..."
Pausing briefly, Xu Yuan looked at Lou Ji and gave a helpless smile. "Sister, in what capacity do you think I should approach Master Zong?"
"..."
Lou Ji froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You little brat, you really do think things through."
Xu Yuan merely threw his hands up in resignation. "There's no other way. If I go to the Northern Border now, I can only do so under two identities: either keep Master Zong in the dark and go as an ordinary aide, or go as the legitimate son of the Chancellor's Manor. The former makes it easy to get killed, while the latter will just make Master Zong miserable."
Making him miserable wasn't in the sense of actively causing trouble, but rather that as long as Xu Yuan showed up, his mere existence would put pressure on the man even if he did nothing at all.
Great Yan was a standard feudal immortal dynasty. The heir to the Chancellor's Manor wasn't elected by the votes of the upper echelon; Xu Yinhe decided it with a single word. And by now, the core high-ranking members of the Chancellor's Manor essentially knew about his situation. Going to see Zong Qingsheng now was virtually equivalent to the Crown Prince overseeing the border armies in person.
Naturally, in a war of this scale, Xu Yuan was unlikely to hold real authority, but in status, it was tantamount to saddling Zong Qingsheng with a supreme emperor perched right over his head.
Lou Ji could naturally grasp this. Tilting her head, she pondered briefly before remarking in a low voice, "From what I know of the old man, he probably wouldn't care about that. Well... he's a very traditional military officer—loyal and rigorous—but when it comes to executing military affairs, sometimes he won't even listen to your father's orders."
Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and refused again. "That won't do either. A person needs self-awareness."
"..."
Lou Ji stared at him in silence, clearly not buying that reasoning.
Seeing her expression, Xu Yuan stopped making excuses to this older woman. He let out a sigh and voiced the most crucial reason in a low whisper: "Sister, do you really think father and the Emperor's strategy is guaranteed to succeed this time? Right now, I'm too weak, and the situation in the Northern Border is far too chaotic."
Translated: My cultivation is low, and I value my life.
With the element of surprise, the thirty thousand Black Scale elites Zong Qingsheng brought along should be able to break the siege of Mount Dali, perhaps even orchestrating a victory by striking from both inside and outside. But the question was, what came after the siege was broken?
Once the three garrisons of the Beifeng Army arrived to rendezvous with the two garrisons stationed in the north, combined with the forty thousand Yulin Guards and the roughly one hundred thousand Black Scale troops belonging to the Chancellor's Manor scattered across the Northern Border, the advantage would indeed lie with them. Yet that advantage was only against the barbarians. They had no idea what kind of ruthless stunts the sects might pull next.
If the sects could sacrifice sixty thousand elites and two Origin Realm powerhouses as mere pawns without batting an eye, it wouldn't be surprising if they orchestrated another massive catastrophe.
Moreover, due to the unique nature of military arrays, Zong Qingsheng, as the commander-in-chief, had to move alongside the main camp. If Xu Yuan wanted to freeload off the achievements, he would naturally have to stay by his side as well. If they sent Xu Changge, his cultivation was high; even if their army's array collapsed, he would still stand a chance of slipping away. But if Xu Yuan went, with nothing more than a half-baked Saint's remnant soul, he would most likely end up trapped.
Silence.
Lou Ji quietly pressed her red lips together, sighed, and stood up.
"Fine. Since that's what you want, Changtian, I'll pass your words along to your father."
With that, she swayed her hips and took her leave.
***
"So Changtian refused?"
A calm, deep voice emerged from the communication crystal, echoing softly through the dim secret chamber.
Lou Ji crossed her arms, leaning against the wall of the secret chamber, and replied in frustration, "His cultivation is far too weak; he shouldn't have been asked to go in the first place."
"Is that so?" The voice gave away neither pleasure nor anger.
Hearing that tone, Lou Ji frowned, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction. "Lord Chancellor, you aren't planning to force Changtian to go, are you?"
Silence followed for a brief moment before the middle-aged man's voice came through again, steady and brooking no argument: "And if I say I am?"
Lou Ji clenched her fists slightly, but rather than directly contradicting him, she said, "Then that will have to wait until I go activate the Black Scale Guards' intelligence network in the Northern Border. Otherwise, it's far too dangerous for him."
"Lou Ji, you certainly protect him dearly."
"Hmm?"
"I never planned to send him to the Northern Border in the first place."
"..." Lou Ji went speechless.
Still crossing her arms, Lou Ji tapped her shoulder with a finger and breathed a sigh of relief. "Then why did you have me ask him?"
"Young men like to prove themselves. I thought his mindset might have changed after handling the matter with the Wanxiang Sect, but it seems I overthought it."
Pausing, the voice spoke again: "Depart for the Northern Border as soon as possible. Though this incident arose abruptly, we will coordinate with Li Yaoxuan as best we can. If this succeeds, the three northern provinces will have no external threats for a century to come."
Lou Ji narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly upon hearing this and slowly straightened up. "Understood. What about Changtian?"
"Changtian... just let him return to the Imperial Capital on his own. The matter of his marriage alliance must be made clear to him, after all. Besides, I haven't seen him in quite a long time."
Chapter 193