RPAGF Chapter 7247 Conspiracy and Deception
Chapter 7247 Conspiracy and Deception
Chapter 7247 Conspiracy and Deception
When the news of Lian Yue's death in Yunmeng and the loss of four or five thousand weapons and equipment to the demon god reached Chang'an, Chen Xi and Guan Yu were preparing their troops. The best option at this stage was actually quite clear: Chen Xi and Guan Yu should go there personally and suppress the chaos in Yunmeng.
What truly silenced Chen Xi was that this incident happened so fast that Chen Xi herself didn't even have time to react before things deteriorated to this point, leaving her with absolutely no time to respond.
"Lian Yue is dead. Wang Mao and his men have retrieved Lian Yue's body." Chen Xi said to Guan Yu in a deep voice. All of them knew Lian Yue. Even Man Chong, who had been dealing with other matters, made a special trip when he received the news.
Logically speaking, the Jingling Guard was under Man Chong's command and was considered the last line of defense for the law. In addition to their own duties, the four commanders of the Jingling Guard also had the obligation to be responsible to Man Chong and the law. It was just unexpected that Lian Yue would die in battle.
"This?" Guan Yu was stunned for a moment, looking at Man Chong who appeared here with a gloomy face, not knowing what to say.
"The pace is unusually fast. This is abnormal. Even if my ancestor had watched the Grand Martial Arts Competition and had absolute confidence in me, he wouldn't have conducted such a test," Chen Xi said in a deep voice. "There are probably some calculations here that we don't know about."
"What do you mean?" Man Chong said with a half-closed eye and a cold glint in his eyes. No matter what, Lian Yue and his Jingling Guards were the backbone of his subordinates. Although they didn't contact each other much, it was still clear whose faction they belonged to. Moreover, Man Chong was very clear about the interdependence between them and the others.
Moreover, unlike others who find it extremely difficult to mobilize troops within the country, the troops under Man Chong's command happen to be the type that can be mobilized within the country.
“We were probably set up. At the end of last year, Shuzhi sent his personal guards to inform us that the Kushan Empire was carrying out a large-scale attack on water and earth deities. Shuzhi’s personal guards accidentally obtained relevant information and informed Shuzhi, who then sent them to inform us. At that time, we judged that it was possible that they would take action against the Yellow River dike,” Chen Xi said in a deep voice.
To reiterate, Chen Xi trusts Sun Wu, his ancestor. If such a huge mess occurred as soon as Sun Wu left, then Sun Wu must have told Chen Xi before leaving. Based on Chen Xi's understanding of the Four Sages, if Sun Wu dared to leave, then the contingency plans he left behind must be enough to buy time. Even if there is the problem of the curse of the world consciousness, even if humanity as a whole is in a period of bad luck, the Four Sages are the Four Sages, and it is impossible for them to behave so poorly.
Furthermore, this incident happened so quickly, giving the impression that everything was rushing headlong into the worst possible direction. It was too direct and too brutal, and could no longer be described as a simple coincidence. The world consciousness, already in a coma, could not possibly have such a sophisticated plan.
In conclusion, it is self-evident what kind of problem it is.
"Did the Kushans tamper with it?" Manchong asked in a deep voice.
"I don't know, but they definitely tampered with it." Chen Xi kept using the Imperial Will to screen, but he couldn't find the problem. However, such a dense series of unexpected events and such rapid changes could even catch someone like Chen Xi off guard. It was definitely not a matter of luck. There must be some kind of calculation that the Han Dynasty could not detect.
"You don't know either?" Guan Yu looked at Chen Xi with some surprise, as this was the first time he had encountered a situation where Chen Xi knew nothing.
"Everyone has their own expertise, and there are some things I can't guard against either." Chen Xi shook his head. "Just find two professionals to calculate it."
Man Chong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Are there any professionals in this field?
"Second Brother, you lead the Chang'an Imperial Guards to Jiangling first. The carriages are ready, and the post stations have been notified. We'll change horses but not riders along the way, a full-scale raid. We should be able to lead the Chang'an Imperial Guards to Jiangling this afternoon. As for the navy?" Chen Xi asked tentatively.
"I have basically mastered the fundamental logic of self-looping," Guan Yu said in a deep voice.
Chen Xi nodded upon hearing this. Just as he had estimated, Guan Yu's land force command ability stopped improving after reaching around 500,000 troops. Instead, he focused on precise command and naval operations. With so much time having passed, Chen Xi estimated that Guan Yu should be close to mastering these skills.
As I said before, it's better to rely on Guan Yu than Gan Ning to create a self-sustaining system. You know, back when the seventh-generation warships hadn't even been released yet, Chen Xi had already considered letting Guan Yu take the seventh-generation warships if he could complete them before Gan Ning.
And now, Guan Yu has basically lived up to Chen Xi's expectations.
"Isn't the basic logic of self-circulation still the scale of military strength or unified will?" Chen Xi asked after a while. He had doubted this a long time ago, but he couldn't ask Zhou Yu about it. Some things only have meaning if you create them yourself.
"Yes, I am far superior to Zhou Yu in commanding the army and unifying the will. Moreover, the Divine Break has a great advantage in the penetration and integration of will. Conventional methods cannot achieve self-circulation, but if enough resources are piled up, it can still be done," Guan Yu said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Chen Xi felt much more at ease, and the last bit of worry about Zhou Yu's impending doom was relieved. As he said before, if possible, Chen Xi hoped that everyone could have their dignity, but Zhou Yu was too outrageous. Chen Xi doubted what kind of outrageous things Zhou Yu could have done without him.
Therefore, Guan Yu's step was extremely important, so important that if necessary, he could have used two swords to stab Wu in the waist and then released them.
Some things can be resolved by simply letting go of them.
Wu is the Wu of the Han Dynasty. This outcome is not only because you, Sun Zhou, agree with it, but also because I, Chen Xi, have the ability to chop you all up, but I have refrained from doing so for the sake of appearances.
"It's up to you, Second Brother. Go there and show the demeanor of a former general. Both land and sea support will be sufficient. Don't hold back or hold back. Let Zhou Gongjin see what's going on." Chen Xi said very seriously, "At this point, there's no point in hiding anything anymore."
"Leave it to me," Guan Yu replied with a dignified expression.
Chen Xi nodded, then left with Man Chong. Chen Xi had complete trust in Guan Yu's abilities, and as for arrogance, was that a problem?
Look at Zhou Yu, how abstract is Zhou Yu? What is Guan Yu's arrogance compared to that? Think back to the generals and officers of the Han Dynasty. How many of them were normal? Guan Yu's level of arrogance is already considered that of an outstanding general.
The generals and officers of the Han Dynasty were truly a prime example of those who could pull off any dirty trick, no matter how capable they were.
Chen Xi led Man Chong directly into Weiyang Palace. At this time, Liu Tong and Si Niang had already taken a carriage to Yanzhou. Weiyang Palace was just like Chen Xi's hometown.
"Lord Wu'an, Marquis of Huaiyin, are you here?" Chen Xi called out to the empty side hall, and then two somewhat blurry figures appeared in the side hall.
There's no way around it. If we're talking about who was most affected by Liu Tong and Liu Bei leaving Chang'an one after another, it would definitely be Lord Wu'an and Marquis Huaiyin. Those two unlucky kids can't even stay in the side hall to eat hot pot anymore. The fact that they can manifest and communicate is only because Chen Xi is there in person.
If it were anyone else, these two would be struck by lightning the moment they appeared.
What's worse is that neither Liu Bei nor Liu Tong carries enough national fortune to manifest for Lord Wu'an and Marquis Huaiyin. This forces these two, who want to go out and explore, to stay in Chang'an. The problem is that the remaining national fortune in Chang'an is not enough for them to make any rash moves, so they can only lie in the imperial seal and pretend to be dead.
"Zichuan, come visit us more often these days if you have nothing else to do." Han Xin said rather pathetically. When Chen Xi was present, with the Imperial Seal of the State and the Two Cauldrons of Heaven and Man, the two of them could still come out to cook hot pot and have a meal. When Chen Xi wasn't around, the Imperial Seal of the State and the Two Cauldrons of Heaven and Man could only guarantee that the two of them had self-awareness.
"I'm sorry, I forgot about that when Lord Xuande and the princess went out," Chen Xi said somewhat awkwardly. He hadn't considered this aspect either, and now Lord Wu'an and Marquis Huaiyin were the two unlucky ones, which was indeed a bit embarrassing.
"Speak, you said you wouldn't come to our temple without a reason. What do you need our help with this time?" Bai Qi was calm and composed. After all, he had been given a free life, so he could live one day at a time without any loss. Besides, he was already over seventy years old when he was alive, so he had a very stable mindset.
"Logically speaking, is there any way to manipulate luck beyond the will of the empire?" Chen Xi looked at the two gods in front of him, his expression becoming very solemn. He then explained what had happened to the Han Dynasty recently, as well as what was happening in Jingxiang.
"Without a doubt, they must have been tricked, but if the imperial will is unable to defend against it." Han Xin and Bai Qi first affirmed Chen Xi's judgment, after all, no matter how treacherous Sun Tzu was, it wouldn't have come to this.
Even though Bai Qi stubbornly claimed that he had previously defeated Sun Wu in a war game, in all honesty, Bai Qi acknowledged the opponent's ability. Moreover, at this time, mocking the opponent would actually be an insult to himself. Considering his own level, if he had chosen to suppress the enemy in that situation, even if something went wrong, it wouldn't have resulted in one explosion after another like it has now.
"The items used were of a very high level," Bai Qi said in a deep voice.
"Brahma?" Chen Xi squinted. He had spoken with Yan Fodiao before, and Chen Xi trusted Yan Fodiao's assessment. In other words, Brahma was probably in a semi-conscious state, showing some reaction, but not a significant one.
"It shouldn't be. Judging from the long battles we've had, the Brahmins really don't have the ability to control Brahma," Han Xin said, shaking his head. "If they could, they wouldn't have waited until now; they would have already smashed it over the Kushans' heads."
"So you mean it's possible, right?" Chen Xi lowered his head and thought for a moment, unsure how it was done, but as long as it was possible, that was enough.
“Yes, as long as one’s rank is high enough and there is a convergence of interests, the imperial will is unlikely to offer protection voluntarily if the outcome is uncertain.” Han Xin nodded, agreeing with Chen Xi’s statement.
"Thank you both. I'll go to the underground palace again to confirm with the immortals." Chen Xi cupped his hands to Bai Qi and Han Xin, who nodded and turned into mist, disappearing once more into the jade seal.
Soon Chen Xi arrived at the underground palace, where a group of immortals were performing their respective duties, some suppressing the nation's destiny, some researching the special secret techniques that Chen Xi needed, and some creating substitute seeds.
"Lord Chen." Nan Hua sensed something upon seeing Chen Xi appear, and then naturally stood up and bowed to Chen Xi.
"It seems that Daoist Nanhua knows something," Chen Xi said, his smile fading and his tone becoming somewhat authoritative.
“My memories have begun to unseal,” Nan Hua said with a hint of melancholy.
"Among the demon gods of Yunmeng, there has appeared a being with the characteristics of 'equality of all things and no self.' Daoist Nanhua, is there anything you wish to tell me?" Chen Xi found a seat and asked Nanhua.
"Is Lord Chen asking about Nan Hua or Zhuang Zhou?" Nan Hua asked, stroking his beard.
“Naturally, I’m asking someone who can answer this question,” Chen Xi said calmly.
“It is a human.” Nan Hua chuckled twice. “This body is actually the form in which the demon god, who lost his self after being corrupted by the Dream Butterfly Technique, is possessed by the ultimate ‘I’.”
"It's pretty much what I expected. You guys once explained the concept of 'demon' to me. It's not some kind of biological mutation, but a natural phenomenon, a viewpoint, a manifestation of cognition," Chen Xi said with a hint of reminiscence. "Then you told me that there are three types of immortals, and the second type is those who use the demons formed from this natural phenomenon as a vessel to transform into humans."
"Pretty much. When a demon god uses the Butterfly Transformation, doubts will arise. The remaining self will combine with something in nature—whether it be a rule, a spiritual thought, or a spiritual light—to create a new species. In the past, these new species were called mythical creatures. But the Butterfly Transformation itself is a derivative of a certain state of mind. Once you use it, you will be infected by that mind." Nan Hua said with a heavy tone.
"Actually, this kind of thinking is also demonic, isn't it?" Chen Xi said with a somewhat complicated expression.
"Yes!" Nan Hua's face showed a struggle, but in the end he agreed with the answer. "It is knowledge, and it is also a demon. So in the end, it evolved into knowledge chasing after people. In the end, knowledge assimilated people and completed the final realm, which is the unity of all things and the absence of self. It became a natural phenomenon, and then a new round of repetition could begin."
"And then this repetition will accumulate and eventually turn into a demon?" Chen Xi asked with a somewhat complicated feeling about the nesting dolls.
"Though it's not perfect, it's not far off either," Nan Hua said with a hint of sorrow.
"What's the final solution?" Chen Xi looked at his palm. He was here because he must have a solution.
"Of course, it's about making everything cycle. This time I'm a demon, and in the next round, I'll use this as a vessel to reveal myself. But the cycle isn't good, so when it reaches that point, it has to go back." Bei Ming appeared behind Chen Xi and said with a heavy tone.
"A method that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause." Chen Xi paused for a long time before giving his answer.
Because this is also knowledge, and it can be accumulated, which naturally makes it a demon.
“But at least we can keep going like this, right?” Nan Hua said helplessly.
"But this time, something even worse happened: a feast of corpses that could transform into demons by delaying the process, right?" Chen Xi said with a hint of sarcasm, "which caused the important figures to awaken even earlier."
"Lord Chen, have you ever considered that the person who caused all of this is not us, but you?" Nan Hua asked Chen Xi.
“I just want to do my own thing,” Chen Xi said, shaking his head. “Chen Xi’s heart can only encompass the Han cultural sphere, it can’t extend to the breadth of yours, let alone to gods and demons.”
“Maybe everything has been downgraded to this level? Just like what you see in the future, the war has been turned into a live-action game, and the people operating from behind the scenes have achieved the best results,” Nan Hua said quite frankly.
"Is that so?" Chen Xi nodded after a moment. "That is indeed an answer. Now I want to know the answer to something."
"What's the answer?" Nan Hua asked Chen Xi.
"How did the Kushan Empire manage to do that?" Chen Xi asked Nan Hua.
"I can't say," Bei Ming replied.
Chen Xi nodded without pressing further. This was the answer he wanted. He didn't need to know how the Kushan Empire did it; he only needed to know that it was the Kushan Empire that did it. And now that Bei Ming's answer was that he couldn't say, it meant that it was indeed the Kushan Empire that did it.
“Well, actually, Lord Chen, you just need to think about what exactly the curse of the world consciousness is and how it is achieved.” Nan Hua tried to give Chen Xi a little hint, but with just that one hint, Nan Hua already suffered a backlash.
As I said before, although the world consciousness may be dormant, basic instincts are still functioning.
"The way to achieve this is by reducing human luck," Chen Xi said with a hint of speculation, but then stopped.
"Reduce human luck." Chen Xi repeated twice.
"I think I have a pretty good idea of how they did it," Chen Xi said with a hint of caution.
"Thank you both." Chen Xi nodded to Nan Hua and Bei Ming, then led Man Chong out of the underground palace. At this moment, Man Chong had countless questions she wanted to ask.
"Berning, how do you think the Kushan Empire managed to do this?" Chen Xi asked as he walked toward Liu Ye.
"It's hard to say, but something has probably happened to the Kushan Empire, and it's a big one," Manchong said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xi sighed and said nothing, but he basically agreed with Man Chong's judgment. Only in this way could such a result be achieved in one fell swoop.
"In that case, is Rome's current turmoil intentional, or is it truly in dire straits?" Chen Xi frowned deeply.
Those who have votes, please cast them! The author seems hopeless.