Chapter 96

**Chapter 3 (Total: 11,600 characters)**

Gathering for profit, it's easy to share a bed but have different dreams. Wei Wei was thinking about how to achieve fame in one battle, but his底线 (底线 means "bottom line" or "principle") wouldn't allow the Yellow Headed Captain to kill the man surnamed Xu. The Crown Prince of Jing'an, on the other hand, began to consider whether he could ruthlessly eliminate Wei Wei and the group of Qingzhou youths, treating them as expendable pawns.

Seeking wealth and honor in danger. When it comes to the lives of others, compared to titles and power, a noble prince doesn't need to think twice. As a member of the royal family, the vast empire is our Zhao family's private property. No matter how polite you are on the surface, whether you are a grand scholar or one of the thirty provincial governors, aren't you all looked at with a sideways glance from the bottom of my heart?

Of the six princes, apart from the two who are allowed to inherit the title of Prince according to the *Imperial Clan Regulations*, do the other four really have no desire for the yellow silk robe with the five-clawed dragon? The difference between four claws and five claws is just one claw, but the real status is worlds apart. The terrifying part is that if the nine dragons with five claws are demoted to nine dragons with four claws, what will happen to the next generation? In today's prosperous era, where can one earn military merit? The Northern Border has the King of Liang, and the Southern Kingdom has the King of Yan, both of whom are recognized as the most ruthless and cunning warlords in the empire. Who would share a piece of the pie with you? Damn it, the *Imperial Clan Regulations* clearly state "forever barred from officialdom," cutting off the path for the imperial clan to serve as officials.

The Crown Prince of Jing'an lowered his head, frowned lightly, and pondered deeply, his malevolent aura as thick as the alcohol in a cup. He didn't even listen to the deafening battle cries outside the window.

"Damn, that guy with the large halberd isn't human. He even cut the pole with his hundred-pound iron halberd!" A young man from Qingzhou drew a cold breath and shouted involuntarily. The black-armored general was truly a match for ten thousand men, easily deflecting the rain of arrows and breaking the pole that the Yellow Dragon had dropped with the force of a giant stone.

"How can hundreds of Yellow Headed Archers be suppressed by a hundred Northern Liang savages? They're hiding behind the shields, not even lifting their heads, all damn cowards!" Another young man, who cautiously poked his head out and then pulled it back, was shocked. He didn't realize that he was no different from the Yellow Headed Archers. At least those Yellow Headed Archers faced the fierce Northern Liang soldiers, what was he?

Outside the window, the close-range slaughter was almost like hand-to-hand combat. Even though the Northern Liang bows had a longer range, it didn't give them an advantage. The Yellow Headed Archers on the warship, with their stock of six thousand arrows, rained down arrows, but after one volley, the Northern Liang light cavalry suffered minimal damage, while dozens on this side were precisely shot. Everyone on the warship could clearly feel the impact of the Northern Liang arrows on the ship's hull. This was completely opposite to what they had expected, where they would overwhelm the enemy with numbers to the point where they couldn't even breathe.

"That guy isn't afraid of death, just deflecting arrows with his saber." The second son of the governor of Shujian County in Qingzhou marveled.

Birds of a feather flock together. The kind of people who could call Wei Wei, the vicious dragon, a brother were not good people, and they were not from ordinary wealthy families. Any of them could flip through their family trees and find a few ancestors whose names are recorded in history. For a thousand years, the imperial throne has been passed around, sometimes for four hundred years, sometimes for just a few years, one after another.

Only one thing remains unchanged, and that is the noble families. The most criticized aspect of Xu Xiao, who established great merit in the Spring and Autumn Wars, was not the slaughter of a million soldiers. That's wrong. Those who could criticize the Grand Marshal wouldn't focus on the inhumanity of the Butcher. Instead, they were heartbroken that after the Spring and Autumn Wars, there were no more nobles. The majority of the powerful families that had lasted for dozens of generations were destroyed, the seeds of learning were lost, and the moral and ritual traditions were severed. This was the great injustice of Xu Xiao, the Butcher, and the unforgivable sin that even a hundred deaths couldn't atone for, according to the old scholars who believed they bore the responsibility of upholding propriety. The phrase "no scholars after the Western Fort" has made many later scholars feel sorrowful, and how many exiled officials shed bitter tears, cursing Xu Xiao's injustice even on their deathbeds?

Unfortunately, cursing can't kill.

So Prince Xu Fengnian found it hard to believe in so-called loyalty and righteousness. He knew it existed, but he couldn't blindly trust it. The only thing he could truly rely on was the saber in his hand. Think about it, if Xu Xiao, who read extensively and spoke of righteousness, could still command the hearts of thirty thousand iron cavalry, would it be possible? Zhao Guangling and Li Yishan were unparalleled statesmen, why would they be willing to strategize for Xu Xiao, a commoner? The Upper Yin Academy frowned at accepting his second sister as a scholar, just because Xu Weixiong was a genius? Xu Fengnian stood at the bow of the ship, deflecting an arrow with his saber. No one shot a hidden arrow, so he just watched the battle. This small-scale naval battle, with a total of six hundred men, wasn't a fierce battle. Li Yishan never taught him according to conventional wisdom. If he was only allowed to see a glimpse, why couldn't he infer the whole picture?

The Qingzhou navy, with forty thousand men, was highly praised by the Qing Party in the court, claiming it could rival the Guangling navy. But it was just a decorative pillow. This decoration was even ugly. It was truly boring. Xu Fengnian wondered if this battle would sound the death knell for the Qingzhou navy.

Wei Wei glared at Xu Fengnian, angry at the lack of effort from his father's navy and filled with endless hatred for Xu Fengnian. There was also a hint of fear he dared not admit. If this Northern Liang prince really inherited the title and wore the five-clawed dragon robe, he wouldn't just have a hundred Northern Liang soldiers behind him, but the thirty thousand iron cavalry. How would his father, the Dragon King of the lake, deal with it? Not to mention the future, if they lost this battle, the entire Qingzhou would be in an uproar, and the Qing Party leaders, who carefully read the secret letters, would be even more terrifying. The Qing Party doesn't fight internally, but their methods of dealing with useless pawns are exceptionally decisive!

Xu Fengnian smiled at Ning Emei and said, "General Ning, lend me a short halberd."

Ning Emei, who was now idle, had seen the Yellow Headed Archers completely defeated by the Northern Liang archers. After a weak volley of arrows, they retreated in fear, cowards! Ning Emei's iron halberd had broken two poles, proving he was a brave general who could face ten thousand men. Hearing the prince's request, he respectfully drew a short halberd from his backpack.

Xu Fengnian, holding Xiu Dong in his right hand, took the short halberd in his left and threw it, aiming straight for the third-floor window of the warship, with great momentum. Wei Wei dared to shoot arrows openly, so Xu Fengnian dared to shoot the Crown Prince of Jing'an with arrows and scare them with the short halberd.

The short halberd pierced the window, and the second son of the governor of Shujian County, who was peeking at the battle, dodged quickly, but his cheek was cut, and the halberd was embedded in the ceiling.

The young women of Qingzhou, who had been talking about the Northern Liang prince, finally realized the battle was close at hand. They turned pale, especially when they heard the second son of the governor of Shujian County wailing in pain, as if his parents had died, and if no one supported him, he would have been rolling on the ground.

Wei Wei, in a desperate situation, sneered and said, "Order another warship to ram and kill these blind Northern Liang savages!"

The general of the Yellow Dragon warship was about to leave when Wei Wei lowered his voice and said, "Remember, ram the other two ships first."

The general was stunned, then suddenly realized and sighed in relief. If he really rammed and killed that arrogant Northern Liang prince, with his status, what would happen to a small warship general like him? He would be a scapegoat, and a hundred of him wouldn't be enough to be executed!

The ship's cabin was in chaos, and the Crown Prince of Jing'an tapped the table. The bodyguard who had blocked the arrow for him bowed and approached. The prince only said one word.

"Kill."

The bodyguard, who had grown up in Xiangfan, knew how to handle the situation smoothly and safely.

In the cabin, Wei Wei, the vicious dragon, had the greatest enmity with Xu Fengnian, but he still didn't dare to ram Xu Fengnian's ship with the Yellow Dragon. The Crown Prince, who seemed to have no deep grudge against Xu Fengnian, was determined to kill. The young ladies were even more interesting. They were terrified by the short halberd piercing the cabin, but they admired the Northern Liang prince who commanded the soldiers like slaves. The women of Qingzhou valued profit over righteousness, which was a fitting description. Such a group, seemingly harmonious on the surface, could hardly achieve great things.

The Qing Party now ruled the country by chance, but how long could it last? Could anyone see the signs? Gathering for profit, dispersing when there's no profit, how is this different from snakes and rats? The Chief Minister Zhang, who had the final say in the court, always tried to win over the Qing Party but never gave them important tasks. Was this the reason?

Jiang Ni was distracted while reading in the cabin. The old man, Li Lao, sat beside her, took off his boots, and scratched his feet, sniffing his fingers, and then threw a peanut into his mouth. This kind of high-minded demeanor was truly unparalleled.

The old sword god noticed Jiang Ni's frowning and relaxing, thought for a moment, and smiled. "Want to see the naval battle? If you do, I can protect you. Don't worry about a few hundred arrows; even if ten thousand arrows rain down, I'll keep you safe."

Jiang Ni asked seriously, "Really?"

Li Chunjiang chuckled, "I might have exaggerated a bit. Ten thousand arrows would require the divine skills of Qi Xuanzhen at his peak to remain unscathed. With my current Celestial Phenomenon realm, I'm still a bit short. But it's because I don't have a sword in my hand. Don't laugh, little girl."

Jiang Ni pursued, "A master swordsman like you can't achieve the state of having a million swords without a sword in hand."

The old sword god, unusually, didn't boast about his sword skills. He said softly, "It's possible, but having a sword in hand makes a big difference. When you achieve great mastery in swordsmanship, you'll understand. Otherwise, no matter how much I explain, you won't get it."

Jiang Ni said, "Oh," and stood up.

She didn't say why she wanted to risk her life to watch the battle, but she walked out.

The old man, Li Lao, pulled his sheepskin coat and followed her. When they reached the cabin door, he stood in front of Jiang Ni, and the scattered arrows flew past without hitting them.

Li Chunjiang's name contained the word "sword."

This wasn't just a saying.

Perhaps the one-armed sword god found the arrows annoying, or perhaps he couldn't bear to see Jiang Ni worried. When the little girl saw the Yellow Dragon ramming a nearby ship, and Xu Fengnian, with Ning Emei and four bodyguards, rushing to the scene, she instinctively cried out.

Li Chunjiang sneered.

He took a step.

He soared over everyone, landing on the Yellow Dragon ship.

His figure floated like a green dragon.

With one step, he capsized the Yellow Dragon warship!