Chapter 4

Song State, the capital city of Songcheng! In a secluded mansion in Songcheng. The mansion is named Tian Mansion.

It was late at night, but the main hall of Tian Mansion was brightly lit.

There were only two people in the hall, one of whom was Gu Hai, who had just left Gu Mansion not long ago.

Gu Hai was covered in dust, as if he had traveled a long distance. The only difference was that his once snow-white hair was now completely black, without a single white strand.

The other was a man in a yellow robe, about thirty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes.

"Father, you came so quickly!" The man in the yellow robe handed over a hot towel with a smile.

Gu Hai took it, gently wiped his face and hands, and then returned it to the man in the yellow robe.

"I'm getting old. In a few years, I won't be able to run anymore. This time, we can't afford to fail!" Gu Hai said solemnly.

The man in the yellow robe, Gu Han, immediately brewed a cup of tea for Gu Hai and respectfully handed it to him.

"Father, did the head of Qinghe Sect agree?" Gu Han asked hopefully.

Gu Hai nodded: "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have come!"

"That's great! If Father can break through to the Xiantian realm, our Gu family will flourish for another hundred years, no, Father only needs this one opportunity. Once the restriction is broken, no one can stop Father's progress!" Gu Han said with a hint of excitement.

"You and your brothers have all grown up under my watch. Your talents are all excellent. Even without me, you will eventually enter the immortal sects!" Gu Hai said with a smile.

"No, both my elder brother and I believe in Father!" Gu Han said solemnly.

"Alright, Gu Qin is currently stationed at Hulao Pass in Chen State under my name. Gao Xianzhi's army is ready to attack at any moment. Time is pressing. Tell me about the situation in Song State first. I haven't been to Song State for ten years! What is special about this war between the two states?" Gu Hai said solemnly.

Gu Han's expression turned serious, and he nodded: "Yes, this time, Gao Xianzhi, under the order of the King of Song, is the Grand Marshal for the campaign against Chen State. He has full control over the troops. However, the King of Song is also concerned, so he appointed the Crown Prince as the Deputy Grand Marshal to accompany the army, essentially to monitor Gao Xianzhi. However, the Crown Prince has no military authority. I have been in Song State for eight years, responsible for managing all the shops. Following Father's instructions, I changed my name to Tian Han. Over the years, I have supported the Crown Prince financially, even helping him become the heir apparent among the princes. Therefore, I have gained the Crown Prince's trust!"

"Crown Prince?" Gu Hai's expression changed slightly.

"Yes!"

"Over the years, have you collected a lot of information on the officials and ministers of Song State?" Gu Hai asked.

"Yes, it has all been compiled into a book!" Gu Han nodded.

Gu Hai nodded and said, "Bring all the information on the officials and ministers to me immediately. I need to study how to turn the tide of the country."

"Father, you've come a long way. Don't you want to rest a bit?" Gu Han asked worriedly.

"No need. Time waits for no one. Hurry!" Gu Hai said solemnly.

"Yes!" Gu Han responded.

------------

Qinghe Sect, the main hall.

The head of Qinghe Sect, Song Jia, was still accompanying Liunian Master and the young girl.

Everyone was looking at a map.

"Liunian Master, can you predict how the two armies will operate?" the young girl asked with a smile.

"Gao Xianzhi's army is in high spirits. They should take advantage of the momentum and directly attack Hulao Pass. Chen State, with the death of King Chen, is in low spirits, making it the best time to strike. Moreover, Gu Hai is just a merchant, and replacing the commander in the middle of a battle is a great taboo. Gao Xianzhi is a very smart person and should advance swiftly, using elite troops to quickly break through Hulao Pass. Once the heartland of Chen State is breached, there will be no resistance, and the war will be over!" Liunian Master said solemnly.

"Oh, you don't think much of Gu Hai?" the young girl asked curiously.

"It's too late! Gao Xianzhi is not a fool. How could he let anyone counterattack?" Liunian Master said with a smile.

"Report!"

Suddenly, a loud voice came from outside the hall.

"Ha, the messenger has arrived. Let's see if Liunian Master's prediction is correct!" the young girl said with a smile.

Soon, a man in white entered the hall.

"Pay respects to the head of the sect, the hall master, and the head of Qinghe Sect!" the man in white said.

"How is it? Has Gao Xianzhi's army headed straight for Hulao Pass?" Song Jia asked.

The man in white shook his head: "No, they stopped and are slowly taking control of the surrounding cities!"

"Oh?" Liunian Master paused.

"What's going on?" Song Jia asked, frowning.

"I have been following Gao Xianzhi and gathering the latest information. Initially, after breaking through three passes, they reorganized the troops. With an army of 800,000, they planned to leave 500,000 to slowly take control of the surrounding cities, while the remaining 300,000 would advance with Gao Xianzhi to Hulao Pass. However, news came that Chen State had appointed Gu Hai, and Gao Xianzhi immediately stopped!" the man in white said.

"Oh? Because of Gu Hai?" The head of Qinghe Sect's eyes lit up.

The man in white nodded reluctantly.

"How is that possible? Gu Hai is just an old man on the verge of death. How could Gao Xianzhi be afraid of him?" Song Jia asked, frowning.

The man in white said bitterly, "Gao Xianzhi reacted strongly. He immediately sent a message back to the King of Song, requesting immediate surveillance of all merchants to prevent them from causing chaos. He also ordered the control of grain stores and pharmacies to prevent Gu Hai from using commercial means to cut off the army's supplies!"

"Isn't Gao Xianzhi being too sensitive? A small merchant, how could he affect the war? Grain stores? Pharmacies? Can Gu Hai influence the entire Song State?" Song Jia asked angrily.

The man in white smiled bitterly, "I asked him the same thing. Gao Xianzhi said 'Yes'!"

Song Jia: "………………!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" The head of Qinghe Sect laughed heartily.

Liunian Master and the young girl exchanged glances, showing a hint of surprise.

"What's the situation now?" Song Jia asked solemnly.

"I heard that they have already taken control. The Song State has dispatched a large number of troops to protect the grain and medicine supplies for the front lines, ensuring no mistakes!" the man in white said.

"Since the grain and medicine are secure, why haven't they attacked yet?" Song Jia asked solemnly.

"Gao Xianzhi said that it's important to take control of the surrounding cities first, cutting off all possible resistance from Chen State. Therefore, the advance to Hulao Pass has been temporarily put on hold. Gao Xianzhi believes that once three-quarters of Chen State's territory is taken, the morale at Hulao Pass will be shaken. The longer it drags on, the more the fear will grow. When they finally reach Hulao Pass, it can be taken without a fight!" the man in white said.

"Oh? Psychological warfare? But this will take a long time!" Liunian Master frowned.

Song Jia also said solemnly, "Psychological warfare? How long will this take? Isn't Gao Xianzhi a military genius? Is he afraid of an old man who suddenly appeared?"

"I asked the same question!" the man in white said with a bitter smile.

"Oh? What did Gao Xianzhi say?" Liunian Master asked curiously.

"Gao Xianzhi said that although Gu Hai is a merchant, he is the best military strategist in the world!" the man in white said with a bitter smile.

The head of Qinghe Sect's eyes lit up. This was Gao Xianzhi's evaluation. The best in the world? How is that possible? However, hearing Gao Xianzhi's evaluation, the head of Qinghe Sect felt a new sense of joy. Perhaps, perhaps Chen State can really turn the tide?

"The best military strategist in the world?" the young girl also became interested.

"Hall master, the vision of these mortals is limited to this secular region and only to these six mortal states. It's not to be taken seriously!" the man in white said with a smile.

"Don't talk nonsense. Why does Gao Xianzhi say Gu Hai is the best military strategist in the world? And why is he so cautious when he is usually so confident and proud?" the young girl asked.

"Yes, I also asked Gao Xianzhi. He told me the truth. Gu Hai has indeed commanded armies before, and the results were astonishing!" the man in white said.

"Oh? Why didn't you report this earlier? Didn't you say Gu Hai was always a merchant?" the young girl asked, frowning.

"This is a very secret matter. We didn't know about it before. Gao Xianzhi only learned about it from his father. Forty years ago, Gu Hai suddenly appeared. At that time, he was thirty years old. He somehow met King Chen Taiji of Chen State. There were eight secular states in this region, and Chen State was the smallest, facing the threat of extinction. Gu Hai quietly became Chen Taiji's military advisor and helped him command the army. In a short time, he resolved all the crises, and under his command, the Chen army achieved victory after victory, becoming invincible!"

"Oh? Invincible?" the young girl asked, surprised.

"Yes, invincible. Other armies became smaller as they fought, but Gu Hai's army grew larger. Many classic battles emerged, such as the rural encirclement of cities, guerrilla warfare, tunnel warfare, the strategy of surrounding Wei to save Zhao, and the strategy of borrowing a path to attack Guo. I don't fully understand these terms, but Gao Xianzhi spoke of them with great admiration. These were the terms Gu Hai used, and with these unknown military strategies, he won battle after battle. In fact, over five years, he won a hundred battles without a single defeat. From a state on the brink of extinction, Chen State suddenly rose to prominence, defeating a major state and then conquering the world. At that time, the eight states were shocked and began to unite the six states to attack Chen State!" the man in white recalled.

"From the brink of extinction, turning defeat into victory, defeating a major state, and then facing the combined forces of six states?" Liunian Master's expression changed.

"Yes, Gao Xianzhi said that Gu Hai's command of the army was almost mythical. When the six states' combined forces of two million troops attacked, they were still outmaneuvered by Gu Hai. The six states' efforts were in vain, and Chen State took advantage of the victory to conquer another state," the man in white said solemnly.

"Another state?" the young girl asked, surprised.

"Yes, under Gu Hai's command, the army grew like a river, accepting even enemy troops. As a result, the Chen army became stronger, and Chen State became more powerful. Gao Xianzhi's father, a famous general at the time, was part of the combined forces. After fighting Gu Hai, he was deeply impressed and lost the will to fight, retiring to his hometown. At that time, Gu Hai's army was like a divine sword, cutting through everything. Gu Hai planned to conquer the remaining five states in one go, but the major sects intervened, stopping Chen State's advance. Even so, the remaining five states were left in fear and did not dare to attack Chen State for decades," the man in white explained.

The head of Qinghe Sect frowned, "Several sects approached me at that time. For the benefit of the sects, I ordered Chen Taiji to stop. So, it wasn't Chen Taiji leading the army, but Gu Hai in secret?"

"Gu Hai's military strategy is truly remarkable?" the young girl's eyes sparkled.

"Gao Xianzhi said that his father only learned about Gu Hai's role by chance. After retiring, he collected and compiled all the information about Gu Hai's battles, making Gao Xianzhi study them. Gao Xianzhi said that after years of study, he deeply understood the fear of Gu Hai, which is why he is preparing to take Hulao Pass with the most cautious approach," the man in white said.

"You said that Gu Hai won a hundred battles over five years without a single defeat?" Liunian Master asked curiously.

"So many battles in just five years?"

"Yes, Gao Xianzhi said that Gu Hai could command multiple battles simultaneously. In just five years, he transformed Chen State from a state on the brink of extinction into the strongest of the six states. However, for some reason, he had a falling out with Chen Taiji and withdrew from military and political affairs, becoming a wealthy man. Even as a wealthy man, he became the richest person in the six states!" the man in white said with a bitter smile.

Everyone in the hall fell into a long silence, as everything sounded too extraordinary.