Chapter 79 of 100

Chapter 79

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Chapter 78: Linen Skirt and Thorns

"Villain, release my junior sister Zeng Rou!"

"How dare you come to Wangwu Mountain and cause trouble."

...

Song Qingshu completely ignored the shouts of the group of henchmen until a middle-aged man with graying hair and beard stepped out from the crowd.

"From your martial arts, you are no ordinary person. Why must you make things difficult for a young girl?" the middle-aged man asked in a deep voice.

"Are you Situ Bolai?" Song Qingshu opened his eyes and glanced at the man.

"Yes, I am." The middle-aged man replied.

By his breathing, Song Qingshu knew his martial arts were not very high, but there was a unique sense of military resilience and intensity about him. Song Qingshu nodded inwardly: "I have important matters to discuss with the old hero. I wonder if you have the courage to go inside and talk in detail?"

Situ Bolai fell silent. The visitor had come at night, and his actions were suspicious. Following him inside would be risking his life.

Seeing their leader silent, the others began to shout and curse, urging him not to fall for the trick.

In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Song Qingshu coughed and said, "It's understandable for the old hero to have reservations, but I'm not asking you to come in; I'm threatening you, understand?"

Song Qingshu paused and continued, "I will count to three. If you don't want to go inside and talk, I will take off one piece of this young girl's clothes. Then I'll start counting again, and take off another piece until there's nothing left to take off."

Zeng Rou's face turned pale with fear, and the Wangwu Sect members shouted in anger.

"Little beauty, do you think your fellow disciples will pretend to be righteous to delay time just to catch a glimpse of your body? One... two..." Song Qingshu lightly touched Zeng Rou's cheek with his nose, inhaling deeply, intoxicated by the unique scent of youth, truly delightful.

"Kill me, I will not be humiliated by you!" Although Zeng Rou was terrified and trembling all over, she did not want to put her respected master in danger.

"Alright, I'll go in with you!" Situ Bolai finally spoke. Zeng Rou was entrusted to him by an old friend on his deathbed; he could not let her purity be destroyed today.

"Indeed, you have the courage, Old Hero Situ, please come in." Song Qingshu stepped aside and made a gesture inviting him in.

Holding Zeng Rou, Song Qingshu slowly followed Situ Bolai into the house. Sensing the others closing in, Song Qingshu used his internal energy to flick his sleeve backward, sending a powerful force that knocked everyone off their feet.

"Whoever dares to approach this small house within ten paces will meet the same fate as this rock." Song Qingshu used the Great Demon Fist to punch a nearby large rock, shattering it.

Seeing the rock shattered, Zeng Rou felt a chill: This person's martial arts are so high...

The others turned pale and stopped in their tracks, unsure whether to move or stay.

Chapter 78: Linen Skirt and Thorns

"What do you want to say to me, old hero?" Situ Bolai also saw the scene and realized that the other's martial arts were far superior to his. However, after years of battle, he had long put life and death aside and could face Song Qingshu with a calm heart.

Impressed by his battlefield demeanor, Song Qingshu gently pushed and released Zeng Rou.

"Master~" Zeng Rou, once free, quickly hid behind Situ Bolai, her voice both tender and timid.

Situ Bolai comforted Zeng Rou and then turned to look at Song Qingshu in a daze.

"To meet the old hero, I had to resort to this underhanded method in a hurry. I apologize to Miss Zeng Rou, hoping for her forgiveness." Song Qingshu politely bowed, his demeanor completely different from his previous arrogance and ferocity.

Thinking about how he had taken advantage of her, Zeng Rou was both ashamed and angry, but since only the two of them knew about it, she couldn't reveal it to her master and could only glare at him in protest.

Situ Bolai remained noncommittal and said coolly, "You might as well state your purpose."

"Currently, there are thousands of elite Tartar troops at the foot of the mountain. What do you plan to do, old hero?" Song Qingshu found a stool and sat down.

Situ Bolai hesitated, wanting to say that he wouldn't reveal his strategy to an outsider, but then realized he had no strategy at all, and was left speechless.

"If I'm not mistaken, your Wangwu Sect plans to hold the mountain and defend it, right?" Seeing his silence, Song Qingshu continued.

"Hmph, Wangwu Mountain is easy to defend but hard to attack. The Qing Tartars won't find it easy to assault us." Situ Bolai snorted.

"True, the few thousand elite cavalry below the mountain would suffer heavy losses if they attacked directly, but..." Song Qingshu deliberately paused.

"But what?" Zeng Rou couldn't help but ask curiously.

Song Qingshu smiled and said, "Old hero, what do you think is the main reason the Wangwu Sect has been able to live freely all these years? Is it really because of the thousand or so people under your command?"

Situ Bolai's face darkened: "We have relied on these one or two thousand people to make the Tartar officials leave us alone."

"Wrong!" Song Qingshu stood up, "You have been able to live freely because you have never entered the court's radar. Local officials, for various reasons, have not reported your situation to the court. This time, the court's crackdown on the martial arts world is not aimed at your Wangwu Sect, but if you engage in a major battle with the court's army and attract Emperor Kangxi's attention... heh heh, then there will be a continuous stream of troops sent to suppress you. How long can your thousand people hold out?"

Situ Bolai broke out in a cold sweat, realizing the severity of the situation. He looked at Song Qingshu, his heart racing, and hurriedly clasped his hands and asked, "Thank you, wise man, for your guidance. Do you have a solution?"

Song Qingshu laughed lightly, "Old hero, you react quickly. I am indeed here to offer you a clear path. There are three strategies for you to choose from, and I suggest you listen."

Situ Bolai's expression became serious, "I would like to hear more."

"The best strategy is to accept the Qing court's appointment publicly. The court gets the face, and you get the substance, everyone is happy. The soldiers below the mountain all have families; no one wants to risk their lives in a real battle. As long as you accept the appointment, no one will oppose it." Song Qingshu smiled.

"To surrender to the Qing, that is absolutely out of the question!" To his surprise, Situ Bolai shook his head, unwilling to continue the discussion.

"Old hero, you are indeed a famous anti-Qing hero, with a strong sense of justice. I admire you greatly!" Song Qingshu knew he would never agree to the best strategy and was not bothered, "Old hero, why don't you listen to my middle strategy?"

"Please continue." Situ Bolai finally calmed down.

"The middle strategy is to retreat according to the Thirty-Six Stratagems." Song Qingshu chuckled, thinking that when the enemy is strong and you are weak, Mao Zedong's guerrilla warfare theory is an unbreakable truth.

"Retreat?" Situ Bolai's heart raced, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head, "Retreating without a fight would invite ridicule from our martial arts peers. When the news spreads, the morale of the troops will surely be lost, and they won't even be able to hold out. Besides, the army below the mountain has sealed off the exits; it won't be easy to leave."

"What about the worst strategy?" Zeng Rou, hearing the best and middle strategies, thought the middle strategy was better than the best, and wondered if the worst strategy might be even better.

"The worst strategy is to hold out on Wangwu Mountain and deal with wave after wave of suppression troops from the court." Song Qingshu looked at Zeng Rou in a blue robe and smiled, her simple linen skirt and thorns, without makeup, creating a pure and natural beauty.

Chapter 79: The Prince Consort of Princess Changping

It's not that Song Qingshu was being pretentious, insisting on presenting the best, middle, and worst strategies like in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In his previous life, Song Qingshu had attended an MBA class called "The Art of Giving Advice," which mentioned that even if you think your idea is brilliant, you shouldn't directly impose it on the other party but should be more tactful, mixing in a few terrible options for them to choose from.

Don't underestimate this step. Due to human nature, this will create an illusion for the other party, making them believe that the final decision is theirs, and they will be very willing to implement it, completely unaware that their choice was actually influenced by you.

Sure enough, after hearing the worst strategy, Situ Bolai's attention returned to the middle strategy.

"Old hero, the two concerns you have can actually be resolved." Seeing him muttering to himself, weighing the pros and cons, Song Qingshu couldn't help but speak up.

"Please enlighten me." Situ Bolai's eyes lit up.

"Tomorrow night, the Qing army camp below the mountain will definitely be lax in its guard. You can select a dozen or so trusted and skilled martial artists to bypass the outer defenses of the Qing army and head straight for the commander's tent, catching them off guard." A mysterious light flashed in Song Qingshu's eyes.

"How do you know the Qing army will be lax in their guard tomorrow?" Situ Bolai wasn't stupid and suspected that the other party was a Qing spy, trying to lure him into a trap to capture everyone.

"You don't have to believe me, but if you miss this opportunity, you will probably have no choice but to hold out on Wangwu Mountain." Song Qingshu smiled faintly, looking at the other party's suspicious gaze, and couldn't help but sneer, "You don't need to guess. If I had ill intentions, why would I go through all this trouble? I could kill you easily, and then the leaderless Wangwu Sect would be easily annihilated by the cavalry below the mountain."

Situ Bolai's face darkened, but he knew the other party was telling the truth. In this case, he indeed had no reason to lie...

"However, I have heard that in addition to the three thousand cavalry, the Qing army also has imperial guards and two top martial artists. If we go in alone, it will be like sending lambs to the slaughter." Thinking of another matter, Situ Bolai couldn't help but frown.

"True, you will definitely be captured." Song Qingshu smiled mysteriously.

"What!" Zeng Rou, who had been silent, suddenly became angry, "Are you here to play with us?" Situ Bolai also stared at him in confusion.

"This is to save the face of the Wangwu Sect," Song Qingshu smiled bitterly, "Otherwise, your hasty retreat would not sound good in the martial arts world."

"Face is saved, but our heads are not." Situ Bolai snorted.

"Please don't be hasty, let me explain," Song Qingshu hurriedly explained, "When you act, just bring one or two cowards. After a bit of a scare, the Qing army commander will naturally release you. Before the action, remember to instruct the Wangwu Sect disciples to disperse and leave Wangwu Mountain under the cover of night.