382 Scales of the Hidden Dragon
The last time he came to the Yu Residence to visit his old friend, Hu Shan, and found out that Zhou Linghuai was staying in the Yu Residence, he vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
However, he wasn’t completely sure.
Therefore, he sent a greeting card.
As he had expected, Yin Huaixi used Zhou Linghuai’s identity to move into the Yu Residence. He hid in the inner residence and stirred up trouble.
Zhou Linghuai smiled faintly. “Oh, what do you mean?”
Mr. Xian Yun did not look at him. He only held a black chess piece and placed it on the chessboard. “In the past, when I traveled to Youzhou and met you, I had once met the young master of the Youzhou family, Zhou Linghuai. At that time, I told him that if Yin Huaixi did not die, he would definitely rebel.”
Zhou Linghuai sneered. “All these years, one of the factions that have been chasing after me was you?”
Mr. Xian Yun did not deny it. “If you die, Zhou Linghuai, Song Mingzhao, and Xie Jingliu can be good supporters. They can last for hundreds of years in the Great Zhou. If you live, they will all be rebels.”
Zhou Linghuai sneered. “If I want to rebel, no one in the world can stop me.”
Mr. Xian Yun said nothing.
Zhou Linghuai said calmly, “You don’t have to trouble yourself to test me. When I was young, I was familiar with history books and often gained insights. The Tang Dynasty had black-armored cavalry. In the battle of Hulao Pass, which determined the domination of the world, Dou Jiande led more than 100,000 elite troops to support Wang Shichong. Meanwhile, Li Shimin only used 3,500 black-armored elite troops as reinforcements at Hulao Pass. Later, he broke through more than 100,000 of Dou Jiande’s troops.”
“After that, Wang Shichong of Luoyang saw that more than a hundred thousand troops of King Xia, Dou Jiande, had been destroyed. He did not even resist. He led his subordinates and hundreds of civil and military officials to surrender. From then on, the war in the world was first settled. Later, this black armor army destroyed the Turks and regained peace in the four seas for the Tang Dynasty. The dynasty came to congratulate them.”
“There was also Yue Fei’s Yue family’s army. In the Battle of Zhuxian Town, they broke through more than 100,000 Jin soldiers with 500 elite soldiers. Later on, the Jin people felt that it was easy to shake the mountains but difficult to shake the Yue family’s army.”
“There was also the Liaodong Steel Cavalry. With just a few thousand troops, they opened up 800 miles of territory. Their general, Li Chengliang, once led 5,000 light cavalry to attack for 400 miles and broke through the enemy’s 100,000-strong alliance army. This special army was best at defeating many with few troops. In the three major expeditions of the Ming Dynasty, Li Rusong led 3,000 Steel Cavalry and fought 20,000 Japanese troops. They ambushed the Japanese granary and forced them to retreat.”
At this point, Mr. Xian Yun understood.
A truly unfathomable genius was good at reading history, studying history, appraising history, and even learning the essence of history. He abandoned the dregs of history and absorbed things that were beneficial to him.
That wasn’t the scariest thing.
Instead, he had the talent and the capital to execute it.
As expected, Zhou Linghuai changed the topic. “Later, I asked Father why he didn’t form a cavalry and destroy the Northern Barbarians, occupy the territory of the Northern Barbarians and obtain the Northern War Horses. He could have rode the Northern War Horse and conquered the world, causing the four seas to surrender and ten thousand dynasties to congratulate him. Father asked me, do you know how Bai Qi died? Bai Qi didn’t have any intention of rebelling. He was a war god. Why couldn’t the Great Qin Empire tolerate him? It’s because he didn’t have the intention to rebel, but he had the ability to rebel. As the saying goes, an ordinary man is innocent, but his abilities are a sin.”
Unknowingly, the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard collided several times. Mr. Xian Yun looked down for a long time and picked up his tea to drink.
The cavalry was in the hands of those in power and was a sharp weapon of the country.
However, in the hands of the vassal lords, they were the scourge of the country.
He had known this long ago, but he was born rebellious. The more he was not allowed to do something, the more he had to do it and do it to the best of his ability.
He quietly built a cavalry.
His father knew about it, but he did not stop him, because no one could stop what Yin Huaixi wanted to do.
HIs father had known this for a long time.
In a battle of wits and courage, his father had never won against him.
However, her father did not stop him or support him.
The money needed to raise an army was a bottomless pit, and the military expenses needed to raise a well-equipped elite army were no less than the cost of 100,000 You soldiers.
The difficulties involved were immeasurable.
His father did not believe that he could do it.
However, in fact, he had done it. In the beginning, he was the one who raised the army. Later, this army often appeared in the area of Shanxi. There was a trade route in that area, and there were also many mountains. There were endless bandits in every dynasty.
This cavalry often disguised themselves as escorts to suppress them. They were in the business of taking advantage of others. They had also accumulated combat experience and had never lost in many years.
Zhou Linghuai said calmly, “This cavalry is called the Hidden Dragon. It’s under my name and is used by me alone. During war, it hides in the army and takes advantage of the millions of troops to create a chance for our army to win.”
“In non-war times, they mostly hide among the commoners, either farming or hiding in the mountains. They come and go as they please. They’re unpredictable. One person can fight a hundred people and not lose.”
“Three years ago, the Di people’s army was fighting at the border. How could they turn the situation around in such a short period of time?”
“The Imperial Court owes the army money every year. How can the 300,000 You soldiers last so long?”
Mr. Xian Yun gasped and couldn’t even drink his tea.
Wanting to rebel and having the ability to rebel were two different concepts.
The former was fearful, while the latter was terrifying.
Zhou Linghuai lowered his eyebrows. “The Marquis of Changxing is in charge of 300,000 troops in Youzhou, but he’s in charge on my behalf. Once the Hidden Dragon appears, Youzhou will still be mine. I wonder if the three major camps of the capital can resist my 1,000 elite cavalry and 300,000 armored horsemen of the Youzhou army?”
Mr. Xian Yun couldn’t help but ask, “Since you have the ability to rebel, why don’t you rebel? Why do you still want to stir up trouble in the royal court?”
Zhou Linghuai looked at the small table. There was a stalk of orchid in the small bottle with round petals and a thin stem. This was not inserted by the little girl yesterday. It looked very beautiful. “I can’t confirm my father’s desire for rebellion. He’s a very cowardly person. He has no ambition in his life. It’s harder to make him rebel than to kill him. If he finds out that after he dies, his son rebelled and even made him bear the name of rebellion, he’ll probably be so angry that he’ll turn into a ghost and kill me.”
In this life, his father only wanted to live an upright life and grow old with his wife.
As his son, he couldn’t deny his intentions.
Mr. Xian Yun suddenly reacted. “So, if you don’t want to rebel, you’ll force others to rebel? If you don’t want to bear the name of rebellion, you’ll force others to bear the name of rebellion?”
He suddenly thought of King Ping’s entry into the capital. How much of this was his doing?
Once the vassal lords moved, the court would be in chaos.
Zhou Linghuai did not comment. “What’s the difference between me and others? After all, it’s time for the Great Zhou to come to an end.”
Even the Sage, Mr. Xian Yun, was angered by his casual attitude. “Yin Huaixi, there are gods everywhere. You don’t have any respect for them. Can you have a good ending?”
Zhou Linghuai sneered. “I was born unruly. I never knew what reverence was. My father restrained my personality and asked me to learn Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism at the same time. But look.” He pointed at the chessboard, his expression cold and distant. “Everything I’ve learned is in black and white. What do you think about this game?”
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