Peace Order
Chapter 677 - 65 Li Guanyi’s Alliance in Troubled Times!_3

Chapter 677: Chapter 65 Li Guanyi’s Alliance in Troubled Times!_3

But as soon as that young man began to speak, he started praising his own grandmother.

Gongsun Feixue was dumbfounded.

Hmm???

Who is this sweet-talker, making people lose their sense of direction?

Hmm?? Where did that brave and wise, calm and collected, legendary figure go, who, as the tales say, could swallow Wan Li like a tiger, and whose tens of thousands of soldiers in ferocious Qilin helmets were fighting?

She suddenly felt that the bold and spirited young man had suddenly shed the mask of legend, and became approachable, letting out a snort of laughter, and seemed ready to apologize for her impoliteness.

But when she looked up, she saw Li Guanyi with his eyes wide open, the young man’s skin apparently not yet impervious to all poisons and invulnerable to all weapons, looking a bit stiff and awkward.

The poor ruler, Li Guanyi, was desperately flattering Gongsun Wuyue beneath his crown.

He was mentally calculating, hoping to get a discount when buying mechanical devices from here, but his plans were interrupted by laughter, and he became embarrassed, but on the other side, Gongsun Wuyue was composed, squinting her eyes, and urged, "Keep the praise coming, kiddo."

Gongsun Wuyue smiled mockingly, "Your mouth is quite sweet."

"If only Zu Wenyuan’s words were that sweet."

Li Guanyi said, "Everything the junior says comes from the bottom of his heart."

From the bottom of his heart – poverty!

Gongsun Wuyue waved her hand and said with a smile, "One hundred mechanical crossbows."

"And three thousand special crossbow arrows."

"Let’s talk business."

Li Guanyi still tried to struggle a bit, to maintain the dignity and status of the youngest ruler under the heavens, and said earnestly, "Senior, everything the junior has said comes from the..."

Gongsun Wuyue sipped her tea. This woman, still looking graceful despite being over seventy years old, said leisurely:

"Two hundred units."

"But..."

"Three hundred units."

The young ruler without hesitation said:

"Okay!"

"You’re absolutely right, Senior!"

A ruler’s dignity? That thing can’t be exchanged for food, nor for armor or mechanical devices, what use is it?

Li Guanyi thought about it and then said with a smile, "Well then, let’s do this, Senior and I, we’ll both write down our thoughts on paper and see if we have the same idea."

Gongsun Wuyue laughed, "You are quite sharp. Very well, I’ll indulge your wish."

They both took paper and pen and wrote down their thoughts; Gongsun Feixue brought them over.

She was slightly stunned, looked at Li Guanyi and then at Gongsun Wuyue, and placed the two papers together; both looked intently only to see the writing on the left side was free and easy, while on the right side, the script was neat and elegant.

[Military Ranks]

This was Gongsun Wuyue’s answer.

But when she looked at Li Guanyi’s answer: "The world..."

"That’s quite ambitious."

Gongsun Wuyue straightened her body and after a moment of consideration said, "What I had in mind, a cup of water, if it’s to last, I am afraid it must leave the cup and be poured into the rivers. Thus, if we use Gongshu Family’s mechanical techniques and incorporate them into the Qilin Army..."

"Then, the Gongsun Family would maintain enough value to retain the Qilin Army’s combat effectiveness."

"One day, no matter who it is that contends for the world, no matter who your descendants are, they cannot abandon the army, and within the army, Gongshu’s mechanism skills are indispensable. In this way, no matter who can be called your heir, my family can survive for a long time."

Li Guanyi said, "But if we do that, the Gongsun Family directly siding with Jiangnan could easily anger Chen Country and Ying Country, targeting the Gongsun Family."

Gongsun Wuyue said, "There will always be a price to pay."

"So, what is the world?"

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "The water in a cup, when contained within the cup, takes the shape of the cup. When released into a river, it flows alongside the river. But the cup can shatter, and the river can dry up, burying everything in silt and mud."

"But the world is different. On the ground, it turns into rivers, raised to the sky, it becomes clouds, falling onto the earth, it may become rain or fog, rising and transforming, in an endless cycle, eternal and undying."

Gongsun Wuyue watched as the young Taoist stood up with his back to her, holding the cup towards the sky, and said, "Li Guanyi is still alive, the Qilin Army is at its zenith, seemingly visible in this world but, can Jiangnan prosper forever?"

"Who will be the final victor, me or Ying Country?"

Li Guanyi answered himself, "I hope it can prosper forever."

"But, perhaps I will die on the battlefield, and the Qilin Army will vanish in this vortex with my unfulfilled dream, yet knowledge alone is indestructible... A suggestion, Senior Gongsun, I hope you can dispatch your craftsmen to the lands of Jiangnan."

"I want them to teach the Gongshu Lineage Mechanical Techniques."

"I want to establish an organization similar to the Academy there."

"We will select talented individuals from all over the land and instruct them in the mysteries of machinery. Of course, in these turbulent times, these people will become the logistical officers of the Qilin Army. As for the design drawings of the Mechanical Crossbow, a potential calamity, they will remain secret."

"These things certainly still need careful consideration."

"The Military School, Legalism, and the Yin Yang School have all been bodies of knowledge that could disrupt an era, but the Academy has taught them to the world. The Academy’s status is extraordinary. Even amidst great chaos, no one has sought to destroy this place."

Li Guanyi looked at Gongsun Wuyue and said, "It depends on what you think."

"Will you keep all this mechanical knowledge in the hands of the aristocratic families, unwilling to share it?"

"Or will you recruit talented individuals to spread the knowledge widely, so that when your disciples are all over the world, the Gongsun Family and Gongshu Ban will become pioneers like the Academy’s past masters? Even if the Qilin Army is gone, the knowledge of the Gongsun Family will not perish."

"Once the knowledge spreads, no one would be foolish enough to try to kill all who possess it. They will continue on the path laid out before them, just as the rise of the Academy."

Gongsun Wuyue was silent, choosing between enlisting in the military or founding an Academy.

"The Academy was established by heroes eight hundred years ago."

"We..."

Li Guanyi replied, "We don’t necessarily have to be weaker than them."

After much thought, Gongsun Wuyue, the proposition made by Li Guanyi resembled her own plans, but upon closer examination, they differed. Directly integrating into the military as part of the Qilin Army versus founding an Academy and teaching disciples who would join the Qilin Army.

The nature of these two was fundamentally different.

The ultimate position and treatment of the Gongsun Family would be entirely different as well.

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I have Wen He."

"With Wen He’s talents, the Academy founded by the Gongsun Family will surely remain safe and sound."

Such a fierce strategist was so reliable in protecting his own domain.

Seemingly persuaded, Gongsun Wuyue said, "I, in my own mind, want to trust you, but after all, I am the Family Head of the Gongsun Family. How can you expect me to believe you won’t take the opportunity to swallow the Gongsun lineage whole?"

Li Guanyi said, "The Gongsun Family is already in danger."

"Chen Country’s Chen Dingye has sent a thousand Armored Soldiers, and the Sect Master of the Sky-reaching Sect, an aggressive force, crosses the river."

Gongsun Wuyue smiled and said, "Yes, so your arrival is timely. Well, solve one of these issues for my family, and it will serve as a Voucher in the Martial World. I will believe you, staking my family’s fate on it."

"I’ll give you three craftsmen."

Li Guanyi held up a finger and said, "Three tasks."

Gongsun Wuyue asked, "What?"

The young Taoist replied warmly, "You don’t trust me. Do you trust the first giant of the Mo School, one of the six Palace Masters of the Academy?"

Gongsun Wuyue, the seasoned head of an aristocratic family in the Martial World, was unaccustomed to someone not constantly seeking personal gain or willingly offering to do even more."

The heroes of the Martial World, after all, do not understand the whole world."

Li Guanyi bowed with folded hands, saying, "Since we are allies, I must show sincerity."

"Li Guanyi proposes three tasks to invite Piaomiao Pavilion into Jiangnan."

"Three tasks. First, I will halt the soldiers of Chen Country. Second, I will turn the Sky-reaching Sect back to Jiangnan. Third, I am willing to visit the Academy to seek instruction from the Master Mo, and if possible, invite the Master to come."

"Then at that time, we can continue our discussions!"

"To form an alliance, it must be without reservations. You will not suspect me, and I will not betray you. Together in life and death, that is the true principle of an alliance in this world!"

The young man strapped on the pine pattern ancient sword, his black hair lifted slightly by a breeze, his stature like a tiger poised to strike, a Red Dragon murmuring, bowed respectfully. His sleeves fell like clouds gently draping, and with composure, he said:

"The soldiers of Chen Country are advancing, the Sky-reaching Sect is arriving."

"A great change is upon the world."

"I shall settle these two matters for you, my lord!"

With a calm and unyielding spirit as solid as a mountain, Gongsun Feixue was taken aback, only then realizing that this sweet-talking young man was truly capable of dominating the world’s heroes with his power and strategy.

Li Guanyi stood up and said, "Furthermore, the well-being of an aristocratic family should not be placed entirely on one person. Let us abandon the plans for a marital alliance."

"Now, my friend is still resting, so Guanyi will take his leave."

The young Taoist, wearing the pine pattern ancient sword, smiled and bowed courteously.

Looking at the dazed Gongsun Wuyue, he sincerely said:

"Madam."

Thus Gongsun Wuyue sighed, speechless in the end, her heart leaning towards the young man.