Protect Our Patriarch
Book 5: Chapter 122: Scapegoat Hero! Northern Territory Wang

……

Wang Shouzhe had always placed a high value on intelligence.

Many, many years ago, an intelligence team led by Wang Mei had gradually infiltrated the territory of the Red Moon Demon Dynasty. With the deep financial resources of the Wang Clan and their rich experience, they successfully established a foothold in the Demon Dynasty, developed informants, and built a relatively complete intelligence system.

Of course, for safety's sake, Wang Mei's intelligence organization in the Demon Dynasty was more grassroots-oriented and rarely infiltrated the inner circles of the aristocratic families. But one should not underestimate grassroots intelligence, as it is quite perceptive.

As the saying goes, "A goose leaves a sound, and an ant leaves a trace." In this world, anything that happens leaves a trace.

The "grassroots" are like small "nodes" on a spider web. When these "nodes" are woven together, they form the entire web, where a slight touch can affect the whole. Through subtle changes at these grassroots nodes, one can deduce a lot of useful intelligence.

Changes in food supplies, anomalies in material distribution, or even sudden changes in the lifestyle and habits of certain important figures could all be significant information.

For example, in the latest intelligence Wang Mei sent back, besides reporting that the Little Demon Lord had emerged from seclusion, there was another crucial piece of information: several elite clan military regiments of the Chao Clan of the Red Moon had undergone unusual movements.

This information was concluded after the Palace of Immortals noticed anomalies in many seemingly insignificant details and conducted targeted in-depth investigations.

After decades of highly targeted covert intelligence gathering on the Chao Clan by Wang Mei, and the layered "spider web" laid at the grassroots, many of the Chao Clan's subtle movements could not escape her notice.

Especially regarding the intelligence on the Little Demon Lord, as time passed, it was constantly updated and strengthened, becoming increasingly detailed.

Chao Qianjue, male, 309 years old, a peerless prodigy with top-tier bloodline, currently at the fourth level of the Divine Realm...

The intelligence book in Wang Shouzhe's hand, specifically used to record information on the Little Demon Lord, had grown from a dozen pages to a large volume of several hundred pages. Details about his personality, preferences, skills, marital relations, friends and foes, growth history, etc., were now more comprehensive than ever.

Because the data was so detailed, he had a clear understanding of the Chao Clan's formidable and challenging nature.

The Chao Clan's dominance over the True Demon Hall for so many years was not solely due to the Demon Lord alone.

In fact, among the many Demon Lords of the True Demon Hall, there were eight or nine with the surname Chao or who were affiliated with the Chao Clan, and these were just the ones the Wang Clan had discovered and confirmed.

As for whether there were any unknown hidden cards in the dark, that remained to be seen.

In such a situation, as the most prominent heir of the Chao Clan, the resources and connections the Little Demon Lord could mobilize were naturally formidable.

Now, with the Little Demon Lord just out of seclusion, and the Chao Clan's elite clan soldiers beginning to move in secret, the possibility of a connection between the two was quite high.

Considering his mother was the Princess of Heluo from the Demon Yan Kingdom.

And considering the ongoing stalemate in the war between the Demon Yan Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom, with hatred between the two sides growing.

And considering the Little Demon Lord's personality and usual way of handling things...

It could be inferred that the Little Demon Lord was very likely preparing to secretly intervene in the war between the Yan Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom.

In response to this possibility, after a series of covert investigations and verification of clues by the members of the Palace of Immortals, Wang Mei ultimately reached a definitive conclusion and reported it to Wang Shouzhe.

Of course, this wasn't to say that the Chao Clan wasn't cautious; it was simply that Wang Mei had the advantage of being in the dark while they were in the light.

Just like those big celebrities from Wang Shouzhe's previous life, who knew how many eyes were secretly watching them? Many things they thought were hidden often got exposed inadvertently.

And the movement of elite military regiments, no matter how covert, could not avoid leaving traces.

"Sigh~"

Wang Shouzhe sighed softly.

What is meant to come will eventually come, and what needs to be resolved cannot be avoided.

This time, the Little Demon Lord's actions against the Liang Kingdom seemed to have nothing to do with the Wang Clan, but the Liang Kingdom was a subordinate state of the Immortal Dynasty. If it fell, it would greatly affect the strength of the entire Immortal Dynasty, thereby impacting the balance of power between the Immortal and Demon Dynasties.

Moreover, Yun Mengyu's mother was the Princess Mingzhu of the Liang Kingdom, and the True Lord Yuling, who was on good terms with the Wang Clan, also hailed from the Jiang Clan of the Liang Kingdom. Both emotionally and rationally, he could not sit idly by.

In comparison, the matter of the Demon Dynasty's envoy to the Great Qian was relatively easier to handle...

After pondering for a moment, Wang Shouzhe picked up a few sheets of letter paper and leisurely wrote several letters, sealed them, and sent them out.

……

Time passed.

Some time later.

In the temporary Chunnan Princess Mansion in Chunnan Prefecture City.

Wang Fugui held a letter from Ancestor Grandfather, his expression slightly complex as he looked at the disguised Wang Anxin: "Thirteenth Grandfather, is this really what Ancestor Grandfather instructed?"

"Fugui, I'm already here... Could it be that you can't recognize Ancestor Grandfather's seal and secret mark?" Wang Anxin patted his shoulder with a smile, "From now on, your Thirteenth Grandfather will be following you."

Wang Anxin was an outstanding member of the Wang Clan's "An" generation. Although he couldn't compare to his brother Wang Anye or his son Wang Ningxi, he had managed to secure the position of Deputy Commander of the Changning Wang's Clan Militia Regiment through his own abilities and was being heavily nurtured.

A few years ago, among the second batch of high-grade Marrying Blood Gu obtained from the Blood Venerable's lair by the Wang Clan, there were fourteen high-grade Marrying Blood Gu Essence versions, and Wang Anxin received one of them, using it to elevate his bloodline to the level of a peerless prodigy.

Not long ago, he had successfully broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm, thus entering the family's second sequence.

"Thirteenth Grandfather." Wang Fugui was a bit embarrassed, "You are a senior of the family, saying such things would be too much for Fugui."

"No worries, no worries. When I was young, I admired your grandfather the most, but now it seems your grandfather is not as good as you." Wang Anxin chuckled, "Such an important task for our family, Ancestor Grandfather entrusted it to you instead of Seventh Brother. Seventh Brother should really reflect on himself."

"I suspect Ancestor Grandfather is deliberately retaliating, just not wanting me to go back to the Clan School." Wang Fugui said helplessly, "I merely requested some support from the family, asking for some talented individuals to be sent to assist the Chunnan Princess Mansion. Unexpectedly, they sent people over but also handed me a huge task."

"What's so fun about the Clan School?" Wang Anxin laughed, "Staying in the Immortal Dynasty and spending more time with Mengyu is much better, isn't it? If necessary, you can have some teachers from the Clan School come over to teach you."

"Thirteenth Grandfather, going to the Clan School isn't just about learning knowledge..." Wang Fugui sighed, "Attending the Clan School is a rare experience for me, a valuable life experience. The joy and achievements, the heartaches and setbacks, are all beautiful memories for a lifetime..."

Before he could finish, Wang Anxin couldn't listen anymore and interrupted, "Wait! It's true you have joy and achievements, but could you please remove the words 'heartache and setbacks'..."

Who didn't know that the family had two academic prodigies, one being his son Wang Ningxi and the other his grandnephew Wang Fugui. Being caught in the middle, he really felt the pressure.

Back in the day, his grades in the Clan School weren't bad, but compared to these two, he was just a mediocre student.

"Alright, since it's Ancestor Grandfather's order, I'll delay my return for another two years." Wang Fugui put away the letter, saying helplessly, "After arranging the Wang Clan talents who came with you this time, I'll immediately return to the Northern Territory Wang Mansion with Mengyu."

"You should understand Ancestor Grandfather's intentions." Wang Anxin's expression turned serious, "This matter is of great importance. A significant portion of our Wang Clan's accumulated resources has been invested in the militia regiment. If we fail, the losses will be severe, so this plan must not go wrong."

"Thirteenth Grandfather, rest assured, I fully understand Ancestor Grandfather's intentions. I will not let him down."

Now a graceful young man, Wang Fugui raised his hand in salute, solemnly making a promise.

A few days later.

Princess Yun Mengyu of Chunnan suddenly threw a tantrum, claiming she had had enough of this ghost place in Chunnan, causing a scene and demanding to return to the Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

Naturally, Wang Fugui had no choice but to personally escort her back to the Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

Upon returning to the Immortal City with the Yao Clan's Yun Yao flying boat, the news of Yun Mengyu's princess tantrum spread like wildfire to the ears of the major families in the Immortal Capital and even reached the Immortal Emperor.

Although the Immortal Emperor did not issue a decree to reprimand Yun Mengyu, a comment from the inner court spread, "That child Mengyu is still too young and needs to grow and be tempered."

This "unintentional" remark naturally cooled the recent fervor surrounding the Princess of Chunnan, causing many families who were planning to invest early to take a wait-and-see approach.

Meanwhile, with Yun Mengyu and Wang Fugui's return, a group of related individuals gathered with unusually serious expressions in the secret chamber of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion's inner courtyard.

"Yun Lixuan." Lady Jiang Yiyi of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion cried with tears like pear blossoms, "The Princess of Heluo from the Demon Yan Kingdom is a princess, but am I not a princess as the Princess Mingzhu of the Liang Kingdom?"

A great prodigy with outstanding bloodline like Jiang Yiyi would usually be titled "princess" before marriage, and only after reaching the Divine Realm would she be formally titled as a princess with the official title of "Princess of a certain country."

However, since Jiang Yiyi was marrying into the Northern Territory Wang Mansion of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, even though her cultivation hadn't reached the Divine Realm yet, she would be formally titled as a princess before marriage, so her status would be higher when she married.

The Princess of Heluo from the Demon Yan Kingdom, who married into the Red Moon Chao Clan, was actually quite similar to Jiang Yiyi in many aspects, except for being significantly older.

"My dear, don't cry, don't cry. Let me think of a way." Heir Yun Lixuan of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion said with a pained expression, "At worst, I'll personally lead the Northern Territory Army to support our Liang Kingdom."

"Ridiculous!" The Northern Territory Wang slammed the table in anger, "The Northern Territory Army is the regular army of the Immortal Dynasty, responsible for guarding the northern border of the Immortal Dynasty and regularly rotating to the outer region battlefield. How can it be casually deployed to the Liang Kingdom to fight?"

"Ancestor." Yun Lixuan, for once, stood his ground, stubbornly retorting, "The Chao Clan of the Demon Dynasty can secretly send troops to support the Demon Yan Kingdom, so why can't our Yun Clan do the same? If we truly stand by and watch this time, not to mention the Demon Dynasty people will look down on us, how will I and Yiyi live in the future?"

The Northern Territory Wang's expression was not good, and he said in a deep voice, "Since the Chao Clan broke the rules first, our Yun Clan will naturally not stand idly by. However, this matter is of great importance and cannot be acted upon lightly. My intention is to first seek the advice of the Immortal Emperor and let her make a decision. As long as she gives the order, even if the entire Northern Territory Army moves to the Liang Kingdom, it wouldn't be impossible."

"But Ancestor, Fugui's intention is that this matter must not alarm the Immortal Emperor." Yun Mengyu hurriedly intervened, "I even deliberately threw a princess tantrum this time to cover it up."

With these words, everyone's eyes fell on Wang Fugui, as if questioning the significance of this decision. Although Wang Fugui was young, his impressive track record commanded respect.

"Dear elders." Wang Fugui calmly stood up, bowing as he explained, "Based on the current intelligence, this operation is a private action by the Little Demon Lord Chao Qianjue, and we believe it is highly likely that even the Demon Lord is unaware. If they only dispatch a Little Demon Lord, wouldn't it be giving him too much face if we alarm the Immortal Emperor?"

"Moreover, given the current dire situation on the outer region battlefield, both the Immortal Emperor and the Demon Emperor are inclined to avoid friction to prevent triggering another immortal-demon war. Therefore, if the Immortal Emperor learns of this, she will most likely communicate with the Demon Emperor through some diplomatic channel, and the Demon Emperor will most likely reprimand the Little Demon Lord, ordering him to withdraw his troops. After that, this matter will likely have no further developments."

The Northern Territory Wang's expression froze slightly.

Having lived for several millennia, he was well-versed in the "communication" methods between the Immortal and Demon Dynasties and naturally understood that this was indeed the most likely outcome.

But he still felt a bit puzzled, "Isn't such a result good?"

"The Liang and Yan Kingdoms have been in conflict for generations, and this war has been going on for over fifty years, with significant casualties on both sides. Resentment and hatred have accumulated over time, and the war shows signs of escalating. Continuing this war is detrimental to the entire human race."

"Isn't that so?" The Northern Territory Wang sighed helplessly, "But the Liang and Yan Kingdoms have deep-seated grudges, and even the Immortal Emperor's repeated persuasion has been to no avail. Moreover, even if the Liang Kingdom is willing to let go, the Demon Yan Kingdom may not."

"In that case, why not take this opportunity to win the war?" Wang Fugui raised an eyebrow, speaking confidently, "After all, the Little Demon Lord is the one who broke the rules first. We can go with the flow, take advantage of the situation, and have the moral high ground. Why not? The Liang Kingdom is not only part of our Immortal Dynasty's camp but also Mengyu's maternal family. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to win decisively, the stalemate between the Liang and Yan Kingdoms will be broken, and it will be difficult for war to break out again in the short term, which is beneficial to the overall situation of the human race."

"Indeed, indeed, we not only need to win but also end the war." Jiang Yiyi was overjoyed, looking at Fugui with increasing approval. This son-in-law was a keeper!

Compared to Yun Mengyu, Jiang Yiyi, who grew up in the Liang Kingdom, naturally had a deeper affection for her motherland.

In fact, Jiang Yiyi had repeatedly hoped that Yun Lixuan would find a way to send troops to support the Liang Kingdom, but given the current situation, the Northern Territory Wang Mansion found it difficult to act.

After all, "actively breaking the tacit understanding between the Immortal and Demon Dynasties and triggering the next round of the immortal-demon war" was a burden too heavy for the Northern Territory Wang Mansion to bear.

Therefore, over the years, the Northern Territory Wang Mansion could at most allow Jiang Yiyi to secretly bring some resources and money when visiting her family, which was a form of indirect support.

But such support, in the context of a war between two countries, was merely a drop in the bucket and did little to change the overall situation.

Moreover, if Jiang Yiyi could do this, the Demon Yan Princess could naturally do the same.

"With careful planning, it might just work." The Northern Territory Wang was also tempted but hesitated, "But is it really appropriate to do this without informing the Immortal Emperor? We could discuss the plan with her..."

"It's better to keep it a secret." Wang Fugui glanced at the Northern Territory Wang, hinting, "If she knows, wouldn't it put her in a difficult position? Moreover, when she confronts the Demon Emperor and shifts the blame to us, she can be more justified."

Whether the Immortal Emperor knew or not, at least on the surface, she had to "not know."

"Shift the blame?" The Northern Territory Wang was taken aback, "Would the Immortal Emperor shift the blame to us?"

"No, to be precise, she would shift the blame to you." Wang Fugui looked at the Northern Territory Wang with innocent eyes, "After all, you are the one in charge of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, and someone has to take the blame."

"You little rascal, Wang Fugui! This was all your idea, why don't you take the blame?" The Northern Territory Wang was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring, "You're the worst of the lot."

"I'm young and my shoulders are weak. Even if I wanted to take the blame, the Demon Emperor wouldn't acknowledge it." Wang Fugui explained and reassured, "Rest assured, the blame the Chao Clan has to bear is much darker and heavier than yours. Compared to theirs, yours is just a drizzle."

"Ancestor, you must stand up for our Liang Kingdom." Jiang Yiyi started crying again, "We can't let the Chao Clan trample on the face of our Yun Clan~~~"

"Ancestor, please take the blame." Yun Mengyu also tugged at the Northern Territory Wang's sleeve, starting to act coquettishly, "I don't want to see our Liang Kingdom suffer."

The Northern Territory Wang's face turned a series of colors.

None of them were easy to deal with.

He glared at Wang Fugui fiercely, then said helplessly, "Fine, fine, I'll take the blame. However, since the Chao Clan is using clan soldiers, we can't deploy regular troops. Within our Northern Territory Wang Mansion, we can secretly assemble an elite regiment in the form of clan soldiers, but the rest of the forces will have to be figured out by you, Wang Fugui."

He was inwardly disgruntled, muttering to himself that Fugui was quite capable, but he didn't believe this matter could be resolved by him alone.

In the end, wouldn't he have to come to the Northern Territory Wang for help?

"An elite regiment? That should be enough." Wang Fugui pondered for a moment, then said, "The rest of the personnel can be borrowed from the Wu Clan, Wang Clan, Luo Clan, and Jiang Clan to form another regiment. Additionally, our Changning Wang's Clan will also send a regiment this time, so we have enough manpower."

"Your Wang Clan is also sending troops?" The Northern Territory Wang was taken aback by Wang Fugui, "With your family's conditions, can you field an elite regiment? Do you know what the word 'elite' means? The lowest-ranking soldiers must be at the Lingtai Realm!"

"We can, we have a regiment with a 'militia' structure, designated as the Changning Wang's Clan Militia Regiment." Wang Fugui said confidently, "My Ancestor Grandfather's intention is to let them gain some experience on a small battlefield first."

Militia structure? Militia Regiment!

The Northern Territory Wang's face turned as dark as it could get.

With such a structure, you have the audacity to take on the Chao Clan's elite regiment from the Demon Dynasty? You're not sending them to gain experience; you're sending them to leech off achievements and fame, aren't you?

And "small battlefield."

If fighting against the Demon Dynasty's elite is considered a small battlefield, then what counts as a large battlefield? The outer region battlefield?

This is utterly shameless!

……

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