#595 - No Escape - I am the villain in the book

And so, with less than an hour remaining before the new year, the emperors of the Qian, Hui, Jue, and Ji kingdoms finalized the strategy for this great joint battle at the Longchan Temple.

This also meant that this war, destined to be recorded in the histories of several nations, could no longer be avoided.

How many people would die in such a great war? What impact would it have on the people of Da'ning, Da'shu, and Xin'feng?

No one was unaware of these things.

But Lü Hongji and the other three would not have the slightest hesitation or guilt.

In an era of great contention, the success of one general always meant the death of ten thousand.

This was even more true for a nation.

Strong nations would thrive, while weak ones would perish.

Any pity or mercy was superfluous in matters concerning the fate of a nation, and everyone only thought about one thing.

That was how to maximize their own interests and how to become the king of the world.

From this perspective, although these four emperors had formed an alliance, they must still have had their own agendas, but the time for revealing their true intentions had not yet arrived.

Therefore, the two-year civil strife in Feng and Ning was more like a god-given opportunity, giving them a chance to realize their respective ambitions.

“Men!”

His gaze swept over the other three, and regardless of the truth, his voice became incredibly heroic at this moment.

“Gentlemen!”

“When the heavens unleash their intent to kill, the stars shift and constellations change! When the earth unleashes its intent to kill, dragons and snakes rise from the land!”

“This day next year, we will surely be remembered in history, praised for ten thousand generations!”

“This undertaking!”

“Will surely succeed!!”

Shu Prefecture City, Weiyang Palace.

Compared to the excitement at Longchan Temple, the atmosphere in Weiyang Palace was still as extravagant as ever.

Wei Changtian, Ning Yukē, and You Wenzong stood on the vermilion walls, overlooking the prosperity below, while Wei Xianzhi, Xu Qingwan, and others drank and chatted not far behind them.

Mountains and seas overturned palaces, rivers and stars hung upside down.

Countless flying lanterns connected the sky and the earth, and everywhere one looked was a sea of crimson.

At this moment, it seemed that everyone was experiencing the most joyful and wonderful time.

And Wei Changtian finally vaguely understood why You Wenzong insisted on holding such a grand banquet.

“Young Master Wei, Your Majesty, Prime Minister You.”

“Su Sheng has just composed a poem to praise the grand scene of the Great Shu.”

“…”

Beside them, a young eunuch softly recited the poem Su Wu had just written, and the three of them were slightly stunned after listening.

It must be said that, whether it was because he had drunk wine or because this grand gathering was too extravagant, giving Su Wu an extremely real "fairyland" experience.

In short, this poem was indeed excellent and was considered an above-average performance.

“Knowing now the immortals' caves beyond the sea, are just like the houses of the rich in the world.”

Wei Changtian repeated these lines softly a few times and looked at everything before him.

Rather than saying that Su Wu was exaggerating, it was more like he was being "realistic."

He knew that this poem would probably spread quickly and become a model work for writing about "prosperous times," and perhaps it could even be recited for thousands of years.

But poetry could be passed down forever, while prosperous times might not.

“Young Master, won’t you compose one?”

Suddenly, You Wenzong asked with a smile, “If Young Master composes another one, the two poems will shine together, and this grand banquet tonight will be considered complete.”

“Compose a poem?”

Wei Changtian was slightly stunned, looked at You Wenzong, and then exchanged a glance with Ning Yukē, who seemed to be somewhat expectant, and then shook his head in their slightly surprised gazes.

“Let’s forget about composing a poem.”

“Su Sheng’s poem is already excellent, so I won’t embarrass myself.”

“…”

Obviously, Wei Changtian’s refusal was beyond the expectations of You Wenzong and Ning Yukē.

After all, the former’s poetic talent had already been repeatedly confirmed and was definitely no less than Su Wu’s.

Moreover, today’s occasion was so special, and if he could really compose a poem of similar quality, it would surely become a good story in the future.

But Wei Changtian simply didn’t want to compose a poem.

Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t recite one.

There were so many poems describing prosperous times in his previous life, and any one of them would be more profound than Su Wu’s poem, which only described the scenery.

Therefore, the reason why Wei Changtian didn’t want to show off was simply because he wasn’t in the mood.

Or rather, he wasn’t in the mood to praise all of this.

“Prime Minister You...”

Turning his head to look at You Wenzong, Wei Changtian’s voice was soft.

“I won’t compose a poem.”

“But I do have a few words I want to say.”

He had words he wanted to say.

Wei Changtian could have directly said what he wanted to say without adding this sentence.

So, obviously, these words of his were not just meant for Ning Yukē and You Wenzong to hear.

“Men!”

“Beat the drums!”

You Wenzong instantly understood Wei Changtian’s meaning and immediately ordered people to beat the giant drums on the city walls.

As the dull drum sounds rang out, all the noise and merriment in Weiyang Palace gradually stopped.

Everyone stopped talking and looked up at the vermilion walls, focusing their gaze on Wei Changtian, who was standing at the very front.

Dressed in black robes, facing the entire Shu Prefecture City, he was like the only darkness in the light.

“It’s Young Master Wei!”

“Is Young Master Wei also going to compose a poem?”

“Doesn’t look like it...”

“…”

Below, noticing that the person speaking was not Ning Yukē, many people were whispering.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know the relationship between Ning Yukē and the Wei family, but they were somewhat surprised by Wei Changtian’s actions now.

After all, Ning Yukē was the nominal empress of Great Shu, and it was appropriate for her to say a few words of New Year's greetings at this time.

Moreover, Wei Changtian had never given a "speech" on such a large scale before.

So... what did Young Master Wei want to say?

The same question more or less appeared in everyone’s mind, including Xu Qingwan, Yang Liushi, Liang Qin, and others who were standing not far behind Wei Changtian.

For a time, everyone looked at the man in the very center of the prosperous age, quietly waiting for him to compose a poem, offer New Year's greetings, or...

“Everyone, just now I heard the poem newly composed by Su Sheng.”

Looking at Su Wu, Wei Changtian smiled and nodded slightly to the former.

“This poem speaks of the current prosperous scene of my Great Shu, and every word and sentence can be said to be no exaggeration.”

“But have you ever thought about where such a prosperous age comes from?”

“…”

As if in an instant, Wei Changtian used only one question to plunge the entire Weiyang Palace into silence.

Where does such a prosperous age come from?

This question seemed easy to answer.

Because of Ning Yukē? Because of the Wei family? Because of him, Wei Changtian?

Looking at the figure standing in the wind, everyone understood that what Wei Changtian was about to give was not these "standard answers."

The Milky Way was brilliant, enveloping all directions.

After a moment of pause, Wei Changtian reached out and pointed to the huge golden dragon beside Su Wu in the silence.

“Everyone, do you know how this golden dragon came to be?”

“It was made by more than a hundred craftsmen working day and night, spending a full half month to carve and embed it.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know about this.”

“But you should know how the wine in your hands came to be, right?”

“From planting the rice to brewing the wine, how many steps are there in between? How much manpower does it take?”

“Even if you are not clear, you should know a rough idea, right?”

“…”

When Wei Changtian suddenly began to talk about some inexplicable things, all the merriment seemed to come to an abrupt end at this moment.

Some people had roughly understood what he wanted to say, while others were still at a loss.

But Wei Changtian hadn’t stopped yet.

"And also the clothes we wear, whether they are made of hemp, cloth, silk, or satin, are all sewn stitch by stitch by someone with thousands of needles and threads."

"Take, for example, the sword at a warrior's waist, and the scabbard that holds it."

"The brush in a scholar's hand, and the paper beneath it."

"The bed that allows you to sleep soundly, the house that shelters you."

"All of these things, do you know where they come from?"

"..."

Having said this, what Wei Changtian wanted to express was already more than clear.

Everyone stared blankly, their eyes wide, their breathing becoming rapid.

If he were to add a line like "The people are the foundation of the state," or "The people are most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least," at this moment, he would undoubtedly elevate the level of this speech to a whole new level.

However, Wei Changtian didn't say any of that, he just gently shook his head.

"Gentlemen, you are all important officials of Great Shu."

"I know that each of you must be learned and full of knowledge, and most of you come from noble families, having been well-fed and clothed since childhood."

"But what about the common people in Shu Province City?"

"They haven't read books, they don't even recognize a single character."

"They haven't practiced martial arts, they may not have even touched a sword."

"They don't have much money, they only have two meals or even one meal of simple food each day."

"They don't have any ambitions, and they can't even talk about having any great future."

"You may look down on them."

"But the prosperous age you see actually comes from each and every one of them."

"..."

As Wei Changtian's voice grew louder and louder, the flying lanterns swaying in the night sky also became more and more numerous.

Looking at these flying lanterns rising from all over Shu Province City, everyone in Weiyang Palace seemed to see one ordinary face after another.

The emotions that surged in their hearts turned into tremors in their bodies, into clenched fists, into an unprecedented excitement.

Especially for people like Xu Qingwan, who came from humble backgrounds, their eyes were already red.

Since ancient times, the ruler has been considered noble and the people base.

Therefore, since ancient times, it has been eternally difficult for the ruler and the people to truly be of one heart.

But now, Wei Changtian was going to tell these hundreds of court officials, to tell the people of the world.

This Great Shu does not belong to Ning Yuke, it does not belong to the Wei family, but it is the Great Shu of everyone!

"Gentlemen!"

With a "clang," he suddenly drew Louying, Wei Changtian raised his long saber high, his words clear and frank.

"You must all know that the four nations are about to invade!"

"If the enemy succeeds, then this prosperous age will no longer exist!"

"The prosperous age is about to collapse, the abyss is at our side, are you willing to go to the death with me?!"

"We will use this saber forged by the people! Wear these clothes sewn by the people! Drink this wine brewed by the people!"

"And then protect them, no, our prosperous age!"

"Are you willing or not?!"

"..."

"We are willing!!!"

"For the sake of Great Shu! For the sake of the people! We'll fight those sons of bitches!!!"

"We would rather die! Than retreat!!!"

"Kill the invaders!"

"Kill the invaders!!"

"Kill the invaders!!!"

A moment later, deafening shouts resounded throughout the entire Weiyang Palace.

These great figures who were usually high above were now like a group of passionate young swordsmen.

They trembled, excitedly and simply shouting out "childish" words that they would never have said before, kneeling down in patches under the vermilion walls.

Even Ning Yuke almost forgot her current identity.

She bit her lip tightly, staring blankly at Wei Changtian's profile, watching the latter suddenly slash his long saber into the city wall at his feet, watching the latter shout in the most firm tone, in the light connecting heaven and earth:

"Good!"

"Whoever dares to offend me in this world, must be killed!"

"I swear this, I will have no regrets even if I die nine times!!"

Suddenly turning his head, he snatched a jar of wine from the hands of a palace maid who was standing there in a daze.

Wei Changtian took a big gulp, then laughed loudly while holding the wine jar:

"Gentlemen!"

"Let us drink heartily tonight!"

"Tomorrow, we will wake up and kill the invaders!!"

With endless ease and boldness, the smell of wine soared into the sky, turning into a star in the sky full of flying lanterns.

Countless people in Shu Province City who were celebrating the New Year looked up at this dreamlike and colorful scene, their faces full of happiness.

The common people actually knew the news that the four nations were about to invade.

However...

"Dad, do you think Shu Province City will still be like this next year at this time?"

In the crowded crowd, a woman held the hand of a little girl and asked the man beside her in a low voice: "Will the bandits attack us here?"

"How would I know."

Shaking his head, the dark-skinned man smiled and said: "This is something that the adults in the imperial court should think about, you and I should just cultivate our own fields."

"But if they really attack Shu Province City, we should think about what to do then!"

The woman was a little anxious: "We should have a place to escape to!"

"Escape? Where can we escape to?"

The man touched his nose: "If the bandits really attack Shu Province City, then other places would have already fallen into the hands of the bandits."

"What about going to Da Li?"

The woman asked in a low voice: "Don't you have a distant relative in Da Li?"

"But..."

The man was about to say something with difficulty, but suddenly a childish voice came from his ear:

"Dad, Mom, the city is so good! Why do we still want to escape?"

"Jiu'er, be good, you don't understand."

The woman touched the little girl's head, her voice much gentler: "Because bad people are coming, Dad and Mom are afraid that you will be bullied, so we will go to a place where there are no bad people."

"Oh."

The little girl responded as if she understood, then raised her head and asked: "But Mom, where are there no bad people?"

"Besides, if bad people are coming, we can just drive them away!"

"Why do we have to escape?"

"Is it that those older brothers wearing official uniforms don't care about us anymore?"

"..."

Looking at their daughter's ignorant eyes, the woman and the man were stunned for a moment.

They subconsciously turned their heads to look at the officers patrolling the streets, looking at the smiles on their faces and the sabers at their waists.

There were many pedestrians coming and going on the bustling streets, but no one was afraid of these officers, and no one was afraid of their sabers.

Because now all the people in Shu Province City know that the officials of the government never do those things that are against the law.

At this moment, the couple suddenly felt a little guilty.

"Dad..."

"Yeah."

The two looked at each other and finally made up their minds.

"Okay, we won't escape."

"We will help those older brothers drive away the bad people."

"..."

"Yeah!"

The little girl nodded happily, and then was quickly attracted by a flower lantern vendor not far away.

"Dad! I want to buy a flower lantern! Just buy the smallest one!"