Chapter 209 Inheritance
Datang Temple, long corridor and wooden pavilion.

The weather in mid-June was still cool in Hebei, with the sun shining brightly and the sky blue and cloudless. Near this peaceful wooden pavilion, there was not even a single noisy cicada chirping, only the occasional pious voices of prayer coming from the pavilion in front.

At this moment, Yuan Tiangang held the black piece in his fingers and pondered for a long time, but finally threw it into the chess box.

From beginning to end, Xiao Yan just stood at the entrance of the pavilion with his hands folded and slightly bowed. He did not stand up because Yuan Tiangang did not respond for the time being, nor did he bow down because of the latter's powerful momentum.

The scene was silent for a moment, which made the old Taoist dressed as a bad guy from Yingzhou, who was waiting outside the corridor, a little flustered. He just thought that he did not stop Xiao Yan, allowing him to enter the pavilion without being summoned and disturbing the Marshal's interest. However, due to concerns, he did not dare to come over like Xiao Yan did, so he could only stand outside the corridor and worry.

After Yuan Tiangang threw down the chess piece, he looked at the endgame on the board with his hands behind his back before turning around.

Xiao Yan's posture was very straight, and even when he saluted with his arms crossed, he looked extremely graceful and elegant, with a certain aura of his own, but there was no sense of incongruity. It was just like a younger generation meeting an elder for the first time, without any unnecessary thoughts, just treating it as a simple meeting.

He is actually two different people from the 'Son of Heaven' whom he met in the Hidden Soldiers Valley.

"Get up."

Yuan Tiangang seemed not to have heard Xiao Yan's request to play chess. He just made a hoarse sound and sat down on the stone bench beside the chess table.

Apart from that, contrary to Xiao Yan's expectations, he did not say anything extra.

Whether it was accountability, some groundless remarks, or even words of praise for himself, Xiao Yan had already imagined it, but when they met here, he only responded in this way.

Yuan Tiangang sat on a stone bench, and the only remaining seat was the one opposite him. Of course, the general did not invite Xiao Yan to sit down, and the latter would naturally not make a fuss about it. It was not a difficult thing for a young man to stand a little longer.

Just consider it as respecting the elderly.

So in the quiet atmosphere, Xiao Yan simply watched the endgame on the chessboard calmly.

In his previous life, he practiced swordsmanship for more than several decades, and for a long time he was dubbed the eldest brother of the sword sect. In addition to practicing swordsmanship, he also dabbled in chess in his spare time, so naturally he had his own experience.

However, the more he looked at the unfinished game in front of him, the deeper his frown deepened.

No wonder even this three-hundred-year-old commander in front of him would hesitate and refuse to make a move for a long time while holding the chess piece.

At this moment, in the eyes of the bad guy outside the corridor, this scene seemed weird.

Xiao Yan stood with his back to him, his hands resting on the chess table, his attention focused on the chessboard, apparently immersed in the game.

But because of this, it feels weird.

From his perspective, he found that the Marshal looked at Xiao Yan with an unexpectedly indifferent expression. Although he was wearing a mask, the bad guy could obviously tell that -

The Marshal's gaze was fixed on Xiao Yan's face and never left.

Are you observing faces?
Or did the Marshal see some shadows of an old friend in that day's Anxing's face?

The bad guy dressed as an experienced Taoist priest made some guesses in his mind, but he couldn't figure out the true situation. He didn't dare to stare at Yuan Tiangang for too long, so he turned away quietly.

……

"The Marshal's game of chess is truly mysterious."

Xiao Yan finally broke the quiet atmosphere and said, "In this game, the black dragon is in the upper left, and the three sides are occupied by the white pieces, but the black pieces still have a dragon that is about to be activated. After replaying the game, it is really dangerous. It's a pity that if I let my subordinates play the black pieces, I can only deduce five or six steps back at most, and there will be no chance of winning."

"Of course there is no chance of winning." Yuan Tiangang said lightly.

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned, thinking that Yuan Tiangang meant that Xiao Yan had no chance of winning because he was in control of the chess game, so he said politely, "Please enlighten me, Marshal."

"There is no need to teach me." Yuan Tiangang pointed at the chessboard and said in a hoarse voice, "In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, this game was set up with Li Chunfeng. Li Chunfeng played with the white pieces and I played with the black pieces. We played for a whole day and night, but I was still slightly inferior.

In the first year of Shenlong, I played this game against Li Chunfeng again, but this time I played 183 moves and could no longer hold on. After that, Li Chunfeng died, and I played this game alone for hundreds of times, but I could only play 17 more moves at most. After that, there was no one to play the white pieces, so I could not make any moves rashly. "

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment.

No matter why Yuan Tiangang told him so frankly, he had a vague guess about what the chess game was about, and he pondered: "The Marshal holds the pieces for the Tang Dynasty? Li Taishi holds the pieces for..."

Yuan Tiangang stood up with his hands behind his back, but did not answer. He just said in a hoarse voice: "This game of chess has not been absolutely fair from the beginning. During the Zhenguan period, Li Chunfeng predicted that the Tang Dynasty would fall. He said that this was a matter of heaven, but I don't believe in heaven. He used white pieces to surround and attack from all sides, and I placed black pieces at the Tianyuan, just to activate the big dragon. Every move I made was a big move.

Although the white pieces can cut off the dragon from all sides, the dragon needs to be defeated from all sides. The white pieces can constantly sacrifice pieces to insert into the gaps between the dragons, but the black pieces need to protect the dragon from being killed by the white pieces. As the game continues, the black dragon is forced to the upper left, while the three white pieces have settled down and cannot be easily defeated. Do you think this game can be survived?"

"Naturally you can't live."

Xiao Yan shook his head, and then took the initiative to point at the three white pieces on the chessboard, saying: "If according to what the commander said, the black dragon is for the Tang Dynasty, which has been forced into a difficult situation, then these three white pieces, if my guess is correct -"

He pointed to a piece of empty white space in the middle where all the black pieces had been strangled, and said, "This must be Zhu Wen."

Then, he pointed to the upper right corner and said, "This should be Li Keyong."

"Then this piece." He pointed at the remaining piece that looked extremely scattered, but was extremely large, and almost occupied half of the white chessboard. He said, "This should be the princes of the world."

"You are very smart."

Yuan Tiangang looked at Xiao Yan steadily, and then asked: "Did your father also teach you chess?"

Xiao Yan thought about it, shook his head and said, "I don't know, I just feel that it is deep in my memory, maybe it was taught by my father since I was young."

After hearing this, Yuan Tiangang walked away with his hands behind his back, but no one knew what he was thinking.

Xiao Yan then said, "If my guess is correct, this is Qi Country?"

Yuan Tiangang turned around and saw Xiao Yan's finger pointing at the black dragon. The light behind the mask flashed, but he asked back: "Why do you see that?"

"I have heard a secret from my father."

Xiao Yan said: "Prince Qi Li Maozhen, originally named Song Wentong, was promoted to the commander of the Shen Ce Army for his meritorious service in defeating Huang Chao's rebellion. Later, because of his meritorious service in protecting the emperor, he was given the surname Li by Emperor Xizong and changed his name to Li Maozhen. He was given the titles of Jiedushi of Wuding, Fengxiang, Longyou and Prince of Longxi. Later, he was further conferred the title of Prince Qi by Emperor Zhaozong..."

After saying this, he thought for a moment and said, “However, even such an enterprising and ambitious King Qi suddenly changed his temperament thirteen years ago when Qi was at its peak, and turned from a vassal who expanded the territory to a powerful vassal who defended the territory.

The country was clearly at its peak, but it missed a great opportunity. The mighty King Qi at that time controlled the Guanzhong area, and was almost on par with the Liang and Jin dynasties. It is unknown whether he would even compete with them for the throne.

However, for the current Qi State, although the world is in turmoil, it can only control one side. Of course, the world does not understand the matter, but I have heard from my father that if there is no general as a pusher, the current national strength of Qi State will never be limited to Longyou. "

"so--"

Xiao Yan paused and inferred, "I think that if the commander wants to break the impasse for the Tang Dynasty, he can use Qiguo as a base, emulate the power of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, and use Guanzhong to rule the world and stabilize the chaotic world!"

"..."

Yuan Tiangang's eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask, and he smiled hoarsely, "You are indeed very smart. No wonder you allowed that fellow to beat me twice."

Xiao Yan was startled, and immediately asked: "I would like to ask, what does the commander-in-chief mean by that guy?"

"It's not interesting."

Yuan Tiangang waved his hand, but he seemed very calm, pointing at the chessboard and said: "But this game is still a dead end. I am fighting against heaven, trying to seize that secret with human power, but it seems to be a delusion."

Xiao Yan remained silent.

Yuan Tiangang suddenly pressed the issue: "In your opinion, can this situation be resolved?"

"This situation is unsolvable." Xiao Yan sighed and said, "If what Li Taishi said is true, it is the way of heaven. There is no dynasty that lasts for a thousand years. No matter whether it is the Tang Dynasty or not, it will eventually come to an end. The commander-in-chief took 183 steps first, and then took another 19 steps on his own. He can still maintain this big dragon and fight with the vassal states. He has used human power to prolong the Tang Dynasty for a long time. However, the general situation is like this, how can it be reversed by human power?"

"The general trend..."

After hearing this, Yuan Tiangang just muttered these two words indifferently, and then suddenly sneered: "So, you betrayed the Bad People with your branch, entered Liang to seek an official position, and killed Yelu Abaoji, just for your own selfish motives?"

It was obvious that the general's attitude suddenly changed because he was dissatisfied with Xiao Yan's words "trend".

The latter was of course not in a hurry. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly took a step forward. Under Yuan Tiangang's gaze, he swept his big hand across the chessboard and swept all the chess pieces away.

Countless black and white pieces fell to the ground in disorder, just like big and small pearls falling on a jade plate, bouncing and rolling on the ground, and finally became a mess.

"I have never thought of saving this chess game."

Xiao Yan reached into Heizi's chess box and said, "Just as I said, according to my chess skills, I can only make five or six more moves at most, and then I will have nothing to do and will lose the advantage."

Yuan Tiangang put his hands behind his back and remained silent.

"However--"

Xiao Yan picked up a black piece and gently placed it on a corner of the chessboard. He looked up and said, "I, your subordinate, can boldly start a new game. The secrets that the commander-in-chief mentioned will not exist, and the general trend that your subordinates mentioned will not change. But how can we not fight in this life?
I have never seen Li Taishi, nor have I seen the Marshal before, but I never believe in the way of heaven or tyranny. I only believe that the Tang Dynasty will not reappear because of heaven's will, nor will it be revived because of the change of the general trend, only people!
Only with the support of the people of the world can the Tang Dynasty continue. Heaven has its own way and human nature has its own way. Tyranny is acceptable, and so is the way of heaven. If no one cares about the Tang Dynasty, what is the point of its existence? "

He almost didn't pause at all, and once he had spoken, he had no intention of stopping. His eyes fell on the chess piece and he said, "That's why I raised troops in Hebei, went out of the border to kill Yelu Abaoji, and asked Zhu Wen for an official position.

The commander-in-chief said that his subordinates were acting in a selfish way, but I cannot deny that what I was pursuing was power, and more importantly, the power that could overthrow Zhu Liang!
However, power—"

“It’s just a tool for me to realize my ideals.”

"I am the leader of the Bad People, but what I want to do is to restore the Tang Dynasty and be a minister of the Tang Dynasty who has the power to benefit the world like the Marshal."

He looked up, but saw Yuan Tiangang standing with his hands behind his back without saying a word.

So he said no more, just uttered the last sentence, took a step back, and bowed deeply.

"Since the Marshal wants to build Qi as the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, I also want to build a place to become the foundation of the Tang Dynasty."

From the beginning, Xiao Yan's self-reference changed from "subordinate" to "I" without knowing when, but Yuan Tiangang had already ignored this detail, and just stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Xiao Yan who was saluting.

There was silence in the wooden pavilion for a long time.

Minister...

Yuan Tiangang pondered these two words in his mind and kept shaking his head.

He couldn't deny that Xiao Yan's words were mostly sincere, but the word "subject" could not stand up to scrutiny.

But his eyes turned again, looking at the clean chessboard, thinking in his mind.

He couldn't deny it either.

The boy in front of me is indeed a rare person with natural intelligence.

As for whether there were any other people's teachings, such as the previous emperor who did not believe in him left a backup plan, or the previous Tian Anxing had already secretly accepted the appointment of the previous emperor, etc., he didn't care.

The only person he cares about is Xiao Yan himself.

This Xiao Yan is indeed a sharp sword.

If he was really just a successor of a bad guy, he wouldn't mind spending some time and effort to train him well. He liked this sword very much.

He was just afraid that without him, he would not be able to hold the sword and the plum flower.

However, Yuan Tiangang is still here.

He has unlimited time and unlimited energy.

The dispute between nine and ten will eventually have a result.

He, Yuan Tiangang, will witness this result with his own eyes, and will also let Li Chunfeng see who the real Li Erhua is.

"I want you to meet someone."

"I will follow the Marshal's instructions."

"Li Xingyun, the tenth son of Emperor Zhaozong." Yuan Tiangang looked at Xiao Yan and said, "This is why I came here to see you. The Bad Man is a sharp sword, and you handle it well. I don't want to delve into it, but this sword will eventually belong to Your Highness, do you understand?"

Xiao Yan did not hesitate, but said: "Since the commander-in-chief has given the order, I will obey."

"But you don't have to rush now."

Yuan Tiangang stretched out his hand, counted on his fingers, and said: "When necessary, I will give you a message, and you will personally present this message to Zhu Wen."

"May I ask, Marshal, what is the news?"

"Longquan Treasure."

"..." Xiao Yan raised his head, looked a little surprised at first, and then nodded to obey.

"You are a bad person. Since you are determined to be an important official of the Tang Dynasty, I will not interfere with you." Yuan Tiangang walked out with his hands behind his back. "I don't want to be involved in worldly affairs. When Your Highness ascends to the throne in the future, you can become the bad leader."

"Thank you, Marshal, for your trust."

Xiao Yan saluted again, and when he looked up, he found that Yuan Tiangang was gone.

He stood in silence for a moment, then bent down to pick up the chess piece on the ground.

But I saw black and white chess pieces all over the ground, scattered randomly like rootless duckweed.

Fortunately.

He and the Marshal both have a secret.

Father Xiao is dead.

That Uncle Lin is also dead.

The only people in the world who know this secret are probably this Marshal and him.

But the Marshal didn't know that he knew, but he knew that the Marshal knew, which was why Yuan Tiangang was willing to tolerate him.

Xiao Yan doesn't need roots, he is his own root.

Thank you, Marshal.

Give him the sword.

(End of this chapter)