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Chapter 1130: A Scholar and a Warrior
Chapter 1130: A Scholar and a Warrior
October 4th, 2017
Youzhou, Youbeiping Prefecture.
News of the defeat of the transdimensional demons spread like wildfire across Youzhou on the very same day.
The reason for its rapid spread was twofold. Firstly, the spectacle of Lu Hai Kong's destruction of the Mysterious Gateway had been immense, with the blood-red sky covering the four commanderies of Liaoxi, visible even from neighboring provinces like Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Jizhou. It was not just the people of Youzhou who witnessed this; even those in nearby provinces could look up and see the crimson streak in the sky.
Given this, when Lu Hai Kong shattered the gateway, the disappearance of the blood-red sky was evident to all but the blind. And anyone with a modicum of sense would realize the significance of the sky's return to normalcy in Liaoxi.
Secondly, the news spread quickly due to the official propaganda from Youzhou. Ever since the appearance of the Mysterious Gateway, the entire province had been gripped by fear and panic. In just over half a month, countless commoners had fled the province.
Additionally, the recent relocation of the people from Youbeiping Prefecture to the area near Lingzhi City had further unsettled the populace. Youbeiping Prefecture was in a state of unease, despite Liu Yu's efforts to maintain order. The fear and despair caused by the transdimensional demons still lingered in the prefecture's capital, and Liu Yu seized the opportunity to provide a much-needed morale boost.
The morale boost was incredibly effective. As the news spread, the dark cloud hanging over the people of Youzhou was instantly dispelled.
Lu Hai Kong, the vanquisher of the transdimensional demons, became an overnight hero to the people of Youzhou.
It's worth mentioning Liu Yu's propaganda strategy here. When spreading the news, he did not downplay or minimize Lu Hai Kong's achievements; instead, he glorified and even deified him to a certain extent. This move was quite intriguing.
It was no secret that Liu Yu had always viewed Lu Hai Kong with disdain. Despite Lu Hai Kong's assistance in repelling the demons, Liu Yu's attitude hadn't improved. They hadn't even met face-to-face, and it seemed he had no intention to do so.
When Lu Hai Kong arrived to offer aid, Liu Yu could have met him, but instead, he sent his token through an envoy.
This detail revealed that, while Liu Yu might not have looked down on Lu Hai Kong, there was still some underlying tension. However, this wasn't the main point.
The key point was that any warlord, as long as they still valued their power, would never publicly glorify Lu Hai Kong's achievements at this juncture. Doing so would be seen as an extremely foolish move by any warlord.
Liu Yu's actions even led his own officials and generals to believe that he was handing over Youzhou to Lu Hai Kong.
With Lu Hai Kong's reputation in Youzhou, if he expressed any desire to take control, the province would essentially become his.
Perhaps this was Liu Yu's genuine intention, as it was the wisest choice given his current predicament.
Liu Yu did not respond to the speculations of his subordinates. He was solely focused on addressing the aftermath of the demon invasion, unconcerned about the implications of his actions.
Compared to Zhang Yan, Liu Yu was more reliable. Zhang Yan had completely delegated her authority and immersed herself in the study of the Dao, paying no heed to external affairs.
If word of their attitudes got out, it would send a clear signal to many: Lu Hai Kong was about to take over Youzhou.
However, this signal was not yet evident, and no major power had paid much attention to it. Currently, all eyes were on the transdimensional demons.
When the news of the demons' expulsion reached the various powers, it left them in a state of shock. Those who had hoped to take advantage of the situation were left dumbfounded, unable to fathom how Lu Hai Kong had expelled the demons so swiftly.
The likes of Yuan Hong were left cursing in frustration.
Weren't the transdimensional demon armies supposed to be invincible? Weren't they supposed to overwhelm Lu Hai Kong? What had happened? How had Lu Hai Kong resolved the situation so quickly?
Just days ago, they had received news of the fall of the three commanderies in Liaodong. How could the demons have been driven out so suddenly? It was like a rollercoaster ride, too fast and too unbelievable.
An investigation was necessary.
What was the situation in Youzhou? Were the demons truly expelled? How did Lu Hai Kong achieve this? What price did he pay, and what benefits did he gain?
They wanted to know everything, and so various powers began sending teams to 'support' Youzhou.
Among these 'support' teams, some arrived before Lu Hai Kong had defeated the demons. Six teams arrived shortly after the expulsion of the demons: Dong Zhuo, Yuan Hong, Cao Cao, the Qingzhou team, and two unexpected groups—one from Yingchuan Academy and another led by a man.
Lu Hai Kong knew the motives of Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao's teams, so he didn't bother meeting them, sending a subordinate instead.
However, he treated the teams from Yingchuan Academy and the man-led group differently.
This was understandable. These two teams genuinely intended to provide support, and their leaders were talented individuals worth retaining.
Lu Hai Kong's attitude towards them was naturally more welcoming. He arranged the best accommodations and promptly received the leaders of these two teams at the Lingzhi City Governor's Mansion.
There, he met the scholar and the warrior, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Chapter end
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