Chapter 82: The First Battle with the Crown Prince

  "Our ancestors were once a prominent family in the Jianghu; In the past, the Dongshan Iron Family, before entering the imperial court, wasn't it also a powerful force? Iron Supplement Heaven continued without turning back, slowly saying: "But, once the Jianghu forces become the masters of the imperial court; then, they will follow the rules of the imperial court; The methods of Jianghu may be able to govern a family or a hundred surnames, but cannot govern a country; this is the limitation of Jianghu."

  "So, once this moment arrives, it is inevitable to abandon some things in exchange for others. And those abandoned things are often... meritorious officials! The rivers and lakes are the brothers' rivers and lakes, while the imperial court is the monarch's imperial court! If one treats the monarch as a brother while being a subject, then one will inevitably be eliminated by that brother! Since ancient times, when the hare dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds take flight, the fine bow is stored away; when the spear is laid to rest, the iron cavalry disappears; when the monarch and his ministers rise, the brothers are eliminated!"

  "This statement is heartless, but it's necessary! All those who lament the death of the cunning rabbit and the boiling of the dog are losers. A monarch who abandons these things will still have to bear the criticism of the ages; only one who can bear all this is a qualified monarch! Governing the country cannot rely on emotions or brotherly love, but must use strategy and law. This is the greatest contradiction between the imperial court and the jianghu!"

  Chu Yang furrowed his brow, deeply pondering these words in his heart, guessing what Tie Butian meant by saying this.

  "So the king is heartless!" Tie Butian concluded: "Because if the king has feelings, he can't govern the country well. Everyone knows the preciousness and reliability of brothers; but when a brother becomes arrogant because of his favor and achievement surpasses that of the ruler, even if one clearly knows that this brother is still loyal to oneself, one can only endure the pain and eliminate him. Only in the middle of the night when dreams recur can one silently shed tears, or when awake face the world's endless curses!"

  "With such a price, in exchange for political stability and world peace!"

  Tie Butian turned around and looked at Chu Yang: "Mr. Chu has no intention of going to the imperial court, Mr. Chu's reason for coming to Tieyun is to use his identity as a Jianghu person, with the help of Tieyun's power, to overthrow Fifth Gentleman!"

  "This is Mr. Chu's greatest purpose in coming to Iron Cloud!"

  "Mr. Chu didn't want to be in a superior-subordinate relationship with Bu Tian, but rather wanted to cooperate with him; become brothers in another sense; the things that Bu Tian couldn't do, Mr. Chu would complete in his own Jianghu way; this was Mr. Chu's method, approach, and mindset!"

  "The reason is that Mr. Chu has a proud bone of a Jianghu person! This proud bone will not allow Mr. Chu to be willing to be under anyone's control! Even more unwilling to be driven by others."

  He smiled slightly, with a hint of melancholy, and asked slowly: "Mr. Chu, I don't know about mending the sky, is that right?"

  Chu Yang's heart was shocked and his mind was shaken, looking at the clear and seemingly impurity-free eyes of Tie Butian in front of him. This Tie Butian had actually grasped his thoughts clearly during their first conversation.

  This delicate thought made Chu Yang's evaluation of this Heavenly Pillar House Master rise to a whole new level in the first moment!

  "The prince is right." Chu Yang's eyelids drooped slightly as he said faintly, "That's what I, Chu, meant."

  "Haha……" Tie Butian smiled wryly, came back to his senses, and said: "I, today, met Mr. Chu for the first time, but I must clarify this matter. Because, if Mr. Chu does things with this attitude, there will be contradictions between me and Mr. Chu, and these contradictions are the contradictions between the imperial court and the Jianghu, which cannot be reconciled."

  "The prince is worrying too much." Chu Yang said calmly: "The contradictions that the prince is worried about are the contradictions after the world is at peace; but as for the power and influence of the court, Chu has no interest in it at all. Once the fifth light and soft falls, from that moment on, Your Highness will never see Chu again!"

  "I know, I know Mr. Chu will definitely make this choice!" Tie Butian let out a long sigh: "But I also know that once it reaches that moment, Iron Cloud will have countless places and links that cannot be separated from Mr. Chu! If Mr. Chu leaves, it will trigger an unstoppable turmoil within Iron Cloud's internal affairs!"

  "Your Highness, may I ask how old you are this year?" Chu Yang asked.

  "Wasted nineteen years." In Tie Butian's eyes, there was a faint sense of melancholy and loss.

  "The crown prince is too deeply immersed in the intrigue and imperial tactics." Chu Yang said coldly, "In all things, he measures with the court, takes with cunning, judges with benefit, and focuses on the overall situation; it's too much. And not necessary!"

  "The crown prince has considered so many things, but there is one thing that the crown prince should consider now, but lacks sufficient consideration, and that is life and death, victory and defeat!" Chu Yang said coldly: "Now, Tieyun Country is like a candle in the wind, shaking and about to fall. The power of Great Zhao is ten times stronger than that of Tieyun! With strong soldiers and numerous generals, the Ten Dragon Tiger Generals of the Great Zhao Empire are all victorious and talented, each one capable of winning a thousand miles. Fifth Lightness is even more powerful, with no strategy left unconsidered, his heart as cold as ice and snow, looking down on the mountains and rivers of the world, playing this game of chess at will!"

  "The iron cloud may collapse at any moment, and the lives of 60 million people hang in the balance. In the face of such a huge crisis, the crown prince is still thinking about politics after the world is at peace...". Chu Yang sneered: "I don't know where the crown prince gets such great confidence, or should I say arrogance! But if the crown prince holds this belief and faces off against Diwu Qingrou, then I, Chu Yang, might as well retreat to a mountain forest, and not bother myself with what I see and hear."

  Tie Butian's expression changed, and he looked at Chu Yang with a deep gaze. He suddenly bowed deeply and said, "Mr. Chu is right. I have learned from him. Now is not the time to consider these things."

  After meeting, the two had already competed once in their words.

  For now, Chuyang seems to have the upper hand.

  What Tie Butian said was to dispel Chu Yang's original beliefs and make him willing to be a minister; what he said was true, but it was also too serious and biased.

  While Chu Yang's counterattack clearly expressed his unshakeable determination, he also pointed out the error in Tie Bu Tian's mindset. What was said was naturally an exaggeration; even without Tie Bu Tian refuting it, Chu Yang himself knew that Tie Bu Tian had always been struggling to survive under the pressure of the Fifth Gentleman, how could he not consider life and death?

  Iron supplements every day, every hour, and every moment are being considered.

  So Chu Yang's counterattack was just taking advantage of the loopholes in his words, and it wasn't that Tie Butian really thought so.

  Tie Butian uses the entire world's situation to suppress Chu Yang, and Chu Yang uses his fifth gentle move to intimidate, using the life and death of Iron Cloud Nation's 60 million people to suppress him.

  Both of them were somewhat exaggerating, but they both understood each other's true intentions without directly saying it out loud. Because if they did, it would be too sharp. Tiě Bǔtiān couldn't afford to lose, and Chǔ Yáng similarly couldn't bear a rupture. Between the two of them, a subtle situation had formed.

  With a final show of weakness, the last words of Tie Butian brought an end to this first round of verbal sparring. It was clear that Tie Butian would not be making any further efforts in this regard today.

  "Mr. Chu's words are indeed as sharp as a knife." Tie Butian smiled.

  "The prince is also being cautious." Chu Yang said with a smile.

  "Mr. Chu has come all the way, using up all his tricks along the road. First, he made a sudden appearance with a thunderous momentum and a flashing posture, shocking my heart and spirit, and raising the intention to recruit me. Then, with the help of Du Sheng's assistance all the way, he let Du Sheng speak on his behalf, taking advantage of my eagerness for talent like thirst, further arousing my urgency!"

  Tie Butian sighed with a smile: "After completing all this, Mr. Chu did not come to see me directly, but instead used the Tianbing Pavilion as an irresistible condition for the Iron Cloud Country to further deepen his own weight; Directly shocking the high-level, let my king uncle go to see in person, and also showed Mr. Chu's insight into the current situation, a piercing analysis of the overall trend, and even extraordinary wisdom that knows oneself and others! Then Mr. Chu, sat quietly in the Tianbing Pavilion, waiting for me to come and invite him, step by step, all proceeding in an orderly manner according to Mr. Chu's arrangement!"