Chapter 1 The Ships Are Gone

East of Yueting Ridge was a tributary of the Wei River, where some boats had been docked. Now, these boats were being burned, and on the opposite bank, Chu flags fluttered.

On the other side of the riverbank, a group of knights stood on horseback, watching the flames engulfing the boats, their expressions uniformly indifferent.

Liang Cheng, riding his horse, stood at the forefront of the military formation. His armor was damaged in many places, but fortunately, he had the physique of a zombie. Even if the armor's defense was breached, his physical defense was still astonishing. Plus, in the battlefield, being suddenly struck by a knife or an arrow was no big deal, as he basically wouldn't give the opponent a second chance to strike or allow himself to be hit by a second arrow.

After all, he wasn't his master, who could be hit by a trebuchet on a rainy day from a great distance while riding a horse.

So, although Liang Cheng was injured, it wasn't a serious problem.

Burning the boats on the opposite bank was the royal forbidden army cavalry led by Xiong Tingshan, not many in number, only about six or seven thousand when they arrived. He had been playing a cat-and-mouse game with them on both sides of the Wei River for many days.

In the south, a huge Chu military fortress had been erected, with the Dugu family's flag fluttering in the wind alongside the Fire Phoenix flag.

This was an extremely immense pressure, but Liang Cheng wasn't worried about it at all.

His master wasn't here,

In a way, it was also a release from constraints.

Although his master, most of the time, wouldn't interfere with his command, completely delegating authority to him, he still had to consider his master's feelings when making decisions.

For example, would it make his master feel stifled?

For example, would it conform to his master's aesthetic?

But the real battlefield couldn't accommodate these trivial things. In essence, it was about preserving oneself as much as possible while maximizing the consumption of the enemy.

When splitting the troops, Liang Cheng had only four thousand cavalry. After so many days, he now had a little over three thousand left.

The losses weren't actually that great, but the effect he had achieved was remarkable.

"General, the boats are gone."

Zhao Qi, who was beside Liang Cheng, said.

It was the information he got from his lover that he had given to Zheng Boye, and he had also helped Liang Cheng take down the Chu's horse farm. After that, he had been following Liang Cheng closely.

This troupe leader of the Traveling Song Troupe seemed like a woman, but her horsemanship and archery skills were really good. At the same time, she was also extremely lucky. Without receiving special care, she had been able to closely follow the team without dying in battle, and she didn't even have a single injury on her body.

Liang Cheng felt that

This kind of luck on the battlefield would definitely make his master cry with envy.

"Gone is gone, we don't need them anymore."

Liang Cheng seemed very calm.

Zhao Qi asked again, "Then... General, what should we do next, where should we... go?"

Liang Cheng reached out and pointed at the Chu cavalry on the opposite bank,

and said;

"That, you should ask them."

………

On the other side of the river, Xiong Tingshan held a water bag in his hand, drinking water from time to time. Ever since he was assigned to Wutong County by his father more than a decade ago, he had developed a habit of solving his daily intake of water and food all at once.

Eating not only meant trouble, but also meant being negligent in defense.

This was the experience he had gained from fighting with the Shan Yue people in the mountains all those years.

He felt that he was already like a very authentic hunter in the mountains. If he took off the armor and the python robe belonging to a prince, and smeared some mud on his face, he could take his wife and children to roam freely in the mountains without any obstacles.

But since facing the Yan army on the opposite bank,

More precisely,

the commanding general of that Yan army,

he suddenly realized that

there was actually someone in this world who was more experienced than him... the prey.

If the other party was really the prey.

He led his troops to rush from Juyang City, even though news came from behind that Juyang City was besieged by a Yan army, he did not retreat after receiving the imperial order, but continued north.

The purpose was to recover Jing City and reopen the grain route.

He succeeded, and Jing City was quickly recovered because the Yan general on the opposite side had no intention of defending it at all.

Moreover,

what he recovered wasn't Jing City anymore,

The city walls were dismantled,

Houses were burned down,

The once prosperous port city was now only a black ruin.

Then,

began a journey of the heart that made him angry at first, then calm, and then helpless.

Recovering the port was only the first step. Next, the transportation of grain and grass was the key, but the Yan general on the opposite side used a small number of cavalry to exert a great effect and suppressed the transportation of grain and grass to the greatest extent.

He didn't prevent you from transporting a single grain of food to the north, but made it very difficult, very torturous, and extremely inefficient for you to transport it.

In Xiong Tingshan's view,

A qualified general must fight rigidly and with dogma;

An excellent general fights with a kind of smoothness, just like dealing with people;

And a truly skilled military strategist is like a sculptor, with a bit of ingenuity.

The Yan army general who had been dealing with him for so many days was the third type.

At first,

Xiong Tingshan thought that the one fighting against him on the opposite side was the Earl of Pingye of Great Yan.

Later, after receiving the second imperial decree, he learned that the Earl of Pingye was actually behind him.

So,

who was it that had been playing chess with him for so many days?

According to reason, that person should be a part of the force that the Earl of Pingye had divided after taking Jing City. Their general should also be a member of the Earl of Pingye's command.

If a general under the Earl of Pingye could have such amazing abilities, then how amazing would the Earl of Pingye's own military skills be?

The fire was still burning.

Xiong Tingshan's mood also calmed down slightly. In any case, after the other party lost the boats, that kind of maneuvering across the two banks was no longer possible.

At this time,

the Dugu family's troops had re-established a camp at the old site of Jing City.

When the time came, he would go west, the Dugu family would go north, and Zhennanguan (South Suppression Pass) would cooperate from another direction. With troops deployed on three sides, it was only a matter of time before this isolated army was surrounded and annihilated.

But annihilating or not annihilating this Yan army was no longer of much significance, because in Xiong Tingshan's view, the purpose of the Earl of Pingye leaving this isolated army here had already been achieved.

The hundreds of thousands of Chu troops inside and outside Zhennanguan consumed a huge amount of food every day. After so many days of stopgap measures, the food reserves there were obviously about to run out.

After the grain route had been cut off for so long, it would be a miracle if the morale of the army remained stable.

Of course,

there was also a most terrifying possibility,

Xiong Tingshan didn't want to think about it,

and didn't dare to think about it.

This prince who had been messing around in Wutong County for more than ten years,

originally thought that he knew something about military affairs, that he could appease the Shan Yue tribes below, and establish imperial favor above. Sooner or later, he would have a seat after leaving Wutong County;

But after going north,

really feeling the pressure from that black dragon flag,

he suddenly felt that

he was still so powerless and pale in the face of the general trend.

The Shan Yue tribes were difficult to deal with, but they were still just difficult to deal with;

But the empire with the state title of "Yan"

had the terrifying power to completely overturn the mountains and rivers of Great Chu.

For a time,

a trace of regret suddenly arose in Xiong Tingshan's heart,

The state was in difficulty,

If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have left Wutong County. It seemed that messing around in the mountains would have been good too?

Shaking his head,

shaking off these unrealistic thoughts in his head,

Xiong Tingshan stuck out his tongue and licked his lips,

pointed his long knife forward,

and said;

"Cross the river."

………

"Are you surnamed Xiong or Dugu?"

The old head of the Dugu family, Dugu Mu, looked coldly at his descendants standing in front of him.

He was the pride of the family;

But at this time, Dugu Mu was really a little helpless.

"Is the Dugu family still a subject of Great Chu?" the swordsmith asked rhetorically.

Dugu Mu sneered twice,

and said;

"Do you want to learn from Tian Wujing?"

The swordsmith shook his head.

"Actually, even I am very curious, can you actually kill people? Right now, you and I are so close, I am old and weak, as long as you have five-tenths, no, three-tenths, or even just one-tenth of the ability of one of the Four Great Swordsmen, you can draw your sword and kill me."

The swordsmith continued to shake his head, and said: "I don't want to be Tian Wujing."

"But what you are doing now, what is the difference from what Tian Wujing did back then!"

The swordsmith was silent.

"This war is becoming more and more distasteful. I've figured it out. I originally thought it wouldn't be so, impossible, it shouldn't be, but now, no matter how I look at it, it seems to be true."

Dugu Mu pointed to the back, which was to the south,

and said:

"Tell me, what reliance does he have to dare to borrow the knife of the Yan people to seize his own imperial power?"

The swordsmith continued to remain silent.

"Is he really not afraid that the rivers and mountains of this Great Chu will be collapsed by him?

To put it bluntly,

this Great Chu,

was conquered by the Xiong family,

but how could there be today's Great Chu without the ancestors of our families fighting alongside the Xiong family back then?

It's just that his Xiong family sits in that position,

and they naturally feel that

this Great Chu

belongs to his family alone?

On what basis,

why,

do they still have any face?

It was the family that gave you a carefree life from childhood, it was the family that gave you endless materials for you to make swords, it was the family that found countless precious sword manuals for you;

you,

if you were born in a poor family, you would only be busy all day for livelihood and for that mouthful of food, where would you have the opportunity to make swords and do what you want to do?

You eat from the family, use from the family, and enjoy all kinds of benefits given to you by the family. Now, you actually want to use the family as the sole of your shoe to elevate your own national sentiment?"

The swordsmith said;

"He said that he would give us a dignified exit. He will not learn from Ji Runhao."

"You also believe the emperor's words? Did you make yourself stupid by making swords?

Without soldiers,

without fiefs,

just with the title of a nobleman,

then wouldn't his emperor want to knead us however he wants?

This kind of nobleman,

calling him a nobleman,

is really not as free as a wealthy man!"

It was no wonder Dugu Mu was angry,

Originally, Dugu Mu wanted to go to relieve the siege of Juyang City first.

As a result, the regent's decree arrived, ordering him to deploy defenses on the Wei River to reopen the grain route to the north.

This was a decree of great righteousness,

not hesitating to continue to put himself in danger, but also to think about the overall situation.

But what kind of person was Dugu Mu? He was an old auspicious beast who had become refined.

He instinctively guessed the problem here. The regent was the emperor of Great Chu. To put it bluntly, losing Zhennanguan would not have a greater impact on Great Chu than losing the regent.

"What do you want to do?" the swordsmith asked, "Like now, delaying the main force from crossing the river?"

"Not letting the main force cross the river is because there are Yan troops behind. If the rear is unstable, how can we cross the river? I'm already here, so I must have thought about how to fight this battle well. Fighting a war with ulterior motives is a way to seek death!"

"Yes." The swordsmith nodded.

Silence,

for a long time,

Dugu Mu said;

"Dignity, there will be, right?"

The swordsmith said;

"When the Yan people come, we will have no dignity at all, so all the families are fighting so desperately, at least, facing this one, you can still ask:

Right?"

"Heh... hahaha..."

Dugu Mu reached out, picked up his marshal's seal, and placed it in front of the swordsmith,

and said:

"Dignity or not is for others to see, and accounts can only be settled based on market conditions;

You say,

can we,

since his Xiong family wants to borrow a knife to kill people,

then why can't my Dugu family 'abandon darkness and turn to the light'?"

Dugu Mu coughed dryly,

and continued:

"While we still have enough capital in our hands, let's discuss selling ourselves for a good price first?

Anyway, we are going to be sold sooner or later,

may the highest bidder win,

isn't that right?

Ji Runhao certainly trampled on the aristocratic families with extreme cruelty, but that was for his Yan country. He had no way to realize his ambitions without trampling on the aristocratic families.

Now,

not to mention his age, and not to mention the current situation in his Yan and Jin lands, just talk about the problem of his body that has been rumored all along.

What,

abandoning darkness and turning to the light,

shouldn't be treated badly, right?

He won't think of becoming a Pillar of the State,

but the Situ family can be granted the title of Prince Cheng, and the remnants of the Jin state can be granted the title of Prince of Jin. My Dugu family doesn't ask for a princely title, but it's okay to be granted the title of Duke, right?

Oh yes, oh yes, his Yan country is stingy with titles, okay, grant the title of Marquis?

A lifetime of wealth, helping him guard the land of Chu, is not a loss, right?

This kind of emperor, his heart can be very small, but also, his heart can be very big.

Huh?

What are you laughing at?"

The smile on the swordsmith's face became more and more brilliant,

finally,

he managed to stop,

and said:

"I once said this to him."

Dugu Mu was stunned for a moment, and asked: "Then what did he say?"

"He said, why choose you as the last of the noble families to lead the troops out?"

"Why?"

"Because, you love Great Chu."

"..." Dugu Mu.

"You love the music of Great Chu, you love the poetry of Great Chu, you love the flowing robes of Great Chu, you love the elegance and romance of Great Chu.

For these,

you will not surrender to Yan,

and let the barbarism of the Yan people

destroy the eight hundred years of beauty of my Great Chu!

He also asked me if I would be willing to be Tian Wujing of Great Chu;

I said, I don't want to, I can't do that kind of thing, I can't bear that kind of hardship.

He said,

it's okay.

He also said,

if there is still one person in Great Chu who is willing,

that is,

you."

Dugu Mu gritted his teeth,

finally,

with a "plop,"

he sat down on the marshal's seat.

"Heh..."

"Heh heh..."

"Heh heh heh..."

Dugu Mu suddenly clenched his fist,

and the marshal's table in front of him directly broke,

This scene,

where was there the slightest meaning of being old and weak?

Dugu Mu roared almost furiously:

"I curse your ancestors!!!"

………

Inside and outside Zhennanguan, it was still quiet, as if nothing had happened, as if the Yan army they were blocking was still to their north.

And to the south of Zhennanguan,

the various Yan armies wantonly galloped, acting in an almost arrogant and overbearing manner that ignored the Chu army.

Several Yan armies stayed to the south of Zhennanguan, as if waiting, waiting for the Chu army inside Zhennanguan to come out on their own.

They were not blocking, just guarding.

But their expressions were like those of barbarians in the desert watching the flock of sheep circling in front of them while grazing.

Thanks to the most meticulous division of labor beforehand, each Yan army had its own goal after bypassing Zhennanguan and entering, and although the army was huge, it did not appear bloated at all.

Of course,

Shanggu County was just a place for the army to stay and reorganize, because next, the army would inevitably continue south.

Otherwise,

where would the army's supplies come from?

A hundred years ago, after the first Lord of Northern Suppression defeated the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Qian Kingdom, he trampled on the three sides of the Qian Kingdom, and there was a very important reason for this, the Silver Wave County after the policy of clearing the fields was implemented had no food to eat.

If you have no food at home, if you don't want to starve to death, you can only hold a bowl and go to your neighbor's house to eat.

Under the King's flag,

Tian Wujing rode a pixiu, looking at Zhennanguan, which was already to his north.

He was not surprised by Nian Yao's silence, but this kind of excessive silence was a little beyond his expectations.

Because,

Nian Yao was not himself,

he could ignore all the pressure from the court behind him, of course, there was no pressure to speak of.

Nian Yao was different,

he was a servant,

would he dare to be so silent and not even make a sound?

In Tian Wujing's eyes, there was a hint of thought, but there was no worry at all.

Strong soldiers and horses, were on his side;

As long as he occupied this one point,

then,

no matter what plans or calculations the Chu people had,

it was nothing more than seeking the most cost-effective compromise in the face of decline.

This king,

doesn't want to guess what you are planning.

Because,

you will not know,

what this king wants to do.

At this time, a team of cavalry passed through the outer defenses and came under the King's flag.

The person who came was Liang Cheng.

Xiong Tingshan's troops had crossed the river,

Liang Cheng did not choose to attack them halfway,

because there was no need for it anymore.

The game of hide-and-seek was over, and next, it was time to spank the children for being naughty and disobedient.

Although his master was not here,

Liang Cheng was still doing his best to preserve some of his future family fortune for his master, so after contacting Li Fusheng's troops, Liang Cheng immediately rushed to the King's banner in person.

Lord Jingnan recognized Liang Cheng,

Without waiting for Liang Cheng to pay his respects to him,

Lord Jingnan asked directly;

"Where's Zheng Fan?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, after my lord took Jing City and burned the granary, he left me alone to lead a force here to hold up the Chu people's grain route, while my lord, in order to attract the Chu people's attention to cover Your Highness's army going south, personally led the army to continue taking boats south along the Wei River to the capital of Chu."

Tian Wujing heard this,

and nodded slightly.

It was undeniable that although he always looked reluctant every time he asked Zheng Fan to do something, once he really did it, he would always give him a surprise.

Tian Wujing said:

"Pass down the order, the rest of the troops will act according to the original strategy. The first, second, and third armies of the Jingnan Army will immediately leave Shanggu County and go south with this King."

After the military order was conveyed,

Lord Jingnan grabbed a few handfuls of the mane of the pixiu under his crotch at will, and asked:

"Did Zheng Fan leave any words for this King?"

Liang Cheng hesitated for a moment,

finally,

nodded,

because, his master did leave him a sentence, but, Liang Cheng really didn't want to repeat this sentence, but since Tian Wujing had asked, he could only say;

"Reporting to Your Highness, there is."

"Speak."

Liang Cheng took a deep breath,

and said:

"Your Highness, save me!"