Sun Wenzheng was suspicious that Nie Liang, who had been secretive before, suddenly wanted to see him.
Fan Chen tried his best to object.
"Sun Wen's intentions are unclear. It doesn't matter if my lord doesn't want to see him. Why do you have to trouble yourself?"
Wei Yong looked at Nie Liang's pale face and the dark circles under his eyes, and he had a bad premonition.
Even so, rationality still overpowered the emotions that welled up in his heart.
Wei Yong said to Fan Chen, "Avoiding him is not a solution. What if the lord refuses to see Sun Wen and Sun Wen refuses to leave? The two armies are about to go to war, and the barracks are frequently mobilized. If he is careless and hears something, then there will be no end of trouble. "
Nie Liang also showed a weak smile.
"Sun Wen still wants to see me. I might know what he wants to investigate."
Fan Chen revealed a puzzled expression. "This official is slow-witted. Please enlighten me, my lord."
Nie Liang said, "Liu Xi divided her forces into two. This was planned by her. Last year, he had rested for a year, and this year, he had been preparing for war for half a year. Logically speaking, he had considered everything that needed to be considered. It was impossible for him to make a last-minute change, which was a taboo. Not long ago, I received a secret report that the wood and stones in Dongqing were purchased in large quantities. They were transported to the frontline through Liu Xi's woodworking workshop. Most of them were sent to Cangzhou. "
Fan Chen and Wei Dan looked at each other. Neither of them had read those secret reports. This was the first time they had heard of them.
Wei Yong asked, "Is Lord sure that it's being sent to Cangzhou?"
Zhanjiang Pass was at the border of Cangzhou. If those supplies were sent to Cangzhou, wouldn't this mean that military resources would be tilted towards the frontlines of Zhanjiang Pass?
Fan Chen probed, "Is Liu Xi afraid of us? That's why they were in such a hurry to add more military supplies? Did she send Sun Wen to confuse us? "
Fan Chen's explanation was logical, but after carefully studying Jiang Pengji's style of doing things, Nie Liang felt that something was wrong.
Nie Liang said, "Our army has more than two hundred thousand soldiers, but Liu Xi also has one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, and he also has the natural stronghold of Zhanjiang Pass to rely on. If they really fought, the odds of victory were fifty-fifty. Liu Xi was fighting on two fronts. It was not suitable for him to use an offensive strategy as a defensive strategy. In order to conserve her forces, she had to defend on one side and attack on the other. Yang Tao was weaker, so he was easier to deal with. With Yang Tao as the breakthrough point, he gathered his troops and attacked. The army still had the strength to attack the Nansheng vassals … In the end, Liu Xi transported the military supplies to Cangzhou. Isn't that strange? "
According to Nie Liang's analysis, they should reinforce the southern battlefront at this time and try to take down Yang Tao in the shortest amount of time possible while still having the strength to deal with An Cui.
Jiang Pengji did not play by the rules. Instead, she sent more troops to Cangzhou.
Was she that afraid that Zhanjiang Pass wouldn't be able to hold on?
Nie Liang sent someone to collect information about Jiang Pengji. After careful analysis, he felt that Jiang Pengji was not that kind of person.
It seemed like he was taking an unconventional approach, like a gambler staking everything on a single throw, but in reality, he had a well-thought-out plan and would not waste even a fraction of his strength if he could.
Therefore —
The act of reinforcing Cangzhou seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Fan Chen was silent for a long time after hearing this, and a terrifying guess appeared in his mind.
"Could it be that Liu Xi wants to switch from defense to offense? Can she afford it? "
At this moment, Nie Liang felt a tightness in his chest. He lifted his sleeve to cover his mouth and coughed a few times.
A familiar taste welled up in his throat. Nie Liang was shocked, but his expression did not change. Under the cover of his wide sleeve, he wiped the filth he coughed up with a handkerchief. Ever since he knew that his body was getting worse, he no longer wore bright and youthful clothes. He changed from indigo, cyan, and blue to dark brown, black, or black. If he accidentally coughed up blood in front of others, he could at least deceive them.
Nie Liang secretly kept the handkerchief. When his fingertips touched the warm filth, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
He frowned slightly and said, "Her? Could it be … "
Fan Chen asked, "Has my lord thought of something?"
Wei Dan and Nie Liang had known each other for many years. The two had long reached a certain tacit understanding.
Seeing Nie Liang's reaction, Wei Dan seemed to have thought of something.
Without waiting for him to speak, Nie Liang said coldly, "Liu Xi has enough troops. It won't be a problem to waste a year and a half, but my body can't be wasted."
Fan Chen and Wei Dan felt as if they had been struck by lightning.
"My lord!"
Nie Liang waved his hand and said, "The original plan was to use surprise troops to break through the gate of Zhanjiang Pass in the shortest time possible. Before anything could be done, Liu Xi suddenly sent reinforcements to Zhanjiang Pass. The difficulty of breaking through the pass has increased. If Liu Xi is more cunning and uses delaying tactics, my body … "
Even though Nie Liang had been hiding his illness, a few of his confidants knew.
If they didn't know that Nie Liang would suddenly die one day, there wouldn't even be someone to stand up and stabilize the situation.
Wei Dan and Wei Dan immediately said, "My lord is in the prime of his life. He will definitely live to a ripe old age."
Nie Liang laughed and said, "I know my body. If Liu Xi has this idea, Sun Wen will have to deal with it carefully. "
Fan Chen gritted his teeth and said, "Sun Wen is someone Liu Xi can use. It's better to kill him and end all troubles!"
Nie Liang shook his head.
Sun Wen couldn't be killed yet. Killing him would easily alert the enemy. Who knew what that lunatic Jiang Pengji would do next?
Nie Liang said, "There's a change in the plan. Zishun, send someone to Bianzhou to fetch Dalang. Be discreet."
If Nie Liang's body really couldn't take it, the army would definitely be in chaos. Nie Qing could still stabilize the situation here.
Most importantly, Nie Qing held the military power in his hands. The Nie clan wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Nie Liang thought about it carefully again and found that he didn't miss anything. Then he changed his clothes and asked someone to apply some makeup to enhance his complexion. It was normal for Nie Liang to do so. Moreover, Sun Wen couldn't stare at his face.
The meeting this time was less tense, but the atmosphere was more solemn than the last time.
Sun Wen returned empty-handed, but he wasn't discouraged.
He couldn't take advantage of Nie Liang, but he could deal with others.
He returned to the tent and waited for a while. The attendant who escorted Sun Wen wanted to see him.
Sun Wen said in a low voice, "How's the investigation going?"
The attendant also lowered his voice. "I chatted with the soldiers in the kitchen according to your orders. I really found some clues."
In ancient times, being a soldier wasn't an honor. Many soldiers were forced by life to the point where they couldn't live anymore. That's why they became soldiers and went to the battlefield.
Even if the Nie clan was rich and overbearing, it was impossible to feed every soldier with military rations. Many people only ate about fifty to sixty percent full.
After a long time, except for the elite troops, many soldiers became sallow and emaciated.
The attendants weren't treated as well as Sun Wen. They were arranged near the soldiers and ate the same as ordinary soldiers. They didn't eat their fill at every meal. He followed Sun Wen's instructions and got close to the cooks in the logistics department. While chatting, he found that there were unspoken rules in the logistics department.
The logistics department had a lot of money. Many of the soldiers in charge of the cooks could eat until they were fat. The happiest one was Nie Liang's cook.
Why was that?
The soldier in charge of the logistics department complained, "Look at him. He eats like a pig's brain."
The attendant laughed. "He's indeed a little fat."
The soldier said, "Hey, isn't it rice to feed people?"
The attendant said, "Isn't it the same wheat rice?"
The soldier said, "How is that! The rice that the nobles don't eat is eaten by him. That's why he's like a pig's brain! "
The attendant said, "The nobles have to eat too. How much will be left after eating?"
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