An Cui stared at the intelligence report on the table as if he wanted to stare two holes in it.
The more he read, the angrier he became.
He angrily gritted his teeth and glared at her. He slammed his palm heavily on the table.
Bang!
There was a loud bang. The table shook slightly from the slam, and the loud sound pierced the eardrums.
The sudden sound shocked everyone, and they didn't dare to be distracted.
Lu Zheng happened to pass by. He heard the commotion in the room and stepped in.
He smiled faintly and asked, "What happened? What made you so angry, my lord? "
Seeing that it was Lu Zheng, An Cui calmed down a little, but there was still anger on his face.
Panting heavily, he raised his hand and handed the report to Lu Zheng. His face was full of anger.
"Look, Military Counselor. This Yang Tao … is too much!"
Surprise flashed in Lu Zheng's eyes, but he didn't show it on his face.
He raised his hand and took the bamboo slip An Cui handed him, unfolded it, and took a look...
"So it's about this." Lv Zheng skimmed through the contents of the bamboo scroll. His tone carried a hint of understanding. He was not surprised by the contents. He looked up at An Cui, who was still angry. Amused, Lv Zheng asked, "Why are you so angry, my lord?"
An Cui choked. He didn't expect Lu Zheng to react this way.
How could he not be angry?
An outsider occupied Nansheng's land. If he wasn't angry, would he line the streets to welcome Yang Tao?
"Military Counselor, you already knew about Yang Tao's plan?"
Lu Zheng smiled confidently and said, "When the fake emperor escaped from Zhangzhou into Nansheng's territory, I already expected this situation. Most of the feudal lords in Dongqing have grown up. Yang Tao doesn't have a high chance of winning against them, but the risk is high. Yang Tao can't just sit and wait. In comparison, using the fake emperor as an excuse to meddle in Nansheng's territory is less risky. "
The fake emperor was no match for Yang Tao. After escaping to Nansheng, his days became more and more difficult.
If Yang Tao only went for the fake emperor, the weeds at the fake emperor's grave were already as tall as a person. How could he jump around?
It was obvious that he was using the fake emperor as an excuse to deliberately encroach on Nansheng's territory.
When An Cui heard Lu Zheng's explanation, he felt a surge of anger in his heart.
Of course, this anger wasn't directed at Lu Zheng, it was directed at Yang Tao.
In An Cui's usual way of thinking, Nansheng's territory belonged to the people of Nansheng. If an outsider were to encroach on Nansheng's territory, that would be considered an invasion. What was the difference between Yang Tao's actions and the four factions of Nanman? Who could tolerate the fact that their country had fallen into the hands of outsiders?
When he thought up to here, An Cui couldn't help but feel heartfelt sorrow.
Why was Yang Tao so daring? It was because Nansheng was already destroyed.
If the four factions of Nanman had not destroyed Nansheng's country, how could a mere Yang Tao, a mere duke, be able to strut around in Nansheng?
Seeing An Cui's silence, Lu Zheng could more or less guess what was going on.
He sighed and said, "My Lord, this matter is already a foregone conclusion — our greatest threat is not Yang Tao —"
No matter what, Yang Tao was a pure-blooded Han man. It was better for Nansheng to fall into his hands than to be trampled by the four factions of Nanman.
An Cui pulled himself together and suppressed his grief and indignation.
Lu Zheng was right. His greatest threat was not Yang Tao, but the four factions of Nanman that had been wreaking havoc in Nansheng.
An Cui said, "Thank you for your guidance, Military Counselor. Otherwise, I would have been stuck in a dead end …"
Lu Zheng declined humbly.
He could see clearly that although An Cui said that he had thought things through, he still disliked Yang Tao's actions.
"I have something to discuss with you, my Lord."
An Cui said, "Military Counselor, feel free to speak your mind. I will support you with all my might."
Lu Zheng said, "I wish to send someone to discuss an alliance with Yang Tao."
The moment he said this, An Cui's expression darkened. "Military Counselor, what do you mean?"
Lu Zheng said, "Yang Tao is an outsider at the end of the day. He looks powerful, but he is actually full of hidden dangers. If the two families work together, we can complement each other's strengths. "
Even though Lu Zheng had already thought of a way to help An Cui plan, An Cui's foundation was weak. It would be too slow for him to plan alone.
Yang Tao's strengths were obvious, but so were his weaknesses. It was the same for An Cui.
If the two families worked together, they might be able to complement each other's strengths.
An Cui helped Yang Tao integrate completely into Nansheng's power, while Yang Tao helped An Cui further expand his influence.
An Cui was exasperated. He asked, "You can ally with anyone. Why must you choose Yang Tao?"
This time, it was Lu Zheng's turn to be silent.
What could he say?
To tell the truth, he had hurt An Cui's pride.
An Cui wanted to ally with someone else, but that person did not care about his meager resources.
On the other hand, Yang Tao's power was neither too big nor too small, and he was an outsider. His overall strength was about the same as An Cui's.
If he allied with Yang Tao, the two families would have about the same say. This would be beneficial to both sides.
After a while, An Cui calmed down. He comforted Lu Zheng gently.
Lu Zheng was what he relied on to rise up and take revenge on the four factions of Nanman. No matter what, he could not provoke the other.
"This matter … I'll leave it to Shaoyin to handle …"
If an alliance was beneficial to him, An Cui would accept it even if the partner was Yang Tao.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Lu Zheng's lips curled into a sneer, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Instead, a flash of disappointment flashed through them.
Under Lu Zheng's mediation, Yang Tao and An Cui's forces formed an alliance.
For the sake of territory and benefits, the feudal lords of the world fought until their heads bled. Jiang Pengji, who was far away in the northern borderline, was also slowly reaping her spoils of war.
She led the army with Yi River as the boundary and advanced toward the northern borderline, occupying several horse farms and tribes.
The battle at Yi River directly caused great damage to the northern borderline, and they fled upon hearing the news.
The scale of the flood was too great, and it came too suddenly. The tribes and horse farms along the coast were almost completely destroyed, and the northern borderline suffered countless losses.
The weather was hot, and the corpses of Wu Liba and the Ninth Prince began to rot and stink within a few days.
"Report — there are thousands of herdsmen blocking the way ahead …" The messenger hurriedly sent the news to the main tent of the central army.
"Thousands of herdsmen?" Jiang Pengji frowned. "What are they trying to do?"
She was not bloodthirsty, and the war was definitely against the regular army of the northern borderline. As long as the ordinary herdsmen behaved themselves, she would not deliberately kill them.
Li Yun followed. He frowned and said, "Those herdsmen voluntarily sought refuge with the lord …"
"Voluntarily sought refuge?" Jiang Pengji raised her eyebrows. "Look at your unhappy expression. It doesn't look like a good thing … What conditions did they offer?"
If they were sincere in seeking refuge, Li Yun would definitely show his joy on his face.
But now he frowned. It was obvious that it was not as simple as seeking refuge.
As expected …
Li Yun said, "The leaders of the herdsmen's tribes made a request. They are willing to pledge allegiance to us, but we have to hand over Wu Liba's corpse."
"Wu Liba's corpse? The entire tribe came to seek refuge. Is there really nothing fishy going on? "
Li Yun said, "From what I can see, it seems to be the case. Every family has brought along their entire family."
If it was a trick, they would definitely not have brought along their relatives and children.
"What do they want Wu Liba's corpse for?"
Li Yun said, "The leader of the small tribe said that he hopes to return Wu Liba to the embrace of God as soon as possible, so that he can have a more dignified death."
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