On the third day after Ning Cheng besieged Heavenly River city, a traitor had actually appeared in the Ning family army!
"Deputy General Xue?"
As soon as she heard the news, Han Yunxi's first reaction was to think of the deputy general. However, the situation was far, far more serious than they had imagined!
"Princess, the traitor is a deputy general surnamed Chen. He took over ten thousand cavalry with him and pledged allegiance to Yuwen Guang, who guards Heavenly River city!" The Shadow Guard reported honestly.
"What?" Han Yunxi was in disbelief!
Only a portion of the Ning family leader's elite troops were from the Di clan. Most of them were recruited soldiers. However, they had followed Ning Cheng for so many years, so how could they betray him just like that?
And, they had not betrayed him when Ning Cheng was not around, so why did they betray him now? Even a mere pawn could tell that Ning Cheng would definitely win the battle in Northern Li. And, as long as Ning Cheng won, the entire Ning family army would enjoy endless glory and wealth in the future!
"Don't tell me this deputy general Chen was a spy in the first place?" Long Fei Ye asked in doubt.
"Your highness, Yuwen Guang opened the city gates and led his troops out of the city. Right now, he and the ten thousand traitors are attacking the Ning family army in a pincer attack! Great general Ning might not necessarily be able to achieve victory in this first battle! "The Shadow Guard reported.
Whether or not Ning Cheng was undefeated was no longer important. What was important was that the Ning family army was in great danger under these circumstances, and if they lost the battle in Heavenly River city, the battle in the south of the Northern Li battlefield would definitely drag on until winter.
"Your highness, if he's a spy, just what kind of divine spy is he? How can he remain so calm? "Northmoon furrowed his brows in thought." In my opinion, the Northern Dynasties Emperors don't have that kind of heart. "
In that moment, a thought flashed through Long Fei Ye's head, but he rejected it very soon. He ordered Coldly, "Tell Baili Yuanlong to reinforce them! If we can't take Heavenly River city by the end of this month, I'll hold him accountable! "
Baili Yuanlong had a hundred-thousand-strong army, a combination of the Ning and Baili Armies. For the northern expedition, Ning Cheng was the main general, with Baili Yuanlong as his deputy. Ning Cheng focused on attacking the strategic city of Heavenly River City in the south, while Baili Yuanlong led the troops north. The army of one hundred thousand was still in Baili Yuanlong's hands and had just passed through the Three-Way Battlefield. Fifty thousand of them were heading west to reinforce Ning Cheng, thirty thousand were heading north, and twenty thousand were heading east to coordinate with the naval forces heading north.
Even if some of the 30,000 cavalrymen of the Ning Family turned traitor, as long as the reinforcements arrived in time, it would not affect the overall situation.
Long Fei Ye and the others were shocked that the Ning Family Army could have a spy in their midst. What about the other armies?
Not long after the Shadow Guard left, a familiar face rushed in. It was none other than Chu Xifeng.
As soon as he recovered, he returned to the Three-Way Black Market with Baili Mingxiang. At the same time, he brought back a piece of bad news.
"When did you come back?" Han Yunxi was quite surprised.
"Your Highness, Princess, this subordinate just arrived! Something's happened in Western Zhou. More than half of the Chu Clan troops have turned traitor and colluded with two Western Zhou armies. Three days ago, they started fighting with Chu Tianyin at the borders! "
As soon as Chu Tianyin finished speaking, the Shadow Guard arrived with an urgent message. "Your Highness, an urgent message from the Chu Clan!"
Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi exchanged glances. Gu Beiyue finally stood up as well. Long Fei Ye opened the letter and saw that it was written by Chu Tianyin. It described exactly what Chu Xifeng had come to report.
Chu Tianyin didn't have enough troops to fight back against the Western Zhou army and the traitors. He had retreated all the way to the border between Tianning and Western Zhou to ask for help, but Tianning's only troop stationed there had turned against him and joined forces with the Western Zhou army in a pincer attack!
Chu Tianyin's letter read like this: "Your Highness, Princess, by the time you see this letter, my Chu Clan troops will have been completely annihilated. This one will keep my promise and pledge my loyalty to the end. I hope Your Highness will keep your word and protect my father and uncle from death! Both the Chu Clan troops and Tianning's garrison troops have turned traitor. This one boldly asks Your Highness and Princess to be on guard against the Tian An Mu family! "
"The Mu family?" Han Yunxi couldn't believe it.
What did Chu Tianyin mean by this? Was he guessing that these traitors were all members of the Mu family? How was that possible? If General Mu's estate had such skills, then the Tian An wouldn't be the Tian An of today!
There were spies in the Chu, Ning, and Tianning's garrison troops stationed at the borders. Moreover, they were all high-ranking military officers who could command large numbers of troops. What kind of skill was this?
It was enough to ascend to the heavens!
This was equivalent to controlling the forces of both Eastern and Western Qin!
Long Fei Ye was surprised for the first time in his life. How could Gu Beiyue not be surprised? Long Fei Ye slowly turned his head to see Gu Beiyue looking over as well.
"The Li Clan …" Long Fei Ye muttered.
"It's only them!" Gu Beiyue was very certain.
Besides the Li Clan, there was no one else in the world who had such skills! The Li Clan was skilled in the art of war. Unlike the Feng Clan's Qimen Dunjia, their military formations were solid military tactics. As long as one was willing to learn, they would have a chance to succeed.
Thus, the Li Clan had many students.
The Li Clan didn't charge them tuition fees, but required them to sign a military pledge that if the Li Clan was ever in trouble, they would do their best to help, regardless of their standpoint.
Back in the days of the Great Qin Empire, the Li Clan's students were spread far and wide. They were distributed among the various military forces and held important positions. Thus, the Li Clan had always been a power struggle between the two imperial clans of Eastern and Western Qin and the other six noble clans. Fortunately, the Li Clan had always maintained a neutral stance, so the power balance within the Great Qin Empire was relatively balanced.
Even when the Great Qin Empire fell into civil strife, the Li Clan remained neutral. In the end, they even disbanded their armies. Otherwise, Cloud Realm Continent wouldn't have had three countries to contend with.
Of course, both the imperial clan and the noble clans were wary of the Li Clan while trying to win them over. Thus, many of Eastern and Western Qin's armies were in the hands of the imperial clan and the noble clans. After the Great Qin Empire was destroyed, the Li Clan vanished without a trace. Naturally, everyone's guard was lowered. The more important reason was that the number of people in the royal family and the nobles was limited. The position of a general could only be obtained through recruitment and promotion.
Faced with such a situation, they had no way to defend themselves even if they had the heart to do so!
While everyone was still in shock, the Shadow Guard in charge of Tian An's intelligence network arrived. "Your Highness, Princess, Tian An has sent a secret report. Long Tianmo's been placed under house arrest, and General Mu has taken control of all Tian An's military forces. He's preparing to launch a western expedition to the three central prefectures."
This news cleared Long Fei Ye and the rest of their suspicions. General Mu was a descendant of the Li Clan!
"Looks like the Li Clan and Bai Clan have long been in cahoots," Long Fei Ye said.
He had never understood, and Chu Tianyin had never been able to find out, why the Emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty had made such a public appearance during the Hundred Poisons Sect incident. Now, it seemed that the Emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty did not want to make a big deal out of the Hundred Poisons Sect incident, but General Mu.
A complicated look flickered past Han Yunxi's eyes before she asked, "Did Mu Qingwu fall into Bai Yanqing's hands?"
If the Li Clan really wanted to stir up chaos in Cloud Realm Continent and seize control of the continent, why would they wait until now? With the Li Clan's military prowess, they could throw Cloud Realm Continent into chaos at any time!
Even if General Mu changed his mind and wanted to proclaim himself emperor, he wouldn't have waited until now. The best time for the Li Clan to raise their troops would be when Jun Yi Xie was still alive.
If that happened, the armies of Eastern and Western Qin would face the threat of Northern Li and the rebel army at the same time.
When Han Yunxi recalled Mu Qingwu's disappearance, she couldn't help but wonder if the Li Clan had been threatened by Bai Yanqing.
"Princess, the young general wasn't kidnapped during the Hundred Poisons Sect incident," Gu Beiyue reminded her.
No matter what ties the Mu family had with Bai Yanqing, Long Fei Ye and the rest had no choice but to act now that the rebels were everywhere!
Long Fei Ye looked at Han Yunxi and said, "We have to lead the troops ourselves. We can't let others take advantage of us!"
If they continued to head to the Poison Sect's forbidden grounds and left the fighting to their subordinates, they might even lose the south, much less the central regions. Ning Cheng wouldn't be able to live without worries then.
After all, if General Mu wanted to raise his troops, he must have more chips in his hands than they could see.
Right now, Long Fei Ye's most urgent task was to personally take control of Baili Yuanlong's hundred thousand soldiers. He had to reappoint all of the lieutenants and high-ranking officers to ensure that nothing happened to the army.
If something happened to the army, they would be in deep trouble.
Han Yunxi was worried about the same thing. Although she was unwilling, she still nodded. "Alright. Send someone to inform Tang Li."
Soon, the news reached the Tang Sect and Skyriver City.
Long Fei Ye, Han Yunxi, Gu Beiyue, and Gu didn't waste a moment. They immediately set off for Three-Way Pass. Mu Ling 'er volunteered to be a doctor in the army, and Han Yunxi agreed.
Who knew that the very night they arrived, the army of one hundred thousand soldiers rebelled!
Two groups of soldiers were involved in the rebellion. One was the 5,000 elite troops sent to support Ning Cheng, while the other was the 20,000 troops prepared to head north to attack the Northern Dynasties Emperors.
At the same time, the troops stationed at the border between Tianning and Tian An went missing, allowing General Mu to attack Tianning's borders that very night. Some of the troops stationed in the central regions and Jiangnan also rebelled, muttering that the south central regions wanted to break away from Eastern and Western Qin's rule and become their own country!
That night, the flames of war rose in all four corners of Cloud Realm Continent.
Long Fei Ye's teacup crashed to the ground as silence filled the tent.
"The Li Clan wants to throw the world into chaos!" Long Fei Ye said.
He could see clearly now that the Li Clan had no intentions of opposing Eastern and Western Qin, much less fighting for dominance over Cloud Realm Continent. They only wanted to stop them from unifying the continent and throwing it into chaos.
Otherwise, why would the south central regions want independence? Why else would Ning Cheng and Baili Yuanlong's rebel troops surrender to Northern Li instead of turning on them directly?
Gu Beiyue was currently looking at a map on the wall. He leaned over and pointed at it as he said, "General Mu made a good move! Once the south central regions fall into chaos, half of Cloud Realm Continent will fall into chaos. Moreover, we won't be able to hand in grain this autumn. Our reserves are limited! Even if Tianning's east and west borders fall, Western Zhou and Tian An's forces are limited. They won't be able to swallow up Tianning in a short period of time. "
Long Fei Ye could see the clues as well. There were already rebel troops in the 100,000 strong army that had suffered losses. If they sent too few troops south, they'd lose too many men and be unable to end the battles in Northern Li quickly. If they sent too few men, they'd be unable to end the battles in Tianning.
As a result, all of Cloud Realm Continent would be embroiled in battles in the east, west, north, and south. Heaven knows how long the chaos would last.
"This isn't the Li Clan's intention, but Bai Yanqing's!" Han Yunxi said.
Gu Beiyue said, "Princess, Your Highness, we have no choice but to …"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
