"We have no choice but to give up on Northern Li," Gu Beiyue concluded.
Even if the Li Clan had caused chaos in Cloud Realm Continent, Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi wouldn't lose with their resources.
As long as they were willing to give up on Northern Li for now and send their troops south to deal with the rebels and the Li Clan, they would be able to quell the chaos.
As for Northern Li, they could only leave Ning Cheng here to maintain order so that Ning Cheng could keep them safe for now.
"What if the southern armies of Northern Li make peace with the Northern Dynasties Emperors? Then won't we be attacked from two sides? "Han Yunxi asked cautiously.
There was no such thing as an eternal alliance or an eternal enemy in this world. There were only eternal interests. Perhaps this saying was too utilitarian, but it was very appropriate when it came to national interests!
Perhaps the southern powers wouldn't make peace with the Northern Dynasties Emperors, but it was impossible to guarantee that the Northern Dynasties Emperors would make peace with them on their own accord!
Han Yunxi's considerations were thorough, but Long Fei Ye reassured her. "They won't. Even if the Northern Dynasties Emperors have such intentions, Noble Consort Xiao will be able to convince them."
Since Long Fei Ye was so certain, Han Yunxi stopped worrying. As long as the northern and southern sides of Northern Li didn't join forces, Ning Cheng's troops and some reinforcements would be enough to stop the cavalry from heading south.
Han Yunxi dearly hoped that Ning Cheng could convince Jin Zi to help. As long as Jin Zi could subdue the Black Clan's old subordinates, they'd be more at ease.
Long Fei Ye stood with his hands behind his back as he stared at the map in silence. Then he issued his first order. "Deploy 10,000 troops to guard the area. The rest will follow this crown prince to the south!"
Actually, everyone assumed that Long Fei Ye wouldn't leave any troops for Ning Cheng, but he really didn't use his position to avenge private wrongs.
It took them a day to reorganize their forces. Long Fei Ye stayed up all night to make new arrangements for the garrisons in the central and southern regions. Han Yunxi and Gu Beiyue both accompanied him in making plans. Han Yunxi assigned a group of female mercenaries from the City of Daughters to form a small elite force for them to dispatch in times of emergency.
Gu was not interested in these things at all. He could not sleep either. He sat by the side and listened to their discussion. Finally, he threw out a sentence.
He said, "Poison Lass, if worst comes to worst, we can form an army of Poison Corpses and kill our way to Tian An!"
The first half of Gu's words were absurd, but the second half hit the nail on the head. As the saying goes, to catch bandits, first catch the ringleader. The key to quelling this rebellion was to take down Tian An. To be exact, it was to take down General Mu's Mansion.
Everyone automatically ignored the first half of Gu's words. Gu Beiyue said seriously, "Bai Yanqing might be in Tian An. Miss Jing and the others might also be in Tian An."
"That's good. It saves us the trouble of looking everywhere!" Han Yunxi said Coldly.
Long Feiye's target in the south was Tianan. When Tianan fell into civil strife, he had left in the middle of the night to officially start a war to regain their former glory. Unexpectedly, he was going to fight his way back in person.
Long Fei Ye looked at Gu Beiyue and Han Yunxi and said in a low voice, "Order a few of the deputy generals to lead the troops directly to Zhongsan County. There are only four of us in Tian An. We'll kill our way there. How about it?"
He didn't care who had Mu Qingwu. He wanted General Mu's life!
Han Yunxi and Gu Beiyue were stunned. They were very surprised. Why didn't they think of this?
"Great!" Gu laughed. "Long Fei Ye, I'll go with you!"
"It's a good idea. We can pretend to transfer troops and mislead the enemy." Gu Beiyue smiled.
Han Yunxi was even more straightforward. "We can leave at any time!"
Before leaving, Han Yunxi went to the military medical camp and called Mu Ling 'er out.
She whispered, "Ling 'er, they'll leave tonight."
"They're sending troops tonight?" Mu Ling 'er was very puzzled. Didn't they say that they would lead the troops to the south tomorrow?
Han Yunxi whispered a few words in her ear. She immediately knew what was going on.
"Sister, will I be a burden to you if I go?" Mu Ling 'er asked seriously.
"Yes," Han Yunxi answered truthfully.
Although it was cruel, it was still better than bringing her along as a burden and dragging everyone down, right? Mu Ling 'er smiled. "That's good. I can stay away from Qi Brother."
"What's wrong with you? If you don't tell me, don't call me Sister in the future! "Han Yunxi wasn't angry. She was helpless.
She had asked no less than ten times about Deacon Jin, but Mu Ling 'er just wouldn't tell the truth.
"Sister, Qi Brother … rejected me that night." Mu Ling 'er lowered her head.
Han Yunxi was very surprised. Mu Ling 'er continued, "Sister, since Qi Brother rejected me, I won't pester him in the future. But … but I can still continue to like him, right? "
Han Yunxi listened for a long time but still didn't get the main point.
She held Mu Ling 'er's hand and said seriously, "I can't interfere in the matter between you and Qi Brother. That's your own business. But you have to tell me what's going on between you and Jin Zi. You want to marry him one minute, then leave the next? Why? Did he threaten you? Did he scare you? "
"No!" Mu Ling 'er denied it. "I just wanted to use him to anger Qi Brother, and then … and then that happened."
Mu Ling 'er didn't dare to meet Han Yunxi's eyes. She pushed Han Yunxi aside and said, "Let's go, let's go. Do you think I'm so easy to scare?"
Although she still didn't feel at ease, at least she had an explanation.
Han Yunxi instructed, "Later, Chu Xifeng and Baili Mingxiang will come to pick you up. You two will secretly leave for the Tang Clan."
"I don't want to!" Mu Ling 'er refused immediately.
"Then where else do you want to go?" Han Yunxi narrowed her eyes.
If they left, Mu Ling 'er wouldn't be able to stay in the barracks with that temper of hers. They'd finally found her, so how could she set her heart at ease if she didn't settle her down?
"I'll just stay in the barracks and not go anywhere. I'll wait for your good news!" Mu Ling 'er explained hastily.
"I received Lady Tang's letter a few days ago. Little Tang Tang is shy with strangers and cries at night. Ling 'er, for Ning Jing's sake, you should go, "Han Yunxi's tone grew serious.
Mu Ling 'er couldn't refuse her words. She asked urgently, "When will Chu Xifeng and the rest arrive? How long will it take to get to the Tang Clan from here? "
Actually, Mu Ling 'er had underestimated little Tang Tang. Perhaps it was because she'd experienced so many dangers since birth that she'd developed excellent adaptability. Little Tang Tang was living very well at the Tang Clan. She had a bunch of people to play with her every day, and a pair of people to guard her at night. She'd long adapted to life in the Tang Clan and didn't need Mu Ling 'er to worry about her at all.
Just like that, Mu Ling 'er was tricked by Han Yunxi and obediently waited in the barracks for Chu Xifeng and Baili Mingxiang to pick her up. That night, Long Fei Ye's military orders were sent to various regions. The four of them secretly left the barracks and headed southeast towards Tian An.
The next day, the 70,000 strong army stationed outside Three-Way Pass split into two groups. One group went to support Ning Cheng, while the other headed south. A few days later, the central and southern regions received Long Fei Ye's orders and adjusted their strategies to coordinate with the army heading south.
After passing through Three-Way Pass, only 15,000 soldiers remained within Tianning borders to join forces with Tianning's eastern and western garrisons to resist Western Zhou and Tian An's invasion. The 50,000 strong army didn't stop at all, but headed straight for the central regions and Jiangnan.
The central regions and Jiangnan were Cloud Realm Continent's wealthiest and most livable places. Naturally, they needed to be heavily guarded. At the same time, Han Yunxi suggested that the various prefectures and prefectures in the central and southern regions form their own militia. Various financial groups contributed money and grain to resist the rebel army.
This method worked because Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi had left a good impression on the people of the central and southern regions during their disaster relief efforts. They were also respected by the people because of their status as members of the imperial clan.
The Li Clan had the hearts of the troops, while Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi had the hearts of the people. How could a man with the hearts of the troops fight against a man with the hearts of the people? The army was the people, too!
The 50,000 strong army had just reached the central regions and hadn't even moved to Jiangnan when good news arrived. The militia had repelled the rebel army's attack on a major grain supply area and cut off many of the rebel armies' rations.
Tianning and the three central prefectures were in a more serious situation. Although the two armies hadn't officially clashed yet, experienced soldiers could tell that these two regions would be locked in a protracted war.
This was something that Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye didn't want to see. Unexpectedly, Ning Cheng actually sent the 10,000 soldiers Long Fei Ye had sent south to reinforce Tianning.
Nobody knew if the Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng's agreement to "never lose a battle" still counted in the face of such a situation.
Whether it counted or not, Ning Cheng wasn't an impulsive man. He'd only returned the 10,000 soldiers to Long Fei Ye because Jin Zi had formed a tiger army to prove his status as a direct descendant of the Black Clan. Moreover, he'd declared the Black Clan's loyalty to Western Qin's imperial clan. Jin Zi had dragged the tiger army around the battlefield so that all of Northern Li's southern regions knew about it. Although not all of the Black Clan's old subordinates had surrendered, more than half of them had.
By the time they received the news, Long Fei Ye and the rest had already been hiding in Tian An territory for several days. They had secretly directed the battles in Tianning, the central, and southern regions while keeping tabs on General Mu's estate, waiting for an opportunity to make a move.
When Ning Cheng's news arrived, the four of them had their own ideas.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this Jin Zi is incredible! I've really underestimated him, "Gu said with interest.
Han Yunxi didn't say anything, but she was secretly laughing at Ning Cheng's methods. Jin Zi's declaration that the Black Clan would be loyal to Western Qin's imperial clan must have been at Ning Cheng's request. By doing this, he could help Western Qin subdue the Black Clan, and slap Long Fei Ye in the face. After all, the Black Clan had once been loyal to East Qin!
"Princess, whether or not Jin Zi is a descendant of the Black Clan, it'll be a great benefit if we can subdue him for our own use." Gu Beiyue had seen through the trick and smiled as he evaluated the situation.
Long Fei Ye laughed coldly. "Since he's subdued the Black Clan, then this crown prince will wait to see him conquer Northern Li!"
No one knew that Ning Cheng's letter had included a note for Long Fei Ye. It was written clearly that no matter what happened in Northern Li, his agreement with Long Fei Ye wouldn't change.
Naturally, Long Feiye would have to wait and see.
Two days later, the Shadow Guard confirmed that General Mu was still living in Tian An's imperial city. As for Bai Yanqing, there was still no news.
Han Yunxi's group didn't hesitate to set out for Tian An's imperial city.
But they hadn't gone far before bad news spread to all parts of Cloud Realm Continent overnight, especially the central regions and Jiangnan.
Since the news had spread so quickly, it must have been prepared beforehand and sent people to spread the news.
The bad news was that General Mu had personally led 10,000 soldiers to guard Tian An's imperial city and sealed it off. No one was allowed to enter or leave, leaving 30,000 civilians trapped inside.
General Mu called out to Han Yunxi from afar, saying he wanted to make a deal with Han Yunxi!
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
