Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
More than five kilometers west of Kun State City, Nanzhao's minister, Duan Jianwei, was pacing back and forth with a panicked expression. Beside him was Prince Gelofeng of Nanzhao and a few captains.
Cuan Chongdao and Cuan Shouyu had suddenly stopped fighting. Moreover, Cuan Chongdao had transferred 5,000 troops from Cuan Chongdao to Kun State to set up a defense. This news made Duan Jianwei very uneasy.
Ever since he had instigated the Cuan people to kill Zhu Lingqian, everything that had happened in Cuan had been under his control. However, things had actually deviated from the original track and were now out of his control. One could imagine how anxious Duan Jianwei was.
"That's not right. Everything was originally under control. Why would such a big accident suddenly happen?"
Duan Jianwei paced back and forth as he looked at a captain. "Have there been any abnormalities recently?"
"Sir, everything is normal."
Gelofeng was also a little anxious. Things were no longer going according to the track they had set. This could very well lead to extremely serious consequences.
"Sir Duan, think carefully again. Which part of the plan went wrong?"
Duan Jianwei continued pacing. After pondering for a long time, he asked again, "I'll ask again. Have there been any abnormalities in the areas our army has annexed recently? Have there been any attempts to break in?"
"Sir, there have been a lot more hunters entering the mountains to hunt recently. However, they didn't find anything. They were all killed by our soldiers lying in ambush in the surroundings."
The captain answered casually.
Duan Jianwei was furious. He berated, "Why didn't you immediately report such a big accident? You've messed up the big picture."
The captains looked at each other and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
"Sir Duan, are you saying that these hunters aren't ordinary hunters but scouts?"
Gelofeng guessed in a low voice.
Duan Jianwei sighed and said softly, "That's right. The place where our army is hiding has always been haunted by wild beasts. Apart from the boldest hunters, most people would never go there. A large number of hunters suddenly appeared. If they aren't scouts, then what are they?"
Gelofeng was also shocked. He said, "If that's the case, these scouts are most likely sent by Cuan Chongdao. But why would he suddenly suspect that someone is behind this place?"
Duan Jianwei said in surprise, "This matter is indeed not simple. Perhaps, another force has already entered Cuan Land and the territory and wants to fight with us for the dominance here." Duan Jianwei was shocked.
"Sir Sir, is the Tang dynasty's Is imperial court. if that's the Dynasty's the Imperial Palace. What should we?"
Gelofeng was a little nervous. When Nanzhao took over Cuan Land, he was a little nervous. He was like a kitten that saw a fresh fish not far from a tiger. When he stretched out his claws, he also had to observe the tiger's reaction to avoid being hurt by the angry tiger.
A fresh fish was nothing to a tiger, but to a kitten, it was very attractive. Even if there was a great risk in taking food from the tiger's mouth, the kitten still had to fight for it. What if the tiger was full and didn't have much interest in the fresh fish?
Of course, if the tiger valued the fresh fish, the kitten would be afraid. The kitten would never be a match for the tiger.
Duan Jianwei pondered for a moment and said softly, "First Prince, don't worry. The situation is not very clear now. Let's wait and see."
"Sir, our army consumes a lot of food every day. One or two months is fine, but if we delay for a long time, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on."
Gelofeng said worriedly.
"First Prince, don't worry. I will find out the reason as soon as possible."
Duan Jianwei replied and immediately sent scouts to various parts of Cuan Land to collect information.
Five days later, Duan Jianwei received bad news again. Cuan Chongdao once again sent two thousand troops to Kun Province to strengthen the defenses there. This was obviously an action against Nanzhao.
Of course, what made Duan Jianwei the most unhappy was that Cuan Chongdao and Cuan Shouyu were no longer attacking each other. The two sides seemed to have agreed not to provoke each other and maintain a relatively friendly relationship.
"Sir Duan, we have investigated the entire Cuan Land and did not find anything unusual."
A scout reported to Duan Jianwei.
Duan Jianwei sighed and looked at Gelofeng. "Perhaps we have underestimated Cuan Chongdao and Cuan Shouyu. They may not be as stupid as we thought."
Gelofeng did not care about this. What he cared about was how to quickly attack Cuan Land and expand Nanzhao's territory several times.
"Sir Duan, now that Cuan Chongdao is deliberately guarding against us, your original plan will not work. What should we do next?"
Duan Jianwei pondered for a long time and said seriously, "First Prince, prepare for war. This one will go see Cuan Shouyu again."
"At this time, why does Sir still want to see Cuan Shouyu?"
Gelofeng was a little anxious.
Duan Jianwei said helplessly, "First, I want to find out why Cuan Chongdao and Cuan Shouyu are not attacking each other. Second, I want to persuade Cuan Shouyu to send troops to attack Cuan Chongdao with us. Only in this way can we take down Cuan Land more easily."
"Sir Duan, is this really okay? This journey is too dangerous. Cuan Chongdao is already on guard against us. Along the way, we will pass through Cuan Chongdao's territory. If you fall into the hands of Cuan Chongdao, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Gelofeng did not agree with this risky plan.
Duan Jianwei insisted, "No, I must go this time. First Prince, don't worry. I will be careful."
After making some preparations, Duan Jianwei led two guards and galloped in the direction of Nanning Province.
After traveling day and night for a day, Duan Jianwei finally arrived at Cuan Shouyu's camp in Nanning Province and asked to see him.
"Commander in chief, Duan Jianwei is here again."
"What, he's here again?"
At this moment, Cuan Shouyu was talking to his mother. When he heard this, he could not help but be surprised.
"Mother, Duan Jianwei is here again. Do you want to see him?"
Ah Cheng smiled and nodded. "Since he's here, there's no harm in meeting him. Mother will accompany you here."
Cuan Shouyu understood and looked at the captain. "Invite him in."
"Greetings, Commander in chief. Oh, Madam is here too."
Duan Jianwei had naturally seen Ah Cheng before. Moreover, he had seen her many times.
Ah Cheng smiled at Duan Jianwei and asked softly, "Sir Duan, for the sake of Cuan Land's stability, you have come time and time again. We are really sorry."
Duan Jianwei grinned and said softly, "As long as the people of Cuan Land can live a good life, it doesn't matter if I have to work a little harder."
"Sir Duan is really haha."
Cuan Shouyu was a little impatient and asked straightforwardly, "Sir Duan, what is the reason for your visit?"
Duan Jianwei stopped smiling and said seriously, "Commander in chief, the last time I came to persuade you to make peace, it was because there was a rebellion in Nanzhao's Taihe City. I had to stabilize Cuan Chongdao first. Unexpectedly, Cuan Chongdao made a mistake and used the opportunity of my persuasion to pretend to agree to reconcile with you. However, he stabbed you in the back and caused your troops to suffer heavy losses. When I found out about this, I was extremely angry and immediately reported it to the Emperor. When the Emperor heard about it, he was even more furious and decided to teach Cuan Chongdao a lesson at all costs."
Ah Cheng smiled and asked, "How does the Emperor plan to teach Cuan Chongdao a lesson?"
"The Emperor ordered the First Prince to personally lead an elite army from Taihe City and come to suppress Cuan Chongdao with you. Now, our Nanzhao Army is not far from Kun Province. Soon, we can take action."
Duan Jianwei replied.
Cuan Shouyu and his mother, Ah Cheng, looked at each other and asked with a smile, "Sir Duan, didn't you say last time that the remnants of the Five Zhao were extremely arrogant and Nanzhao couldn't transfer troops? How did the rebellion be quelled so quickly?"
Duan Jianwei smiled awkwardly and said respectfully, "The rebel army was very imposing at the beginning, but I didn't expect them to be a motley crew. As soon as the Emperor showed his power, the rebel army couldn't withstand it, so he withdrew troops."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Ah Kuan laughed in his heart, but on the surface, he pretended to be enlightened. After a pause, he said, "Since the Imperial Lord is willing to make a decision for us and send troops to attack Cuan Chongdao, we, mother and son, are naturally grateful. Mister, please name a date, and we will send troops to attack Cuan Chongdao together."
Duan Jianwei was overjoyed and said seriously, "Three days later, how about three days later?"
"Okay, three days later. Three days later, our army will send troops to attack Nanning Province."
Cuan Shouyu agreed.
"Well, since things have been arranged, I will take my leave."
Duan Jianwei breathed a sigh of relief, saluted and asked to leave.
Ah Cheng warmly urged him to stay, "Sir Duan, you have worked hard. It won't be too late to rest for a day."
Duan Jianwei smiled bitterly and waved his hand, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam. I have to go back to report to the First Prince. The war is imminent, and I can't be careless. Madam and the Governor also have to be prepared."
"In that case, I won't ask you to stay. Come, send Sir Duan off."
Cuan Shouyu smiled and maintained the courtesy he should have.
Duan Jianwei saluted again, turned around, and quickly left.
"Mother, it seems that Ang Lee is right. If we stop fighting Cuan Chongdao, Duan Jianwei can't sit still."
Ah Cheng nodded gently, "Yes, Nanzhao's purpose is to annex the land of Liangcuan, and we are just their chess pieces. In Nanzhao's view, the value of our existence is to deal with Cuan Chongdao."
"Mother, what should we do? Are we really going to attack Nanning Province in three days?"
Cuan Shouyu looked at his mother and asked loudly.
Ah Cheng pondered for a moment and said seriously, "Cuan Chongdao has already transferred 30% of the troops in Nanning Province to Kun Province. If he knows that we are joining forces with Nanzhao to attack him, will he choose to fight on two fronts?"
"Mother, you think that Cuan Chongdao will give up Nanning Province and shrink his troops to deal with Nanzhao."
Cuan Shouyu said in surprise.
"Kun Province is a few hundred miles away from Nanning Province. Cuan Chongdao and the others only have 30,000 troops. How can they deal with two fronts? As long as Nanzhao attacks fiercely, Cuan Chongdao will definitely choose to give up Nanning Province and concentrate on defending Kun Province. Then, we can take back Nanning Province without any effort."
Ah Cheng said seriously.
"Mother's idea is too rash. Nanning Province is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Cuan Chongdao only needs to leave two or three thousand troops behind, and we can't do anything."
"Nanning Province is easy to defend and hard to attack, but the provisions of Nanning Province are all concentrated here. Although Cuan Chongdao attacked Nanning Province in one fell swoop, he did not get much provisions. In the past few months, Cuan Chongdao's army has been completely dependent on the provisions of Wei Province and Kun Province. Once a fierce battle breaks out in Kun Province, it will be difficult to transport provisions over. How can the soldiers fight when they are hungry? Therefore, Cuan Chongdao has no choice but to withdraw from Nanning Province. We can also put on an act to respond to the Nanzhao army."
"Mother, you are wise. I understand."
Cuan Shouyu was overjoyed. After a pause, he asked, "Mother, do we need to tell Cuan Chongdao the time of Nanzhao's attack and let them fight more fiercely?"
Ah Cheng shook her head and said, "No, we have long been sworn enemies with Cuan Chongdao. Cuan Chongdao may not believe what we say. Moreover, isn't it what we want to see Cuan Chongdao suffer a sudden blow and suffer heavy losses?"
"Mother is always more thoughtful than I am. I will arrange it now and prepare to enter Nanning Province in three days."
Cuan Shouyu happily went to prepare.
After Duan Jianwei left Cuan Shouyu's camp, he immediately pasted on his eyebrows, put on a hat, and disguised himself as an ordinary merchant. Under the protection of two guards, he rode back to the camp.
This time, Duan Jianwei did not find anything unusual about Cuan Shouyu. In other words, he did not find any signs of strange forces entering Cuan Land. Duan Jianwei also felt that it was normal for Cuan Shouyu to readily agree to attack Cuan Chongdao together.
After all, Cuan Chongdao killed Cuan Shouyu's biological father, King Cuan Gui, and also took away his foundation in Nanning Province. With such a deep hatred, how could Cuan Shouyu not gnash his teeth in hatred?
In short, the shrewd Duan Jianwei was too confident. He believed that his judgment would not be wrong. As for Cuan Chongdao's sudden discovery of Nanzhao's hidden army, he thought it was just an accident.
Fifteen li north of Nanning Province, Ang Lee, Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, and Nan Jiyun were discussing the situation in Cuan Land. Through the investigation of the soldiers, they already had a deeper understanding of Cuan Land. They also learned that Cuan Chongdao was increasing the number of troops in Kun Province and was preparing to defend against Nanzhao's attack.
Others might not be able to find the hiding place of the Nanzhao Army, but the scouts trained by Ang Lee were all proficient in the art of disguise. It was not difficult for them to sneak in and investigate.
Through the field investigation, Ang Lee learned that Nanzhao's elite army was rubbing their hands together. It seemed that they were about to make a big move. The biggest possibility was that they were going to attack Cuan Chongdao.
"General, the battle in Cuan Land is imminent. Our main force cannot stay in Gourd Valley. We should reinforce them as soon as possible. Otherwise, when Nanzhao controls Cuan Land, we will be passive."
Nan Jiyun felt that the time had come. It was time to make a move.
"Big Brother, the valleys two li north of us are very suitable for stationing troops. It's time to send troops."
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