"The Crouching Ox Ridge suddenly rebelled and wiped out two thousand of my elite soldiers! The Song family of Shuidong acted out of character and invaded the east of the Wu river. The old fox of the An family leapt out as well, demanding Shuiyan and Tianwang from me. He took the initiative to mediate the conflict between me and the Song family … "
Yang Yinglong, who had always been quick-witted, suddenly felt like his brain was lacking. The series of matters was like a tangled mess. He had no clue at all. He needed to find the end of the thread to resolve this series of questions, and the end of the thread was Ye Xiao 'an!
Just what had happened to Ye Xiao 'an? Why had the Crouching Ox Ridge suddenly rebelled? Did Ye Xiao 'an turn his act into reality? After replacing Ye Xiaotian's identity, he was no longer willing to be controlled by me, which was why he did this? But … with his cowardly personality, was he bold enough to do that? Was he not afraid of me telling the truth?
With my identity, as long as I proved that he was not Ye Xiaotian, the entire Crouching Ox Ridge would become suspicious. Those familiar with Ye Xiaotian would only need to probe him slightly, and he would be exposed. As one of the accomplices of Ye Xiaotian's murder, would the entire Crouching Ox Ridge be willing to accept him as their master? Why would Tian Miaowen agree to that?
Yang Yinglong temporarily settled down the envoys from the Shuixi 'an clan in a guest residence. He did not receive them, nor did he turn them down. He wanted to understand the entire situation before making a decision. However, before he understood what had happened to the Crouching Ox Ridge, he could not make a decision.
At this moment, another piece of news arrived from Sichuan. After he refused to go to Guizhou and Chengdu to defend himself, the prefect of Chongqing, Wang Shiqi, had hurried to Qijiang under the orders of the imperial court. He ordered Yang Yinglong to go to the nearby border of Bozhou to be investigated.
The name 'Safe and Stable' was very auspicious, but it was just too close to the territory under the jurisdiction of Sichuan, and there were two armies stationed nearby. Yang Yinglong had already begun to rebel, so he was wary of the imperial court. Why would he take the risk? However, if he continued to shirk responsibility, he would clearly anger the imperial court.
Currently, the entire city was in turmoil. Due to what had happened in the Crouching Ox Ridge and the restraints the An family and Song family had placed on him, Yang Yinglong dared not rebel immediately. As long as he did not clearly rebel, there was still room for maneuver. Once he did, there would be no way out.
Yang Yinglong wanted to wait for the situation to become clearer before making a decision. The Imperial Court still needed to delay, so he decided to send his younger brother, Yang Zhaolong, to Anjing to welcome Wang Shiqi and his party. Yang Yinglong gave Yang Zhaolong some advice, and Yang Zhaolong traveled day and night, heading straight for safety.
…
The drizzle was pitter-patter, and the air was dense with a damp smell. The mountains and fields were hazy, and the verdant and dark green were all shrouded by the rain and mist, like an ink painting of appropriate shades.
There was a sudden movement on the soft ground, and a pale, muddy hand suddenly reached out from the ground. If such a scene was suddenly seen by others, it would be enough to scare them to death. Fortunately, they were in the wilderness and there was no one around.
Afterwards, the ground flipped open, and a person suddenly sat up from the earth. His head and face were covered in mud. He seemed like a revived ghost, gasping heavily for air. After a long while, he calmed himself down and looked around.
This person was the "dead" Tian Wenbo. Tian Wenbo was not from the Crouching Ox Ridge, so not only was there not a single thin coffin, but even the hole had been dug very shallowly. The people of the Crouching Ox Ridge had only buried him hastily before returning to the stronghold.
Tian Wenbo wiped his face. The wet mud on his face had been splashed by the drizzle, and with that, he seemed even more like a ghost that had crawled out from the earth. "So close! If I had woken up a little later, or if the rain had been too heavy and there was no air in the earth at all, my fake death would have become a real death! "
After understanding the danger he had just been in, Tian Wenbo could not help but celebrate inside. However, he then thought about it and could not help but curse viciously, "Tian Tianyou! You bastard, how dare you put me at risk! "
Only now did he remember that Tian Tianyou was not so kind as to give him his only chance at life. What if the people of the Crouching Ox Ridge suddenly showed mercy and made a coffin for him, nailing it tightly shut? Or what if the people of the Crouching Ox Ridge had dug him too deep? And this rain that he had not expected at all …
The chance of him being lucky enough to survive really was less than one in ten!
Tian Wenbo cursed aloud. After cursing for a while, he suddenly realised that he was still within the territory of the Crouching Ox Ridge. He climbed out of the hole in a hurry and flattened the earth again. It seemed like there was nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did he stumble into the thicket.
… …
As the location of the chieftain's estate of the Cao clan, the Fat Goose Ridge had always been built around danger. Under the efforts of the allied army of the Ye and Zhan clans, it had gradually become a military camp. On the high walls of the stronghold, large rocks were piled up. The large rocks were piled up to a height of over three meters. For one, it increased the height of the stronghold walls, making it difficult for those attacking the mountain to climb. When necessary, the large rocks could be thrown down and used as weapons to defend the mountain.
Trenches, watchtowers, pitfalls … The entire Fat Goose Ridge was undergoing construction in full swing. The dirtiest and most tiring work was done by the captives of Bozhou.
Of the two thousand elite soldiers of Bozhou, not many actually died. Under the sudden attack and the death of the big-headed Yang Daqi, the people of Bozhou were like dragons without a leader. Most of them were captured alive, so these people became the main labor force for the construction of the Fat Goose Ridge.
Zhan Ning 'er, Gedore, Bao Weng, and the two cousins of the Zhan family, who had already rushed to the Fat Goose Ridge, inspected the bustling construction scene.
Zhan Ning 'er said, "Although there's still the Tong family blocking the front, once Yang Yinglong sends his troops east, the line of defense will be too long. The Tong family probably won't be able to stop him! Then this Fat Goose Ridge will be our second line of defense to stop Yang Yinglong's eastward advance!
The stronghold walls here need to be reinforced. We have springs and rations on the mountain. As long as they can't attack, we won't have to worry about food even if we defend for two years! As long as they can't attack this place, without a stable place to rest and recuperate, they won't be bold enough to march in and invade our Zhan family stronghold or even Crouching Ox Ridge. "
Bao Weng asked, "First young miss Zhan, didn't you say that the Palm Seal Madam has already convinced the Song family to keep Bozhou under control? With the Song family's troops on the Wu river, will Yang Yinglong dare to invade the east? "
Zhan Ning 'er shook her head. "We can't be careless! To Yang Yinglong, the Song family is a tough bone to chew! If he raises the flag and rebels, he needs to win the first battle to boost the morale of his troops. Do you think he will choose to fight the Song family? Or wave the flag to the east? "
Gedore nodded. "Miss Zhan is right! As long as Yang Yinglong also deploys his troops on the Wu river and stops the water from flowing east, he can gather his elite troops and invade east without worry. "
One of Zhan Ning 'er's cousins could not help but ask, "Ning' er, is Yang Yinglong really going to rebel?"
The corner of Zhan Ning 'er's lips curled up slightly, revealing a complacent smile. "Even if he doesn't rebel, we'll force him to! Don't forget, the imperial court is already wary of him. As long as we play some tricks and fan the flames … "
Zhan Ning 'er's cousin said excitedly, "I understand! That way, the imperial court will definitely send troops to suppress him! With the assistance of the imperial court's army and the Song family as an ally, there's no need for us to worry about facing the soldiers of Bozhou alone. Perhaps we can even take advantage of the situation to rise up and become even stronger! "
Zhan Ning 'er nodded. "That's right! This is our idea! "
At this moment, a group of people rushed over from the hillside. The person in front had a white beard and a thin face. It was the head of the Tong family, Tong Yun. Tong Yun pushed aside two guards and rushed in front of Zhan Ning 'er. He said angrily, "Where's Ye Xiaotian? Why isn't he here?"
Zhan Ning 'er said, "Chieftain Ye was stabbed by an assassin from Bozhou and can't move freely. Chieftain Tong is looking for our Chieftain Ye. What do you want? "
Tong Yun said angrily, "What do I want? This Fat Goose Ridge belongs to my Tong family. What right do you have to occupy the mountain and even the eight grain cellars on the mountain? What do you want? "
Gedore said angrily, "I took this Fat Goose Ridge from Yang Daqi. What does it have to do with you?"
Tong Yun flew into a rage. "Yang Daqi? Bozhou entered Shiqian Mountain under the guise of mediating the conflict. I temporarily lent him the Fat Goose Ridge to station troops there. You killed Yang Daqi, which will definitely lead to Yang Yinglong's attack. My Tong family has been caught in the crossfire. We haven't even settled the score with you yet, yet you still have the nerve to say that? "
Zhan Ning 'er said, "Chieftain Tong, you can't say that. You also know about Yang Yinglong's wild ambitions. Even if we don't resist, do you really think he's come to mediate the conflict between our two families? How did the people from our Ye and Zhan families manage to sneak up the mountain without anyone noticing? That's because he didn't guard against us at all. Don't you know just who he's guarding against? Look at which side Yang Daqi focused on after he ascended the Fat Goose Ridge. You should know! "
Gedore stuck out his chest. "That's right! You're already so old. Don't tell me you still don't understand what's going on? My Crouching Ox Ridge knows exactly what Yang Yinglong's plans are! However, hehe, Yang Yinglong's wishful thinking, but my son-in-law isn't a pushover either. He's pretending to be working with Yang Yinglong. Otherwise, would you still be standing here in one piece if our Crouching Ox Ridge was working with Bozhou? You'd be beheaded long ago! "
Tong Yun had actually guessed some of this as well, but he was still reluctant to give up the Fat Goose Ridge that he had taken after so much difficulty. It had to be mentioned that the Fat Goose Ridge was not just a mountain. If the Crouching Ox Ridge could take over the Fat Goose Ridge, their influence would spread to the surrounding regions, allowing them to control the various chieftains and chieftains that used to belong to the Cao family. Wouldn't his Tong family just end up helping someone else?
Tong Yun mocked, "You sure put it in a dignified manner. In other words, I have to thank you? You've schemed against Yang Yinglong. When Yang Yinglong sends his troops east, my Tong family will be the first to bear the brunt! You've even taken advantage of this opportunity to take over my Fat Goose Ridge. Do you want me to forcefully swallow this grievance? "
Zhan Ning 'er said, "Chieftain Tong, we've stationed our troops here to protect the Zhan family fortress and Crouching Ox Ridge from Bozhou's attacks. Aren't we helping you as well? If Yang Yinglong really sends his troops to the east, will your Tong Family be able to deal with them with just your troops? With us here, you have a path of retreat, don't you think? "
Tong Yun sneered. "Path of retreat? Once the Fat Goose Ridge falls into your hands, it'll be like throwing a meat bun at a dog. You won't be able to return! Do you think I'll be able to look forward to the day you return unscathed? What wishful thinking you guys have! When Yang Yinglong's troops come, I'll go block them. When I can't hold them off, I'll be forced to abandon my foundation and accept Ye Xiaotian's protection. At that time, I'll be just like your Zhan family. I can only obediently become Ye Xiaotian's lackeys! "
As Tong Yun spoke, he turned to the two leaders of the Zhan family and yelled, "You've been schemed against so badly by Ye Xiaotian, and now you're even helping him to scheme against me. Don't you know shame that the Zhan family's several hundred years of foundation has fallen to such a state?"
The two brothers of the Zhan family rolled their eyes, feeling no shame at all. So what if the Zhan family had several hundred years of foundation? After several hundred years, they were still the concubine branch of the side branch. The main branch of the Zhan family was prosperous. In another three to five hundred years, it probably wouldn't be their turn to have the chance to lead the family.
But now that they had Ye Xiaotian's support, they, who could only listen to the orders of the main branch's descendants, could take charge of things on their own. What's more, all along, a small chieftain had to be a vassal of a relatively powerful chieftain. Before the Zhan family became a vassal of Ye Xiaotian, didn't they also become a vassal of Tian family, An family, and Bozhou's Yang family? Why did they have to be ashamed?
Zhan Ning 'er's expression darkened. "Chieftain Tong, please be careful with your words! You're slandering Chieftain Ye and driving a wedge between the Ye and Zhan families. I'm afraid Chieftain Ye won't be too happy if he finds out! "
Tong Yun laughed coldly. "Threatening me? So what if he's unhappy? At most, I'll just pat my butt and submit to Bozhou! "
Zhan Ning 'er said, "Yang Yinglong eats people without spitting out the bones. Moreover, Yang Yinglong has already become the target of public criticism. Do you really dare to submit to him?"
"I …" Tong Yun stammered. Zhan Ning 'er struck while the iron was hot. "This Fat Goose Ridge was won by the disciples of the Ye and Zhan families with their blood and lives. If we give it back to you, how can we convince the masses? Now that we're facing a great enemy, we should unite against them. If there's any dispute between us, we can talk about it after the enemy is repelled! After all, no matter what, Chieftain Ye won't swallow your Tong family. As for Yang Yinglong's appetite … "
The captured Bozhou soldiers tiredly built the trenches while listening to the arguments between the two sides. They weren't willing to become slaves just like that. They were trying their best to find a chance to escape.
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.
