Chapter 943 – Seizing Three Cities (1)
The Second Prince rode on his tall horse, leisurely enjoying the ride.
“Is this Nanshan County City in Shangyu County? It doesn’t seem like much; it’s less prosperous than the small Northern Border tribes.”
The houses lining the streets looked desolate and dilapidated, with hardly any signs of merchants around.
“Once upon a time, it was said that Shangyu County was a great place, bustling with trade, but now everything has changed.”
The Second Prince’s advisor fell a step behind, surveying the surroundings with a sigh of melancholy.
“Hahaha—this is just a small border town of the Central Plains. How prosperous could it possibly be?”
The Second Prince laughed dismissively, with his twenty thousand private troops stationed outside the city, while he brought in over a thousand elite soldiers.
These twenty thousand elites were a product of his wealth being spent to train them, treated like precious gems in his daily life.
To monopolize the benefits, he gritted his teeth and took out all his possessions.
He proactively sought the Northern Border King to take over the three cities of Shangyu, sending the original Guard Commander off to somewhere else.
The Second Prince boldly took a seat, and the county’s chief clerk stood trembling before him, waiting for orders.
“Report how many soldiers are in the city.”
The chief clerk stammered, “There are six thousand seven hundred guard soldiers in the city.”
The Second Prince turned to his advisor with a sneer, “Nanshan County has only six thousand seven hundred guards. What can such a small force even do? Liu Xi of Chongzhou is hardly impressive; I’ve heard that those misguided scholars in Dongqing clamor about reclaiming their territory every day. With such a weak defense in Nanshan County, how can Liu Xi not send troops to fight back? It seems those cowards in Dongqing are all talk and no action when it comes to reclaiming their lands.”
The advisor smiled, showering the Second Prince with compliments, making him feel quite pleased.
The Second Prince confidently spoke as if he were pointing out the whole world, “Though Liu Xi is a coward, she is still a woman; it’s only natural for her courage to pale in comparison to that of men. Although there are only six thousand seven hundred guards in Nanshan County, every single one is an elite from the Northern Border, able to take on ten in battle. Liu Xi may be praised as powerful by outsiders, but in the end, she is just a timid girl, incapable of great achievements.”
The advisor’s smile bristled with awkwardness, but on the surface, he maintained his agreement, praising the Second Prince until he was comfortable.
Compared to the Second Prince’s blind arrogance, the advisor remained somewhat clear-headed.
He could understand why Jiang Pengji had not moved to reclaim the three cities of Shangyu.
First, war isn’t something one can just start on a whim.
No matter the grievances of the people of Dongqing, the three cities of Shangyu had already been ceded to the Northern Border; this is Northern Border territory!
If they rashly took action to reclaim it, it would mean tearing apart any remaining relationships with the Northern Border and officially declaring war.
Second, warfare consumes vast resources, and the preparations are long and arduous.
If war were started without any preparations, it would be tantamount to self-destruction!
Third, regardless of whether Jiang Pengji recovered the three cities of Shangyu a year earlier or later, the difference was minimal, given how badly they had already been ravaged by the Northern Border.
These were things he dared not share with the Second Prince, for fear of ruining his enthusiasm.
“Your Highness is correct.”
The Second Prince laughed heartily and said to the advisor, “You understand me best.”
In a stroke of joy, the Second Prince feasted for two days, mingling with the local nobility.
Despite appearing exiled in the three cities of Shangyu, these Northern Border nobles were established local powers.
Shangyu’s three cities serve as a buffer zone between the Northern Border and Dongqing, and they are also the most rampant areas for smuggling goods.
Most of these items are war resources, with huge profits, even causing the Second Prince to covet them.
However, the happy times didn’t last long before urgent news reached his ears.
“Report—”
A messenger’s high-pitched urgent voice sounded from outside.
The Second Prince, holding a wine cup while toasting with someone, frowned displeasedly upon hearing the commotion.
“What’s happened? Who dares interrupt my fun?”
The messenger, breathing heavily and speaking nervously, replied, “Your Highness, the patrolling cavalry outside Nanshan County discovered twenty-five of our soldiers’ corpses.”
“What?”
A strong wave of alcohol burst from his nostrils, and the Second Prince slammed the wine cup onto the table with a loud bang.
The advisor beside him quickly sobered up, seizing the moment to ask the messenger before the Second Prince could explode in anger.
“Who killed them? How did those twenty-five die?”
The messenger relayed the details one by one.
During last night’s patrol handover, they discovered a group of cavalry hadn’t returned.
The next day, patrol soldiers found the corpses of the missing personnel not far from their post, with signs of struggle nearby.
Upon hearing this, the advisor’s heart sank—this was not good!
“Where are the corpses now?”
“Outside the hall.”
“Bring them in!” The Second Prince’s chest surged with fury as he kicked over the wine table, creating a loud crash that echoed across the room.
The performers below trembled in fear, quaking like quails.
After a series of hurried footsteps, the Northern Border soldiers carried the corpses into the hall.
Along with the corpses were multiple clues found at the scene, the most crucial being a token.
This token was none other than the soldier’s token from Chongzhou.
The weapon left behind and the markings on it all pointed back to Chongzhou.
After scrutinizing this ironclad evidence, the Second Prince angrily clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
“Good job, Liu Xi; I hadn’t even caused her trouble, yet she’s come here stirring up the pot first.”
The Second Prince’s rage soared, while the advisor sighed inwardly.
“Your Highness, we still need to investigate further. If we hastily conclude it’s an insult from Liu Xi of Chongzhou, what if it’s actually not her?”
Before the advisor could finish, the Second Prince interrupted, “What’s hasty about this? Who else could have done this besides Liu Xi? Besides, even if it wasn’t Liu Xi, so what? Us and Liu Xi are destined to clash sooner or later.”
The Second Prince had come seeking to seize the three cities of Shangyu as a springboard to launch an attack on Jiang Pengji’s granaries.
Originally, he planned to wait a couple of days before taking action. Now that Chongzhou couldn’t hold back from testing them, how could the Second Prince tolerate this?
The advisor fell silent.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this matter was rather unreliable.
The Second Prince declared, “Liu Xi killed twenty-five of my men; I will return the favor tenfold.”
The advisor’s eyelids twitched violently as he watched the Second Prince dispatch people to call an assembly of generals for military discussions.
“Once I capture her granaries, let’s see how Liu Xi can be arrogant without any provisions!”
According to the map, there were three granaries.
The Second Prince had already confirmed that nearly each one stored two hundred thousand stones of military rations.
What concept does this represent?
Three hundred thousand stones would be enough for an army of one hundred thousand to eat for over a month.
The military rations that Liu Xi had hoarded over the years were enough for an army of one hundred thousand to wage war for two years!
Too bad Liu Xi had bad judgment in people, leaking such critical information regarding the distribution of her granaries.
Once the food was gone, she would be doomed!
The Second Prince gazed fiercely in the direction of Chongzhou, gritting his teeth.
“If I can’t transport these provisions away, then I won’t leave you a single grain!”
If it could be taken, he would take it; if it couldn’t be taken, he would burn it directly!
