Chapter 1060 – The Legendary Iron-Eating Beast Legion (Part 2)
Meng Zhan was cunning as a fox, yet he couldn’t help but be dragged down by his incompetent teammates, missing out on the best chance for victory.
By the time a few urgent letters traveled eight hundred li to their destination, it was already a bit too late. Huang Song and Jiang Pengji’s army had already entered Cangzhou territory.
As for Huang Song, his role was relatively simple: just hold back the Cangzhou forces. He wasn’t going all out in the fight, so the pressure from the south of Cangzhou was pretty manageable. In contrast, the north saw some serious pressure, with Jiang Pengji’s troops charging in with full force.
When Meng Zhan’s secret letter arrived, her army had already breached the Cangzhou border defenses, tearing a gaping hole with their sheer strength.
Caught off guard by the sudden assault, the Cangzhou side had no time to react, and just like that, their territory had a new owner.
The dire situation only started to shift after Meng Zhan’s secret communication made its way through.
Meng Zhan knew very well that the fact Jiang Pengji could break through Han Chang Pass in such a short time indicated that her combat power was nothing to scoff at.
If he wanted to win, he needed to employ some unconventional tactics.
He penned another letter, attaching his clan leader’s token, preparing to call upon the Gaoyue Tribe for assistance.
The Gaoyue Tribe was an allied beast-mastering clan established by Meng Zhan’s ancestor, with nearly every member capable of taming fierce beasts.
Thanks to their ancestor’s friendship, the Meng Clan had supported the Gaoyue Tribe, who in turn had benefited immensely from this goodwill.
Meng Zhan requested that they dispatch troops to halt Jiang Pengji’s advancing army, and they had no valid reason to refuse.
However, the Gaoyue Tribe had become too accustomed to the Meng family’s generosity, and their appetites had grown insatiable.
They would agree to Meng Zhan’s request, but only for a price—one million guan in rewards and ten thousand cattle and sheep.
Upon learning of this, Meng Zhan sneered—
Initially, the friendship between the Gaoyue Tribe and the Meng family had been simple; all the Meng family had to do was provide land for them to settle.
As time went by, more and more factions coveted Cangzhou, known for its abundant war horses—who wouldn’t be tempted?
To protect their treasure trove of “Cangzhou,” the Meng family naturally needed a trump card, and the Gaoyue Tribe seemed like an ideal choice.
From that moment on, the Gaoyue Tribe became like leeches, clinging to the Meng family, who found themselves at their mercy.
And now they were trying the same old trick—
“Fine, but we can’t meet their demands just yet. For now, we’ll just give them a deposit of one hundred thousand guan and one thousand cattle and sheep. Once the Liu Thief withdraws her troops, we can settle the rest all at once.” Meng Zhan’s expression was calm, as if the other side’s conditions were a minor inconvenience.
In truth, Meng Zhan only planned to give them the “deposit” to trick the Gaoyue Tribe into fighting for them. As for the remaining payment—
Hehe, that would depend on whether the Gaoyue Tribe would still be alive to claim it!
The leader of the Gaoyue Tribe, oblivious to the deceit, saw a fraction of the deposit and felt reassured.
“Tsk—Meng Zhan is getting stingier. Do you think ten or so million guan a year is enough to treat us? Is he expecting us to beg on the streets?” The Gaoyue Tribe leader chuckled smugly. Back at their territory, he whispered to a confidant, “Now that he’s in trouble, he’ll have to fork over the big bucks to clear the disaster! Why didn’t he do this sooner? If Meng Zhan wasn’t such a miser, we could have skipped these military fees altogether!”
Taking someone’s money to ward off calamity.
Having accepted Meng Zhan’s “military fee deposit,” the Gaoyue Tribe dispatched five thousand elite warriors and a beast army, heading toward the frontline in grand style.
Despite only mobilizing five thousand elite fighters, when the battle started, they could take out thirty thousand enemies without breaking a sweat.
Living in relative isolation, the Gaoyue Tribe knew Jiang Pengji’s name but didn’t think much of her.
“What’s so special about her… Meng Zhan can’t defeat a mere woman. How pathetic. If we capture Liu Xi alive, we can negotiate with Meng Zhan over those annual subsidies—fifteen million guan is far too little. We should be getting fifty million guan!”
While the Gaoyue Tribe was generally wealthy, no one could ever have too much money.
Back when Meng Zhan’s predecessor was in charge, they often received thirty million guan or more each year from the Meng family, but ever since the stingy Meng Zhan took the helm, the funds had dwindled every year.
Cangzhou had a thriving waterway, attracting merchants from all directions, contributing to robust trade.
The Meng family had profited immensely from occupying Cangzhou, accumulating a fortune year after year. Fifty million guan was just a drop in the bucket for them.
Now that the heat was on, they only seemed to remember the Gaoyue Tribe?
Hmph—
If they didn’t take the opportunity to squeeze a little more, the Meng family would have completely forgotten who had helped them prosper!
As for Jiang Pengji, she was blissfully unaware of this, as her scouts had yet to return with news.
“Lord, beyond this pass lies Luofeng Gully—”
Jiang Pengji glanced at the live feed, taking a mental note of Luofeng Gully’s landscape.
“Luofeng Gully? What’s special about this place?”
Meng Hunyun explained, “Luofeng Gully is located in the northern part of Cangzhou’s Qianyanshan County, featuring dense forests and gentle slopes—with wild beasts frequently on the prowl. Most importantly, the people in Qianyanshan County are connected to the Gaoyue Tribe, as Luofeng Gully is their territory—”
If they wanted to attack Cangzhou Meng County, they couldn’t avoid Qianyanshan County, nor could they bypass the Gaoyue Tribe.
Jiang Pengji shrugged dismissively, “What’s so special about the Gaoyue Tribe’s territory? If they are smart, they’ll surrender; if not, we’ll just blast right through.”
Meng Hunyun choked slightly—
Starting a fight without any warning, now that’s definitely the Lord’s style.
He couldn’t persuade her, but Wei Ci felt compelled to intervene, saying, “The army led by the Lord is a righteous force and should naturally prioritize politeness before warfare. If the Gaoyue Tribe is willing to switch sides, that would be splendid. If they refuse, we can always mobilize our troops later.”
Rushing in to beat them up right off the bat wouldn’t bode well for their reputation.
Jiang Pengji pouted.
She had come to carry out a surprise attack on Cangzhou, and now she was being told to play nice beforehand.
Sure enough, the ancient art of war was something she still couldn’t grasp.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves echoed from afar, as her scouts returned with a bizarrely dressed, burly man.
Though the weather was becoming mildly warmer, the average person was bundled up tightly. This foreign man stood out, wearing only a leather vest and a tiger-patterned skirt, with a colorful feathered headband and fierce animal tattoos adorning his exposed skin.
His eyes gleamed like an eagle’s, his broad and slightly flattened nose showing character, and his thick brown lips dominating half of his chin.
He surveyed the scene with sharp eyes, clasped his fists in greeting, and boomed, “I am an envoy of the Gaoyue Tribe, here to see your Lord.”
The burly man’s formal speech was clumsy, marked by a strong accent that made it quite jarring to hear.
“A Gaoyue Tribe envoy?” Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow. “What brings you here?”
She finished speaking and covertly glanced at Meng Hunyun—
So, Meng Hunyun actually knew that the army’s movements had been leaked in advance?
The burly man looked displeased as he stared at Jiang Pengji.
“Is this how you entertain your guests?” he said. “I come on behalf of the tribe leader, only to receive this treatment?”
Given their high standing in Cangzhou, many locals would bow or step aside upon seeing a Gaoyue Tribe member. Outside of noble families or powerful officials, the Gaoyue Tribe didn’t fear anyone. Living in such an environment for so long had bred a peculiar superiority complex within the tribe, making them feel inherently superior to others.
