Chapter 1304 – Confronting Huang Song, The Unification of Dongqing (Forty-Six)
Is Meng Heng addicted to burning things? Huang Song didn’t know, but he didn’t dare let his guard down.
Meng Heng truly lived up to being Meng Zhan’s son and Liu Xi’s cousin. He had a ruthless streak, merciless to enemies and himself alike.
Huang Song was feeling intimidated. Every day, he dispatched numerous troops to patrol, preventing suspicious individuals from setting the grain fields ablaze.
Jiang Pengji had a grand family business, boasting a vast expanse of land, and he could afford to let his subordinates burn it for fun. Huang Song couldn’t.
He composed himself, and Cheng Jing explained the pros and cons in detail. Huang Song sighed, having to swallow his frustration for the time being.
Once the autumn harvest ended, he wouldn’t have to worry anymore. Until then, patience was key!
The previously tense atmosphere calmed down, and daily tasks devolved into repetitive drills and mindless patrols.
Not everyone enjoyed such mundane duties, and someone finally couldn’t take it anymore—
After finishing training, Yuan Chong spotted a familiar figure appear in the training grounds, causing unease to stir in his heart.
This person was none other than Yuan Xin’s eldest son—Yuan Kuang.
Yuan Chong hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to greet him, so as not to appear disrespectful.
Yuan Kuang’s expression was dark, with a burning intensity in his eyes, a clear sign that he meant trouble. Yuan Chong sighed inwardly.
He was starting to understand the burdens faced by the military adviser, Nie Xun.
Nie Xun had inexplicably been bitten by Yuan Xin, this mad dog, and now Yuan Chong was enduring Yuan Kuang’s unreasonable gnawing. This father-son duo was toxic!
Yuan Kuang took the initiative to challenge him, “The weather is perfect today, why not spar with me, cousin?”
Yuan Chong felt anxious. He didn’t want to fight, but in front of so many witnesses, he couldn’t refuse.
“Sure! Cousin, please!”
Though family, they had become distant over the years and barely spoke before.
Yuan Kuang, following in his father’s footsteps, had a competitive and stubborn nature since childhood, always looking for a fight.
Normally, Yuan Chong would avoid him, but today was different; he found himself cornered.
The two stood in the arena, clasping fists in greeting, and before Yuan Chong could react, Yuan Kuang charged with his weapon drawn.
After exchanging blows for a short while, Yuan Chong’s expression changed as he sensed a murderous intent from Yuan Kuang, who was aiming for his vitals under the guise of “sparring.” If not for Yuan Chong’s solid martial skills, he would have been stabbed several times already—
The tension mounted. Yuan Chong retaliated fiercely, pushing Yuan Kuang back and hissed, “What’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to kill me in public?”
Yuan Kuang closed in again, his moves becoming more cunning and ruthless, determined not to stop until Yuan Chong was on the ground.
Yuan Chong was also getting angry; they exchanged blows relentlessly, sword clashes echoing like thunder.
Onlookers amongst the soldiers nearby thought it was just a show and cheered enthusiastically, making quite the scene.
Yuan Kuang, frustrated by his inability to defeat Yuan Chong, lost focus, which gave Yuan Chong a chance to knock his weapon from his hands.
“Explain yourself! If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, we’ll take this to our lord!”
Yuan Kuang glared at Yuan Chong furiously, “If you hadn’t jumped in to claim credit that day, I could have taken the Three Mountains Canyon in one swift move, preventing the enemy from burning down a hundred miles of fertile land! Now look where we are! Our lord is in a passive position—this is all your fault!”
Yuan Chong was taken aback for a moment, trying to digest Yuan Kuang’s words.
He laughed angrily, “Battlefield matters change in the blink of an eye. You really think you can just dictate that?”
Yuan Kuang was so confident in himself, claiming he could capture the canyon on the first day. Did he think he was a god?
The Three Mountains Canyon was indeed easy to attack but hard to defend. Didn’t Yuan Kuang realize who was guarding it?
That elite army, cultivated with great effort!
Even if Yuan Chong had all the advantages, he wouldn’t dare say he could take the canyon in just one day.
According to the military advisers, the quickest would still need four days!
Did Yuan Kuang not have any self-awareness?
If those elites were so simple to deal with, how could their leader possibly become Dongqing’s strongest force?
Yuan Kuang blaming himself for this was totally baffling.
Yuan Chong took a deep breath, suppressing the rising anger in his chest to avoid putting a hole in Yuan Kuang.
Yuan Kuang shot him a seething glare, “Your incompetence doesn’t mean I can’t succeed!”
He was brimming with confidence.
If he had led the army attacking the Three Mountains Canyon that day, he would have secured it without giving the enemy a chance to retaliate.
Unlike Yuan Chong, who had committed to military orders back then.
And what happened?
Did they take the Three Mountains Canyon?
Yuan Chong was more soft-spoken and low-key, not wanting to compete with others, yet Yuan Kuang kept hounding him, and it was starting to get on his nerves.
At last, feeling helpless, Yuan Chong sought Cheng Jing’s assistance to inform Lord Huang Song of the situation.
Huang Song was already having a tough time grappling with it.
How did Chenzhou end up like this?
Wasn’t it all Yuan Xin’s fault?
Yuan Kuang, instead of reflecting and keeping a low profile, was bouncing around everywhere, which was incredibly annoying.
Huang Song had some tolerance for Yuan Xin but was much harsher on Yuan Kuang, reprimanding him and restricting him to solitary confinement.
Yuan Kuang was feeling wronged.
With the Three Mountains Canyon secured, Jiang Pengji had not sent troops to forcefully attack Zhonghe County; instead, she planned to recuperate and monitor Wanzhou’s situation, biding her time for the autumn harvest. If she were to confront Huang Song now, he could use all his forces against her, putting her under immense pressure.
During the autumn harvest, Huang Song would inevitably have to dispatch troops to collect grain. If she struck then, oh boy—
Beyond that, Jiang Pengji’s army had been marching far and fighting consecutively. Her troops were exhausted and definitely needed time to recover.
Thus, the frontline in Hujun entered an unusual period of peace.
While things calmed here, other regions were still rife with tension, particularly between Chenzhou and Cangzhou.
Yuan Xin had kicked the bucket, leaving a mess for Nie Xun. Unfortunately, Nie Xun was struggling with no resources to work with, hampered at every turn.
Feng Jin didn’t want to waste time either, so he sent people to quietly spread rumors, using children’s voices to carry news about Chenzhou’s grain shortage.
By the time Nie Xun caught wind of it, the rumors had spread like wildfire, and he couldn’t trace the source.
The granaries in Chenzhou were empty!
The common people of the region were thrown into panic. Those with reserves hid them away, fearing forced requisitions, while those without rushed to rice merchants to buy up supplies. Within mere days, the merchants raised prices to sky-high levels, and the helpless populace could only grit their teeth and pay.
Desperate crowds blocked several main streets near the grain shops, causing a jam.
As the throngs of people intensified, a stampede occurred.
By dusk, the crowd gradually dispersed.
All that remained was the ground stained with blood and dozens of bodies pressed into the dirt, a horrific scene enough to chill anyone’s heart.
