Chapter 1299 – Defeating Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (41)
Compared to the back-and-forth chaos on the battlefield of Hujun, the front in Wanzhou felt dull and uninteresting.
The one guarding the Wanzhou front was Qi Guanrang, with Fu Wang as the commander, leading elite troops. No matter what schemes Feng Jue devised to lure and mislead, the entire army adopted the most cautious approach. It wasn’t that Qi Guanrang didn’t want to switch from defense to attack; it was just that Wanzhou was behind him.
If Hujun fell, the worst that could happen would be a year’s worth of harvest lost—tightening their belts for the following year would be all they needed to do. But if Wanzhou fell, it would mean a total collapse of the front lines.
Qi Guanrang knew this all too well, so he dared not relax for even a moment. Often, he would be up late at night, simulating the enemy’s tactics, so busy that he even forgot where he placed his beloved feather fan. Yes, you read that right; the feather fan he clung to all year round finally lost its rightful place in his heart.
Upon hearing the news that Hujun had been breached, even Fu Wang, the commander, couldn’t sit still. Yet, Qi Guanrang remained steady and calm.
“Is the Military Adviser not worried at all?”
“Of course I’m worried,” Qi Guanrang replied. “If Hujun completely falls into Huang Song’s hands, not only would they gain a windfall of millions of stones of new grain, but our leader’s tens of thousands of elite troops would be lost as well. However, losing Hujun still leaves us with a chance to win. Losing Wanzhou, however, would be another story.”
The land of Wanzhou represented seven years of effort from their lord, while the biggest value of Hujun lay in its grain.
Which was lighter and which was heavier? Qi Guanrang understood it all too well.
After hearing this, Fu Wang sighed, reining in all his anxious emotions. He seemed calm, but there was a slightly terrifying aura about him.
The thought of the local forces in Hujun being subverted by Huang Song, who then dealt a heavy blow, leading to the collapse of the Hujun defense and forcing the army to retreat to the San Mountain Gorge made him furious. He gritted his teeth and said, “If those people in Hujun hadn’t—”
Qi Guanrang’s brows furrowed as he gazed at a certain spot on the sand table, clicking his tongue. “Maybe the lord would actually enjoy this turn of events.”
Fu Wang was almost livid. How could the lord enjoy witnessing betrayal?
“The lord seized the opportunity to clear Chongzhou, but Hujun is a tougher nut to crack,” Qi Guanrang’s gaze turned cold as he added meaningfully, “Now that some are actively seeking death, she certainly wouldn’t mind if they got bolder. If they had simply minded their own business, who would the lord have needed to execute?”
Fu Wang furrowed his brows tightly at this. He always felt that Qi Guanrang’s words held deeper meanings.
Despite appearing strong and honest, military generals like him weren’t quite so simple-minded. The calculations on the battlefield were no less intricate than those in court politics.
A commander overseeing hundreds of thousands of troops wouldn’t be some idiot.
Fu Wang cautiously probed, “Why do you say that, Military Adviser? Is it possible that the lord has long harbored thoughts of eliminating those people?”
If so, Fu Wang found it all the more confusing.
Aside from this incident, the forces in Hujun had been quite well-behaved; the lord had no reason to harbor ill thoughts about them early on.
Qi Guanrang paused for a moment, then revealed a slight smile.
“Perhaps so; how would outsiders know the lord’s thoughts?”
Fu Wang was momentarily taken aback by this response. Qi Guanrang was clearly playing coy. He knew something but wouldn’t come out and say it, leaving Fu Wang itching with curiosity. However, Qi Guanrang’s lips were sealed, offering no hints.
Qi Guanrang stated, “Knowing too much isn’t always good.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Wang realized it was time to drop his curiosity. If the usually cautious Qi Guanrang said as much, it was certainly not a small matter.
He swiftly changed the topic to focus on their opponent, Feng Jue.
If Qi Guanrang’s steady approach was a shield, then Feng Jue was a sharp spear, highly aggressive and cunning.
Fu Wang occasionally lamented how Feng Jue had chosen the wrong master in aligning with Huang Song; his temperament was more akin to that of their lord.
“If Huaiyu were not in Cangzhou but here, then the brothers would be at odds—now that would be interesting.”
Qi Guanrang replied, “The lord purposely relocated Huaiyu to Cangzhou to avoid that brotherly conflict.”
Fu Wang went “Oh?”
“Cheng Xun and Cheng Yuan aren’t a reminder?” Qi Guanrang continued, “Old man Feng Ren is getting on in years and wouldn’t handle the stress well.”
The death of Cheng Xun had resulted in Cheng Cheng’s serious illness; many doctors said he couldn’t hold on much longer.
If the same kind of scenario played out again, old man Feng Ren might not be so lucky as to pull through.
Fu Wang said, “So that’s why the lord moved the troops to Hujun for a long time to avoid Nie Xun—a similar reason, right?”
Qi Guanrang nodded.
“It’s impressive how considerate the lord is.” Fu Wang stretched and perked up, “The enemy hasn’t moved in two days; that seems a bit unusual.”
Feng Jue’s aggressive push into Wanzhou had been halted by Fu Wang and Qi Guanrang, with both sides locked in a stalemate.
Things had been pretty intense recently, but now it seemed that the situation had suddenly quieted down.
When things go unusually quiet, there’s definitely something amiss.
Fu Wang suspected Feng Jue was up to something.
Qi Guanrang said, “If the enemy doesn’t move, we won’t either. Unless something happens inside Wanzhou, what tricks could he pull?”
The main theme of the Wanzhou front line was defense; absolutely no incidents should be allowed within Wanzhou itself. That was a clear bottom line given by their lord.
If Feng Jue was willing to cool off for a while, it would give Qi Guanrang just the right amount of time to make other arrangements.
As it turned out, Feng Jue was anything but patient; there was no way he would waste his limited time on meaningless activities.
Fu Wang suddenly had a light bulb moment and said with a laugh, “What if Feng Jue tries to sway the Feng clan?”
“Does General Fu know how many years the Feng clan has been established?” Qi Guanrang secretly rolled his eyes, lightly chuckling, “Feng Jue convincing the Feng clan to change their position would only happen if our lord was dead and both Wanzhou and Hujun fell into Huang Song’s hands. Only then would there be even a small chance for Feng Jue to pull that off. The Feng clan has endured through several dynasties and many periods of turmoil—if they didn’t even have the slightest instinct to preserve themselves, how could they have lasted this long?”
The Feng clan of Shangyang wasn’t something the bunch from Hujun could compare to.
Fu Wang asked, “What if Feng Jue forges a letter and coerces the Feng clan?”
Qi Guanrang answered, “That’s even more impossible. No matter how strayed from the path Feng Jue becomes, he wouldn’t dare drag the entire Feng clan into an irreversible situation. You know our lord’s temperament; she won’t easily let anyone who betrays her go. Even if Feng Jue is stupid, he wouldn’t dare pursue that line of thought. If he did, old man Feng Ren would be the first to disown Feng Jue from the genealogy—up to and including denouncing his kin out of righteousness—”
Fu Wang nodded along as he listened.
Just as the two of them finished this topic, they were “slapped in the face.”
“Report! We have captured a suspicious spy—”
Fu Wang waved his hand, “A spy? Bring her in.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two soldiers pushed in a woman dressed in summer clothing, who struggled as she walked.
Fu Wang asked, “This is a spy?”
The woman looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, her ink-black hair styled in an elegant updo typical of a lady. Her clean, white neck and collarbone were exposed. She had a curvaceous figure, her skin delicate and rosy, reminiscent of a ripe peach, and her face was quite stunning. Her captivating eyes seemed to draw in one’s spirit.
Fu Wang caught a glimpse and was momentarily taken aback, but shook himself awake the next instant.
One of the soldiers remarked, “This woman looks strange; her eyes seem like they could eat people. She might be a mountain fox that has turned itself into a human!”
