Chapter 1441 – Take It Easy (Part 8)
Yang Tao hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit uncertain inside.
“Would the lords of Zhong Zhao be willing to wade into this murky water?”
He didn’t know much about the situation in Zhong Zhao, just a little surface information.
After all, Nan Sheng and Zhong Zhao were separated by quite a distance; it took nearly half a year for information to go back and forth.
“Why wouldn’t they be willing?” Yan Lin said confidently, “Among the lords of Zhong Zhao, the Nie Clan dominates, controlling the most fertile lands and has long since become a thorn in everyone else’s side. In this chaotic world, it’s like rowing upstream—if you don’t progress, you regress; if you don’t fight, you’re just waiting to die! With the current military strength of the Nie Clan, they can hold their ground for three to five years, but what about after that? Liu Xi is ambitious; even if she doesn’t provoke them, she’ll still be eyeing the meat on others’ plates. The Nie Clan has offended Liu Xi in the past, and with her vengeful nature, she likely hasn’t forgotten.”
Yan Lin had a clear view of the situation. The Nie Clan seemed to be thriving now, but they were far from safe.
If the Nie Clan didn’t work to strengthen themselves, they’d just have to watch their enemies grow stronger and eventually swallow them up.
Yang Tao said, “Liu Xi is that wild?”
He had a good impression of Jiang Pengji; though she was a straightforward and free-spirited woman, she wasn’t the type to bite just anyone.
But Yan Lin thought otherwise.
While others feared the North Border, this person was secretly gathering strength, taking advantage of the North Border’s weakened state to strike.
From this, it was clear that Jiang Pengji wasn’t just wild; she was decisive in battle and wouldn’t miss any chance to strike her enemies.
For her, Nan Sheng was a must-have.
The weaker Yang Tao felt compelled to seek survival by allying with Zhong Zhao.
“If she weren’t wild, how did the North Border lose back then?” Yan Lin said. “She’s like a wolf; seeing the bloody prey, she can’t possibly resist. If she misses this opportunity, once Nan Sheng recovers and Zhong Zhao grows stronger, her expansion will become difficult.”
Past bitter experiences told them that the path of multiple nations coexisting wouldn’t work, because human ambition knows no bounds, and nations would inevitably clash. Only by achieving true unification could the world be made peaceful. Jiang Pengji had this very temperament, and there was no way she’d be satisfied with East Qing alone.
For Jiang Pengji, this was a golden opportunity to dye Nan Sheng red.
For the Zhong Zhao Nie Clan, wasn’t this also a great opportunity to expand their territory and get a hold on East Qing?
Right now, Yang Tao was in a tight spot seeking survival; if he could make good use of this opportunity, he might just become the hidden winner.
Yan Lin’s expression grew serious, deep thoughts clouding his brow, and Yang Tao understood his friend’s burden was heavy, so he didn’t disturb him.
Because Yan Lin was certain there were no ambushes, Yang Tao wasn’t worried about An Huan setting a trap ahead.
However, while Yang Tao felt at ease, the other allied lords were less so.
As Yan Lin said, An Huan had grand ambitions, using this rare opportunity to take each lord down one by one.
Although Lü Zheng had issues with An Huan and had complicated grudges with Hua Yuan, he was a person who kept public and personal matters separate.
Lü Zheng accurately predicted the return routes of each lord and his troops based on their personalities, setting ambushes in advance.
There were capable individuals among the lords’ retinues as well. They recognized An Huan’s ambition and sensed that this journey home wouldn’t go smoothly, so they raised their alerts early.
The previous days had been calm; they hadn’t caught so much as a suspicious shadow.
As they made their way through the latter half of their journey, several lords began to relax their vigilance, as they were just a day or two away from their territories.
Who would have guessed that enemy ambushes would pop up at this moment, catching them off guard?
“An Huan that scoundrel!!! Unreliable as ever!”
After days of marching, their men and horses were wearied, and just when they managed to find a place to rest for the night, the enemy chose this moment to launch a surprise attack.
Fortune doesn’t come in pairs; calamity doesn’t come alone. The speed of the army’s collapse exceeded everyone’s expectations, and they realized only then that there were enemy spies among them.
“Quickly send word!”
Seeing their army disintegrate, that little lord decisively decided to send news of An Huan’s surprise attack back home.
Clearly, the prepared enemy had a comprehensive plan in place.
After a long night of fierce battle, countless bodies were left behind, and the comrades they had fought alongside just the day before were now either dead or captured.
The situation was far from over. Per Lü Zheng’s arrangement, the captives had their armor stripped off and donned by his men.
Taking advantage of the fact that the news hadn’t reached the lords’ territories, they disguised themselves in the captives’ clothes to trick the city gates open.
It would be splendid if they could fool their way through the gates; if not, they would just launch a strong attack!
Using these methods, An Huan’s army reaped significant rewards, and victories were reported frequently.
The same scene unfolded in different locations. Lü Zheng orchestrated everything behind the scenes, yet the consecutive wins did little to lift his spirits.
Why?
It seemed he was being eyed by a madman with crazy ambitions.
“Impressive indeed.” Hua Yuan, or rather Liu Xi, showed a hint of admiration toward Lü Zheng, saying, “These lords may not be much of a threat and have small territories, but they’re not lacking in cunning. Some among them are aware that An Huan might betray them and have secretly altered their marching routes. This information hasn’t even reached the spies you planted, yet you know the marching routes inside and out—”
If it weren’t for his ability to foresee, then Lü Zheng was relying on his unparalleled judgment and analytical skills.
Lü Zheng’s expression soured.
He knew Hua Yuan’s madness was worsening.
In the past, it was an occasional slip, behaving like an ordinary person, but recently he’d frequently referred to himself as Liu Xi, and the duration had been increasing. Lü Zheng didn’t know whether this phenomenon was good or bad. At least, that ruthless Ge Lin hadn’t shown up… which should be a good thing?
“When will Hua Yuan regain his wits? He is the main support of our Lord; we can’t do without him at such a critical moment.”
Mentioning this made Lü Zheng bristle.
It was common knowledge that he and Hua Yuan were like oil and water.
Yet, strangely, whenever Liu Xi showed up, he would swing by here, making it seem like their relationship was fantastic, causing An Huan’s side to grow suspicious.
Who wouldn’t be suspicious?
Just recently, the two of them had been wielding swords and shouting for blood; now they were getting along peacefully. Outsiders had to wonder what the story was.
Liu Xi chuckled, “I am now Hua Yuan, after all.”
Since making this decision, Liu Xi began to pay attention to those “usurpers” who were squatters, and indeed, he discovered anomalies.
What surprised him was that there was more than one or two of these “usurpers.”
He secretly devoured the weakest one, while others needed a patient scheme.
Lü Zheng felt a chill in his heart.
He even had a strange illusion that this Hua Yuan claiming to be Liu Xi might be more dangerous than the one claiming to be Ge Lin.
“What exactly do you want?”
Liu Xi replied, “Naturally, to reclaim everything that belongs to me.”
Lü Zheng was left speechless.
“You’re really not well, you should call the Young Doctor over to get you some medicine.”
Truly a case of grave illness!
