Chapter 493 – Assault on Fengyi County (Part 1)
A land more expansive than the inner courtyard?
Wei Jingxian felt as if a piece of shattered rock had plopped into her heart lake, sending ripples slowly expanding outward.
Her nose suddenly felt a tad sour, yet she smiled teasingly, “Husband, aren’t you afraid I might be too busy with important matters and neglect you and Changsheng?”
Feng Jin chuckled lightly, “If that’s the case, then I shall help lessen your burdens, allowing you more time to pay attention to me and Changsheng.”
Wei Jingxian’s face flushed red; she lightly spat, feigning anger, “Old couple talking like this and yet not blushing!”
Feng Jin laughed helplessly, “We’ve only been married a few years; how can we be considered old?”
The couple shared a tender moment and went to sleep peacefully. The next day, Feng Jin, feeling refreshed, went to report to the administration hall for work.
Jiang Pengji, with a bun in her mouth, saw Feng Jin approach and smiled mischievously, “Tsk, tsk, it’s rare for Huaiyu to oversleep!”
Feng Jin replied without backing down, “Rare for the lord to be so hardworking too!”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and shamelessly retorted, “You’re mistaken; your lord has always been diligent.”
If not for her upbringing, he really wished he could roll his eyes at her.
How could this person say such a thing without a pang of conscience?
When saying such things, does her conscience not ache?
Jiang Pengji yawned and continued wrestling with the piles of documents.
“How come the lord is so diligent today?” After Feng Jin took his seat, he asked Wei Ci, who, despite his frail appearance, always arrived the earliest and had an admirable work efficiency, “She usually doesn’t like poring over these overly formal things.”
Wei Ci chuckled, “The lord must be tired of these peaceful days, eagerly wanting to deploy against Fengyi County.”
He didn’t dare claim to know this woman completely, but he understood some of her temperament.
While comfort is delightful, prolonged peace breeds laziness, and this woman detests laziness the most.
Feng Jin’s expression froze upon hearing this, and he helplessly replied, “But… Jiang Ji brings a troop that needs time to integrate with our original soldiers.”
The two thousand troops led by Jiang Nongqin were no pushovers, definitely one of the main forces for this assault on Fengyi.
If they rushed to the battlefield without proper integration, Feng Jin worried they would face losses.
Wei Ci calmly responded, “So, isn’t the lord just finding something to do to stave off boredom?”
On one side, Jiang Pengji was sharpening her blades aiming at the Green Garment Army of Fengyi, while another battlefield had already fallen into a stalemate.
In the south, Changshou Wang’s expression grew increasingly grim.
After spring began, he rallied troops under the pretense of “cleansing the court,” besieging Chenzhou. He initially thought it would be smooth sailing, but it turned out unexpected.
What should have been an easy conquest of Chenzhou turned out to be a tough nut to crack.
He believed he could easily capture various territories of Chenzhou and coerce the Emperor to abdicate, yet the Chenzhou side blocked his forces at the border and even created immense pressure on him in several battles. After three consecutive days, they had lost five thousand soldiers.
“That Officer Huang must have received guidance from a skilled master; his military tactics are quite sophisticated. If we want to defeat him, we’ll probably need to increase our forces.”
The strategist under him studied the intelligence from the scouts, loosening his furrowed brows slightly, then knitting them together again, looking quite troubled.
It was unclear which master was behind the scenes advising, but they always seemed to predict their intentions a step ahead, rarely engaging in direct conflict, mainly relying on ambushes and harassment, seriously impeding Changshou Wang’s advance.
Changshou Wang brought tens of thousands of troops to besiege Chenzhou, consuming vast amounts of food supplies each day. After enduring a winter, he thought the Chenzhou side would be exhausted, allowing them to capture it with minimal losses and he would ascend as the Emperor…
But reality slapped Changshou Wang hard across the face; Chenzhou not only remained resilient but even matched them blow for blow.
Pondering over spring, he expected to conquer Chenzhou swiftly, only to stumble at the first hurdle.
“Heh, that Officer Huang is just a mere eunuch descendant,” Changshou Wang scoffed disdainfully.
Huang Song, Officer Huang, was the grandson of Huang Changshi.
Huang Song was originally on patrol in the capital, and last year during the earthquake, he was the first to rescue numerous important officials and their families.
Even though these people scorned Huang Song’s origins, they begrudgingly praised him for his salvation.
Using this windfall, Huang Song’s career brightened significantly, eventually becoming a colonel in charge of five thousand imperial guards.
When Changshou Wang attacked Chenzhou, Huang Song took the initiative to volunteer, delighting the Emperor, who then held him in even higher regard.
Thus, the left flank of the Chenzhou battleground, led by Huang Song, became the most challenging portion they faced; although Changshou Wang had a substantial advantage in numbers, they had suffered losses exceeding five thousand soldiers in those skirmishes.
Even if Changshou Wang made slight gains in the center and right flanks, compared to the losses on the left, they were still at a disadvantage.
The strategist sighed, saying, “Heroes don’t question origins. Even if the lord dislikes hearing it, Huang Song is indeed worthy of your attention.”
Changshou Wang’s face darkened, revealing a tinge of disdain, “Do you have a way to eliminate this brat?”
While the strategist’s expression seemed unchanged, inside he felt a simmering disdain.
Previously, under the gaze of a camp commander, Changshou Wang had lost face; now he was taking a condescending tone, showing no respect whatsoever…
He silently spat out a curse; even before Changshou Wang ascended the throne, he was already eager to tear away the pretense of being a benevolent ruler.
Thinking along those lines, he cautiously avoided provoking Changshou Wang further.
“If it’s on the battlefield, with a master behind him, Huang Song will be difficult to deal with…” The strategist raised an eyebrow, and a nefarious plan formed in his mind, he coolly replied, “But merely transferring him away from the battlefield shouldn’t be a problem.”
Changshou Wang paused, saying, “As long as we can transfer him away, once we take Chenzhou, getting rid of that Huang Song kid will be easy… You just have to tell me your plan; if it’s feasible, we’ll execute it right away!”
Holding back his inner impatience and disgust, the strategist replied calmly, “There’s no need to trouble others for this; just have the lord write a heartfelt letter to recruit him, promising whatever benefits you can.”
Changshou Wang was puzzled, could a verbal promise really lure Huang Song over?
The strategist silently criticized his lord for being as dimwitted as a pig.
“It’s not to draw Huang Song in but merely to instill caution in the Emperor toward Huang Song, perhaps even spark a murderous intent,” the strategist succinctly explained to avoid confusion for Changshou Wang. “The Emperor is extremely suspicious; Huang Song’s fame in the military is rising. If news of the lord’s desire to recruit Huang Song reaches the Emperor now, even if he doesn’t kill Huang Song, he won’t allow him to stay on the front lines. As for Huang Song…”
The strategist paused, swallowing what he meant to say next.
This Huang Song is no ordinary man.
Who knows if he is loyally serving the Emperor or if he will run away at the first sign of trouble?
But regardless of which it is, Changshou Wang wouldn’t lose out.
