Chapter 387
Chapter 387
“Your Majesty, with Ning Yuanxian acting like such a madman, I worry that one day he’ll lose his patience and launch an all-out assault against us. If that happens, I fear we will suffer greatly, as we are not fully prepared for war.”
The King of Wu furrowed his brow at the words of Grand General Wu Zhi. His march south with his army was merely a play, a strategic feint to seize the Leizhou Archipelago. He had not expected his actions to provoke the fury of that madman, Ning Yuanxian, causing him to personally lead his army down to their borders, posturing for a decisive battle. The King of Wu had been forced to continually reinforce his troops. However, the State of Wu had suffered immense losses in the Yanzhou tragedy twenty years prior and could not match the military might of the State of Yue.
The King of Wu said.
“Draft another twenty thousand men. The King of Yue is in his castle while we are in the field; we must have the advantage in numbers.”
“We have no more soldiers to conscript.”
“Draft them from the west. The garrison in Yanzhou is now only forty thousand strong; we have no need to keep such a large force stationed there.”
Just then, a warrior clad in black armor approached. He was a Thousand-man Commander of the Wu State’s Blackwater Terrace.
“Your Majesty, Qiu Hao has formally surrendered to our state. The opportunity to seize Raging Tide City and the Leizhou Archipelago has finally arrived!”
*It’s done!*
The King of Wu shot to his feet in excitement. While King Ning Yuanxian of Yue did not value the Leizhou Archipelago and Raging Tide City, the King of Wu certainly did. The archipelago was close to the State of Yue; seizing it would be like blocking Yue’s eastern gate. Ning Yuanxian was old; he only concerned himself with land and knew nothing of the sea. Now, at a time when maritime trade was beginning to flourish, taking control of it was a crucial and necessary step.
“I hereby command it! The grand army will board the ships, ride the current, and first assemble at Heavenly Wind City. There, you will join with Qiu Hao’s forces, march south, and seize Raging Tide City and the Leizhou Archipelago!”
“As you command!”
Following the King of Wu’s decree, the twenty-thousand-strong army of Wu boarded various vessels and sailed south in a magnificent display of power. The battle to capture Raging Tide City and the Leizhou Archipelago had officially begun.
***
King Ning Yuanxian of Yue furrowed his brow. Even from a great distance, the thunderous curses of the fierce general Nan Pu outside still reached his ears. They were utterly vulgar. Nan Pu was verbally defiling the King of Wu’s wife, his parents, and even the King of Wu himself, one by one. Ning Yuanxian was a man of refinement and could not bear to listen to such crass language for long.
However, while Nan Pu was an infuriating and terrifying man to have as an enemy, he was an outstanding commander to have on one’s side. He had recently launched frequent attacks against the Wu army, winning every small-scale skirmish. Under normal circumstances, Ning Yuanxian would never have employed such a man. Not only was he unrestrained in his slaughter, but he had no sense of military discipline and was vulgar to the extreme—qualities Ning Yuanxian despised. That was why he had excluded him from the previous battle at the border, a decision he now slightly regretted.
“Your Majesty, Duke Weiwu asks if it is time to make his move.”
Ning Yuanxian’s brow tightened. Logically, now was the perfect time to strike. The entire world believed he was about to engage in a decisive battle with the King of Wu. For this grand performance, not only had Ning Yuanxian personally led his army and mobilized all his renowned generals, but he had also borrowed over two million gold coins from the Hidden Yuan Society for war funds. Because of this, the Wu forces defending the Yanzhou line would be more depleted than ever.
Ning Yuanxian said.
“No. The time is not yet right. When is an enemy most relaxed, their guard completely down?”
The Grand Eunuch Yue Jun replied.
“When our State of Yue is at its most vulnerable.”
“The moment Su Nan rebels will be when our State of Yue is at its most vulnerable, and when the State of Wu is at its most relaxed. That is when Bian Mu must launch a frenzied, world-shaking assault. He must relentlessly cut down the men of Wu until the neighboring states of Yue tremble in fear, until the State of Chu withdraws its great army! Order Zheng Tuo to continue feigning weakness and to keep the gates of White Night Pass shut. Tell him he must not, under any circumstances, reveal his intention to march south!”
“Yes!”
A shiver ran down Grand Eunuch Yue Jun’s spine. He, too, thought the king had gone mad; this gamble had grown far too large. The king was now walking a tightrope high above the ground. If he were to fall, countless blades would be waiting to pierce his body.
Ning Yuanxian said.
“I can only hope that Zhang Chong and Shen Lang, that young viper, do not disappoint me! The two of them, along with Zheng Tuo, must trap Su Nan’s rebel army within White Night County!”
The situation was so perilous that Yue Jun dared not voice his thoughts. Zhang Chong had only three thousand men at his disposal, and Shen Lang, a mere few hundred. Even if Zheng Tuo’s main army were to coordinate with them, stopping Su Nan’s rebel forces would be incredibly difficult. In truth, the king was more anxious than anyone. White Night County was Su Nan’s stronghold; sending Shen Lang and Zhang Chong there was like sending them into a tiger’s den. But as the saying went, trust those you employ, and do not employ those you doubt. While Shen Lang might lack other talents, his ability to inflict great harm upon others was second to none.
*What is the situation in White Night County? Shen Lang, Zhang Chong. You must not disappoint me.*
Just then, a young female eunuch hurried in and announced.
“Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from White Night County!”
Ning Yuanxian shot to his feet, not even waiting for Yue Jun to hand him the secret letter before snatching it away. As he read it, he felt every single hair on his head stand on end.
*You… you damn whelp!*
As king, he was often forced to speak elegantly, which was why he had repeatedly ordered Zhang Chong and Shen Lang to go to White Night County and restrain Su Nan from rebelling. Furthermore, some things were not appropriate for a king to say directly, so he had issued a decree granting them discretionary power. He had presumed Shen Lang would grasp his underlying meaning: to stir up trouble in White Night County and create problems for Su Nan, giving him no peace. But after reading the message that had arrived, Ning Yuanxian was stunned by the methods Shen Lang had employed.
*Shen Lang, have you truly gone mad? How many people did you kill? Between those you killed directly and indirectly, the number must be at least in the tens of thousands! Haven’t you implicated a significant fraction of the entire population of White Night County? Where did you get such audacity? In an instant, you plundered all the wealth the Western merchants had amassed in White Night County for decades.*
The letter only stated that Shen Lang had incited tens of thousands of commoners into a mad looting spree that had left all of White Night County empty. The eventual outcome—Su Jian’s army chasing down and slaughtering those tens of thousands—had not yet occurred when the letter was written and was thus not mentioned. Even so, from the account of the events, Ning Yuanxian realized that Shen Lang had intended to sacrifice the tens of thousands of looters all along.
*This boy is truly vicious. I knew you had a talent for causing harm, but I never imagined you could turn the entirety of White Night County upside down on your own. You truly have nerves of steel!*
The king handed the letter to Yue Jun and remarked with awe.
“From this day forward, in White Night County, the mere mention of Shen Lang's name will make crying children fall silent. My reputation in White Night County will surely suffer as well. Is he not an absolute madman? In the capital, he listened earnestly to my every word, acting so obediently. But the moment he arrived in White Night County, he tossed my words to the wind. A general in the field may not always receive his lord’s commands in time, but to act with such abandon…”
After reading the letter, Eunuch Yue Jun felt a chill creep down his spine.
*This… this is the work of the pretty boy who rolled around in the same bed with Princess Ning Yan, their bottoms bare? Is this really that clever, shameless young man?*
In less than a fortnight, he had swept through White Night County. The Western merchants, Western warriors, and officials who were Su Clan’s dogs in many cities had all been killed by him. Almost every city in White Night County was now without a functioning government.
Ning Yuanxian said.
“Everyone says that I, Ning Yuanxian, have killed many, but can I truly compare to this fearless, wicked whelp? Issue a decree reprimanding Shen Lang for his audacity and sentence him to ten lashes. Issue another decree to Zhang Chong, reprimanding him for his poor management of a subordinate, whose bizarre conduct has alienated the people of White Night County and caused such unrest.”
But inwardly, the king was both thrilled and delighted. He had never imagined the young man was capable of this much. Still, the boy truly had nerves of steel.
“Su Nan will be forced to move up his plans and rebel ahead of schedule. He probably won’t even wait to join forces with the State of Qiang!”
Yue Jun asked.
“Was what Shen Lang did truly so remarkable?”
“He is a remarkable one indeed. He has pushed Su Nan right to the edge of a cliff. A vicious man like Su Nan can only be dealt with by someone even more vicious, like Shen Lang.”
“But the young man’s reputation is now in tatters. It seems he truly has no ambition and went there solely for revenge.”
The king chided Yue Jun.
“You old fool. Stop trying to speak well of him in such a roundabout way. I am perfectly capable of discerning whether he has ambition or not.”
Yue Jun bowed obsequiously.
“Indeed, no one is wiser than Your Majesty.”
The king rose to his feet, his body hot with excitement.
“Inform Bian Mu to prepare for action. The moment for his world-shaking assault will soon be upon us!”
The king strode out of the barracks and embraced the fierce wind.
*‘A great wind rises, scattering the clouds’—how fitting for this moment! The grand game is about to begin. With brilliant talents like Bian Mu, Zhong Yao, Yan E, Zhu Hongzhu, and Zhang Chong at my side, how could I fail to overcome this crisis? Yes! And there is also Shen Lang, that young viper. The grand play is about to begin. I will personally beat the drum for you all and draw their attention. Bian Mu, Zhang Chong, Shen Lang—the three of you must put on a magnificent performance!*
***
The main city of White Night County.
Su Jian fell from the city wall, followed in succession by Ascetic Kunan and Grandmaster Prajna. Then, a dozen more masters continued to fall. A few of them were already dead, their corpses plummeting to the ground. Supreme masters valued the single, decisive strike. Once an opportunity was lost, another might never come. Su Jian roared in a burst of fury.
“Aaaargh!”
The frustration was unbearable. He had acted personally, even bringing Grandmaster Prajna, yet he had failed to kill Zhang Chong and Shen Lang. And who was that ugly, middle-aged man? His martial arts were incredible. With such a supreme master guarding Zhang Chong, the chances of eliminating him through martial prowess were now virtually nonexistent. Moreover, Zhang Chong’s own skills were far greater than expected.
They had been able to attempt an assassination now because Zhang Chong had shown himself in the open. If he were to hide within his army of several thousand, not even a grandmaster could assassinate him. However, Su Jian’s sword had been coated in poison, and he had wounded Zhang Chong with it. He could only hope the poison would kill him.
But that was Su Jian’s wishful thinking. The moment Zhang Chong was cut, Shen Lang said to Big Dummy.
“Big Dummy, suck all the blood from the General’s wound!”