In the outpost camp of the Helian Royal Court, Chen Changfeng sat upright on a low couch.
Chen Changfeng pulled the topmost parchment scroll towards him; it was intelligence sent back by a spy lurking in the right camp.
The charcoal handwriting on the parchment was somewhat blurred, but he read it very carefully, chewing over every word in his mind.
The intelligence was brief.
In the tent of Ashina Gudu, the Right Luli Prince, there had been frequent comings and goings these past few days.
His confidant Huyan Chi had gone to the treasury, withdrawn ten top-grade snow marten pelts, then went to the stables and selected ten pure-colored Akhal-Teke horses. Afterwards, taking a squad of personal guards, he headed south under the cover of night.
In the battle at Wild Fox Shoal, Helian Wu, a centurion planted by the left division into the right, had his entire elite force wiped out.
Logically speaking, having suffered such a great hidden loss, even if Ashina Gudu didn't muster troops to go to Northern Pacification City to demand an explanation, he should have at least filed a complaint before the Great Chanyu.
Yet that Right Luli Prince hadn't uttered half a word of complaint, and instead opened the treasury.
Going south, there was only Northern Pacification City.
Chen Changfeng pushed the parchment scroll aside, picked up the coarse porcelain bowl on the desk, and took a sip of slightly sour koumiss.
Ashina Gudu was a man who wouldn't release the falcon until he saw the hare; in the entire northern border, there were scarcely a few people who could make him bring out snow marten pelts and Akhal-Teke horses to court their favor.
The methods of that newly arrived imperial envoy from Great Qian were indeed formidable. First, using eight carts of colored glaze as bait, he made He Minghu and Helian Wu fight like dogs at Wild Fox Shoal, and now, who knows what heaven-shaking benefit he had promised, he actually made Ashina Gudu take the initiative to send heavy gifts.
This was a shady transaction.
Ashina Gudu wanted to use Great Qian's trade routes to bypass the exploitation of the Royal Court and swallow the dividends of the mutual trade all to himself, in order to strengthen the right division's power.
Chen Changfeng set down the porcelain bowl, his gaze falling on the dancing flame of the lamp.
He was deducing the situation of the Great Qian imperial court in his mind.
Calculating the time, Great Qian's autumn examinations were approaching, and those civil officials and military generals in the capital would definitely fight tooth and nail for the position of chief examiner.
For that imperial envoy from the Xu family to run to Northern Pacification City at this critical juncture...
However, if this intelligence were to be submitted, the Left Luli Prince would definitely be furious, and might even directly send troops to intercept and kill Huyan Chi.
Once the two divisions tore off their friendly facades, the entire Helian Royal Court would be affected to some extent.
Chen Changfeng picked up that piece of parchment and held it over the flame of the oil lamp.
The fire quickly engulfed the dry parchment; he let go, allowing the ashes to fall into the bronze basin.
He was originally the Great King's man; this kind of power-struggle drama between tribal leaders seemed too crude in his eyes.
Ashina Gudu wanted to borrow the momentum of Great Qian, and the Great Qian imperial envoy wanted to borrow the blades of the Helian people. The more chaotic this chess game became, the more beneficial it was to the central authority of the Royal Court.
He decided to suppress this matter, sit on the sidelines, and see just how big an appetite this imperial envoy had, and whether he could swallow Ashina Gudu, this hungry wolf.
The sound of wind and sand outside the tent suddenly grew louder, and the heavy cowhide door curtain was forcefully lifted by someone.
Huyan Ba, the battalion commander of the outpost camp, strode in, his burly physique almost blocking all the light shining in through the tent door.
He casually threw the felt hat from his head onto the couch and sat down with his legs wide apart, shaking the oil lamp on the desk.
"Sir, the scouts report that the grain transport convoy of the Great Qian imperial court has entered Northern Pacification City." Huyan Ba's voice was rough, revealing an unsuppressible irritation, "A full twenty thousand shi of millet. That old scoundrel Tie Lanshan has plenty of confidence now."
"If we don't make a move soon, wait until they eat the grain into their bellies and build up their strength, this battle will be impossible to fight!"
Chen Changfeng stood up, smoothed the hem of his long gown, and folded his hands in a Han Chinese salute.
"My lord, please calm down." Chen Changfeng was not in the least affected by Huyan Ba's impatience, "The arrival of Great Qian's grain was expected. The Northern Pacification Army has been hungry for half a year; now that they have obtained rations, it is precisely when their morale is at its highest."
"If my lord orders an attack on the city now, it would be taking the flesh and blood of our boys to crash head-on against Tie Lanshan's blade."
Huyan Ba slapped the desk, shaking the koumiss in the porcelain bowl so that it splashed out.
"Then what do you say we do! Are we just going to watch helplessly as they eat and drink their fill in the city?" Huyan Ba glared, his large nostrils snorting heavy breaths, "The boys under my command also lack iron tools and tea leaves."
"If we can't even chew down a Northern Pacification City, how can we hold our heads up in the Royal Court in the future! The soldiers of Great Qian are all soft-boned; as long as our iron cavalry charges twice, they won't even be able to grip their swords!"
Chen Changfeng looked at Huyan Ba's angry face, quickly organizing his words in his mind.
"My lord, fighting a war is not about acting tough, it's about calculating gains and losses." Chen Changfeng took a step forward, lowering his voice, "The walls of Northern Pacification City are solid, and Tie Lanshan is well-versed in the art of defending a city."
"The soldiers of Great Qian are indeed weak, but in the battle of Wild Fox Shoal, that one-armed hundred-man commander named Xu Zhan smashed Helian Wu's head with his own strength. With such people in the city, if we force an attack... the result can be imagined."
Chen Changfeng paused for a moment, observing the changes in Huyan Ba's expression, and continued, "My lord, don't forget, others are watching from the sidelines completely intact. If my lord exhausts your capital, who will be the happiest?"
Huyan Ba's movements paused, and the anger in his eyes faded a bit. Although he was reckless, he was not stupid, and naturally understood the open and secret struggles between military officers and tribes.
"Those sinister bastards, they'd love for me to die under the walls of Northern Pacification City." Huyan Ba gritted his teeth and cursed, then looked up at Chen Changfeng, "Since sir says so, you must have an idea. Don't keep me in suspense, speak plainly, how should we fight?"
Chen Changfeng sat back down on the low couch, dipped his finger in the koumiss spilled on the desk, and drew a rudimentary outline of a city on the wooden board.
"Great Qian has a military maxim: avoid their sharp spirit, strike when they return exhausted." Chen Changfeng's finger drew a circle around the periphery of the city, "The Northern Pacification Army has obtained grain, but they lack firewood and water. With over twenty thousand shi of grain, they must always light fires to cook. We won't attack the city, we'll just wear them down on the periphery."
Huyan Ba leaned in to look at the circle drawn with water stains, his brows tightly knitted.
"My lord can give the order to divide the light cavalry in the camp into twenty hundred-man squads." Chen Changfeng raised his head, looking directly at Huyan Ba, "Patrol day and night within thirty miles of the periphery of Northern Pacification City."
"Do not attack the city, do not engage in battle. As long as the soldiers of Great Qian dare to come out of the city to gather firewood or transport water, we will loose arrows and kill them; if they keep their gates closed and do not come out, we will circle the city at night beating drums and blowing horns."
"In addition to this, send people to throw dead sheep and horses into the water source upstream, cutting off their running water."
Chen Changfeng paused, observing Huyan Ba's reaction.
"Tie Lanshan is a man who seeks stability; encountering this kind of harassment, he won't easily dispatch a large army out of the city in pursuit, and can only strengthen the city defenses." Chen Changfeng continued to deduce the situation, "Over time, the Northern Pacification Army will have no peace day or night, and the officers and men will be exhausted from running about."
"Those twenty thousand-plus shi of grain won't last long under highly tense consumption."
"Internal discord already plagues Zhenbei City. He Minghu and Tie Lanshan only pretend to be on good terms. As long as the external pressure is great enough, chaos will inevitably erupt from within."
"Once their spirits are broken and their morale is completely lost, we will look for an opening. Then, alongside the Royal Court's grand army, we will deal a fatal blow."
Huyan Ba stared at the water stains on the desk, his rough, large hand stroking the stubble on his chin as he fell into deep thought.
After a long while, Huyan Ba slapped his thigh and burst into roaring laughter.
"Excellent! We will do exactly as you say, sir!" Huyan Ba stood up, grabbed his felt hat, and slapped it onto his head. "I'm going to make the arrangements right now."
"Pick out the fastest horses and divide them into small squads. Have them roam outside Zhenbei City every single day! I want to see just how long that old fool Tie Lanshan can hold out!"
...
At the same time, in the West City District.
Xu Zhan strode briskly into the main hall, clutching a secret letter bearing a wax seal in his hand.
"Little sister! This was sent by express delivery from the capital. It's a letter written in Father's own hand."
