Meng Su took the note, and after a moment he exclaimed, "This style and fighting ability are very much like the Jinyang Army."
The Grand Chanyu did not respond to his words but instead looked at a man around fifty years old and asked, "Have our three grain ships not arrived yet?"
This man was also one of the Grand Chanyu’s strategists, named Tie Yu, mainly responsible for logistics coordination.
Tie Yu shook his head. "Not yet. By all accounts, they should have arrived two days ago."
His men had been waiting at the newly built dock day after day, but still nothing had come. He had even wondered if something had gone wrong with the ships—after all, those vessels had just been repaired, and it was the first time their Quzhao crew had sailed on the open sea. An accident would not have been surprising.
The Grand Chanyu felt his head buzzing. "Those three ships—they might have been seized!"
Tie Yu was stunned. "Seized?"
Meng Su frowned. "Does the Grand Chanyu suspect the people who raided the dock last night took our grain ships?"
The Grand Chanyu nodded. "Exactly."
The grain ships had yet to arrive, and combined with the rescue of the prisoners, the whole affair reeked of conspiracy. He let out a heavy sigh. "This group likely seized the grain ships first, and then, spurred on by the Han Chinese prisoners from those ships, launched the night raid on the dock."
Meng Su asked, "Does the Grand Chanyu have any suspects?"
The Grand Chanyu shook his head. "Hard to say. The style of doing things does resemble the Jinyang Army, but they have no ships, no dock, and the three counties they hold are not on the coast. Logically, they wouldn’t have the means."
"As for Ze’a Commandery..." He paused thoughtfully. "They have the conditions, and the ships that night were cargo vessels. But this clean and decisive style of fighting..."
Meng Su frowned. "If they sent only their elite, they might still manage such a clean operation."
Do not underestimate the aristocratic families of Ze’a Commandery. The private troops they raised were not weak, especially their elite—comparable to, if not better than, those of the former Yan State. After all, the Yan State military often suffered from insufficient supplies and unpaid wages. The aristocratic families, by contrast, were filthy rich—not only could they pay their troops and feed them well, but they also frequently lavished generous rewards on their finest elite soldiers.
This was one reason Yun Ci had refrained from making a move when the Ze’a Commandery families left with their people and supplies back then.
But after more than a year of attrition, it was unclear how much elite strength Ze’a Commandery still had. Judging from the subsequent battles, there probably wasn’t much left.
"Still," Meng Su said, puzzled, "what is Ze’a Commandery’s goal? Provoking us brings them no benefit."
The Grand Chanyu also felt a headache coming on. For some reason, everything had gone badly over the past half year or more. It felt even more difficult than when the Yan State was still around, even though he had already occupied more than eighty percent of Fengzhou’s territory.
Meng Su mused, "Should we send someone to Ze’a Commandery to demand an explanation?"
The Grand Chanyu shook his head. "What good would that do? They will certainly deny it."
"How long can our grain supplies last?" he asked again.
Ever since Shanguan County was taken by the Jinyang Army, he had no intention of using land transport again. The Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows were simply too formidable—even if he sent more troops, he couldn’t rest easy.
Tie Yu quickly replied, "If we ration carefully, we can last until early next spring without issue."
The grain yields from Chunnan and Ningding commanderies were not high, and the drought had dealt them a heavy blow—the harvest was so low it was despair-inducing. If they only ate half rations, they could hold out for a few months, especially since winter meant no training or combat.
"However," Tie Yu added, "we are running low on salt."
Meng Su thought it over and said, "There are still a few military ships in Xianglu County. Have them repaired as soon as possible to transport salt."
The Grand Chanyu nodded. "Agreed."
He looked at the map and, after a long silence, finally spoke again. "Next spring, we will first attack Ze’a Commandery. It must be taken within a month!"
Meng Su’s eyes flickered. "You want their cargo ships, my lord?"
The Grand Chanyu nodded. "Exactly. The Jinyang Army is a tough nut to crack, so let’s seize Ze’a Commandery first. Use their cargo ships to transport grain, then slowly wear down the Jinyang Army."
Once Ze’a Commandery was taken, the only Han Chinese force left in Fengzhou would be the Jinyang Army. Then the Quzhao army could concentrate all its efforts on destroying the Jinyang Army.
After wiping out the Jinyang Army, the Quzhao forces could push south to take Daqing Commandery.
Wuqin was not far from Daqing Commandery. He had never attacked Daqing before because the commandery was tied up pinning down some of the Jiaolong tribes’ southern forces, buying him time to conquer all of Fengzhou.
The Jiaolong tribe occupied far too much territory!
Naturally, he intended to claim a share for himself.
Recalling something, he frowned and asked, "How is Lin County? It must be taken before winter arrives."
Meng Su sighed with emotion. "That Luo Lan is truly formidable. He defends the city with a determination to die. There’s no way for us to take it in a short time."
Tie Yu nodded. "He’s probably trying to hold out until winter. Once winter comes, they can endure for another season."
The Grand Chanyu frowned slightly, lowering his head in thought.
Lin County was too close to Wuqin, and it occupied a strategically important position. He had been careless back then, allowing Luo Lan to take it, and over the past year or more, it had cost them considerable troops.
Speaking of which, he still didn’t know who had killed Magistrate Gao and freed Luo Lan back then. Utterly infuriating!
If not for that, the situation would never have come to this.
After a moment, the Grand Chanyu ordered, "Have Qu Shilang step up the pace. Lin County must be taken before winter sets in, or we’ll be in a very passive position next year."
He placed his hand on the map over Fengzhou, his fingers curling slightly. By this time next year, all this land would be his!
Little did Ze’a Commandery know that it had been designated as the Quzhao’s first target of the coming year. Over these past few days, Sheng Chi felt like his hair was about to fall out—not just his hair, he had also sprouted several white strands.
A few days ago, Princess Jinyang had gone out to sea and never returned.
Xia Chanyi, who remained behind in Ze’a Commandery, pressed him several times a day, demanding her lord’s return.
What was he supposed to return?! It was clear she had gone to sea of her own accord—how could she blame him for whatever happened?
Besides, it wasn’t even certain that anything had happened. It was more likely that the Jinyang Army was brewing some scheme.
He even suspected the Jinyang Army was trying to provoke a war with Ze’a Commandery by staging this little act.
But judging by the fact that the Jinyang Army, though clamoring fiercely, hadn’t made a move, it seemed they didn’t truly want to fight.
That made sense. Starting an internal conflict now would benefit no one. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t choose to go to war at this time.
Over these few days, they had also sent ships to search the surrounding area, but not a single piece of wreckage—not even a wooden plank—had been found.
Sheng Chi half-reclined on his couch. A maidservant rubbed his temples from behind, while another gently massaged his legs.
In the incense burner, wisps of green smoke rose, spreading a faint, meditative fragrance.
He was just beginning to feel a bit of relief from his pounding headache and was on the verge of drowsiness when he heard a servant announce the arrival of a visitor.
"Head of the household, Captain Sheng requests an audience."
Sheng Chi kept his eyes closed and said quietly, "Let him in."
