The scene fell into an eerie silence, everyone momentarily at a loss for how to handle the Grand Chanyu’s wrath.
They were just as stunned.
After a long pause, Meng Su finally spoke, “The most likely scenario is that they’re using sea routes.”
He seemed to have recalled something and added, “It now seems that the force that attacked our docks was probably the Jinyang Army.”
Tie Yu frowned in confusion. “If they’re coming by water, where did they board the ships, and where did they land?”
Meng Su sighed deeply. “Ze’a Commandery, Daqing Commandery, and the Jinyang Army—they’re likely cooperating.”
Tie Yu inhaled sharply. “Are you saying the Jinyang Army landed through Daqing Commandery?”
Meng Su nodded. “Exactly. They circled around Daqing Commandery directly to Lin County, which is why we never detected them.”
Tie Yu patted his head, piecing together a plausible explanation. “So the last time they raided our Xianglu County docks, it was probably Ze’a Commandery providing the ships and the Jinyang Army supplying the troops? They worked together?”
Meng Su nodded again. “That possibility can’t be ruled out.”
Tie Yu furrowed his brow. “Lin County is an isolated stronghold. If the Jinyang Army went to all this trouble to capture it, how do they plan to hold it?”
“Even if it’s winter now and we can’t launch an attack, what about next year?” He couldn’t understand why the Jinyang Army would take Lin County.
Meng Su’s expression grew grave. “That’s why I suspect the Jinyang Army and Daqing Commandery have already struck some sort of deal. There’s probably more to come.”
Lin County was indeed an isolated fortress for the Jinyang Army.
But if Lin County and Daqing Commandery joined forces, they could effectively encircle Wuqin.
The Grand Chanyu’s face darkened. “You suspect they’re planning to team up against us next year?”
Meng Su nodded. “Exactly. Even if Lin County doesn’t take the initiative, we must station more troops around it, just in case.”
Lin County was like a stubborn nail—if it wasn’t in their hands, even if it stayed still, it could tie down a significant number of Quzhao’s forces.
Tie Yu disagreed. “Daqing Commandery has the Jiaojun holding them back. How could they cooperate with the Jinyang Army against us?”
Meng Su sneered coldly. “What if Daqing Commandery cedes the southern counties to Jiaojun, keeping only the northern cities, then turns to confront us? Do you think Jiaojun would still be holding them back?”
Jiaojun’s focus was now on Sizhou—they probably wished Quzhao and the Han to fight each other to the death.
The Grand Chanyu’s decision to temporarily set the capital in Wuqin showed that Quzhao was unwilling to be confined to the northern reaches of Fengzhou.
They all knew this well. How could Jiaojun not be aware?
If Fengzhou were cleared of Quzhao forces, Quzhao’s next move might be to contest Juanzhou with Jiaojun.
Jiaojun had likely been preparing for this.
Seeing Quzhao and Daqing Commandery locked in a standoff, Jiaojun—the fisherman in this metaphorical struggle—would be more than pleased, hardly likely to fight to the death with Daqing Commandery.
The Grand Chanyu felt a splitting headache. His voice slipped out through clenched teeth: “The Jinyang Army!”
If it weren’t for the Jinyang Army, he would have already taken Ze’a Commandery, and Lin County would be in his grasp. How could things have become so passive?
Tie Yu thought for a moment and suggested, “Grand Chanyu, the Jinyang Army doesn’t have many troops. Now that they’ve dispatched several thousand elite soldiers to Lin County, Ge Feng and the three counties must be left vulnerable. This is the perfect opportunity to reclaim those three counties.”
The Grand Chanyu rubbed his temples. “If the Jinyang Army dares to come, they must have made thorough preparations. Besides, consider the current weather…”
It wasn’t that he underestimated others, but after more than a year of the Jinyang Army’s cautious advances, he had come to understand deeply:
The Jinyang Army never fights without preparation!
Meng Su sighed. “Exactly. This really isn’t the right time to strike.”
“However,” he shifted his tone, “when spring comes next year, we can first take Ze’a Commandery and quickly seize the docks. Without control of the waterways, Lin County will remain an isolated city.”
“Relying on just a few thousand troops—even if she has allied with Daqing—trying to stop our Qu Zhao army is a fool’s dream.”
Though he spoke confidently, a faint worry lingered in his heart. He felt as if the situation was slipping beyond control.
Tie Yu sighed. “I’m just afraid they’ll recruit refugees again. When their numbers swell…”
Meng Su shook his head. “There aren’t many Han civilians left in Fengzhou. Lin County can’t possibly recruit tens of thousands of refugees anymore.”
He looked toward the Grand Chanyu. “This winter, let’s send out more patrols. If any Han civilians try to defect to Lin County, we’ll intercept them all.”
The Grand Chanyu felt a deep frustration but nodded with a dark expression.
The strategist He Xin said, “Lin County is an empty city. At the very least, they have to transport food into the city. Now that we know the Jinyang Army is cooperating with Daqing, couldn’t we set an ambush along their only route?”
Tie Yu shook his head. “There are corpses everywhere outside the city. They’d probably just preserve them to eat later.”
Everyone looked at him strangely.
Tie Yu was puzzled. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Meng Su shook his head. “I’ve never heard of the Jinyang Army resorting to cannibalism.”
Tie Yu sneered coldly. “That’s only because they haven’t been driven to the brink yet. If it ever came down to starving to death, I don’t believe they wouldn’t eat human flesh.”
As the discussion continued, a messenger arrived. Qu Shilang had returned.
Qu Shilang entered the war council room and knelt deeply before the Grand Chanyu. “Your servant has failed to capture Lin County. Please punish me, Grand Chanyu.”
The Grand Chanyu lowered his gaze, his eyes dark. After a long moment, he stood and helped Qu Shilang to his feet. “It’s not your fault. The Jinyang Army is simply too cunning.”
Qu Shilang was moved to tears. “I have let down your kindness and expectations.”
The Grand Chanyu shook his head. “Tell us about the Jinyang Army’s situation.”
In fact, they had clashed with the Jinyang Army multiple times already. Even Qu Bai had fallen at their hands. Yet, they still knew little about them.
Because those who had fought the Jinyang Army face-to-face were basically dead.
Qu Shilang sighed. “The Jinyang Army is strong and robust, but more importantly, they are well-equipped. Their repeating crossbows are especially deadly, with a range of up to one hundred and fifty zhang and incredible accuracy.”
This was something Qu Bai had mentioned before, but hearing it again still sent a chill down their spines.
Qu Shilang continued, “Moreover, their repeating crossbows pack tremendous power and can pierce through our wooden shields.”
“And the Jinyang Army uses iron shields. Their blades are better than ours too. In a clash, if the force is strong enough, our swords will most likely break.”
Everyone fell silent. If things were truly as Qu Shilang described, next year would be anything but easy.
While Wu Qin was busy with various discussions and speculations, Qiu Liao in Lin County was running around like a man possessed.
The situation here was a thousand times more desperate than in Shanguan County or Chunrong County.
Although Jiang Jin had assigned him some constables and clerks, it was nowhere near enough at this moment.
But Luo Lan was truly a force to be reckoned with. Except for those innocent common folk who didn’t harm anyone, the city had been thoroughly cleared out.
Not that the streets were clean, but the people.
Don’t be fooled by Lin County being an isolated city—in Luo Lan’s time, there were still taverns, brothels, and other places of entertainment.
What kind of flesh was sold inside, what meals were served, what business was conducted—it went without saying.
For this defense, Luo Lan dragged all those people onto the battlefield. Those who refused to fight were executed, wiped out completely and cleanly.
Now, with Qiu Liao handling things, the work was much easier.
