Seeing the smile at Jiang Jin’s lips, Zhou Sui asked curiously, “My lord, what has you in such a good mood?”
He had returned to Gefeng a few days ago and had already made proper arrangements for all the garrison defenses and new-recruit training in Donghu Commandery.
It was time to follow his lord into battle and expand their territory.
Jiang Jin handed the note to Zhou Sui. “People from Sizhou have arrived. Take a look.”
Yun Ci froze, worry appearing on his face. “What does the First Prince mean by this? What is he trying to do?”
Jiang Jin was clearly in an excellent mood. “Who cares what he wants to do? The important thing is what I want to do.”
Yun Ci’s heart jolted. “What does our lord want to do?”
Jiang Jin curved her lips into a smile. “General Hua brought five thousand troops—and they’re all elite soldiers.”
Yun Ci accidentally pulled off several of his whiskers. “Is this a show of force?”
“Probably,” Jiang Jin said indifferently. “But these men have arrived at just the right time. We can attack Ze’a Commandery and Liuxiang Commandery at the same time.”
She had been worried about not having enough men, and now the First Prince had delivered them straight to her door. How thoughtful of him. He truly was her good elder brother.
It was a pity there were only five thousand. A little fewer than she would have liked, but with her own forces added in, it would not be a problem.
“Ah?” Yun Ci stared at Jiang Jin in disbelief. “My lord, is this really all right?”
Although he had followed Jiang Jin for nearly two years, he still often found himself unable to keep up with her way of thinking.
No, this was simply too bold!
Zhou Sui chuckled. “I think it will work. The First Prince said he wanted to discuss cooperation, didn’t he? This is the most sincere expression of cooperation there is.”
Xia Chanyi: “…”
For some reason, she also found herself unable to keep up with their way of thinking.
Jiang Jin turned to Mu Ning. “Send word to Xie Nanxiao. Have him guide General Hua and bring them to Feng’an County in Ze’a Commandery to land.”
When Xie Nanxiao received the message, he froze for a moment. Then he was overcome with delight.
“Brilliant! Simply brilliant!”
He eagerly set off with the fleet. A day later, they “happened” to encounter Hua Yuanyi’s forces.
“General Hua, I have long admired you.”
When Hua Yuanyi saw the large “Jinyang” military banner on the ship opposite them, he immediately understood the other party’s identity.
A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He had not expected the Jinyang Army to possess a navy as well.
But considering that they could already transport goods by ship, having a navy was only natural.
“May I ask who you are?” he said, cupping his hands.
Xie Nanxiao smiled. “I am Xie Nanxiao, serving under the Jinyang Army.”
He glanced at the long line of ships behind Hua Yuanyi, his brows lifting with a smile. “My lord knows your purpose and is currently waiting in Gefeng with open arms.”
Mo Song raised his brows slightly. “Princess Jinyang knows that we are heading to Fengzhou?”
“Of course,” Xie Nanxiao replied with a nod. “That is why she sent me to guide you. Just follow my ship from here.”
The corner of Hua Yuanyi’s mouth twitched. “Why not come aboard and have a chat?”
Xie Nanxiao sighed. “You should know that the Jinyang Army is poor—very poor. The sailors we recruited for the navy are all rather mediocre, so I need to keep an eye on them here.”
Hua Yuanyi curved his lips and did not press the matter further.
As he watched the ship leading the way ahead of them, Mo Song’s eyes flickered. “The Jinyang Army actually has a navy?”
Hua Yuanyi shook his head. “I had no idea either.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Jin had already made her move. She led three thousand soldiers toward Qinghuai County.
Upon receiving the news, the county commandant of Qinghuai County began pacing anxiously and hurriedly sent a messenger to Zhou County for reinforcements.
Qu Zhao’s messenger rushed out of the city, mounted his horse, and galloped toward Zhou County.
Before long, the Jinyang Army had surrounded Qinghuai County.
Unfortunately, Qu Zhao’s messenger encountered a Jinyang patrol along the way. There were only a dozen or so men, likely scouts who had been sent to investigate.
The messenger was startled. He quickly reined in his horse and was about to retreat.
However, when the other side saw him, they appeared to freeze as well. Then they hurriedly withdrew, vanishing from his sight in the blink of an eye.
The messenger was left utterly bewildered. He had no idea what had just happened.
But the situation was urgent. Only after confirming that the Jinyang soldiers had truly left did he continue galloping toward Zhou County.
In the dense woods on a hillside, Ma Lin watched Qu Zhao’s messenger continue racing toward Zhou County and patted his chest.
“That scared the life out of me. I nearly ruined our lord’s plans.”
He was one of the villagers infected with the plague in Sizhou and had been among the first group Chen Xi arranged to send to Heshui Village.
He had ultimately been unable to suppress the restlessness in his heart and had joined the army. He was now a squad leader.
The deputy squad leader was still shaken as well. “I nearly had a heart attack too. What would we have done if Qu Zhao’s messenger had decided not to go for help?”
They had been stationed nearby as scouts. One of the orders they had received was that anyone Qu Zhao sent to seek reinforcements had to be allowed through.
Ma Lin began reflecting on his mistake. “This road is the only route between Qinghuai County and Zhou County. We should have been more careful.”
Zhou County had also received word that Qinghuai County was under attack.
“Has the Jinyang Army made its move?” Kong Yong asked urgently.
The scout hurriedly replied, “They haven’t attacked the city yet, but they’ve already surrounded Qinghuai County.”
Kong Yong gritted his teeth. “Quick, send word to the Grand Chanyu.”
The scout tried to reassure him. “General, don’t panic. There aren’t many Jinyang troops surrounding Qinghuai County—only two or three thousand.”
Kong Yong could not help glaring at him. “Then what are the rest of the Jinyang troops doing?”
The scout was baffled. “Doing… what?”
Looking at his foolish expression, Kong Yong nearly struck him. “What else would the rest of the Jinyang Army be doing? They’re preparing for us, you idiot.”
Just then, a soldier entered to report, “General, Qinghuai County is requesting aid.”
Kong Yong shouted, “Quick, let him in!”
A short while later, Qu Zhao’s messenger staggered in, panting for breath. The moment he saw Kong Yong, he fell to his knees.
“General! General, please save Qinghuai County!”
Kong Yong was about to speak when he suddenly remembered something and frowned slightly. “How did you get out?”
The messenger blinked twice, failing to understand the question. “I… I just rode out.”
Kong Yong ground his teeth. “You didn’t encounter any Jinyang scouts?”
The messenger thought for a moment, then sucked in a breath. “Actually, I did encounter a patrol of Jinyang scouts. When they saw me, they turned and ran. They even looked rather frightened.”
At the time, he had thought he was sure to lose his life. He had never expected the other side to ignore him completely.
Kong Yong’s face flushed with rage. “This is outrageous! They’re deliberately treating me as if I don’t exist. How infuriating!”
The messenger was confused. “What… what does that mean?”
Kong Yong snorted coldly. “The Jinyang Army deliberately let you through so you could come here and ask us for reinforcements.”
And yet he truly did not dare to go and provide aid.
Deng Feng, the county commandant, also felt deeply aggrieved. “General, now that the Jinyang Army has made its move, our Zhou County may well be their next target. We still need to make preparations.”
Sangjie, the county magistrate, remained relatively calm. “We’ve laid a great many traps and defensive fortifications outside the city. They can forget about taking Zhou County anytime soon.”
Kong Yong was helpless. “Didn’t Dancheng have just as many defensive fortifications? It didn’t even last a day.”
He closed his eyes. “The Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows are our nightmare.”
Jiang Jin sat astride her horse and gazed at Qinghuai County in the distance. Disappointment filled her voice.
“No reinforcements are coming. Make your move.”
The ships from Sizhou had followed Xie Nanxiao for two days. At last, Mo Song could not hold back any longer.
“Where exactly are we planning to land?”
