Chu Qing and Wei Tai turned to him in unison. Seeing the sincerity on Nan Wen’s face, neither of them knew what to say.
“You really think that?” Wei Tai endured it for a moment before finally asking.
Nan Wen nodded emphatically. “Of course. I never tell lies. Just look at yesterday—His Lordship returned the corpses to the Ji army for five hundred copper coins each. That was incredibly cheap. I saw quite a few Ji soldiers crying tears of gratitude.”
Wei Tai said, “Are you sure they weren’t crying from rage?”
His Lordship clearly didn’t want to deal with the corpses and managed to sell them for a good price in the process. How could Nan Wen possibly call that “winning people over through virtue”?
Nan Wen was stunned. “How could a real man cry from anger?”
Wei Tai was rendered speechless.
He realized that Nan Wen had changed.
Juanzhou, Liang City.
Before the city gates had even opened, several riders came galloping over.
Before the soldiers on guard could call out, the cavalryman raised the token at his waist high in the air. “I’m a soldier from Kang County. I have urgent military intelligence to report to the general!”
When Jiao Tai received the news, he was both incredulous and deeply shocked. “What did you say? The Jinyang army has taken Wenxia City?”
The cavalryman wiped the sweat from his forehead. “That was word sent by Ji Yuzhu of Shangjing Commandery in Chongzhou. He said the Jinyang army has already taken Wenxia City!”
Because the matter was so serious, he had no choice but to ride day and night to deliver the report.
Jiao Tai’s expression changed. “What about the Great Chanyu of the Ji?”
The cavalryman looked uneasy. “The Ji army didn’t say.”
The fact that Wenxia City had been so easily taken by the Jinyang army was embarrassing enough. As for the Great Chanyu and the court officials being captured alive, Ji Yuzhu naturally wasn’t about to reveal that.
His purpose in informing the Jiao clan was simple: he hoped the Jiao army would heighten its defenses against the Jinyang army and, if necessary, cooperate with the Ji army to deal with them.
Jiao Tai was stunned. After a moment, he understood. “Then it seems the Great Chanyu of the Ji may have been killed—or perhaps captured.”
Mu Qi’s brow furrowed so deeply it looked as though it could trap flies. “Is the Ji army simply too weak, or is the Jinyang army too strong? Wenxia City is the Ji army’s central stronghold. How could it have fallen just like that?”
Shou Mo was equally perplexed. “Where did the Jinyang army come through? Normally, an army large enough to take Wenxia City couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed by the Ji army while traveling such a long distance from Chunnan Commandery.”
Mu Qi’s eyes narrowed. After a moment, he cried out, “Could they have come from beyond the pass?”
Jiao Tai drew a sharp breath. “You mean the Jinyang army crossed over from beyond the pass? Then they would have had to pass through the Jiao tribes.”
Mu Qi nodded. “Exactly. If that’s what happened, the Jinyang army must have passed through several of our tribes, including Mengyi and Zhuozhen. Why don’t we ask whether they noticed anything unusual?”
Jiao Tai nodded, then looked at the cavalryman. “Did the Ji army say anything else?”
The cavalryman shook his head. “No. They only said that the Jinyang army is powerful and urged us to be extremely cautious.”
Jiao Tai frowned. After a moment, he waved his hand.
The cavalryman bowed and withdrew.
Jiao Tai swept his gaze over everyone. “What do you all think?”
Mu Qi sighed. “We all underestimated the Jinyang army. They’re much stronger than we imagined—and far more ambitious.”
“Once they take Chongzhou, their next target will certainly be Juanzhou. So I suggest that we cooperate with the Ji army and take Fengzhou together.”
Jiao Tai pondered this. “Even if we cooperate with the Ji army now, taking Fengzhou would be difficult.”
He shook his head. “The Jinyang army has already spread its wings.”
Shou Mo thought for a moment. “The Jinyang army is currently engaged in battle at Wenxia City. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity for us?”
Jiao Tai frowned slightly. “Have any of you seen the Jinyang army mobilize troops on a large scale?”
Shou Mo shook his head. “No.”
Jiao Tai said helplessly, “That shows that the force sent to Wenxia City probably isn’t very large. The Jinyang army’s repeating crossbows are extraordinarily powerful. Once they take Wenxia City, holding it won’t be difficult.”
“What’s more, the Jinyang army has captured Wenxia City, and no one knows what has happened to the Great Chanyu of the Ji. How could the Ji army possibly have the energy to cooperate with us in attacking Fengzhou?”
The Jiao army was likewise unable to spare many troops at the moment.
For one thing, Han Chinese forces in various areas were tying them down.
For another, the autumn harvest was about to begin, and they needed to devote more manpower and troops to securing the crops.
Thinking of the harvest, Jiao Tai couldn’t help worrying again. It had been raining constantly in Haijia Prefecture recently, and even the battle to attack Ying Commandery in Sizhou had come to a halt.
This was the critical period of the autumn harvest. If the rain didn’t stop, the consequences would be severe.
Even if they managed to bring the crops in, they wouldn’t be able to dry them. They would inevitably sprout and rot.
Mu Qi sighed helplessly, his voice full of concern. “Qu Zhao used to say that the Jinyang army was powerful, but we didn’t believe him. Now the Jinyang army has proven its strength. They really are formidable, and they’ll surely become our greatest opponent in the future.”
Jiao Tai frowned. “Our greatest opponent? Our greatest opponent is the First Prince of Sizhou. Not to mention anything else, the influential clans alone are a huge problem.”
Sizhou’s soldiers were useless, but Sizhou had people, grain, and money—resources that Princess Jinyang, who had only begun her rise two years ago, could not compare with.
Wasn’t war ultimately a contest of manpower, money, and provisions?
Mu Qi shook his head. “That may not be true. Princess Jinyang took all of Fengzhou in just over two years, and now she’s setting her sights on Chongzhou. Clearly, she has confidence to spare.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Princess Jinyang is not someone who can be judged by ordinary standards. If the Ji army has any plans targeting the Jinyang army, I think we should cooperate with them to some extent.”
Jiao Tai’s brows drew together. After a moment, he nodded.
The current Jinyang army was indeed placing enormous pressure on him.
Unlike those worrying about the Jinyang army, Xie Nanxiao of Feng’an County was in high spirits.
The people from Sizhou had finally arrived, which meant he could make money again today.
“You—you don’t have your mole anymore?” Bai Wei pointed at Xie Nanxiao’s face, his eyes filled with resentment.
He was Ji Wangfei’s deputy, left behind in Feng’an County to handle the “debt” and manage the people stationed there.
So, as soon as the money from Sizhou arrived, he immediately came to find the Garlic-Head Hero and redeem the three ships.
Xie Nanxiao touched his face. He didn’t have the habit of eating watermelon first thing in the morning, and besides, it was only a mole—not a big deal.
He waved his hand. “Don’t worry about the details.”
Bai Wei fell silent.
Was this really a matter of details?
This was outright deception!
Ignoring his consternation, Xie Nanxiao handed over the bill. “See if the amount is correct.”
Bai Wei took the bill. A moment later, he exclaimed, “Wasn’t it a little over thirty-four thousand taels? How did it become forty thousand?”
Xie Nanxiao looked at him as though he were hopelessly ignorant. “You really don’t understand, do you? You left three ships in my care. Don’t you have to pay a management fee?”
“Besides, our service has been excellent. We even cleaned and repaired your ships.”
Bai Wei gritted his teeth. “It’s only been half a month. No matter how you calculate it, it couldn’t possibly be five or six thousand taels of silver!”
Five or six thousand taels—not five or six taels. This price was truly outrageous.
Xie Nanxiao didn’t seem to care. “Listen to you. This is simply our rate. If you really don’t want to pay, then forget it. The ships are quite good, and we happen to be short of vessels anyway.”
