Du Qing frowned. “General, I suggest we simply wipe out Quzhao.”
Zhan E shook his head. “Quzhao has forty thousand troops. If we attack the city, even with our seventy to eighty thousand soldiers, it will be difficult. We’d be better off considering how to retake Daqing first.”
Mu Qi sighed. “If it’s the Jinyang Army defending Daqing, taking it back will be even harder than attacking Quzhao. Don’t forget—the Jinyang Army’s crossbows not only have a long range, but can also fire in rapid succession.”
Jiao Tai frowned, as though he had remembered something. “Has there been any movement in Shangjing Commandery recently?”
Mu Qi nodded. “There has. It seems that Jinyang troops have entered Shangjing Commandery, but strangely, there are no signs of fighting between the two sides.”
Whether in Chongzhou or Fengzhou, the Jiao Army found it extremely difficult to place spies. As a result, their information was always behind the times, and they could generally only observe the enemy’s movements from the border.
Jiao Tai felt as though his head were splitting apart. “There must have been some major change in Chongzhou. We simply don’t know what it is.”
Mu Qi’s heart jolted as a possibility occurred to him. “Could the Ji Army have handed Shangjing Commandery over to Princess Jinyang?”
Everyone stared at him in astonishment. “What?”
Mu Qi carefully analyzed the situation. “The Jinyang Army has occupied Wenxia City, yet at the time, the Ji Army never mentioned Wenxia City’s exact circumstances. That suggests things there were not good.”
“I suspect the Great Chanyu of the Ji was captured, along with the civil and military officials in the city. Trading them for an entire commandery would be reasonable.”
Zhan E exclaimed, “How could that be? He’s the Great Chanyu of the Ji!”
Mu Qi sighed. “Why not? Wenxia City has already been conquered. Anything could have happened inside.”
They had suspected from the beginning that the Great Chanyu of the Ji had either been killed or captured. Now, it seemed far more likely that he was still alive.
Mu Qi looked at Jiao Tai. “General, if that is the case, it will be extremely unfavorable for us. Should we ask the Grand Chanyu to send reinforcements to Qiuning?”
When Shangjing Commandery had belonged to the Ji Army, they had not needed to station many troops along the border. After all, their relationship with the Ji Army had been fairly harmonious.
But if Shangjing Commandery now belonged to the Jinyang Army, the situation was entirely different.
There was also Daqing. If Lu You had truly submitted to Princess Jinyang, they would have to strengthen the troops along Daqing’s border as well. The combat strength of the Daqing Army was on a completely different level from that of the Jinyang Army.
They could not afford to neglect Quzhao in the west either. Ideally, they would capture it; otherwise, Qiuning Commandery would be surrounded by enemies on three sides.
Jiao Tai rubbed his throbbing temples. “What do you all think?”
Du Qing still found it difficult to accept. “Are we really going to hand Daqing over just like that?”
Zhan E nodded. “Exactly. The Jinyang Army is in Chongzhou now, isn’t it? Their forces should be stretched thin. This is the perfect opportunity to retake Daqing.”
Mu Qi frowned. “If their forces were stretched thin, they would never have attacked the four counties of Daqing. Clearly, they have plenty of troops.”
Zhan E opened his mouth, wanting to ask where the Jinyang Army could possibly have gotten so many soldiers. Then he thought it through and understood.
The whole of Fengzhou now belonged to Princess Jinyang. There was no need to station many troops inside Fengzhou itself, so the army’s strength could be concentrated in Chun’nan Commandery and the newly acquired Daqing Commandery.
Du Qing’s eyes turned vicious. “Could we negotiate with Quzhao and ask them to return to the grasslands?”
Mu Qi shook his head. “If they were willing to go back, they would have returned when the Jinyang Army drove them out of Fengzhou.”
In truth, it was understandable. Nearly three hundred thousand young and able-bodied soldiers had fought until only forty thousand battered survivors remained. How could the Grand Chanyu of Quzhao face the elders of his homeland after such a defeat?
Besides, Quzhao had now occupied Anwu County. Its food shortage was only temporary. Once this year passed, they could grow their own grain the following year.
Jiao Tai massaged his temples. “Report the situation here to the Grand Chanyu and request reinforcements.”
Whether they intended to seize Anwu County or Daqing, his current forces were insufficient.
Hexian County.
Xia Chanyi watched the common people laughing and crying at once. Many of them had even fallen to their knees, bowing toward Wenxia City. Her heart filled with both happiness and sorrow.
She had just arrived at this village and informed the people that Punan Commandery had returned to its rightful rule, and that they were now subjects of the princess.
These people, who had been reduced to skin and bones and had suffered unspeakable hardships, were all overwhelmed with excitement.
“We’ve really returned?”
“Five jin of grain for a day’s work? And will we be paid for yesterday’s work too?”
Xia Chanyi gave them an affirmative answer, and they became as they were now.
A Ji soldier’s face darkened. “Since you’re taking our wages, then work properly.”
Xia Chanyi glanced at him. “Now that they are our people, they will follow our rules. They only need to work four shichen a day. As long as they complete the required hours, that’s enough.”
The Ji soldier was so furious he nearly fainted. “What can you accomplish in four shichen? Don’t push it!”
Xia Chanyi snorted coldly. “Push it? How is this pushing it? These are our rules. Work if you want to, and don’t if you don’t.”
The Ji soldier was enraged to the point of trembling. “You—you’re bullying us!”
Xia Chanyi secretly rolled her eyes. “So what if I am? If you’re not satisfied, fight me!”
The Ji soldier fell silent. “…”
On the official road in Yunmeng County, Shuangjiang had just come from the nearby fields. She swung herself onto her horse and was about to leave when her gaze suddenly shifted toward a distant hillside, and her eyes narrowed.
Mu Chichi became alert. “What is it?”
Shuangjiang frowned and shouted sternly, “Come out.”
The forest was silent. A moment later, the trees swayed, and a woman led a group of people out. It was An Yun.
Ever since she discovered that the Ji Army was making a major move and that all its forces were heading toward Wenxia City, she had been unable to suppress her restlessness. She had brought her people toward Wenxia City as well.
She had not expected to encounter this group of Han soldiers so soon after entering Yunmeng County—and they were female soldiers at that.
She had seen them in the fields, apparently talking to the common people about something. The people had all become extremely agitated.
Even more astonishingly, Ji soldiers were standing nearby, yet the two sides were coexisting peacefully.
No—that was not quite right. The Ji soldiers were being exceptionally respectful toward the Han woman in the lead, as though they were very afraid of her.
Seeing that they were Han, Shuangjiang’s attitude softened considerably. “Who are you?”
An Yun remained silent for a moment before deciding to answer honestly. “We used to be… bandits.”
Shuangjiang was not surprised. She had already more or less recognized it when they emerged. There was still a difference between bandits and ordinary farmers.
An Yun looked up at Shuangjiang. “What is the situation in Punan Commandery now? Why can you—you people speak and laugh with the Ji soldiers?”
Shuangjiang: “…”
Which eye had An Yun used to see them speaking and laughing?
She truly felt wronged.
The soldier’s attitude just now had indeed been decent, and he had cooperated fully with the terms they had agreed upon. But that was all it was—cooperation. He had not smiled at her.
What An Yun did not know was that the Ji soldier in the fields had happened to witness Shuangjiang fighting that day. The sight of her cutting down one opponent after another had been burned permanently into his memory. How could he possibly dare to be disrespectful?
To An Yun, watching from a distance, this was naturally indistinguishable from the two sides getting along wonderfully.
Shuangjiang knew nothing of An Yun’s thoughts. She simply said, “Punan Commandery now belongs to my lord. We are currently completing the handover with the Ji Army.”
An Yun hurriedly asked, “Who is your lord?”
Shuangjiang’s face was filled with pride. “My lord is Princess Jinyang, the sixth daughter of Emperor Yan.”
An Yun was startled, then overjoyed. “Our Chongzhou has been retaken by the princess?”
As a woman herself, she did not find it particularly astonishing for another woman to establish great accomplishments.
Shuangjiang shook her head. “Only Punan Commandery and Shangjing Commandery have been retaken.”
She looked at An Yun and the people behind her. “Are you planning to continue being bandits?”
An Yun hurriedly shook her head. “We only did it occasionally. It wasn’t something we did often.”
“Do you… do you accept female recruits?” she couldn’t help asking.
