Chapter 1191: Blitzkrieg (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

This is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!

Li Wan felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this: "With the military strength of Zhen Kingdom, why would they need so many troops? They can't even recruit a few soldiers right now. We can take them down within a month with just over ten thousand troops..."

Do you know how much military supplies 30,000 soldiers need every day?

Li Wan dared not imagine the logistical pressure Kangguo was under at this moment. Supplying 30,000 troops could severely damage a country, let alone the fact that Kangguo had been at war for the past two years. In her view, every penny saved was precious, as supporting a family was not easy.

Qian Yong, munching on dried meat, asked, "What? Within a month?"

Li Wandao: "An optimistic estimate."

Qian Yong chewed and swallowed in a few bites, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"If we send ten thousand men to fight against Zhenguo for a month or two, I'm afraid the Censorate will accuse us of embezzling military funds. Rather than delaying and giving them time to react, we should be ruthless and bring more troops to finish the battle quickly. Feeding tens of thousands of people for a few days is much more economical than feeding ten thousand men for a month. We need to be good at accounting. What we learn in the academy is ultimately rigid. We need to be more flexible in our thinking when fighting."

Li Wan seems quite clever, so how come he can't even do this simple math?

"A few days?"

Qian Yong casually used his martial energy to create a thin needle to pick his teeth: "To be precise, it's three days. I specifically signed a military pledge, and if I don't meet it, I'll be punished according to military law. The time starts from when the troops are mobilized. Feeding 30,000 people for three days is very economical."

Li Wan: "..."

Qian Yong said smugly, "You don't know, but the lord originally planned to assign me 60,000 elite troops. That's 60,000 elite troops, enough to take on the Northern Desert. But after doing the math, I felt that 60,000 was unnecessary, so I declined."

The effects of 30,000 and 60,000 are similar; both result in a flat push.

At most, push forward 60,000 units at a time, and do it faster.

Why did Qian Yong refuse?

Because 30,000 and 60,000 troops march at the same speed!

Whether it takes 30,000 or 60,000 to fight for three days, the latter will cost twice as much as the former. The money-grubbing misers in the Ministry of Revenue will certainly not approve the funds easily. Qian Yong didn't want to argue with Xun Zhen; he was already exhausted from chasing after military pay every year.

It wasn't that Xun Zhen was stingy and couldn't even provide enough military pay; rather, the Ministry of Revenue was very meticulous in its audits, scrutinizing even the smallest discrepancies. Qian Yong was frantic, wishing he could personally pay the difference so the military pay could be issued as soon as possible, but Xun Zhen refused.

Those people in the Ministry of Revenue are truly the most hateful!

Li Wan: "...Three days?"

If this move succeeds, most of the time in this battle will be spent on the journey, right? Time is of the essence, yet she couldn't see the slightest bit of impatience in Commander Qian Yong, or was he simply confident?

Qian Yong smiled but remained silent.

Of course he's confident!

Li Wan quickly understood where Qian Yong's confidence came from. As dusk fell, she keenly noticed a patch of light on the horizon that differed from the rest. She immediately climbed the watchtower and peered into that spot. Three streaks of light, each a different color, were clearly visible, chasing each other.

One white, one green, and one red.

Qian Yong was invigorated: "Finally, you've arrived!"

He then activated his martial energy in his dantian, and his roar shook the heavens.

The three streaks of light fell almost simultaneously.

Among them, the white one is the most dazzling and eye-catching.

Li Wan stared intently and realized that the path the white light had taken was clear of ice and snow, connecting heaven and earth, with specks of ice crystals drifting in the air. As the white light drew closer, the air temperature dropped noticeably, and the biting cold penetrated deep into his skin, raising goosebumps: "It's so cold."

Just as I was about to circulate my spiritual energy to resist this strange and severe cold, countless green shoots sprouted from the earth, the spring breeze caressed my face, and the warmth was intoxicating.

The one with the green light is standing between the red and white.

With a dark expression, he said, "Could you please tone down your martial energy?"

He was freezing the whole way.

Caught between Yun Ce and his brother, he was experiencing both extremes. Should he try to spiral forward to balance out the tension between the two?

The young martial artist, who exuded a chill, had a face that wasn't actually cold. Hearing his companion's complaint, he quickly and embarrassedly suppressed his aura, and the chill in the air dissipated somewhat. Qian Yong was both surprised and somewhat envious. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in congratulations, and said, "It's been a while since I last saw you, General Yun. Your cultivation has improved by a great margin."

This cultivation speed is absolutely infuriating!

Yun Ce smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Marshal, you flatter me."

Gong Xichou disliked small talk with unfamiliar people and went straight to the point: "Mama told me to come over. You tell me who to fight!"

Qian Yong's bright smile brought out all the wrinkles on his face.

"Haha, no rush, no rush."

"What are you dawdling about? You came several days early, haven't you had enough rest yet?" Gong Xichou avoided Qian Yong's outstretched arms, his face full of disdain. "Finish the fight sooner, go home sooner. If you drag this out any longer, my niece will forget about me again."

Babies a few months old don't remember people at all. Gong Xichou had barely managed to get acquainted with his niece when his mother said there was going to be a war and asked him to take a few days off to help. He had no choice but to come. And his partner was none other than Yun Ce… Didn't he know snakes hate low temperatures?

He didn't dislike Yun Ce, but he disliked Yun Ce's uncontrollable martial energy; even getting a little close, he could feel the Martial Courage Totem protesting.

Qian Yong hadn't dealt with Gong Xichou much, but he knew what kind of arrogant temper the other man had, so he tried to appease him: "We'll set off early tomorrow morning. When fighting, we need to be auspicious. Tomorrow is a good day. The flag-raising offerings have been raised for two days and are ready to be slaughtered."

Gong Xichou waved his hand: "Alright, call me when it's time."

Qian Yong looked at Gong Xichou in confusion as he yawned repeatedly. The latter, with his eyes almost half-closed, found an empty tent, lay down, and fell fast asleep. Was this really okay? He looked at Ji Moqiu for help, suspecting that Gong Xichou was deliberately trying to mess with his mental state!

Or is it that Gong Xichou didn't get a full night's sleep while taking care of the children?

Ji Moqiu revealed the answer: "It's too cold."

Qian Yong: "???"

Ji Moqiu said, "It's too cold, he'll get sleepy."

Snakes hibernate!

Qian Yong clicked his tongue: "Isn't General Gongxi a human being?"

I've never heard of a Martial Spirit Totem changing its owner's species. The normal changing seasons have negligible impact on martial artists; it's impossible for a Martial Spirit Totem to hibernate and its owner to do the same. If that were the case, Gong Xi Chou would have already moved to a place with eternal spring.

Ji Moqiu looked helplessly at Yun Ce, whose smile was awkward and he felt guilty.

The reason lies with Yun Ce.

The sudden drop in temperature isn't due to the changing seasons, but rather to the overflowing martial energy from Yun Ce. Furthermore, Gong Xi Chou is currently stuck at a bottleneck, his fusion with the Martial Courage Totem reaching a critical point, making him more susceptible to the effects. Qian Yong nodded knowingly: "In that case, wouldn't it be very dangerous for General Gong Xi to go to the battlefield? Perhaps…"

Qian Yong wants to replace him!

He made a solemn pledge!

If Gong Xichou's combat effectiveness declined due to being forced into hibernation and he failed to fulfill his military orders, wouldn't he have died unjustly?

Ji Moqiu said, "That's not necessary."

Gongxi Chou gets excited whenever he sees blood.

Qian Yong: "..."

The prospective imperial son-in-law was awakened by a burst of noisy footsteps.

A beam of light suddenly shone into the dimly lit tent, and the prospective imperial son-in-law instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes. Several soldiers entered and dragged him away without a word. He panicked, asking, "What are you doing?"

He had a bad feeling.

This premonition reached its peak when I saw the altar.

Although Zhen Kingdom had been at peace for many years, he had seen what the expedition altar looked like and knew its purpose.

What terrified him even more was that he didn't see any offerings.

In a panic, he asked Li Wan for help.

Before he could even open his mouth, he felt something blocking his throat, and he couldn't utter a single syllable. Terrified, he clutched his throat, his eyes wide with fury, silently cursing Li Wan, the wicked woman! Immediately afterward, he was kicked hard in the back of the knee! His knees hit the ground with a dull thud.

The excruciating pain shot straight to my heart.

Yes, he was the sacrifice!

As he lost consciousness and his head hit the ground, he saw Li Wan standing not far away, his expression silent. Li Wan's lips moved, as if he uttered something, before his consciousness faded into endless darkness. Qian Yong uttered a few encouraging words, mounted his horse, and suppressed his excitement!

"Army, move out!"

What can you do in three days?

When the devastating news arrived, the King of Zhen was indulging in a life of pleasure. He had few heirs, and to alleviate the pressure, he worked even harder, hoping for a successor who could lead Zhen to prosperity. Alas, fate was unkind; his years of effort yielded no reward. The eunuch's terrified voice interrupted his enjoyment, abruptly halting his passion and extinguishing his virility.

He was furious: "What happened?"

The eunuch reported the truth.

The Kang Kingdom's army attacked the border, and the border general sent a letter asking for help.

The Queen of Zhen Kingdom abruptly threw back the bed curtains, her eyes wide with anger.

His voice trembled: "How dare you—"

He immediately summoned his ministers to discuss matters concerning how to meet the enemy.

The officials were roughly divided into three factions.

One faction was prepared for war, immediately mobilizing troops to reinforce the border. Li Wan's mission to Zhenguo had caused chaos, and his subsequent elopement with the prospective imperial son-in-law had left them nowhere to be found. This gave them a clue that Kangguo was about to take action. They had begun recruiting soldiers and preparing provisions early on to cope with the current situation. This faction comprised 40% of the officials in the court.

One faction felt they should immediately seek help and military assistance from friendly neighboring countries.

The Kang Kingdom is coming on strong; they should prepare for the worst. Rather than deploying troops now and wiping out their elite forces, it would be better to retreat temporarily, preserve their strength, and join forces with allied troops. Then, they can launch a decisive counterattack. This is the safest course of action!

The remaining faction was more passive; they wanted to negotiate.

They called it peace talks and appeasement, but anyone with eyes to see knew they were the surrender faction; peace talks were just a euphemism.

The King of Zhen, his face darkening, noticed the large number of people in this faction: "Peace talks? You gentlemen can find other opportunities, but what chance do I have of survival?"

Peace talks are out of the question.

If peace talks were possible, sending an envoy to appease Kangguo should have worked. Not only did they ignore Zhenguo, but they also sent Li Wan to stir up trouble, clearly looking for a legitimate reason to start a war.

Seeing that his ministers each had their own agendas, the king felt grief and indignation.

The decision was made immediately to send troops to provide support.

The Kingdom of Zhen is about to face the greatest crisis since its founding!

"Furthermore, immediately send a message to our allies requesting military assistance!"

The ambitions of the man surnamed Shen are likely not satisfied with this. He must do everything in his power to defend Zhen Kingdom's territory before the neighboring country's troops arrive. If he cannot defend it, Zhen Kingdom will cease to exist. However, no sooner had the order left the palace gates than another devastating piece of news reached his ears.

Three border towns have fallen!

The Queen of Zhen Kingdom suddenly stood up: "What?"

How long was the interval between the two news reports?

At most two hours!

Three towns were lost in just two hours?

What about border barriers?

|ω`)

I practiced driving as usual today, no rear-end collisions or scrapes ┓(`)┏

P.S.: I don't know if it's the weather or the hot pot I ate that made my throat a little swollen. I wanted to find some anti-inflammatory medicine, but I found that I was out of medicine at home. I still had a strip left from the prescription I had last time.

P.S.: Today's chapter is a bit short, I'll make up for it tomorrow.