Chapter 602: The Pacification of Sibao County (Part 4) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Due to distance and information delays, Shen Tang was already sharpening his knives, preparing to strike Qiu Cheng, when Wu Xian and the others finally received news of Qiu Cheng's troops' surprise attack on Nanyu County. The nearly two-year-long "Dragon-Slaying Game," though the allied forces did not succeed in slaying the dragon as expected, greatly honed the combat experience of their troops. Recently, the situation has entered a stalemate, with all parties focusing on recuperation.

Wu Xian also had a rare moment of free time.

Just as he was enjoying a sip of hot tea to warm his stomach, he was startled by the intelligence delivered from his subordinates, and nearly choked on his tea.

"What did you say?"

Wu Xian slammed down his teacup.

He pressed further, "Who offended whom?"

The messenger had no choice but to repeat the information again.

Wu Xian was then convinced that he was not hallucinating.

His face was full of expressions, ranging from stunned to surprised to incredulous, and even a bit like someone who enjoys watching a good show.

Then he asked, "So, did Qiu Wenyan succeed?"

The messenger nodded.

Wu Xian: "Do you know how much Qiu Wenyan gained from this trip?"

How could the messenger know such detailed data? This was all reported by spies planted there. The spies were also afraid of being exposed, so they dared not make their actions public. Therefore, they only knew the general idea: "...I heard that more than a hundred supply wagons were transported in seven or eight trips."

Wu Xian was also tempted by this data.

His close friend knew how to stockpile grain.

There are few people or things in this world that Wu Xian can truly admire, but among them, Shen Tang's ability to manage and govern is something he genuinely admires. It was evident from his time in He Yin County that Shen Tang had an almost obsessive dedication to "growing enough grain to eat." In the past two years, he has been quietly farming in Long Wu County, so his achievements are not surprising, but unexpectedly, it has attracted the covetous eyes of his malicious neighbors. Thinking of this, Wu Xian laughed heartily.

Coincidentally, Qin Li arrived at that moment.

"What has made my lord so happy?"

Wu Xian: "Qiu Wenyan robbed Shen Youli of her grain."

After a detailed explanation, Qin Li finally understood what had happened.

He shook his head: "Judging from Shen Jun's past behavior, he doesn't seem like the type to swallow this insult. Qiu Wenyan is in trouble."

Wu Xian smiled, his eyebrows curving upwards.

"That's why I laughed; I wanted to see some fun."

Who doesn't love free jokes?

Wu Xian paused, stroking his neatly trimmed beard, and said, "Alright, let Qiu Wenyan, that hothead with high aspirations but low skills, take the lead and see how much Brother Shen has improved in the past two years. It's been many years since we last met, I wonder how much Brother Shen's martial arts have improved."

They said warm and caring words.

But his eyes were full of calculation and shrewdness.

Qin Li agreed with Wu Xian's words. In the past two years, Shen Tang had gradually governed Longwu County like an iron barrel, and the spies planted outside were eliminated in no time. Wu Xian could only know some general movements, but he was unaware of the true strength of the situation.

The sense of security is far less than having something right under your nose.

Qin Li reminded his lord to be wary of Qiu Wenyan.

Wu Xian asked in confusion, "Why should we be wary of him?"

Qin Li said, "To prevent him from using our strength against us."

As an ally of the Dragon Slaying Bureau, he could shamelessly raise the banner of the allies—attacking Nanyu County to obtain grain was to strengthen the allies' forces and better resist the tyrant Zheng Qiao. And when Shen Tang launched a counterattack, he could openly use his status as an ally to rally support.

Wu Xian clicked his tongue in astonishment: "Really? That's shameless!"

“If he were thin-skinned, Qiu Wenyan wouldn’t have betrayed the Qiu family’s eldest branch.” Qin Li shook his head at this. It’s no secret how Qiu Cheng made his fortune. “Furthermore, when the Dragon Slaying Bureau swore an oath, all parties agreed to help each other and not to fight against their allies, but Shen Jun was not included.” Even though Shen Tang sent a batch of grain as a token of his goodwill, he was still an outsider to the alliance.

Qin Li repeatedly reminded Wu Xian.

"My lord, please don't get involved in this mess."

It's not that we're afraid, but we can't afford to create unnecessary trouble. Shen Tang may one day become our target, but definitely not today.

Another reason was that the deep brotherly bond between Shen Tang and Wu Xian had become synonymous with profound brotherhood. If Wu Xian, as the elder brother, were to mobilize troops to help Qiu Wenyan fight Shen Tang, his reputation would be irreparably damaged. Wu Xian agreed to this.

"I know what I'm doing, Gongsu, please rest assured."

A similar situation unfolded with Gu Renzhanghe.

They all agreed that Shen Tang wouldn't suffer in silence and that a counterattack against Qiu Cheng was a sure thing. They even took the time to come up with a reason—if Qiu Cheng was beaten so badly by Shen Tang that he came to them for help, they would have to have a reason to refuse.

But the Dragon Slaying Bureau has more than just these three members.

There are also many who are willing to borrow troops and get a share of the pie.

These unpredictable undercurrents were beyond Shen Tang's immediate concern.

She was worried about how many people to recruit to fight Qiu Cheng, so she made a special trip to Yonggu Pass to discuss it with Chu Jie.

"Is Shen Jun worried that there aren't enough generals?"

So what? He has plenty here.

Chu Jie has been living a comfortable life these past two years. He no longer has to worry about military pay and supplies, and even military affairs are handled by others. He's content being a hands-off manager. He's enjoying training soldiers and practicing martial arts to the fullest. His gaze towards Shen Tang is as gentle as if he were looking at a golden baby.

Or a big spender with plenty of money and little hassle!

Shen Tang shook her head: "It's not because of that."

Currently, she has 25,000 troops under her command, plus 20,000 regular troops stationed at Yonggu Pass, totaling 45,000. The number seems large, but only a small portion is actually usable. Upon hearing this, Chu Jie did some quick calculations and said, "That's true, at most 10,000..."

The 20,000 troops cannot be moved.

Longwu County still needs to leave more than half of its troops to guard its territory.

At most, they could manage to pull out ten thousand. If it exceeded that number, the base's resilience would be halved, risking being stolen and its territory raided. Imagine, while the front lines are still fighting, your hometown is already under someone else's name—wouldn't that be ridiculous? No wonder she looked so worried.

Who knew that Shen Tang would say something so surprising.

"I want to take 20,000 with me."

Without further ado, let's seize the opportunity and take over Sibao County in one fell swoop!

Chu Jie gasped inwardly.

It's hard to say whether Shen Tang is too ambitious or too audacious. How many troops does she have? She sent out 20,000 men, only to leave 5,000 to guard the house? He couldn't help but give Chu Yao a wink, telling him to keep his young lord in check and to get his head in the right place.

But Chu Yao ignored him from beginning to end.

Chu Jie could only awkwardly touch his nose and ask Shen Tang seriously, "If 20,000 troops are deployed, then what about the extra 10,000..."

Shen Tang smiled shyly.

"That is why I came to see General Chu."

Chu Jie: "???"

Shen Tang whispered, "Lend me ten thousand."

Chu Jie pointed to the seat he was sitting in.

"Shen Jun, this is Yonggu Pass..."

She reminded Shen Tang that she was referring to border troops.

In order to defeat Qiu Wenyan, are you preparing to have your backcourt defense completely bare?

Shen Tang quickly snapped his fingers back, laughing, "I know that redeploying border troops is a bit harsh, but General Chu, think about it, who are the border troops guarding against? Naturally, it's the ambitious Shiwu. But Shiwu has been in chaos these past few years because of us, with constant internal strife. They can't even sort out their own ancestors' messes, so where would they find the extra troops to invade Yonggu Pass?"

Chu Jie looked at Chu Yao with a deep, unsettling gaze.

Shen Tang leaned slightly towards Chu Yao, ensuring Chu Jie's gaze was fixed on her, and smiled more brightly than a flower: "General Chu, the garrison hasn't fought a decent battle in the past two years, and even the bandits have decreased recently. If we continue like this, the weapons will rust, let alone elite troops. We need to see blood every now and then to keep them sharp, don't you think?"

Chu Jie broke free from Shen Tang's hand.

Success is achieved when the knuckles turn white and red.

After holding it in for a while, he finally managed to utter a sentence.

"fallacies and heresies..."

But on second thought, it's not impossible.

In the past two years, Longwu County has recovered very well, with its population steadily increasing, showing signs of peace and prosperity.

Shen Tang also prioritized border defense, consistently allocating surplus national resources to reinforce the barriers. The border defenses grew stronger and more solid each day; even if the Ten Crows wanted to invade, the barriers alone would be enough to hold them off for quite some time. Allocating ten thousand troops certainly wouldn't shake the foundations…

Shen Tang was well aware of the principle that money can make the devil turn the millstone.

She stated frankly that after capturing Sibao County, she would reward those who had contributed, and would definitely increase the military supplies budget for Yonggu Pass next year, ensuring that the soldiers would not bleed and weep. Chu Jie's already wavering heart completely swayed; he only cared about one thing: "By how much?"

"Forehead……"

Shen Tang was about to say, "Fifty percent, one year."

Chu Yao, who had been quiet all along, made the final decision.

"Thirty percent, one year."

Shen Tang whispered, "Wu Hui, isn't this too little?"

Chu Yao: "Too much will kill him."

Chu Jie almost choked on his breath.

He shouted, "Wu Hui, when did you become so frugal?"

High emotional intelligence: frugality.

Low emotional intelligence: stinginess.

Chu Yao was too lazy to lift his eyelids.

"You think I'm giving you too much?"

Chu Jie: "..."

When they arrived, it was just Shen Tang and himself.

When they left, they had a massive army of ten thousand men.

Shen Tang rode his motorcycle alongside Chu Yao, grinning so hard his back teeth almost showed: "It's a pity that General Chu is the main general guarding the pass and refused to go into battle. Otherwise, he would definitely have given Qiu Wenyan a big surprise! He would have knocked Qiu's head off in a duel on the battlefield!"

"Chromatographic interference wire?"

"surprise!"

Chu Yao chuckled and said, "Mostly frightened."

Indeed, the 20,000 troops were more than double what Qiu Cheng had expected, so it was no wonder they were frightened.

_

Do you guys understand? Just a couple of days ago it was so hot I was wearing short sleeves, the temperature wouldn't drop below 25 or 26 degrees Celsius, but today it's so cold I'm wearing a thick down jacket...

(End of this chapter)