"The Farmer's Fat Wife" - Fat Men Are All Potential Stocks (Twenty-Two...)

These three years have not been uneventful; the Manichaean rebels stormed the palace.

With his capital captured and the southeast and south occupied by the Seven Heavenly Kings who showed no intention of taking him over, the emperor could only flee to Shu with a group of ministers, and the imperial power completely collapsed.

Many militias in the Central Plains were still resisting spontaneously, but the emperor had fled, so what could they do but find ways to survive?

The rapid rise of Huaizhou was also due to the profits gained from the war.

With the emperor gone, the government troops received no supplies and had to rely entirely on their own luck.

Only Huai Shang and Xiao Qiang were like that, running around everywhere, willing to do anything for money.

Many of the isolated prefectures in the Central Plains depend on Huaizhou for survival; they may have complaints about Huaizhou, but they dare not take any action.

Therefore, the first to cause trouble was not the government troops, but the old neighbors. The Seven Heavenly Kings were only superficially united; they could share hardships but not prosperity.

Not to mention that the biggest victims of Huaizhou's rise were its neighbors. Trading with other states required crossing the sea, but going to a neighbor's house was easy, and women from neighboring states would flock to Huaizhou.

In ancient times, the most important things for those in power were land and people, and women who could bear children were a strategic resource that every ruler valued.

Huaizhou now possesses enough wealth on one island and women throughout the entire prefecture to make everyone envious.

Liu Heihu, the Black Tiger King of Feizhou, was closest to Huaizhou. He was a typical warlord who indulged his subordinates in their misdeeds to boost morale. The people were terrified by him, and all industries were ruined.

The more they squeezed him, the less money they could collect. Liu Heihu had a violent temper and was furious every day.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Huaizhou. If he were to swallow Huaizhou…

Liu Heihu began to get restless, but he didn't expect Ye Xiqing to act even faster than him, striking first and launching a surprise attack on Feizhou without even giving him a heads-up.

The people of Feizhou, especially the women, lived a very difficult life and kept migrating to Huaizhou, where there were many native Feizhou people.

When attacking an unfamiliar place, it is natural to have someone familiar to guide you. Ye Xiqing recruited people from Feizhou to lead the army, and there were also many of their undercover agents in Feizhou.

With 30,000 troops, they barely fought; they used the same tactic: to catch the enemy off guard, coordinate an attack from within and without, trick them into opening the city gates, and then trap that bastard Liu Heihu inside the city.

He attacks when they come out, surrounds them when they don't, guards all the passes, and ambushes them when reinforcements arrive.

Then every day, they would shout into the city, offering a reward of one hundred taels of gold for the heads of Liu Heihu and his gang of henchmen, whoever could open the city gates.

Ye Xiqing wasn't afraid to spend money; problems that could be solved with money weren't big problems.

Although she looked exceptionally strong and exuded a powerful aura when she stood on the battle platform, she had no interest in siege warfare, capturing enemy generals, or seizing flags.

Let's see who can outlast whom at this stop.

The city's food supplies were quickly depleted, and no reinforcements were in sight. Several attempts to break through the enemy lines were thwarted by the heavily armed troops of Huaizhou.

Ye Xiqing didn't want to attack the city because he didn't want unnecessary casualties, not because the Huaizhou troops were incapable of fighting.

The soldiers of Huaizhou had been fighting against pirates for many years and had rich combat experience. Huaizhou was also wealthy and had been smuggling iron resources from various states and even abroad. They used blast furnaces to smelt iron and had well-trained soldiers and advanced weapons.

Liu Heihu has a natural advantage in defending the city; once he leaves, it will be their territory.

After months of intense siege, the soldiers and civilians in the city finally collapsed. With the instigation of spies, a mutiny broke out instantly, allowing Ye Xiqing to easily enter the city.

After entering the city, Liu Heihu was still trying to feign innocence: "King Li, we are sworn brothers, why did you suddenly attack me!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiqing didn't say much, but simply swung her spiked club—

"We're supposed to be brothers, yet you don't even know my last name."

When the news of Feizhou changing hands came, everyone was stunned.

Huaizhou's previous conservative strategy and business-like approach probably misled those around him too much.

As everyone looked at the increasingly wealthy Huaizhou, they felt like they were looking at a mutton sheep. Unexpectedly, it was this seemingly soft and mushy mutton sheep that first showed its sharp teeth.

The surrounding Heavenly Kings sent letters of inquiry, questioning why Feizhou was attacked without cause, just like Liu Heihu.

The former leader of the Haiyan Gang, now the Grand King, truly lives up to his reputation as someone who built such a large organization as the Haiyan Gang. He actually used the title of a figurehead king to expand his territory and raise troops, and now he's being questioned.

Ye Xiqing replied directly: "Banning my currency, arresting my Huai people, and mistreating the Goddess of Mount Tai—can these be considered unjustified?"

We all rose up with the help of the Goddess of Mount Tai, yet some have turned their backs and betrayed our oath.

Liu Heihu met such an end because he offended the Goddess of Mount Tai and was no longer protected by her.

Everyone: ...

Even though it was something they weren't going to act out, they still insisted on using fancy words to package it, and as a result, Ye Xiqing's reply was also very elegant.

Ye Xiqing was the first to break the balance, and the others didn't hold back either. The three kings of Huzhou, Shazhou, and Yizhou directly attacked Ye Xiqing to avenge Liu Heihu.

They originally intended to contact the Heavenly King, but the Heavenly King was very cautious and did not send troops; he simply mediated between the two sides.

The other three Heavenly Kings then declared that they would combine their forces of 500,000 to conquer Huaizhou!

Upon seeing the number of troops dispatched, everyone under Ye Xiqing's command smiled.

The south had previously experienced an unprecedented flood, followed by years of war. The old dynasty had also exterminated a number of people in the south. Huaizhou had been recuperating, and now there were only 300,000 people left.

The other three states combined might have a population of 500,000, which would be quite good. Where would they get 500,000 troops?

Despite saying that, Madam Zhu warned everyone not to let their guard down: "Even if each of the three states sends 30,000 troops, they are not to be underestimated when they join forces."

Fan Qiaojie joined later, but she was very clever and quickly blended into the core of the council. Although she was at the end, she actively tried to show herself and raised her hand like crazy.

Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Ye Xiqing called on her to speak. Fan Qiaojie immediately cleared her throat and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, having more people doesn't necessarily help!"

"Although the three parties are united, they each have their own purposes."

"Huang and Qi from Husha are interested in Feizhou, while those from Yizhou are probably eyeing our golden sea route."

"How can we unite when our goals are not aligned?"

"Three groups of people are not as good as one group working together!"

Ye Xiqing immediately clapped after listening, "Not bad, not bad, very well said."

But there are indeed three groups. Have you thought about how to deal with them?

Ye Xiqing and her group were having a meeting, and the Allied Forces were also having a meeting. Since there were three groups of people, they were arguing fiercely.

The Heavenly King of Huzhou wanted to gather troops from him to attack the neighboring cities of Huzhou and Feizhou. The Heavenly King of Shazhou was no fool either; why not gather troops from him?

The two kings of Hu and Sha have not yet sent out their troops, but they are already arguing about which one to attack first.

The Heavenly King of Yizhou advised against it, saying, "Let's join forces to conquer it first and then divide the spoils."

Moreover, don't you think that to catch the thief, you must first catch the king? Feizhou has just been captured, so it must be heavily guarded. On the contrary, Huaizhou is currently somewhat undefended.

Why don't we concentrate our forces to attack Huaizhou first?

The other two Heavenly Kings: ...

Cutting land isn't like cutting a cake. There's no such thing as you giving way to me and me giving way to you. No one can reach an agreement, and everyone has their own agenda.

Ultimately, it all came down to overconfidence. They hadn't even considered the possibility of failing to win, and had already started dividing the spoils, each afraid that the other would get too much and they wouldn't get anything.

Finally, they decided to launch a three-pronged attack, each fighting its own battle, thus keeping the Huaizhou troops constantly on the move.

Huaizhou has just finished a siege battle and is immediately going to defend it. I just don't know why the other side is so slow and drawn out in their siege battles, holding meetings for so long.

Do they really think they have an army of 500,000 and can fight at will?

Huang and Qi were more inclined to divide Feizhou among themselves, so they concentrated on the Feizhou battlefield, while Wen Guangtianwang of Yizhou attacked the main force of Huaizhou.

Unlike others, Wen Guang Tian Wang was a scholar before he started his rebellion. He was quite intelligent. While others valued the land of a particular prefecture, he set his sights on the Golden Island of Huai Prefecture.

The other two, whether they succeed or not, can distract the Huaizhou soldiers, allowing him to take advantage of the chaos to start a rebellion.

Full of confidence, I went to attack the city, and it was indeed easier than I had imagined. The city fell in no time.

But when the army entered, the streets were eerily quiet, and a chill ran down one's spine.

They wanted to retreat, but it was too late. The armored soldiers lying in ambush in the alleys immediately unleashed a barrage of swords and arrows.

Upon seeing the signal fire, the hidden army charged in and surrounded the enemy forces.

Most soldiers in ancient times were forcibly conscripted and could only fight when the situation was favorable.

It's fine to go with the flow when things are going well, but when things are going against me, all I want to do is save my own life. Even if there are military orders, I don't want to go and die.

Seeing the endless, sprawling army of Huaizhou, he immediately broke down and only wanted to escape.

They thought the Huaizhou army would withdraw after their victory, but they didn't expect them to keep chasing them, pursuing them wherever the Yi army retreated.

Countless people died along the way, many of them trampled to death by their own comrades. When they retreated to Yizhou, they thought the Huai Army would finally withdraw, but they didn't expect them to still not withdraw!

Ye Xiqing personally led the army, with the main force pursuing the fleeing troops at a leisurely pace.

"Let your Heavenly King ask the other two for help. If they don't, Yizhou will have to change its name."

Wen Guangtianwang of Yizhou had been thinking of taking advantage of the chaos to gain some benefits, but he never expected that Ye Xiqing would actually turn around and hit him. How dare she!

According to reports from the front lines, it seems that the Huaizhou army has committed all its main forces here, and they don't want Feizhou at all!

We still need to have it, otherwise what are the other two Heavenly Kings fighting about?

Defensive battles are inherently easier than siege battles. Ye Xiqing directly recruited garrison troops in the countryside of Feizhou by offering heavy land redistribution and collecting inferior currency as bait, and the new army instantly became the main force.

The previously established covert forces also came in handy; they were very familiar with the environment of Feizhou, and Ye Xiqing directly appointed them as the garrison commanders.

King Huang Qi and King Qi fought for ten thousand years with full confidence, thinking that even if they did not achieve any merit, they had at least tied down the main force of the Huaizhou army and exhausted the Huaizhou army, and that they would be able to conquer it soon!

As a result, a distress call came from afar from the Yizhou army, saying that the Huaizhou army was about to attack their home!

Huang Qi Er Tian Wang: Huh?

Upon receiving the news, I was initially incredulous, thinking it was a trick by the Huaizhou army. Only after Yizhou kept sending people to ask for help did I realize it was actually true!

After confirming that it was true, the two Heavenly Kings, Huang and Qi, couldn't help but curse in unison. What kind of useless person was Cui? Fighting on three fronts, how could he still be driven to the capital by the Huaizhou army!

I really don't want to deal with this super stupid pig, but if Ye Xiqing takes over Yizhou, Shazhou will directly border Ye Xiqing, so I can't ignore it.

The Heavenly King of Shazhou was the first to send reinforcements, wanting to see what that guy surnamed Cui was up to.

Upon entering Feizhou territory, they were ambushed by Huai Army troops led by locals.

Sand King: ...

Thus, the most bizarre battle in history unfolded: three Heavenly Kings surrounded one Heavenly King, but the only one surrounded managed to kill one of them, and the other two attacks failed.

Originally, the South was jointly occupied by the Seven Heavenly Kings, but now two of them have been removed.

Aoki Tenno, who reigns supreme over three states.

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Author's note: Qingqing: I won't say anything about the other two people who are far away from me, but don't you know how close you are to me?

King of Yizhou: ...