Dawei’s troops were stationed at the border, preparing secretly. They hadn’t made their move yet because they were waiting for news of Zhang Ping attacking the Capital City. Or to be more specific, they were waiting for news of Zhang Ping clashing with the Capital City’s troops led by the old Duke so they could seize the opportunity and step in.
Three hundred thousand troops might seem like a lot or a little, depending on the timing. For example, if there were no civil strife in Daliang, Dawei’s three hundred thousand troops wouldn’t be that significant. But if Daliang were to fall into internal chaos, Dawei’s three hundred thousand soldiers could easily cross the border and take over various cities in Dawei once they crossed the border.
The commander leading Dawei’s troops was Helan Jue. He waited for several days without receiving any news from Zhang Ping. Becoming restless, he ordered a spy, "Sneak into Daliang and find out what’s going on."
He tried to calculate the time it would take for Zhang Ping to initiate a fight with the Imperial Court, and he believed that it should have already begun by now.
Taking orders, the spy infiltrated Daliang. However, as soon as he set foot in Daliang’s territory, he was spotted by the secret guards Zhou Gu had sent to the border in advance. They then caught him while he was deep into Daliang, gathering information.
Unlike suicide soldiers, spies excel at gathering information, hiding, and being as elusive as mudfish. However, their will isn’t as strong. Under severe interrogation, the spy confessed everything: though the commander leading Dawei’s troops was Helan Jue, the Crown Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei was also in the army. In addition to the three hundred thousand troops, Dawei had another two hundred thousand soldiers rushing from the Royal Capital to the border.
In other words, Dawei was mobilizing five hundred thousand soldiers.
The secret guards reported the news gleaned from the spy to Zhou Gu. Zhou Gu didn’t find it surprising; Dawei’s Crown Prince Yuan Zhao was an exceptionally talented prince with remarkable civil and military skills. Unlike the Crown Prince of Daliang, Yan Huisheng, Yuan Zhao was deeply loved and favored by the Dawei Emperor. Among all the princes of Dawei, none could outshine him. The Dawei Emperor had already delegated his power to Yuan Zhao years ago, making the Crown Prince’s position almost equivalent to the Emperor of Dawei.
It was unknown what Crown Prince Yuan Zhao had been doing these years. It couldn’t be found out, but one thing was certain: he must have been plotting secretly and waiting for the right moment to ambitiously annex Daliang one day.
Zhou Gu pondered for a moment, then turned his head to ask Zhou Wei and the others, "We are currently one hundred miles away from the border city, which is a must-pass for anyone heading there. Let’s set up camp here and wait for Zhang Yun’s troops!"
Zhou Wei and the others had no objections; they nodded agreement.
Abiding by Zhou Gu’s instruction, the spies snuck into Daliang again. However, like the previous batch, they fell into the surveillance of Zhou Gu’s secret guards. Despite their greater caution, they couldn’t escape detection. Some spies were killed and others were captured. Under severe interrogation, they revealed even more news. It turned out that Dawei’s second Prince, Yuan Chen had intentions of usurping Yuan Zhao’s position.
This was good news for Zhou Gu; it doesn’t matter how powerful the Dawei troops were, as long as they’re not united. A division was all that he needed.
On the fifth day, Zhang Yun brought along five hundred and forty thousand soldiers and arrived a hundred miles away from the border.
Zhou Gu stood at the front of the camp, watching the endless tide of soldiers and smiling. He had a hundred thousand soldiers here, and coupled with the five hundred and forty thousand brought by Zhang Yun, they had a total of six hundred and forty thousand soldiers. That was one hundred and forty thousand more than Dawei. Even if Dawei started the war, they would surely win this battle.
From afar, Zhou Shen called out, "Big brother, third brother, fourth brother!"
Zhou Wei and Zhou Che both broke into smiles.
Approaching Zhou Gu, Zhou Shen dismounted his horse. The two brothers patted each other on the shoulder. Zhou Gu said, "You arrived quite fast. I thought it would be a couple more days."
Zhou Shen replied, "Made the journey day and night. I was afraid that Dawei couldn’t hold back and would attack prematurely."
Zhou Gu nodded and turned to look at Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun dismounted and saluted, "Lord Thursday!"
Zhou Gu scanned him top to bottom and greeted back, "Lord Zhang! Nice to meet you!"
"The pleasure is all mine." Zhang Yun looked at Zhou Gu, "I was nearly killed by your dual-handed sword. I’m still shaken by the memory. You have exceptional swordsmanship."
Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow, "Thank you for your compliment. Apparently, my swordsmanship is not yet perfect, otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here now."
"Do you regret not killing me?" Zhang Yun asked.
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Fortunately, I didn’t. Otherwise, my fiancée would have lost an important assistant. Now that would be a real pity."
Zhou Gu was amused, "Miss Su has instructed me to hand over this batch of troops to you upon seeing you. Fortunately, I completed my mission."
Zhou Gu grinned and gestured invitingly, "You must be tired. Please, Lord Zhang!"
Zhang Yun nodded, then followed Zhou Gu into the military camp.
After a wash and change of clothes, and a brief rest, Zhang Yun exited the tent, where Zhou Gu was waiting for him, standing with his hands behind his back. He paused for a moment, "Lord Thursday, are you waiting for me?"
Zhou Gu turned his head to look at him and nodded, "I’ve already ordered people to prepare a feast. Let’s go, let’s have a drink together."
Zhang Yun nodded and followed Zhou Gu toward the the main camp tent.
When they entered the main camp tent, many dishes and drinks were already served. Instead of taking the host seat, Zhou Gu pulled Zhang Yun to sit with him at a side table.
Everyone was lively, drinking and making merry.
Halfway through the feast, Zhou Gu, slightly tipsy, turned to Zhang Yun and said, "You know about Su Rong giving me the marriage contract, right?"
Zhang Yun thought to himself, ’So here it comes.’ He chuckled inwardly while pretending to be clueless on the outside, "Miss Su gave you a marriage contract? I wasn’t aware of that. I didn’t hear anyone mention it before."
Zhou Gu immediately replied, "It doesn’t matter if you weren’t aware. Now that I’ve told you, you know. Be a faithful subordinate and don’t harbor any inappropriate thoughts about her. Otherwise, I won’t be so courteous."
So straightforward?
He cleared his throat lightly, "Otherwise, how will you not be so courteous?"
Zhou Gu patted his waist, "My swordsmanship can still be honed, get it?"
Going by his implication, if Zhang Yun didn’t behave himself, he would kill him.
"Alright, I get it," Zhang Yun tried hard not to laugh. He knew he was no match when it came to one-on-one combat.
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