Zhang Yun joined forces with Zhou Gu and, under Zhou Gu’s instructions, deliberately released a Dawei spy.
Upon hearing that the spy reported Daliang had over 600,000 troops, Helan Jue’s face changed; he instantly asked, "Is this confirmed?"
"It’s definitely true," the spy replied.
"Why only you return? What about the others?" Helan Jue asked.
The spy bowed his head, "The rest either died or were captured. I wouldn’t have escaped either. It appears that the Daliang deliberately let me return to relay this news."
Those who become spies are not without brains; they are fully aware of their own abilities. In such a besieging kill scenario, he shouldn’t have returned. But, somehow he did.
Helan Jue, with a crestfallen face, immediately went to find Crown Prince Yuan Zhao.
On hearing the news, Yuan Zhao became quiet, then asked, "Bring that spy to meet me."
Helan Jue ordered for the spy to be brought before Yuan Zhao.
Yuan Zhao asked him, "What’s the situation in Daliang now? Where did over 600,000 troops come from? What about Zhang Ping? Is he deceiving me? Is this some kind of trap?"
The spy shook his head, "Responding to the Crown Prince, as far as I know, Zhang Ping has died suddenly. His entire army has been taken over by his third son, Zhang Yun, who has pledged allegiance to the Daliang Imperial Court. It is said that Zhang Ping died due to a heart disease, but I suspect that he was murdered by Zhang Yun."
"Zhang Ping is dead?" Yuan Zhao frowned.
The spy nodded in response.
"How could Zhang Ping be killed? What a waste!" Helan Jue was shocked. This news was beyond what anyone could have expected.
"Zhang Yun killed him, and as his son, he had access to him. After all, Zhang Ping probably never suspected his own son would kill him. And so, he must’ve taken no precautions." Yuan Zhao’s heart twinged in anger, thinking to himself how all the preparations had been destroyed due to Zhang Ping’s death.
He had absolutely not believed that Zhang Ping would turn out to be such a joke; he had barely started to rebel and he was already dead, not even managing to engage in battle with Daliang.
"Who is leading Daliang’s troops?" Yuan Zhao asked, suppressing his rage.
"The fourth son of the Duke, Zhou Gu."
"So it’s Zhou Gu, well played Zhou Gu." Yuan Zhao then asked: "Zhang Yun killed Zhang Ping and took over the Jibei Army. Was there no dissent in the Zhang Family?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
The spy shook his head, "I was not able to find more detailed information, but Zhang Yun did indeed take over the Jibei Army and has submitted to the imperial court."
"Over 600,000 troops." Yuan Zhao took a deep breath and immediately ordered, "Retreat, return to the Capital City."
Helan Jue immediately protested, "Your Highness, we cannot retreat. Daliang has over 600,000 troops, if we retreat and they attack, what will we do?"
"Daliang will not attack; they have just cleared Zhang Ping’s mess. They are completely unprepared. As long as Zhou Gu is not a brat, he should know that Daliang cannot fight unprepared." Yuan Zhao said: "Retreat, listen to me. We will return to the Royal Capital, regroup, and plan for the future."
Having prepared only 500,000 soldiers, he still felt it was too few. He cannot fight Daliang directly.
It’s a pity that Zhang Ping’s chess move was such a waste.
After Yuan Zhao issued his order, Dawei immediately withdrew its troops from the border and returned to the Royal Capital that very day.
Before he left, he ordered his secret guards, "Dig out all of Daliang’s spies in the border towns and eliminate them."
Following his orders, his secret guards pursued and killed a large number of Daliang’s spies who were sending back information, allowing only one of them to escape. This man, covered in blood, fainted after delivering news of Yuan Zhao’s retreat and his order to eliminate Daliang’s spies in the border town.
Zhou Gu pursed his lips, "Well played, Yuan Zhao. You truly know when to advance and when to retreat."
Zhang Yun said from his side, "Revenge is a dish best served cold. It will come back to haunt Yuan Zhao that he did not attack today. When Miss Seven takes the Nanchu throne and Daliang and Nanchu join forces to fight against Dawei, he should regret having retreated. He should have attacked."
"Could he have won?" Zhou Gu asked.
"Actually, Dawei has fostered a million troops. The Crown Prince Yuan Zhao only prepared to mobilize 500,000 troops this time. It is likely that firstly, he trusted my father too much, thinking my father could cause chaos in Daliang, so his 500,000 troops would be enough to take advantage of the situation. Secondly, he must have another plan in mind, perhaps he had intent to target Nanchu as well. I speculate that the 500,000 troops must be stationed near Nanchu border at present, just watching Nanchu and not allowing them to assist Daliang."
"You are right." Zhou Gu had always known about Zhang Yun’s exceptional abilities, but having never truly observed him up close, he was pleasantly surprised by Zhang Yun’s insights aligning with his.
His annoyance at having his secret agents targeted and killed somewhat abated, he slung his arm around Zhang Yun’s shoulder, "Now that Dawei has already retreated, I should head to Nanchu. Brother, will you come with me?"
Zhang Yun looked at him, "Are you not going to wait for Miss Seven?"
"No need to wait." Zhou Gu did miss Su Rong very much, but knowing that helping her pave the way in Nanchu in advance was more important. There were still many things he needed to do in Nanchu, which would certainly be better than wasting time waiting for her here.
"Tell me your plan first, then I’ll decide whether to go with you or not. After all, I am Miss Seven’s man." Zhang Yun said.
Zhou Gu chuckled, correcting him, "You are her devoted subject."
Zhang Yun smiled, "Same difference."
Zhou Gu snorted, "You are good at dealing with spies, and I’m lacking in that area. So, the two of us can eliminate Nangong Family and Dawei’s spies present in Nanchu together. Although it will be a little dangerous, it will solve the problem once and for all."
Going by what we know, whether it be the Nangong Family or Dawei, it takes more than a day or two to set up a spy network, it usually takes decades. Once it’s uprooted, it is the equivalent of severing their network of information. Re-establishing it won’t be easy. Having the Nangong Family become tone-deaf and Dawei become deaf to Nanchu could greatly benefit Su Rong’s future reign. It would cease any uncontrollable wind blowing away the grass, or anything attempting to act secretly.
The only reason Daliang was able to keep Dawei in the dark about the recent events was that when Su Rong eliminated the Zhang Family’s spies in Nanping City, she also took care of Dawei’s and Nangong Family’s spies. Additionally, when Zhang Yun pledged loyalty to Su Rong, he ordered the elimination of all Dawei and Nangong Family spies within his army and those present in Jibei City bordering the frontier.
So, even though Prince Yuan Zhao had already arrived at the Dawei border town, he did not receive any news and could only wait patiently, not daring to advance.
"Is it just going to be the two of us?" Zhang Yun asked.
"Just the two of us is enough," Zhou Gu said. "You and I both have our private guards. All in all, we will have about a thousand men. How about it? Do you dare?"
"What is there to be afraid of?" Zhang Yun, who had always been careful about his own safety, avoiding unnecessary risks whenever possible, felt things were different since he swore allegiance to Su Rong. If Zhou Gu dared, why shouldn’t he?
"Great, we will depart in an hour. I will leave a letter for Su Rong, and after we have our meal we will begin our journey." Zhou Gu said and turned around to bid farewell to his three brothers from the Zhou Family.
Zhang Yun nodded, and went to bid goodbye to Zhang Mao.
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