Chapter 41 A New War Unfolds, Strategies Emerge
Just as Cen Xun was about to retort, someone came to report from outside the door, "Miss, General, General Bai has come to visit."
Just as the two of them came to their senses and looked towards the door, they heard two knocks from the door. Cen Xun glanced back at Yang Xiao, then looked at the figure at the door, and said, "Please come in."
Bai Ming lifted the curtain and entered the room, bowing to the two men. "I apologize for disturbing you both. My lord summoned us to a meeting, and I heard that Lingyu was here as well, so I came directly."
Yang Xiao smiled as she looked at Bai Ming, who was covered in sweat, and stood up. "Did you just finish practicing? Didn't you go to the military exercise this morning?"
“Yes,” Bai Ming nodded with a smile, “I had nothing to do this afternoon, so I just practiced a bit.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao glanced at Cen Xun beside her, then looked up at Bai Ming, and hissed thoughtfully, "I think I know why I can't beat you now."
Both of them couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. Bai Ming looked at Yang Xiao and coaxed her with a smile, "It was just a narrow victory, why take it so seriously?"
“You can’t practice secretly behind our backs,” Yang Xiao said with a smile, crossing her arms. “Call me next time you practice.”
“No problem,” Bai Ming nodded with a smile. “Thank you for sending the pastries. They taste very good, I like them very much. Thank you.”
"I'm glad you like it," Yang Xiao said with a smile and waved her hand. "However, these pastries are not my creation. An unknown friend gave me a bunch of them, and since you, General, like them, I shared some with you."
"An unknown friend?" Bai Ming tilted his head and pondered, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "But... when did I ever tell you that..."
Yang Xiao tilted her head and smiled at Bai Ming, "Do you still remember the day we went to Lingyue Pavilion to listen to the opera?"
"Of course I remember," Bai Ming nodded and answered softly.
Yang Xiao recalled the moment and couldn't help but chuckle. "That day when you were watching the play, you didn't touch any of the snacks on the table, but you finished a whole plate of pastries. I gave you another plate, and in no time, half of it was gone."
Bai Ming was taken aback, then scratched his head sheepishly. Yang Xiao looked up at him with a smile, "If you don't like sweets, why did you eat two plates of pastries?"
“So I had already shown my true colors back then,” he said with a smile, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. “I was so engrossed in watching the play that I didn’t leave any for you.”
"So what? I ate my fill at Lingyue Pavilion back then." She smiled and waved at the two of them. "Alright, it's getting late. Shall we set off?"
“Alright, let’s go.” Cen Xun nodded readily, extinguished the fire in the stove, put on his coat, and led the two outside.
The three men whipped their horses, their breath turning into puffs of white mist in the cold wind.
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Before long, the warhorse arrived at Zhongli An's tent.
"Phew..." Yang Xiao dismounted and rubbed her hands together gently. "To be honest, it's really cold."
Bai Ming walked over to her and chuckled, "I've told you to wear more clothes countless times."
"It's my fault," Yang Xiao said with a smile and a shrug. "I'll definitely add more when I get back."
Cen Xun raised his hand and patted her shoulder, laughing, "Hurry up and go inside? Don't freeze."
"How could I be so susceptible to the cold?" Yang Xiao retorted defiantly, raising her head at Cen Xun before turning and lifting the curtain to enter the tent.
“I could hear you all making a ruckus from inside,” Zhong Li’an said, pouring tea and looking up at the three of them with a smile. “Come in and warm yourselves up.”
Qi Kun, who was standing to the side, also stood up and greeted them with a smile, "You've come at the perfect time. The lord has just brewed the tea and has been waiting for you."
"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early," Yang Xiao said with a smile as she walked to her seat, then glanced around. "By the way, where's Yude?"
“Him,” Zhong Li’an said with a smile, waving his hand and inviting the others to sit down. “That kid came back for lunch and rushed off to the forge in a flurry, talking about something like ‘success or failure both depend on one sword.’ I don’t know what he’s obsessed with.”
Yang Xiao sat down, glanced at Cen Xun with a meaningful smile, poured herself another cup of tea, and blew on it as she lowered her eyes.
Zhong Li'an gently flicked his sleeve, smiled, and picked up the teapot. "We need to find someone who can control him and keep him in check as soon as possible."
Before he could finish speaking, someone rushed into the tent. "What do you mean 'tied up'? Who are you talking about?"
Everyone looked up and saw Zhongli Shuo, enveloped in a chill, run into the tent, panting slightly, and sit down next to Zhongli An.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Zhong Lishuo was taken aback. "What's wrong? Everyone's looking at me?"
Yang Xiao looked at Zhong Lishuo and smiled meaningfully, "Success or failure both come from one sword."
"Well, you're something else," Zhongli Shuo said with a laugh, pointing at Yang Xiao, then turning back to look at Zhongli An reproachfully, "Brother, you're really something, you don't even give me any face."
"What's all this secrecy about?" Bai Ming looked at Zhong Lishuo with interest. "You're even keeping it from me?"
Yang Xiao smiled and looked at Cen Xun, who was drinking tea to the side. When she saw Cen Xun's curious gaze meet hers, Yang Xiao couldn't help but smile and rest her chin on her hand. "What else could it be? It's just the stroke of the character '八' (eight)."
Cen Xun was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. She looked up at Zhong Lishuo and met his sincere and ardent gaze. She turned her head and smiled gently at him, but Zhong Lishuo's face immediately flushed red. He looked away and raised his hand to his cheek, pretending that nothing had happened.
Cen Xun nodded and skimmed the tea foam. Watching the rising steam, his heartstrings were instantly plucked, and ripples of emotion stirred within him.
Zhong Li'an smiled as he looked at his younger brother beside him, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. He took a sip of tea and changed the subject, saying, "I have to say, Tongxi's prediction was really accurate."
Cen Xun then came to his senses and looked up at Zhong Li'an, "What do you mean by that, my lord?"
“Zhao Yue, the prefect of Yingchuan who is loyal to Xiao Yan, seems to be planning to attack Runan recently.” Zhong Li’an leaned against the table and looked up at everyone.
“Yingchuan?” Yang Xiao glanced at Bai Ming and Zhong Lishuo, frowning slightly. “Back when we were fighting in Ji and Yu provinces, Yingchuan was the only place left.”
Bai Ming nodded. "However, Yingchuan is not a large area, so it shouldn't be a match for us."
“But they have powerful backers,” Zhong Li’an chuckled and shook his head. “However, no matter how powerful their backers are, it shouldn’t be a problem for you all.”
“Of course,” Zhongli Shuo said confidently, raising his head. “Approximately when will we send out our troops?”
Upon hearing this, Qi Kun put down his teacup and looked up at Zhong Lishuo. "Although victory is assured, we cannot act rashly." He leaned against the table and leaned forward slightly. "Since they intend to attack us, let them do it."
Zhong Lishuo pondered for a moment, then glanced at Qi Kun. "Wouldn't it be faster if we attacked directly?"
“It’s almost done, but this won’t establish Xiao Yan’s authority,” Qi Kun said patiently, looking at Zhong Lishuo.
“Yes, the strategist is absolutely right.” Cen Xun nodded approvingly. “Since the Prefect of Yingchuan is acting according to Xiao Yan’s wishes, we can use this battle with Yingchuan to establish our prestige in front of Xiao Yan.”
As she spoke, she also looked up at Zhongli Shuo, "Yingchuan is an annex of Yuzhou, yet it conspires with Xiao Yan to invade. We should wait in Runan in comfort and wait for him to begin his advance before we meet the enemy. In this way, we can fight with a legitimate cause, and Xiao Yan will have no grounds to stand on."
“I understand,” Zhongli Shuo nodded in understanding, looking up at Cen Xun. “We will wait in comfort and win this battle without a fight. At that time, our army’s reputation for benevolence and righteousness will be established. We will not attack unless attacked, but if attacked, we will kill them without leaving a single survivor!”
Cen Xun smiled and nodded, "That's exactly what I meant."
Zhongli Shuo smiled at Cen Xun, then turned to look at Zhongli An, "So, brother, when will Yingchuan likely send troops?"
"Why are you in such a hurry now?" Zhong Li'an chuckled and shook his head. "According to what Gu Fan and I just discussed, it should be after the winter solstice and before the New Year."
Qi Kun and Zhong Li'an exchanged a glance and nodded.
“Then we can celebrate the winter solstice and then move on to Runan?” Zhongli Shuo turned his head to look at Zhongli An. “That’s good. The timing is just about right.”
Bai Ming looked at Zhong Lishuo, chuckled, and shook his head. "Don't be too hasty. Although Yingchuan is not a large area, we must not underestimate our enemy. It is said that Zhao Yue has a great general named Qin Yi, whose swordsmanship is superb." Bai Ming frowned slightly. "Perhaps that is why Xiao Yan dared to send Zhao Yue to test our strength."
Zhong Li'an nodded approvingly upon hearing this, "Zhao Qing is absolutely right. Underestimating the enemy on the battlefield is a major taboo."
“Alright, I understand,” Zhong Lishuo nodded in compromise. “However, they only have one capable general. To fight three against one is definitely an underestimation of their strength.”
Everyone laughed upon hearing this. Yang Xiao waved her hand with a smile, "Even if they underestimate us, we should avoid any casualties. Anyway, there's still the winter solstice to go, so there's plenty of time. If we prepare well, we'll definitely be able to take Yingchuan in one fell swoop!"
“Good,” Zhongli An nodded. “With such momentum, confidence and caution from you all, I am at ease. This battle will surely be a great victory. I will then order a banquet to be prepared for all the soldiers, and to catch up with the New Year’s atmosphere.”
“Very well,” Zhongli Shuo stood up, picked up the cup of flower tea beside him, “Although there is no wine now, I will use tea to toast to our great victory in this battle, and to wish us a direct march on Chang’an in the future!”
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed and picked up their cups. The setting sun shone through the bamboo curtain onto their smiling faces, making the smoke from the stove fire even more intense.
"Then I wish us a great victory in this battle, and that our swords will point towards Chang'an!"
The teacups of the six people gathered together shimmered with a soft light, and in the warm glow, they emitted a crisp "ding" sound.
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