Chapter 60: Watching the chess game and sowing discord, I agree
Before Luo Wan understood what Xie Yan meant, Jiang Cichen was already standing behind her, saying, "A bow is not a static object. You have to follow its force."
He guided her to slowly draw the bowstring, and the bow curved into a smooth arc in his palm. There was a gap between Luo Wan's back and his chest, but she could still clearly feel the rhythm of his breathing.
Jiang Cichen continued, "That's the only way to shoot the most powerful arrow. Xie Yan's archery skills have been outstanding since he was young. To this day, no one has ever seen anyone who can surpass him. Whether it's strength, accuracy, or speed, he has no shortcomings."
Unlike his usual condescending tone, his voice was very soft, so soft that only the two of them could hear it. It floated into Luo Wan's ears, causing a tingling sensation.
For some reason, Luo Wan suddenly wanted to ask him: "Do you think I will lose?"
Jiang Cichen said slowly, "I don't think so. Xie Yan is very cunning. He shot his second arrow suddenly. If you had added a little more force beforehand, you wouldn't have been deflected by his arrow. With your archery skills, you won't lose. I don't really have much to teach you, but I can tell you..."
Xie Yan sneezed inexplicably, rubbed his nose, looked at Jiang Cichen and Luo Wan, and said, "Shall we start?"
Jiang Cichen took two steps back and stood as a bystander, looking at Luo Wan.
Luo Wan said calmly, "Let's get started."
Xie Yan put the bowstring on and the arrow flew straight towards the bull's eye.
Luo Wan slightly turned sideways and pulled the bowstring to the full moon. The speed of this arrow increased compared to the previous one.
Xie Yan had already won the first round. As long as he continued to hit the bull's eye in the next two rounds, he would win the competition. What's more, the next two rounds would not be a challenge for him.
In the second round, both arrows hit the bull's eye firmly.
Xie Yan drew his bow, raised his eyebrows and said, "Miss Luo, the last arrow will decide the outcome!"
Before he finished speaking, Xie Yan's arrow had already left the string and shot straight through the bull's eye.
Luo Wan's fingertips suddenly tightened their grip on the bowstring, and her arrow chased after Xie Yan's arrow. The arrowhead precisely brushed past the tail feathers of Xie Yan's arrow, knocking it off course by three points, while her arrow steadily pierced the bull's eye!
The soldiers on the sidelines were in an uproar.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Yan's eyes.
In the third game, Luo Wan won.
Jiang Cichen stood with his arms folded, and the subtle curve at the corner of his mouth quickly disappeared when Luo Wan saw it.
Jiang Cichen's words echoed in Luo Wan's ears: "But I can tell you that in a match, besides strength, you also need to have a good understanding of your opponent. With Xie Yan's personality, as long as he feels that a thing is stable, he will let down his guard. You know what to do."
Someone said, "For an archer like General Xie, if he doesn't win, he loses!"
The soldiers were even more excited: "If you lose, you have to accept the punishment! Thank you, General, for helping us have fun!"
"I heard General Xie's specialty is combos. I strongly urge General Xie to demonstrate it!"
Xie Yan didn't refuse, and strode to the target, signaling to his guards, "Go, get three copper coins!"
Soon, three brand new copper coins were thrown into the air, shining golden in the sunlight.
Just when they reached the highest point and were about to fall, Xie Yan moved as fast as lightning. Some people couldn't even see how he drew the bow and arrow. They only heard a "whoosh" and a very short sound of the arrow breaking through the air.
The feather arrow pierced through the holes of three copper coins in succession with incredible precision!
There were a few crisp jingle sounds, and the coin was carried by the arrow and flew a distance before it was deeply nailed into a wooden stake in the distance. The copper coin was firmly nailed between the stake and the arrow head, not moving at all.
"good!"
"pretty!"
"Thank you, General, for this amazing arrow!"
The cheers were earth-shaking and the soldiers were filled with excitement.
Taking advantage of the excitement, the quick-witted soldiers set up the chessboard and cushions under the shade of the trees at the edge of the venue. They knew that Governor Jiang's arrow wound on his left shoulder had not healed yet, so it was not advisable to move the bowstring again. A game of chess would be the safest option.
"Governor Jiang, why not play a game of chess?"
Jiang Cichen glanced at the chessboard that was cool under the shade of the tree, then looked at Luo Wan: "Let's play a game?"
Luo Wan glanced at the ancient chessboard. She hadn't touched chess for a long time and hadn't played since her rebirth, so she nodded.
The two men moved to sit on both sides of the chessboard, and the surrounding soldiers gathered around curiously.
Someone cleverly brought two empty baskets and placed them on either side of the chess table, shouting, "Place your bets! Place your bets on Governor Jiang or Miss Luo to win? Bet on it and leave it at that!"
The atmosphere suddenly became more lively, and copper coins began to fall into the two baskets with a clinking sound.
Most of the bets were placed on Jiang Cichen. After all, Commander Jiang's chess skills were well-known in the army, so some clever soldiers set up the chess game specially.
Although there were fewer people supporting Luo Wan, there were still quite a few overall. It was obvious that her archery skills had won her many supporters.
At this moment, a white and tender little hand, holding a jade hairpin that was warm and exquisitely carved, carefully walked across the crowd and gently placed it in Luo Wan's basket.
This jade hairpin stands out in the basket filled with only copper coins, shining brightly.
Xie Yan was watching everyone placing bets with great interest when he immediately noticed the jade hairpin. He looked up along the little hand and asked, "When did you come?"
Jiang Yuanan didn't panic when she was discovered. Instead, she smiled sweetly and pointed at Chen Nanyuan, who was standing half a step behind her, looking down at the chess board, and said, "He brought me here."
Chen Nanyuan looked up upon hearing this and said, "I brought her here because I was worried she'd be too bored in the tent all by herself!"
Xie Yan looked at Jiang Yuanan, who was looking at Luo Wan beside the chessboard with a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling. She then looked at Jiang Cichen, but had no intention of taking out anything to bet again.
Xie Yan couldn't help but be curious, and asked in a low voice: "Aren't you going to bet on Governor Jiang? He is your..."
He didn't finish what he said, but the meaning was clear.
Jiang Yuanan showed a trace of confusion on his face: "Do I have to bet?"
She wasn't stingy, it's just that she had thrown away most of her belongings, leaving only a few pieces of jewelry.
Xie Yan continued to tease her: "Didn't you come here just to see him? He's playing chess with someone else now, and you don't even want to bet on him to cheer him up?"
Jiang Yuanan thought carefully for a while, and finally made up his mind and pulled out a gold hairpin from his bun. This hairpin was simple in style, but the head was inlaid with a round and smooth pearl, which shone softly in the sunlight.
She took the golden hairpin and walked to Jiang Cichen's basket. Just as she was about to throw the hairpin in, she stopped.
She looked down at the basket, then at the basket on Luo Wan's side, and then at Jiang Cichen who had already started placing his pieces on the chessboard. She frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, stretched out her other hand, and forcefully pried the pearl off the golden hairpin.
Then, under Xie Yan's stunned gaze, Jiang Yuanan threw the lonely pearl into Jiang Cichen's basket.
As for the golden hairpin that looked somewhat bare without the pearls, she put it back into her bun as if nothing had happened.
Xie Yan: “…”
He looked at the pearl in the basket that was almost buried in the pile of copper coins, and when he saw Jiang Yuanan's calm face, the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.
Xie Yan, though not a descendant of royalty, had a comfortable life, never worried about money. A true young man, he knew nothing of worry. He never imagined that one day he would be fixated on a mere pearl plucked from someone else.
The black and white pieces fought silently on the chessboard. At first, the layout seemed peaceful, but as the pieces were placed more and more frequently, an invisible murderous aura began to spread in the small space.
The soldiers watching the game held their breath, not daring to make a sound. The game had reached the middle stage and the situation was deadlocked.
Jiang Cichen had just placed a key white piece, seemingly consolidating his territory in the upper left corner, but in fact he was forcing Luo Wan into a seemingly safe corner.
Luo Wan twirled a black piece between her fingers, her gaze wandering across the chessboard. She had a hunch that Jiang Cichen's move was a trap, but with her unfamiliar hands, it was hard to discern the killer move behind it. That corner seemed spacious, as if it could be used to move the piece.
Just as she was hesitating whether to move the black spot into that area, a loud and anxious voice suddenly rang out beside her: "Miss Luo! Don't go down there! Don't!"
The sound was like thunder out of the blue, instantly breaking the solemn silence around the chessboard.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice in astonishment, only to see Chen Nanyuan squeezed next to Luo Wan at some point, pointing at the seemingly safe corner of the chessboard.
Hearing the voice, Luo Wan looked up at him, not understanding what he wanted to do.
Chen Nanyuan was completely unaware of what earth-shattering he had done. He pointed to the corner and said urgently, "Here! Young Master, this is where Governor Jiang likes to set his traps! It looks like a big place where you can survive, but it's actually a dead end! If you make this move, he will definitely have a series of killer moves waiting for you, and you will be completely exhausted! I've seen it too many times. He cheats people... This is how he wins over others! Really! Believe me!"
He spoke very quickly, and his words were like pouring beans, turning Jiang Cichen's routine upside down.
At the end, he nodded vigorously and looked at Luo Wan with extremely sincere eyes.
Look how thoughtful I am, reminding you in time!
Everyone was petrified; even the cicadas in the trees seemed to be so startled by the sudden sound that they forgot to chirp.
Xie Yan was the first one who couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.
The soldiers around wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, and their eyes were all looking back and forth between Jiang Cichen and Chen Nanyuan.
The knuckles of Jiang Cichen's fingers turned slightly white as he held the chess pieces. He slowly raised his eyes and looked at Chen Nanyuan, who had become so rebellious at this moment.
The meaning in that look was extremely clear: Chen, Nan, Yuan, you are dead!
Chen Nanyuan felt a chill on the back of his neck when he saw the look in his young master's eyes. He finally realized belatedly that he seemed to have said something wrong?
He suddenly covered his mouth and his eyes widened.
Luo Wan came back to her senses from her initial shock. Looking at Chen Nanyuan, the big guy with a regretful and innocent look, and Jiang Cichen opposite with a face full of impending storm, as well as the white piece he had just dropped, she instantly understood.
She lowered her head and re-examined the dead end pointed out by Chen Nanyuan.
Jiang Cichen's layout was extremely ingenious. If she had really made a move just now, it would seem like she was struggling to survive, but in fact it would have played into his hands. The next few moves would have been completely blocked, and she would have lost the whole game.
Now that he has seen the trap, Luo Wan is in a dilemma. It is not right for him to make a move, nor is it right for him not to make a move.
Jiang Yuanan said in time: "No more! No more! It's boring! Come on, Sister Luo, please teach me archery. I really want to learn!"
Jiang Cichen withdrew his gaze from Chen Nanyuan and fell on Luo Wan's departing back, his eyes deepening.
Xie Yan moved closer to Chen Nanyuan, nudged him with his elbow, and whispered, "You're done."
*
In the past two days, Jiang Yuanan actually started learning archery.
She rarely acted like a princess. In the Yuan Yinan military camp, except Qin Yue, no one else knew that she was a princess. They just treated her as a little sister from somewhere and they quickly became friends.
The soldiers at the martial arts arena saw her coming with Luo Wan again and greeted her, "Miss Luo and Miss Jiang, are you here to practice martial arts again?"
The two responded with a smile.
"What are we learning today?" Zhang, who was lifting the stone lock, asked loudly.
Luo Wan turned around and saw Jiang Yuanan, struggling with a dilemma, facing a row of weapons. She touched the cold barrel of a spear, then the hammer, and finally stopped in front of a sword taller than she was, frowning.
Two days ago, Jiang Yuanan showed off his skills in the martial arts arena. First, his sword flew out of his hand while he was dancing, and then he was hit on the forehead by the butt of the gun while he was playing with it, which made the soldiers laugh.
Luo Wan felt that none of the weapons in the martial arts arena were suitable for Jiang Yuanan. She was petite and round, with delicate skin and flesh, and had little strength, so she couldn't possibly wield a weapon longer than herself.
But Jiang Yuanan has a thirst for learning.
Luo Wan chose an archery activity for her that was not too physically demanding.
"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart." Luo Wan demonstrated the standard posture. "Hold the bow with your left hand and nock the arrow with your right hand..."
Jiang Yuanan imitated awkwardly, but the bowstring didn't budge at all. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Sister Luo, am I your first student in archery?"
Luo Wan paused for a moment and said lightly: "No."
In fact, Jiang Yuanan would always feel tired after practicing for a while, and would sit motionless beside Luo Wan, or go back to the tent to sleep.
Originally, that sentence was just to help Luo Wan out of trouble, but saying it in front of so many people had to go through the motions, so Jiang Yuanan pretended to practice it in the morning.
After Jiang Yuanan yawned and went back to sleep, Luo Wan met the self-disciplined Chen Nanyuan again in the martial arts field.
Chen Nanyuan runs dozens of laps around the martial arts field every morning these days.
Chen Nanyuan felt wronged. He had good intentions, wanting his son and Miss Luo to play a little longer. If Luo Wan had placed the chess piece there, the game would have ended quickly.
*
When Luo Wan found Jiang Cichen's tent, the curtain was half-closed and low voices of conversation could be heard from inside.
Xie Yan's voice rang out, "That brat, Chen Nanyuan, has been running around the martial arts arena these past few days. With his memory, how come he can't remember the game of watching chess without saying a word?"
Jiang Cichen's voice was emotionless. "The military regulations should include a rule: 'Anyone who talks nonsense while watching a game of chess will be punished by running a hundred laps.'"
Xie Yan chuckled softly, "This punishment is quite fitting. But then again, Miss Luo's last arrow was quite interesting."
Of course, she didn't come to plead for Chen Nanyuan.
Luo Wan gently lifted the curtain and went in, seeing two people leaning over the sand table.
On the sand table, the terrain between Weizhou City and Yinan City is vivid.
The two of them turned around when they heard the sound.
Xie Yan smiled and said, "Miss Luo, do you have something to ask Governor Jiang?"
Jiang Cichen was playing with a small red flag between his slender fingers and was inserting it into a winding mountain road.
Luo Wan's gaze fell on the narrow mountain road and asked, "When are you going to start?"
Jiang Cichen had never been one to swallow his anger. The people of Yinan City all said that this young commander had been here for over half a month, and despite frequent clashes with the Xiliang army, he had remained silent.
This small border town is short of supplies, and every battle drains its coffers. It can be understood that they do not want to cause losses, but if the Western Liang Army attacks the city, the Southern Army still has to fight.
Compared to sitting and waiting for death, taking the initiative is Jiang Cichen's style.
According to the developments in his previous life, Jiang Cichen would take over the capital and Liangding, which means that he could not stay in this small town forever. Sooner or later, he would take over Weizhou. It was only a matter of time.
Jiang Cichen tapped the edge of the sand table with his fingertips and said, "Three days later."
Three days later it will be time to deliver food and fodder to the Xiliang army.
Luo Wan nodded and discussed the plan with them.
Jiang Cichen said, "In three days, a new batch of food and fodder from the Xiliang army will pass through the Jiagu Road. We will set up an ambush on both wings."
Luo Wan asked: "Is the information reliable?"
Jiang Cichen raised his eyebrows: "Chen Nanyuan got tanned like this because of this."
Luo Wan recalled the first time she saw Chen Nanyuan at the Yinan military camp. He looked no different from the locals, and she almost didn't recognize him.
She found the location of Jiagu Road on the map. The northwest was mostly flat land, but Jiagu Road was a rare mountain road, very suitable for ambush.
Weizhou City was wealthy, while Yinan City was poor, and the military strength of the two cities was vastly different. Looting a batch of food and fodder would be a drop in the bucket, not enough to defeat the Western Liang army. Instead, it would alert the enemy and arouse their vigilance.
However, Weizhou City and Yinan City are not far apart, and the gap between the rich and the poor should not be so large.
The reason for all this is that Weizhou City is backed by Yangzhou, a wealthy city in Xiliang, and most of the food and grass are also supplied through Yangzhou. However, Yinan City is far away from other cities in Yun State and cannot provide food and grass support.
"Weizhou relies on Yangzhou for its food and fodder. The generals of Yangzhou are often dissatisfied with this. They have been at odds with the generals of Weizhou for a long time, but they dare not disobey the orders of the King of Xiliang." Jiang Cichen smiled and said, "Starting with food and fodder is one part, and starting with people's hearts is another."
Luo Wan asked back, "Human hearts? How do we start?"
Jiang Cichen didn't answer but asked, "What do soldiers worry about most when fighting?"
Luo Wan met Jiang Cichen's eyes: "Food and fodder."
A faint smile flashed across Jiang Cichen's eyes. "If an army has no food, even the bravest soldiers will lose their fighting power. If the news of the discord between the generals of Weizhou and Yangzhou spreads among the Weizhou army and is exaggerated, it will cause the morale of the Weizhou army to weaken. For us, without wasting a single soldier, we have already won in terms of momentum."
Luo Wan whispered, "So you're not only going to rob food supplies, but you're also going to spread rumors?"
Jiang Cichen asked, "Have you softened your heart?"
Luo Wan didn't even think twice: "I agree with the strategy of sowing discord."
Why is she so soft-hearted?
Luo Wan understood this alliance better than anyone else: it wasn't Jiang Cichen who needed her, but rather she who needed Jiang Cichen. Regardless of her presence or absence, the wheel of history would continue along its predetermined trajectory, and Jiang Cichen would eventually reign supreme.
She had simply selfishly taken advantage of this, using the name of an alliance with him to buy that man a chance of survival.
Xie Yan roughly knew why Luo Wan came to Yinan City, but he was not sure where her motive came from. Regardless of the motive, it was now obvious that Jiang Cichen had told Luo Wan all his plans without reservation.
Xie Yan's gaze flickered between the two of them, and he said, "Miss Luo, think carefully. Ah Chen once had a nickname in the army, Jade-faced Yama. Don't be fooled by this appearance."
Jiang Cichen smiled slightly and did not comment.
The three of them discussed the specific implementation plan.
Luo Wan looked at Jiang Cichen and explained her original intention: "I want to ask if there is a blacksmith in the barracks? I want to make a set of hidden arrows."
Jiang Cichen looked at her: "Sleeve Arrow?"
Luo Wan nodded. "The weapons in the army are heavy and bulky, so they're not suitable for Yuan An. The sleeve arrows are light and compact, and hard to detect, so they're perfect for her. I drew the blueprint myself, and the blacksmith can just make it according to the blueprint. It won't be too much trouble."
Xie Yan interjected, "There's indeed an old blacksmith in the Yinan military camp. His surname is Zhang. He's well-known for his ironworking skills. Many soldiers have come to him to repair damaged weapons. Forging a pair of sleeve arrows shouldn't be a difficult task for him."
Jiang Cichen stood up and said, "I'll take you there."
Xie Yan was left alone in the tent.
*
On the way, Jiang Cichen took the drawing handed to him by Luo Wan. He looked at it carefully, his brows gradually furrowed, and he didn't say anything for a long time.
Luo Wan had drawn this blueprint temporarily from memory. Seeing his strange expression, she thought there was something wrong with the blueprint: "Is there something wrong?"
Jiang Cichen paused and said, "Tingyu Tower even teaches this?"
"No need to teach." Luo Wan said, "I figured it out on my own."
Jiang Cichen said, "Although the sleeve arrow is small, it does require precise control of force and angle. If there is any deviation when using it, it is easy to hurt yourself. Are you sure she can use it?"
Luo Wan said: "I can teach her."
Blacksmith Zhang was a stubborn man, perhaps a bit of a talent, who was often arrogant. Aside from weapons that were essential for the military, if anyone wanted him to forge a weapon individually, he would only do so if the forge was to his liking.
The furnace in the smithy shed burned fiercely. Beside the fire, blacksmith Zhang stood shirtless, wearing a thick leather apron tied around his waist. In one hand, he held a piece of dark red iron tightly between tongs and placed it on the anvil. In the other hand, he swung a huge hammer.
After receiving the blueprint, Zhang the Blacksmith looked up at Jiang Cichen, then at Luo Wan, and said briefly, "Three days."
Walking out of the blacksmith's shed, the morning breeze brought a hint of coolness.
Luo Wan looked at the clouds drifting across the sky and thought of Jiang Yuanan who had returned to his tent to take a nap. "What are you going to do about Yuanan?"
Jiang Yuanan's status was unique. As a princess of a certain country, staying in the enemy camp was not a long-term solution. The Yinan army was treating her kindly, but they had harbored resentment towards Xiliang for so many years that it was hard to guarantee that upon learning of Jiang Yuanan's identity, they would not transfer that hatred towards her. This was a potential risk.
Jiang Cichen didn't stop walking: "No big deal."
Luo Wan didn't know if Jiang Cichen did it on purpose or what. She could only say, "She came all the way from Liangding to see you..."
She wanted to continue the second half of the sentence, saying that you can't ignore her safety, but Jiang Cichen interrupted her as soon as she finished the first half of the sentence, saying, "Send someone to send her back to Liangding tomorrow."
Luo Wan stopped dead in her tracks. She was now certain Jiang Cichen had done this on purpose. He had been there just now, had clearly heard Blacksmith Zhang say it would take three days, and had clearly known the sleeve arrows weren't finished yet. Yet, he was now saying he would send Jiang Yuanan back to Liangding the next day.
"No," she said firmly.
Jiang Cichen turned around and said, "You said no, so what? She's the Princess of Xiliang. What's the point of her staying in the enemy camp? Let her continue playing war games here? You know what we're going to do next. Do you think it's a good thing for her to watch us attack her country with her own eyes?"
Luo Wan said, "If I say no, then no." She added, "At least wait until the sleeve arrows are ready."
Jiang Cichen got up and walked away.
Luo Wan caught up and stopped him: "Speak."
Jiang Cichen smiled and said lazily, "If you say no, then it's no."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Two-in-One Chapter (＾ν＾)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com