After the messengers left, a burly general emerged from behind the screen.
It was Huyan Zai, a close confidant of Touman.
"Your Majesty, why have you dispatched 100,000 elite troops? A mere Shannan County could be flattened by my Xiongnu Imperial Cavalry with just 10,000!"
Hu Yan asked, still puzzled.
Touman the Great sneered:
"Pacify? Do you think my goal is just a small Shannan County? I want the entire Central Plains!"
"These mere barbarians are nothing more than pawns in my game."
Huyan suddenly realized:
"Your Majesty is wise! Use the barbarians to scout ahead, and when the time is right, march south and conquer the Central Plains in one fell swoop!"
"good,"
Touman the Great's eyes gleamed with ambition.
"I will make the entire Central Plains submit to the iron cavalry of the Xiongnu!"
...
At this time.
Ever since Liu An was humiliated by the two insignificant states of Beixiang and Java, he has been living in a state of utter chaos.
He slunk away to the capital.
His once glorious Tiger and Leopard Cavalry has now become a stray dog.
He and I cowardly hid away together.
Liu An was incredibly frustrated.
It felt like a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind, trampling him until his internal organs ached.
At this moment, in Liu An's residence, Liu An paced back and forth, muttering to himself:
"Lu Yan... Lu Yan... It's Lu Yan again! Why is that kid everywhere?!"
Every time he muttered it, he felt as if a knife had been stabbed into his heart, and the pain made him grit his teeth.
His beloved son, Liu Qi, was idly playing with a jade pendant.
This jade pendant was bought for him by his father; it's priceless, exquisitely carved, and supposedly wards off evil spirits.
But at this moment, Liu Qi had no mind to appreciate this precious gem.
His father has been acting like he's possessed these past few days, constantly repeating the name "Lu Yan" on his lips.
It made him feel itchy inside, like he was being scratched by a cat.
"Dad, what kind of amazing thing are you looking at? Let me see it too!"
Liu Qi couldn't hold back any longer; his curiosity erupted like a volcano.
He moved closer to Liu An, gazing at him expectantly.
Ever since Liu An's defeat and escape to the capital, he has been frowning and looking like a wilted eggplant.
But today, he seemed unusually strange, sometimes gritting his teeth and sometimes sighing.
He looks just like a schizophrenic.
This made Liu Qi even more curious about what his father was up to.
This unusual behavior made him want to find out what his father was up to.
Liu An abruptly stopped and slammed the intelligence report in his hand onto the table.
"Look at him for yourself! This Lu Yan is simply a monster!"
Liu Qi grabbed the intelligence report and scanned it quickly.
The expression on his face gradually changed from doubt to shock, and finally to great joy.
"Father, this is wonderful news!"
Liu An stared at him with a puzzled expression.
"A good thing? Lu Yan has almost conquered Beixiang Kingdom and Java Kingdom. Is this a good thing for you and me?"
He pointed to the intelligence report about the Shannan Prefecture army capturing several cities in succession, his words filled with unease.
"How long has it been? He just took Southeast Pass, and now Yunyang City and Haixia Pass have fallen into his hands!"
"This kid is more terrifying than a locust swarm!"
Liu Qi, however, was not affected by Liu An's anxiety at all; instead, he rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“Father, think about it, the stronger Lu Yan becomes, the more afraid the Northern Xiang Kingdom and Java Kingdom will be.”
"They'll definitely focus all their energy on dealing with Lu Yan, which is a perfect opportunity for us to take advantage of their weakness and retake the capital!"
Liu An was stunned. His previously anxious heart had strangely calmed down.
He slowly sat down, his fingers lightly tapping the table as he fell into deep thought.
Liu Qi's suggestion was bold, but not without reason.
Lu Yan's rise did indeed disrupt the entire situation and created opportunities for them.
"But……"
Liu An hesitated for a moment.
"We are currently short of troops. Even if the Northern Xiang Kingdom and Java Kingdom are both severely weakened, we may not be able to retake the capital."
He sighed.
"The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of yesteryear has now dwindled to less than five thousand men. With such a small force, they can't even reach the gates of the capital."
Liu Qi, however, disagreed.
"Father, although we only have five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry on the surface, we still have quite a few men in secret."
"With the wealth accumulated over the years, recruiting soldiers and expanding our strength is not difficult."
His eyes gleamed.
"We can wait until the time is right and then take over the capital in one fell swoop!"
As Liu An listened to Liu Qi's analysis, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
Looking at his son, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Perhaps, even in this chaotic world, there are still opportunities.
"good!"
Liu An slammed his hand on the table, his eyes flashing with determination.
"Let's do as you say! Let's wait and see how things develop. When Beixiang Kingdom and Java Kingdom are both severely weakened, that will be the best time for us to make our move!"
Liu An and his son began to make intensive preparations.
While they were secretly recruiting soldiers and stockpiling grain, they were also secretly building up their own army.
On the one hand, they actively contacted various forces to prepare for the recapture of the capital.
...
In Shannan Prefecture, the study of Lu Yan was filled with the faint scent of ink.
He propped his forehead with one hand and casually fiddled with the wolf-hair brush on the table with the other.
His brows were furrowed, making him look like a monkey that had been constipated for three days and three nights.
"This Northern Xiang Kingdom, if they want to make peace, fine, but they have to force their princess on us, making me feel like a junk collector."
Lu Yan muttered to himself, his tone full of disdain.
As the governor of Shannan Prefecture, he commands a large army; what kind of woman can't he have?
But then the Kingdom of Beixiang rushed to send a princess over.
This made him feel like he was being given charity, which made him very unhappy.
"My lord, should we accept Princess Mingyue of Beixiang Kingdom or not?"
Li Kui, still gnawing on a chicken leg, asked indistinctly.
Oil dripped down the corner of his mouth, forming a shiny oily trail on his chin.
Lu Yan glanced at him sideways.
"Take it? How? I'm not running a brothel! Besides, what do you take me for if you just hand it over like this?"
Upon hearing this, Li Kui quickly put down the chicken leg and hastily wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"That's true, why don't I go and find out, Your Excellency?"
"What the hell are you asking about! Is that what bothers me right now?"
Lu Yan slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump.
"The most important thing now is to find out exactly where this little wench is!"
“If she runs away on her own, the Northern Xiang Kingdom might turn around and accuse us of detaining their princess.”
"That's not just mud falling into your pants—it's like poop is poop!"
"Yes, sir, I'll go right away!"
Upon hearing this, Li Kui immediately perked up and ran out excitedly.
Li Kui is quite efficient.
A few days later, news of Princess Mingyue was brought back.
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