Chapter 1274: One Battle Secures the Southwest (Part 11) [Happy National Day]
The Southwestern Allied forces were far less efficient than expected.
Shen Tang initially suspected they were planning a siege without attack, attempting to trap the main force of the Kang Kingdom there. However, considering the pressure on their supplies, it was uncertain who would be worn down. With the allies making no move, Shen Tang was happy to continue training his navy; experience points were never too many.
What's the actual reason?
This brings us to Cui Zhi.
Cui Zhi's early departure from the camp disrupted the Southwest Allied Army's operational rhythm. As one of the core leaders of this battle, his absence was not simply a matter of one person being missing. Even though he recommended Mei Meng, Mei Jinghe was not a member of the Cui clan, and the generals with close ties to the Cui clan would not easily submit to her. Furthermore, the two powerful figures of the Southwest Allied Army, Luo Yuan and Gongyang Yongye, were beyond his control.
The longer-than-expected delays are also based on this.
Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise.
Whether it's due to supernatural forces like literary talent and martial prowess in this world, or for some other reason, the changing seasons are far more complex. The timing of wind shifts is unpredictable each year. Even fishermen who have spent their entire lives making a living on the river dare not claim to have completely grasped the patterns. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; Mei Meng's appointment to a critical mission delayed things, but it also allowed her to wait for the opportune shift in wind direction.
The timing of the day is the law governing the operation of the heavens.
Literary figures can influence the timing of events through the power of words, but the difficulty of conforming to the timing of events and going against it are not on the same level.
To give a simple example, in a torrential downpour, if a scholar uses incantations to clear the sky, it goes against the natural order; if he uses incantations to increase the rain, it goes in accordance with the natural order. The latter is far less difficult than the former and consumes less spiritual energy.
The Allied forces had the advantage of tailwinds, which greatly facilitated both naval navigation and clearing paths, and most importantly, their main warships faced fewer restrictions. The opposing side, however, was at a disadvantage. Their warships experienced significant drag, further reducing their already limited maneuverability. From a naval formation perspective, the Southwestern Allied forces held the upper hand. Of course, this was not irreversible.
The scholars in Kangguo are willing to pay a price to reverse the tide.
“As far as I know, this is Kang Guo’s specialty.” As the deputy director of the Southwest Branch, Mei Meng was able to handle most of the classified intelligence that Cui Zhi had access to. “Arrange for a group of people to take care of these first, or at least keep them occupied at the front lines if they can’t be taken care of.”
"This is Jiang Feng!"
The Southwest Allied Forces felt that Mei Meng was overly cautious and that it was necessary to send someone to infiltrate and assassinate her. Changing the wind direction in a certain area is not as simple as plowing a piece of land, because the wind moves!
Changing the wind in a small area is short-lived; it will be swallowed up by natural wind forces within moments. This is essentially equivalent to altering the flow of a single drop of water and hoping that it will reverse the course of a wave. The wave's course won't change, but it can engulf the drop of water.
If you want to make changes, the scale needs to be large.
Only when something becomes large enough can its direction be influenced.
How wide and powerful would an artificial wind have to be to contend with the wind that follows the natural order? Instead of wasting our limited energy worrying about this, we should use our resources elsewhere: "How to reverse this?"
Mei Meng said, "How can it not be reversed?"
She looked directly at the military general who was questioning her decision: "Since its founding, Kang has never suffered a natural disaster. Before that, you should all know what the situation was like in the northwest. Kang uses its national fortune to interfere with the timing of the heavens, and the assistance of capable people in the court is another reason. Only by combining the two can Kang have had such a bumper harvest in recent years."
How large was the territory of Kangguo?
The weather within the country's borders is completely under control.
What's a mere river breeze?
Mei Meng not only needs to be wary, but also needs to strike first by planting spies to carry out assassinations when the opportunity arises. Of course, she won't act now; she must remain inactive for the time being. Once the two sides officially begin fighting, her spies will identify and eliminate these individuals.
Besides these details, Mei Meng also had to plan and deploy her troops.
This part of the work was already mostly completed; Cui Zhi had left the plans behind, and Mei Meng only needed to make the arrangements. It sounds simple, but in reality, it was fraught with difficulties. The problem wasn't with the battle plan itself, but rather that the troop deployment results failed to convince the troops.
They accepted the transfer, which was in Cui Zhi's hands.
But in Mei Meng's hands, they went back on their word.
They verbally complain about injustices and unfairness, putting on an air of impartiality, but in reality, they're all scheming for their own benefit. They've heard that Mei Meng has been demoted and dismissed by the King of Qi; their actions are clearly an attempt to take advantage of Mei Meng's lack of powerful family backing.
If Mei Meng were to be led by the nose by them, or show even the slightest stage fright, the interests of the group would become irreconcilable. After watching the spectacle for a few days, Shen Wuyou Tang couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for her.
"This teammate is hopeless, I can't carry them at all."
If only one person in a group acts in their own self-interest, and that person is singled out, they will be condemned by their peers. But if everyone in a group is looking out for their own benefit, then the impartial and selfless person becomes the target of everyone's criticism. This is the situation Mei Meng is in now.
"General Qi, aren't you going to lend a hand?"
Qi Cang and Mei Meng seem to have a good relationship. Or is Qi Cang really just a comedian who enjoys all sorts of entertainment?
"Help her? She doesn't need help. If she can't even handle this kind of situation, she wouldn't be Mei Jinghe." Qi Cang sneered, thinking of those people from the Southwest Allied Army. "Treating a rabble is easy, isn't it? They have a lot of pigtails, let's see if they dare to grab them."
Would Mei Meng not have the guts?
Sure enough, within two days, news broke that someone had been court-martialed. Mei Meng acted swiftly; those who tried to plead for leniency even cried out, "Spare his life!" but it was still no use. Killing the chicken to scare the monkey—if the chicken doesn't die, how will the monkey behave?
You can only blame these chickens for being unlucky.
Haha, it's clear that it's not just a few chickens that are unlucky.
Before Qin Li and the other scholars skilled in the art of divination could react, the hidden agents around them had already been nipped in the bud.
"Why is it you today?" The military camp had limited resources, but Shen Tang was truly generous to those she favored. She knew Qin Li loved tea, and she never forgot to give him any good tea cakes she had. Even when the army was on the move, she would send someone to take care of his daily life.
The one before that was a prisoner.
It's said that before being conscripted, his family ran a tea business. Growing up surrounded by tea, he also became quite skilled at brewing it. The tea this man brewed, in terms of both temperature and taste, was something Qin Li was quite satisfied with. Today, busy at his desk, Qin Li picked up his teacup without looking up, and immediately noticed something was off with the taste. He asked the guard beside him what was wrong, and the guard stammered out the truth.
"That person committed suicide."
Qin Li's relaxed expression vanished completely.
"Not someone with a clean background?"
Those who were sent to serve Qin Li's side had their entire family history investigated. Qin Li himself had inquired about their backgrounds, so how could there be a problem?
When Gu Chi saw Qin Li approaching, he knew what he wanted to ask: "We stopped someone who was about to commit suicide and got some clues out of her. These people are ostensibly descendants of the Gao Kingdom, and were originally Wu Xian's private slaves. If they infiltrate and cause any trouble, the blame will ultimately fall on Wu Zhaode..."
Qin Li shook his head and said, "It can't be Wu Xian."
Wu Xian is indeed indecisive, but that doesn't mean he's brainless. Even if Wu Xian is unwilling to give up, he wouldn't engage in any underhanded tactics when his lord is at the height of his power; if exposed, it would mean the execution of his entire family. Given his personality, he wouldn't take such a huge risk.
It's as if someone framed them.
Qin Li asked, "Who is the mastermind behind this?"
Gu Chi said, "None of these people have ever seen the mastermind behind the scenes. They only know that it is someone from the inner court. And wasn't the inner court the same as the royal court of Gao Kingdom at that time? Based on the timeline, I have a suspect."
Qin Li understood: "Mei Meng?"
Gu Chi smiled and said, "It can only be her."
The emperor suddenly assigned him a task, saying that there might be spies lurking around Qin Li and a few others, and that he should investigate secretly. Gu Chi's first reaction was that this was absurd; the people around important officials were always thoroughly vetted. What kind of spy could escape his scholarly ways?
And indeed, it did exist.
These informants were all insignificant figures who rarely frequented Gu Chi's vicinity. During their undercover work, they were diligent and hardworking, and most of them came from impoverished backgrounds. Apart from the one beside Qin Li, the other informants only reached the periphery and couldn't cause much harm. Nevertheless, Gu Chi still felt his reputation had been tarnished.
If the tea brewed for Qin Li was poisoned...
Gu Chi dared not think about the consequences.
Qin Li: "What do you mean I can't even imagine? I could be poisoned to death?"
His lord had assigned three guards to test the poison on him; if he still died from it, it would only prove his fate. He was, after all, a scholar of great learning, and even the most potent poison in the world couldn't kill him instantly; he could still be held up until a physician induced vomiting and administered an antidote. Compared to these worries, Qin Li was more concerned about the timing of when the enemy planted these spies.
That goes back to the war between Gao and the Kingdom of Gao, right?
"Poison you? Wouldn't that break the master's heart?"
Gu Chi's words carried a hint of sourness.
He only learned this time that the master had arranged for Qin Li to be guarded to test the poison, three at a time, a privilege he himself had never received.
Qin Li: "..."
His colleagues are not mentally stable.
After finishing his business, Gu Chi dusted himself off and went to report to Shen Tang. Of the informants discovered during the search, aside from the one who was stopped alive, the rest had all committed suicide. The scouts outside also spotted suspicious individuals and apprehended them all: "What should we do with these people?"
"Kill the living to scare the monkeys, and throw the dead to feed the fish?"
Shen Tang wiped the silver bow in her hand with a handkerchief, and said without raising her head, "If the corpses have ingested a deadly poison, wouldn't it be murdering the fish if we threw them to feed them? Just cut off the heads of these corpses and have the scouts throw the bodies to the Southwest Allied Army scouts."
Gu Chi didn't understand why someone would deliberately cut off their head.
Isn't this unnecessary?
How could Mei Meng, who has no brains, know that this was an informant she planted?
Shen Tang picked up the bow, which was almost as tall as her, with one hand, looked towards the direction of the Southwest Allied Army, and sneered: "You can recognize it."
Gu Chi's heart skipped a beat.
Instantly, I realized what Shen Tang was planning to do.
Shen Tang's tone was icy, her eyes filled with chilling murderous intent: "...She's truly unafraid of death to reach out to Gong Su."
The Southwestern Allied scouts, watching the approaching enemy, were all on high alert, muscles tense, assuming a defensive posture. Unexpectedly, halfway through the charge, the enemy threw several blood-stained bags at them, then made a sharp turn and retreated, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Was it a trap?
The vanguard scouts ordered their men to go forward and investigate.
The bag contained several headless corpses.
Judging from the clothing of the corpse, it should be a person from Kangguo?
The scouts and others looked at each other in bewilderment.
They dared not delay and sent someone to deliver the message to the main camp.
Mei Meng arrived upon hearing the news and vaguely guessed the identities of these people.
She lowered her eyes in thought, then raised them again, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. The allied forces, unaware of these individuals' identities, knew this was a provocation and humiliation from Kangguo: "You've removed the heads from these corpses to scare us? Without heads, who knows where these corpses came from?"
This approach is far too naive.
Who among them didn't come through a fierce battle?
What purpose could a few headless corpses serve?
Qi Cang glanced at it and immediately lost interest. Just as he was about to turn away, his ears twitched, and his gaze followed the direction of the banner.
The other generals were weaker than him, and their reactions were naturally not as sharp. It wasn't until the light blade pierced through the clouds, leaving a white line across the sky that spanned both armies and approached the position of the banner that they were both shocked and furious, and they attacked: "What kind of petty thief dares to invade!"
The seated banner is the main banner of the central army commander.
Regardless of who fired the arrow, even if it barely grazed the banner, let alone sever it, the Southwest Allied Army would be utterly disgraced for generations to come. In an instant, more than a dozen beams of martial energy of various colors rushed towards the banner, determined to intercept the arrow.
Qi Cang glanced at it and then withdrew his toes.
Zhong Lifu, who was beside him, whistled again.
"Who is so arrogant as to shoot down the banner with an arrow?"
Qi Cang suspected that she was gloating, and he had evidence.
"General Qi, aren't you going to stop them?"
Qi Cang snorted, "This arrow came from the other side. At this distance, it's already lost much of its power. If the Allied generals can't even stop this arrow, they'd better wash their necks and wait for someone to chop them off. They shouldn't go to the battlefield and embarrass themselves."
His words were undeniably harsh and sarcastic.
However, he did not expect the other side to be even more sarcastic and mean.
This huge arrow has a human head stuck in it!
"You dare to come again?"
Looking at the head on the arrow, then at the headless corpse on the ground, everyone felt as if an invisible hand had slapped them across the face. But that slap alone wasn't enough to vent their anger. The allied generals sensed another arrow approaching, this time not aimed at their commander's banner, but at the very center of the camp. Due to the distance, the arrow's residual force was limited, but the humiliation was absolute.
Similarly, there was a human head on the large arrow.
The archer on the other side had a mischievous mentality, deliberately teasing the Allied forces, and airlifted seven heads over one after another.
Seven heads, seven headless corpses.
Just when everyone thought it was over.
A sudden surge of energy erupted from the direction of Gongyang Yongye's camp, and a phantom image of a long-handled broadsword over ten zhang tall met the eighth arrow head-on. The impact sent nearby soldiers staggering, and the qi blades slashed several times across the banner, sending wood chips flying from the thick flagpole. Had he not blocked it, the arrow would have truly shattered the flagpole in one shot!
"A bunch of useless trash."
Gongyang Yongye crushed the large arrow with one hand.
As the giant arrow turned to dust, a piece of paper floated out.
Gongyang Yongye glanced at it, then channeled his martial energy into the paper, instantly turning the seemingly soft and fragile paper into something as sharp as mud. With a slight, skillful flick of his wrist, the paper slipped into the ground at Mei Meng's feet with a soft "plop."
"For you."
(
I plan to write two side stories during the National Day holiday to refresh my mind.
One is a crossover side story, and the other is an IF storyline of the original world without Tang Mei.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
