Chapter 743: When the Time Comes, Heaven and Earth Join Forces (Part 2) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
That night, an urgent message broke the silence.
"Report—"
The ongoing operational meeting was forced to a halt.
Huang Lie lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"
Although the messenger was wearing a straw raincoat, rainwater still streamed down from his hair, and soon there were obvious watermarks at his feet, indicating how heavy the rain had been that night. When he clasped his hands in a fist and reported back, his breathing was rapid and disordered.
"Alliance Leader, something terrible has happened! The Miao River is surging..." His face showed obvious panic.
Silence fell over the tent after these words were spoken.
Huang Lie gripped the armrest of the chair even tighter.
Despite his humble origins, he had gained considerable experience over the years and remained composed in any situation. Huang Lie calmly surveyed the expressions of the crowd and said, "Let's go take a look."
The group, dressed in straw raincoats, headed to the banks of the Miaojiang River.
Even before getting close, the roar of water could be heard. As they drew nearer, the river became increasingly turbulent, and the heavens added fuel to the fire with a fierce wind and torrential rain, making the Miao River look particularly terrifying tonight. Huang Lie's gaze fell on the temporary water level markers on the riverbank, which had been submerged by the river.
He asked the water chief in charge of observing the water.
"How much did it go up?"
Shui Chang replied, "It is already one foot and two inches long."
Upon hearing this number, Huang Lie's forehead veins throbbed violently, and the others were equally astonished: "In such a short time..."
The rate at which the water level is rising is highly unusual.
At this moment, someone thought of a possibility: "...Could this be the tyrant interfering? After all, the imperial seal is in his hands."
Huang Lie said, "This guess is not impossible."
Regardless of whether this matter has anything to do with Zheng Qiao or not, it must have something to do with him. It can't be said that God is helping Zheng Qiao, and that the river is rising abnormally at the perfect time, right? If the timing is right for Zheng Qiao, then what are those who are attacking him?
Huang Lie's words calmed the restless hearts of the troops somewhat, but it was only a temporary solution. The entire army was fully prepared for battle, and morale was high enough; they were just waiting for the next day to begin fighting. If they were to withdraw or continue the stalemate now because of Miaojiang, it would be a huge blow to morale.
What's even more critical is that they can't afford to delay!
One should press on with full force, but the momentum wanes with each attempt, and exhausts itself with each subsequent one!
Therefore, we can only fight, not retreat!
War? And how should we wage war?
The crowd stared grimly at the surging Miao River, the earthy smell still wafting through the rain.
"...The river is turbulent, which is not conducive to our combat operations."
It is unclear who voiced the concerns in everyone's hearts.
The swift current would inevitably cause the boats to rock violently. While connecting the boats with ropes could solve the immediate problem, wouldn't the current wind direction provide Zheng Qiao with a perfect opportunity to set the fire? During the days they had been facing off against Zheng Qiao's troops, they had tested the waters a hundred or so times, making small-scale contact and feigning attacks, and using all sorts of provocation tactics, but Zheng Qiao was determined to stay here and not let them cross the river and land.
It would be quite a headache once a fight broke out.
Everyone was hoping that the alliance leader could come up with a solution.
At this moment, Kang Shi asked a sincere question, deliberately putting Huang Lie in a difficult position: "Does the Alliance Leader have a solution? Every day the army is delayed, morale will decline..."
Zheng Qiao is in Aoshan County, across the river.
Now that things have come to this point, no one can hold back anymore!
Huang Lie remained calm, but in the dim light, he glanced at Kang Shi out of the corner of his eye. After a long pause, he let out a long sigh: "There is a way, but it might be difficult to achieve by one person alone..."
Everyone hurriedly asked what the method was.
Huang Lie said, "The river is frozen."
If we can't fight a naval war, we'll create conditions for a land war.
With time so pressing and the flood season so close, Huang Lie naturally prepared for the worst. This far-fetched plan was actually obtained from the surrendered general Wei Shou. Wei Shou's clan lived in a land of ice and snow, with long, cold winters and short, mild summers. At the coldest times, the ice on the river could be three to five inches thick. Marching on the ice was not a problem at all.
Freezing the entire Miao River was impractical. His idea was to freeze only a nearby section temporarily, making the ice as thick as possible to prevent it from collapsing during combat. If the ice couldn't withstand the pressure during battle, ships could be created using morale.
Huang Lie's idea was undeniably bold, but it was far safer than linking ships together. Most importantly, the allied forces were mostly poor swimmers, and naturally, they were better suited for land warfare than naval battles. There was no better alternative at the moment.
Kang Shi secretly complained to himself.
Huang Lie's wildly imaginative idea is similar to his lord's style; he thinks of things that others wouldn't dare to think of, which is truly audacious.
However, this method has a fatal flaw.
Kang Shi only frowned slightly, but Huang Lie noticed and asked him with a smile, "Is there something wrong with this method?"
All the coalition allies looked at Kang Shi.
Kang Shi remained calm and composed: "There is indeed one concern."
Huang Lie humbly replied, "Please enlighten me, sir."
"Won't this cause ice melt downstream?"
This is what Kangshi is quite worried about.
The so-called "ice flood" is actually a type of ice jam, caused by blockages in the river channel, which accelerates the rise in river levels. If the downstream drainage channels are narrow or not yet fully cleared, those downstream will likely suffer. When Kang Shi raised his question, everyone remained silent, only the sound of rain lingered.
Huang Lie replied, "If this battle can decide the fate of the world, we can land as quickly as possible, within a few hours to a day, and the scene that Mr. Kang is worried about should not happen. If we are still hesitant, we don't know when we will be able to kill the tyrant."
They were practically telling Kang Shi outright that even if this move would trigger the problems he feared, they had to make choices given the current situation. They couldn't give up just because of some concerns. They were hesitant and afraid to act, but Zheng Qiao wouldn't.
After speaking, Kang Shi's face looked somewhat pale. It was unclear whether it was from the cold wind, the moonlight, or his anger.
Gu Rendao said, "We are always different from tyrants."
Zheng Qiao disregards the lives of living beings and acts arbitrarily. How can they, as the side that is punishing Zheng Qiao, behave like this?
Huang Lie said, "Of course it's different."
Some people felt uncomfortable listening to this and immediately retorted: "Prefect Gu is wrong. We are speaking out for the people and killing the tyrant in order to save lives from their suffering. We will inevitably have to make some choices. This is to sacrifice small gains for greater benefits."
That's very true.
Wu Xian did not express his opinion, but just stared at Miao Jiang in a daze, seemingly unaware of the infighting among his allies.
Upon hearing this, Gu Ren hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Although Kang Shi was Shen Tang's temporary representative, he could not fully represent Shen Tang. Shen Tang's surprise attack on Cunshan and the loss of half of his elite troops further weakened his influence within the allied forces. Even with Gu Ren's side added, their voice carried little weight.
Ultimately, everyone adopted Huang Lie's suggestion.
Many literary incantations have the effect of influencing the environment, but to freeze a section of a river, the power of such incantations is considerable. A single literary scholar cannot accomplish this alone; naturally, other forces need to provide assistance. The sheer number of people gathered was astonishing. Next came calculating the thickness of the ice and the literary energy required to cast the incantation.
By piecing things together, it's perfectly sufficient.
It is worth mentioning that both Kang Shi and Gu Ren refused to send anyone, and before anyone could express their dissatisfaction, the reasons were already given.
Kangshi was very straightforward: they were short-staffed.
Shen Tang took all his arrogant scholar-officials with him. Although Kang Shi still had a few subordinates who were also scholars, they were either too untrained or held key positions. As the only strategist and commander on the front lines, Kang Shi couldn't afford to neglect his own side.
Gu Ren's reasoning was also very straightforward.
He only had two notable literary talents under his command.
One was him, and the other was his sixth brother.
The sixth brother was in charge of logistical support, while he was the lord. The other less capable literary talents weren't up to par, so he wouldn't embarrass himself by offering his services. If anyone had objections, Gu Ren would have to swallow his pride and borrow some men from Wu Xian.
Who made the Wu family of Tianhai famous for its large and powerful family business?
Wu Xian: "..."
His face looked like it had the words "sucker" written all over it.
Meanwhile, on the opposite bank of the Miao River.
The news of the surge in the Miaojiang River also reached Zheng Qiao at the same time.
At that moment, Zheng Qiao had just woken up from a nightmare.
Dressed in pristine white undergarments and draped with a cloak, he sat lost in thought beside the bed. He had hardly slept a full night in recent years. The moment he closed his eyes, he would dream of terrifying, chaotic phantoms, countless ghostly faces, both familiar and unfamiliar, seeking to claim his life.
If it were just about taking lives, that would be one thing. Zheng Qiao wasn't even afraid of them when they were alive, so why would he be afraid of ghosts that only appeared in his dreams? Unfortunately, his body was acting up, reacting extremely strongly.
This made him both annoyed and angry.
"Your Majesty, we have just received news that the Miao River has surged."
The eunuch on night duty carefully passed him a message.
Zheng Qiao snapped out of her daze. Upon hearing the news, her eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn't expected such a coincidence. Then she chuckled softly, the laughter gradually rising in pitch, becoming shrill and piercing: "A surge... Hahaha, at this very moment..."
It swept away the gloom of nightmares.
Zheng Qiao had many informants and naturally knew that the Allied Forces were going to launch a general offensive the next day. He just didn't expect Miaojiang to be so disrespectful, actually causing a surge in prices in the middle of the night the day before. He laughed for a long time before stopping, his slender fingers supporting his sharply defined chin.
He asked the night watchman with great interest.
"Do you think they'll handle this tomorrow?"
The eunuch bowed and scraped, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This servant is illiterate and knows nothing about these things."
Zheng Qiao didn't expect to get an answer from him.
Listening to the noisy rain outside the window, Zheng Qiao asked the eunuch to bring a lamp. He suddenly felt like taking a walk: "Accompany me for a stroll."
All the eunuchs and palace maids on night duty followed.
Reaching a waterside pavilion, Zheng Qiao looked at the dense ripples spreading across the pond and suddenly pointed to it, saying, "I grew up in the inner palace. At the age of five, I came to Xin Kingdom as a hostage with my mother, and was treated coldly by everyone. The people in the palace are all sycophants who fawn over the powerful. The palaces of unfavored concubines are worse than cold palaces. Ever since that old beast of Xin Kingdom lost interest in my mother, the food in winter is cold, and the food in summer is spoiled... Sometimes when I was so hungry, I would secretly steal fish from the fishpond in the inner palace..."
The palace maids and eunuchs hung their heads, trembling.
Hearing about Zheng Qiao's dark past can easily make you lose your mind.
But Zheng Qiao didn't care and kept reminiscing about the past.
From the time he was despised and bullied by the palace maids and servants of the Xin Kingdom, to the time when the concubines of the old king of Xin Kingdom targeted him and his mother, and then to his mother abandoning all dignity and using methods more wanton than those of courtesans to win favor and secure an opportunity for Zheng Qiao to become a disciple of a famous scholar.
The old king of Xin treated his mother like a plaything, even forcing her to dance nearly naked in front of his ministers at a palace banquet. This woman, born into a noble family, had struggled to maintain her dignity for the sake of her only son. It wasn't until Zheng Qiao suffered that she finally broke down.
Finally, he died of depression.
The atmosphere was tense, with only the clamor of rain remaining.
After an unknown amount of time, it seemed as if a murmur was heard: "How can I not hate? Even if they die ten thousand times, it will not be enough to ease the hatred in my heart."
In the latter half of the night, Zheng Qiao listened to the sound of rain and fell into a deep sleep.
It was a rare peaceful sleep.
As dawn broke, the rain showed no signs of letting up.
"Report—Your Majesty, Miao, Miaojiang—"
Zheng Qiao had just woken up when he heard the soldiers' hurried and flustered voices.
What happened to Miaojiang?
The soldier said, "It's frozen."
Zheng Qiao almost thought she had misheard: "Frozen?"
Surrounded by his soldiers, he headed to the front lines of the Miao River. From afar, he could see the river shrouded in a misty aura, with profound characters swirling within. He could also vaguely make out the scene of warhorses clad in armor bathing in the river. The powerful aura of literature was clearly perceptible even from this distance.
"Lying awake at night, I hear the wind and rain, and dream of iron horses and icy rivers... Hehehe, are these guys planning to freeze the Miaojiang River?"
Zheng Qiao recognized the power of the word at a glance.
"Your Majesty, should we send someone to destroy it?"
The thick eyebrows of the sixteenth-rank Grand Master beside him stood up straight.
Zheng Qiao waved her hand and said indifferently, "Never mind."
Once activated, the power of words is difficult to stop. Forcibly stopping it requires a powerful external force, and if it is successfully stopped, the caster will suffer a backlash. The degree of the backlash depends on the power of the words.
Zheng Qiao didn't mean to be unwilling to stop it; he knew he couldn't. The effect of this incantation was far more than just freezing the rivers. He addressed the illusion of warhorses bathing in the river, saying, "See those warhorses? If you want to stop it, you'll have to get past them first."
The military officer retorted, "This humble general will surely overcome this challenge."
Zheng Qiao said, "It's very difficult."
It's not that crossing the Iron Horse River is difficult, but rather that crossing it before the Word of Power takes full effect is very difficult. Zheng Qiao had witnessed the power of this Word of Power before, so he knew there was no need to: "Since the thing on the other side is preparing to fight us on land, then let's fight."
We'll see then who perishes on the ice.
As the two spoke, the surging Miao River gradually calmed down, and a thin layer of ice formed on its surface. With the continuous influx of spiritual energy from above, the ice thickened visibly. Initially, the river water beneath the ice was visible, but over time, it turned a crystal-clear white. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky above the Miao River, causing the air temperature to drop sharply.
Zheng Qiao watched as the ice layer spread from the opposite side.
A smile suddenly crept onto his lips, leaving the general beside him puzzled.
Why is the king laughing?
Zheng Qiao said, "I'm laughing at the other side, they're nothing special. Suddenly I remembered that a branch of the Miao River flows into Yanzhou in the lower reaches... Tell me, all these years they've been busy fighting against me, have they had any time to send people to reinforce the riverbanks and dredge the waterways?"
No one answered this question.
Zheng Qiao shook his head and said, "I don't know how they are, but I do know that in the Yanzhou half of the state within Chaoli Pass, although the local government levies corvée labor every year, it's just to trick the royal court into allocating funds... There seems to be a lot of corruption in the counties and prefectures within the state."
As he spoke, his eyes crinkled with laughter.
"Alas, they are no different from me."
In a way, he can be considered his successor.
ヽ(ー_ー)ノ
The next headline is "Heroes are not free when fortune smiles," and the one after that is "Zheng Qiao is dead." If he doesn't get his "lunchbox" (a euphemism for death) on May Day, I'll have to add more chapters. I have to release it on Labor Day no matter what.
(End of this chapter)
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