Zhao Feng looked at the mangled head of the messenger.
Although his expression was subtle, the violent heaving of his chest betrayed his true emotions. A deathly silence fell over the room; you could hear a pin drop.
Even the strategist who had initially tried to persuade him rationally closed his eyes in despair.
Anyone with a sound mind could see that something was off about this. Given Wu Xian's temperament, no matter how ambitious he was, or how much he wanted to betray his former allies, he wouldn't leave himself no room for maneuver! Killing the envoy was too ruthless!
It's hard to say that no one interfered or instigated the two countries of Kang and Gao.
But it's too late to say anything now.
If they can let the matter drop after their own envoy was beheaded, what will the soldiers and officers fighting on the northern battlefield think? How can they control the public opinion that is unsettled by the outbreak of war? Anyone who dares to advocate for peace will be drowned in spittle!
"General, those scoundrels from Gao State are trying to make our Kang State think we have no one to rely on!" One of Zhao Feng's hot-tempered subordinates slammed his fist on the table. "They're so arrogant they're practically crawling all over us and defecating on our heads. If we don't send troops to wipe them out, what will the common people think of our Yuheng Guard? What will the other six guards and four commanderies think of us? What will all the civil and military officials think of us? In any case, this humble general will be too ashamed to even step out of the house!"
A weak voice offered a defense from inside the hall.
"...This could also be a case of diverting the disaster from the northern desert to the east..."
"Shifting the blame eastward? The previous night raid could have been a third party shifting the blame eastward, stirring up trouble, but we sent an envoy to demand an explanation. If there was a misunderstanding, it should have been cleared up. And what happened?" The hot-tempered general pointed at the head, his voice rising several octaves, his face, weathered by years of wind and sun, filled with anger. "In the end, the envoy's head was chopped off and shot back!"
Regardless of whether there's a misunderstanding, let's just do it first.
Gao Guo had harbored wolfish ambitions for many years, and she had long since looked down on him.
"But once we start a war, we'll be attacked from both sides!"
The situation on the Northern Desert battlefield is still unclear. Openly breaking ties with Gao Guo at this point could easily fall into a trap, resulting in heavy losses on both sides. It's better to delay for now. Once the main force has defeated the Northern Desert and there are no more worries about their rear, then they can attack Gao Guo.
Starting a war at the same time would be too difficult.
She sharply questioned, "Besieged on both sides? Isn't Gao Kingdom taking advantage of our fear of being 'besieged on both sides' to slap us like this? What, if your left cheek is swollen, do you still have to offer your right cheek as well? Shall we send another envoy to question why an envoy was killed? Shall we pair up two envoys? Do whatever you want, I'm not going to stoop so low."
"That's not how it works... We can't act impulsively..."
The military officer couldn't sit still on the spot.
Who are you calling impulsive?
Her ancestral home was originally in Tianhai.
Her mother was unable to give birth to a son and gave birth to four daughters in a row. Just as her fifth child was about to be born, her father died of a heart attack while working in the fields. His body was only discovered after it had stiffened. Her uncles asked the village head to preside over the matter and, on the grounds of "having no offspring," they kicked the mother and her five daughters out of the house.
As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. After giving birth, the mother found work breastfeeding a wealthy family. The family, worried she wouldn't be able to fully care for their child, forbade her from seeing her daughters. The wealthy family had many rules, but the mother agreed for the sake of her and her children's survival. Five years later, she returned home only to find her third daughter, pale and emaciated, and her fifth daughter, filthy and disheveled…
The others starved to death or died of disease.
The daughter had gone to the house for help, but was driven away by the family's guards.
The mother and her two daughters dared not speak out against the wealthy family; seeking justice only resulted in a brutal beating. In the end, they had no choice but to pack their belongings and leave, moving to the even more chaotic and impoverished He Yin County. Perhaps their luck had turned; just as the mother and daughters settled down, Shen Tang took over the position of He Yin.
The third daughter joined the women's military camp in exchange for military pay to support the family.
Two years later, he went to Longwu with the army.
She climbed her way up step by step, relying on her ruthlessness when killing to barely make a name for herself despite countless near-death experiences. Because of her nightmare childhood, she had an extremely bad impression of Tianhai and harbored deep hostility towards the people there, especially those from aristocratic families.
"Who are you being sarcastic about? What do you mean by acting impulsively? Do you mean I'm disregarding the bigger picture because of personal grudges?"
"...That's not what I meant, it's just..."
"Is it just that you understand the bigger picture better than a rough man like me?"
How can you be so unreasonable?
It was clear that the tension between the two was escalating.
Zhao Feng exuded an imposing aura and warned the two of them, saying, "What's the point of arguing at a time like this? Be quiet! Even if there is a misunderstanding in this matter, it should be the case that ten or eight of Gao Guo's envoys begging for mercy die before we can sit down and settle accounts."
The people praised the deep bond between the rulers of Kangxi and Gaozhou.
Some opera troupes have even adapted and fictionalized these works based on them.
Some people in the public genuinely believed that the relationship between the two countries was so good that they could share a single pair of trousers. But was that really the case? Zhao Feng knew that his lord had a lot of grievances against Gao Guo—if it weren't for the final battle at Chao Li Pass, where Wu Xian was an ally, and the need for allies to stand by each other due to the circumstances, his lord would have long since turned his back on Wu Xian. Over the years, he had also been struggling to find a legitimate excuse to break with Gao Guo and take action.
In any other situation, this would be a knife handed to you.
This is exactly what the Lord wanted.
Right now, it's definitely not the right time.
However, remaining trapped and avoiding battle is an even worse strategy.
At this moment, everyone is watching Zhao Feng's decision.
Would he be willing to attack his former employer?
Zhao Feng stood up and walked to the messenger's severed head, his eyes surging with murderous intent. He snapped the arrow in half with one hand: "Fight! How can we not fight? However, we must inform the lord before we fight."
Although Shen Tang's sending him here implied that a war with Gao Guo was inevitable and that he had full authority, Zhao Feng still needed to consult and inform Shen Tang. He reminded Shen Tang that fighting on two fronts would be stressful and difficult, and that he should be prepared to face tough challenges.
Communication speeds within Kang are extremely fast.
In recent years, official post stations have sprung up everywhere.
With the addition of "DingTalk," news from Zhao Feng's side reached the capital, Fengluo, and was then relayed by Qin Li, the regent. This would take at most three days, even if Shen Tang's army had already crossed Yaori Pass and entered the northern desert territory to fight. Within the country's borders, this timeframe could be shortened to one or two days. While awaiting a response, Zhao Feng ordered his men to convey a message of preparedness for battle, thus reassuring his troops and boosting morale.
The day after the envoy was killed, the soldiers of Gao challenged them to battle.
Zhao Feng urged his men to relocate the elderly and weak within the territory of He Yin.
On the third day, Gao Guobing will continue to challenge them.
This time they even brought up the envoy's head.
They made another tentative probe, and soon called it a day.
Day 4
The shouts, insults, and mockery grew louder.
Just as they were feigning a backward somersault, an arrow burst forth from the city wall, its speed so great that a piercing sonic boom could be heard. The challenger's head exploded like fireworks, and with a loud bang, colorful brain matter splattered all over the ground.
"You brat, I, Yang, have come to deal with you!"
The atmosphere in the inner court of Gao was tense and ready to fight.
Wu Xian never imagined that he would one day be "confined" by his incompetent eldest son, whom he had always looked down upon. His eyelids drooped, suppressing the almost palpable rage in his eyes. He coldly stared at the blood-stained sword in his son's hand and sneered, "Heh, what, you want to kill your old man before you've even learned to fly?"
ヾ(ゞ)
My darlings, I'm taking a day off today. We're having a family celebration tomorrow – a first birthday party! I've been busy all day counting guests and figuring out how to entertain them, so it'll only be one update today. I'll make up for it tomorrow, depending on how things go. Also, Happy New Year everyone!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com