Qingzhou City.
As night fell, moonlight filtered through the clouds, casting a soft, silvery glow that illuminated the mottled bricks of the city wall.
Zhang Xiao and Dong Ning sat in the council hall of Qingzhou City. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing gently through the window, bringing a sense of unease.
The news of Zhou Xiang's ascension to the throne spread like wildfire. Upon learning of this, Dong Ning and Zhang Xiao both came to the governor's mansion in Qingzhou to discuss countermeasures.
"Dong Ning, we are both generals skilled in defense, and we cannot attack without the commander's orders. Therefore, I plan to suspend the commander's infrastructure construction policy and retreat. What do you think?"
Dong Ning thought Zhang Xiao's suggestion was good and nodded slightly.
"That's what I think too. We also need to designate areas and strictly control pedestrians from entering and leaving at will. We must ensure that nothing happens before the commander returns."
Zhang Xiao hummed in agreement, slowly stood up, and a hint of doubt suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"I'll handle setting up the defenses. You keep an eye on Wang Lei; after all, he's a general of the Great Yan, so don't trust him too easily."
Dong Ning hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then pursed her lips and asked, "Song Yunyang is going to become the Empress in the future. The Commander-in-Chief's attitude is already very clear. Isn't it a bit... a bit... to be wary of Wang Lei at this time?"
As the two were talking, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Xiao and Dong Ning exchanged a glance and frowned as they looked towards the door.
"What is it?" Dong Ning asked, feigning seriousness.
"General Dong, Zhou Xiang has sent someone with an imperial edict, saying that Marshal Zhang needs to review it personally."
Zhang Xiao gave a puzzled "Oh," and said, "For me? Zhou Xiang isn't asking me to help him, is he?"
Dong Ning snorted, reached out and opened the door, and laughed, "Who cares what they want to do? We must stay put until the commander returns. That's our strategy. But it won't hurt to take a look at this imperial edict."
Reaching out to take the imperial edict, Dong Ning laid it out on the table.
Zhang Xiao stepped closer, looked down, and his expression immediately became somewhat serious.
Dong Ning, however, was all smiles and couldn't help but say, "You're sending him to attack Qingzhou City? Does he really think he's the emperor? Hahaha!"
Zhang Xiao looked solemn, his brows furrowed.
"Although Zhou Xiang deliberately sent this imperial edict to annoy me, if I cannot prove my innocence, I'm afraid the brothers below will become suspicious and even distrustful of me."
Seeing this, Dong Ning walked over to Zhang Xiao and patted him on the shoulder.
“Zhang Xiao, you don’t need to worry so much. Everyone knows that Zhou Xiang is utterly rebellious. Why fall into the trap of proving yourself?”
Zhang Xiao shook his head slightly upon hearing this, but he understood that the current situation was already complicated. Zhou Xiang's ascension to the throne was of unclear intentions, and the responsibility for defending Qingzhou City was as heavy as Mount Tai. The slightest carelessness could lead to disaster.
"From now on, you will be in charge of all matters concerning the Thirteen States of Customs. I will remain secluded in Qingzhou City until the Commander-in-Chief returns."
Upon hearing this, Dong Ning paused for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "However, the combined military strength of the thirteen customs prefectures is over four hundred thousand men. I can't handle it all by myself!"
“I know, but this is the only way to avoid further trouble. This imperial edict cannot be kept secret. If I cannot prove my innocence, my brothers will be suspicious of me, and it may even affect their morale.”
Dong Ning could only nod, feeling even more pressure in his heart. There was also Wang Lei, who was disobedient and wouldn't listen to anyone's orders except for Song Yunyang.
Apart from patrolling the city's defenses every day, Dong Ning never left the city easily. He had only one thought in his mind: to hold the city until Chen Zhennan returned.
At the same time, Zhou Xiang mobilized his army in the capital of Dawu. More than 500,000 troops marched like dark clouds towards the Thirteen Provinces of the Customs.
His allied lords, each with their own ulterior motives, all bowed their heads before Zhou Xiang's power and together formed this massive coalition.
Among this allied forces, the troops of King Chu Feng of Chu-Yue were particularly noteworthy.
His 50,000-strong army moved like the wind, and in just three days, they had widened the gap with the troops behind them by more than a hundred miles.
Zhou Xiang initially thought Chu Feng was eager to make a name for himself, but as time went on, he gradually felt uneasy.
"What does Chu Feng mean by this? Why isn't he following orders to slow the march?"
Zhou Xiang frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Hou Jing and Li Can.
Hou Jing took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, Chu Feng is the commander-in-chief's subordinate. How could he possibly be an enemy of the commander-in-chief? Chu Feng is moving so fast, he obviously wants to join forces with Zhang Xiao and Dong Ning."
Although Li Can didn't say anything, he subtly nodded in agreement with Hou Jing's view.
Zhou Xiang's face darkened, and he immediately ordered Chu Feng to slow down. However, Chu Feng ignored Zhou Xiang's order and instead sped up, which made Zhou Xiang even more uneasy.
Finally, when they were fifty miles away from Qingzhou City, Chu Feng ordered his troops to set up camp.
His army did not launch an attack immediately, but instead began to closely monitor the movements and distance of Zhou Xiang's army behind them.
Inside Chu Feng's tent, candlelight flickered as he gently swirled a wine glass, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"General, you're back now, why don't you go to Qingzhou? If I get into Qingzhou, Zhou Xiang will be furious!"
Across from Chu Feng, Chen Zhennan was eating a chicken leg, looking incredibly happy. He had been traveling for a while and hadn't had a proper meal.
After putting down the chicken bones, Chen Zhennan picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp before letting out a satisfied burp.
"Disgusting him won't do any good. What I want is for him to fall into internal strife. Of all those feudal lords and nobles, only his army of over 200,000 men will truly obey Zhou Xiang's orders. That's not even enough to fill my teeth."
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