"From Lingnan? Bring him in."
Soon, a man dressed in black was brought into the tent. Upon seeing Chen Zhennan, he immediately knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Commander."
"Get up and speak, what's the situation in Lingnan?" Chen Zhennan asked directly.
The man stood up and answered urgently, "Lingnan is safe and sound. However, Song Xuan led an army of 400,000 to Heishi River, where they had a minor clash with our garrison before retreating. His Highness is worried about the situation on the commander's side and specially sent me to inquire about the next steps."
"400,000 troops..." Chen Zhennan pondered for a moment, then decisively ordered: "Go back and tell Zhou Xiang that the Lingnan garrison will launch a three-pronged attack. He has three months to launch two attacks on the capital and one to cut off Song Xuan's rear."
The man accepted the order and quickly left.
Song Yunyang still hadn't thought it through, and Chen Zhennan didn't press her. After all, Song Yunyang was a member of the Great Yan, so he let her think it over slowly.
Chen Zhennan arrived at Tianyang Pass on horseback, where Dong Ning personally came out of the city to greet him. The two then climbed the city wall together.
Dong Ning's expression was solemn as he spoke: "General, the imperial decree has arrived, ordering me to join forces with Song Xuan to attack Da Yan. The situation at Tianyang Pass can probably not be concealed for long, so we need to make plans as soon as possible."
Chen Zhennan nodded to indicate that he understood, then asked, "Dong Ning, are you loyal to the people of Da Wu, or to Wu Yunyin?"
Dong Ning was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, General?"
"This will determine your fate. Tianyang Pass must be under my control," Chen Zhennan said firmly.
"I always have the people of Wu Kingdom in mind."
"Then let me take over Tianyang Pass!"
Dong Ning's face darkened. "General, if you take over Tianyang Pass, it will undoubtedly allow the Great Yan army to advance unimpeded, plunging the people of Wu Kingdom into misery. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Chen Zhennan's gaze sharpened. He could sense Dong Ning's persistence and understood his concerns.
"If that's the case, tell me, how can I take over Tianyang Pass without shedding blood?"
As Chen Zhennan spoke, a hint of murderous intent appeared in his eyes.
Dong Ning remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Chen Zhennan's face.
"General, you said that if you can fight, you should fight instead of arguing, and settle the matter with a fight. If you win, I, Dong Ning, will have nothing to say and will offer up Tianyang Pass with both hands."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan couldn't help but smile.
"You're really putting what you've learned to practical use. Alright, let's have a fight then."
On the city wall, a tense atmosphere filled the air. Chen Zhennan and Dong Ningjing faced each other in silence, each waiting for the other's first move.
At that moment, the wind on the city wall suddenly picked up, whipping up a cloud of sand that instantly obscured Chen Zhennan's view.
He frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "This wind is such a troublemaker."
Dong Ning's eyes sharpened, and of course he wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. He moved like an arrow, rushing straight towards Chen Zhennan, and his punch, accompanied by the sound of air being cut, struck Chen Zhennan's chest.
Although Chen Zhennan couldn't see, he could hear the whispers and knew something was wrong.
He reacted incredibly quickly, taking a step back while simultaneously snapping his eyes open, which had been clouded by sand. The instant his vision returned, his hand moved with lightning speed, accurately grabbing Dong Ning's fist.
Chen Zhennan used the opponent's force against him, turned around, redirected Dong Ning's momentum to the side, and then forcefully flung Dong Ning behind him.
Dong Ning felt a powerful force coming from him, and he was involuntarily tumbling in the air, which startled him.
But he was a veteran of many battles and remained calm in the face of danger. He flipped over and landed steadily, then charged at Chen Zhennan like a tiger descending a mountain, ready to grab his collar.
Instead of retreating, Chen Zhennan stepped forward, his shoulder slamming heavily into Dong Ning.
The impact was so powerful that Dong Ning felt a tremendous force strike him, causing him to stagger.
Chen Zhennan seized the opportunity to press his advantage, delivering a sweeping leg kick that knocked Dong Ning to the ground like autumn leaves in the wind.
Dong Ning fell to the ground, feeling a dull pain in his chest, and almost fainted. He quickly waved his hand to admit defeat.
"General, you're going to break my bones! You're going way too far!"
Chen Zhennan smiled slightly, reached out and pulled Dong Ning up, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness: "Dong Ning, Tianyang Pass is of great importance, and I have no choice but to go all out. Besides, you should know my style. No matter who the opponent is, we must fight with the spirit of a lion hunting a rabbit."
Dong Ning stood up, dusted himself off, and couldn't help but laugh: "General, your martial arts are unparalleled, and I, Dong Ning, am ashamed of my inferiority. Since that's the case, I will hand over Tianyang Pass to you for management, with only one condition: that the lives of the people within the Great Wu territory must not be affected."
Chen Zhennan nodded slightly: "Don't worry about that. Whether they are people from Da Wu or Da Yan, they are all the same to me. There is no distinction between noble and lowly."
Chen Zhennan was naturally happy to win, but he also knew that Dong Ning's fighting strength was definitely not that weak.
Fighting was just a way for him to save face and let himself know his attitude.
"Time is running out, I need to hurry. When Song Xuan arrives, I'll take you to see a show and show you what it means to fight like dogs."
...
In the capital of the Wu Kingdom, in the Wuming Hall, Wu Yunyin sat solemnly on the dragon throne, with Wang Chong and Li Yan kneeling before her.
"Minister Li, how is the troop preparation going?" Wu Yunyin asked coldly.
Li Yan looked up and replied, "Your Majesty, the newly replenished troops number two hundred thousand, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wu Yunyin impatiently interrupted him: "That's enough, having soldiers is enough. Wang Chong, how are the funds and provisions being prepared?"
Wang Chong hesitated and remained silent. Seeing this, Wu Yunyin threatened, "Minister Wang, I'm not giving you much time. If you can't accomplish this, I'll have to replace you."
Suddenly, a eunuch accidentally knocked over a teacup, splashing scalding tea onto Wu Yunyin. She angrily rebuked the eunuch and ordered him to be dragged away and punished.
Immediately, guards stepped forward and dragged the eunuch away. The eunuch's pleas for mercy gradually faded into the distance, and Wu Yunyin turned her head and changed her face completely.
"If you're in a position, you should do your job properly. Lord Wang, you should take this as a warning."
How could Wang Chong not understand? He had seen it clearly just now; it was obviously Wu Yunyin who deliberately knocked over the teacup, as if to remind him.
"Your Majesty, I have done my best. Further increasing taxes may cause a popular uprising."
Wu Yunyin sneered: "A popular uprising? I don't care! As long as we take over Yan Kingdom and kill Chen Zhennan, we can make amends to the people later."
Wang Chong felt a chill in his heart, knowing that Wu Yunyin was determined to wage war. He gritted his teeth and promised, "Your humble servant will do his utmost to raise enough military funds within half a month."
Wu Yunyin nodded in satisfaction: "Good, if you succeed in this matter, I will reward you handsomely."
"yes!"
After leaving the Wuming Hall, Wang Chong and Li Yan asked worriedly, "Brother Wang, what you just said, could it be true?"
Wang Chong sighed, "For the sake of the people, I am willing to be a sinner."
"What do you mean?"
"Forcibly levying taxes!"
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