knife

Chapter 204 Clues

He Zudao stood before the large table, with a huge map spread out in front of him. Holding a charcoal pencil in his hand, he kept gesturing on the map. With his movements, black lines appeared on the map, all pointing to the same destination.

Everything was going according to his plan, and it was going extremely smoothly, but He Zudao always felt uneasy, as if he had overlooked something.

Intuitively, it seemed that some danger was approaching step by step, but after repeated consideration, no trace could be found.

He Zudao paced back and forth in the room, his expression constantly shifting.

This intuition about danger seemed illogical, but He Zudao dared not be negligent in the slightest.

There must be some problem that I've overlooked.

Since we can't determine it, let's assume it definitely exists.

"Feng Kuan!" he shouted.

A general entered in response to the call. His extremely ugly face sent chills down one's spine at first glance. He was the same general who had once confronted Wu De head-on and was now almost completely disfigured.

"How are those local armed groups doing?" He Zudao asked.

"General, using the weapons, armor, money, and provisions stored by the Liu and Wang families, we have quickly organized an army of tens of thousands of people, mainly composed of local resistance forces and outlaws from Hedong. However, compared to us, their combat strength is far inferior, and their organization is extremely poor. The officers we sent out are struggling to reorganize them. At the most optimistic estimate, they can form initial combat capability in a month!" Feng Kuan said.

“The Hedong Allied Army should arrive in a month!” He Zudao walked back behind the case, glanced at the first black line on it, and muttered to himself.

“General, is there something wrong?” Feng Kuan walked to the table, looked at the map, and said, “Isn’t it the strategy you devised, General, to deliberately let Wu De’s men escape and report back, prompting the allied forces of the Hedong families to launch an attack on us, and then finish them off in one battle and annihilate them in one fell swoop?”

“But they came too fast. It’s as if they’ve been preparing for this for a long time!” He Zudao shook his head and said, “Does Zhang Quanyi have such high efficiency? When have the various families in Hedong been able to reach a consensus on something so quickly? I originally thought it would take them at least three months to complete their alliance amidst all the noise and commotion, and then launch an attack on us.”

"Sooner or later, annihilating them will be a piece of cake for us!" Feng Kuan said dismissively. "Judging from the battles with the Liu and Wang families, these powerful families take war far too lightly. By extension, the other families in Hedong are probably even less capable. War is not child's play, nor is it just a matter of numbers on paper!"

He Zudao shook his head: "I'm not worried about the allied forces of the Hedong aristocratic families, I am worried."

What was there to worry about? He Zudao couldn't give a straight answer for the time being.

"We must expedite the training of local militia members and get them into combat capability as soon as possible. Don't be stingy with money; spend it when necessary. We won't have to worry about money in the future!" He Zudao instructed. "Send more trainers over there."

"Yes!" Feng Kuan nodded and said, "General, what do you intend to do?"

"Our main force, prepare to leave Hedong!" He Zudao suddenly slammed his fist on the table, making up his mind.

"Leave?" Feng Kuan was momentarily stunned.

That wasn't the agreement we had previously reached.

If they can defeat the Hedong coalition, they will be able to completely control Hedong and have a territory that truly belongs to them.

Hedong is a great place!

Once we occupy this place, as long as we establish a firm foothold in the years to come, we will be able to attack or defend as needed.

Why leave?

"Is the General worried that we can't defeat the Hedong Allied Army?" Feng Kuan asked somewhat unwillingly. "They're just a bunch of chickens and dogs."

“They’re not worth my worry!” He Zudao sneered. “But I have a feeling that someone else is plotting against us. Although I can’t figure out where the problem is, as long as we leave Hedong for a while, all the mysteries will be solved!”

"Just because of this?" Feng Kuan asked in astonishment.

"Secretly approach the river and make all preparations for crossing." He Zudao's tone left no room for doubt: "Once the allied forces on the east bank of the river begin their attack, our main force will begin crossing the river to the west bank."

“But General, once we are no longer the main force fighting against the Hedong coalition, these local armed forces that we have just spent a lot of money to organize are unlikely to be a match for the Hedong coalition. It would be a pity to watch them get defeated!” Feng Kuan was somewhat unwilling. Just because of the general’s suspicion, the army should give up the food that was about to be eaten. This was really not reasonable.

"Our main force will cross the river to observe, but we will also leave some combat personnel to help the local armed forces." He Zudao patted Feng Kuan on the shoulder. "At the same time, we will naturally make preparations. If nothing happens, it will be easy for us to launch a counterattack and defeat the Hedong coalition. If something does happen, we can also help those Hedong local armed forces who have escaped. At that time, our strength will not be weakened, but will only be further strengthened!" He Zudao smiled and drew a black square on the map with his finger. "And look, how fertile the land is here, how lush the grasslands are. The wealth in this region is no less than that in Hedong."

Feng Kuan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away!"

"Remember, keep it a secret. Make sure everyone believes we will have a decisive battle with them on the east bank of the river," He Zudao instructed.

"Don't worry, General!" Feng Kuan grinned, but his smile was rather terrifying.

"Call Jianren here!" He Zudao waved his hand and said.

Chen Jianren was the chief clerk of this army, responsible for all paperwork, external liaison, and intelligence.

Unlike Feng Kuan, Chen Jianren was a very refined scholar, but in fact, he was second only to He Zudao in this Southern Garrison Army.

He was responsible for the army's daily coordination, funding, documentation, and intelligence.

"Feng Kuan told me that the General is somewhat uneasy?" Chen Jianren asked.

He Zudao nodded.

“The General’s intuition has saved us many times. Since we are uneasy, it is best to avoid it!” Chen Jianren said, “Crossing the river is a good idea. I will arrange for people to cross the river immediately.”

"Put more effort into the surrounding area. If anything seems amiss, there will definitely be traces. Even a wild goose leaves a trace. I don't believe anyone can truly cover up all clues!"

“Okay, I plan to put more effort into the Taihang Mountains. If there are any problems, they will definitely be there!” Chen Jianren suggested.

"You can make those decisions yourself!" He Zudao waved his hand. "I called you here for something else. I've written a letter; select a few trustworthy people and deliver it to Linghu Ye outside the pass!"

Chen Chien-jen raised an eyebrow.

He Zudao laughed: "I told Linghu Ye that if he enters the pass, I, He Zudao, will follow his lead and be willing to be his pawn. If he has such a plan, I can even advance towards Yangguan and attack him from both inside and outside to break through Yangguan!"

"Linghu Yezhen has entered the pass, are we really going to go and be his pawns?" Chen Jianren asked with a smile.

"Who should be the leader? The one with the strongest army should be!" He Zudao laughed. "If Linghu Ye leads an army of 100,000 into the pass, what harm is there in me being his vanguard? The struggle for supremacy is an incredibly long process. Whoever laughs last laughs best, doesn't he?"

"If the east and west banks of the Yellow River are thrown into chaos, Guanzhong will surely be terrified. When heroes from all over the world see an opportunity, they will surely rise up in droves. Linghu Ye is the strongest among them, but he also has the most constraints. If he can really lead an army of 100,000 into Guanzhong, then he really has a chance to win in the end. However, I am not optimistic about him."

"why?"

"If he were truly capable, the Beiting Protectorate wouldn't have been split into two Protectorates, Andong and Anxi. Moreover, over 80% of his troops are from outside the pass, and it's uncertain whether they'd be willing to abandon their homeland and follow him into the pass. The Northern Yuan would certainly love for him to leave, but Zhang Ruo, Xiao Changche, and others will undoubtedly try every means to prevent him from leaving. It's hard to say how many people he'll be able to take with him. I really don't think he has a good chance of conquering the world and vying for the throne."

"I don't care who becomes emperor. I just want to see the world in chaos, to overthrow those once high and mighty guys, and to stain their noble faces with blood and mud. I think that would be very interesting, haha!" He Zudao said with a laugh.

Chen Jianren walked to the door, but then turned back and looked at He Zudao, saying, "General, once we cross the Hexi Corridor to attack the Hexi region, the imperial edict will no longer be our support. They might even declare us traitors. If that happens, what will happen to the old general in the capital?"

He Zudao's eyebrows twitched, and he said, "The old man is over seventy years old. Do you think he would still care about how much longer he can live? If things really come to an end, he won't give the court any chance to punish him. What I did was probably the last thing he wanted to do but couldn't. So, he will leave in peace!"

Chen Jianren lowered his eyelids, somewhat saddened, and after a long while said, "Can't the old man leave? With his peak ninth-grade cultivation, he still has a chance."

"What do you take Chang'an for?" He Zudao shook his head and said, "You can't leave. If you really want to leave, you'll die a horrible death. Since you're going to die anyway, you should leave with dignity to avoid losing face."

"One day, we will avenge the old man, and we will avenge the brothers who died unjustly in Xiangcheng!" Chen Jianren said viciously.

Outside, a fierce wind was blowing, and amidst the flying sand and stones, a sudden cracking sound was heard. The high-flying central army flag was broken in the middle by the strong wind and fell from the sky, causing the soldiers to gasp in surprise.

"Father, have you already left?" He Zudao murmured, clutching the fluttering banner.

(End of this chapter)