knife

Chapter 572 If Heaven grants a gift and you do not take it, you will surely be punished by Heaven.

Feng Kuan's entire face turned an eerie red.

Coupled with his single eye and half of his face that looked like a demon, even his guards and subordinates, who were already used to him, felt a sense of dread.

Who hates the Chu people the most?
That would undoubtedly be Feng Kuan.

In the Battle of Xiangcheng, Feng Kuan led his troops to cover the rear of the Qin army. Thousands of his comrades almost all perished in the battle. In this battle, he lost an eye and his entire body was burned by fire, turning half of his face into a grotesque mask. If he took off his clothes, his body would be covered with scars upon scars, with almost no unscathed flesh.

He was lucky to escape with his life.

All of this was naturally caused by the people of Chu.

The greatest enemy, of course, is Empress Dowager Jiang Qian of Chu.

Feng Kuan would never forget the final battle, the scene of him standing on a high point in white robes, beating a war drum as the Chu soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.

If Jiang Qian hadn't appeared out of nowhere, the Qin army would have had a great chance of winning that battle.

Feng Kuan had always believed that he could never avenge this tragedy.
Especially targeting Jiang Qian.

Because the difference in their social status was too great, so great that Feng Kuan felt he would never be able to reach the other's level in his entire life.

Therefore, this grudge could only be kept in one's heart.

But who would have thought that the world is so ever-changing, with fortunes shifting every thirty years!

Jiang Qian, who was once high and mighty and invincible, has actually fallen from power.

In the Danyang coup, Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi rebelled and overthrew Jiang Qian's rule. Jiang Qian fled all the way and has now arrived in Yong'an County.

In Feng Kuan's view, this was the best opportunity for revenge given to him by heaven.

"That demon queen is actually a member of the Demonic Sect?" The news from Chu Kingdom not only delighted Feng Kuan but also surprised him. "Could it be fake news?"

"Absolutely certain!" The spy, dressed as a merchant, said with certainty, "Many of the Demon Queen's accomplices have been arrested in Danyang. It is said that it was precisely because the Demon Queen was the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect that Xiang Ying and his men took a desperate gamble and launched a coup while the Demon Queen was on a pilgrimage to the Demonic Sect's headquarters, which led to their success. In a way, we also deserve some credit!"

"Are you saying that our attack on Yong'an indirectly helped them?" Feng Kuan asked.

The spy nodded and said, "Yes, General Feng, when we launched a major attack on Yong'an, the Empress Dowager naturally couldn't let us succeed. Seeing that He Jiong was no match for her, she had no choice but to send the Tiger Legion stationed in Danyang to come in and help. This caused the Empress Dowager's strength in Danyang to decline sharply. In order to make up for the lack of troops, the Empress Dowager summoned Na Wei from the southwest to the capital. Unexpectedly, Xiang Ying colluded with Na Wei, which is why they succeeded in one fell swoop."

Upon hearing this, Feng Kuan burst into laughter: "There is a destiny at work. My attack on Yong'an was merely to take advantage of the political instability caused by Lin Hong's downfall. I never expected it would cause such a great upheaval in the Chu Kingdom. Brilliant, brilliant! This must be the heroic spirits of my thousands of fallen comrades helping me to accomplish this great feat."

At this point, he couldn't help but feel saddened, and he forcefully clenched his fist: "This time, I must avenge my fallen brothers!"

Having experienced life and death twice and lived two lives, Feng Kuan was no longer a reckless person. Although he had made up his mind to attack Yong'an with all his might, he was more cautious in his actions.

Because Yong'an County is currently quite powerful.

The original county troops, plus the Tiger Legion sent by Danyang to provide reinforcements, totaled 50,000 troops stationed there. With the added support of the navy on the Yangtze River, they still held an advantage over Feng Kuan's current forces. Furthermore, Han Zheng was stationed in Ruyin County. He had always been a staunch supporter of the Empress Dowager. Although the situation had drastically changed—the Empress Dowager had gone straight to Yong'an instead of Ruyin after her fall—indicating that she trusted He Jiong more than Han Zheng, it was uncertain whether Han Zheng would respond to Danyang's call and turn against them. Therefore, he naturally had to be taken into account.

Feng Kuan decided to report to He Zudao in person and try to gain He Zudao's support.

In this battle, relying solely on my own strength is truly insufficient.

We need the concerted efforts of the eight towns in Jiangnan to have a better chance of success.

With the General personally taking action to restrain Han Zheng, there's no need for a full-scale battle. Simply keeping Han Zheng in check and preventing him from sending troops to his aid will suffice. Furthermore, if Yang Lixin can be dispatched to assist, then the victory will be seventy to eighty percent assured.

With 20,000 standing troops under his command, and with a full-scale mobilization, it wouldn't be a problem to recruit another 5,000 able-bodied men from Xiangfan and Fancheng. Ke Wuji and Zhan Zhao, those two devilish brats, have always had a blood feud with that wicked empress, and they will certainly not let go of such an opportunity. If they launch a full-scale attack, organizing 20,000 men would be no problem at all.

However, their relationship with the General is more like a partnership. They need to have a good discussion about what the General wants and whether they are willing to pay the price. Only after reaching an agreement can they proceed.

Besides the preparations they had made, they also needed to carefully consider the military strength and morale of Yong'an.

The fall of the empress will certainly be a huge blow to them, but the extent of its impact on the army still requires further intelligence gathering.

But one thing is certain: their logistical supply will definitely run into serious problems.

The logistics for the 30,000 Tiger Warriors brought by Kang Zhen were beyond the capacity of Yong'an County to support. The grain and fodder had always been requisitioned from various counties in the rear by order of the Danyang court, but now there was none.

An army without logistical support is on the verge of defeat.

"General, this battle still requires your overall planning!" Feng Kuan's one eye shone brightly as he looked at He Zudao, extremely excited.

"Jianren, what do you think of this matter?" He Zudao asked.

"General, this is indeed a golden opportunity!" Chen Jianren was extremely excited. "We have been in the eight towns of Jiangnan for almost two years, but with just these eight towns, we cannot contend for the world. The territory is too narrow, and there is no strategic buffer. But if we can take Yong'an and Ruyin, we can look south to the Hanjiang Plain, which is the foundation of an imperial enterprise. Xiang Ying and his men will surely see this as well. Therefore, I believe that if we do not act immediately, once Xiang Ying recovers, he will surely organize a large army to attack us. At that time, I am afraid we will not be able to take them."

He Zudao nodded slightly. The eight towns of Jiangnan were indeed wealthy, but as Chen Jianren said, their space was too small, and they had no room for strategic maneuver. They could not afford to lose a single battle, as losing one would lead to chaos throughout the entire region.

This is also why He Zudao did not object when Feng Kuan sent troops to Yong'an; he also wanted to see the reaction of the State of Chu.

But to everyone's surprise, Feng Kuan inadvertently became the catalyst for the coup in Chu.

He Zudao even believed that this was his destiny, his fate.

If he doesn't take action, once Xiang Ying regains control of these two places, He Zudao's situation will be the same as it is now, caught in the middle and unable to even catch his breath.

"If you do not take what Heaven offers, you will surely be punished by Heaven!"

He Zudao said, enunciating each word clearly.

(End of this chapter)