knife

Chapter 755 The only way is to defeat them quickly.
Zhou Zheng reached out and picked up the chess piece Tianyuan, holding it in his palm. He said, "This is a rare opportunity. We've finally reached a consensus to eliminate Jiang Qian, this thorn in our side. Gentlemen, Jiang Qian is no longer the Empress Dowager of Chu. She has now joined forces with Li Dachui. If we don't take her down before she gains power, Chu will truly face the crisis of national extinction!"

Hu Tianying said calmly, "I don't care about Qin or Chu. I only hope that there will be no more war in this world. For decades, Qin and Chu have been at war. In the last ten years, the entire Chu has been drawn into it. Zhou County, the area around Danyang, is the richest place in Chu. But in the last few years, it has been struggling to make ends meet. Taxes have been collected for ten years, and corvée labor has been levied year after year. This war can no longer be fought!"

"That's precisely why we must take down Jiang Qian!" Zhou Zheng argued. "With Jiang Qian defeated and Qin in internal strife, Li Dachui and Linghu Ye will be unable to determine a victor in a short time, giving our Great Chu a much-needed respite!"

Jiang Chong chuckled and said, "Prefect Zhou, even if, as you say, we really eliminate Jiang Qian this time, will Great Chu have a chance to catch its breath? Will the struggle between Wei and Xiang Zhuang be decided in a short time? What is most feared in the struggle for power? It is when the two sides are evenly matched, when two weaklings are pecking at each other."

The two chickens Jiang Chong was referring to were naturally Wei and Xiang Zhuang.

“Xiang Zhuang’s situation can be resolved through negotiation, but Jiang Qian’s cannot!” Zhou Zheng said. “As long as the interests of the Xiang family can be guaranteed.”

“Xiang Zhuang is indeed a potential negotiator, but Na Wei is not a good negotiating partner!” Jiang Chong shook his head and said, “Just as you said, if this campaign against the eight towns of Jiangnan is successful, but at a great cost, Na Wei’s strength will be weakened. Will he still be comfortable with the existence of Xiang Zhuang, such a formidable enemy? Don’t forget that Xiang Ying died at the hands of the sorcerer. If Na Wei truly wins easily this time, will he tolerate Xiang Zhuang’s existence with the momentum of a great victory? You have also seen during this period that this man governs the world using the same methods he used to govern the southwest: those who submit to him prosper, those who oppose him perish, there is absolutely no dialogue or compromise!”

Zhou Zheng felt a bitter taste in his mouth; he knew Jiang Chong was telling the truth.

Hu Tianying continued, "Has Prefect Zhou considered that this expedition would end in a major defeat?"

Zhou Zheng took a deep breath and said, "If the two of you don't cause trouble behind the scenes, I think the possibility of a major defeat is relatively small!"

Hu Tianying laughed loudly: "You trust Linghu Ye that much?"

“Jiang Qian is our greatest threat, and the same goes for him!” Zhou Zheng said. “He wants to compete with Li Dachui for the world, so how can he allow Jiang Qian, Li Dachui’s ally, to occupy the eight towns of Jiangnan? We have never been friends with Linghu Ye, but now we share common interests, so we can naturally trust each other!”

"Do you also think that Linghu Ye should first eliminate the threats behind him before steadily competing with Li Dachui for the world?" Hu Tian replied.

"Isn't that right?" Zhou Zheng retorted.

"Have you ever considered this possibility?" Hu Tianying said, "After Linghu Ye's defeat at Yangguan, he has lost the will to fight Li Dachui in a long-term standoff. Or rather, Linghu Ye has realized that time is not on his side. The longer it drags on, the less hope he has of defeating Li Dachui. So, he needs a quick and decisive war to defeat Li Dachui before he has fully developed his strength?"

Zhou Zheng's expression changed drastically. With a few clicks, the black and white pieces he was holding were crushed into powder, and the black and white pieces fell from between his fingers.

He had never even considered this possibility.

"A quick victory?" Zhou Zheng's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, the defeat at Yangguan has greatly diminished Linghu Ye's strength and reputation. The defection of the Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang has shown the powerful families of the world that Li Dachui is not as ruthless as rumored. As a result, more and more people are now in cahoots with Li Dachui, all looking for their own way out. If this continues, does Linghu Ye still have any hope of winning? Don't forget, he still has Shu and the Eight Towns of Jiangnan."

"So we need to eliminate Jiang Qian first!" Zhou Zheng argued.

"If we besiege Jiang Qian, will Li Dachui's troops in Boling and Fanyang just stand by and watch their allies be defeated?" Jiang Chong said coldly. "If the Beiting Protectorate launches a major offensive against Yuyang and Shanggu at this time, what will Linghu Ye do?" "Naturally, he will resist with all his might!" Zhou Zheng murmured.

“Yes, if Linghu Ye loses Yuyang and Shanggu, he might as well just slit his own throat!” Jiang Chong said, “Knowing this, why does he still insist on pushing our Chu state to attack the eight towns south of the Yangtze River?”

Before Zhou Zheng could answer, Jiang Chong continued, "Because this man needs our Chu state to tie down Jiang Qian's forces for him, and at the same time, he needs the outbreak of this war to cover up his true purpose. After all, large-scale troop mobilization and the collection of grain and supplies cannot be concealed. Prefect Zhou, the encirclement and suppression of Jiang Qian is just a pretext. Linghu Ye is using us this time, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone!"

"That's just your guess!" Zhou Zheng shouted.

“Prefect Zhou, what I said was indeed just a possibility!” Jiang Chong said, “But what if this possibility becomes a reality? What will we do then? We thought we had reinforcements, but we didn’t. We thought we could defeat the enemy in a short time, but in fact we will have to fight a protracted war, and we might even lose! Once Na Wei suffers a major defeat at the front, what will he do when he comes back?”

Hu Tianying said, "Prefect Zhou, what I fear most is that after his crushing defeat, he will realize that he can no longer hold his ground in Danyang and simply try to make a fortune before fleeing back to the southwest. At that time, the Great Chu will be truly doomed."

Zhou Zheng's face turned ashen.

What Jiang Chong and Hu Tianying said was, of course, only a possibility.

This was something he had never considered before.

He subconsciously thought that Linghuye needed their help to fight against Li Dachui, and never considered that Linghuye wanted a permanent solution.

If this were to actually happen, it would be a catastrophe not only for the Great Chu, but also for him personally.

In fact, Ganba had already shown him the unreasonable side of the wolf soldiers.

“Therefore, Prefect Zhou, if we want to save Great Chu, we have no choice but to defeat that Wei Su!” Hu Tianying looked intently at Zhou Zheng.

"This is tantamount to surrendering to Jiang Qian!" Zhou Zheng said, emphasizing each word: "Will Jiang Qian make a comeback?"

“Prefect Zhou need not worry about his life, property, or even his political future!” Another voice came from behind him. Zhou Zheng turned around abruptly and saw a person walking slowly with his hands behind his back.

Who are you?

"Hong Zhan!"

(End of this chapter)