With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

Jiang Zhanji felt extremely heavy-hearted. He keenly sensed that a storm was brewing in Liuzhou, and that a great flood was imminent.

He commands an army of five thousand and is a trusted confidant of Xiao Heming. If he chooses the wrong side, he and his five thousand soldiers will face devastating consequences!

His choice not only determined his personal future, but also the life and death of his five thousand soldiers. This immense burden made his decision increasingly difficult.

Just as he walked out of the Grand Commander's Mansion with a heavy heart, a pebble flew from a distance and hit his leg.

He followed the direction from which the stones came and saw a small alley in the distance.

For such a long distance, the pebble still managed to hit his leg. The person who threw it must be a master, deliberately luring him there...

Could it be the eldest son?

Jiang Zhanji always placed high hopes on Ye Chengan.

Despite the current situation, with the Northern Barbarian cavalry about to trample Liuzhou and the Grand Commander intending to lead his 50,000 elite troops to attack from both sides with the Northern Barbarians, putting the eldest son and the Tiger Roar Camp to death... Ye Cheng'an is at an absolute disadvantage.

However, he still hoped that the eldest son could find a way to break the deadlock.

After all, the eldest son's abilities in resolving the locust plague and dealing with the Nine City officials were enough to amaze him.

Furthermore, Jiang Zhanji rose to his current position entirely through hard work and struggle. Unlike Xiao Heming and others who are numb and selfish, he still has a conscience and finds it hard to bear seeing the people suffer.

If Xiao Heming continues to govern Liuzhou, the people will forever live under exploitation and oppression. Only the eldest son cares about the lives of these people!

Only when the eldest son is in power can the people truly live a good life!

Jiang Zhanji subconsciously followed the direction from which the pebbles came and walked into the alley in the distance.

The gem is indeed here!

Ye Cheng'an's carriage is also parked here!

Jiang Zhanji felt a surge of excitement. Why was the eldest young master meeting with him in secret? Did he already know something and wanted to recruit him?

However, given their current disadvantageous position, how can the eldest son persuade him?

He stepped forward and said to Ye Cheng'an inside the carriage, "Why did you deliberately have Miss Zhuyu lead me here, young master?"

Ye Cheng'an lifted the carriage curtain and looked at Jiang Zhanji, smiling faintly, and said, "Commander Jiang, we are all smart people. Moreover, in the previous locust control process and in the incident where you sent someone to send me a message before the Nine Cities troops besieged the city, I could see that although you were working under Xiao Heming, you still had a conscience and were not a completely evil person like him."

"So, from now on, I'll speak frankly with you..."

"After I left the Governor's Mansion, did Xiao Heming ask you to gather your 50,000 troops and go to Yong'an City with him in seven days?"

"!!!" Jiang Zhanji was shocked. The young master had actually guessed the Grand Commander's actions. It seemed that he really knew something.

He probed, "What does the eldest young master know?"

Ye Cheng'an said, "I know that someone has joined forces with your Grand Commander to lure the Northern Barbarian troops into Liuzhou when I hold the Hundred Flowers Blooming Ceremony in seven days."

"I also know that your Grand Commander plans to join forces with the Northern Barbarian troops to launch a pincer attack on me, leaving me vulnerable from both sides."

Sure enough, the Grand Commander and the people behind the scenes thought they had done everything secretly, but the eldest son had already discovered everything.

Jiang Zhanji's eyes widened in surprise, then he said, "Young Master, have you forgotten that I am the Grand Commander's man? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Grand Commander about this?"

"Grand Commander?" Ye Cheng'an scoffed. "Ha, what a load of rubbish! Ever since I came to Panlong City last time, gave Xiao Heming a sound beating, and looted the Commander's Mansion, look around, who in Panlong City really considers him the Grand Commander?"

"Didn't Commander Jiang also say that Xiao Heming has borrowed all the money from your soldiers in order to maintain the daily expenses of the Governor's Mansion? Now your soldiers are all complaining and are extremely dissatisfied with Xiao Heming."

"Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, given his frugal lifestyle, the pay for his 50,000 troops has probably been overdue for a long time, hasn't it? These soldiers must be harboring resentment towards him by now, right?"

"What is the purpose of the eldest young master telling me all this?" Jiang Zhanji frowned.

Ye Cheng'an snorted lightly, "I want to give Commander Jiang a way out."

"To be honest, after discovering that some people in Liuzhou were colluding with the Northern Barbarians, I quickly subdued the troops of Jiucheng and put them to my own use. Furthermore, I promoted the deputy commander of Jiucheng to the position of commander and had them train the militia extensively... I even created a batch of special weapons for this purpose."

"The Hundred Flowers Blooming Festival may have been seen by Xiao Heming, his colluders, and the Northern Barbarians as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of my vulnerability and deal with me. But they don't know that I have already seen through their scheme. This is actually a trap to lure them into a snare."

"If they dare to come, I guarantee they'll suffer devastating losses!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhanji's brows furrowed even more. "Even if the eldest young master has subdued the troops of the Nine Cities, those people number at most 12,000. Adding your Tiger Roar Battalion, that's only 24,000. That's not even half of the Grand Commander's forces, let alone contend with the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians?"

"And those militia, though numerous, are no match for elite soldiers..."

"What makes you so confident, young master, that the Hundred Flowers Blooming Festival is a trap, a way to beat someone down, rather than a path to certain death? How can you say it's giving me a way out?"

Faced with Jiang Zhanji's skepticism, Ye Chengan laughed and said, "Commander Jiang, do you believe that there is a kind of crossbow in this world that even women and children can draw? And that even someone who has never learned archery can hit the bullseye every time?"

Jiang Zhanji stared intently at Ye Chengan; he had never heard of such a powerful weapon before.

Is Ye Cheng'an really not lying?

When faced with his sharp, scrutinizing gaze, Ye Chengan remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

Could it be that what the eldest young master said is true?

After all, no one in history has ever been able to truly eliminate locust plagues; only the eldest son has succeeded.

Seeing that the doubt in Jiang Zhanji's eyes gradually faded, Ye Chengan continued, "Furthermore, before I realized the schemes of Xiao Heming and his forces, the enemy was in the dark while I was in the light, and the situation was unfavorable to me. But now, I know their plans, but they don't know that I have seen through everything, so the enemy is in the light while I am in the dark, and the situation will be reversed."

"After returning to Yong'an City, I will lead the local militia and army to set up traps along the route the Northern Barbarian army will inevitably take, catching them off guard and wearing down their morale."

"By the time the Northern Barbarian army actually arrives at Yong'an City, they will probably have already lost more than half their numbers. At that time, with divine weapons in hand and the militia of ten cities, do you think I will still lose?"

"But there are also the troops under the Grand Commander's command..." Jiang Zhanji said.

Ye Chengan smiled, "That's exactly why I asked you to come here. You are Xiao Heming's confidant. Since Xiao Heming asked you to deliver the message to the remaining troops, it means that your people are trustworthy enough to gain their trust."

"I want you to follow Xiao Heming's instructions and have these 50,000 troops accompany him to Yong'an City in seven days. However, change the order to: drive out the barbarian soldiers and achieve merit! Make these people my allies!"

"You don't need to be afraid. They will come after you. Once I successfully defend against the Northern Barbarians, Xiao Heming will surely die. These people will thank you for deceiving them and giving them a way out."

Having said that, Ye Cheng'an stopped trying to persuade him. "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. As for the choice, it's up to you, Commander Jiang."

"Of course, you can go back to the Governor's Mansion and tell Xiao Heming everything I just told you, but if you do that, the next time we meet, we will only be enemies."

Jiang Zhanji pursed his lips, and after a long while, he said, "Young Master, you actually already knew I wouldn't reveal what you said to Xiao Heming, didn't you?"

"From the moment I stepped into this alley, you already knew that I had already been drawn to you when you were fighting locusts and saving people."

"I came here simply to hear what tricks the eldest young master has up his sleeve and how much of a chance he has of winning this game."

"Now, having listened to the eldest young master's words and witnessed his composure, although I haven't yet seen the so-called divine weapon he spoke of, I have already been successfully persuaded."

"Fortune favors the bold, and I've decided to do everything the young master in instructions!"

"Commander Jiang is indeed courageous, truly worthy of my high regard! Do a good job, and once this is accomplished, I will appoint you as the Grand Governor of Liuzhou, replacing Xiao Heming." Ye Cheng'an reached out and patted Jiang Zhanji on the shoulder, then gestured to Zhu Yu, "It's getting late, let's go, call Uncle Zhang, and we'll return to Yong'an together."

Jiang Zhanji stood there until Ye Cheng'an's carriage completely disappeared from sight before muttering, "Grand Commander, don't blame me. If anyone's to blame, blame your opponent for being too powerful..."