My lord, spare his life!

Zhang Yang only pondered for a few breaths.

Slightly hesitant: "Should we go get it now?"

At this point, Zhang Yang remembered something he had forgotten.

She hadn't had a chance to mention the Xuanwu Token to her adopted daughter yet.

Lu Yuan said awkwardly, "There's no need to be in such a hurry."

She definitely wants to hit him.

Even if the horse farm is small, it's still a horse farm, and occasionally it can breed top-quality warhorses, which are enough to make her drool. Lu Yuan wanted to show Zhang Yang what carrots looked like, to whet her appetite and keep her thinking about the horse farm as her goal.

Zhang Yang: "You probably don't know, but the Xuanwu Decree appeared not long ago, and the external situation is different from before. I'm preparing to consolidate the forces in the mountains before dealing with other storms. The horse farm you mentioned is naturally included in that; the only question is when we can take it down."

Zhe Meng subconsciously sat up straight.

Whether Lü Yuan knew about the Xuanwu Decree was unknown, but it certainly hadn't reached her yet. For a moment, she was unsure whether to be more shocked by the Xuanwu Decree's emergence or by Zhang Yang's ambition to swallow up several mountain forces in one gulp. She admitted that Zongzheng County had suffered a major loss due to the sneak attack, a somewhat humiliating defeat, but that didn't mean all the mountain counties were at that level. Did they really think the mountain counties were pushovers?

Zhe Meng felt somewhat uneasy—Zhang Yang looked down on all the counties in the mountains, so how much weight could he, as a surrendered general, possibly have?

She wisely kept quiet.

Lu Yuan remained calm, as if he had already digested the news. He smiled and said, "The emergence of the Xuanwu Token will indeed cause bloodshed and chaos. Those with deep-seated grudges may be tempted to start a war. However, our adoptive mother is our backbone. As long as she is in charge, the army will be united and the people will be at peace. No matter how big the storm, it will not be a threat. On the contrary, it will force us to unite as one and smoothly overcome the calamity. Our adoptive mother can just tell us where and who to attack. I have no worries about the rest."

Everyone: "..."

Guan Zong secretly covered his forehead and face.

How come he didn't know his sworn sister was so eloquent?

Zhang Yang didn't care about any of that. All she knew was that Lu Yuan's words were pleasant, agreeable, and enjoyable to hear, and that he never seemed worried about losing. A slight smile played on her lips: "If I ever find a truly exceptional horse, I'll give you Guan Zong's as well."

Guan Zong instinctively retorted, "On what grounds?"

Zhang Yang: "As the older brother, what's wrong with letting your younger sister have her way?"

Guan Zong: "???"

You can't just answer that question carelessly.

If I answer, Zhang Yang will take advantage of me.

Upon closer inspection, Guan Zong noticed a faint smile in Zhang Yang's eyes, which added radiance to her beautiful but unpopular face. Guan Zong was momentarily stunned, then belatedly realized—Zhang Yang might be joking? This combination was quite rare.

Lu Yuan covered his fist and chuckled softly.

Guan Zong: "..."

He finally realized he was being teased, and could only silently console himself—so be it, it's just a way to lighten the mood. The difficulty of a lord annexing the mountain prefectures is vastly different from a lord trying to annex them all in a short time. The former can be pursued gradually, while the latter requires a swift victory with the existing forces. Leaving aside the troops of the Imperial Capital, Zhe Meng might also consider retreating due to the overwhelming size and difficulty of the objective.

Morale is still quite important.

Guan Zong's face turned red, and he accepted it without uttering a sound.

"Have you heard that Zongren County and Bodu County have gathered tens of thousands of troops?" Zhang Yang glanced at the time on the system log, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xiao Sui yawning under the cover of her fan. Remembering that everyone was tired during the day and hadn't rested much at night, he took the initiative to steer the conversation back from the horse farm and warhorses.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhe Meng, who had been silent, hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhang Yang proactively asked, "Does the rabid dog have anything to say?"

Zhe Meng's lips twitched.

It wasn't because Zhang Yang called him by name, but because she addressed him by his courtesy name. Although Zhe Meng was quite pleased with his courtesy name, workplace bullying was a constant—his colleagues were simply from privileged backgrounds, not necessarily of high character or exceptional ability; these kinds of people loved to stick together and engage in backstabbing. Zhe Meng inevitably received nicknames from behind his back.

After hearing it so many times, she became unhappy.

A perceptive person will deliberately avoid using the word "title".

Zhang Yang didn't understand.

Aside from Guan Zong's courtesy name, which made her feel taken advantage of, she followed local customs and addressed everyone else by their nicknames or courtesy names.

Zhe Meng: "Based on my understanding of the Zongren and Bodu prefectures, these ten thousand troops should be all that can be mobilized."

The subtext was a suggestion for Zhang Yang to sneak into the enemy base on the other side.

However, stealing a base isn't as simple as taking a detour.

Logistics could be cut off, or even if they manage to reach the enemy's base, they might find the city too formidable to conquer. Once their forces are tied down, the enemy's 10,000 troops could turn around and launch a pincer attack, potentially encircling and annihilating the troops sent to raid their base.

If this suggestion came from Guan Zong, it would be fine; if it wasn't adopted, it wouldn't matter. But coming from a surrendered general who had only been gone for a few days, it makes people feel that Zhe Meng is plotting something bad, which is a big difference in perception.

Zhang Yang's attention was not on this.

She remarked, "Hearing this, the Second County seems quite righteous?"

Zhe Meng, who was good at taking advantage of others' weaknesses: "..."

"He has a chivalrous spirit of risking everything to avenge his allies." Seeing Zhe Meng's reaction, Zhang Yang said casually, "He certainly has a chivalrous spirit. What I've seen most often are people who betray their allies."

When playing dungeons, some people believe in things like "sacrificing teammates brings good luck," and deliberately sacrifice one or two teammates when the BOSS is about to die. Or when she goes to rob players, some red-named players will take advantage of Zhang Yang being entangled to escape. There are also game guilds that form alliances and then betray each other... Zhang Yang only half understands about these things, she only knows that they are very exciting, but she doesn't know exactly what makes them exciting.

Zhang Yang made a casual remark, but everyone thought it was just a sentimental remark triggered by the scene.

"The three parties have been intermarrying for many years and are deeply entangled. It's natural that we can't just stand by and watch. Besides, we're all in this together..." Zhe Meng sighed sincerely and explained, "With... the strength that our lord has shown, if the remaining two families don't unite, the day of the Imperial Clan Court will be the day of theirs. I can see that clearly."

It has little to do with loyalty or anything like that.

Ultimately, it all comes down to self-interest.

Zhang Yang asked, "How confident are we in raiding their base?"

Zhe Meng dared not make a hasty judgment.

Zhang Yang tapped his knees a few times with his fingers. Xiao Sui stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "The two prefectures were hastily attacked. Our army can take advantage of their unstable footing and attack them with strong troops. The successive victories have greatly boosted our morale. Why not press on and strike them head-on? Perhaps we can achieve a quick victory."

She doesn't approve of procrastination.

While delaying the inevitable would allow our forces to recover the energy and stamina depleted in several battles, it would also cause our morale to plummet. Zongren County and Bodu County are not too far from here, and a two- or three-day march would not tire the enemy troops much. During their rapid march, their formations are prone to loosening, making it an opportune time to strike.

Zhang Yang said, "That's not what I meant."

Her gaze fell on Fan You.

A somewhat vague thought began to form in his mind: "Uncle Yan once said in his lecture that in war, logistics are the most important thing..."

"The distance is too close; cutting off the supply line is pointless." The enemy can quickly repair and recapture the supply route, so sending troops to block their logistics is meaningless. Xiao Sui knew that Zhang Yang wasn't very bright, so she remained calm and reasonable no matter how many sharp suggestions he made, but Zhe Meng and the others couldn't stay calm.

One or two of them looked somewhat shocked.

It seems we didn't expect Zhang Yang's standards to be so low. Was it really necessary to send troops to intercept the supply lines that had been in transit for the past few days?

They can turn around, go home, take a couple of bites, and then start attacking again.

Zhang Yang said, "That's not what I meant."

Xiao Sui stared at Zhang Yang, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"I mean, what if they run out of supplies?" Turning back home for a quick bite requires food in the pot, but what if there's no food? Zhang Yang vaguely grasped something and said, "We can spread rumors in the city that the ten thousand troops who went out took all the supplies with them. They didn't go to reinforce Zongzheng County, but were afraid of us, so they fled overnight with the supplies. As long as these rumors spread throughout the two counties, morale will naturally collapse. Then, wouldn't the chances of successfully raiding their territory be much higher..."

Zhang Yang's ideas can be described as wildly imaginative.

Zhe Meng couldn't help but say, "With the grain reserves of the two prefectures, they can at least supply these ten thousand troops for one or two years..."

Why are these 10,000-plus people fleeing?

Such rumors, which are easily debunked, are meaningless.

Why go through all this trouble and alert the enemy when their main force is away? Zhe Meng racked her brains but couldn't understand why, only feeling that Zhang Yang didn't believe her suggestion and was doing this on purpose. For a moment, Zhe Meng felt a little annoyed.

Fan You understood why.

He had personally witnessed Zhang Yang doing this.

"Does my lord intend to risk going to steal grain?"

Zhang Yang's eyes lit up: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Guan Zong: "..."

He thought of the Eastern Frontier Treasury, which had been ruined by Zhang Yang.

Others: "???"

"If that's the case, how can we spread the rumors in a short time?" Fan You pondered, his gaze subtly shifting to Zhe Meng.

Zhe Meng was puzzled by several subtle gazes.

Xiao Sui pointed at the map with her sword fan and said, "In that case, we should use a small force to defend the city, ostensibly to restrain these ten thousand men, or use a surprise attack to intimidate them and prevent them from making any rash moves, thus misleading their assessment of our strength. Then, we can send another force to the city of the second prefecture, while our lord secretly takes away all the grain and provisions. The news of General Zhe's surrender has not yet spread, so we can go to his rescue under the pretext of his escape, and take the opportunity to inform him that the ten thousand men have fled. With grain and provisions lost inside and enemy troops outside, perhaps we can trick them into opening the city gates? If we can't trick them, we can attack directly..."

It would take a long time to fight.

They have over ten thousand people, yet they don't lack food supplies.

If they don't resort to underhanded tactics and instead proceed methodically to conquer two counties, even if both counties are relatively small, the army will still spend half its time on marches. If they encounter a tough opponent, it will take even longer.

Without the sword of Xuanwu's Decree hanging over their heads, time would pass slowly, but with that sword, Tianyue County could be dragged into the chaos at any moment. Fan You secretly glanced at Zhang Yang out of the corner of his eye—if their lord abandoned Tianyue and chose to shift the focus of governance to the mountains, Tianyue could be abandoned, but it wouldn't be long before they could take it back.

The question is, will the lord give up?

She now equates the prefect with her parents.

Fan You felt that he had shot himself in the foot.

If it weren't for his frequent hints and reminders, the lord wouldn't have had such a profound understanding, and now it's too late for regrets.

Zhang Yang clapped his hands: "I think it's feasible."

Xiao Sui changed the subject and went straight to the core issue.

"Does my lord know where the enemy's supplies are hidden?"

While scouts can certainly gather information, it takes time, and time is of the essence right now.

Zhang Yang: "..."

The Eastern bandits who encountered the Guan brothers could only accept their bad luck, but other forces were different. How could such confidential information be easily leaked? Zhang Yang scratched his face in frustration.

With a regretful sigh, he said, "Then pretend I never said that."

Things always take unexpected turns.

Wang Qi and Guan Si knew a little bit about it.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Guan Si calmly said, "Even a vast and narrow area like the Dongfan Mountains can be controlled by Da Gu, let alone two small counties with little geographical cover..."

Isn't this underestimating pure-blooded star beasts?

Wang Qi had told him that Zhang Yang's method of raising star beasts would ruin them; he wasn't lying, but stating a fact. Zhang Da Gu's flight altitude and eyesight meant that ordinary methods couldn't stop it.

however--

Zhang Damiao's head got fat, and Zhang Dagu also gained weight.

While sufficient energy is crucial for them to reach adulthood, being too fat means overnutrition, causing them to grow horizontally. Previously, Zhang Dagu could easily take off from the spot with just a flap of its wings. Now, Zhang Dagu has to flap its wings laboriously three to five times.

Why did he deliberately control Zhang Dagu's body size?

It's precisely because its specialty is reconnaissance.

As a result, Zhang Yang used this excuse to steal it.

At this moment, the garrison commander of the Imperial Throne City suddenly remembered something. She opened her mouth to say something, but could only shut her mouth awkwardly—the Imperial Throne City also kept a scout star beast, whose scout range and ability were absolutely no less than the so-called Zhang Da Gu. It could also find the location of the granary.

It's pointless for the garrison commander to speak after Guan Si has spoken first.

On the contrary, it would be seen as stealing credit, needlessly incurring hatred.

Her inner thoughts remain unknown.

Zhang Yang didn't notice the garrison commander's subtle reaction, but simply thought through the whole situation: "Alright, alright, then this time I'll let Da Gu come with me. Even if we fail to raid their base, causing them to lose supplies and shake their morale will still be a huge gain."

After another round of discussion, they finally parted ways after a full fifteen minutes.

The commander of the Imperial City was somewhat distracted.

She wasn't sent to raid the enemy's base, but instead stayed behind to help defend it. This actually suited the interests of the defending general—venturing into the enemy's lair risked being cut off and surrounded, while staying here allowed them to rely on the city gate's convenience, and even if they were defeated, they could retreat the same way.

But the thought of Zhang Yang's generosity always makes me uneasy.

Zhang was frank, while she had many concerns.

At that moment, Guan Si's voice rang in her ears.

"This is a good thing."

The garrison commander glanced over instinctively to confirm that the other person was speaking to him.

She asked, "What constitutes a good thing?"

"It's a good thing that she doesn't know you're raising a star beast."

If Zhang Yang finds out—

The star beast was then "adopted" by the other party.

Zhang Dagu has made a new friend these past few days and is having a great time with it. Guan Si is getting annoyed by it. He only recently learned that the guard is the owner of Dagu's new friend, so he reminded him.

The Imperial City's garrison commander: "???"

Completely confused, unable to understand its meaning.

She couldn't sleep late at night, so she went to feed the birds, only to find two birds in the aviary, one of which was a strange bird that was carrying a basket and trying to please her.

??|??w?`)

Fire prevention, theft prevention, and Zhang Yang prevention.