Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Chapter 1193 – Always People That Want to Harm Me
8th month, 4th day, Luoyang City.
Great Jin Dynasty’s huge drama really annoyed Ouyang Shuo, and he could not watch on anymore. He decided to interfere and proactively contacted Meng Yi, Meng Tian, Guo Ziyi and Ran Min, dragging them altogether for a discussion.
“Since things have reached such a state, as the four pillars of Great Jin and also the most trusted officials of the queen, you cannot watch on anymore and must act.” Ouyang Shuo was very direct.
“If this drags on, Great Jin will be in danger of being destroyed. Will you all be able to repay the queen’s trust in you?”
Based on the intel from the frontlines, the Great Zhou Palace Guards had set up camp outside Fallen Phoenix City and were in charge of monitoring the Great Jin Guards Legion Corps. The remaining Pill Sun, King, and Blood Red legion corps were all in charge of taking down the blazing legion corps.
One against three, the blazing legion corps stood no chances of winning.
Although Ouyang Shuo messaged Han Xin to lead the Leopard Legion Corps up north, the move needed time. With the current situation, before the Leopard Legion Corps even arrived, the blazing legion corps would be crushed.
When that happened, the reinforcements from the Leopard Legion Corps would be totally useless.
“What does the Xia King feel that we should do? Please teach us!” Meng Yi said.
In truth, they were anxious too.
Ouyang Shuo took a look at the four of them and said, “Then I’ll be direct. The only way would be to let the Jin Queen revive and stabilize the situation. I know all of you find it inconvenient to do such a matter, but it’s a desperate time, and we cannot be hindered by such small details. If the Jin Queen blames, say that it was my idea.”
“Protecting the safety of Great Jin is the greatest loyalty.”
Meng Yi looked deeply at Ouyang Shuo. As the prime minister of Great Jin, he knew some inside news and knew that the queen had already decided to join Great Xia after this war.
Hence, Ouyang Shuo was going to be his future ruler.
Due to that reason, Ouyang Shuo’s words held great weight. Without hesitation, Meng Yi nodded and said, “I agree.” When Meng Tian and the other generals saw that, they nodded.
Ran Min even said, “Leave this matter to me.”
As generals, when they made up their mind up, they were really determined.
The hesitation before was mostly because none of them dared to be the first to take the responsibility, and they each had their doubts. Ouyang Shuo stepping out at this moment was a correct decision.
“So that’s settled.”
Ouyang Shuo did not beat around the bush, “Furthermore, the Great Zhou army has the offensive, and for us to flip the scales, I have a plan that needs your cooperation.”
“Xia King, please speak!”
The generals were really courteous. They knew that even if the queen appears, she would only be able to stabilize the situation and not turn the tides.
To change the situation would definitely require the help of Great Xia.
They needed help from others, so they were naturally courteous. Furthermore, Great Xia was famous for always winning, and their plans were naturally effective. As such, what reason did they have to not cooperate?
Ouyang Shuo nodded his head in satisfaction and simply described the new battle plan of the Grand Council.
When the four of them heard it, their eyes lit up, showing excitement on their faces. Especially Meng Tian and Guo Ziyi, who felt really suppressed on the battlefield and had yearned to start a large killing spree.
“That’s decided!”
After finishing the conversation, both sides got busy.
…
That morning, without Feng Tianlie knowing, Ran Min helped Feng Qiuhuang secretly revive. Before this, Ran Min even informed Feng Qiuhuang about the entire plan in detail.
Feng Qiuhuang being poisoned meant that she could not talk and move, but she could still hear things.
After lying on the bed for two days, she had long been anxious and worried that changes had happened in Great Jin. She was worried that something had happened to the frontlines. Due to that worry, she had even forgotten about the betrayal of Qing Luan.
Seeing that Ouyang Shuo was decisively acting to save from the fire, Feng Qiuhuang even felt that he was a person she could confide in in life and death. Between the two, even if they were miles apart, they had a good understanding of one another.
In 24 hours, Feng Qiuhuang would return for her throne.
At the same time, facing the aggressiveness of Great Zhou, seeing that they could not return to Fallen Phoenix City, blazing legion corps marshal Guo a Ziyi led the troops up north.
Seeing that, under the leadership of God General Wuqi, the Great Zhou army did not hesitate and chased them. They wanted to totally crush the blazing legion corps to wipe out this cancer.
The flames of war slowly spread toward the north of Great Jin.
The blazing legion corps retreated from every battle, fighting a tough battle. The Great Zhou army’s morale was soaring. According to Wuqi’s judgement, in less than a week, the blazing legion corps would not be a threat to the Great Zhou army anymore.
At that time, the Great Zhou army could gather up with the palace guards to take down Fallen Phoenix City and occupy the entire Great Jin.
If they considered the time, it was more than enough.
…
4th day afternoon, Shanhai City.
After receiving the orders from the king, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th legions immediately entered battle modes and were ready to strike. At the same time, a vast number of military grain pills were transported to the Guards Legion Corps camp.
This time, Ouyang Shuo was going for a big gamble.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 8th month, 5th day. Feng Qiuhuang, who had spent an entire day in the reincarnation hall, did not alert anyone and did not even enter the palace. Instead, she quietly headed to a small courtyard in the city and hid there.
This courtyard was one of her secret locations within the city.
In the next two days, everything seemed normal in Fallen Phoenix City. It was bustling and chaotic, with both factions quarreling with one another. They only knew how to debate, but they did not have any proper methods to solve the problem the blazing legion corps was facing.
In a short three days, the blazing legion corps was forced to the north border.
Feng Qiuhuang, who was in the courtyard, understood what had happened during these past few days, and her face was terrifyingly dark. “I’ve been too accommodating of them. I actually let them actually fool around to such an extent. It’s time to clean out everything.”
As she said that, Feng Qiuhuang looked at a black clothed man. He was the commander of Great Jin’s spy organization Black Phoenix, and he was one of the people she trusted the most. She coldly said, “Quickly find out all their sins, and once the battle ends, we will cleanse them. No matter who is involved, get to the bottom of it.”
If only the Feng family people jumped, out she would not be so furious. She understood the character of her family members and was mentally prepared.
The part that pained her heart was the civil servants and generals that were wrapped up. Amongst which, there were old generals who had started from the bottom with her yet had actually been corrupted.
She was obviously filled with emotions.
“I have not even died!”
If it were not to cooperate with Ouyang Shuo’s plan, Feng Qiuhuang would have just appeared and wiped out these fellows.
The black clothed man could feel the surrounding air turn cold, and he did not to dare stay for long. After getting the order, he left in a hurry. He knew how scary it was when the queen was really furious.
This time, many heads would definitely fall.
An invisible storm that held Feng Qiuhuang’s will was going to strike the officials of Great Jin.
…
Great Zhou Dynasty, Handan City.
Every day, around night time, Di Chen had a habit of meeting up with Fenghua Juedai to discuss intel and administrative matters. Hence, she was promoted to the chancellor of Great Zhou.
Juedai Fenghua said, “Based on the intel from Difeng, during these past few days, the Guards Legion Corps camp looked really unusual. Large amounts of resources are being transported in. What are your thoughts?”
Through the proliferation of the communication compass, the intel organizations could get more and more intel. Any wind that blew could not be hidden from the enemy.
“Did you find out what was being sent in?” Di Chen asked.
Juedai Fenghua shook her head. Those were military items, and the Great Xia Guards Legion Corps was the top prohibited area. No matter how skilled the spies of Difeng were, they did not have the chance to get close.
“Speaking of which, I have been feeling really uneasy these past few days.” Di Chen got up and paced around the room, “Great Jin is in so much chaos, yet the old fox is still so calm. This is not his style.”
“Didn’t the Leopard Legion Corps go up north?” Juedai Fenghua did not understand.
Di Chen shook his head, “Both and us know that they cannot save Great Jin from this. I feel that the old fox is definitely planning something in the dark.”
As the brain trust, Fenghua Juedai was used to using intel as evidence and did not do make any baseless guesses, “Great Xia can only do very few things. Based on the news from Difeng, they said that Great Xia has gathered up grain in Zhongyuan Province, making the people furious. They are definitely going to do something in the mid plains.”
“One has to say that the old fox is a little too rushed; it is not like his normal style. To do something so huge right after taking down Zhongyuan Province, is he not afraid of things getting out of hand?” Di Chen judged.
Juedai Fenghua smiled, “That was a little rushed, and it was 80% forced by us.”
Hearing those words, Di Chen’s mood got better instantly. Facing the actions of Great Zhou recently, he felt delight and glee, “Who asked the old fox to find such a bunch of useless teammates. He has been conned by them.”
After pausing, Di Chen said, “Is there a chance of Great Xia directly teleporting troops to Fallen Phoenix City?” Although he was gleeful, he did not lose his mind and had to find the source of his uneasiness.
“The Great Jin palace has been totally locked down, and we cannot investigate any news there. Who knows what is happening with Feng Qiuhuang. However, seeing Feng Tianlie being so active in the court, there is likely no change.” After pausing, she continued, “Only a few days are left till the poison fades.”
Di Chen nodded, “Let the frontlines quicken their pace. They do not need to totally destroy the blazing legion corps and just need to badly hurt it. Return to the city and occupying it is the most important matter. If not, things might change.”
“That’s right.”
Juedai Fenghua nodded, “There’s one more matter, which is the grain problem. The yield for the 1st season was really bad, and the rice and malt were only enough for the farmers to use as food. There are people asking for the Imperial Court to remove the agriculture tax for this year.”
When Di Chen heard that, he frowned and immediately raged, “Wishful thinking, if we do remove the agriculture tax, what would the soldiers eat? Without an army, how would they have a peaceful life? Such an easy theory, yet they do not understand? They lack education and are just looking for problems.”
“Spread my decree, not only will the tax not be removed, but it will be doubled instead.”
When Juedai Fenghua heard that, she was unwilling. However, after thinking about the million troops fighting on the frontlines, she had to suppress such thoughts and did not say anything.
In chaotic times, mercy and logic did not exist.
For this battle, not only did Great Zhou have to provide grain for their four legion corps, they also had to provide for Song, Ming, and Qing who defended their borders.
This was logical. After all, they were helping to defend Great Zhou’s borders, and Great Zhou could not ask them to bring their own grain, right?
However, this was a huge ask on Great Zhou grain, and the granaries were decreasing at a visible pace.
Hence, it was no wonder that Di Chen would be in a rush to collect the agriculture tax.
