Chapter 272: The Prince of Southern Jiang Plans to Seize Grain!
Unable to ease their concerns, they had no choice but to go out and inquire.
The result was astonishing news: their grandmaster, Elder Mu, had indeed raided the prison, but he didn’t rescue the crown prince. Instead, he rescued a person disguised as the crown prince, Night Fragrance.
Night Fragrance’s disguise was exceptionally successful, as there were no flaws noticed along the way. Moreover, he was deeply concealed and managed to kill Elder Mu during the rescue.
In the battle at Hulao Pass, he also killed another Grandmaster of Great Xia.
Two Great Xia Grandmasters were killed by his hand, terrifying and hateful.
So, this attempt to rescue the crown prince naturally failed.
After learning this news, everyone was utterly dumbfounded, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
“Lord Wang, what do we do now?”
“Since we didn’t rescue His Highness the Crown Prince, and our Great Xia’s tribute died in this operation, how do we explain it to His Majesty when we return?”
“His Majesty will surely be furious, and we’re done for!”
“Lord Wang, quickly think of a solution!”
…
All the Great Xia officials were in a panic.
Lord Wang sighed and looked bitter: “What else can we do? We can only return to His Majesty and admit our guilt! If the Crown Prince wasn’t rescued and Elder Mu fell, we’ve truly suffered a loss! Let’s hope His Majesty is merciful and doesn’t vent his anger on us!”
Others nodded, their faces looking extremely grim.
They patted their chests, feeling chilled to the bone.
At that moment, a tall and powerful figure burst in, glancing coldly at the group. He nodded slightly and said, “It seems I’ve found the right people. You must be the Great Xia officials who’ve come to negotiate this time, right?”
With tensions high, seeing a person with imposing aura enter, the Great Xia delegation was startled.
One official stuttered, “You, you… who are you? Why… why are you looking for us?”
“I am a constable from the Six Doors, Big Bull!”
Big Bull stood tall, his hand on his waist, gripping a knife in the other. He looked mighty and stern, saying, “I’m here on the commission of Lord Prefect of Dedian Prefecture, and the Principal of Imperial Academy, Lin Beifan! I’ve brought you an edict!”
The Great Xia representatives exchanged glances, and Lord Wang asked, “What does he want to tell us?”
“Master Lin asked me to convey this!” Big Bull shouted, “Remember to take the compensation treaty and imperial edict back, and follow the provisions for compensation listed on it. Don’t play any tricks on us, or you’ll regret it! We can kill your two Grandmasters, and we can even kill the third one, perhaps even inside your imperial palace. You will bear the consequences!”
The Great Xia group broke into cold sweats once again.
Lord Wang trembled as he clasped his hands and said, “Yes, this… Big Bull, sir, I remember!”
“As long as you remember, I’m leaving!”
Bull glanced at the group coldly and left.
The Great Xia group took the compensation treaty and imperial edict back, and also reported everything to the Xia Emperor.
The Xia Emperor had become more compliant and obedient, following the terms of compensation and refraining from any action. He was afraid another Grandmaster might be lost and that they might even attack the capital.
Those who could kill Grandmasters were truly fearsome!
As a result, a large amount of supplies were transported to Hulao Pass, and then shipped by water to the Dedian Prefecture of the Great Wu Capital.
The Great Wu’s treasury quickly became abundant.
However, this left Prince of Southern Jiang salivating.
After all, what he lacked the most now was food.
Due to the lack of food, he had to plunder food from others, causing the economic collapse of the Southern region. Because of the scarcity of food, he had to send his troops to farm and eat tree roots.
But now, the court had so much food and resources, making him envious.
After two days of contemplation, Prince of Southern Jiang clenched his teeth and said, “Let’s just raid them!”
Lord Wang Fugui exclaimed, “Your Highness, that’s far too dangerous! You must know, the court has dispatched heavy guards along the route to protect the food. If we attempt to raid the food, we will directly confront the court! The court has just emerged victorious, their morale is high, and we should avoid their sharpness! Our military move at this point would be unwise!”
“Furthermore, even if we manage to seize the food, how do we bring it back? Carrying large amounts of food will inevitably slow us down. How could we possibly match the court in action?”
“And there’s one more crucial point!” Lord Wang Fugui continued, “Your Highness, it’s truly unadvisable to raise an army now! The court is still in a dominant position. Once we confront the court, we’re sure to suffer casualties and losses. In the end, others will profit!”
Prince of Southern Jiang’s expression turned conflicted; this was the source of his hesitation.
Raiding for food was extremely risky, with a high likelihood of casualties and losses that would outweigh the benefits.
But without food, his development was stunted.
“So, I’ve come up with a good strategy!”
“Advisor, what strategy?”
“Since raiding for food is too dangerous, why don’t we collaborate with someone else to raid together? That way, we can share the risks, and our chances of success will greatly increase!”
Prince of Southern Jiang looked at Lord Wang Fugui with a hint of anticipation.
“What do you think of this plan?”
“Advisor, this plan is indeed good, but who will we collaborate with?”
“Of course, it’s my imperial brother, the Prince of Northern Hebei!” Prince of Southern Jiang laughed, “He’s in the north, and I’m in the south, attacking from both sides. The odds of success will be higher! I’ll write a letter to him. As long as he has ambitions, he won’t remain indifferent. Perhaps he’s also eyeing these resources!”
The more Prince of Southern Jiang thought, the more feasible the plan seemed. He finally slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “That’s settled!”
Thus, he immediately wrote a letter to the Prince of Northern Hebei to discuss the matter of raiding for food.
Upon seeing the letter, the Prince of Northern Hebei was intrigued.
However, he didn’t make up his mind and handed the letter to the nearby Strategist Zhuge.
“Strategist, take a look. Do you think this plan is feasible?”
Strategist Zhuge read it and smiled, “Your Highness, Prince of Southern Jiang lacks food, which is why he’s considering raiding for it. But he’s also afraid of the court’s military forces, so he’s contacting us to work together.”
The Prince of Northern Hebei nodded; he shared the same thoughts.
“Strategist, what’s your opinion?”
Strategist Zhuge clasped his hands and said, “Reporting to Your Highness, I believe this plan is unsuitable.”
The Prince of Northern Hebei was surprised, “Why is it unsuitable?”
“Firstly, raiding for food is genuinely risky,” Strategist Zhuge said, “This batch of food is so crucial to the court that they will certainly guard it heavily. We won’t have many opportunities to strike. Even if we manage to seize the food, bringing it back will be problematic.”
“During this process, struggle and bloodshed are inevitable, and casualties are unavoidable. If the court becomes anxious, they might just burn the food. The loss would outweigh the gains.”
The Prince of Northern Hebei nodded, “You make a lot of sense, Strategist!”
“Secondly, we don’t actually need that much food,” Strategist Zhuge continued.
“Your Highness, those beneath us are all practicing the Sunflower Manual. Once mastered, each person can hold their own in a battle. We don’t need a massive military force, so naturally, we don’t need so much food. The food we have now is more than enough. Why take unnecessary risks?”
The Prince of Northern Hebei nodded again, “You’re right!”
“Thirdly, Your Highness, what we need now is hidden development and the accumulation of power.”
“Only by enduring for a few more months, until everyone has mastered the Sunflower Manual, can we easily execute our grand plan. But once exposed and targeted by the court, it would be detrimental to our strategy.”
Strategist Zhuge whispered, “Previously, Tianmen was exposed like this, leading to their downfall. The sect leader of Tianmen, once a mighty figure, ended up being hunted like a rat, his lifelong efforts turned to nothing. Your Highness, we mustn’t repeat their mistakes!”
The Prince of Northern Hebei’s heart trembled.
The event of Tianmen sect’s extermination was still fresh in his memory!
This superpowerful sect, capable of challenging the court, was annihilated with a few moves by the court due to their sect-wide practice of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.
His subordinates didn’t practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, but they were cultivating another form of demonic art.
Once their situation was exposed, their grand plans would crumble!
“You’re right, Strategist. We mustn’t repeat their mistakes! It seems the matter of raiding for food shouldn’t concern us!” The Prince of Northern Hebei waved his hand.
“Your Highness, actually, there’s a way to work this out!”
“Strategist, what do you mean?”
Strategist Zhuge lowered his head and smiled, “Your Highness, though we won’t raid for food, we can pretend to cooperate with Prince of Southern Jiang. Once we take action, we retreat, leaving Prince of Southern Jiang to raid for the food himself. This way, he will likely suffer casualties and losses, while we remain unharmed. Your Highness, do you find this plan satisfactory?”
The Prince of Northern Hebei’s eyes brightened, and he clapped his hands, exclaiming, “Excellent strategy! I love it! Haha!”
Prince of Southern Jiang was his archrival, a strong contender for his throne. If he could lead Prince of Southern Jiang into suffering significant losses, he would be very pleased and would strongly support the plan.
Strategist Zhuge continued to smile, “Your Highness, we can also contact the top scholar of the capital… Wait, he should now be addressed as the Prefect Lord. We can have him advise the court to be prepared! This way, Prince of Southern Jiang will undoubtedly be trapped and suffer heavy losses!”
The Prince of Northern Hebei was grinning widely, “Exactly, exactly! We must contact Lord Lin and have him offer suggestions to the court. Let’s take down my good imperial brother, haha!”
So, not long after, Lin Beifan received a letter from the Prince of Northern Hebei.
After reading the confidential letter, Lin Beifan chuckled, “Using another’s hand to kill?”
Subsequently, in the court, Lin Beifan reported this matter to the Empress.
“Your Majesty, currently, a significant amount of grain is being transported from Hulao Pass to the capital. The quantity is immense! Prince of Southern Jiang is short of food, and I suspect he might take a risky move and seize the opportunity to plunder! This matter must be guarded against!”
The Empress nodded, “You’re right, My Minister. This matter indeed requires attention. Where is the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards?”
“Here, Your Majesty!” The Commander-in-Chief stepped forward.
The Empress issued her orders, “Have someone closely monitor the movements of the Southern Army. Report immediately if there’s any situation. When necessary, mobilize local forces for interception. Also, don’t let your guard down in the direction of Northern Hebei!”
“I shall follow your orders!” The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards accepted the command.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need for such trouble! I have a plan that can easily make Prince of Southern Jiang suffer losses, both in terms of soldiers and finances, without expending much effort!” Lin Beifan smirked.
The Empress’s eyes brightened, “Sir Lin, please tell us quickly!”
