Chapter 2136: Using Oneself as Bait

Although he had personally inspected the border of Baiqiuyuan and saw the vast army of Ya State in strict formation ahead—should the two armies clash again, the scale would surely exceed that of the Baiqiuyuan battle a few days prior—he still felt, given his understanding of Mu State, that this time was worth a gamble!

Under the provocation of Between Between Between Beijia, Ya State has long been sparring with Mu State as a matter of routine, with raids on Bailie increasing from once a year to two or three times a year, and Ya Ting openly mocking Mu State, with ruler and minister speaking outrageously.

Mu State is no turtle, and with a great opportunity now before him, He Lingchuan refuses to believe it can stubbornly hold back without acting.

On this day, a flying message arrived, its contents written in cipher.

This intelligence came from Mei Wuniang, and its content is very simple:

Deputy Transport Commissioner of the Eastern Three Routes, Young Master Zhai Qiu Shan, casually mentioned while having tea at a teahouse that the original fifty thousand stone of grain and fodder destined for the western Between Between Between Beijia battlefield has now changed direction and is racing backward, already transported to the easternmost Zhangyan City!

Zhangyan City lies close to Mu State's eastern border, and fifty thousand stone of grain and fodder is no small figure.

The army does not move first; the grain and fodder go ahead.

In other words, Mu State is continuously reinforcing its border with Ya State, with numbers at least exceeding one hundred thousand.

Increasing but not deploying—why?

What is Mu State waiting for?

He Lingchuan murmured: "No rabbit, no hawk released."

The mirror in his bosom didn't understand: "Ah? Master, what did you say?"

He Lingchuan did not explain to him, only summoning Wanqi Feng:

"Immediately dispatch avian spy beasts to Zhangyan City and Zhao City in eastern Mu State to scout the garrison situation there. Be thorough, and do not let anyone discover them."

"Yes."

The next day, a gray falcon flew into Baiqiuyuan riding the evening sunset.

The aerial scouts have confirmed that the Mu troops stationed in Zhao City, Bailie County, and three other locations are extraordinarily numerous.

Military tents stand thick as forests, personnel constantly coming and going.

Rough estimate puts the number at at least eighty thousand.

He Lingchuan rejoiced: "The first piece of intelligence sent by Mei Fei has already borne fruit—excellent."

Immediately after, his voice trailed off and his face darkened: "Convey my order—at cockcrow tomorrow, Tao Ran and Qiu Hu shall lead troops from the western wing to attack the Ya State Zhu Lang unit beside Panshui, but strictly control the scale of combat!"

The messenger received the order, turned swiftly, and strode off with long steps.

The Dragon Spirit Army, rested for six days, once again took the lead in igniting the flames of war.

Dong Rui stared at him in disbelief: "Hey, didn't you say you wanted to withdraw troops?"

How come, in the blink of an eye, we're fighting again?

This time, upon reopening hostilities, both sides are going all out, especially the Ya army, which has resolved to avenge its previous shame, nearly putting the entire nation's military strength on the line! Though Jiuyou Dadi can easily spark war, it does not mean he can easily end it.

He has given up the excellent opportunity to withdraw and retreat—what a risk he has taken!

He Lingchuan only said: "One who cannot bear to part with their child will never catch the wolf."

Ya State is the bait, and his Dragon Spirit Army—has He Ceng ever not been bait?

Only by using oneself as bait can one lure the target out.

Two days later, another flying message arrived from the west.

Wanqi Liang took the intelligence, glanced at it, his eyes widened, then he sprinted into the great tent and personally handed it to He Lingchuan.

At that time, Baiqiuyuan was in midfield rest, He Lingchuan was chatting with He Yue about heaven and earth, showing no sign of anxiety, yet when he glanced at the intelligence, he suddenly slapped the long table and said "Good," then laughed loudly to the heavens!

After six or seven days of waiting, the great news he had long awaited finally arrived—no easy feat.

He just knew!

He just knew that as long as the Dragon Spirit Army again fights to the death with the Ya army, Mu State will not be able to sit still.

He Yue heard his laughter and knew his heart was overjoyed: "Big brother, what good news?"

Making you look this beautiful.

Now it's fine to make it public—He Lingchuan tossed the intelligence in his face; the slip bore only one sentence.

He Yue read it and also jumped up in shock: "This!"

Big brother truly is a capable man—turning his hand to clouds and covering it with rain!

After he calmed down, he again wondered: "I don't quite understand—if Mu State plans to send troops to jointly attack Ya State, why not first inform you?"

"It fears loss." He Lingchuan chuckled, "It fears that once I know its battle plan after contacting me, I will have other calculations."

The soul-capturing mirror in his bosom gloated: "This shows Mu State doesn't understand you enough! Ahahaha, you've long been calculating it!"

"To undertake great deeds while cherishing life, to see small profit and forget one's fate! Not only humans, but even great states fall into this flaw." He Lingchuan turned, placed a small flag on the Ya-Mu border on the sand table, "But Guo Shaoping is exceedingly sly—both opportunistic and conservative; if I don't fight Ya State to the death with him, he won't dare to send troops."

He Yue nodded, understanding.

He pondered, then asked He Lingchuan: "Brother, if Mu State contacts you before sending troops, what would you do then?"

"Good question." He Lingchuan comfortingly patted his younger brother's shoulder, "A thoughtful child is truly endearing—if Mu State greets me before sending troops, that is open and aboveboard, fully showing sincerity, and I too must reciprocate courtesy."

There is one thing he did not say: since Mu State had greeted in advance, then while the two countries jointly crush Ya State, they must also simultaneously discuss postwar benefit distribution.

That too is a hassle.

He merely smiled: "Then we must greatly adjust the follow-up plan, truly join hands with Mu State, and destroy Ya State! Unfortunately—"

If this time we can utterly cripple Ya State, it would naturally be good news for Cangyan State as well.

"Mu State ultimately lacks such breadth of mind." He Lingchuan withdrew his smile, "Then don't blame me for still following the original plan."

He Yue heard this and drew a deep breath.

During his time in Shen State, he boasted of having seen raging torrents and chaotic warfare, but only on this battlefield where Ya and Cangyan armies clash did he truly grasp what is meant by multistate power play and great statecraft!

This journey abroad has truly not been in vain.

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Ya State's capital, Ducheng, is filled with wind and crane alarms.

Pedestrians on the streets rush to and fro, unwilling to linger; shops, unable to sell all their goods, close early.

The whispers on street corners and alleyways were all about the sudden war and its outcome.

Ya State had only been invaded by Mu State sixteen years ago and eight years ago; otherwise, it was always the one bullying others—when had it ever suffered such a loss?

As a result, many people, upon hearing of foreign invasion, reacted first with:

"Are the Mu State troops coming again?"

But the truth was even more painful.

The attackers were from the Cangyan State to the east.

They had even seized Baiqiuyuan.

Frontline military reports came one after another; Ya Wang had not slept well for several consecutive days, his hemorrhoids flared up, and each time he reported for duty, he suffered greatly.

The first report stated that the Dragon God Army had launched an attack first on the two corps of Ya Army's western wing.

This should have been a probing attack, since the avian demons in the high sky had not observed any main force mobilization.

At night, another military report arrived at Ya Wang's desk—this time, it was an official urgent notice covering hundreds of li, delivered by the fastest avian demon courier.