Chapter 1143

Guo Guangbi is an extremely ambitious man; his vision is not limited to just one Xingzhou. After learning that Guo Guangbi had already retaken Yunze Heishui Village, Jiang Zhengyang already knew Guo Guangbi's ultimate goal was to seize all of Dakang, and he first needed to become the hegemon of the north bank of the Yong River. Hu Xiaotian's support of three hundred thousand measures of grain for the capital became the link between Jiang Zhengyang and Guo Guangbi's alliance; their shared interest brought them together. Wanting to solve the grain problem and become the strongest force on the Yong River's north bank, they had to unite, smash Wuxing Commandery, and seize Hu Xiaotian's victory fruits.

Jiang Zhengyang thought everything that happened was natural; initially it was Hu Xiaotian who refused him. He sat atop the Dongluo Granary, yet he was so stingy as to refuse to lend even a single grain of rice, watching helplessly as he and his brothers headed toward a dead end. If Hu Xiaotian had lent grain back then, Jiang Zhengyang might not have defected to Guo Guangbi, or might not have made up his mind to rebel.

Zu Chengda also came from the front of the troop to Jiang Zhengyang's side and said respectfully, 'Sir, there are two thousand troops from Baichun City already coming to meet us.'

Jiang Zhengyang smiled and said, 'Zu Xingjian is still as impatient as ever.'

Zu Chengda said with deep feeling, 'Sir Zu's side is also almost out of grain.'

When grain was mentioned, Jiang Zhengyang's gaze involuntarily turned to the grain convoy ahead, and he instantly became eager. From now on they need not worry about grain; in just half a month his troops will be fully repaired and return to their former vigorous selves. Then they will march north, join forces with Guo Guangbi to capture Wuxing Commandery, and seize all the grain in Hu Xiaotian's hands. 'You forced me!' Jiang Zhengyang thought silently.

Cangmu County was also snowing; Zhan Peng hurried into Yu Tianxing's tent, took off his straw hat, shook the snow from his shoulders, and called, 'Military Advisor!'

Yu Tianxing said, 'How is the situation?'

Zhan Peng said, 'My lord personally led six thousand water troops to Yunze yesterday at noon; they should arrive at the latest by tonight. Due to the snow, Jiang Zhengyang's grain convoy's marching speed has been delayed, and it looks like it will reach Baichun City only around midnight today.'

Yu Tianxing nodded, walked to the north wall, stared long at the map hanging there, and said softly, 'It seems Jiang Zhengyang's true destination is indeed Yunze.'

Zhan Peng said puzzled, 'Military Advisor, looking at Jiang Zhengyang's current march route, there is nothing suspicious.'

Yu Tianxing said, 'Jiang Zhengyang's situation is that he can barely protect himself; the Emperor sent him to transport grain, yet he would hardly let such an opportunity slip—swallowing a hundred thousand dan of grain is inevitable. I just didn't expect him to choose to go south.'

Like many others, Zhan Peng still cannot be certain that Jiang Zhengyang will definitely rebel.

Yu Tianxing explained, 'The soldiers of Yunyang City have almost all come out. This in itself is full of doubts; as an experienced veteran commander, Jiang Zhengyang would hardly make such a basic mistake—his northwest is Xingzhou, and abandoning defense is tantamount to flinging open the gates to Guo Guangbi.'

Zhan Peng said, 'That is why my lord and the military advisor suspect that Jiang Zhengyang and Guo Guangbi have already reached a secret understanding.'

Yu Tianxing nodded and said, 'I overlooked Yunze, or perhaps my lord's vision is piercing. He timely discovered another possible retreat for Jiang Zhengyang; if Jiang Zhengyang reaches an agreement with the Yunze water bandits, once the grain is transported to Yunze, it will be hard for us to retrieve it.'

Zhan Peng said, 'Why must we risk seizing the grain? Jiang Zhengyang's forces already number thirty thousand troops, and Guo Guangbi's command also has sixty thousand. Given our current situation, it seems unwise to make too many enemies.' In his view, anyway these three hundred thousand dan of grain must be sent out; giving them to whom makes no difference.

Yu Tianxing said, 'If Jiang Zhengyang rebels, this hundred thousand dan of grain is enough for his troops to regain strength. Relying solely on this hundred thousand dan, he cannot completely solve the problem, so his next step is likely to join forces with Guo Guangbi to attack us from both sides.'

Zhan Peng said, 'Therefore this hundred thousand dan of grain must not fall into their hands.'

Yu Tianxing nodded and said, 'The troops dispatched from Xingzhou aim to draw our attention, so we overlook the watch on Jiang Zhengyang's side; in my estimate, they will not launch their real attack until after securing the safe arrival of the grain at its destination.'

Zhan Peng said full of worry, 'My lord only brought six thousand water troops to Yunze, while the enemy's forces exceed forty thousand—isn't this extremely risky?'

Yu Tianxing smiled and said, 'My lord is a man of great wisdom and courage; his target is not Jiang Zhengyang but the Yunze water bandits coming to meet him. As long as we destroy the ships the bandits send to meet him, Jiang Zhengyang's retreat is cut off, leaving him only one option.'

Upon hearing this, Zhan Peng finally fully understood and admired Yu Tianxing even more.

After a crane's cry, two Snow Eagles appeared above Wangchun River; Xia Zhangming, as the Snow Eagle soared past the ship's bow, leapt down from a height of three zhang, landing lightly on the deck like a falling leaf, without a sound, and the round trip took exactly two shichen.

Hu Xiaotian and his companions came out of the cabin to greet them; Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Zhangming is back—how is the situation?'

Xia Zhangming bowed with clasped fists and said, 'I have not failed the mission!'

Hu Xiaotian called out, 'Let's warm up inside the cabin first!'

Xia Zhangming flew along Wangchun River to Yunze, where he spotted enemy vessels at Yunze Qingyu Bay—about five hundred large and small ships already gathered there, apparently preparing to rendezvous; exact numbers unknown, but the ships were mostly empty, so likely not holding many troops. On his return from Yunze, he chose to travel the official road, en route discovering the grain convoy, which is now about fifty li from Baichun City and expected to reach Qingyu Bay tonight.

After hearing Xia Zhangming's report, Li Yongfu already firmly believed Hu Xiaotian's earlier judgment; the five hundred ships at Qingyu Bay must have come prepared.

Hu Xiaotian had Xia Zhangming go rest in the cabin first; Li Yongfu brought out a map of the waterways around Yunze, pointed to Qingyu Bay, and whispered, 'My lord, this is the place!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Jiang Zhengyang will probably not go to Baichun City; he will likely head straight for Qingyu Bay to quickly transport this hundred thousand dan of grain to Bixin Mountain.'

Li Yongfu said, 'We only need to sink these five hundred ships before Jiang Zhengyang arrives at Qingyu Bay.'

Hu Xiaotian, however, shook his head and said, 'The attack cannot be too early; we must wait until Jiang Zhengyang loads the grain onto the ships before launching the assault.'

Li Yongfu exclaimed in astonishment, 'Why?' He immediately understood Hu Xiaotian's intention: Hu Xiaotian wanted to destroy this batch of grain. If they attacked prematurely, Jiang Zhengyang would surely take this grain and flee, the most likely choice being to enter Baichun City. Although Baichun City is not a military stronghold, it holds a hundred thousand dan of grain and commands nearly forty thousand troops—a force not to be underestimated. After being cut off from retreat, Jiang Zhengyang might, after a brief adjustment, make a desperate last stand and launch a frenzied counterattack against Wuxing Commandery.

But if this batch of grain were destroyed, Jiang Zhengyang would be driven into a desperate situation.

Li Yongfu admired Hu Xiaotian's methods, yet his heart felt some reluctance, for Jiang Zhengyang was his colleague and Jiang Zhengyang's troops also belonged to Dakang; but Li Yongfu also understood that Hu Xiaotian led them to survive between Da Yong and Dakang, achieving today's situation was no easy feat, and they must not sacrifice their victory out of womanish benevolence. Only today did Li Yongfu finally grasp Hu Xiaotian's true intention in throwing out three hundred thousand dan of grain—this grain had already aroused unknown covetousness in many; without it, perhaps Jiang Zhengyang would not have resolved to rebel. Yet on second thought, if Hu Xiaotian insisted on hoarding all the grain for himself, they would inevitably become the target of public criticism. Hu Xiaotian's approach merely shifted the conflict away from his own turf while clearing away nearby obstacles.

Hu Xiaotian saw Li Yongfu's reluctance, patted his shoulder, and said, 'Brother Yongfu, those soldiers are innocent; after this battle, Jiang Zhengyang's forces will surely collapse, and we can leave a net open for the soldiers of Yunyang.'

Li Yongfu said, 'But our current grain stores probably cannot feed that many soldiers.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Heaven leaves no one without a way; as long as we survive this harsh winter, we will have a time of spring warmth and blooming flowers.'

Li Yongfu blinked his eyes; from Hu Xiaotian's words he seemed to realize something—could it be that Hu Xiaotian already had a clear plan for future development? He had already become wholeheartedly devoted to this lord; Hu Xiaotian's far-sighted excellence was beyond his own reach, and for him it was enough to peacefully fulfill his duty as a commander.

At nightfall, the grain convoy had already passed Baichun City; although all the troops were utterly exhausted, Jiang Zhengyang still gave no order to rest—for them time was crucial, they had to get all the grain to Bixin Mountain before Hu Xiaotian's side noticed; once this strategic transfer was completed, they could stand invincible. A scout from ahead reported that the five hundred ships of Yunze Heishui Village were already waiting at Qingyu Bay; once they reached Qingyu Bay, they could begin loading.

Jiang Zhengyang still showed full vigilance; he had Zu Chengda lead a three-thousand-strong detachment ahead, first to scout the situation around Qingyu Bay and confirm whether there were any ambushes, and second to have an important figure board each ship for inspection, ensuring the ships were problem-free. Although he had reached an agreement with Guo Guangbi, he lacked understanding of Heishui Village's bandit chief Ma Xingkong, and relying only on Guo Guangbi's connection was insufficient to fully trust Ma Xingkong.

Zu Chengda had just left when Baichun City's magistrate Zu Xingjian personally led a thousand troops to escort the grain; claiming it was grain protection, but actually Zu Xingjian did not trust Jiang Zhengyang either, fearing he would cart off all hundred thousand dan of grain, leaving Zu Xingjian with nothing but a bamboo basket drawing water.

Jiang Zhengyang naturally understood his thoughts; the two rode side by side in the column, Zu Xingjian gazing at the grain train stretching tens of li, his face breaking into a smile—hundred thousand dan of grain, part of which was his share. Baichun City is merely a small town; if Jiang Zhengyang had not chosen to pass through here, the good fortune of grain distribution would not have fallen to him. (To be continued~^~)