Chapter 1000: Progress

Kong Fang grinned, saying, "My lord, it's not that I'm being arrogant; honestly, no matter from which angle I compare, the Court Army is like children forcibly fighting adults compared to our army."

"Our army emerged from slaughter against the Qiang people; this 200,000-strong force has nearly everyone seen blood and fought desperately on the battlefield. Yet looking at the Court Army, they tremble at the mere mention of the Qiang as if hearing an evil demon knock at the door—how can we compare?"

"Looking at the Uyghur people, they have always been playing the servant; even if the Court merely sends a lowly clerk as an envoy, they treat him as an honored guest. No matter who the Court fights, they exhaust themselves rushing back and forth, sending batch after batch of servant troops to the front lines as if they weren't human."

"They have clearly already made their troops strong and their horses sturdy, so why go to such lengths? If there were no conspiracy or scheming, I would not bear the surname Kong."

Chen Wuji waved his hand, saying, "We're just discussing military matters; there's no need to drag in the ancestors."

"Your analysis is sound, but even a lion fighting a rabbit requires full effort; most capsizing in hidden ditches are caused by arrogance. The Uyghur People must be guarded against, and the Court Army must be cautious; what I want is, given this premise, how should we fight the upcoming battle?"

Kong Fang respectfully answered with a sound, shrank his neck, and said, "My lord, haven't you fully entrusted the military affairs of Yan Zhou to Mr. Xu and Commander Guo? Would it be improper for me to keep chattering?"

"That's you—where does all this nonsense come from!"

"Yes!"

Kong Fang suddenly straightened his back, saying, "I think we should advance steadily and cautiously, first undermining the Court Army's inflated confidence. I know these people; setting aside how they fight, they are absolutely arrogant, one more so than the next."

"Our army is at the gates of Yan Zhou; now it's them who should be anxious. Once they move, an opportunity arises, and our army will act accordingly."

Chen Wuji gave a slight nod, asking, "Shi Yi Shu, why are you unusually silent today?"

"Deputy General Kong has already said what I wanted to say." Chen Li kept a straight face, but the corner of his mouth revealed a hint of a gentle smile.

Chen Wuji nodded, saying, "I understand. You may go rest now."

"Yes sir!"

The situation has come to this point; it is actually basically clear now.

But as Chen Wuji just said, even a lion fighting a rabbit requires full effort; regarding the Court Army, he has never let down his guard—even if they were merely 200,000 pigs, it would still take a long time to cut them down.

The Uyghur People must be guarded against, and the Court Army must not let down its guard.

Popping champagne at halftime is a major taboo for soldiers!

Chen Wuji glanced at the misshapen, ugly teapot that had been kneaded, roughly mashed it into a lump of clay, picked up his brush, and wrote a letter to Xu Zengyi, recording Kong Fang's earlier suggestion and his own opinion.

As for how to fight this battle, Chen Wuji doesn't care.

Since he has handed over the military affairs of Yan Zhou to Xu Zengyi and Guo Shuhan, he naturally cannot change orders from day to night.

This order isn't really an order; it only carries one meaning.

Do not underestimate the enemy!

……

On the third day after the victory report arrived.

Chen Wushuang left Liu Min Ji, personally returned to the military camp, and reported to Chen Wuji his achievements over these three days.

The Fifth Lord's old lover, Pang Danniang, and the woman named Tang Xiao Yan were brought back; the interrogation has ended, and they have revealed some important information.

"Pang Danniang is only over twenty years old, and she's still friends with Chen Ruoshui?" Upon hearing Chen Wushuang's report, Chen Wuji's expression suddenly turned strange.

This world is still small enough.

In an era when travel is slow and letters far, a friend's silent departure may mean a lifelong separation; wanting to meet again in this vast sea of people is harder than winning the lottery.

Chen Wushuang stood in the tent with a stern face, saying, "My lord, that's indeed the case. Pang Danniang is just a codename; she herself is neither fat nor old, but actually quite attractive."

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "A somewhat attractive young Pang Danniang actually took a liking to the Fifth Lord, that old fogey? What hidden circumstances could we be unaware of?"

"My lord, there's actually nothing hidden." Chen Wushuang's expression suddenly looked constipated, "The Deputy General sent people to investigate thoroughly, and found that the Fifth Lord was merely… one-sidedly infatuated; Pang Danniang outright denies any such thing, and her neighbors say her involvement with the Fifth Lord is purely because she pities that old man."

"……"

Pang Danniang is a very famous beauty in Liu Min Ji; because of her looks, her small eatery does booming business, and roasted rabbit has become a favored snack and drink for many men in Liu Min Ji.

"Has it been clarified?"

"The Deputy General guarantees it with his life!"

"What about Tang Xiao Yan?" Chen Wuji asked.

He did not inquire about the friendship between Pang Danniang and Chen Ruoshui.

There's nothing worth paying attention to regarding this matter; Chen Ruoshui will likely go to her for a report and explanation.

"This woman is a somewhat aging courtesan who makes a living selling her body in the city, with no fixed place; as long as there's no one around, she can… however, she never brings men back to her own home." Chen Wushuang said somewhat embarrassedly.

For a twenty-two-year-old bachelor in the prime of his vigor, talking about this makes his brain feel a bit fried, and his whole body feels uncomfortable.

"Tell me what you pried out of them." Chen Wuji asked.

He didn't want to hear about Pang Danniang and Tang Xiao Yan's false identities; knowing them would be useless.

That's because Chen Wushuang this kid is overly earnest; Chen Wuji, to encourage his enthusiasm in handling his first case, patiently listened to the stories of these two women.

"Everything the Fifth Lord said is true." Chen Wushuang said.

Pang Danniang and Tang Xiao Yan are a knife that the Snake Staff Weng deliberately hung over the Fifth Lord's head; they are orphans personally trained by the Snake Staff Weng, and they are sufficiently loyal to him.

They hide their names and dwell among the common folk, shouldering many responsibilities: monitoring the Fifth Lord and his associates, finding ways to earn money and grain, and if the persons the Fifth Lord selects undergo changes, they must also clean house.

They do indeed have a small, strong unit of troops, roughly similar to our army's scout squad in the Xùhòu yíng, except that all of them are experts.

The general procedure is, when Pang Danniang or Tang Xiao Yan discover a valuable individual or need to kill someone of divided loyalty, they contact a person named Yaozi, who dispatches this small unit to handle it. At the same time, this unit also undertakes the task of receiving and aiding Pang Danniang and the others in retreat when danger arises.

According to Gu Danniang's meaning, Yaozi seems to be the liaison and even the leader of this small unit; they normally have their own identities, and only gather when they receive Yaozi's orders.

Chen Wuji's mouth corner twitched slightly.

That Snake Staff Weng fellow has really mastered the art of information warfare.

Scouts, agents, external support units, and cleaners—a set of processes with finely divided labor.

Lao Zamao has gone a bit overboard in being thorough.