Chapter 1022

The alliance between Li Yu and Cao Lin was expected, and their alliance breaking up was also expected.

Chen Wuji didn't have the talent for calculation, but in this matter his judgment was extremely accurate.

Not even a major mishap occurred.

When his great army marched north, in the eyes of Li Yu and Cao Lin he would become that foreign enemy.

Joining forces to attack him is a very ordinary operation.

But such an alliance is based on him being that foreign enemy; once something arises that threatens their own interests, this so‑called alliance will collapse instantly, each looking out for themselves.

Having been played by Lü Ji and Feng Linchuan, both Li Yu and Cao Lin should now be looking for a way to break the deadlock.

Yan Zhou and Ling Shouzhou to the north have now become a situation of three‑way division.

Everyone wants to laugh last; right now it's just a matter of whose ability is superior.

Chen Wuji lightly tapped his fingers on the table, closed his eyes, and simulated the whole situation of Nanyue Jun.

For him, the worst scenario would be Li Yu and Cao Lin making an exchange, each giving up a prefecture, then consolidating their forces and respectively holding Ling Shouzhou and Yan Zhou, which would leave him surrounded on three sides—but can Cao Lin and Li Yu really exchange so harmoniously?

"It seems indeed possible." Chen Wuji murmured to himself.

They seem to have always been in a relationship of cooperation and mutual opposition.

Their current alliance split does not mean permanent split; perhaps tomorrow, when these two change their minds, they will re‑ally.

For such schemers, constant splitting and reuniting is just the norm of life.

Eternal principle of right over person—it all comes down to how the character for 'profit' is arranged.

If he acts too overbearing, those two are very likely to swap territories, gather their forces, and each take control of a prefecture.

"No, this cannot be dragged on any longer; we must add some pressure, absolutely not allowing them enough time to consolidate troops and hold the city. Once the fighting turns into a siege, it will become hard to fight, and both manpower and logistics will face severe pressure." Chen Wuji's eyes turned sharply cold; he picked up his brush and personally wrote a military order to Xu Zengyi and Chen Wuyi.

When fighting swiftly and decisively, the priority is to annihilate the enemy's effective forces.

Chen Wuji dislikes siege warfare; in his view, if a battle can be settled in the field, it should absolutely not be dragged into a siege.

Once it develops into a siege, it means enormous consumption of grain and money, as well as a tug‑of‑war lasting months or even years.

That's nothing but a mire.

After finishing the military order, Chen Wuji then opened the second urgent report.

This military report came from Ling Shouzhou, sent by Chen Wuyi via an 800‑li express.

The letter contains little text, but the matter it involves is of great importance.

The Uyghur people burst into Ling Shouzhou, and with the help of an insider they crushed the prefectural seat in Qingnan County's Qiu Cheng, killing an untold number of foes; Lin Zhaode and Huang Chongyue led the remnants in flight, completely withdrawing from the struggle for Ling Shouzhou's territory.

The Uyghur people kept their swords unsheathed for three days in Qiu Cheng to reward the troops.

Afterward, their main force, laden with the vast amount of looted baggage and supplies, turned eastward, using heavy cavalry to open the way and lay siege to Yang Ji's vanguard camp eighty li from Qiu Cheng.

Greatly defeated!

Yang Ji's vanguard troops collapsed in panic, fleeing in all directions.

"Eleventh Uncle, this land of Nanyue Jun has truly become a complete mire." Chen Wuji rubbed his cheeks hard, his face full of despair.

This battle has left us somewhat weary at heart.

Chen Li stood like a pillar at the entrance of the camp tent; hearing this, he shifted his feet and said, "Family Head, has something bad happened?"

He rarely saw Chen Wuji in such a state.

If he does, it surely means the situation has become extremely dire.

"Yang Ji, Lin Zhaode, and Huang Chongyue—these three good‑for‑nothings, I thought they had some ability, but it turns out they aren't even a match for the Uyghur; they've been crushed like soft persimmons." Chen Wuji cursed speechlessly, "Lin Zhaode and Huang Chongyue led the defeated troops to completely withdraw from Ling Shouzhou; unsurprisingly, they should have gone to Yan Zhou to meet with the Snake Staff Elder and Li Yu."

"Yang Ji is still holding on, but his vanguard position has been overrun by the Uyghur; his prospects are hardly optimistic, and handing over Ling Shouzhou may just be a matter of time."

"Two forces, tens of thousands strong, can't even block a single charge from them! All day they boast and brag, using every sort of scheme and trick to seize territory—what good is that?"

"In the face of absolute strength, all their painstakingly devised tricks are no better than pottery shards! I had hoped they could actually accomplish something, but this… is just a waste of my effort!"

Chen Wuji was so angry he cursed his mother.

At this moment, this childless man suddenly felt as if he had fathered three good‑for‑nothing sons; he was so angry his brain seemed deprived of blood, and his kidneys felt on the verge of deficiency.

Chen Li was very able to understand Chen Wuji's feelings at this moment.

Their tactics had always revolved around setting up a life‑or‑death clash between Yang Ji and Lin Zhaode; but when the Uyghur surged in, one side was utterly destroyed, and tens of thousands of troops stationed in Qingnan County didn't even raise a splash—just lay still.

Who wouldn't be angry if this happened to them?

"I want to write a letter to Li Yu and the Snake Staff Elder, strongly demanding they kill Lin Zhaode and Huang Chongyue—these two good‑for‑nothings are frauds who do nothing; they don't deserve to command troops." Chen Wuji swore angrily.

Chen Li's mouth twitched slightly, "Family Head, why not… you calm down a bit, we'll send a letter to Yan Zhou; it's easy for them to blame us."

"What could they blame me for? My subordinates turned the battle into this mess; they deserve to die! Best to hang them in the middle of the street and execute them by lingchi as a warning."

Chen Wuji spat out an angry remark, sat down heavily, picked up his brush, and began to write.

"The Snake Staff Elder and Li Yu—these two dog‑like things are also useless; the beam is crooked, the rafters warped. This is a battlefield, not a court; they always rely on scheming as their main weapon and deserve to die! I should also greet their mothers—who knows where the mistake was made that they produced such two good‑for‑nothings!"

Chen Wuji's brush flew like a dragon and snake as he cursed while he wrote.

He kept his mouth somewhat restrained, but the words flowing from his pen were so full of maternal curses that a glance made one's eyes sting; he gave the Snake Staff Elder and Li Yu no face at all, only beautiful greetings from the netherworld.

Chen Li quietly shifted his steps, peeked from the side, and silently covered his face.

Never mind, let the family head vent his anger.

The enemy making the battle into this mess is indeed infuriating.

After finishing the letter, which could not be any more cursive, Chen Wuji blew the ink dry, applied sealing wax, then brought out all his seals and stamped them all over it.

The seal of the Marquis of Zhen Nan, the seal of the Nan Jun Regional Inspector Commander, and his private seal.

"Someone, take this letter to Yan Zhou and hand it to Li Yu! You know what to do—capture their scout, leave just one, break his arm, and send him back!"

"Yes!"