Chapter 1055: Fame Rising Like a Roc!

The tavern inside was buzzing with voices, yet the private room where these two sat was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

There was no movement inside, and the maid waiting outside dared not even breathe.

After a long while, the young man with deep-set eyes and a high nasal bridge finally moved, letting out a long sigh: "General Xu, aside from this, is there no other way?"

"What else does Your Highness want to do?"

The young man rubbed his face anxiously, saying, "I just..."

He turned to look out the window: "General, I don't want to lose! I'm not like Lao San, arrogant and overconfident. Our strength is indeed not weak, but Chen Wuji is a rare and formidable opponent, with countless capable generals under his command. Just now downstairs, a storyteller was talking about them—though exaggerated, much of it is true."

"Lao San suffered a great loss at Chen Wuji's hands, now missing both arms and reduced to a prisoner of the steps. We also suffered a defeat at his hands, losing over forty thousand troops."

"For such a person, any contempt is fatal. No matter how much preparation we make, I don't think it's excessive. General, what do you think?"

Having said that, he turned to look at General Xu, his eyes sincere and serious, yet still hiding a hint of nervousness.

Chen Wuji's achievements in these short three years have made it impossible for him to be underestimated; he even feels a bit timid, but as a prince, he cannot and dare not say so.

General Xu nodded: "Your Highness, please rest assured."

"Chen Wuji is indeed formidable, and he has many capable generals under him, but according to the intelligence we currently have, the troops he can actually use are not many. Most of his forces are now in Yan Zhou, dealing with the court's army. We need to face at most a hundred thousand, and that still includes their fifty-thousand-strong western army."

"If Chen Wuji wants to attack us Uyghurs, he must pass through Yǐnmǎchuān; he is unlikely to turn west again to join his other detachment. Fighting on two fronts, each side would have only about fifty to sixty thousand troops. As long as we stand firm, he will gain little."

"As long as we don't rush for a quick victory, Chen Wuji will surely be the one who loses in the end. Your Highness, this is our Uyghur land; Chen Wuji fights away from home and on three fronts. I do not deny his talent, but such a strategy, one slip and we lose everything."

"Your Highness's considerations are sound, but you're too tense."

The young man couldn't help sighing again: "I don't want to think about all this either, but Chen Wuji's victories are too dazzling to ignore. The Qiang people were once so strong, yet now the major tribes are nearly wiped out, and the smaller ones flee westward like stray dogs."

"That vast grassland has become Chen Wuji's horse pasture. I hear he's now carrying out garrison farming there, forcing the Qiang people who have herded all their lives to till the land."

"General Xu, in peace think of danger. The fate of the Qiang people is a lesson we must heed; we cannot repeat those mistakes."

General Xu lifted his cup, took a slow sip, and responded indifferently.

He replied, but his expression grew more irritable.

Listening to too much trivial talk easily affects one's mood.

"Your Highness, the entertainment upstairs is nice; shall I have the staff arrange something for you?" General Xu suddenly raised his eyes and asked.

"I don't like those things."

"Your Highness should relax a bit; constantly worrying about these things will harm your health. This place mostly has courtesans, quite good. Try it—it's a fine way to unwind. You'll surely enjoy it."

"I want to go see the local gentry and wealthy households in the city."

"Go tomorrow; today, enjoy yourself, Your Highness, listen to me!"

General Xu rose, without further ado pulled the young man up.

He must press this fellow into the leisurely nook today; otherwise, letting him do anything else, General Xu suspects he'll be annoyed to death.

Since losing at Yǐnmǎchuān, this great prince's mouth has never stopped—either sighing or muttering about Chen Wuji, to the point his ears are almost growing calluses.

……

Chen Wuji lately can be described as red-hot.

From Dayu to the Uyghurs, whether learned scholars or common peddlers, everyone is talking about him.

The corruption and darkness of the Dayu court directly reflect Chen Wuji's ferocity and strength.

The Dayu court once tried to appease the Qiang people with money and secret land concessions, but Chen Wuji's chariots flattened them, nearly breaking through.

The lands the Dayu court had once given away were easily taken back by Chen Wuji.

One battle after another, Chen Wuji's strength shines ever brighter, while the Dayu court's corruption and incompetence become ever more glaring.

In the markets of Dayu, some now regard Nan Jun as the place of dragon's rise, and Chen Wuji's title Marquis Zhenyuan has been cast aside; the people spontaneously gave him the name Southern King.

The battles Chen Wuji has fought are uplifting and have strongly won the recognition of the Dayu commoners.

Because of Chen Wuji's striking debut, his generals and the various unit designations under him have also entered the public eye, becoming the talk of the town.

All kinds of general rankings and designation number contests are staged daily in teahouses and taverns.

Even some jianghu forces have turned this into a business.

They sell rankings of generals and their unit designation troops' strength, plus insider news, and the latest movements of Chen Wuji's army—where they've fought, who the enemy is, which generals have taken the field, etc.

Because of Chen Wuji's breakthrough, those who debuted gloriously alongside him include not only his generals and troops, but also the somewhat excessive Yang Yu, who keeps a low profile in San Guan Jun.

Then everyone discovered a very puzzling phenomenon.

Chen Wuji's western campaign against the Qiang lands, southern assault on Shendu, northern expedition against Nanyue and the Uyghurs—his military might is unstoppable, wherever he goes it's like breaking bamboo, yet he has not moved against the remaining five commanderies of Lingnan.

That he and Yang Yu can coexist without conflict is somewhat understandable, after all Yang Yu's forces are not weak either.

But strangely, he hasn't even sent a single harsh hand against the petty clowns of the other four commanderies.

Chen Wuji hasn't done that, yet Yang Yu, who holds over ten thousand elite troops, also hasn't moved.

Everyone is growing more puzzled the more they look.

Thus all kinds of gazes converge on Lingnan, seeking an answer.

The news keeps growing, and it keeps getting more confusing.

Aside from Yang Yu, the other four commanderies are not hiding any strength; they truly have none.

Finally, one explanation became mainstream.

They believe Chen Wuji and Yang Yu are principled men, observing the rule that a rabbit does not eat the grass beside its burrow.

They are using a free-range approach to give the other four commanderies a chance, also observing their attitudes.

If the current holders of those four commanderies are unreasonable and give no face, then it's a heavy-fisted crackdown!