Chapter 1066: with translation of chapter title

Heavenly Secrets Pavilion only ranked eight of the generals in Nan Jun.

The first through eighth were Yang Pojun, Chen Baojia, Chen Wu Yin, Xie Fengxian, Qian Fugui, Feng Linchuan, Cao Mu, and Lu Ji; the rest did not make the list.

At the end of the list, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion thoughtfully marked out three individuals whose strength was unknown and thus could not be ranked—Chen Bushi, Chen Li, and Chen Luozi, the three Chen heroes.

"I now understand why Chen Ruoshui is so annoyed." Chen Wuji muttered.

Although this list is a Rivers and Lakes ranking, it's like exam rankings—no matter whether it comes from the government or the Rivers and Lakes, as long as it has influence, nobody will ignore it.

Even Guan Er Ye once fell out with Zhu Ge Liang over this; let alone Chen Ruoshui and the like—this bunch, aside from fighting, nobody can rest easy about anything else; not caring about it is downright strange.

After all, they are all very capable people, each with their own pride and temper.

Those who didn't make the list worry about why they weren't on it, while those who did worry about their ranking, comparing themselves to the person above them, fretting over why their rank is lower than others.

Logically, on this list only Yang Pojun would be all smiles, feeling pleased.

But unfortunately, he earned the nickname of an old fool who insists on starting over.

Given his temperament, he will surely dwell on this to death.

"These rankings come from Rivers and Lakes forces; we can't stop them, but the impact will surely be significant. You all, think it over—should we do something?" Chen Wuji asked.

Although competition is good, nothing should go overboard.

He finds it hard to gauge the proper degree here, feeling uncertain inside.

"I think this is fine; we can let things take their course." Chu Xiu rose and said, "If something bad happens, my lord can step in to suppress it and offer some appeasement."

Generals, having a competitive spirit—whether toward the lord or the troops—is a good thing; it can forge strong generals and a strong army.

Zhao Chen quickly followed, saying: "I second that."

"As of now, this is indeed a good thing; I also second that." Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji saw others had no objections, nodded and said: "Then for now we don't need to worry about it; we'll decide based on the situation. Have we figured out the situation at Demonic Capital Mountain? They've already been fighting fiercely; our central army can't lag behind—this tough bone must be gnawed quickly."

Everyone was momentarily stunned, then smiled.

The generals' rankings seemed to have stirred up their lord's enthusiasm.

"Pretty clear." Xu Zengyi fell silent for a moment, then advised, "But our army shouldn't launch an attack now; it's better to wait a few more days for the enemy to move first."

"The reason?"

Our army has four routes whose marching Lùxiàn will pass the outskirts of Demonic Capital Mountain; these four Bīngmǎ will inevitably mobilize the mountain's garrison. Besides that, I'd like to see whether the Uyghurs, in observing Nan Jun, have any other troops besides the known border forces and the left general's unit. Xu Zengyi explained.

Including the central army personally led by our lord, our army currently consists of eight routes setting out together; each of the eight Bīngmǎ has its own target, with no fixed marching path, no supply routes, and no obvious rules to follow. If the Uyghurs have no other troops, they can only muster the already prepared defenses of Demonic Capital Mountain and the border forces.

As long as they move, our opportunity will come.

Demonic Capital Mountain is a north‑south mountain range that, since the founding of the Uyghur state, has been their strongest eastern geographic defensive line and also their military stronghold.

In this narrow, long mountain range, the Zhongyuan Dynasty and the Uyghurs have fought countless battles.

Whenever war breaks out, the Uyghurs always deploy heavy troops to defend the Demonic Capital Mountain area, never failing to do so.

But according to currently verifiable records, the Zhongyuan Dynasty's main forces have only failed to pass through twice.

All the other attempts succeeded.

This time, they are doing the same thing again.

Previously, Chen Wuji divided his forces into three routes; they likewise split into three to meet the enemy, then deployed heavy troops in layers at Demonic Capital Mountain to try to block Chen Wuji outside the mountain.

But according to the intelligence we have so far, one of their three main forces was crippled by Feng Linchuan and Cao Mu, and the other two are also nearly half‑disabled.

After Chen Wuji split his forces into seven routes, those two Uyghur armies under the left general also promptly adopted a contingency plan—they, too, divided their forces.

After splitting their forces, they subsequently engaged in battle with Chen Baojia, Xie Fengxian, and five other routes of troops; both sides suffered casualties, but overall it seems the Uyghurs lost more men and were also routed by Chen Baojia and company.

This intelligence came from the Scout Camp; they probably thought the minor skirmishes weren't worth reporting, so Chen Baojia and company didn't report any battle results.

Faced with these two split Uyghur armies, Chen Baojia and company reacted with surprising unanimity: upon meeting, they would attack first and ask questions later, then withdraw after a quick bite.

This bunch is so arrogant they act as if they don't even consider the other side a threat.

"Then let's wait and see!" Chen Wuji heeded Xu Zengyi's advice, "At Demonic Capital Mountain are our old friends the Uyghur great prince and the left general—let's give them some face."

Chu Xiu suddenly asked, "My lord, I've heard the Uyghur third prince is in the army?"

"Yes, you want to use him?"

"I want to borrow his head for a purpose."

"Send it to whom?"

"The Uyghur king. This generation's Uyghur king is an ambitious man; he seems to have prepared many measures, intending to take advantage of the instability in the Da Yu court to launch troops against our Da Yu; now that the outset is unfavorable, he must be quite unhappy." Chu Xiu said.

"I've heard the Uyghur king greatly loves his third son, apparently intending to pass the throne to Lao San; my lord, why not, as Marquis Zhenyuan, first settle the matter of the Uyghur king's succession for him?"

Chen Wuji's brow twitched slightly, "Can my status decide such a big matter?"

"Perhaps not before, but now it's absolutely possible." Chu Xiu smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, by personally leading the myriad‑chariot body to conquer the Uyghur foreign land and arriving there, you can influence their affairs—there is precedent. You only need to submit a memorial to the Court afterward, clarifying the circumstances."

In the past, such actions would have sparked some controversy, but now, no matter how the lord handles it, I expect no one in the court would dare to object.

Xu Zengyi also gave an affirmative explanation, "My lord, there certainly are such precedents, and not just one. The Uyghurs are merely a vassal state; their ruler's status has been elevated somewhat in Da Yu, so when entering the capital to meet the emperor, they can sit alongside the feudal lords."

Before, they could only sit at the same table as the prefect, or in the lowest seats.

Chen Wuji nodded seriously; he just hasn't read enough history—he actually didn't know this.