Chapter 442

The lethal power of an older sister acting cute is not just generally large.

Even though Chen Wuji and Qin Zhanhong's current relationship could be described as that of an old married couple, he still can't withstand Qin Zhanhong's series of moves; not surrendering immediately is already the greatest respect he can show himself.

After finishing a meal, the satisfied Qin Zhanhong'er leaned sideways against Chen Wuji's desk, her left arm wrapped around, and told Chen Wuji the purpose of her visit: "Hezhou and Guangyuan Prefecture both sent some news today; do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

"Bad news first; good food isn't afraid of being late."

"The good news is that in recent days, Hezhou and Guangyuan Prefecture have both experienced some strange death incidents." Qin Zhanhong said, "The Prefect, Assistant Magistrate, and two Negotiation Colonels of the Military Office in Guangyuan Prefecture have all died; nowadays Guangyuan Prefecture can be said to have only some small fry left managing things."

"The Government Office side is still okay, but Guangyuan Prefecture's two Military Offices have completely descended into chaos, with no one in charge above, as four Guoyi Commandants and one Training Officer fight for power, their dog brains are about to be knocked out."

Chen Wuji helplessly chuckled; this mischievous guy, deliberately doing the opposite to him, right?

"This is indeed good news, but at the same time it can also be called bad news." Chen Wuji said sternly, "Have you figured out whether Guangyuan Prefecture's upper and lower levels have provoked someone, or whether someone has set their sights on Guangyuan Prefecture?"

"Not clear." Qin Zhanhong said, "My people only have that much ability; being able to inquire about this news is already not bad; for deeper matters, they currently lack the capability."

Chen Wuji harbored some doubt in his heart: "It's unlikely that these people together provoked some force or some person, right?"

"Not really; Guangyuan Prefecture doesn't seem to be a monolith, because of the matter of surrendering to Lu Ping'an, the Military Office and Government Office appear to have considerable conflict, but similarly, this news is unverified." Qin Zhanhong said.

Chen Wuji nodded, "This news can be taken as factual; a prefecture's upper and lower levels being harmonious is itself uncommon. Thus, we can basically conclude that someone has set their sights on Guangyuan Prefecture, wanting to replace it; could it be those Guoyi Commandants down below who did it?"

Speaking of this, he suddenly asked: "What's the situation in San Guan Jun now?"

"The Strategist of San Guan Jun, Yang Yu, is a talented person; he has newly established several Military Offices to train new troops, and is currently fighting the Qiang People. Both sides have wins and losses, but the Qiang People have not yet occupied San Guan Jun; overall, the situation is relatively good." Qin Zhanhong said.

"Guangyuan Prefecture happens to be at the rear of San Guan Jun." Chen Wuji muttered.

Qin Zhanhong's willow-leaf-like slender eyebrows slightly raised: "You suspect the Qiang People?"

"Now, anything that can be suspected must be suspected, and then eliminated one by one." Chen Wuji's eyes showed contemplation, his expression gradually turning stern: "Guangyuan Prefecture lies at the center of the prefectures; its geographical location is not special originally, but now that the Qiang People have brought the war to San Guan Jun, its location has suddenly become special and important."

"If we assume this is the work of the Qiang People, they could open a gap in Guangyuan Prefecture and simultaneously attack San Guan Jun from both sides, forming an encircling posture against San Guan Jun."

"I once had a brief encounter with General Yang at Que Wei Shan; although we didn't talk much then, I could tell he was a loyal and benevolent official. If Guangyuan Prefecture is occupied by the Qiang People, General Yang's lone force probably won't hold out long."

Qin Zhanhong said disdainfully: "Even if Guangyuan Prefecture is not occupied by the Qiang People, Lu Ping'an probably couldn't dispatch reinforcements to rush to San Guan Jun's aid; General Yang would still be isolated and unsupported."

"The situation of the other two prefectures is currently unknown; even if they haven't rebelled against the court, sending reinforcements would still have to pass through Nan Jun, and this still depends on Lu Ping'an's attitude."

Chen Wuji shook his head: "This is different; although Lu Ping'an has rebelled against the court, to the Qiang People he remains a deterrent. Unless they had already made contact earlier, or say that the Qiang People occupying Guangyuan Prefecture is itself a two-birds-one-stone plan, also meant to probe Lu Ping'an."

"That Bird Man Lu Ping'an, I think the former is more likely." Qin Zhanhong gave a light snort and said.

Chen Wuji actually didn't really want to admit it, but he also leaned toward this view.

"Now the situation is unclear; we're just guessing what we can guess." Chen Wuji rubbed his temples and said, "Many officials in Guangyuan Prefecture have been assassinated; the most likely possibilities are probably just these two."

"Right, when did this happen?"

"Six days ago."

Chen Wuji suddenly, for no apparent reason, thought of Zhang Lao.

Roughly speaking, after he returned, the officials of Guangyuan Prefecture died.

"Surely not?"

Chen Wuji thought about it and then discarded that notion.

"A bit far-fetched."

If it really was Zhang Lao who did it, this matter would actually be a thoroughly good thing.

An excellent opportunity for him to seize Guangyuan Prefecture.

"What are you thinking about?" Qin Zhanhong waved her hand in front of Chen Wuji's face.

Chen Wuji came to his senses: "I'm thinking that I should prioritize sending troops against Guangyuan Prefecture now."

"Regardless of whether this is the doing of the Qiang People or the lower-ranking officers clearing the road for power struggles, the fact that Guangyuan Prefecture has fallen into internal turmoil is true; they now urgently need an external force to help them achieve balance."

"Wait a moment!" Qin Zhanhong immediately said, "Actually, I haven't finished what I was saying just now."

"Not only Guangyuan Prefecture, Hezhou has also experienced several strange death cases; the deceased include the clan heads and persons in charge of the Li and Xue families, as well as Hezhou Prefect Liu Yuan and several Garrison Officers of the Military Office."

Chen Wuji was completely bewildered.

"We can pretty much rule out that it was the Qiang People who did it."

"Why?" Qin Zhanhong asked curiously, "Hezhou borders Guangyuan Prefecture; what if the Qiang People want to widen this road a bit?"

"What could they do by bringing Hezhou along? Open the Gu Zhandao to invade Zhongyuan? Wait… actually, it really might be possible; the Lang Wolf Qiang didn't they come in via the Ancient Road?" Chen Wuji's thoughts instantly scattered.

A map of the entire Lingnan Six Commanderies appeared in his mind.

If it really was the Qiang People who did it, after they occupy Hezhou and Guangyuan Prefecture, it would be equivalent to opening the north-south road, forming an encircling posture against the entire Lingnan Six Commanderies.

All the Qiang and Di peoples are skilled at small-band disturbances; once the north-south passage opens, their small units can use the Gu Zhandao to scatter to the northern parts of the three northern commanderies, providing support to the frontline battles.

But doing this, wouldn't the front line be stretched too thin?

However, this idea was just raised when Chen Wuji himself rejected it again.

This time the Qiang People's war is the Qiang Alliance, entirely a situation of big tribes encompassing small tribes.

The Lang Wolf Qiang have already given Chen Wuji a clear demonstration of their fighting style once.

As for the overall front line, it only has reference value for them.

Chen Wuji's brain began to feel insufficient; the more information he received, the more the situation became confusing, as if a fog had obscured his vision.