Chapter 714

Eight hundred li Express, issue orders to Chen Baojia and Xie Fengxian: they need not linger at Yingzui Ridge; they may advance into Qiang Land, act at their discretion, and exterminate their clan! Chen Wuji immediately issued the order.

Such a great opportunity, if not well utilized, how could we live up to the Qiang people's painstaking effort of openly repairing the plank road while secretly sneaking through Chen Cang? We cannot disappoint their intentions.

They came via a detour through Shenxian Ling, but it was very arduous.

The mountain roads, Chen Wuji knows them all too well.

In such a place, whether marching or fighting, every step feels like dancing on a cliff.

Xu Zengyi said, 'My lord, you forgot we still have an ally.'

'Yang Yu?'

Xu Zengyi nodded with a smile, 'Yang Jinglve has been on the front lines fighting the Qiang people; the eleven Qiang tribes have conscripted a full 130,000 troops, so the rear must be less affluent. You should let Yang Jinglve know this news; as for what he does, that's up to him.'

'Sir, you consider things thoroughly,' Chen Wuji said. 'Shared joy is better than solitary joy; upon encountering such good fortune, how could we just rush ahead blindly? We ought to inform our ally.'

'Please, sir, take up your brush and write a letter to Yang Jinglve for me.'

Xu Zengyi clasped his fists, 'As you command!'

Chen Wuji spread out the map and looked again, 'Even if we avoid their encirclement and do not fight them head‑on, this 300,000‑strong army remains a tough opponent. The Qiang people excel at mounted archery; without favorable terrain we struggle to restrain them, but with favorable terrain, Yu Ren's four divisions of the Ten Directions forces again counter us.'

'Yu Ren and the Qiang people, this time they are a perfect match, each compensating for the other's shortcomings.'

To deal with the Qiang people we must rely on terrain, as in the battle at Wuyang Mountain, where we used formation and terrain to break their mobility and trap them in the mountains.

This is some very practical experience Chen Wuji gained from fighting the Qiang people in many battles.

But this time, with Yu Ren's four divisions of the Ten Directions forces added, that tactic is clearly ineffective.

Yu Ren's forces lack combat strength, but they love to risk their lives.

The tactic of turning themselves into fireballs and hurling onto soldiers is disgusting.

They can afford to trade lives, but Chen Wuji cannot.

To counter them we must stay mobile and not let them get close.

Yet if we stay mobile, we give the Qiang people an opening.

No matter how this battle is fought, it will be trouble either way.

It would be fine if the enemy were fewer, but unfortunately their strength is exactly four times his.

A four‑fold enemy that also counters us on both flanks.

Even elite troops and strong generals fear a mire that cares nothing for life.

Chen Wuji could not think of a good breakthrough, but Xu Zengyi smiled calmly, 'My lord, why worry about this battle?'

'This battle is easy to fight, indeed easy; our army need only hold Zhuque City firmly, and the Qiang people and Yu Ren will gain no advantage over us.'

'The Qiang people are not good at siege warfare; Yu Ren's four divisions of the Ten Directions, though unafraid of death, are not fierce— their utmost is to fight to the death; in a siege, such tactics are useless.'

'In this battle, our army should seek opportunity within defense; even without fighting a single battle, merely dragging them here already constitutes victory.'

Upon hearing these words, Chen Wuji's mind instantly cleared.

After a bout of wind‑cold, the Poisonist Sir's intellect suddenly returned; he once again held the wisdom pearl of last year, possessing the composure to decide victories from a thousand li away.

'Sir, you have finally returned!' Chen Wuji joked with a smile.

Xu Zengyi's expression turned slightly embarrassed, 'My lord, I won't hide it; during this period I indeed felt powerless. Now I realize I was fixated; having understood some things, my thoughts have become broader and clearer.'

'I told you you were splitting hairs; in this world there is no absolute perfection— a temporary setback is all too normal,' Chen Wuji said.

'Each has its strengths and weaknesses; we are not immortals, cannot be perfect in every way, nor can a mere shift of thought fathom all worldly affairs. Sir, you are too obsessed; your fixation breeds the Mi Zhuang, and even if you once had the power to move heaven and earth, once entrapped in the Mi Zhuang nothing goes right.'

This is a principle Chen Wuji realized while chatting idly with Zhang Lao and Zhi Xu Daozhang.

It amounts to cultivating one's nature as the Daoists say.

Xu Zhengyi slightly nodded, 'My lord, your words are quite right.'

'Now, having left that circle, I finally understand what I was before. But while inside it, I seemed unable to see or hear, left only with that single thought in my heart, turning it over and over, seeking a breakthrough, yet never finding it.'

Chen Wuji asked with a smile, 'Is this the fruit of that great illness?'

'Indeed it is,' Xu Zengyi affirmed. 'After this body fell ill, mind and spirit became muddled; in that muddle some things became simpler, less complicated. This thought— ah, it just clicked.'

Chen Wuji chuckled, 'Sir, you may now be considered one who has attained the Dao.'

'My lord, please don't mock your subordinate; if the Way of the world were this easily obtained, I'm sure you would be far ahead of me by countless steps!' Xu Zengyi said earnestly, 'All these principles I have learned from you, my lord.'

Chen Wuji's own people know his own affairs.

Having lived two lifetimes, experiencing life and death, and in both lifetimes having been exposed to Daoist medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, these things are naturally familiar to him.

Though he may not be highly proficient, he ought to know the basics.

Especially his realization of life and death lets him instantly grasp many matters, making his persona more spontaneous.

'Back to the matter at hand, it seems I will have to change orders from morning to evening,' Chen Wuji said with a light smile.

'He had just ordered Chen Wu Yin's two divisions of troops to gather here, but now he has decided on the strategy of firmly holding Zhuque City.'

'That order can naturally no longer be carried out— how could we let them make the trip for nothing?'

'Issue an urgent order: command Chen Wu Yin and Hu Bu Gui to hold their positions, await further notice, taking this order as the standard!' Chen Wuji instructed his aides.

'Yes!'

Xu Zengyi added, 'My lord, Yu Ren has withdrawn from Zhuque City; the city's provisions must be scarce. In this battle, supplies are a major difficulty!'

'The Qiang people will surely attack our supply lines,' Chen Wuji said.

'Yes!' Xu Zengyi nodded. 'The plan now is to obtain provisions solely from Qingzhou, shorten the route, reinforce troops, and patrol along the way!'

Chen Wuji pondered, 'Thus, while Yu Ren and the Qiang people are still deploying at Yu Gong Shan, we can transport as much provisions as possible ahead of time! The enemy forces are formidable; this is the only bit of time we can wrest.'

'My lord, let General Lu personally make the trip to escort the provisions, and simultaneously order Wang Ce to fully mobilize laborers, at least preparing one month's rations for the army,' Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji agreed and immediately issued the military order.

In the afternoon, General Lu Ji led troops to Qingzhou, opened the supply route, and escorted the provisions. Chen Wuji then led his forces onward northward toward Zhuque City.