Chapter 730

Since Chen Wuji raised his army, the most mentally taxing tug-of-war has been with Yu Ren.

Initially, Yu Ren was just a mad royal relative in his mind.

Later, he realized this guy had no scruples, his methods were vicious and cruel, his schemes extremely deep, and every move served a direct strategic purpose—he never played a useless move.

Now he is fully focused on Yu Ren, giving it his all.

This person is now playing a genuine game of strategy with him.

What they're playing is the Five Affairs and Seven Plans' strategic calculation!

"Are they blocking our army's scout sentries and then launching a surprise attack with elite troops?" Chen Li asked.

Chen Wuji's expression grew grave as he said, "The Rivers and Lakes factions have carried out assassinations one after another; perhaps they aren't truly aiming to kill, but maybe to probe our army's strengths and weaknesses."

"Who knows? Those Rivers and Lakes factions might all have been used by Yu Ren."

"Now our troop strength and position are laid bare before Yu Ren; our scouts, hindered by those Rivers and Lakes assassins, can't patrol farther afield, while the Qiang people come marching fast—will they catch us off guard? The answer is yes."

Chen Li gave a slight nod and took a sip of tea.

At that moment, Xu Zengyi and Chen Wu Yin arrived together from afar.

"My lord, someone has slipped in silently."

As soon as Xu Zengyi approached, he dropped a piece of big news on Chen Wuji.

Chen Wu Yin laughed and continued, "That assassin posed as our army scout; he had some skill, managed to sneak past the checks, but his eyesight was poor—he actually mistook me for the lord."

"At the time I was inspecting the camp with Mr. Xu, that fellow suddenly leapt out, brandished his knife and slashed—it really startled me."

"You're jumping around fine—you're not hurt, are you?" Chen Wuji asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'm at least a capable cavalry officer—if a bandit could best me that easily, all my training would be wasted; I'd have cut him down with a backhand." Chen Wu Yin laughed, sat cross-legged, picked up the horse meat beside him and started gnawing.

Chen Wuji said solemnly, "We need to think of a solution; we can't just be driven to helpless fury by a bunch of Rivers and Lakes forces."

"I was about to tell the lord about this." Xu Zengyi said after sitting down.

"Do you already have a plan, sir?"

Xu Zengyi gave a slight nod, "The Rivers and Lakes factions kill the lord for bounty—seems normal enough, but their behavior is odd; they do what they know they shouldn't, so there must be another motive. I suspect Yu Ren may be planning a surprise attack on us."

Chen Wuji said, "I was just talking about this with Elder Eleven."

"These assassins are indeed aimed at killing me, but they also seem intended to block our army's scouts, forcing us to shut our eyes and lose sight of our surroundings—only then would Yu Ren and the Qiang's surprise strike catch us off guard."

"The lord's words are quite right!"

Xu Zengyi picked up a dagger, sliced the horse meat into thin pieces, then handed it to Chen Wuji, saying, "Better yet, let's turn their scheme against them."

Chen Wu Yin watched Xu Zengyi's motions, then glanced at the big bone in his own hand, pretended not to see, lowered his head silently and kept chewing.

"Please speak plainly, sir." Chen Wuji said.

"The Qiang people and Yu Ren will set out on light cavalry from Yu Gong Shan; adding the time needed to relay intelligence, the earliest they could arrive is the day after tomorrow." Xu Zengyi said, "Our army is only two days' march from Zhuque City, so the Qiang and Yu Ren won't wait for us to enter the city before striking; thus their window of opportunity is today and tomorrow. Even if they rode nonstop with two horses each, they certainly couldn't make it today."

"I calculated their intelligence transmission time based on when our army first encountered assassins at Nan'an; although that point should be accurate, we still ought to stay on guard."

Chen Wuji directly took the sliced horse meat Xu Zengyi had prepared and put it in his mouth to chew slowly, "That's natural."

"On the battlefield everything changes in an instant; perhaps there's something we haven't considered. But the Qiang's surprise attack can only happen today or tomorrow—that's fixed—and once our army enters Zhuque City, there'll be no surprise attack to speak of."

Xu Zengyi's lips curled into a sinister smile as he said calmly, "The Qiang and Yu Ren have spread a Heavenly Net Earthly Net over our army at Yu Gong Shan; if they don't move, fine—but once they do, Zhuque City could become their Heavenly Net Earthly Net."

"Please speak frankly, sir."

"The central army will shrink its forces and recall its scouts; if they want to blind our army, we'll let them. Tomorrow our troops will march on the official road, though the route passes through high mountains and dense forests; the lord may order Generals Hu Bu Gui, Qian Fugui, Tang Yu, and Lu Ji to leave the city late tonight and set ambushes along the way."

As he spoke, he handed over a hand‑drawn paper map, saying, "I've marked the ambush sites; my lord, please have a look."

Chen Wuji wiped his hands and took the map.

"The Qiang and Yu Ren come on light cavalry; if they wish to surprise our army, their best ambush spots are only two—those marked Jia and Yi by your subordinate. Those places have no names on the map, so I've simply labeled them Jia and Yi." Xu Zengyi said.

It's quite common for such minor locations to lack markings on a map; they may not even have names.

If nothing special occurs and no scholars visit, many mountains and gullies remain just mountains and gullies.

"Our army has set ambushes around these two locations; no matter where the enemy launches a surprise attack, the ambush troops can quickly reinforce the battlefield." Xu Zengyi continued to slowly chew on horse meat, saying, "My designated Yin position can simultaneously cover both Jia and Yi, thereby Cut Off Enemy's Rear Road."

Chen Wuji looked at the map, giving a slight nod.

Xu Zengyi made detailed markings on the map for all possible directions the enemy might come from.

"The Yin position for Cut Off Enemy's Rear Road will be given to Hu Bu Gui; he has many new troops under his command, which is perfect for gaining experience in this kind of battle." Chen Wuji ordered.

I also share this view.

The other three locations seem roughly the same; sir, do you have any more specific arrangements?

Xu Zengyi shook his head: "The remaining three locations are indeed similar; any of the generals can go there."

"Then let it be so: order Lü Ji to go to Zi location, Tang Yu to go to Chou location, Qian Fugui to go to Mao location; all Bīngmǎ must be in place before the Yin hour tomorrow." Chen Wuji ordered.

"Wushuang, you personally take the Personal Guard, disguise as Scouts to deliver the order, bring this map with you, and let Qian Fugui and the others see it clearly."

Wushuang received the order in a solemn voice, respectfully taking the map from Chen Wuji's hands.

Chen Wuji dared not let an ordinary scout deliver this order.

No one knows exactly how many Rivers and Lakes people are hiding outside his Daying.

If this map falls into their hands, no matter how meticulous the ambush plan, it will come to nothing.