Chapter 855: Three Knives

Chen Wuji and Yang Tiejiang also made the mistake that Xu Zengyi had made earlier.

Thus the two tacitly avoided the topic, unanimously agreeing that what Xu Zengyi said was completely correct, with no problem.

Often, when others fail to grasp the key point of a matter, it indeed happens that even after racking one's brains, one cannot figure it out.

This is not an isolated case but a flaw many people have.

Chen Wuji regarded the Uyghurs as a major trouble, racking his brains for a long time, his mind almost bursting, yet he never hit upon the crucial point.

The Uyghurs are indeed a major trouble; that premise is not wrong.

But there are many prerequisites.

The Uyghurs are now like a wolf crouching beside Da Yu, eager to move, seeking an opportunity to bite off a chunk of Da Yu's fat flesh, even to kill Da Yu.

This wolf's current guise is that of a vassal state of Da Yu, an ally of the court.

What he most wants to see is Da Yu descending into utter chaos.

He would help Da Yu self-destruct, draining Da Yu's strength, but let this scheming wolf act as the vanguard to resolve the court's troubles—would they welcome that?

The answer is an absolute no.

At least before Chen Wuji and Yang Yu show no great decline, he certainly would not do that.

On the relatively small region of Qiang North, Yan Zhou, and Uyghur South, among the four forces, the Qiang people have lost all hope; now it is a war between the allied forces of Chen Wuji and Yang Yu, the Court Army, and the Uyghurs, who are nominally allies of the Court Army.

Whether the Court Army wins big or the allied forces of Chen Wuji and Yang Yu win big, it is not what the Uyghurs want to see; their blades will lend no aid to either outcome.

"Should we first consult Yang Yu? Perhaps he has a better plan." Yang Tiejiang slurped his tea with satisfaction, but his expression was unusually solemn.

These were originally two opposing emotions, yet he forcibly blended them on one face; surprisingly, it looks natural.

His innate gloomy face actually shows great talent in shifting emotions.

Xu Zengyi stared at his actions for a moment, then frowned: "Ironworker, I notice you're being rather improper— in the lord's big tent, you're drinking tea yourself without first offering a cup to the lord?"

Yang Tiejiang immediately explained: "Hey, hold on! The lord said beforehand he had no mood for tea today; I didn't neglect to offer the lord tea—I just didn't pour you a cup. If you want tea, pour it yourself."

"But I advise you not to drink it—I only made this one pot of water; if you take another sip, I'll have less."

Xu Zengyi was shocked: "No, are you some beast? It's just a pot of tea, and you're hoarding it?"

"My tea is not the same!" Yang Tiejiang said proudly.

Xu Zengyi eyed him suspiciously: "How is it different? Are the tea leaves extraordinary, or is the water from the Heavenly River? Tell me so I can learn."

"It's snowmelt water! I prepared it last night, and this is the only pot I have—don't you think I should cherish it?" Yang Tiejiang said.

Xu Zengyi:???

He stared at Yang Tiejiang with wide-eyed shock, the corners of his mouth twitching violently: "You ignorant beast, you're saying it's just snowmelt?"

He let out a light snort, shook his head, and said: "Even if you gave me this tea for free, I wouldn't drink it; I thought it was something good— you're just being mysterious."

"Snowmelt water— isn't that a good thing? I've never seen it before!" Yang Tiejiang shouted.

Xu Zengyi snorted: "That's just your lack of experience."

"Besides, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean snowmelt is good. You can show off in front of the lord and me, but never in front of others; otherwise they'll think our Nan Jun produces nothing but ignorant people."

Yang Tiejiang stared blankly, suddenly feeling the tea in his cup wasn't fragrant at all.

"My lord, you knew this all along?" he asked in disbelief.

Chen Wuji smiled and nodded.

This matter makes it hard for him not to laugh.

"No……" Yang Tiejiang felt awful: "My lord, you've always been in Nan Jun; logically you shouldn't have seen snow, so how do you know snowmelt isn't…"

"Within books lie golden houses and jade‑like beauties," Chen Wuji said.

Yang Tiejiang broke down.

He stared at the tea in his cup for a long time, then suddenly declared fiercely: "Even if it isn't inherently good, to me it is precious, one‑of‑a‑kind."

"That makes sense!" Chen Wuji greatly approved of that statement.

One must have such a perspective.

Living in others' eyes is true failure.

Seeking outside brings illness; seeking within is proper living.

Chen Wuji skirted these jokes and brought the topic back on track: "Yang Jinglve's side has sent people over to talk; there's no need to specially find a place to sit and discuss— his decision won't hinder what we're about to do."

"My plan is to take Xie Fengxian, Feng Linchuan, and Cao Mu as the vanguard, split the troops into three routes into Yan Zhou, with no hierarchy among them, advancing side by side."

Yang Tiejiang's expression instantly grew solemn: "My lord, three‑route vanguards— that's probably not proper."

"Our army doesn't yet know where the Court Army is stationed, but we likely cannot avoid a siege; if the three act separately, each could be defeated individually by the Court Army."

Xu Zengyi shook his head: "Your meaning is to avoid a siege; the combined force of Xie Fengxian and the others is only about thirty thousand— using thirty thousand to gnaw at a city defended by hundreds of thousands is rather fanciful."

Having said that, he turned to Chen Wuji: "Your aim is the Court Army's supply lines, grain depots, and to lure them into pursuit?"

"Exactly!" Chen Wuji said: "Our army is not good at siege warfare but excels in field battles; it's best to test our knives on the battlefield, dragging the fight into the open to first wear down the Court Army's strength."

"The three vanguards will each fight independently, each seeking its target, but they must not be too far apart; they must coordinate well and guarantee timely reinforcement in the shortest time."

Yang Tiejiang clicked his tongue and sighed: "No wonder you're the strategist— your mind works faster than mine!"

"I think you're just too lazy to think; aside from the central army, your lord's four— Xie Fengxian, Chen Baojia, Feng Linchuan, and Cao Mu— are the sharpest knives, good at offense but not defense; you've sent all three knives out as vanguards— how could that be for a siege?" Xu Zengyi shook his head, full of disdain.

Yang Tiejiang also squeezed out a disdainful sound from between his teeth: "Hurry up and shut your mouth!"

He turned, his face eager, and said to Chen Wuji: "My lord, in this battle, let me go."

Chen Wuji looked thoughtful, saying nothing.

Xu Zengyi glanced at Chen Wuji and said: "In this battle, I think it's better for the lord to personally guard the rear; advancing rashly is inadvisable."