Chapter 870: All-Sided Melee

Qin Zhanhong's Spy Investigation Office has been set up for so long; this time it's truly exerting effort.

The news brought is not only a great piece of good news, but also very crucial.

Know yourself and know the enemy, and you will never be in peril in a hundred battles.

Now that we have grasped the intelligence of Yanzhou Cheng, the upcoming battle will be easy to fight.

Even if the troop numbers remain disparate, at least we can now act with purpose.

Chen Wuji briefly sorted out the several factions of the Court Army, then confirmed with Qin Zhanhong, "In other words, Liu Yan is the earliest to openly not respect Li Yu, this Pacification Commissioner? Also, how many troops does Liu Yan have?"

"Yes, it seems to be around a hundred thousand." Qin Zhanhong said, "This number is uncertain; I'm merely estimating based on some sayings of the local populace and the situation inside the city."

Chen Wuji took note and drew a big question mark beside Liu Yan's name, muttering to himself, "A hundred-thousand-strong army couldn't just disappear for no reason; our scouts went around Shenxian Ling and entered from the southwestern opening."

"If Liu Yan leads his troops southward, by rights we should have heard news by now; the enemy's route likely has only three possibilities: passing through Uyghur territory and descending into Qiang Land, i. e., taking the direction of Yang Yu."

"This is the false intelligence we initially received, but it now seems perhaps the most likely possibility. Besides, Liu Yan might have gone elsewhere; he has other objectives."

Qin Zhanhong stared at what Chen Wuji had drawn on the paper, doubtful, and asked, "Husband, these are only two, right? What could the third possibility be?"

"Shenxian Ling!" Chen Wuji frowned and said, "This is a possibility, but it's the most unlikely one; an eighty-thousand-strong army crossing Shenxian Ling would only be possible if he were truly an immortal."

Midsummer is the hottest time in Nan Jun; the northern troops heading south, unaccustomed to the local water and soil, the weather alone could cost them half their lives. The grain and forage supplies in Shenxian Ling are such that it's impossible for the eighty-thousand army's food and drink to be carried entirely on their persons—each soldier would have to bear dozens or even hundreds of pounds while crossing mountains, which is utterly impossible.

"If Liu Yan had even a slight understanding of hydrology and geography, and knew some military strategy, he would absolutely not make this choice. This person is most likely to detour via Uyghur territory and head south into Qiang Land."

"However, there's no need to overly worry about him; on that route, Yang Yu lies in wait like a watcher by a tree, and Lao Yang provides support, so this battle shouldn't be too difficult to fight."

"But there are a few interesting characters in Yanzhou Cheng..."

As the analysis unfolded thread by thread, Chen Wuji's furrowed brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth quietly turned up.

These few companions are all good people, coming from afar to give him a helping hand.

Simply fantastic!

If they join forces together, plus the Uyghur's eight thousand light cavalry, even if the Court Army is inadequate, this battle would be a hard bone capable of knocking out half his teeth.

As a result, they not only divided their troops, but also started fighting among themselves.

Quite impressive!

Yu Yan Chu listened to Chen Wuji's analysis, her eyes growing brighter, and she curiously pursued, asking, "Husband, use a scheme to sow discord—this battle definitely needs a scheme to sow discord. Before the two armies' formations, they whisper to each other, then withdraw troops; their internals will surely end up fighting until heads are broken and blood flows."

Qin Zhanhong glanced over and said, "The princess has even read military texts? She actually knows the scheme to sow discord."

"Shut up, Xiao Hong!" Yu Yan Chu rolled her eyes, gave a light hum with a hint of pride, and said, "I know plenty of things; you think I'm just like you, only knowing how to fight and kill."

"I really don't know much, but as long as I can knock you down, that's enough." Qin Zhanhong said.

"Don't brag first; talk after we've fought!"

"Go out and practice!"

"Let's go!"

"Go!"

Chen Wuji raised his hand to interrupt their habitual bickering, "You guys stop arguing with me first."

Qin Zhanhong and Yu Yan Chu instantly shut up, immediately becoming obedient and honest.

Chen Wuji wrote down the names of Li Yu, Gao Yu, and Cao Lin in turn on the paper, then asked Qin Zhanhong, "You just said there might be another faction in the city; why do you feel that way?"

"Our scouts once found out that before Li Yu's Hongmen Banquet, many officers under Li Yu and Gao Yu suddenly died for no apparent reason, suspected of assassination. The cause is only this; I also don't know whether my judgment is correct." Qin Zhanhong said.

"At the same time?"

"Yes."

"If it happened at the same time, it really does sound somewhat like that..." Chen Wuji, although acknowledging the guess, still couldn't figure it out, and after a moment asked, "Just killing some officers, with nothing else happening?"

"Perhaps there is, but our scouts only discovered these." Qin Zhanhong said.

Chen Wuji drew another question mark.

This matter occurred rather strangely, completely without reason.

"It must be Cao Lin's doing!" Yu Yan Chu suddenly shouted.

Qin Zhanhong gave a sideways glance, "You found out again?"

"You..." Yu Yan Chu glanced at Qin Zhanhong, swallowed the words already at her lips, and seriously told Chen Wuji, "Husband, when the snipe and clam contend, the fisherman benefits; the officers under Li Yu and Gao Yu were assassinated one after another, and the sole beneficiary is only Cao Lin."

"And he has now smoothly taken over Yanzhou Cheng, driving away Li Yu and Gao Yu's troops; this is proof that he intends to rebel! Killing the officers under Li Yu and Gao Yu can cause internal chaos in those two units in a short time, making it easier for him to act."

Chen Wuji shook his head, "Killing a few officers will indeed affect morale and command, but it's not that exaggerated. The Court's military system is very sound; when an officer dies, someone is immediately appointed to replace him."

Yu Yan Chu countered, "If they are high-ranking officers, the impact should be quite large, right?"

"If that were the case, then indeed it would be, but I think the dead probably aren't high-ranking officers." Chen Wuji looked toward Qin Zhanhong, noting that high-ranking officers always have personal guards nearby and are generally skilled, making such a large-scale assassination difficult.

Unless these people are all useless connections who got in through the back door.

Qin Zhanhong provocatively glanced at Yu Yan Chu, "Still, your husband's guess is more accurate; indeed most are ordinary officers. However, I dare not say this too confidently, as this information may not be entirely precise."

"After this incident occurred, Gao Yu and Li Yu started fighting, followed shortly by Cao Lin taking over Yanzhou Cheng; too many things have happened these days, and with the camp sealed, our scouts find it hard to gather detailed intelligence, so they couldn't confirm this."

"Never mind, let's set this aside for now; looking at it, it probably won't have much impact on the upcoming battle." Chen Wuji decisively gave up on this puzzling question, merely noting it down on the document, and then casually drew another question mark to remind himself later.

Chen Wuji suddenly turned to Yu Yan Chu, "Princess, do you know which faction each of these people belongs to? Or who they are closer to?"