Chapter 952: with translation of chapter title

Today's affair must not be mentioned to anyone; this major matter we have merely taken the first step out the door, there are still too many variables." Guo Shuhan lowered his voice to remind his little sister, "I and Wang Yu are both caught in a tight spot; I lack his decisiveness, but my judgment has always been better than his. To the court, I am a traitor, but to the world, what I do may not necessarily be wrong.

Guo Wanhe hummed, turned her head to look out the window again, her voice drifting over, "Elder brother, you don't need to explain these things to me; I believe what you're doing, I just can't easily trust outsiders—you should at least leave a backup."

Cannot keep, keeping it would be useless." Guo Shuhan shook his head, "The Marquis Zhenyuan's military achievements are not blown out of proportion; his troops are strong and his masters many, any backup would likely be useless."

Guo Wanhe's voice was clear and secluded, she said softly, "Elder brother, I mean a retreat for preserving life."

Guo Shuhan fell silent for a moment, "This… can be prepared; you needn't worry about it, I'll arrange it."

... Hmm.

Although a small mishap occurred, it did not delay Chen Wuji's established plan.

After Guo Shuhan left, the army continued its march.

Before the sky had fully darkened, the army entered the territory of Guiling Xian.

The terrain here is largely the same as that of Xinglin Zhen, the only difference being that there are more mountains and less arable land.

The mountains are rocky and mostly steep, making it clearly unrealistic to open up farmland on them.

The fields are all at the mountain bases, scattered here and there, each plot not large.

Up until the time of setting up camp, Chen Wuji had not seen any sizable plains or gently rolling hills.

"Old Man Snake Staff is cultivating A Furong here; it looks like he deliberately chose this place," Chen Wuji said.

A Furong is something the court has expressly forbidden to plant.

In earlier, less chaotic times, Old Man Snake Staff would certainly not dare let his subordinates so brazenly plant those things in an entire county, even if he had bribed the county magistrate, he would still have to guard against occasional court inspections.

Guiling Xian's terrain is complex, with many mountains and dense forests; as long as court officials are taken to specially prepared spots for a tour, even if the inspectors are more vigilant, it is hard to discover all the problems in a short time.

Given such terrain, Old Man Snake Staff also did away with the few local residents, using his own men to pose as Zhuangzi.

After all this concealment, discovering the true problem is as hard as climbing to heaven.

Who would have thought that the entire county is planting A Furong, with virtually no native inhabitants left—whether mountain‑top or low‑land Zhuangzi, they are all Old Man Snake Staff's people? Even an official with a wild imagination would hardly dare to think so.

Chen Li nodded, saying, "Old Man Snake Staff's action is comparable to that of heretical demons!"

"Old Man Snake Staff has been operating here for so many years, yet the court has never noticed—these local officials of Nanyue Jun are truly incompetent. This isn't just a village or a town, but an entire county. The people are gone, the fields have turned into poison fields—tsk tsk, it's simply inconceivable," Chen Wuji sighed.

Saying this, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart: "Shi Yi Shu, do you think it's possible that the whole of Nanyue Jun has already defected to the Wise King?"

For Old Man Snake Staff to pull off such a big move in Guiling Xian, he must certainly have protection from above.

The cultivation of A Furong may be hard to detect.

But the original inhabitants of Guiling Xian have either vanished or become tenant farmers in Old Man Snake Staff's Zhuangzi.

No matter how secretly Old Man Snake Staff conceals this, news will surely leak out.

"It's not impossible, but it's unlikely that the entire jun is under Old Man Snake Staff's control; the likelihood that Lingzhou and even Yan Zhou have already defected to the Wise King is very high," Chen Li said.

Chen Wuji gave Chen Li a sideways glance, "Shi Yi Shu, you say you've taken a liking to Guo Shuhan?"

"This person is open and aboveboard, not the type to outwardly obey while inwardly betraying, so he's making a probe," Chen Li said.

I agree with that, but we should still remain skeptical and see what he does next." Chen Wuji had no strong reaction to this; the fishing terrace beneath his buttocks, he is now sitting very steadily.

Let the three factions of the court toss and turn as they please; the more they enjoy their turmoil, the better. His strategy of remaining unchanged to meet all changes is the best move. Anyway, this messy pit, he is not in a hurry to jump into it.

Gazing at the surrounding black peaks, "Shi Yi Shu, do you think there are bandits hidden in these mountains? No wonder Qian Fùguì is being held back in this county; if I encountered such a situation, I'd also have a headache."

The enemy forces are too scattered, occupying only strategic points; they fight if they can, flee if they cannot— the threat may not be great, but it's truly disgusting.

Chen Li chuckled, "It's highly possible; with our army entering the region on such a large scale, we have surely already fallen into the enemy's sight; they must be feeling quite tense now."

"I've made a mistake; I should have mustered a large force of troops to enter and crush them!" Chen Wuji suddenly felt a bit regretful, "We now have ample troops; everyone is idling in Xinglin Zhen anyway, so why bother with this attrition tactic? And why let Qian Fùguì alone struggle here, puffing and panting?"

Chen Li gave Qian Fùguì a strange look, "Isn't the Family Head worried about hurting General Qian's dignity? Moreover, the Family Head seems to have come just to watch General Qian's spectacle, not to fight."

"Just a joke—could you really have run all the way here to watch Qian Fùguì's spectacle?" Chen Wuji said, "As for Qian Fùguì's face, he doesn't deserve any; a rabble that's fought this long without ending has already lost all face."

"Mobilize troops, mobilize them now! I want Old Man Snake Staff to experience what a true large‑scale army operation is; give me to turn the united into scattered guerrilla tactics—I'll bring several ten‑thousand strong army to smash here, and see how arrogant he can still be."

Chen Li stared for a moment, "Family Head, you… you really hadn't thought of this before?"

"Don't look at me so strangely; even the Wise One may have a slip after a thousand considerations. I thought, of course there would be some problem? Moreover, realizing it now isn't late—we are merely the vanguard!" Chen Wuji laughed.

Chen Li: ……

Indeed, thinking of it now is not late; it's such an obvious issue that was overlooked, leaving Chen Li somewhat surprised.

Chen Wuji stared at the distant mountain ridges, a cold, cruel smile flickering at the corner of his mouth, "Shi Yi Shu, pass the order: command Lu Ji to garrison Xinglin Zhen, while the rest of the troops, carrying only a little luggage and supplies, will set out for Guiling Xian tomorrow."

"Old Man Snake Staff has left so many Zhuangzi and stockades here, treating this place as a base for raising troops; surely he hasn't stinted on luggage and supplies, so we'll bring just a little, lest we have to haul it back."

Chen Li responded in a low voice, then suddenly pointed ahead at a mountain peak and said, "Family Head, there really are people up that mountain—there's firelight."