Chapter 954: with translation of chapter title

Several people in the pitch-black forest exchanged words, arguing fiercely, as if ghosts were quarreling on a grave mound; a single remark from the Yang-surname person caused Elder Lin and the Gǔ-surname person, whose voice was somewhat fickle, to fall silent again.

After a long while, Elder Lin sighed, 'Different paths do not plot together; since Old Yang you deem this plan feasible, then continue leading people in Guiling Xian, while I and Old Gou withdraw first.'

But having known each other for so many years, I still want to advise you: in front of Chen Wuji, do not harbor any fluke, and moreover must not be the slightest bit arrogant. Liu Yan led eighty thousand people in Shenxian Ling and were all wiped out by Chen Wuji; think about it carefully. As far as I know, Liu Yan is not at all foolish; on the contrary, he is exceptionally cunning and also skilled in using troops.

Do not listen to outside rumors; after the Court Army reached Yan Zhou, I used my connections to get to know all the main commanders of this deployment of the Court Army.

Aside from General Huo, whom we only half know, the others are all without mediocrity, they are a bunch as cunning as foxes. Have you not considered what they are ordered to do southward this time? If they lacked ability, would those behind them value them?

This time the Court sending troops southward is not just going through the motions, scraping some merit to return for rewards, awaiting promotion and ennoblement; they intend to do substantive work.

Elder Lin's heartfelt frankness caused the Gǔ-surname person and the Yang-surname person to fall silent again.

As Elder Lin, carrying some thin sounds, was swallowed by darkness, only light or heavy breathing remained in the forest, oppressive like the weather of this season, as if it were blocking people's chests.

Then I'll follow you, withdraw! The Yang-surname person pondered for a while, then said in a low voice, 'But how to withdraw? We still need to work out the details carefully; we must take into account General Huo's side and also guard against Chen Wuji intercepting us midway.'

Once we lose the strategic advantage of Guiling Xian, our chances of victory will become even slimmer; we must not act rashly.

Elder Lin grunted, 'Let's go back to the stronghold to discuss; in this pitch-darkness, there's nothing to see anyway.'

The Gǔ-surname person suddenly chuckled lightly, 'You two suddenly speaking so amiably makes me feel a bit unaccustomed.'

Don't curse. Elder Lin said speechlessly, 'Actually we three should be grasshoppers on the same rope; from now on, those grudges ought to be let go, for Nanyue Jun is truly about to undergo a change.'

Just as big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp, we are truly the shrimp.

This time, nobody retorted; they all responded to Elder Lin's words in silence.

It was merely unclear whether this silence signified agreement or if they were thinking of something else in their hearts.

Their subordinates torches in hand cleared the way ahead, and the group hurriedly proceeded deep into the mountains.

In the valley flanked by three mountains lay a massive stronghold, its disordered buildings nearly filling the entire gorge. Even at midnight, the stronghold remained brightly lit, with moving silhouettes everywhere; patrolling soldiers brandished torches, constantly shuttling between the three mountains.

General!

Chief!

General!

Amidst the calls, the tall yet somewhat short-statured Yang-surname person, Elder Lin in a scholar's robe, and the Gǔ-surname person clad in brown armor entered the council hall.

Someone, bring wine, and go slaughter a fat-tailed sheep!

The Yang-surname person sat down with his Great Horse Golden Blade, first ordering his subordinates to prepare food and drink, then he curled the corner of his mouth into a slightly aloof smile toward Elder Lin and the Gǔ-surname person and said, 'It's the middle of the night; we've been prowling in the mountains for so long, you two must be a bit hungry—let's have something to eat and drink and chat slowly.'

Elder Lin waved his hand and said, 'No need for wine; just serve tea.'

'Old Lin, that's a bit of a buzzkill; you also brought experts up the mountain—could it be that you're afraid I'll swallow your subordinates?' the Yang-surname person laughed.

'No such thing; Chen Wuji is right now not far down the mountain from us—I wouldn't dare swallow even a drop of this wine; it's better to be cautious.'

The Gǔ-surname person nodded, 'What Lin Chusheng said makes sense; let's have tea.'

The Yang-surname person was especially slick and round, his eyes naturally as if strained wide, looking at Elder Lin and the Gǔ-surname person, he gave a hehe laugh, 'Since you two are so cautious, let's drink tea; tea goes very well with mutton as well.'

'As for eating, I'm indeed no match for you!' Elder Lin gave a faint smile.

'The night is already very deep; let's make a long story short—I'll first share my thoughts.'

'Chen Wuji is currently sending people to operate in An Sai Zhou, seizing the grain there; I want to ruin this advantage of his. We can divide our troops into several columns to enter An Sai Zhou, deliberately create chaos, then proceed to Feng Xian Zhou, disguise ourselves as Chen Wuji's subordinates, and pillage extensively.'

'The Inspectors of An Sai Zhou and Feng Xian Zhou seem like two tough nuts; they don't know what they're planning, but for now it appears they have neither surrendered to Cao Lin nor accepted General Huo's terms.'

'Each of these two states commands over ten thousand troops; regardless of their current intentions, if we and Chen Wuji's subordinates cause too great a disturbance within their territories, they will certainly not stand idly by.'

'If we can smoothly get them to mobilize, we can use them to tie down Chen Wuji's forces, allowing us to reach Yan Zhou smoothly. If we accomplish these two steps smoothly, perhaps we can achieve merit without fault in General Huo's eyes.'

Both the Yang- and Gǔ-surname persons, deep in thought, nodded.

'Old Lin, I want to know whether the intelligence you obtained about An Sai Zhou and Feng Xian Zhou is accurate,' the Gǔ-surname person asked anxiously, 'I'm not doubting your intent this time, but rather whether your intelligence is precise, which bears on whether your plan is feasible.'

'An Sai Zhou and Feng Xian Zhou are not merely about choosing one side to submit to in the Court; they also have a second option: Chen Wuji!'

'No!' Elder Lin said very firmly.

'My people may not dare approach Chen Wuji, but everyone coming and going at Xinglin Zhen can be watched closely; that town is just that small. If An Sai Zhou and Feng Xin Zhou really sent people to meet Chen Wuji, they would surely not escape my surveillance.'

The Gǔ-surname person raised his doubt again: 'What if, to cover their tracks, they send only a single trusted confidant? This is not impossible; we cannot entirely judge this matter by our usual behavior.'

Upon hearing that, Elder Lin also lost his confidence.

After a moment, he shook his head: 'It should still be impossible; if An Sai Zhou and Feng Xian Zhou had submitted to Chen Wuji, logically he should have already taken action—he is even personally sending people to harvest the grain in An Sai Zhou—how could he allow the Court Army to gather grain in these two states?'

The Gǔ-surname person nodded in agreement, 'That is indeed a very reliable judgment!'

'Chen Wuji is surely short on supplies now; if these two states truly submitted, that grain would be as good as already having fallen into Chen Wuji's pocket—given Chen Wuji's doglike nature, he would absolutely not suffer such a loss.'