Chapter 321: Chapter Seventy-Two: Dispatch of Troops

Yue Fei sent his generals to sweep the Ningxia plain, both to find Li Qianshun and his son and to quickly establish a defensive system to prepare for possible military counterattacks.

The significance of finding Li Qianshun and his son went without saying, but defending against counterattacks from the Western Xia's peripheral military forces was also necessary... because at this moment, aside from the military forces on the Yinchuan plain itself having suffered a large-scale blow, there was no clear news of damage to the Western Xia's other military forces.

Among these, first and foremost, was of course the direction of Hengshan on the opposite bank of the Yellow River.

North of Hengshan was originally the five prefectures where Li Yuanhao rose to power, one of the four core ruling regions of Western Xia (the Qian Tao Xing-Ling area, the Hou Tao below Yinshan, the five prefectures of Hengshan, and the six prefectures of Hexi). It itself had many Tangut tribes there, and because it was on the front line, it was permanently garrisoned with tens of thousands of troops. Added to this, Weiming Chage had brought thirty to forty thousand of Western Xia's main forces there, so it could almost be said that the vast majority of Western Xia's effective military strength was concentrated there.

Second, there were the twenty thousand reinforcements heading toward Hexi to resist Yelu Dashi.

Finally, there was the Heishan Weifu Military Command's local forces holding off Mongol harassment at the Yinshan mountain pass. That was another of Western Xia's core ruling regions, the strategically vital Hou Tao plain.

This was not being overly cautious. One must know that from the day the beacon fires were lit at the gorge mouth to the second day after the city fell, five days had already passed.

It was better to estimate the enemy generously.

Suppose Weiming Chage had received the warning from the beacon smoke transmission himself, rather than Li Qianshun receiving the message and then issuing an edict, and he had also happened to have set up an emergency response system in advance. Then his vanguard might have already set out three days ago from Yanzhou, the westernmost point of the Hengshan front. Yanzhou was three hundred li from the Yellow River, with desert in between. Three hundred li in three days, by now they could probably have reached Lingzhou, the important town on the opposite bank of the river.

Relatively speaking, there was less need to worry about the twenty thousand troops heading west to Hexi. Those twenty thousand troops had passed through the gorge mouth heading west about ten days ago. Not to mention where they were when the beacon fires were lit, could they even see them? Even if they did see them, and without considering Yelu Dashi, Wang De was currently leading six thousand Imperial Guard infantry behind them, holding the vital gorge mouth position, which was enough to handle the situation.

Of course, the above calculations were all based on estimating the enemy generously, and the most generous estimate at that.

In reality, everyone knew that after the beacon fires were lit that night, it was unlikely that Weiming Chage could see the military situation here from across a desert several hundred li away. Moreover, the deployment of such a large army still required Li Qianshun's edict... otherwise, who would know whether it was to come to the emperor's aid or to stage a mutiny?

And besides, the Western Xia and the Song army were in a full-scale standoff along the Hengshan line. Together, they totaled about a hundred thousand troops, with the front line stretching across five prefectures and lasting nearly two months. Even if Chage wanted to come to the rescue at all costs, just mobilizing the troops would take several more days.

And indeed, that was the case.

In the following two days, three of the four prefectures around Xingqing Prefecture were quickly swept clean. Wang De at the gorge mouth also opened up a path to the main force. Even though Shunzhou resisted stubbornly for some unknown reason, by this point, the defensive system of Xingqing Prefecture on the west bank of the Yellow River was essentially rebuilt. At the same time, there was still no sign of Chage's main army returning on the opposite bank of the Yellow River, nor any trace of the Western Xia army that had been advancing west toward the gorge mouth.

At this moment, Qu Duan even suggested sending a detachment across the river to Lingzhou on the opposite bank as a probe.

Of course, Yue Fei did not agree. The reason was simple... first, Li Qianshun's whereabouts were unknown; second, there were already some clues about Yelu Dashi's movements.

Sending troops across the river at this time seemed somewhat inappropriate.

The news came from Li Master's side.

Not to mention the battle by the Yellow River earlier and the fact that the Song army had occupied Xingqing Prefecture, which had indeed shaken many local Tangut tribes. Just consider that Li Master was sweeping along the Helan Mountains with six thousand cavalry. With a large army pressing down on them, even if you were a loyal minister of the Great White High Kingdom, you would have to temporarily take shelter under the Song bandits... Did you understand "making a detour to save the country"? And Li Master was no kind-hearted soul. Would he really go around a resisting tribe with six thousand cavalry?

It was precisely these Tangut tribes at the foot of the Helan Mountains who, in the process of visiting Yue Fei in Xingqing Prefecture, provided information about the Khitan's movements.

It turned out that as early as when Yue Fei was advancing on Xingqing Prefecture, small tribes, or rather small bands of horse bandits, had brought scattered news from the Hexi region through the rear of the Helan Mountains. At that time, some said that the more than ten thousand Western Xia reinforcements who had gone out had run head-on into the Khitan at a place slightly east of Xiliang Prefecture (Liangzhou). Caught off guard, they had a large-scale encounter battle with the Khitan at a small town called Jisang.

The result was a complete rout, and all the troops surrendered.

At first, no one believed this news, because it meant the Khitan were advancing extremely quickly.

Of course, by then the Song army had already crossed the gorge mouth, and no one cared whether it was true or not... But now, with more and more related information coming in, and the dates, locations, and army sizes all basically matching, it was almost certainly true.

In other words, although it was unclear whether the Western Xia's twenty thousand troops had fought the Khitan to a mutual destruction or had simply been a free gift to the Khitan, there was no doubt that the Hexi region was now entirely in Khitan hands, and within days, Yelu Dashi might appear at the foot of the Helan Mountains.

This was an "ally" that had to be treated with the utmost caution... Compared to Lingzhou on the opposite bank of the river, preventing the Khitan from taking desperate risks was the top priority.

In fact, as soon as the news arrived, Yue Fei sent an urgent message to Liu Qi, who was having trouble attacking Shunzhou.

Another day passed, and finally there was news of Li Qianshun, again obtained by Li Master... Specifically, it was obtained after Li Master captured Tanliang Fortress.

The so-called Tanliang Fortress was a mountain fortress built during the reign of Western Xia's Yizong, Li Qianshun's grandfather. It was located in a valley deep in the Helan Mountains, northwest of Xingqing Prefecture, and was specifically used to store grain in the rear. It was a major strategic location within Western Xia. Hu Hongxiu, temporarily acting as administrator of the area around Xingqing Prefecture, checked the relevant documents and interrogated surrendered officials. After discovering this place, he immediately sent a rider to inform Li Master via Yue Fei's headquarters. The latter hastily abandoned many tribes and galloped straight there to take control.

Tanliang Fortress was so empty and chaotic as to be almost unbelievable, to the point that Li Master and the two thousand light cavalry vanguard he led easily took control of the fortress. Not only that, Li Master himself immediately learned an important piece of information from the local tribes—on the second day after Xingqing Prefecture fell, someone had arrived holding the Western Xia ruler's golden tablet, demanding that the garrison there take all the livestock and enough grain and fodder and follow the messenger northeast. At the same time, they were ordered to set fire to the fortress when they left.

But how important was this fortress? Although the garrison saw the golden tablet, how could they dare to set fire to it just because of a single tablet? Moreover, some of the garrison were from local tribes and went directly to the tribal chieftain to report the matter... In the end, most of the garrison left with the grain and livestock, but the fire was never set.

As for the fortress, it fell under the control of two small local tribes.

Just as the two small local tribes were caught in a mix of surprise, fear, and confusion, unsure of what to do with the Great White High Kingdom's strategic grain reserves, only a day and a half later, Li Master himself arrived with several thousand cavalry.

Capturing a large amount of grain reserves was, of course, excellent news. But at the same time, calculating the time and distance, the appearance of the messenger carrying the Western Xia ruler's golden tablet also matched Li Qianshun's itinerary.

This Western Xia ruler had clearly been worried that the road to Hengshan was too long, with the Yellow River, desert, and no supplies... Or perhaps he was worried that going directly to Hengshan would be too obvious and that the Song army would intercept him by the river or on the opposite bank. So he had chosen to go north along the river to temporarily avoid the military edge.

Of course, after going north, where would he go next?

Possibly to the Hou Tao, a strategic location and one of Western Xia's four core ruling regions. But it was also possible that he only wanted to get supplies and then cross the river at Shengwei Fortress, taking Camel Port to make a detour to Hengshan.

But either way, it seemed too late... A gap of a day and a half, especially north of Dingzhou and Tanliang Fortress, which were still enemy-occupied territory with completely unknown geography, made it inadvisable to advance lightly with a small force.

Especially since no one knew when that ally, who had to be treated with utmost caution, would arrive.

And just as Yue Pengju and his men had made up their minds to control the Yinchuan plain, the political, economic, cultural, and geographical heart of Western Xia, and wait for Western Xia to split apart on its own, on the other side, on the Hengshan front, there was finally movement that could no longer be concealed.

"According to the military intelligence from Yang Zheng of Huanzhou, three days ago, the Western Xia garrison at Yanzhou on our front suddenly withdrew in large numbers, destination unknown."

On the city wall of Kaolao Stockade in Bao'an Army, Guo Hao, who had hurriedly ridden here from the Pingrong Stockade front line, was trying to persuade Wu Jie, the Commander-in-Chief stationed here. "Yesterday, on the Pingrong Stockade front line, a secretly contacted Hengshan Fan tribe also reported that Weiming Chage was gathering his troops on a large scale, but had set the location at Youzhou, west of the Hongliu River. Youzhou is on the interior line. Gathering troops there clearly meant retreat, not attack. This morning, Weiming Heda even sent his son in person to Pingrong Stockade, explicitly stating that Chage intended to return west... This shows that Yelu Dashi and Military Governor Yue should have already succeeded, and are now approaching Xing-Ling..."

"So what are you trying to say?" Wu Jie, his face sallow, sat on the city wall of Kaolao Stockade, frowning deeply, staring blankly at the dark mass of Hengshan to his north. When Guo Hao tried to persuade him, his attitude was cold.

"Commander-in-Chief." Guo Hao quickly straightened his expression. "I believe that Weiming Heda, after all, is a vassal of Princess Nanxian, a noble of Khitan descent, and hates the Jurchens to the bone. Now that Yelu Dashi has come to attack Western Xia, this man must be trustworthy."

"And then?" Wu Jie still frowned.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Guo Hao grew more anxious. "Think about it. Military Governor Yue and those men—Qu Da, Wang De, Liu Qi—are probably already at the gorge mouth by now. Yelu Dashi might also be advancing from the shady side of the Helan Mountains..."

"I'm asking you, do you have a plan? And what exactly do you want me to do? Why are you saying all this irrelevant stuff?" Wu Jie suddenly stood up from the city wall, flicking his sleeve in anger.

Guo Hao was momentarily furious but suppressed his anger and cupped his hands in response: "Commander-in-Chief, I believe we can follow Xiao Heda's plan. Immediately dispatch at least ten thousand of our main force to attack Longzhou and launch a pincer attack with Xiao Heda. We are sure to win in one fell swoop and break through the Hengshan defense line."

Under the setting sun, Wu Jie stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back for a long time, frowning as he looked at Hengshan to the north. No one knew how long he thought or what he thought about, but in the end, he shook his head: "We can probe, but we cannot commit lightly! I'll contact the Prince of Yan'an and Wu Er. We'll launch a four-pronged attack and hit Yan'an... See how the Western Xia react, and also get a glimpse of the Jurchens' position."

Guo Hao was deeply disappointed and was about to try again.

"You don't understand!" Wu Jie flicked his sleeve in response. "The Pingrong Stockade position is critical. You should return early!"

Guo Hao was completely helpless and could only obey the military order... But his heart was full of frustration. He didn't even bother to cup his hands, grabbed his horsewhip, and angrily descended the city wall. Then he mounted his horse and, leading his several dozen personal guards, hurried back to Pingrong Stockade.

After Guo Hao left, Wu Jie still stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, not even looking at his subordinate. He just stared at Hengshan again, lost in thought. Only now, the setting sun was gradually descending, bringing a patch of fiery clouds. The light reflected on Wu Jie's face, shifting and changing, so that even his sallow face occasionally turned red.

Finally, the sun set. Wu Jie eventually passed down the military order to attack Yan'an. Then he ate a little and went to bed early. However, with all kinds of complicated thoughts on his mind, he didn't know how long he waited before falling asleep.

But he hadn't slept for more than an hour or two when, in the dead of night, he was hurriedly awakened by his younger brother and eldest son, Wu Gong. The latter cupped his hands and reported that Guo Hao had come and gone, and had just arrived in the city again, saying he had top-secret military intelligence to report to Commander-in-Chief Wu in person... The people in the city dared not be negligent and could only ask Wu Gong to wake his father.

The weather was already quite hot. Wu Jie, still dazed, threw on a robe and came out. Looking up, he saw the moon was more than half full. A cold wind blew, giving him a sudden jolt of clarity, and he found it increasingly absurd... Guo Hao was a son of a military family with plenty of experience. How could he be so impatient?

However, a moment later, something even more absurd happened.

"What did you say?"

Wu Jie was dumbfounded. The robe slipped directly off his body. Although Wu Gong was behind him, he too was stunned, completely failing to catch it.

"Commander, I don't entirely believe it either, but Xiao Heda's youngest son doesn't seem to be faking it. For a whole family to put on an act to this extent would be ridiculous."

Beside the brazier, Guo Hao, who had traveled over a hundred li back and forth three times in a single day, was flushed and panting, yet he still bowed earnestly with cupped hands. "According to Xiao Heda's youngest son, Weiming Chage gathered troops in Youzhou, preparing to turn back in relief, and had no choice but to tell the truth to the generals of each prefecture... He said the Song army... said there was a royal army, no less than thirty thousand strong, that had broken through the Gorge Pass about three or four days ago, and Xingqing Prefecture was in danger! The Yanzhou troops were the nearest reinforcements he had hastily dispatched after receiving the Western Xia ruler's decree, and the Iron Vultures had already been sent to Lingzhou early on. Now he was assembling all units, about to gather a great army to march west to the ruler's aid. As for Xiao Heda, Weiming Chage also had words, saying that these were extraordinary times and asking him to bear with it, then publicly stripped him of his military authority, replacing him with Weiming Yunge, and placed him under house arrest in the Youzhou prefectural office."

"If that's the case, how did he manage to get his youngest son out?" Unexpectedly, after hearing the other's further description, Wu Jie instead calmed down.

"According to his youngest son, after Weiming Chage placed him under house arrest, before the Youzhou troops had even been fully assembled, he hurriedly set out west yesterday with a small retinue. Xiao Heda took the opportunity to plead with the army supervisor Weiming Renli, whom Weiming Chage had left behind, to allow his second and youngest sons to return to Xiazhou to report their safety to their subordinates and family. Weiming Renli, being a Confucian scholar, readily agreed... On the way, the youngest son secretly left the group, rode for five or six hours, changed three or five horses, and detoured through reliable tribal territories under their control before finally reaching Pingrong Stockade." Guo Hao quickly responded. "I dared not hesitate either. After clarifying the matter, I came directly here."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jie did not respond further. Instead, he picked up the clothes from the ground, draped them over himself, and began pacing back and forth in the narrow courtyard before the hall.

Now, unlike Guo Hao... Wu Jie actually possessed a great deal of intelligence.

For instance, after Yue Fei turned back from Quwu Mountain, he reported to the Imperial Traveling Court at the earliest opportunity. And according to His Majesty Zhao's 'trusteeship model' at the time, military intelligence of this level was directly forwarded from Jingzhao to Wu Jie here, while His Majesty Zhao only saw the copied report later from Wu Jie.

In other words, Wu Jinqing knew from the very beginning that Yue Fei was heading for Xingqing Prefecture. When the Yanzhou troops withdrew at the first opportunity, he had already begun to consider a certain possibility.

But the problem was that this possibility was too extravagant. Based solely on the unusual movement of the Yanzhou garrison, he could not act.

After all, His Majesty Zhao had once again entrusted him with the command of the entire eastern front. He had to be responsible; he had to find a balance between possibility, probability of success, and potential gains.

Relatively speaking, Wu Jie was, of course, perfectly clear about Guo Hao's thoughts... With Yue Fei having achieved such merit, could you, Wu Jie, ever catch up in a lifetime? Even Qu Duan was about to turn things around this time and achieve the merit of establishing a military governorship. Weren't you, Wu Jie, worried? And what about Liu Qi... The Liu brothers and the Wu brothers had always had their own reputations within the Western Army.

Moreover, Wu Jie did not find this way of thinking ridiculous. He himself had come from the Western Army for twenty years and could not let go of these things either. On the contrary, he considered some things even more than Guo Hao did.

But the more this was the case, the more one had to plan properly.

And besides planning properly, one also had to grasp a genuine opportunity for battle, then stake everything on a single throw... just like Yue Fei and Qu Duan had done this time.

"Transmit my military order." Wu Jie stared at the half-moon overhead for a long time before suddenly speaking. "Add an order to Wu Lin, telling him to advance with his entire army, quickly seize Yan'an. Use twice the strength he thinks he has... Don't worry about any baggage or supplies. Abandon the Diaoyin Mountain camp, and have the entire army launch a fierce attack on Ganquan!"

Wu Gong cupped his hands in acknowledgment and was about to turn back to write the order, while Guo Hao, greatly alarmed, wanted to advise against it again.

"Don't be hasty... Do it after I finish speaking." Wu Jie took a long breath and continued issuing orders solemnly. "Write a letter to the Commandery Prince of Yan'an, explaining this matter, and ask him to exert his full strength without fail, attacking Linzhen and Yanchang, so that Huonu cannot attend to both ends."

Wu Gong cupped his hands again, indicating understanding.

"I will personally write a memorial, requesting His Majesty to come north, bringing at least ten thousand elite troops from the Imperial Guard Left Army... to come to Fuzhou!"

As Wu Jie made this distant cupped-hand salute, Guo Hao finally began to understand somewhat.

"Finally, while the Western Xia main force moves west and Weiming Yunge goes to Xiazhou to gather troops, we will immediately dispatch our forces and launch a fierce attack on Hengshan... Let's see if he turns back!"

"How many troops will be sent?" Guo Hao couldn't help but ask.

"Send as many as we have!" Wu Jie turned his head sharply. "You march out from Longzhou, I will personally march out from Hongzhou, each dispatching ten thousand men. Also have Yang Zheng dispatch troops from Huanzhou. No matter how many troops he has, or how many are useful, I just want him to send them all to attack Yanzhou! Then simultaneously issue orders to the various tribal groups across Hengshan, forbidding them from wavering. If they don't come this time, the Great Song will never accept them again! Then, when you march out, bring Xiao Heda's two sons. Explain the matters of Yelu Yudu and Yelu Dashi to them clearly, and exaggerate Yelu Dashi's forces to fifty thousand! Tell them that Yelu Dashi has already arrived at the foot of the Helan Mountains, and the Son of Heaven has already promised the Khitans Hexi and the Houtao region! Have them return to Xiazhou and rebel! Attack Youzhou to rescue their father! They have managed Xiazhou for decades, taking in countless Khitans. If they don't act this time, they deserve to die!"

Guo Hao was greatly invigorated, made a deep bow with cupped hands, and left.

After taking only a couple of steps, he turned back again: "Commander, what is the specific time for the attack?"

"I will march out tomorrow morning!" Wu Jie replied coldly. "You are leading ten thousand troops on your own route. When you march out, what business is it of mine?!"

Stung by this mockery, Guo Hao was not angered but delighted instead. He made another hurried bow and then took his leave directly.

Once Guo Hao had left and Wu Gong had also gone to transmit the orders, Wu Jie looked up at the sky for a long time before returning to his quarters to personally write the memorial. After finishing it, he deliberated repeatedly before sealing it in a box and sending it off. Then he lay down and went straight to sleep, telling his eldest son only to wake him when everything was ready at dawn, just before the entire army was to march.

And just as Wu Jie was falling back asleep, at roughly the same time, hundreds of li away in the official residence of Xingqing Prefecture, Yue Fei was just being awakened: "Have the Western Xia people reached Lingzhou across the river?"

"No." Yue Fei's personal adjutant Bi Jin replied respectfully. "It's a report from the tribal groups outside the Helan Mountains... Khitans, by the tens of thousands, with countless warhorses and camels. Their marching formation has scattered, stretching for dozens of li. From yesterday afternoon until late at night, they passed continuously outside the Helan Mountains without stopping for a moment, disregarding straggling soldiers and fallen livestock, heading north all the way. They only halted for rest until midnight... The tribesmen saw this and brought the military intelligence to Vice Commander Li. Vice Commander Li requests the Military Governor's instructions."

"I have no instructions for him, only for you." Yue Fei squinted, thought for a moment, and gave his orders calmly. "Record this matter clearly and dispatch it to the Imperial Traveling Court immediately! Also, send an order to Wang De, telling him to go to the Western Shoubao-Tai Army Command and the Jingsai Army Command, attempt to induce their surrender, and investigate the full story of the Hexi battle... That will be all."

Having said this, he lay back down on the couch and was asleep in moments.

Bi Jin was dumbfounded, but after a moment, he could only quietly acknowledge the order and then retreat, walking quickly backwards.

"Is that what the Western Xia people said?" Continuing a thousand li away, on the eastern side of the Yellow River's great bend, within the true Hedong region, the Great Jin's Prince of Wei, Wanyan Wushu, who had arduously marched to Shizhou opposite the Jinning Army and Suide Army, was also roused from his tent, equally stunned. "Yue Fei reached some Gorge Pass deep in Western Xia territory seven or eight days ago?"

"Yes." Wendum Sizhong replied respectfully, bowing his head.

"Is it an open road from that Gorge Pass to the Western Xia capital?"

"Yes."

"How far?"

"Less than two hundred li, perhaps?"

Wanyan Wushu was dumbfounded. It was a long moment before he spoke: "Was I deceived on two levels by that Zhao Song ruler?! Or was Yelu Dashi also deceived by him together?"

Wendum Sizhong bowed his head and remained silent.

At that moment, another man directly pushed aside the tent flap and entered. It was the Western Route Army Commander, Wanyan Balisu. Entering and seeing the state of Wushu and Wendum Sizhong, he knew they were already aware of the military intelligence, so he simply frowned and stood solemnly at attention.

"Of the five Wanhu units I brought... give one Wanhu to Sanlihe, let him continue crossing the river ahead to Suide Army... His only task is to control the ferry crossings and passages, and ensure that Huonu's entire army can cross over from here." After an unknown period of silence, with faint dawn light already appearing outside, Wushu finally spoke through gritted teeth. "The remaining four Wanhu units will not stop. Immediately prepare meals and then march upstream to seize the Houtao region!"

This time, not only was Wendum Sizhong momentarily stunned, but even Balisu frowned briefly. However, the latter quickly relaxed his brow, suddenly understanding.

"This happened seven or eight days ago. The Dangxiang people's vital Xing-Ling region is already beyond saving. By the time the Song army holds the great river, the Western Xia will collapse without a fight!" Wushu, unaware that Balisu had already understood, looked directly at him seriously, his expression ferocious. "At this point, going to help them defend Hengshan, not to mention whether we'll make it in time, the Houtao region is a strategically superior position. It commands the heights, controls the grasslands to the north, presses down on the old Western Xia lands to the south, and lies north of the Yellow River. Troops can be easily dispatched from Xijing and Taiyuan, and it is also the shield for these two places! Under these circumstances, how could there be any logic in going to Hengshan and abandoning the Houtao?! Of course, we must dispatch the entire army to contend for the Houtao!"

Balisu cupped his hands and replied solemnly: "The Prince of Wei sees clearly! This is exactly what I was thinking!"

And so, on the morning of the fourteenth day of the fourth month, Wu Jie marched out from Hongzhou, Guo Hao from Longzhou, Yang Zheng from Yanzhou, Wu Lin from Yan'an, Han Shizhong from Yan'an, Wanyan Sanlihe from Suide Army, while Wanyan Wushu and Balisu hurried north with four Wanhu units, heading straight for the Houtao region. Even Yelu Dashi's vanguard commander, Xiao Wolila, set out at dawn, disregarding hardship, rapidly moving north from the foot of the Helan Mountains towards the Houtao.

At the same time, Weiming Chage, throwing all caution to the wind, also surged westward in three separate segments towards the capital region to rescue the ruler.

At this moment, across the entire battlefield north of Fuzhou, almost everyone was emptying their forces and advancing with all their might. Only Yue Fei's unit, situated at the very center of the vortex, cautiously held the cities of the Yinchuan Plain, still engaged in the tedious activity of using the Western Xia's national grain reserves to win people's hearts.

The contrast was stark.

Of course, the greatest contrast was still His Majesty Zhao. Far away in Tongzhou, he had not yet received Wu Jie's memorial and had become so bored by the Jin army's withdrawal that he had started shooting crows and rabbits again.

"Your Majesty's divine archery!"

In the morning, as Zhao Jiu shot down yet another bird, Zheng Zhichang immediately clapped his hands from his horse. "Your minister was thinking yesterday, Your Majesty shot over seventy rabbits and over thirty crows in a single day, more than a hundred in total. No emperor, ancient or modern, has surpassed Your Majesty. Truly divine archery under heaven..."

To this, His Majesty Zhao, who had matters on his mind, naturally had to demur: "This is nothing... In a couple of days, I will find two toads and shoot them for you to see."

Zheng Zhichang, along with Lu Benzhong beside him, immediately caught on and prepared to join in the flattery.

Just then, Hu Yin, the Transport Commissioner of the Five Circuits West of the Pass, who had somehow come to His Majesty Zhao's side, suddenly spoke coldly from the side, making a correction: "Your Majesty, that character is pronounced 'chu' (toad), not 'yu' (toad)."

Zhao Jiu lowered his bow, momentarily deflated.

PS: Thanks to new盟主 strugglego, this is the 133rd盟主. Thanks to new盟主 悍马汉帝, this is the 134th盟主. Thanks to new盟主 珍玉城, this is the 135th盟主. Thanks to old盟主 鹤舞沙洲 for the second盟主.

Then, as usual, I offer up the new book "One Man Attains the Dao" — Battle Robe Stained with Blood.

Chen Cuo arrived in the Chen Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, becoming a member of the imperial clan. He thought he was supposed to follow the historical route, but then the style suddenly changed. "With Qi Refining and cultivation, and incense and merit, well then, I can only seek immortality and attain the Dao first."

This month, approximately 130,000 characters.