Chapter 303

The Emperor listened, nodded slightly in agreement, and then said, "Since Grand Councilor also thinks so, then let it be so."

Seeing this, Ai Sheng hurriedly bowed in salute and thanked him, "Thank you for Your Majesty's wise judgment!"

The Emperor waved his hand, signaling him to rise, and then continued, "If Grand Councilor has no other important matters, you may retire first. Old Seventh, you stay and keep Us company for a game of chess."

Ai Sheng bowed in salute once more, then turned and left. Seeing this, Eunuch Sun hurried forward to move the chessboard onto the small table by the couch and arranged it neatly.

Once everything was ready, the Emperor and An Wang sat facing each other, both sitting cross-legged, looking quite casual. The Emperor held the black stones, An Wang picked up the white stones, and a game of chess thus began.

The Emperor played first; his black stone settled steadily in the very center of the board, as if proclaiming his authority. Seeing this, An Wang unhurriedly picked up a white stone and placed it lightly beside the black stone, forming a subtle standoff with the black stone.

Just like that, the two played move after move, chatting idly as they played.

After finishing a game, Eunuch Sun had already drafted the imperial edict and handed it to An Wang. The Emperor gazed at An Wang and slowly said, "Give him one day to prepare; the day after tomorrow, set out." An Wang hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your younger brother obeys the edict." With that, he accepted the edict with both hands, turned, and left.

That afternoon, Yan Wang, who was busy in the military camp, suddenly received word that General Wang Ting requested his presence at the camp tent. Though puzzled, Yan Wang immediately set aside what he was doing and hurried to the camp tent.

Arriving before the camp tent, Yan Wang paused briefly, straightened his armor, then gently pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside. Upon entering, he saw General Wang Ting sitting upright at the desk, seemingly deep in thought.

Yan Wang stepped forward, cupped his fists in salute, and said, "General Wang, you sent for me? What are your orders?" Hearing the voice, Wang Ting raised his head, his gaze landing on Yan Wang, and he couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment.

After these years of arduous training in the military camp, Yan Wang's physique had become increasingly tall and large, with defined muscle lines — the type that looks slim in clothes but ripped when undressed.

His face, from long exposure to the sun, was slightly dark, but it only made him look more resolute. As for his martial arts, they had reached an unfathomable level; even Wang Ting himself, every time he sparred with him, could only fight to a draw.

However, Wang knew clearly in his heart that this was actually the result of Yan Wang deliberately holding back. With Yan Wang's current strength, defeating him would not be difficult, yet he always stopped at the right point, never using full force, clearly to spare Wang Ting's face.

Wang Ting was lost in thought, completely failing to notice that Yan Wang had already been standing before him for a good while. Seeing Wang Ting not respond, Yan Wang couldn't help but call out twice more, "General Wang? General Wang?"

Only upon hearing Yan Wang's calls did Wang Ting snap back to his senses as if waking from a dream. He hurriedly stood and said apologetically, "Oh, Yan Wang, my apologies, I was woolgathering just now. Please, sit!"

Yan Wang didn't stand on ceremony either; he knew Wang Ting was straightforward and disliked excessive formalities, so he sat down openly and naturally.

Once Yan Wang was seated, Wang Ting also promptly sat down beside him and then spoke bluntly, "Yan Wang, I called you here today because there's an important matter to tell you.

Recently, Nanliang Guo has been restless; at Yu Zhou on the border between Nan Liang and our Dachang, they have provoked trouble many times — not only small-scale frictions, but even atrocities of burning, killing, and looting have appeared.

The Emperor's meaning is that we absolutely cannot turn a blind eye to such behavior; otherwise it would make Nan Liang think our Dachang has no one who can fight. So this time, He specially dispatches you to lead a troop to Yu Zhou, to give them a taste of their own medicine, to let them know our Dachang's might!"

After hearing Wang Ting's words, Yan Wang did not get excited as Wang Ting expected; instead, his brows furrowed slightly, and he asked thoughtfully, "General Wang, I'd like to know roughly how many troops Nan Liang has? And how many men can I lead to Yu Zhou this time?"

Wang Ting replied, "According to scout reports, the enemy forces on Nan Liang's border number at most one hundred thousand, and this time the Emperor also has you lead one hundred thousand troops to meet them, so the difficulty of this campaign is not great.

Moreover, Yu Zhou's terrain is strategically critical, easy to defend and hard to attack — this was specially built by An Wang leading people with great care back then. It can be said that for you, this campaign is not only a good opportunity for tempering, but also an excellent stage to prove your strength."

After hearing this, Yan Wang nodded, indicating he understood. He then asked, "Then when do we set out?"

Wang Ting pondered a moment and replied, "The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow you can rest for a day, pack your baggage, and prepare for the expedition.

The day after tomorrow morning, we will directly set out with troops from the military camp. Since this is not a life-and-death decisive battle, we can just depart directly from the camp then."

Yan Wang nodded again, acknowledging. He hesitated slightly, then said, "I want to make a trip home, return tomorrow afternoon, and set out on time the day after tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"

Wang Ting replied without hesitation, "Of course no problem, go now then."

Yan Wang turned to leave, but suddenly seemed to recall something important; he abruptly turned back, faced Wang Ting, and asked, "I wonder if General Wang has a map of Yu Zhou here?"

Hearing this, Wang Ting understood instantly as if enlightened, and hurriedly said, "Yes, I'll find it for you, wait a moment." With that, he turned and walked to his desk, starting to search.

Seeing this, Yan Wang hurriedly thanked him, "Alright, many thanks, General Wang."

Wang Ting searched at the desk for a good while, finally discovering several maps in a box. The small box looked somewhat old, but the writing on it was still clearly legible, obviously used specifically for storing border maps.

Wang Ting picked out one from those maps, examined it carefully, confirmed it was correct, then handed it to Yan Wang, saying, "Here, this is the map of Yu Zhou."

Yan Wang accepted the map, thanked him again, "Many thanks, General Wang." Then he quickly unfolded the map and gave it a simple glance. The map prominently bore the two large characters "Yu Zhou" in striking script, with some important locations and routes marked around it.

After confirming the map was not the wrong one, Yan Wang carefully folded it and tucked it into his bosom. Just as he tucked the map into his bosom, he casually asked, "General Wang, have the personnel for this departure been confirmed?"

Wang Ting shook his head and replied, "Not yet for the time being; I'll tell you this news first, and confirm the specific personnel arrangements in a bit."

Yan Wang nodded in understanding, then asked further, "General Wang, I wonder if Ai Jiao can go along as well?"