Chapter 119: Deceit and Treachery

Longhu Pass.

It is the first checkpoint of the Longyan Dynasty in Liangzhou, and also its primary fortress.

If Longhu Pass is lost, the Xiongnu Army will have a flat, unobstructed path ahead to ravage at will. In the past half-month, the five major fortresses in front of Longhu Pass have all been breached by the suddenly aggressive Xiongnu Army.

"General, General, Qingfeng Gorge cannot hold!"

"Retreat one thousand paces!"

"The Baiya Army has suffered heavy losses!"

"Where are the rolling stones? Where are the rolling stones?"

"They are gone; there are too many Xiongnu soldiers!"

Pingdi General Zheng Yuxing stood at this moment on the high tower of Longhu Pass, gazing into the distance. The mountains and plains were covered with soldiers from both sides; the Liangzhou Army and the Baiya Army saw their square formations scattered and then reassembled time and again.

But every time they reassembled, they lost many men.

Qingfeng Gorge—this was the final barrier before Longhu Pass.

"Hold! No matter what, you must hold for me!"

Zheng Yuxing gritted his teeth, turned back, and roared: "Where are the arrows I requested? Why haven't they been delivered yet?"

"Armor, armor!"

"And the golden sore medicine!"

A subordinate looked bitter: "General, it is still on the way..."

"Bang!"

Zheng Yuxing was so furious he punched the wall and shouted: "Still on the way? It has already been half a month! What exactly is that old thief Chen Ping trying to do?"

If the logistics support cannot keep up, how the hell are they supposed to fight?

Dozens of urgent military reports sent by fast horses had already been dispatched. It had been half a month, and the logistical supplies still hadn't arrived?

"General, the enemy has begun a fierce assault again!"

A soldier scrambled in, rolling and crawling.

Sure enough.

At Qingfeng Gorge, earth-shaking battle cries erupted once more, rising and falling in succession. The Liangzhou Army and Baiya Army defending Qingfeng Gorge were suffering heavy casualties. Zheng Yuxing could not fathom why this Xiongnu Army was being so suicidal this time!

With an army of two hundred thousand, do their lives mean nothing?

The Jiangzhou Army led by Zheng Yuxing, along with the seven thousand Baiya Army reinforcements, totaled fifteen thousand. He had originally thought that with a strategic position to defend, fifteen thousand against twenty thousand was not something to fear. But he had not expected that the brave and battle-hardened Xiongnu soldiers would switch to a type of lengthened Xiongnu curved saber this time; the archer cavalry and saber cavalry not only had high mobility, but their lethality had also doubled. In this short half-month, they had already lost thirty thousand soldiers!

"Son of a b*tch Chen Ping!"

"What does he want? No reinforcements, no supplies! If this drags on, he is committing treason!"

"Kill! Kill them back!"

Zheng Yuxing's eyes were splitting with rage as he drew his sword and roared.

Longhu Pass must not be lost, no matter what!

To lose it is death; to defend it to the death is also death. As a great man, if one is to die on the battlefield, why not choose to die fighting?

"Brothers, charge with me!"

"For our wives and children!"

"For our country!"

The Liangzhou Army soldiers were all filled with righteous indignation, their eyes bloodshot.

"Lost again?"

Liu Zheng was still on the road when he received another front-line report, and he could not help but furrow his brows deeply.

Jiang Xuan was also filled with worry: "Young Master, five fortresses lost in a row, and the reinforcements from Liangzhou Prefecture have yet to arrive, while the Baiya Army has been constantly sending aid. It seems this Chen Ping is truly stubborn and set in his ways!"

Liu Zheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly shook his head: "That's not right!"

The generals looked over.

"Young Master, what is not right?"

Liu Zheng said calmly: "Although Chen Ping wants to wear us down through internal strife, he is not a fool. If Longhu Pass is lost, the entire Liangzhou will be slaughtered. This concerns the entire Longyan Dynasty; when the time comes, no matter how he tries to justify it, I fear he will no longer be able to serve as Inspector!"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Jiang Xuan asked: "Young Master, then what exactly is this Chen Ping trying to do?"

This time, Qingyang Shuo did not come along due to poor health, and Yinzhou indeed needed someone to hold down the rear. Thus, lacking a Military Advisor, Liu Zheng had to think for himself.

In the horse carriage, he took out a map and began to study it with the others.

He pointed to Longhu Pass on the map and said: "Longhu Pass is the most important fortress on the border and must never be lost. Although Chen Ping is using the Xiongnu, he also knows the Xiongnu are heartless tigers and wolves. Once they are let in, it will truly be the end!"

"Everyone, look here!"

He moved his finger toward the east of the map and drew a line; this line passed directly through Pingzhou, where Prince Lu was stationed, and reached Jinghua!

Jiang Xuan's expression changed drastically: "Does the Young Master mean that Chen Ping is waiting?"

Liu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly: "The Xiongnu Army has torn up the alliance and invaded with a massive force. Do you think the imperial court will have no response?"

"I think Chen Ping is not only waiting, but he has also prepared a backup plan long ago!"

Everyone looked at each other, and one after another, they gasped.

Jiang Xuan was even more shocked: "He is waiting for the Crown Prince!"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "Exactly!"

Whenever there is a war, it is the time for those imperial princes to come and seize military merit, especially when the old Emperor is in poor health and the succession is unclear. If the Crown Prince comes to participate and can repel the Xiongnu, he will certainly be praised and recorded in history books. With this halo, the Crown Prince's succession will be guaranteed. But if he cannot repel the Xiongnu, the Crown Prince will still have done his best; although he would have no merit, he would certainly be at no fault.

In such a situation, how could the Crown Prince not come?

Therefore!

Chen Ping's move was not only intended to cause internal attrition among the Baiya Army, the Liangzhou Army, and the Yinzhou Army, but also to pave the way for the Crown Prince!

Liu Zheng gritted his teeth: "That old fox!"

At this moment, the cruelty of politics was laid out truly and realistically before Liu Zheng for the first time. Since ancient times, when have these people struggling for power and the throne ever cared about the lives of the common people, or the lives of the soldiers? As the saying goes, the success of one general is built upon ten thousand withered bones; how much scheming, intrigue, and deceit lies behind the succession of an Emperor?

"Then, Young Master, what should we do?"

Jiang Xuan asked urgently.

Liu Zheng looked at those military reports, lost in deep thought.

In fact, whether the Crown Prince came or not did not have much impact on him. After all, Liu Zheng had not yet reached the level of imperial princes fighting for the throne. But if the Crown Prince could truly ascend to the throne, and Chen Ping, the Crown Prince's absolute supporter, gained power, could Liu Zheng still fare well?

Of course not.

Liu Zheng would not go so far as to sabotage the Crown Prince's efforts to repel the enemy because of this; if the enemy could be repelled sooner, the soldiers would suffer fewer losses, and the common people would be slaughtered less—this was a good thing. When that time came, at worst, Liu Zheng could go far away to Loulan, where he could still thrive.

Therefore.

Was he worried at this moment that even if the Crown Prince led an army to reinforce them, he would still be unable to deal with these Xiongnu soldiers?

"Long-handled Curved Saber..."

Liu Zheng looked at the military report, his brows slightly furrowed.

A Long-handled Curved Saber, wasn't that equivalent to a Mo saber, or a Tang saber? This kind of blade indeed had immense lethality. It seemed his arrival had still caused a butterfly effect in this world; the Xiongnu Royal Court must have improved these long blades based on his Mo saber, which was why the Liangzhou Army was caught off guard.

It seemed that the current Longyan Dynasty army was completely vulnerable before these brave and battle-hardened Xiongnu soldiers!

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Liu Zheng's mind: "Immediately send a message by carrier pigeon to Zheng Yue Ru!"

Jiang Xuan cupped his hands and listened.

Liu Zheng said: "Instruct Zheng Yue Ru to order the supply train to proceed to the front line on its own. She is to ride south quickly and purchase a large batch of mature bamboo poles; remember, they must have both branches and leaves intact, preferably just harvested!"

Everyone was bewildered.

Jiang Xuan blinked: "Young Master... what do you need bamboo poles for?"

Liu Zheng said: "Stop talking nonsense and go! Remember, the more the better! No matter how much silver it costs, have them sent to the front line as quickly as possible!"

Although Jiang Xuan did not know what Liu Zheng wanted to do, he never questioned Liu Zheng's orders; he immediately jumped out of the Horse Carriage and went to give the instructions.

At this time, the sky had turned dark, and the eighty-thousand-strong Yinzhou Army began to set up camp.

Jinghua.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The old Emperor sat quietly on the Dragon Throne; despite his face being full of wrinkles and looking like he was on the verge of death, his presence there held an inherent power—a majesty that made people afraid to meet his gaze. One had to know that in his youth, the number of heads the old Emperor had taken was countless.

This most powerful man in the Longyan Dynasty—no one knew how deep his schemes were; if he wanted someone to die, it was merely a matter of a single word.

"Have you all gone mute?"

"Hmm? Are you all mute? The treaty was just signed, and the Xiongnu are ravaging fifty miles of territory; who will give Me an explanation?"

The old Emperor said angrily, followed by a fit of coughing.

The civil and military officials knelt on the ground, loudly urging the Emperor to take care of his health.

"My health?"

"Who still cares about My health? The Xiongnu are about to attack, who cares?"

The old Emperor was furious.

Empress Zheng Fu said from the side: "Your Majesty, please do not get angry. The Prince of Lu's army is already preparing; our dignified Longyan Dynasty has a million soldiers, why fear a mere Xiongnu?"

The civil and military officials echoed her words one after another.

The Emperor gave a cold laugh: "The Prince of Lu?"

"If all the Feudatory Kings of this realm were of one mind with Me, how could they have let the Xiongnu break through five of My fortresses in a row?"

The entire Great Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Zheng Fu gave a look to a young man among the officials.

That young man in brocade robes cupped his hands and stepped out: "Father Emperor, this son is willing to lead thirty thousand armored troops to reinforce Liangzhou!"

This son was Zheng Fu's biological son, the Third Prince Xie Ling, who had been clever and quick-witted since childhood and well-versed in the classics; he was also the son the current Emperor liked the most. If not for the order of seniority, he would certainly have passed this throne to Xie Ling.

As soon as Xie Ling came out, the old Emperor's face finally showed a trace of a smile: "My son truly comforts My heart!"

In the crowd, another person stood up anxiously; he looked a bit older than Xie Ling and was a head taller, but he did not look as pleasing as Xie Ling, having a slightly sharp-mouthed and monkey-cheeked appearance. This was the current Crown Prince, Xie Fang.

"Father Emperor, this son is also willing to go to Liangzhou to reinforce!"

"Father Emperor, this son is also willing to go!"

"This son swears, if the enemy is not defeated, I shall not return to Jinghua!"

But since he was the second to stand up, the effect was not as good as Xie Ling's. Sure enough, as soon as Xie Fang came out, several other princes volunteered as well.

The old Emperor chuckled, very satisfied.

Several princes were very proactive.

But naturally, he could not let them all go; wouldn't that cause chaos?

The Emperor pondered and said: "Good, good, good, My heart is greatly comforted!"

"In that case, I appoint Crown Prince Xie Fang as Pingbei General, to lead an army of fifty thousand to reinforce Liangzhou!"

Xie Fang was overjoyed and knelt to thank him for his great grace.

"I appoint the Third Prince Xie Ling as Pinglu General, to lead an army of fifty thousand to reinforce Liangzhou!"

The entire Great Hall fell into silence once again.

What exactly was the old Emperor trying to do?