Chapter 134: Baiya City

Liu Zheng also looked at Yang Ke at this moment with a smile.

In fact, from the very beginning, Liu Zheng had been considering the predicament facing the Baiya Army.

He also knew that Yang Ke rushing over today meant he had his own ideas as well.

Liu Zheng had to admit that in his eyes, the Baiya Army of the past was an absolute behemoth—to use a popular saying, he had grown up listening to their legendary stories.

In Liu Zheng's eyes, this Baiya Army was adept at social maneuvering, possessed heaven-defying capabilities, and had managed their connections quite thoroughly. They also had a powerful Military Advisor and horse farms that everyone in the world looked upon with envy...

However.

Clearly, the horse farms now in the hands of the Baiya Army had become a hot potato.

Therefore, Liu Zheng's attitude toward Yang Ke had changed accordingly.

Of course, this was not kicking someone when they were down, but merely a negotiation tactic.

He wanted to make Yang Ke understand that his good relationship with Du Biao was a personal sentiment and had little to do with the Baiya Army. If you want my help, first make your own position clear.

Thus, as soon as Liu Zheng said this.

Zheng Yue Ru, Jiang Xuan, and Qin Zhangfeng immediately sensed that the atmosphere was wrong, and one by one, they stopped speaking.

Yang Ke gave a bitter laugh in his heart.

He had known that coming here this time would be like this, but he had not expected that this Young Master Liu would be so clever and not leave the Baiya Army even a shred of face.

Liu Zheng's current attitude was very clear.

I know your Baiya Army is being targeted by many people; Chen Ping, even the Prince of Lu, Zheng Yuxing, and even the Empress, will not let the Baiya Army have it easy. In the worst-case scenario, they could find someone to replace you...

So, at this time, what bargaining chips do you still have to negotiate with me?

If you have any, why not bring them out now so we can discuss them properly.

Regarding this, Yang Ke could only get straight to the point, sighing and cupping his hands: "Young Master Liu, then Yang Ke will speak plainly! Circumstances dictate that we must act with expediency, and we are surrounded by strong enemies. The Baiya Army intends to hold a War Horse Contract Meeting in Baiya Prefecture!"

Liu Zheng was shaken and looked over in surprise.

Brilliant!

This Yang Ke was indeed the mastermind of the Baiya Army. Just when even Liu Zheng was breaking into a sweat for the Baiya Army, he had actually come up with such a marvelous idea!

A War Horse Contract Meeting!

This was likely a summit and trade fair of a certain field in this era. At this summit, the Baiya Army would show the world the true strength of their horse farms and then offer war horses for purchase. In this way, the Feudatory Kings, Inspectors, and Prefectural Governors of the seventy prefectures of the Longyan Dynasty would all come together. At that time, these people would all be the protective talismans of the Baiya Army! Even if Chen Ping could not hold back, he would not dare to openly oppose the Feudatory Kings of the world and use force against the Baiya Army at such a time, right?

A master!

This Yang Ke was definitely a master!

To gather all the big shots of the world, or even the people under those big shots?

Who would dare to have any ulterior motives toward the Baiya Army at this time?

"Good!"

Liu Zheng could not help but shout in approval, his eyes flickering: "Master Yang is of great talent, Liu Zheng admires you! However, since Master Yang has such a brilliant plan, then..."

Yang Ke gave a bitter laugh: "Baiya Prefecture is currently complex and intricate, with everyone harboring their own ulterior motives. Yang Ke would like to invite Young Master Liu to also stop by and attend..."

He paused for a moment and continued: "It would be best to bring some of the Yinzhou Army."

Liu Zheng laughed outright.

Talking to smart people is truly effortless.

The Baiya Army wanted to use the deterrent power of the Yinzhou Army to temporarily survive the current crisis.

Of course, this was understandable.

If they could, who would want to live under someone else's roof?

Moreover, Liu Zheng also truly felt that the current strength of Yinzhou was not yet enough to swallow the Baiya Army.

Yang Ke had gone straight to the point, so Liu Zheng naturally did not waste words, smiling faintly: "That is not a difficult task... but, Zheng has one request."

Yang Ke was overjoyed: "Young Master, please speak!"

Liu Zheng looked at him with burning eyes: "For this Contract Fair, can the Yinzhou Weaponry Workshop join?"

"Ah?"

Yang Ke was stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath, and shook his head with a sigh: "Doing business with Young Master Liu is truly... heart-stopping! This is naturally no problem!"

The two looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Liu Zheng gave the order on the spot, instructing Jiang Xuan to take over forty thousand Yinzhou troops and return to Yinzhou first. Zheng Yue Ru would go back with them, responsible for the transport of various weapons from the Weaponry Workshop. He had Qin Zhangfeng take thirty thousand elite Yinzhou troops to accompany him on this trip to the Baiya Army.

The two groups of troops separated there.

It was only a two-day journey from here to Baiya Prefecture, and seven days to Yinzhou.

Liu Zheng suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit in his heart; in a few more days, this Baiya Army would be a gathering of heroes, and all the prominent figures of the world would take the stage.

He was already feeling impatient.

At this time, at Ruogu Pass.

Chen Ping had just returned to his camp after drinking with the Crown Prince.

Liu Chang laughed sneakily from the side: "Inspector, Yang Ke has also followed that Liu Zheng and run back!"

Chen Ping sneered: "Is that so? Hahahaha, although the losses were heavy this time, being able to deplete the strength of the Baiya Army is truly not a loss!"

Liu Chang laughed: "The Baiya Army currently only has twenty thousand troops. If you want to move against them, it would be as easy as reaching out and taking them! You only need to state the crimes of the Baiya Army over the years, and by then, even the Empress and the Prince of Lu would be unable to argue for them!"

Chen Ping also laughed heartily, feeling extremely satisfied.

The Baiya Army had always developed steadily in Liangzhou, on one hand due to the protection of Zheng Yuxing, and on the other hand due to the protection of the Prince of Lu; and by following Zheng Yuxing's line, they had also gained the protection of the Empress.

But what about now?

The Liangzhou Army in Zheng Yuxing's hands had lost more than half, the Baiya Army was exhausted, the Prince of Lu was unable to attend to himself, and the Empress was far away in Jinghua.

And what about the Liangzhou Army under Chen Ping? This time, they had deliberately delayed and not come to participate in the battle, only coming over at the very end to go through the motions, and in the end, it was the Yinzhou Army that changed the course of the battle. Therefore, his one hundred thousand troops had remained rested and ready, without suffering any losses at all.

This is the best time to take action against the Baiya Army!

Killing intent was fully revealed in Chen Ping's eyes: "Draft a Declaration of War immediately, and launch a punitive expedition against the Baiya Army!"

Who would have thought that at this very moment, a Scout suddenly ran over: "My Lord, a letter from the Baiya Army has just been delivered!"

Chen Ping sneered: "Still want to put up a futile resistance? Read it!"

"Baiya Prefecture will host a War Horse Contract Meeting in late June. At that time, heroes from all over the world will gather together. Ke cordially invites the Inspector..."

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping and Liu Chang's expressions changed drastically, and they glared at each other in anger.

Late June?

Isn't that just one month away?

The critical point is that if those Feudatory Kings close to Baiya Prefecture come, they will likely arrive in a few days or ten days...

In this situation, how can they dispatch troops?

"Old man Yang Ke, you deceive me too much!"

Chen Ping was so angry that he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood; for a moment, his combat strength was unstable, and he swayed.

"My Lord! My Lord!"

"My Lord, please calm your anger!"

At the same time.

Zheng Yuxing, the Prince of Lu, and the Third Prince Xie Ling also received the invitation from the Baiya Army simultaneously.

Zheng Yuxing looked at Xie Ling with a bitter smile and said: "Your Highness, the Baiya Army has indeed made a move."

Xie Ling sneered coldly: "They still don't want to hand the horse farm over to me..."

Zheng Yuxing was silent.

Following the Baiya Army's massive combat losses this time, the Third Prince Xie Ling immediately proposed that instead of letting Chen Ping follow behind and take advantage, it would be better for him to step forward and take the Baiya Army's horse farm. He promised that he could allow this Baiya Army to truly transition from bandits to official status...

Once one possesses a horse farm, one truly has the capital to conquer the world.

How could such a thing be left to the Crown Prince?

After the great victory at Rongshan Pass, everyone has been keeping an eye on this Baiya Army.

The conflict between them and the Xiongnu has already shifted to the horse farm.

But the relationship between Zheng Yuxing and the Baiya Army was still relatively solid.

It was just that he was also a man of the Third Prince, and in this matter, he could not mediate too much. At this time, he could only advise: "Your Highness, the current situation is still unclear; Your Highness needs to endure for now... If this horse farm really falls into your hands, it may not necessarily be a good thing!"

Xie Ling hummed.

How could he not understand the logic behind it? Now that the Emperor is still alive, if this horse farm were seized by him, it would definitely become a target of public criticism. Therefore, controlling the Baiya Army and the horse farm through Zheng Yuxing is the best choice.

Although...

He was a bit unwilling.

This Baiya Army is, after all, a group of bandit troops!

When the world truly falls into chaos, will they still follow Zheng Yuxing peacefully?

"Fine, then after the merit evaluation and rewards, we shall go and take a look!"

For two consecutive days, Yang Ke and Liu Zheng were in the same Horse Carriage.

With thirty thousand troops following behind, there was no need to worry about anything happening.

Over the two days, his interactions with this Yang Ke made him develop some good feelings for these people of the jianghu. Du Biao was like this, and this Yang Ke was the same. When these people communicate, they are straightforward and have a lot of jianghu spirit.

Finally, the army slowly arrived at the world-renowned Baiya Prefecture.

Baiya Prefecture actually already belongs to the plateau region, and those stretches of Grassland have become natural pastures. The climate here is much better than in Yinzhou; there is grass and water, the terrain is flat, and the land is fertile. Before even reaching Baiya City, Liu Zheng saw groups of horses galloping wantonly on the Grassland; as the wind blew through the grass, cattle and sheep were revealed, which was incredibly pleasant.

At this time, it was almost June, and looking out, the green of the Grassland made one feel refreshed.

Liu Zheng even wanted to jump down and let out a fierce roar.

Yang Ke smiled and said: "What does Young Master Liu think of my Baiya Prefecture?"

Liu Zheng said sincerely: "Outstanding people and beautiful land, a natural pasture!"

Yang Ke laughed heartily: "Young Master's Drunken Yinzhou must be the world's finest brew, but the highland barley wine of my Baiya Prefecture is not bad either. Today, I will not stop until we are both drunk with Young Master Liu!"

Naturally, the thirty thousand troops could not enter this Baiya City, otherwise, it would likely cause unnecessary trouble, with the populace rioting and hearts filled with panic.

At this time, Liu Zheng naturally had no intention of occupying Baiya Prefecture by force—after all, Baiya Prefecture is a large prefecture with a population of one million; if it really provoked resistance from Baiya, these thirty thousand Yinzhou troops would only be enough to fill their teeth.

Therefore, Liu Zheng instructed Qin Zhangfeng to arrange for these thirty thousand men to be stationed ten li outside the city.

He and Yang Ke then each rode a horse into the city.

In his heart, Liu Zheng was actually quite curious about the places where this "bandit army" surpassed the government army. What kind of political system is this exactly? Baiya Prefecture has a Prefect; has the presence of this Baiya Prefect Zhang Chengjiang always been so low?

Walking along the way, it could be seen that the Baiya Army's defeat this time had a significant impact on the people of Baiya.

The streets were very desolate, and many families had white paper posted on their doors, signifying that a funeral had arrived.

Liu Zheng could not help but sigh.

This is the impact that war brings to ordinary commoners.

However, the urban construction of this Baiya was still quite excellent; as far as Liu Zheng could see, it was not a bit inferior to Liangzhou.

"Hahahaha, Young Master Liu, if Du Biao knew you were here, he would definitely have jumped up and come out to welcome you!"

Yang Ke laughed.

Liu Zheng also smiled.

Who would have thought that at this moment, several men suddenly rushed out from all directions of the street, holding lethal weapons, and without a word, charged wildly toward Liu Zheng.

"Viscount, be careful!"

Yang Ke's expression changed drastically.

Liu Zheng also felt a shiver in his heart.