Chapter 294: Chaos Upon Chaos

"Young Master!"

Liu Zheng shouted, and Jiang Xuan arrived immediately.

Seeing Liu Zheng in this state, everyone was shocked. Liu Zheng was always steady; it was rare for them to see him so anxious. And in the middle of the night, what could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "There is a new situation in Cheshi. Jiang Xuan, lead fifty thousand troops immediately and head straight for Rongshan Pass!"

"What?"

Everyone's expression changed drastically.

"Young Master, this..."

"Young Master, this must not be done!"

Zheng Yuxing attacking Cheshi was an unrighteous act, but at least he had the excuse of those one thousand men who were blown up. If Liangzhou were to send troops to Rongshan Pass now and wipe out the soldiers at Rongshan Pass, it would truly be brothers slaughtering each other, something the world would not tolerate...

Liu Zheng shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The situation is urgent and requires expedient measures; do not ask for more. Because even if I told you, I fear you wouldn't believe it."

Several people had strange expressions.

You should just say it.

Only by saying it will we know whether to believe it or not.

Liu Zheng said: "If I told you that the Martial Scholar of the Western Regions Construction Corps is the current Emperor's daughter, would you believe it?"

"Pfft..."

Jiang Xuan, Qin Zhangfeng, Zheng Yueru, and Pei Qianyun—every single one of them was dumbfounded.

Grand Eunuch Zhou was also stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted: "Governor Liu, what did you say? What did you say, the Emperor's daughter? In Cheshi? Fighting a war?"

He almost shrieked the last six words.

Liu Zheng nodded with a bitter smile: "It is only a guess, but there is a seventy percent chance..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou was so startled he jumped up: "Then what are you standing there for, what are you standing there for? Send troops to Rongshan Pass! Whoever it is, if they want to harm the Princess, kill them without mercy! I will take responsibility for you, go quickly! You must not let the Princess be harmed! This Zheng Yuxing is daring and reckless, he deserves to die, kill him without mercy!"

Jiang Xuan was so startled he hurried out to prepare the troops.

A group of people looked at each other in dismay.

Liu Zheng also rubbed his temples. He had never imagined that things would take such a turn.

This time...

Zheng Yuxing, I fear, has walked right into the line of fire.

Originally, this time, he wanted to follow the Third Prince and scheme against him... Never did he expect that the person he was fighting against on the front lines was actually the current Emperor's own daughter, Xie Chan...

The harder he tries to attack the city now, the more thoroughly he will die.

Thinking of this, Liu Zheng actually felt some regret in his heart.

He had always had a fairly good impression of Zheng Yuxing.

Alas...

He was a member of the Zheng Family and the Third Prince's uncle.

He and Liu Zheng could never see eye to eye.

But even so, since Liu Zheng took control of Liangzhou, he had been willing to preserve the dignity of the man who had guarded the Beijing for over thirty years. As long as he did not rebel, Liu Zheng would not cause him trouble—after all, Liu Zheng believed that the future development direction of Liangzhou should be southward, not northward.

Alas...

Zheng Yuxing, a famous general who enjoyed a lifetime of reputation, was still dragged into the grave by the Third Prince.

That night.

Jiang Xuan mustered fifty thousand troops and began a forced march.

Grand Eunuch Zhou was impatient to send this news back to the capital, but was held back by Liu Zheng. Whether Xie Chan was truly the Emperor's daughter was still just a guess, and it still needed to be confirmed... However, the timeline matched up...

Xie Tianyao had been on the throne for thirty-six years.

In the seventeenth year of his reign, while hunting in the imperial enclosure, a concubine was abducted. He was furious and launched a campaign against the Western Regions, only to suffer a crushing defeat at Ghost City, after which he locked himself in the palace for nineteen years...

The current Xie Chan appeared to be nineteen or twenty years old.

Of course...

It was also possible that Xie Chan was the daughter of Xie Xuan and the abducted concubine; that was hard to say.

However, having stayed in the Western Regions for a while, Liu Zheng had also heard that the current King of the Dayuan Kingdom, Xie Xuan, had over a dozen children, but most were under fifteen or sixteen, and only one eldest princess was nineteen... Thinking of it this way, if it wasn't Xie Chan, who could it be?

At this time.

The Imperial Palace of the Dayuan Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, Cheshi is under siege, and Yanqi's defenses are weak; this is the best opportunity for our Dayuan Kingdom to recover lost territory!"

"Your Majesty! Our men of the Western Regions have already sharpened their blades, swearing to drive those Longyan out of the Western Regions!"

"Your Majesty, issue the decree!"

A group of civil and military officials shouted their Admonishment.

Xie Xuan's expression also shifted.

This so-called Western Regions Construction Corps had only just started making trouble... and yet, they had actually started fighting among themselves? This delighted the people of the Dayuan Kingdom.

If you fight amongst yourselves, we have an opportunity!

However...

There were also those with different opinions.

"Your Majesty, in the battle of Yanqi, our country suffered a great defeat and our vitality was severely damaged; we should recuperate and not invite the scourge of war again!"

"Furthermore, Loulan in the southern Western Regions is now strong and prosperous, with a full treasury, and has just formed a Black Slave Army of one hundred thousand; we cannot afford not to guard against them!"

"You..."

"Lord Cheng, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to destroy our own morale and boost the ambition of others?"

"Exactly, the mere Loulan Army, defeated foes, what is there to worry about?"

That Lord Cheng sneered coldly: "Once the war in Cheshi starts, the fifty-thousand-strong Loulan army, under the guise of military exercises, moved a hundred miles north. Who was it that cried and shouted, begging His Majesty for troops to guard against the unexpected?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Governor of Qiuci was immediately furious, yet he had no way to refute it.

Lord Cheng sighed deeply: "Your Majesty, Dayuan has enough to hold its ground, but not enough to attack. We should strive to govern well and recuperate, so as to plan for a comeback. If we send troops to Cheshi now, it will only give Loulan an opportunity! Your Majesty, Dayuan should temporarily show weakness. This humble official believes that since the last great war, both sides have not signed a ceasefire agreement; why not make a gesture of goodwill now to first ensure Dayuan's stability!"

"Lord Cheng, you are muddled! Those Longyan people have the ambitions of wolves!"

"The mere Loulan..."

"Yanqi is empty..."

Xie Xuan felt his head spinning as he listened, and he roared angrily: "Enough! All of you, shut your mouths!"

The entire palace fell into dead silence.

Xie Xuan sighed deeply. How could he not want to fight back? However, just as Cheng Cheng said, the current Dayuan Kingdom could no longer withstand such turmoil... The foundation he had built over thirty-some years had all been squandered.

Moreover...

Following the crushing defeat at Yanqi, these various Governors began to show signs of slackness toward the imperial court of Dayuan...

Some even feigned compliance while acting in opposition, beginning to ignore orders and openly scramble for private gain...

Barbarians!

A bunch of barbarians!

A bunch of barbarians with no loyalty whatsoever!

Expecting this trash to accomplish anything great?

Xie Xuan suddenly felt that he had grown old.

In his lifetime, would he ever be able to return to that Longyan? He glanced at Zhai Qing'er, who was accompanying him to the morning court... A faint snort in his heart: No! He still had a chance!

Although Dayuan Kingdom was weak, it possessed the strongest War Horses in the world!

Even if he could not fight his way back to Longyan, he had the ability to throw the situation in Longyan into chaos.

And at this moment.

In his eyes, the one to throw Longyan into chaos should be Liu Zheng!

Since that was the case...

Then why not stab a blade deep into the heart of Xie Tianyao!

A sinister, sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he said faintly: "Lord Cheng's words are very true. If we cannot win, we must admit it; we shall play along and wait for a good opportunity!"

"In that case, since Cheshi is in trouble, Lord Cheng, take a thousand Sweat-Blood Horses and one hundred thousand shi of grain, go to Cheshi, and bring back a signed ceasefire agreement!"

Cheng Cheng knelt and bowed: "I shall strictly obey the Imperial Decree!"

"Your Majesty..."

"This must absolutely not be done, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, this..."

Xie Xuan stood up, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

Leaving only the civil and military officials, each harboring their own ulterior motives, to look at one another in dismay.

Is the current Emperor being a bit too cowardly?

"What did you say? A night raid on the enemy camp?"

Cheshi.

Xie Chan was startled by Ling Chen's idea, and she stammered: "Lord Ling, this, we are an exhausted army..."

An exhausted army should not launch a surprise attack; this is the Great Dao of military strategy. The people of the Western Regions Construction Corps had been exhausted for the past few days...

Moreover, this method of a night raid on an enemy camp was something Liu Zheng had once succeeded with.

Therefore...

That battle had since spread throughout the world, and the Think Tank of every Feudatory King had likely studied it eight hundred times.

At a time like this, Ling Chen actually said he wanted to launch a night raid?

How to launch a night raid?

How to launch a night raid?

There was no Quelehuoduo in the Northern Border Army!

And why, with over a hundred thousand people in Cheshi city, had they been under siege for so long and suffered such heavy losses?

It was because these people of the Western Regions Construction Corps had yet to form a massive fighting force; compared to the Yinzhou Army, they were still too immature. Because Ling Chen wanted to rush the schedule, their military training had been constantly shelved...

They could not pose a threat to the well-trained Northern Border Army at all.

Ling Chen was indeed the madman Qingyang Shuo spoke of; a dense, sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "They do not have Quelehuoduo, but we do! General Xie, the Western Regions Construction Corps has reached a moment of life and death! We cannot wait any longer!"

Xie Chan was startled, her expression changing slightly: "Lord Ling means..."

Ling Chen said fiercely: "Thirty thousand men will serve as the vanguard, and thirty thousand men will each carry a barrel of Quelehuoduo, following closely behind, rushing to the enemy camp; douse them with Quelehuoduo and ignite it to attack the enemy!"

"What?"

The people present all changed color. Every single one of them was shocked by Ling Chen's method. What was that Quelehuoduo? If it were poured on a person, could they still survive? If it were ignited, there would absolutely be no way to live!

Ling Chen then sneered: "There are still over a hundred thousand people in my Cheshi city, yet we have been besieged for many days. If the world were to know, would they not laugh at our Western Regions Construction Corps for having no backbone? Where would the Young Master's face be? Today I have tested it; one person igniting Quelehuoduo can kill three! Trading one for three, how is that not worth it?"

"A mere hundred thousand Northern Border Army, thirty thousand can drive them back!"

Shock!

Including Xie Chan, Feng Zhen, and Xiong Ao, everyone was terrified by Ling Chen!

Good heavens!

This is absolutely a madman!

A war maniac!

They were all so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.

This scholar, when fighting a war, was actually even more ruthless than them!

Trading life for life...

Who would dare to imagine this?

But, who is willing to do such a thing? Who is willing to go to their own death?

Ling Chen very quickly gathered everyone in the city together.

With red eyes, he shouted: "Everyone, Cheshi is in urgent danger. The day the city falls is the moment you and I lose our lives! The Young Master gave us this land, not so that we could come here to lose battles!"

"Not so that we could linger on in a precarious state!"

"Not so that we could be too afraid to even fight!"

A crowd of people listened until their eyes turned red.

These people were either prisoners or slaves; it had been so difficult for their lives to finally have a goal, to have the hope of regaining their status as free citizens. Who would have thought that the process would be interrupted by war? How could they not be angry?

Ling Chen shouted fiercely: "Drag him out for me!"

Several soldiers dragged the loudly protesting Cui Gong before the crowd.

Ling Chen drew a sword from the waist of a guard beside him and shouted angrily: "The traitor Cui Gong sold out his master for glory! He leaked the news of our mountain-blasting to the Northern Border Army, which is what brought about this disaster! You tell me, what should be done?"

Everyone was furious.

"Kill him!"

"Kill this dog traitor!"

"Tear him apart with five horses!"

Cui Gong was trembling all over with fear, and urine had already leaked out.

Ling Chen smiled coldly: "Everyone, I, Ling Chen, am a scholar. I have no strength to truss a chicken. Since I was young, I have believed that Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, and therefore, I have never even dared to kill a chicken!"

"However!"

"Today, the Northern Border Army is at our gates!"

"If I do not kill him, he will kill me!"

"For our dreams, for our land! Kill! Today, we first behead this dog traitor, then raid the enemy camp! Cowards, go hide to the side and cry!"

"Today, I, Ling Chen, will be the first to charge as the vanguard. You, follow me!"

He raised the sword and hacked down ruthlessly.

That Cui Gong did not even have time to scream before his head fell to the ground.

The crowd was stirred to great excitement, shouting out loud, their voices shaking the heavens!

The scholar breaks his vow against killing, the Sima charges first!

For a moment, everyone's eyes turned red as well.

Only then did Ling Chen smile: "Are you afraid of death?"

"No!"

Over a hundred thousand people shouted until they were hoarse.

Ling Chen shouted: "Good! I need a Suicide Squad of thirty thousand! Remember, only thirty thousand! Today you will surely die, there is no possibility of living! But, I, Ling Chen, guarantee that for those with slave status, your children will immediately regain their status as free citizens!"

"For those who are prisoners, you may designate two people to regain true freedom!"

"For those who are free citizens, designate one person to obtain an official position!"

"For those who are craftsmen or soldiers, designate one person to be promoted by one rank!"

The entire crowd was stirred into a frenzy upon hearing this.

To go to one's death?

But, to be able to designate two free citizens? For children to become free citizens? One must know that according to Liu Zheng's rules, children born here after marriage would naturally become free citizens... Yet, among these slaves currently in Cheshi, in reality, there were many families of three, or even four or five.

As long as one person dies...

Everyone else would be a free citizen.

As the saying goes, life is precious, love is even more so, but for the sake of freedom, both can be cast aside!

The people of this era had an intense craving for freedom!

"I'll do it!"

An old man walked out tremblingly, his eyes flickering: "This old man still has the strength for one battle! Protect our Western Regions Construction Corps!"

Boom!

The whole place exploded.

If an old man was not afraid, what were they, the young, waiting for?

"Me!"

"Lord Sima, a man should hold a three-foot sword and establish peerless merit! If I die, I die; I will be wrapped in horse hide, I only ask that you give my mother the status of a free citizen!"

"And me!"

"Me!"

"Don't fight me for it! Second brother, you and I are sworn brothers, why distinguish between you and me? You and the eldest brother, live well for me!"

The scene immediately became chaotic.

Only then did Ling Chen take a deep breath and slowly close his eyes.

The sword he had just used to kill finally began to tremble violently in his hand.

Xie Chan, Feng Zhen, Xiong Ao, and other generals looked at each other.

Was this still the same listless Ling Chen from a few days ago?

At this moment, he...

Was like a demon.

About to bring this wrath of Cheshi to devour the Northern Border Army.

Scholars waging war...

Truly is...

Every strike cuts to the bone!