Chapter 333: Treacherous Winds and Clouds

Qin Zhangfeng was startled and hurriedly dismounted to help him up, wanting to ask what exactly was going on.

However, at this moment, another burst of hoofbeats was heard from afar. Hearing this, Zhong Lin's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly stood up.

Qin Zhangfeng looked up and gazed into the distance.

He saw another group of people approaching from that direction; these were not soldiers, but a group of officials wearing official robes. Upon seeing Qin Zhangfeng, the leader cupped his hands and said with a smile, "I am He Chang, greetings to General Qin! General Qin has traveled a long way, and the people of Chuan Shu will certainly not forget this!"

Qin Zhangfeng narrowed his eyes slightly.

It was very clear that once this He Chang arrived, Zhong Lin's expression returned to normal; there was no trace left of the desperate pleading from just a moment ago.

"Official He is..."

Qin Zhangfeng smiled slightly.

He Chang laughed and said, "Look at me, my mistake. I am the Counselor of Military Supplies for the Shuzhou Ministry of War, here to discuss matters of grain and logistics with General Qin."

Qin Zhangfeng nodded.

Counselor of Military Supplies.

This was equivalent to a logistics minister in later times. Since the Liangzhou Army had come to reinforce Chuan Shu, it was naturally impossible for the Liangzhou Army to continue providing their own grain and logistics; how could one help fight a war and still have to provide their own dry rations? This made no sense in terms of reason or sentiment.

Therefore.

It was perfectly normal for this Counselor of Military Supplies to come and coordinate these matters.

"Come, come, come, General Qin, please, General Qin, please!"

He Chang was very enthusiastic.

Qin Zhangfeng looked at Zhong Lin calmly; sure enough, that fellow Zhong Lin had a dark face and did not say another word.

The Liangzhou Army began to enter the port and subsequently began to rest.

Qin Zhangfeng also led his own troops to station themselves at Jiange Fortress.

What surprised Qin Zhangfeng was that neither Zhong Lin nor He Chang mentioned a single word about the Southern Barbarian ambush.

Such deep cunning...

That day, He Chang, the Counselor of Military Supplies, hosted a banquet for the generals of the Liangzhou Army at Jiange Fortress, which lasted all night long. This left Qin Zhangfeng with no opportunity to speak with Zhong Lin alone.

Who would have thought.

The next day, it was still the same.

For three consecutive days, the Jiange Fortress was filled with drunken revelry.

Three days later, the Liangzhou Army was fully rested and prepared. Qin Zhangfeng was impatient to march his troops to Jiangzhou, but who knew that He Chang would say the grain preparations were not yet complete and asked him to patiently wait a few more days.

Although Qin Zhangfeng was burning with anxiety, he was helpless and could only continue to wait.

Who would have known.

This wait lasted seven days, and every time he asked about the grain, He Chang would use all sorts of excuses to stall.

Qin Zhangfeng felt more and more that something was wrong.

"How is the Prince's condition?"

"How is the Prince?"

"Medical Officer Luo..."

Shu Wang Mansion.

The crowd was bustling, and everyone's hearts were unsettled.

That Medical Officer Luo walked out, sighed, and shook his head.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and sorrow arose everywhere.

Although the Prince of Shu had a volatile temper, he was nonetheless a wise ruler who had governed Chuan Shu in an orderly fashion. If he were to pass away, Chuan Shu would surely fall into chaos.

"Damn the Southern Barbarians, we must avenge the Prince of Shu!"

"Right, drive these Southern Barbarians out of Chuan Shu!"

"Conscript soldiers, let every prefecture and county conscript soldiers immediately; in our dignified Chuan Shu, why should we fear those barbarians?"

A group of people were filled with righteous indignation.

Of course, while the slogans were shouted loudly, everyone actually understood in their hearts that in the Battle of Jiangzhou, Shuzhou had suffered heavy losses, losing 150,000 troops directly, and had already been severely weakened. At this time, if they were to conscript soldiers, there would definitely not be enough time for military training. Moreover, with the arrival of the Southern Barbarians, the Prince of Xiang from the Jingzhou side had already stationed troops at Yong'an and was acting restlessly. At this moment, the remaining 150,000 troops of Shuzhou were more than enough for defense, but absolutely incapable of taking the offensive.

"Everyone, I have heard that General Qin of Liangzhou has already reached Jiange; we should march south to Jiangzhou as soon as possible to expel the Southern Barbarians!"

Someone suggested.

But immediately, someone else said, "Hmph, everyone, there is no need to rush this matter. The Liangzhou Army is a force of tigers and wolves; once they enter Chuan Shu, I fear it will be like fending off a wolf at the front and a tiger at the back. When that time comes, they will be impossible to control, so how will Chuan Shu handle it?"

Soon.

These two factions began to argue again.

It turned out that within Chuan Shu, there were two different opinions regarding seeking aid from Liangzhou. Specifically, they were divided into two factions: one was the Crown Prince Xie Zhen, who believed that the most urgent task was to first drive the Southern Barbarians out of the territory, and looking at the entire Longyan at this time, only the Liangzhou Army had such strength.

However, the group of civil and military officials represented by Xie Yang felt that the Liangzhou Army was fierce and invincible, and that the Governor of Liangzhou had great ambitions.

It would be fine if they were just reinforcements, but if they drove away the Southern Barbarians and then refused to leave, what then? The situation in Hanzhong was a warning; the current garrison of the Liangzhou Army in Hanzhong had been holding Hanzhong back and looking toward Zhongyuan.

Regarding this matter.

These officials of Chuan Shu had been arguing for more than just one day.

"A bunch of filthy wretches!"

Hearing these people's discussions, Xie Zhen was instantly enraged: "How can the dignity of Longyan be violated by barbarians? No matter what the Liangzhou Army is like, they are still soldiers of Longyan, and we are all Han people!"

"Now, the people of Jiangzhou are still being slaughtered, the Southern Barbarians are sharpening their blades, and surrounding cities are repeatedly harassed, yet you are worried about the Liangzhou Army eating our grain and coveting our cities!"

"If this continues, how will the whole of Longyan view us?"

"And how will the people view my Shu Wang Mansion!"

Everyone fell silent, as if they were cicadas in winter.

In truth, everyone was sneering inwardly; with the King of Shu's end clearly approaching, who still cared about the common people? This Crown Prince spoke full of benevolence and morality, but in reality, it was a display of having no depth of character. Since ancient times, how could someone with such a simple mind handle the Bitter Remonstrance of succession? If everyone followed a person like this, would they even be able to eat meat?

"Master Yan has come out!"

"Master Yan has come out!"

Just at this moment, the people turned their heads to look one after another.

Indeed.

Yan Lin followed by a few people emerged from the King of Shu's room, his expression grave.

"Master Yan..."

"What instructions did the King of Shu give?"

"Regarding the matter of the succession..."

Yan Lin gave a cold shout: "The King of Shu is still with us, so why speak of succession? Disperse, all of you, disperse! A great war is imminent; preparing provisions is the proper business!"

Upon hearing this, though reluctant, the crowd dispersed one after another.

Only Xie Yang's gaze began to turn icy.

On the Horse Carriage returning.

Yan Lin sat upright.

At this time, the sky was already growing late, and in Yizhou City, preparations for the curfew had already begun. Yan Lin's Horse Carriage galloped along the official road, and from time to time, as it passed certain gates and courtyards, a figure would appear, then slip into Yan Lin's Horse Carriage; a moment later, another, and another...

Very quickly.

Inside Yan Lin's Horse Carriage, seven or eight people had already appeared.

These people were all high-ranking officials of Shu.

"Master Yan..."

"How is it?"

"The King of Shu's intent..."

The few people were very anxious and asked one after another.

Yan Lin took a deep breath: "This matter must be kept absolutely secret!"

Everyone nodded.

These past few days, Yizhou City had been full of the Third Highness's spies. Any slight disturbance would cause chaos throughout the city.

Yan Lin slowly took a piece of paper from his pocket and then unfolded it.

Upon seeing it, the expressions of the crowd changed one after another.