Chapter 212: Mutual Destruction

Jiang Jiang Mingyu led sixty thousand troops, departing from Cangzhou and heading south toward Xiawei Commandery. This was the most prosperous land in Da Feng's northern border, the focal point of the struggle between Zhong Nianyu and Xu Xu Zhanhong. Although Jiang Jiang Mingyu was an outsider, he possessed his own ambitions and plans. He intended to seize the opportunity while the two tigers fought, to insert himself and claim a share of the spoils.

For three days and three nights, they marched without stopping, resting and resupplying only when necessary. Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew time was life, time was victory. He intended to strike first before Zhong Nianyu returned to Xiawei, to join forces with Xu Xu Zhanhong and annihilate him in one blow.

Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, they arrived fifty li outside Xiawei City. Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately ordered the army to disperse and hide within the mountains, forests, and ravines to avoid detection by the enemy. He himself, accompanied by several trusted aides, set up camp in a hidden cave.

"My lord, as you instructed, we have left all the baggage at Dingdong," Li Goudan reported, kneeling on the ground.

"Very good," Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded. "This way, we travel light and our movements are more flexible."

"My lord is wise," Li Goudan flattered.

"Is there any other news?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked.

"My lord, two days ago Zhong Nianyu and Xu Xu Zhanhong fought a major battle south of Xiawei City," Li Goudan continued. "It is said both sides unleashed their signature skills, trading blows back and forth until the sky and earth grew dark."

"What was the result?" A flash of excitement passed through Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes.

"The result..." Li Goudan said somewhat awkwardly, "The result was mutual destruction."

"Mutual destruction?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned. "What were the specific casualties?"

"According to the intelligence gathered by our scouts, Zhong Nianyu's side suffered about five thousand casualties, while Xu Xu Zhanhong's side suffered about four thousand," Li Goudan replied.

"So few?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu said with some disappointment. "It seems neither of them fought to the death."

"My lord speaks truly," Li Goudan agreed. "Currently, the two are still in a stalemate, refusing to retreat. I fear this battle will not end in the short term."

"That is good news," a sinister smile flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. "As long as Zhong Nianyu has not returned to Xiawei, everything is manageable."

"My lord intends to..." Li Goudan asked tentatively.

"Guess," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said mysteriously.

"Does my lord intend to join forces with Xu Xu Zhanhong to pincer Zhong Nianyu?" Li Goudan guessed.

"Correct," Jiang Jiang Mingyu patted his shoulder. "You are still smart."

"Thank you, my lord, for the praise," Li Goudan said joyfully.

"I will write a letter immediately to discuss the pincer attack on Zhong Nianyu with Xu Xu Zhanhong. You will deliver it shortly," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said.

"Yes, my lord," Li Goudan replied.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu took out paper and brush, quickly wrote a few lines, then folded and sealed the letter, handing it to Li Goudan.

"You must act carefully and not be discovered," Jiang Jiang Mingyu instructed.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will definitely complete the mission," Li Goudan declared solemnly.

Holding the letter, he mounted a swift horse and galloped away. His destination was Xu Xu Zhanhong's main camp, located twenty li east of Xiawei City.

Watching the scout's back disappear into the mountains and forests, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi felt somewhat uncertain.

"Jiang Da Ren, what did you write in the letter?" she asked curiously.

"What did I write in the letter?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked with a smile. "What do you think I would say?"

"You would certainly say some pleasant words to make Xu Xu Zhanhong believe you are genuinely willing to cooperate with him," Zhang Zhang Jiaqi said.

"Of course," Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded. "I would not stand on ceremony with him."

"Then what kind of conditions did you offer him?" Zhang Zhang Jiaqi asked again.

"Conditions?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu said feigning mystery. "Guess."

"I guess..." Zhang Zhang Jiaqi thought for a moment, "You would certainly give him a very tempting condition that he cannot refuse."

"Correct," Jiang Jiang Mingyu patted her head. "You are still smart."

"Then what exactly is the condition?" Zhang Zhang Jiaqi pressed.

"I promised Xu Xu Zhanhong that once Zhong Nianyu is destroyed, he will take two-thirds of Xiawei Commandery, and the remainder will be ours," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said word by word, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping across the people inside the tent.

"Then aren't we losing out greatly?" Tu Tu Kesiluo frowned, asking discontentedly. "Xu Xu Zhanhong is that cunning rogue; he will only sit on the mountain watching the tigers fight, waiting for us and Zhong Nianyu to inflict mutual destruction before he strikes to snatch the profit. We worked hard to conquer this territory, yet he takes the lion's share. What benefit is left for us?"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi turned to Tu Tu Kesiluo: "Brother-in-law, how can you still not understand? This is all Brother Jiang's plan."

"Think about it. Xu Xu Zhanhong only has thirty thousand troops. After fighting Zhong Nianyu for so many days, if he has two thousand left, that would be good," Zhang Zhang Jiaqi continued. "When we attack from both sides, his already dwindling strength will surely be weakened further."

"At that time, our sixty thousand troops will be like Mount Tai pressing down on him, leaving him no chance to fight back," a cunning glint flashed in Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's eyes. "Do you think Brother Jiang will truly split Xiawei Commandery equally with him? That is merely a bait. Once we capture Xiawei Commandery, we can just find an excuse to annihilate Xu Xu Zhanhong, can't we?"

After her explanation, Tu Tu Kesiluo was even more confused. "But Xu Xu Zhanhong is not a fool. Would he agree to an alliance with no fairness or guarantees?" Tu Tu Kesiluo asked doubtfully. "Doesn't he fear we might turn on him?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled cunningly. "Tu Tu Kesiluo, you speak very truthfully. We thought of this, and Xu Xu Zhanhong would not fail to think of it," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said, patting a letter in his hand. "So in the letter, I directly told Xu Xu Zhanhong that to quickly breach Xiawei, I left my main army and baggage at Dingdong."

"I told him I brought only ten thousand elite cavalry. How could he possibly disagree?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu said proudly. "Compared to the ambitious-less Zhong Nianyu, what Xu Xu Zhanhong needs most right now is a place to settle and survive."

"Therefore, I am certain he has absolutely no reason to refuse," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said with full confidence. "If commanded properly, ten thousand cavalry breaching a city is nothing impossible. Moreover, with the conquest of cities and territories over these past six months, my name has long echoed throughout Da Feng's northern border. Even Cangzhou has been captured. Even if Xu Xu Zhanhong has no brains, he will not question my strength."

The Black-Faced Yama finally felt relieved. He was Jiang Jiang Mingyu's trusted general and the person he trusted most. He knew Jiang Jiang Mingyu's plans were always thorough and ingenious, never making mistakes easily. Although he did not like Xu Xu Zhanhong, he believed Jiang Jiang Mingyu could control the situation.

"That is good. Then we can simply wait patiently for Xu Xu Zhanhong's reply," the Black-Faced Yama said respectfully.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded. "Exactly so." He put away the letter and placed it in his chest. He secretly hoped for Xu Xu Zhanhong's reply. He believed his judgment would not be wrong. Xu Xu Zhanhong would surely take the bait.

At the third watch of that night, Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly rushed into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tent. "Brother, there is news," he said excitedly. "Xu Xu Zhanhong has agreed to your demands. He stated he will send troops to rendezvous with you before dawn tomorrow to jointly attack Xiawei Commandery."

Hearing this news, a gleam of sharp light flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. He smiled and patted Tu Tu Kesiluo's shoulder. "Excellent. It seems my plan is already half successful. As long as we capture Xiawei Commandery, Xu Xu Zhanhong will be a dead man. At that time, we will simply swallow him up, and the entire northern border will be our domain."

Tu Tu Kesiluo laughed along. "Brother is wise and divine. I said long ago you are the number one genius in the world. This move of yours is too brilliant. It lets Xu Xu Zhanhong think he has gained a benefit, when in fact he is digging his own grave. When we deliver a fatal blow to him by surprise later, he will surely regret it endlessly."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head. "Do not underestimate Xu Xu Zhanhong. Although he is greedy and shameless, he is not without ability. We must act cautiously. We cannot let him detect anything. Otherwise, our plan will fail."