Chapter 219: Dongning Submerged by Water

Jiang Jiang Mingyu burst into hearty laughter after hearing the scout's report.

"That's too satisfying. Now Zhao Xiang, that son of a bitch, can argue all he wants, but no one will believe him."

"No matter how strong Dongning City is, it cannot withstand the fierce assault of 80,000 righteous army troops."

"Tu Tu Kesiluo, send men to keep a close watch on Dongning City's movements and report to me at any time."

"Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, have the main army prepare. Once they have battered each other into exhaustion, we will strike while the iron is hot."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Within at most 5 days, Dongning City will be ours."

On the evening of the 4th day, Tu Tu Kesiluo rushed into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tent in a hurry.

"My lord, there is news."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu had been waiting in the mountains and was already growing impatient.

"Speak quickly."

Tu Tu Kesiluo chuckled, then glanced at Zhang Zhang Jiaqi beside him.

"I must say, my sister-in-law's strategy is truly ruthless... and extremely clever."

"After noon yesterday, those 8 routes of the righteous army arrived beneath Dongning City, and Zhao Xiang, that fool, was instantly stunned."

"According to the scouts, the matter has caused a huge uproar; Zhao Xiang had heard rumors of this long ago."

"Zhao Xiang even thought we were behind it, but unfortunately, he has not a shred of evidence, so he can only take the blame."

"He wanted to explain things to Qian Daban and the others, but they gave him no chance at all, attacking immediately."

Tu Tu Kesiluo caught his breath and continued speaking.

"However, we cannot underestimate that dog Zhao Xiang; he did not sit firmly on Dongning City for nothing."

"Qian Daban and his 80,000 men fought from noon yesterday until this morning, yet still failed to breach Dongning City."

"Not only that, Zhao Xiang seized the opportunity to sortie and counterattack, killing nearly 30,000 of Qian Daban's men at the cost of over 5,000 of his own."

"Later, someone came up with an idea, actually digging open a river outside Dongning City to divert the water and flood the city."

"My lord, you know, this is the season when snow melts and water levels rise."

"Once the great flood rushed into the city, that son of a bitch Zhao Xiang was finally finished."

"Now Qian Daban and the others are ready; they are just waiting for Zhao Xiang's side to be wiped out completely before they enter the city to loot."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at the fires outside the city, feeling secretly delighted. "Diverting water to flood the city, what a ruthless move! I love people who stir up trouble like this!"

He said to Zhang Zhang Jiani, "Go tell the brothers to rest; there is no fighting today!"

Zhang Zhang Jiani looked puzzled. "My lord, what is wrong? If we are not fighting, what are we doing?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and shook his head, then turned to ask Tu Tu Kesiluo, "You know where they opened the river, don't you?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo nodded. "It is 5 li north of Dongning City. Why do you ask?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled mysteriously. "Just keep a close watch on Dongning and wait to see the good show!"

Two days later, Tu Tu Kesiluo rushed over to report, "My lord, it is bad news! Zhao Xiang cannot win anymore; he has opened the gates to fight and is probably about to die!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu remained calm. "Take your time, wait a bit longer!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo grew anxious. "We cannot wait any longer, or Qian Daban will enter the city!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said calmly, "I am just waiting for him to enter the city. When that happens, you will know my ultimate move!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo was completely baffled, but could only continue to follow Jiang Jiang Mingyu's arrangements.

The following is my revision of the text; I hope you like it:

Dressed in white robes, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was elegant and graceful, his eyes flashing with sharp light as if everything was under his control. Seeing Zhang Zhang Jiani rush over, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"What is it, sister-in-law? Is there any good news?"

Zhang Zhang Jiani, panting heavily, said, "My lord, that son of a bitch Zhao Xiang has been killed by Qian Daban, and Dongning City has been seized by them!"

She looked at Jiang Jiang Mingyu with confusion, wondering if my lord was going to miss this golden opportunity. Wasn't the plan to seize the city amidst the chaos?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said indifferently, "Issue my order: the entire army, march!"

Zhang Zhang Jiani was even more confused. "The battle is already over; where are we going?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled mysteriously and waved his finger. "This is just the beginning!"

With a wave of his wide sleeve, he commanded, "Move out quickly!"

The 20,000-strong army soon arrived north of Dongning City. Faint sounds of fighting could be heard inside the city. Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered, "Having seized the city, they are still fighting amongst themselves; truly seeking their own death!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo was completely baffled. "My lord, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu explained, "I will divert the water to flood the city just like Qian Daban did, treating them with their own methods! When the flood comes, Qian Daban will be unable to hold the situation!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly understood, and Zhang Zhang Jiani was also impressed by Jiang Jiang Mingyu's shrewdness.

With this move, Jiang Jiang Mingyu would eliminate Qian Daban and easily seize Dongning; he was truly extremely shrewd!

"My lord, you are truly invincible under heaven! That son of a bitch Qian Daban must be regretting it to death!"

"Boss, you are truly brilliant! That bitch Qian Daban must be furious to death!"

Seeing the expressions of the two, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt secretly pleased. He knew he had already grasped the lifeline of Dongning City; with just a little more force, he could bring the city into his possession.

"Enough, enough, stop praising me. Let's act quickly!"

He led the 20,000-strong army to the river channel dug open by Qian Daban and the others.

Tu Tu Kesiluo was a tall and burly man, wearing silver armor and holding a long blade. His character was bold and straightforward, and he was utterly loyal to Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Looking at the flowing water in the channel, he shouted loudly, "Brothers, dig for me! Release this water!"

In an instant, the earth in the river channel was dug open, and the surging flood surged forth once more, rushing straight toward Dongning City.

At the same time, Qian Daban and the others inside Dongning City were in complete disarray. Having first repelled Zhao Xiang, they had suffered heavy casualties in the internal strife, leaving only 40,000 men.

Just as Qian Daban was feeling smug, the towering flood returned, instantly turning Dongning into a living hell.

Three days later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army broke open the city gates. Inside, there were no living people, only countless floating white corpses drifting in the vast waters, a scene truly terrifying and horrifying.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo entered the Inspector's Mansion, searching for Qian Daban's corpse. In a side room, they discovered a bloated and deformed corpse, its original features unrecognizable.

Tuke Tuke Siluo frowned and said: "This is Qian Dadan? Ugh, how disgusting! Dongning is already an empty city, what's the point of occupying it?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled, patted Tuke Tuke Siluo on the shoulder and said: "Don't be picky — this is territory we've worked hard to take! Although it's an empty city now, as long as we rebuild order and restore production, we can bring back its former prosperity!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said calmly: "Tuke Tuke Siluo, go find Zhu Ge Yu and have him immediately send someone to serve as Inspector of Xiawei and Dongning. Also, post a notice at the city gate saying Dongning now belongs to us. Anyone willing to move here, Laozi will give them three years tax-free!"

"Send this notice out to the four sides of Dongning too, broadly recruiting people to settle down in Dongning — same treatment!"

Tuke Tuke Siluo nodded and replied: "Yes, my lord, I'll go handle it right now!" With that, he took a few of his underlings and went down the mountain.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned to Zhang Zhang Jiani and said: "Zhang Jiaqi, go tell Goudan to hurry and bring the remaining forty thousand troops over from Xiawei. We'll rest here for a bit, and once he arrives we'll go deal with Changwu and Huating!"

She smiled and nodded: "Got it, Jiang Da, soon the whole Lanzhou will be ours!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said with a faint smile: "That day is not far off!"

In a quiet inn, a veiled woman was holding a teacup, quietly sipping her tea. Her figure was graceful and slender, but her face was covered by a layer of light gauze, making it impossible to see her true features. Her eyes were deep and cold, as if she had no interest in this chaotic world at all.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke her reverie. She set down her teacup and said calmly: "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and an exhausted woman appeared before her. She wore a tattered cloth garment, carried a heavy bundle in her hand, and her face was covered in dust and sweat. She looked to be only in her twenties, but her eyes revealed a kind of weariness and sorrow.

If Jiang Jiang Mingyu were here, he would recognize at a glance that she was Tang Xing Youli.

The woman glanced at her and asked coldly: "Do we know each other? What business do you have with me?"

Tang Xing Youli, hearing her voice, immediately dropped to her knees in agitation, pleading: "Master, please take me as your disciple!"

As she spoke, she began kowtowing — thump, thump, thump.

The woman frowned slightly and asked: "You've been following me for so many days, just to take me as your master?"

It turned out she had long since detected Tang Xing Youli secretly tailing her, but had not exposed her. She wanted to know what Tang Xing Youli's true purpose was.

Tang Xing Youli nodded, her eyes flashing with flames of hatred, and said: "I want to learn martial arts and avenge myself!"

The woman was slightly intrigued and asked: "You have enemies? Taking me as your master will let you avenge them?"

Tang Xing Youli said through gritted teeth: "The blood-feud of my father's murder! My enemy is Jiang Jiang Mingyu! He killed my father and took everything from me! I will make him pay with blood for blood!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu?

The veiled woman stood up, staring into the woman's eyes…