Chapter 250: Love is the Bitterest; It is the Land Where Not a Blade of Grass Grows

The next morning, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi did not come to the tent to report military intelligence as usual; Jiang Jiang Mingyu understood she was still angry.

"Go and invite Miss Zhang to advise on military strategy," he instructed his attendant.

The attendant returned and reported, "Reporting to my lord, Miss Zhang claims she is unwell and cannot come to offer strategies."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed inwardly, knowing Zhang Zhang Jiaqi was still hurt by his words. But forced by circumstances, he could only let her be.

Several days passed, and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi finally reappeared before Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Yet her face was pale, her expression gloomy, no longer the vivacious spirit of before.

"Zhang Jiaqi, you..." Jiang Jiang Mingyu began but stopped.

"Say no more!" Zhang Zhang Jiaqi turned her face away. "I understand your difficulties. Our friendship has ended. I will leave and no longer trouble you."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed, "We are as close as brothers and sisters; why be so absolute?"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi had already turned and left, leaving only a few ethereal words behind: "Emotions are the bitterest; they are the land where not a blade of grass grows..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched her departing figure, his heart filled with a hundred emotions. He recalled the process of their meeting and knowing each other, and all she had done for him. He could not bear to see her hurt, yet he could not change his own heart.

He thought of Liu Liu Yifei, of her promises and expectations for him. A nameless guilt and gratitude welled up in his heart. He knew she was the one he loved most in this life, and he was the one she loved most in this life. He resolved to end the war soon and return to her side.

He took out the letter Liu Liu Yifei had given him and read it carefully once more. The handwriting on the letter was elegant and firm, revealing her deep affection and trust in him. He gently kissed the paper and placed it against his chest.

"Liu Yifei, I will return very soon," he said in his heart. "When I return, let us marry."

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was alone in his melancholy, Tian Jiu rushed in hurriedly, his face flushed with excitement, and said, "My lord, we have captured Lin'an; it is time to march and attack Wenzhi!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled slightly, gestured for him to sit, and said slowly, "General Tian, you also know how many battles we have fought from the moment we departed Jingzhou until now; the soldiers are utterly exhausted. I have already ordered them five days of rest; we will march out again after five days."

Tian Jiu grew somewhat impatient upon hearing this; he felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could not be missed. He said, "My lord, consider this: Wenzhi is Fei Hou's stronghold. If we can capture it in one stroke, then Fei Hou will have no retreat. Our momentum is now like a soaring dragon; we cannot relax!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head and said, "General Tian, you underestimate Fei Hou too much. He is not so easily crushed. Do you know? There are twenty or thirty thousand imperial soldiers who escaped from Lin'an; they have only one destination now, and that is Wenzhi. By then, we will not be facing thirty thousand men, but fifty thousand!"

Tian Jiu dismissed this, saying, "My lord, you worry too much. Fei Hou's evil reputation in Jingzhou has spread throughout the world; his army is already in a state of panic. I have heard that many imperial soldiers have already defected to the Prince of Guizhou. We have a hundred thousand elite troops in hand; what do we fear?"

Speaking thus, he stood up, patted his chest, and said, "My lord, please grant me the position of vanguard, allowing me to lead the elite forces ahead. If this battle does not end in victory, please behead me to prove my resolve!"

Seeing his boiling enthusiasm, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not bear to dash his hopes. He thought for a moment and agreed to his request. He said, "Very well, General Tian, since you are so confident, then you shall be the vanguard. However, remember that Wenzhi is not as easy to conquer as Lin'an. You must proceed with caution and not underestimate the enemy."

Tian Jiu was overjoyed, immediately thanked Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and promised he would surely Li Xia Da Gong for my lord.

The scout returned and reported the situation outside Lin'an's city walls to Jiang Jiang Mingyu in detail. It turned out that the ambush forces mentioned earlier did not exist; Jiang Jiang Mingyu's decision to stop pursuit at that time had indeed been overly cautious.

After hearing the report, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly, though a chill rose in his heart: "Now this becomes interesting..."

The scout seemed somewhat dissatisfied as he said, "My lord, if we had let General Tian pursue with full force back then, we surely could have annihilated the defeated Lin'an troops in one stroke. What a pity."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt no regret and said calmly, "It is easy for Master Zhuge to speak after the fact; how could I have determined at that time that the enemy had no trick? If I had sought a small victory out of greed and carelessly underestimated the enemy, how would I explain myself to the martyrs in the future?"

The scout then suddenly understood; what Jiang Jiang Mingyu considered was the morale of the army and righteousness, while he himself had indeed been too shortsighted. After bowing to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he took his leave.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed alone at the map, his finger lightly tapping Wang Cheng: "Fei Hou, our distance is now mere inches... I truly look forward to what expression you will wear when we meet."

Having spoken, he crossed the long corridor and entered a separate room to rest. These days had been non-stop; he was utterly exhausted.

Lying on the wooden bed, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's mind flashed with fragments of memories: his destitute and impoverished life as a youth, the bright future after passing the imperial examination as Zhuangyuan, the glorious moment of being conferred the title of Zhuangyuan...

Various past events played out in his mind one after another; Jiang Jiang Mingyu's thoughts were entangled, making it difficult for him to fall asleep for a long time. Suddenly, a beautiful face appeared in his mind—that was his fiancée, his long-time friend Liu Liu Yifei.

Recalling how Liu Yifei had rushed about day and night for him, calling out and raising funds everywhere for military supplies, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but sigh with deep emotion. It was precisely because she supported him from the rear that he could launch the northern expedition without worrying about what lay behind.

I wonder if she is well now? Is she still rushing about for military supplies? Can I pacify the south soon and reunite with her? Such thoughts kept Jiang Jiang Mingyu awake for a long time.

This morning, while Jiang Jiang Mingyu was having breakfast, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi burst in like the wind, her expression agitated.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly invited her to sit, but Zhang Zhang Jiaqi smiled awkwardly and said, "I dare not. Regarding yesterday's matter... I have thought it over deeply and will not retreat."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed, "Zhang Jiaqi, you and I both understand that you and Liu Yifei are as close as brothers and sisters..."

"Please, Brother Jiang, say no more!" Zhang Zhang Jiaqi declared firmly. "My mind is made up; please give your subordinate a chance to prove myself."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, helpless, urged her to think thrice, but Zhang Zhang Jiaqi had already turned and left.

"This young man is truly a fiery chili pepper with arrogance reaching the sky," Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought to himself. He understood that one attempt at persuasion had failed, so he could only let her be.

At noon this day, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi came to report that defenses in all areas were ready. Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed, "You have worked hard. I know what is in your heart, but this matter is of great importance; please think thrice."

"Your words are too heavy, my lord; doing my duty is nothing to mention," Zhang Zhang Jiaqi said, turning her face away.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu no longer urged her and ordered her to rest a while. A flash of joy crossed Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's face; she hurriedly said, "As you command," and withdrew.

These days, the city was calm, while the sounds of army drills rose and fell. On the fourth morning, a carriage rushed into the city. A middle-aged scholar with half-white beard and hair stepped out, walked straight to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and knelt down:

"I am the newly appointed Inspector Ge Ge Yangyu, specially here to meet my lord."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled broadly and invited him to rise: "So you are Inspector Ge; I have long heard of your great name."

Ge Ge Yangyu hurriedly said, "My lord, your subordinate is merely a minor official in Dianzhou; you truly honor me too much." Having spoken, he respectfully presented a recommendation letter from Zhu Ge Yu.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not even look at it and said directly, "Since it is recommended by Yu'er, he must be talented. Inspector Ge, please put down your luggage and rest first; we will discuss taking over duties later."

Ge Ge Yangyu hurriedly thanked him and then cautiously said, "My lord, your subordinate knows a little; I hope to receive your instruction."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and said, "Inspector Ge, your words are too heavy. We have never met before; how can there be any teaching? If you have any questions, just ask."

Ge Ge Yangyu said, "My lord sees clearly through the finest details; your subordinate dares not deceive you. We have heard that my lord's great army is moving south and will surely achieve great things. We, your subjects, will naturally strive to assist and repay my lord's grace of promotion."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily, patted Ge Ge Yangyu's shoulder, and said, "Good! Good! Inspector Ge is indeed wise; I like people like you who are so understanding! Regarding the southern expedition, I only hope you will keep it secret for me; later, I will surely reward you heavily!"

Ge Ge Yangyu hurriedly thanked him, kowtowed three times, and promised absolutely not to leak the secret. Jiang Jiang Mingyu also instructed him to manage the local area steadily to aid the great cause.

After Ge Ge Yangyu took his leave, Jiang Jiang Mingyu rode his horse alone to the city tower to gaze into the distance.

At the same time, a eunuch rushed into Chongzhengdian, holding a battle report. Fei Hou, with a gloomy face, slapped the table and roared, "Another report of failure! The useless things I have raised are not even as good as a dog!"

The three civil officials in the hall trembled like sieves, fearing they would become scapegoats for his vented anger. The eunuch also dared not act rashly, looking for an opportunity to withdraw.

However, Fei Hou had already spotted the memorial in his hand and shouted, "Stop right there! What else has happened?"

The eunuch could only step forward and kneel, trembling as he reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Lin'an has fallen again. Jiang Jiang Mingyu has occupied its territory; I fear the next step will be an attack on Wenzhi..."

Before the words were finished, the eunuch was already terrified. Unexpectedly, Fei Hou let out a cold sneer and said, "Very good; this suits my intentions perfectly."

After hearing this, the eunuch suddenly looked up, his face full of confusion. The civil officials in the hall also looked at each other, unable to understand what Fei Hou meant by this.

Fei Hou said coldly, "You people who stick to old rules have too little decisiveness; you cannot achieve great things!"

Having spoken, he stood up and walked to the window. Looking at the distant sky, a trace of cunning and conspiracy flashed in his eyes. He said, "Do you know? Jiang Jiang Mingyu is a foolish man. He thinks occupying Lin'an can threaten me? He thinks attacking Wenzhi can crush me? He is wrong!"

The eunuch asked in disbelief, "Your Majesty... are you saying..."

Fei Hou turned around and said coldly, "I am saying that I have long been prepared. Jiang Jiang Mingyu has merely walked into a trap. Go and order Li Pu and Fei Yun to act according to the plan. Remember, do not engage him in a direct confrontation before Jiang Jiang Mingyu reaches Wen Zhi. Just delay him."

The eunuch asked in terror, "Your Majesty... what do you intend to do?"

A sinister smile curled Fei Hou's lips as he said, "What do I intend to do? Just wait and see. I will make Jiang Jiang Mingyu know what it means for heaven to envy a talented man!"

Having spoken, he waved his hand to signal the eunuch to withdraw. The eunuch hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Fei Hou turned around again, gazing into the distance. A indescribable sense of delight and madness filled his heart. He said, "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, oh Jiang Jiang Mingyu! Do you think you can pacify the South? Do you think you can live happily with Liu Liu Yifei? You are wrong! You are terribly wrong! You are nothing but a pawn in my hand. I will make you taste the human hell, making your life worse than death!"

As he spoke, he burst into wild laughter. His laughter echoed through the great hall, making anyone who heard it feel a chill of horror.