Chapter 253: The Conspiracy Gradually Reveals Itself

As soon as Jiang Jiang Mingyu finished speaking, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi raised her tear-filled eyes and glared at him: "You had planned this all along? Why didn't you say so earlier? Do you know how panicked I felt today when you didn't utter a single word?"

"Look at those nonsense manifestos. Do you know that after reading them, I was so angry my whole body trembled? If you hadn't stopped me, I would have rushed out long ago. Why did you hide the truth from me?"

Saying this, she couldn't help but throw herself into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's arms, hugging his waist and crying out: "Do you know how worried I was for you? Do you know?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart tightened; he quickly reached out to stroke her back and softly comforted her: "People come and go in the main camp; I feared spies might be mixed among them. I cannot reveal secrets casually, or it would ruin our great plan. I know you worry about me, but I have my own difficulties. Please believe me; in this camp, no one except you can make me feel at ease."

Hearing these words, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi cried even more bitterly. She understood Jiang Jiang Mingyu's meaning; he was hinting at Liu Liu Yifei's existence. The two of them were childhood sweethearts, as close as siblings. How could she insert herself between them?

After a long while, she finally lifted her head from Jiang Jiang Mingyu's embrace, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and said: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, I wrongly accused you. I will not be so willful again in the future."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gently patted her shoulder again: "It is late; you should rest well. We must travel tomorrow. There is one more thing: you must not speak of anything that happened tonight to anyone else. This is a matter of military secrecy."

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi nodded heavily, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu then smiled and stepped out.

Standing alone outside the camp, Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed at the moon and let out a long sigh. Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's actions this time had left his heart in turmoil. How could he explain this to Liu Liu Yifei in the future? Liu Liu Yifei was his closest friend; how could she tolerate him treating the woman he loved this way? If he treated Zhang Zhang Jiaqi coldly, that would be unfair to Liu Liu Yifei as well. To accept Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's feelings was something he himself dared not imagine.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart was filled with contradictions; he knew he had fallen into a dilemma. This emotional entanglement between childhood sweethearts left him unable to choose. But no matter what, he could not let Liu Liu Yifei be harmed. This cruel emotional battle left him more helpless than any physical fight.

The night passed without further word. Tian Jiu, full of energy, stepped out of the tent, saw Jiang Jiang Mingyu standing at the camp gate, and approached with a bow, saying: "My Lord, the manifesto has been sent out for a day; by now, Hu Song must be in a state of panic."

"My Lord's fame is as thunderous as a drum; if Hu Song is a wise man, he should surrender early to avoid bringing about his own destruction."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with a smile, looking at his hundred thousand troops, their momentum overwhelming. "General Tian speaks well; Jiang Mou shares this thought. If we can subdue the enemy without fighting, would that not be wonderful?"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi stood aside, watching their mutual flattery with cold eyes, cursing inwardly: "You dog thieves, how much longer can you laugh?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked up at the sky. "It is dawn; let us set out."

Saying this, he led his troops toward Wenzhi.

Tian Jiu followed closely behind, his expression relaxed all the way. He thought: Once we reach Wenzhi, it will be your day of death, Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

For these past two days, he had been waiting for Fei Hou's reply. He believed Fei Hou would not disappoint him.

Sure enough, on the morning of the third day, a scout galloped back on a flying horse, bringing an exhilarating piece of news.

"My Lord, hearing that your great army is pressing at the borders, Hu Song has already fled the city with his troops."

Tian Jiu immediately stepped forward two paces and smiled: "My Lord, see if what I said was correct? Hu Song is no match for you; the moment he heard you were coming, he was so terrified he fled in panic."

"My Lord's wisdom and martial prowess are divine; Wenzhi City has thus fallen into our hands so easily."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily. "Excellent! General Tian indeed has foresight. Jiang Mou is deeply grateful. Later, Jiang Mou must bear weight in rewarding you. Now, let us enter the city."

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi watched their triumphant expressions and thought inwardly: You truly are fine actors. Pity you do not know how many enemy troops are already ambushed within Wenzhi City.

After entering Wenzhi City, Tian Jiu immediately urged: "My Lord, our army has captured Wenzhi City without a scratch; morale is high. Your subordinate suggests that My Lord seize this opportunity to attack Zigu City. Time waits for no one."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pretended to hesitate for a moment. "General Tian speaks reasonably. However, Zigu City is a major enemy stronghold; I fear it will not be easy to attack."

Tian Jiu quickly replied: "My Lord, rest assured. Your subordinate has already contacted Fei Hou. Fei Hou said that if we attack Zigu City, he will send troops to support us. At that time, we will be able to pincer the enemy."

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered inwardly: You think I do not know your conspiracy with Fei Hou? You want me to walk to my death; I will make sure to disappoint you.

But on the surface, he showed a look of delight. "So that is how it is. Then Jiang Mou will follow General Tian's advice. Tomorrow morning, we will set out to attack Zigu City."

Seeing him agree, Tian Jiu rejoiced inwardly: You fool, just wait to be destroyed by me and Fei Hou together.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi entered with a dusty messenger, saying: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Mr. Tang Sima has sent a letter from Taizhou via a messenger."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes lit up; he hurriedly asked: "It must be news of victory; speak quickly."

The messenger wiped his sweat and excitedly said: "My Lord, Mr. Tang Sima ordered your subordinate to inform My Lord that half the cities in Taizhou have already fallen under our army's control."

Before Jiang Jiang Mingyu could even feel happy, another messenger, covered in sweat, rushed in and said: "My Lord, good news from Guizhou! Commander Duan has captured another fortified city and accepted the surrender of twenty thousand enemy troops; your subordinate has come specifically to present this victory."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile grew even broader. He said: "Excellent! Zhu Ge Yu and Tu Tu Kesiluo are both fierce generals in our army. Order grain and supplies to be transferred from Cangzhou, and reward the three armies heavily."

He said proudly: "I fear that before long, both Taizhou and Guizhou will become ours to hold in the palm of our hand."

Tian Jiu took the opportunity to agree: "My Lord, we should also send out our troops."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pretended not to understand and asked: "Why?"

Tian Jiu then spoke as if sincerely: "My Lord, think about it: on a personal level, Mr. Tang Sima is your disciple, and Tu Tu Kesiluo is your brother. On an official level, you are the Lord, and they are all your subordinates. They have all achieved Da Gong; as the Lord, should you not show some appreciation?"

He stepped back one pace and said: "Of course, this is also for the sake of My Lord's great cause. Whether to advance or not depends on My Lord's will."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu deliberately pondered for a while, then looked at Zhang Zhang Jiaqi.

"Zhang Jiaqi, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi pretended to nod and said: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, I think General Tian speaks reasonably. We should advance on Zigu. If my brother-in-law and Mr. Tang Sima take all the credit, what face will you, the Lord, have left?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gritted his teeth. "Very well. Since you all say so, then issue the order to set out tomorrow and attack Zigu."

Tian Jiu rejoiced inwardly: You fool, you have finally taken the bait.

Suppressing his joy, he said to Jiang Jiang Mingyu again: "My Lord, your subordinate has another suggestion. We might as well send another manifesto to the defender of Zigu. Perhaps he too will surrender without fighting, just like Hu Song?"

Tian Jiu thought: As long as Jiang Jiang Mingyu sends another manifesto, I can bribe a scout to report back to Jiang Jiang Mingyu that the defender of Zigu has also fled. At that time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu will enter Zigu City completely unprepared. And waiting for him there will be Hu Song and the defender of Zigu, united with a hundred and twenty thousand troops. At that time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu will surely die.

At this point, Jiang Jiang Mingyu pretended to be puzzled and asked: "General Tian, tell me, what exactly is the situation over at Zigu?"

Tian Jiu put on a relaxed expression and smiled: "My Lord, the defender of Zigu, Fang Hang, is an incompetent fellow. He was originally a subordinate of Wu Wu Chengyun, but later Fei Hou transferred him to guard Zigu. The troops under his command number only thirty thousand; they are nothing to fear."

"Fang Hang has no loyalty to Fei Hou either; he has always felt that Fei Hou treated him unfairly. Your subordinate thinks that as soon as My Lord sends a manifesto, he will be so terrified he will drop his armor and flee."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned. "Thirty thousand? Just like Hu Song? General Tian, do you not think this is a bit too coincidental?"

Tian Jiu quickly explained: "My Lord, this is all Fei Hou's arrangement; perhaps he has some deep meaning. Besides, Fei Hou is now at the end of his tether; even if he wanted to send reinforcements to Fang Hang, he has no surplus troops left."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded. "That is true. Then let us send another manifesto to Fang Hang and see what his reaction is."

"General Tian, order the troops to prepare; we will set out tomorrow morning to attack Zigu."

Tian Jiu happily acknowledged with a "Yes," and was just about to turn and leave when Jiang Jiang Mingyu added one more sentence.

"The vanguard for this attack on Zigu will still be you, General Tian. You are a brave general in our army; Wei Mou places great hopes in you."

Tian Jiu nodded and bowed, agreeing with a "Yes," before finally stepping out.

After he had gone far away, Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a yawn. "Traveling for many days has been truly tiring. I must sleep for a while. Zhang Jiaqi, you stay as well."

Hearing the door close behind him, Tian Jiu cursed inwardly: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you lecherous thief, how many more women do you intend to play with? Just wait; you will soon die by my hand."

Once silence fell outside the door, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi suddenly laughed. "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you acted very well. By the way, do you have any news from Tu Tu Kesiluo and Zhu Ge Yu?"

A cunning glint flickered in her eyes.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu set down his teacup. "Yes. Tu Tu Kesiluo has already captured half of Guizhou's territory. Zhu Ge Yu has also seized several key cities in Taizhou."

Pride and satisfaction tinged his tone.

With no one around, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi whispered to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, I have met the envoys of Tu Tu Kesiluo and Zhu Ge Yu. They have already, as per our plan, ambushed in the forests near Zigu."

"They said that once we reach the walls of Zigu City, they will signal with a whistling arrow and strike simultaneously. At that moment, we will be able to trap Hu Song and Fang Hang's 120,000-strong army between two forces and catch them in a jar."

"Once Fei Hou's main force is annihilated, he will no longer have the strength to resist."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded and said with satisfaction: "Good, very good. Within five days, Tian Jiu will surely be dead."

While the two of them were secretly plotting, Tian Jiu had already sent out that absurd manifesto. Watching the envoy's retreating figure, he sneered inwardly: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you fool. Do you think you can claim the merit for Taizhou and Guizhou? You are merely a pawn between me and Your Majesty."

"Just wait. Once you enter Zigu City, it will be your day of death."