Chapter 254: Can't Wait Any Longer

Jingcheng, Chongzhengdian.

Fei Hou looked at the letter before him, smiling until his eyes narrowed into slits; this was the "report of defeat" sent by Tian Jiu from Wenzhi City, claiming that Jiang Jiang Mingyu's massive army was pressing against the borders and that Hu Song had abandoned the city and fled with his troops.

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you dog thief, you have finally taken my bait," he said triumphantly.

"Were you not arrogant? Did you not send back the head of Xie Xie Chengxi? Did you not even dig up my ancestral graves?"

"Just you wait; within five days, I will make sure you die without a burial place. Hahaha..."

Recalling Jiang Jiang Mingyu's various crimes, he gnashed his teeth in hatred; if not for the too many variables on the battlefield, he would have long ago ordered Tian Jiu to capture Jiang Jiang Mingyu alive and subject him to the agony of being sliced by a thousand knives.

Seeing Fei Hou in such high spirits, the eunuch beside him hurriedly flattered, "Your Majesty, you are truly radiating joy today; may I ask what happy event has occurred?"

The several ministers in the hall all wore faces of confusion; with Wenzhi City fallen and Jiang Jiang Mingyu about to attack, how could Your Majesty still laugh? Could he have gone mad?

Fei Hou felt his plan was nearing success and no longer wished to conceal it, so he recounted every detail of the conspiracy he had plotted with Tian Jiu to the assembly.

It turned out he had long known that Hu Song and Fang Hang were his trusted aides; he had ordered them to deliberately abandon Wenzhi City and Zigui City to lure Jiang Jiang Mingyu into a trap, and he had also instructed Tian Jiu to feign defection to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, offering strategies and advice to make him believe it was genuine.

Once Jiang Jiang Mingyu entered Zigui City, Hu Song and Fang Hang would lead an army of 120,000 to surround him from behind, while Tian Jiu would betray him at the critical moment to deliver a fatal blow.

By then, Jiang Jiang Mingyu would be certain to die, and his 100,000-strong army would be completely annihilated, allowing Fei Hou to easily retake You Beijing, Taizhou, and Guizhou, then pacify the rebellion in the south and restore the unity of the Great Feng Kingdom.

Speaking to the end, Fei Hou opened his mouth wide and laughed loudly, "Jiang Jiang Mingyu thinks himself clever, yet he does not know he has long fallen into my trap; just you wait, within five days, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's dog head will be delivered to my dragon desk."

His smile gradually turned ferocious. "Once Jiang Jiang Mingyu is killed, I can recover all lost territories; the Great Feng Kingdom will still be ruled solely by my word."

Hearing his words, that eunuch immediately knelt on the ground to flatter, "Your Majesty is brilliant and martial; you are truly the greatest sage ruler in the history of our Great Feng Kingdom; this old slave admires you so much he prostrates himself completely."

As he spoke, he truly lay prostrate on the ground and refused to rise.

Those ministers loyal to Fei Hou also knelt one after another to praise, "Your Majesty is brilliant and martial; you are truly the greatest sage ruler in the history of our Great Feng Kingdom; your subjects admire you so much they prostrate themselves completely."

Fei Hou laughed loudly once more, as if he could already see the moment of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's destruction.

Early the next morning, in Wenzhi City.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu emerged from his camp tent with a face full of spirit; seeing Tian Jiu already waiting there, he hurried forward to ask, "General Tian, is the great army ready?"

Tian Jiu replied respectfully, "My Lord, the great army is fully equipped and awaiting orders, ready to depart at any time."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and said, "Good, then let us not delay; transmit the order: march on Zigui, depart."

With a single command from Tian Jiu, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's 100,000-strong army marched out of the south gate of Wenzhi in a mighty and majestic procession.

Left to guard the city was a military scribe Jiang Jiang Mingyu had selected from the ranks, named Wang Jianhua; this man had been spotted by Jiang Jiang Mingyu while in Cangzhou as a person of talent.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gave him only one order: if anything happened, follow Tian Jiu's arrangements.

Tian Jiu, for his part, had long made his own arrangements; he had bribed several scouts to relay false information to Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

On the march, Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tian Jiu chatted very happily, with Zhang Zhang Jiaqi accompanying them with a smile, yet all three knew in their hearts that this harmony could last only five days.

For after five days came their battle of life and death.

Every segment of the journey, Jiang Jiang Mingyu would ask Tian Jiu, "Why has no news from Zigui arrived yet? General Tian, are you certain Fang Hang will abandon the city and flee?"

Tian Jiu would always answer, "Rest assured, My Lord; Fang Hang is a timid man afraid of trouble; upon hearing My Lord's renowned name, he will surely be frightened into fleeing in panic."

By the third day, the scout arranged by Tian Jiu finally returned with good news.

"My Lord, good news, good news," the scout said excitedly; "Fang Hang indeed dared not resist My Lord's great army and has already abandoned the city, fleeing with his troops."

Just as Tian Jiu was about to remind the scout not to overdo it, Jiang Jiang Mingyu said happily, "Excellent; in that case, Zigui belongs to us."

"Once we capture the two commanderies of Jingfeng and Tianxin, Fei Hou will have no retreat path left."

He said to the scout, "You have done very well; once we reach the gates of Zigui City, I will surely return heavily to reward you."

After thanking Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the scout added, "My Lord, there is even better news."

This too was arranged by Tian Jiu, who wished to make Jiang Jiang Mingyu even more complacent.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked, "What other good news? Speak quickly."

The scout said, "This subordinate inadvertently learned that Hu Song and Fang Hang, fearing Your Majesty would hold them accountable, have already taken their troops to defect to Fang Yuliang."

"The obstacles to My Lord's vengeance have been greatly reduced; truly, this is cause for celebration."

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu became even happier; he said to the scout, "You are truly my lucky star; once we reach the gates of Zigui City, I will reward you heavily once again."

Then he said to Tian Jiu, "General Tian, we can delay no longer; let us hasten to Zigui immediately."

Tian Jiu was even more anxious than Jiang Jiang Mingyu; he thought, 'Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you fool, you are jumping right into my trap; just you wait, once you enter Zigui City, it will be your day of death.'

Tian Jiu was burning with anxiety, even more urgent than Jiang Jiang Mingyu; the plan to attack Zigui City had entered a critical phase, and he could hardly wait for the actions of Tu Tu Kesiluo and Zhu Ge Yu.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, meanwhile, was in high spirits; having received news of victories in Taizhou and Guizhou, he was filled with confidence, believing victory was already in sight.

Tian Jiu hurriedly suggested they continue forward, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu readily agreed, unaware that they had already fallen into a trap.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, however, felt disdain for their smugness, for she knew that a large number of enemy troops were already lying in ambush within Zigui City.

Tian Jiu dispatched scouts to reconnoiter and confirm the situation inside Zigui City.

Soon after, the scout returned in a rush, bringing news that shocked Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "My Lord, this subordinate has confirmed that the gates of Zigui City stand wide open, with not a single defender inside; Fang Hang's forces departed long ago; please, My Lord, enter the city."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at Tian Jiu with slight suspicion, yet he still decided to enter the city, trusting Tian Jiu's judgment.

Twenty li outside Zigui City, Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his army halted, preparing to enter; at this moment, Tian Jiu quickly ordered the bribed scouts to go confirm the situation inside the city to ensure Jiang Jiang Mingyu's safety.

Tian Jiu was burning with anxiety, hoping everything would proceed smoothly while fearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu might detect the trap.

The scout went in haste and returned even faster, reporting cautiously, "My Lord, this subordinate has confirmed that the gates of Zigui City stand wide open, with not a single defender inside; Fang Hang's forces departed long ago; please, My Lord, enter the city."

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded and prepared to lead the army into the city, while Tian Jiu breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the plan would proceed smoothly.

However, just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu's horse stepped through the city gate, Tian Jiu suddenly burst into a sinister laugh.

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you dog thief, listen well: these gates of Zigui, you will never enter in this lifetime."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu wore a face of confusion, not understanding Tian Jiu's meaning.

"What do you mean by this?" he asked, looking toward Zhang Zhang Jiaqi beside him, only to see her wearing an equally confused expression.

Tian Jiu laughed loudly and mocked, "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, people say you are resourceful and wise, but in my view, you are not even as good as a pig."