Chapter 308

The sky gradually brightened, the clouds in the east tinged with a faint red hue.

Jiang Mingyu leapt onto a black steed, turned to look back at Jizhou City, where the flag of Da Jiang still fluttered atop its walls; he raised his sword and shouted.

"Retreat to the capital!"

After two months of reorganization and training, the iron-clad Da Jiang army was brimming with morale; Lieutenant Ming led the troops in chanting slogans, and sixty thousand elite soldiers marched forward with banners flying and drums beating.

On the march back to the capital, Zhang Jiani furrowed her brows in deep concern; she rode forward and said to Jiang Mingyu: "Brother, the Western Xia border is closed, the situation is perilous beyond measure. We have no intelligence on their kingdom—if they harbor designs of aggression, our army may act blindly and suffer the consequences."

Indeed, since Ge Yangyu's death, all previous spies had been cut off; it was said the agents had all been executed on the spot, and the Western Xia military and civilians clenched their teeth, vowing to resist the invaders to the death; for a time, all communication between the two nations ceased, their enmity now irreconcilable.

Jiang Mingyu nodded knowingly, his expression gentle as he looked at her: "You're right, but there's a reason—we still have a backup plan." His gaze was deep, laden with implication; the loyal men planted within Liu Yi's merchant caravan would, this northern campaign, prove invaluable.

Three months ago, Da Jiang merchants began flooding Western Xia with goods for exorbitant profits; at the time, Liu Yi had told Jiang Mingyu: "The West is distant, but we must guard against it—why not use this opportunity to embed trusted men within the caravans, gathering military intelligence under the guise of profit?" Jiang Mingyu had then selected several brave and capable soldiers from the Wei Army, ordering them to assume false identities and infiltrate the caravans, penetrating every city in Western Xia.

To ensure they truly blended into merchant roles, Jiang Mingyu devised a specialized training regimen: some learned trade skills, others mastered the art of bookkeeping; over three months of traveling east and west, these loyal men had become thoroughly familiar with the customs and terrain of the West, their soldierly identities undetectable to ordinary folk; through layered infiltration, their network now spanned nearly every corner of the land.

Regardless, Western Xia still depended on trade with Da Jiang; even if Tuoba Jixian vowed eternal enmity, he could not escape the reality of weapons failing and provisions running dry; Jiang Mingyu had long foreseen this truth; thus, when war became inevitable, Western Xia would inevitably reopen its borders—as a vital trade partner of Da Jiang—and at that moment, these undercover agents could operate under the cover of commerce, gathering intelligence on Western Xia's military and political movements, secretly transmitting it to Da Jiang's high command.

Hearing this strategic logic, Zhang Jiani finally understood; she gazed at Jiang Mingyu, her eyes now filled with admiration and reverence; her brother had already laid his plans, weaving his intelligence net across all of Western Xia—such foresight could rival any hero under heaven.

Jiang Mingyu rode hard back to Jincheng and rushed straight to Chongzheng Hall; Zhuge Yu paced anxiously, and upon seeing Jiang Mingyu return, his expression instantly eased: "Master, you're back at last! Something terrible has happened!"

Jiang Mingyu's heart tightened; he blurted out: "What is it? Speak quickly!"

Zhuge Yu sighed heavily, his voice heavy with grief: "Two days ago, word arrived—the entire merchant caravan of your wife in Western Xia was executed by Tuoba Jixian. Several days prior, he sent envoys to the border, declaring he had seen through our scheme, speaking with vicious intent: since we had no sincerity for peace talks, only war remained to settle the score. Now, where in Western Xia are our spies? We know nothing of the situation!"

Jiang Mingyu clenched his brows tightly: "Even other Da Jiang merchant caravans were not spared? Were they all slaughtered by Tuoba Jixian?"

Zhuge Yu confirmed that, aside from Liu Yi's caravan, no other reports had come in; Tu Kexiluo and Zhang Jiani exchanged glances, both reading confusion in each other's eyes; Jiang Mingyu paced back and forth, unable to bear the weight of it.

He had just assured Tu Kexiluo and Zhang Jiani how brilliantly Liu Yi had laid her plans—how could everything collapse so swiftly? What puzzled him most was this: Western Xia hosted many Da Jiang merchant caravans—why did Tuoba Jixian target only Liu Yi's? If he had truly decided on war, he should have slaughtered them all; this selective strike was deeply suspicious.

Western Xia had limited knowledge of Da Jiang—how could they possibly have uncovered the spies hidden within Liu Yi's caravan? Was there a traitor among the merchants? Or did Tuoba Jixian have a mastermind advising him? All these mysteries tangled into an unbreakable knot, leaving Jiang Mingyu with no solution.

He paced within the hall, his mind racing; too many things remained unclear—he must uncover the truth. Regardless of how Tuoba Jixian had discovered Liu Yi's true identity, the most urgent task now was to reopen Western Xia's borders and allow other caravans to transmit the truth.

Jiang Mingyu immediately dispatched men bearing heavy gold to the Western Xia frontier, bribing border commanders widely; he also secretly inquired whether other Da Jiang caravans had suffered the same fate.

Simultaneously, he summoned his core spies overnight, ordering them to disguise themselves as merchants and infiltrate Western Xia to gather intelligence; he even sent a handful of men disguised as guards escorting Liu Yi's caravan remains, to probe the true situation within Western Xia.

He believed Tuoba Jixian would never abandon trade with Da Jiang; once Western Xia reopened its borders, he could obtain the truth from multiple angles.

Yet unexpectedly, half a month passed, and Western Xia still had not reopened.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall.

Jiang Mingyu's furrowed brows betrayed his inner unease; his face was grim. But as the Son of Heaven, he did not lose composure; calmly, he spoke:

"Zhuge Yu, report what you know of Western Xia's current situation. We must fully understand the enemy to seize the initiative in war."

Zhuge Yu, usually composed, now could not hide his agitation; he forced himself to organize his thoughts before speaking slowly:

"Your Majesty, we all know Western Xia is the largest nation on this continent. But many details you may not yet grasp..."

Seeing Jiang Mingyu nod for him to continue, Zhuge Yu added: "Most of Western Xia's territory is perpetually covered in snow and ice, except for the six southern provinces. Intelligence from the front lines shows that, outside these six provinces, most of Western Xia consists of uninhabited wastelands."

This revelation startled Jiang Mingyu and the generals; the empire famed for its vast territory, in truth, possessed far less usable land than it appeared—clearly, conquering Western Xia would be less difficult than they had imagined.

"I recall you stationed a hundred thousand troops in the Cangzhou region—so our total forces now reach seven hundred thousand. Logically, we hold numerical superiority," Jiang Mingyu mused. "But our troops still cannot easily adapt to Western Xia's bitter cold—this will inevitably hinder our marching speed and combat effectiveness."

"Correct, the climate is against us—but we must launch our offensive now, there is no room for hesitation!" Fang Hang interjected. "Given Tuoba Jixian's temperament, he will never wait until next spring. I suspect he intends to use this war to solve his supply shortages; if we delay until next year, Western Xia will have regrouped and we'll struggle to respond."

"Minister Fang's analysis holds merit," Jiang Mingyu nodded. "We might as well strike while Western Xia lacks food and clothing. If we let them survive this winter, next year, when their morale is high, victory will be far harder to achieve."

"It seems war is now inevitable."

A suffocating silence filled the air. After a long while, Jiang Mingyu finally spoke in a low, firm tone:

"Prime Minister, immediately mobilize laborers and prepare all clothing and provisions needed by the army. Tuoba Jixian's forces may march at any moment—we must be fully prepared!"

"Remember, this decisive battle must be fought within Western Xia's territory! Even if our army loses, we must not let the flames of war spread to Da Jiang's soil!"

Zhuge Yu smiled faintly, as if he had long anticipated his master's intent: "Your Majesty, rest assured—I've already prepared everything. We can set out westward no later than half a month."

"Good! In half a month, the entire army marches. I will make these Western Xia barbarians witness the might of Da Jiang!" Jiang Mingyu issued the order with unwavering resolve.

At that moment, Tu Kexiluo, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke; his face was ashen, his voice laced with barely concealed fury:

"Your Majesty, I request command of the rearguard! I will make those Western Xia dogs pay in blood—I will tear Tuoba Jixian apart alive!"

Jiang Mingyu nodded knowingly; he understood the deep-seated hatred burning within Tu Kexiluo. This western campaign would turn Tu Kexiluo into a raging god of slaughter, venting all his vengeance upon the enemy...