Chapter 943: First Volume, Chapter 943: Consecutive Assassinations

First Volume, Chapter 943: Consecutive Assassinations

The messenger was whipped until he screamed in agony, yet Jing Peng remained unsatisfied, growling: "Open your dog's eyes and look for yourself—where in my army have three thousand arrows suddenly appeared?"

"Go back and tell General Weiwu: don't dump every bit of filth on me—I, Jing Peng, am not a man who likes to take advantage of others!"

The messenger dared not hesitate and ran off without looking back.

Jing Peng, face cold, spurred his horse toward the front line, ready to order the messenger to relay the command for the army to march immediately, when another disturbance erupted ahead—the Light Cavalry Corps blockading Changshui County had blocked his path.

One of their guerrilla colonels, accompanied by over a hundred cavalrymen, rode up to Jing Peng and bluntly asked why the Light Cavalry Corps' grain and forage had still not arrived.

Jing Peng trembled with rage, pointing at the guerrilla colonel and roaring: "Take this matter to the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue—I am heading to the Front Line to fight, not to argue logistics with you!"

"If you dare block the road again, you will be charged with delaying military operations—executed on the spot!"

Facing Jing Peng's fury, the guerrilla colonel showed no fear, his voice sharp and clear: "We have blockaded this place for days; to form a tactical encirclement and sever Changshui County's ties to the outside, we all came lightly equipped, carrying only two days' worth of grain and forage—now every soldier and horse is exhausted, starving and barely holding on."

"Once your forces move forward, supplying us will become even harder—do you expect us to fight on empty stomachs?"

"Only when grain and forage arrive first can the rest of the army pass through!"

Jing Peng never expected the Light Cavalry's stance to be so defiant—he nearly gave in to the urge to kill them outright, ordering his troops to execute them for obstruction, but each time he prepared to give the order, his Deputy General stopped him.

The Deputy General frowned deeply, his expression grave: "General, please calm down."

"Earlier, General Weiwu's request for arrows was entirely reasonable—arrows are the most critical military supplies; a sudden shortage of three thousand is unbearable, especially since these are not crude arrows, but specially forged ones meant for siege warfare."

"Now, the Light Cavalry Corps has blockaded Changshui County for days without grain or forage, and they are exhausted—they must be resupplied to maintain their position; demanding priority delivery of grain and forage is entirely justified."

"Although all commanders have agreed to attack Changshui County, the situation arose suddenly—from Qin Feng's ambush by Lü Li to the order to attack Changshui County, only a few days have passed, and even His Majesty had no time to appoint a commander."

"Though this commander will almost certainly be General Chen, before General Chen arrives, we must prioritize unity and stability—do not make any overreaching moves, or if the campaign turns unfavorable, even if you acted solely for the nation, your political enemies will surely frame you!"

Despite his burning rage, Jing Peng finally suppressed it under his Deputy General's earnest plea.

Although urging grain delivery was not within Jing Peng's duties, to reach Changshui County faster, he sent his own men back to Wang Du to pressure the supply lines and ordered the entire army to halt and establish a military garrison.

Just moments ago, Jing Peng had stood tall and full of fighting spirit; now, he was demoralized, seething with suppressed fury.

Several commanders were equally helpless before this chaos.

The Deputy General sighed helplessly: "Everything's fallen apart! But no one's to blame, alas!"

"Marching and waging war is a precise system: first, personnel appointments; then, grain and forage allocation; next, troop mobilization and orders along the route; finally, deployment to the battlefield."

"Now look—Light Cavalry rushed ahead and surrounded Changshui County completely, but what good is that? Light Cavalry can't conduct siege warfare!"

"The army has already moved to the Front Line, yet no grain or forage has arrived—this is infuriating."

The nearby Colonel echoed the frustration: "Not just that—our vanguard has already reached the battlefield, yet we don't even have a Main General! When we arrive at Changshui County, do we attack or not? Who dares take responsibility?"

"So I say, even if we reach Changshui County, we should just halt and wait for the Main General—better to rest here until both the Main General and logistics catch up before proceeding."

The logic made sense, yet the Deputy General's brow remained furrowed.

His Majesty's deadline is two months—so we must strike hard and fast; the more urgent the assault, the more rapid the mobilization must be—if we delay, and Qin Feng fortifies the city defenses, we will suffer far greater casualties.

Knowing this, the commanders on-site could only grit their teeth and endure—they, like Jing Peng, were seething with fury and had nowhere to vent it.

The blame lies in this siege warfare being forced upon them—garrison troops everywhere had no prior preparation, rushed into action, so chaos was inevitable.

Chaos reigned among the vanguard; Wang Du was no better.

Especially Chen Si—he still hadn't been summoned by the Di King.

The Di King, meanwhile, was furious: he had already issued orders to summon Chen Si to court to bestow upon him the rank of Main General—why had Chen Si not appeared?

By nightfall, the Di King, enraged, ordered men to the Ministry of War to find Chen Si—only when they met did both realize something had gone wrong.

The Eunuch sent to deliver the Imperial Edict had vanished.

This was Wang Du—how could someone vanish without a trace?

The Di King immediately appointed Chen Si as Main General and ordered him to assume command, while sending men to search for the missing Eunuch—only at dawn the next day was his corpse found in a well, clutching the Imperial Edict.

Learning the Eunuch had been ambushed and killed, the Di King was both furious and stunned—he immediately suspected Ye Xiao, for only Ye Xiao could assassinate an Imperial messenger in Wang Du without a trace; yet without concrete proof, and fearing repercussions, he swallowed his hatred.

By noon, the Di King learned that the Ministry of War's official dispatched to arrange grain and forage had also been assassinated.

Due to urgent military intelligence, the official had traveled lightly, accompanied by only a few attendants—all were ambushed without exception.

Upon hearing this, the Di King urgently summoned the Minister of War, who, before the King could speak, volunteered: "Indeed, there has been a problem with the grain and forage allocation to the Front Line."

The Light Cavalry Corps blockading Changshui County, lacking supplies, was exhausted, and the vanguard had clashed with General Weiwu's forces over military equipment.

The Di King's anger had been replaced by fear—and fear bred hatred.

The Di King immediately summoned Li Yu: no longer waiting for the Xiongying Brigade, launch a purge against Ye Xiao immediately.