Chapter 462: The Final Deployment

Tang Xiao Yu smiled calmly: "No trouble! It's what I'm supposed to do!"

Then Luo Feng said little else, only telling Tang Xiao Yu to go find Jiang Jinshi first!

Jiang Jinshi was outside the city; when he saw Tang Xiao Yu come out, a smile appeared on his face: "You didn't encounter any danger, did you?"

Tang Xiao Yu shook her head: "I just stayed inside the Fu family and never left; how could there be any danger?!"

Indeed! Although the Fu family had already reached a cooperation with Jiang Jinshi at that time, someone had to serve as the hub to convey and translate the secret reports!

To put it bluntly, Jiang Jinshi didn't fully trust the Fu family, so he could not possibly hand over his own secret reports and contact methods directly to them.

But the rank of the person sent to the Fu family could not be too low, otherwise they would be unaware of some core contents!

At that moment Chang'an had fallen, and Tang Xiao Yu was supposed to return to Beijiang to report, but upon learning the news she immediately volunteered to go to the Fu family.

This was not a simple task; if the Fu family were feigning cooperation, Tang Xiao Yu's life would be in danger!

Fortunately, everything proceeded according to plan, and the Fu family and Tang Xiao Yu were able to return safely.

After Luoyang Cheng was fully under Ming Army control, Jiang Jinshi leisurely entered the city and immediately took over the former Xiliang royal palace to discuss important matters.

Zhang Honghong grabbed her tea bowl, gulped a big mouthful, wiped her mouth and said: "Big brother! Your hand at releasing water is superb! Once the South Gate opened, Wei Wenlie's turtle grandson ran faster than a rabbit; the Fu family and little Xiao Yu didn't lose a single hair! Thrilling!"

Luo Feng sat at her lower seat, silent, only watching Jiang Jinshi on the main seat with his eyes.

Everyone thought Jiang Jinshi deliberately left the South Gate open to protect the Fu family and Tang Xiao Yu; if the main army had directly besieged Luoyang, they would have expected that Wei Wenlie still had elite troops under his command, still not a match for the Ming Army.

But a cornered Wei Wenlie would never choose surrender; there was a high chance he would drag the whole Luoyang city down with him.

That was not the situation Jiang Jinshi wanted to see, so he came up with this idea.

However, Luo Feng was pondering; the Fu family was safe, Tang Xiao Yu returned completely intact, and a huge stone fell from his heart, yet he still felt that big brother's move was not that shallow.

Wang Hou was also deep in thought; after a while he suddenly looked up: "Lord releasing Wei Wenlie through the South Gate, protecting the Fu family and Miss Tang, is naturally the priority.

But the subordinate felt… this opening was too smooth. Wei Wenlie fled cleanly, and Si Wushuang that fox didn't even set a trap, it seemed like…"

He paused, then uttered a few words, "Go with the flow."

Jiang Jinshi was leisurely fiddling with the red coals in the brazier using tongs; hearing that, he smiled, set the tongs aside, and brushed the ash off his hands.

"Zhang Honghong is right, but not entirely. The monkey's reaction is still that fast."

"Xiao Yu is my eyes in Beijiang, the Fu family…"

Jiang Jinshi paused, looked at Fu Mingyuan standing solemnly with hands at his sides, and said, "Fu Third Uncle offers his clan's aid, willingly risking danger; I, Jiang Jinshi, hold this gratitude in my heart.

Our own people, of course we must do our utmost to protect them. Letting Wei Wenlie leave through the South Gate is giving them a way out."

Fu Mingyuan quickly bowed; he naturally knew the Fu family had already passed through Yama Hall, and a typical lord would not concern himself with their lives, naturally focusing on taking the Xiliang king first.

"Ming King, noble and righteous! The Fu family, from top to bottom, can contribute even a modest share for the Ming King and Beijiang; that is the Fu family's blessing!"

A few core members of the Fu family behind him also bowed, their posture extremely respectful.

Jiang Jinshi shifted his tone, "But protecting our own is only part of it."

He stood up, walked to the massive hanging map, and his finger pressed heavily onto the vast region south of Luoyang.

"Wei Wenlie thinks he's escaped heaven? Ridiculous! I left him the South Gate not out of mercy, but to force him to follow the path I drew!"

His fingertip followed the map's mountain‑river lines, slashing hard westward, finally landing on a region of layered peaks deliberately outlined with cinnabar.

"Chuanshu!"

The hall fell silent instantly; even Zhang Honghong forgot her tea, eyes widening.

"Chu…Chuanshu?"

Zhang Honghong was a bit puzzled, "That cursed place, mountains high and roads treacherous, even a monkey gets lost! Big brother, why are you sending him there? To make him a wild man in the mountains?"

"A wild man?"

Jiang Jinshi sneered, shook his head, "I intend to bury him and the last of his Xiliang assets there!"

Then Jiang Jinshi explained, "What is Wei Wenlie like now? A startled bird!"

Leading his handful of broken troops and the looted gold and silver, he fled south in panic. Jiangnan is prosperous; would he dare to stop? He wouldn't!

He fears I'll catch up and corner him in a gentle valley to butcher him! His only thought is to run back to his Xiliang stronghold!

"But the road back to Xiliang…"

Luo Feng's deep voice rang, a flash of brilliance in his eyes, "Tongguan!"

"Exactly!"

Jiang Jinshi clapped his hands sharply, "Who holds Tongguan now?"

"In our hands!"

Zhang Honghong answered quickly, then suddenly realized, slapping her thigh, "Ah! I was wondering why you, big brother, let Han Fengzi battle Tongguan to the death—he was waiting right here! If that turtle grandson wants to return to Xiliang, he must pass by Tongguan!"

"One hundred thousand!"

Jiang Jinshi said with great confidence, "Within Tongguan, under Han Xiao's command, I have secretly ordered the stockpiling of one hundred thousand elite troops! Supplies and arms enough to sustain six months!"

Tongguan's natural defenses, plus Han Xiao stationed there, mean that even if Wei Wenlie moved all of Xiliang's remaining assets there, he would never manage to open the gate again!

Cut off his route! I will make Wei Wenlie never set foot on Xiliang's former lands again!

Wang Hou murmured, "What a… 'shut the gate to beat the dog.' No, it's sealing the dog's hole so the dog has nowhere to go."

"What about the second strike?"

Luo Feng pressed, his voice carrying a barely perceptible excitement.

He knows big brother too well; the plan is set before moving, each link tightly connected.

Jiang Jinshi continued, "He can't return to Xiliang, he won't dare linger in Jiangnan; where can he go? Only Chuanshu!

The Shu road is hard, harder than climbing to the blue sky.

There the mountains are high and the Emperor far, easy to defend and hard to attack, historically a good place for separatists.

Wei Wenlie would surely think that fleeing into Chuanshu lets him hold a stronghold, eke out a meager existence, and perhaps… bide the chance to strike back!"

He smiled, shaking his head: "I let him out the South Gate precisely to force him, horse‑riding nonstop, to tunnel into Chuanshu!"

The water network of Jiangnan stretches in all directions, which is not favorable for my Beijiang iron cavalry to gallop, but the mountains of Chuanshu are likewise the grave of his Xiliang cavalry!

He brings his baggage, drags his family, and plunges into those towering mountains—how fast could he possibly go?

He suddenly looks at Luo Feng and Zhang Honghong: "Luo Feng! Honghong!"

"Here!" the two spring to their feet.

"You two, command the main force's elite cavalry and reinforce with thirty thousand infantry, organize immediately! Pursue!"

Jiang Jinshi continues issuing orders, "I don't want you to catch up and slay him right away! I want you to drive him like a flock of sheep, keep him at your rear! If he speeds, you speed; if he slows, you slow! Maintain pressure so he cannot catch a breath!"

Expend all his energy on fleeing! Herd him and his few remnants like ducks, driving them straight into Chuanshu's deep forests!

He pauses, the gleam in his eyes flickering: "If along the way there are routed Xiliang troops, supply convoys, or any local warlords daring to attach themselves, crush them! Leave none!"

I will make Wei Wenlie, all the way, hear the hoofbeats of Beijiang and have nightmares! Let him have nothing but to run!

"Understood!" Luo Feng and Zhang Honghong answer in unison, their murderous aura soaring.

"Don't worry, big brother! I'll make sure to drive him so hard he'll be a rolling mess, not even having time to turn around and urinate!"

"This is the second strike! The third strike…"

Wang Hou's voice drifts in, with a hint of understanding, "Should it fall in Chuanshu then?"

Jiang Jinshi slowly returns to his seat, "Chuanshu is precisely Wei Wenlie's burial ground!"

He scans the crowd, "Chuanshu is rugged, easy to defend yet hard to attack; a strong assault will inevitably suffer heavy losses. Yet Wei Wenlie fled in panic, the people's hearts are unsettled, and how long can their supplies sustain?"

He is like a severely wounded beast that, in panic, rushes into a dead end; it looks fierce, but is already at the end of its strength!

"Jiang Ze!" Jiang Jinshi calls out.

"Lord!"

"The interior of Chuanshu is not a solid slab. When Wei Wenlie entered Shu years ago, his methods were ruthless; many of Chuanshu's Scholar-Gentry warlords harbored resentment, relying entirely on the Cui Family to mediate."

"You must immediately select capable operatives, bearing heavy gold and secret letters, infiltrate Chuanshu, and contact those dissatisfied with Wei Wenlie."

"Tell them that the Beijiang army will arrive soon! If they are willing to act as internal collaborators, surrender passes and cities, or disrupt Wei Wenlie's rear, Jiang Jinshi will ensure their families' wealth and safety!"

"If they remain obstinate, when the city falls, both jade and stone will burn!"

"Yes! Understood!" Jiang Ze replies in a deep voice.