The Foolish Agent

Chapter 89

"The Third Prince is right. War between these two countries is a matter of utmost importance. However, the consequences are not something the Third Prince alone can bear! You don't think that I came to Hengcheng so early in the morning with more than 60,000 troops to discuss with you whether or not to fight this war, do you?"

Over 60,000 troops! That number alone terrified the adjutant so much that he fainted. The third prince, Batnan, didn't faint immediately, but he was practically swayed by fear. He remained stunned for a long while before regaining his composure. His voice trembled as he asked:

"What...what do you want?"

"Hmph! Now you know fear?" Shi Yu glanced at him disdainfully. He said authoritatively, "

"So? Of course, we're here to take over Hengcheng!"

At that moment, chaotic sounds of fighting and screams of terror came from outside the door!

Only now did Batnam realize that it was all over! He suddenly drew his adjutant's sword, intending to slit his own throat. But his sword was no match for the sword in Shi Yu's hand; a flash of light, and the curved blade fell to the ground. Then, in a flash, Shi Yu was already on Batnam's left side, simultaneously striking his pressure points, rendering him unable to die.

"Hmph! Want to die? It's not that easy! Although the Emperor doesn't favor you, you still share his blood. Even if he disregards family ties, his generals and ministers wouldn't dare disregard your life." Shi Yu patted the Third Prince's face and said coldly. He then added:

"But don't worry, once you've used up all your value, I'll give you a more profitable sum, so you can have what you want."

After saying that, he shouted loudly towards the door:

"Someone come here!"

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Immediately, a messenger officer came in to receive the order.

Shi Yu sternly instructed:

"Issue the order that all our soldiers change into Xiping uniforms. General Zhang shall leave 10,000 men to guard the city. The entire city must be cleared before nightfall today. Tomorrow, the people must return to normal life. The city gates shall remain open, but until I issue a second order, no one shall be allowed to leave, only to enter."

The rest of the troops will all follow me towards Jincheng. We must reach Zengjia Town, thirty li from Jincheng, before nightfall today!

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"

Shi Yu glanced at the Prince of Xiping, who was staring with dead fish eyes, and then coldly ordered:

"By the way, send a few men to take good care of this Prince Xiping as he travels with us. If anything happens to him on the way, those responsible will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"

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On the afternoon of September 24th, Emperor Xuanyuan led his 100,000-strong army to Meiling, 40 li from Jincheng, according to his and Shi Yu's pre-arranged itinerary. Just as Xuanyuan ordered the troops to set up camp, a general from the original garrison arrived with a message from Shi Yu sent by carrier pigeon.

"This humble general, Liu Shiyuan, the garrison commander of Meiling, pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Xuanyuan used his inner strength to lift General Liu up with both hands, and said gently:

"Ping Sheng, General Liu, please rise! We are now engaged in military campaigns, so let's skip the formalities!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

As a martial arts practitioner, General Liu was gently lifted to his feet by the Emperor's hands from a distance. He was immediately impressed by the Emperor's profound inner strength. Coupled with the Emperor's humble attitude, this man of thirty years of military service deeply respected him.

Xuanyuan asked anxiously:

"I heard you received a letter from the King of England to me? Bring it here for me to see."

As soon as General Liu steadied himself, he presented the letter Shi Yu had written to Xuanyuan. Then he silently observed the emperor's every move.

Xuanyuan hurriedly took the letter and immediately read it. Then he clapped his hands and laughed loudly:

"Good! Good! Good!"

The soldiers around him all stopped and looked at him at the emperor's sudden three exclamations. Receiving many questioning gazes, Xuanyuan immediately raised the letter in his hand and loudly proclaimed:

"My lords! You must be wondering why I am so happy. Well, I have some great news to tell you all."

The venue, which housed thousands of people, fell completely silent! Everyone strained their ears, waiting for the Emperor's good news.

"The good news is that the Prince of England has won his first battle! They fell Hengcheng this morning without losing a single soldier and captured the third prince of Xiping, Batnan, who was defending the city."

"Oh! Long live the Emperor! Long live Jinghe!..." As soon as Xuanyuan finished speaking, a unified and thunderous cheer rang out.

Xuanyuan smiled and raised his hands to suppress the shouts. Then he said loudly again:

"Gentlemen! We will celebrate our victory after we capture Jincheng and join forces with the King of England's army. Now, everyone, take your positions and get back to work!"

"Yes, sir!"

By this time, Xuanyuan's camp had already been set up. He instructed the messenger beside him:

"Summon all generals of the rank of adjutant or above to the north for a meeting!"

"Yes!" Several messengers immediately rode off separately to fetch their respective generals.

It's impossible for an army of 100,000 to march together. Otherwise, how much space would it take to build a palace? It would be impossible not to disturb the people. However, Emperor Xuanyuan had issued an imperial decree that the army must not disturb the people in the slightest during its march; violators would be executed or pardoned. Furthermore, local officials along the route were not allowed to come out to receive the emperor. Those who violated this decree would be treated the same as those who caused disturbances. Therefore, their march was able to proceed so smoothly. The emperor ate and slept with the soldiers throughout the journey, without making any special requests.

After the messenger left, Xuanyuan said to General Liu beside him:

"It will take some time for them all to arrive. You come in with me first; I have something to tell you to do." With that, he led the way into the military tent.

When General Liu entered the Emperor's tent, he was dumbfounded. He never dreamed that the Emperor's tent was only slightly different from that of an ordinary soldier's tent, except for a desk piled high with official documents and some simple folding stools. Clearly, these were prepared for the generals who would arrive later.

Xuanyuan was already used to such gazes from the generals. The first time he held a military conference in his own tent, all the generals present looked at him with the same eyes as General Liu. Xuanyuan offered no explanation at the time, but the next day he received news that all the generals had replaced their tents with his. At the same time, the small mess halls prepared for the officers were discontinued.

He pointed to the small stool in front of the table and said to General Liu:

"General Liu, please have a seat!"

"Oh! Thank you, Your Majesty!" General Liu was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening and thanked him.

Xuanyuan unfolded a military topographic map and pointed to the "One Line Sky," the only way from Meiling to Jincheng, and asked;

"General Liu has stationed troops here for many years. Do you have a good plan to get the army across this narrow pass quickly?"

General Liu shook his head with a troubled expression and said, "Your Majesty, this narrow pass is known as a natural fortress where one man can hold off ten thousand. Only one person can pass at a time, and I am ashamed to say that we still have no good solution."

Xuanyuan pursed his lips and nodded, then solemnly commanded:

"General Liu, listen to my decree! I order you to immediately inform the garrison of Jincheng that my 100,000-strong army has arrived at Meiling and that we will soon attack Jincheng! The sooner the better, and the bigger the commotion, the better! There must be no mistakes!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! This humble general obeys!" Although he didn't fully understand the emperor's intentions, obeying orders was a soldier's duty. Therefore, General Liu immediately accepted the emperor's military command.

One Hundred and Nineteen Linked Schemes

Jincheng, meaning "City of Gold," derives its name from its abundant gold production. Although located in a remote border region, it is a vital mineral-rich area in Xiping. Therefore, the King of Xiping specially dispatched a valiant general from Xiping to garrison Jincheng. That general, Sutuha, was a military ace among the best in the Xiping army, far more capable than the Third Prince.

Knowing that his king harbored aggressive intentions towards Jinghe, Sutuha had already thoroughly investigated the strength of the Jinghe garrison and had planted spies along the Jinghe border. Therefore, by the time Xuanyuan's vanguard reached Meiling, he had already received news of the approaching Jinghe army.

Sutuha immediately summoned his generals to discuss strategies for dealing with the enemy.

"I have just received news from Jinghe that his cowardly emperor has led an army of 100,000 to Meiling. It seems that the first battle in this war with Jinghe will be fought here in Jincheng."

When Sutuha spoke of Emperor Jinghe, he revealed obvious disdain and contempt. This was because six years ago, the second prince, Xuanyuan Yunlu, had been defeated by him.

His subordinates also regarded Emperor Jinghe as a defeated general and didn't take Xuanyuan seriously at all. Immediately, someone ordered:

"Hmph! It seems this little emperor still hasn't improved! Leading 100,000 troops to attack Jincheng! Does he think gold is so easy to take?"

“Yes! That ‘narrow pass’ alone will keep his 100,000-strong army busy for quite some time!” another person added.

"General, I find Emperor Jinghe's actions quite suspicious! Surely he couldn't be unaware that Jincheng is separated from Jinghe by a natural barrier, right? Yet he didn't lead his troops to another defense zone. Instead, he came to Meiling, the closest to Jincheng. In my opinion, we must be wary of Jinghe playing tricks."

An officer who looked to be only in his early twenties offered a different perspective, immediately drawing glares from the crowd. Someone was about to accuse him of boosting others' morale, but Sutuhane raised his hand to stop them. Sutuhane then asked the young officer:

"In your opinion, how should our army be deployed?"

Seeing the general's protection, the young officer happily expressed his thoughts:

"This humble general believes that although the natural barrier is difficult to traverse, it is still in Jinghe's hands. Although it will take them time to get through, it is not impossible. They only need to send a portion of their troops to engage our army. Although our army is strong, we cannot wipe them all out in a short time. In this way, their remaining forces can follow up one after another, right?"

The young officer paused here, glancing at Sutuhane's expression. Seeing him nodding slightly, he continued:

"But if the natural defenses are in our hands, the situation will be quite different."

"Good! That hits the nail on the head." Before the young officer could finish speaking, Sutuha clapped his hands excitedly and cheered. Then he added excitedly:

"I have long requested permission from the King to take Yixiantian. However, the King has always said that the time is not right and we cannot start the war first. Now that their army is pressing in, this cannot be considered that we have started the war first! Besides, it is too late to report to the King now. As the saying goes, a general in the field may disobey the king's orders! This time, the three generals are truly grateful to Emperor Jinghe for creating such a good opportunity for us."

"General, you are wise..." the opportunist exclaimed in unison, praising your wisdom.

After silencing the chorus of flattery, Sutuha raised his hand and began to outline the battle plan, pointing to the map...

"A Line of Sky" is a crucial military stronghold for Jinghe's defense. It is also the only route from Meiling to Jincheng. Located between two peaks, it is a narrow mountain path, about five miles long, perched atop a sheer cliff. With a sheer drop above and a deep abyss below, its perilous nature is unimaginable. "A Line of Sky" is within Jinghe's territory and has always been guarded by General Liu's troops. Due to its advantageous geographical location, only a few thousand soldiers are usually stationed there.

These few thousand men had held Meiling, the gateway to Xiping, firmly in the great battle six years ago. This is also why the King of Xiping refused to allow Sutuhane Cheng to attack Yixiantian at will.

When General Liu, following the imperial edict of Xuanyuan, spread the news throughout Jincheng, the entire city knew of the advance. The Xiping army had already reacted. Sutuhane personally led 15,000 soldiers towards the strategic pass known as "One Line Sky," located 20 li from Jincheng and bordering Meiling.

Sutuhani had long wanted to capture this fortress, but had been struggling to find the right opportunity. As he told his subordinates, he now had to thank Xuanyuan for giving him the chance to attack. Moreover, Xuanyuan had given him one surprise after another. He had originally thought that taking this 'narrow pass' would require some effort. But he hadn't expected Jinghe's defenders to be so easily defeated.

His army began fighting the Jinghe garrison at Shenshi (3-5 PM) and by 3:45 PM, they had captured the Jincheng side of Yixiantian (一线天). The soldiers of Xiping were immediately filled with high morale and boundless enthusiasm. Overwhelmed by victory, Sutuhani didn't think twice. He immediately ordered a pursuit that very night, aiming to seize control of the entire Yixiantian.

But what awaited them on the other side of the 'narrow passage'? Without a doubt, it was the super gift package that Xuanyuan had already prepared for them, his Xiaojie's masterpiece—landmines.

Led by 15,000 spirited soldiers, torches in hand, Sutuhani pursued the fleeing Jinghe soldiers, charging through the narrow pass in one fell swoop. The soldiers at the front discovered that the Jinghe deserters who had been running ahead of them had suddenly vanished into the wide valley ahead. They immediately reported this to Sutuhani, who was in the middle of the column. Upon hearing this, Sutuhani felt a sudden tremor in his heart. He began to realize that things were in jeopardy. But now, the die was cast.

He reasoned that as long as they held this narrow passage, even if Emperor Jinghe's army numbered 100,000 or even a million, they wouldn't be able to cross Jincheng. Therefore, he still ordered them to continue advancing and regroup in the valley ahead. It took the entire force of over 10,000 men half an hour to traverse the narrow passage. The torches of 15,000 men instantly illuminated the entire valley as if it were daytime.

"Is General Sutuhani down the mountain?"

Suddenly, a clear, melodious voice, like heavenly music, echoed through the valley, emanating from above. The noisy crowd was immediately shaken by the sound. Sutuhani paused for a moment, then shouted back.

"I am here! Who goes there? State your name."

"Hmph! Let me tell you so you can die knowing why!" The heavenly voice instantly transformed into a cold, demonic murmur from hell. Everyone who heard it felt a chill run down their spines. Sutuhani was enraged by the arrogant tone and was about to retort with a tirade when the chilling echo from the mountain resounded down again.

"I am Xuanyuan Yunli, the one you plotted against six years ago. Today, I will avenge the more than 20,000 soldiers who died back then."

"Haha, a defeated general, hiding his head and tail, not even daring to show himself. How can he talk about collecting debts? Fortunately, you are a little emperor, aren't you? Aren't you afraid of losing face for Jinghe with such a shameful thing?" Sutuhani mocked loudly.

"Haha... Emperor Jinghe, a defeated general! A defeated general!" Sutuhani's words immediately drew a burst of laughter and shouts from the Xiping soldiers.

"Hmph! Still dare to be stubborn even when death is imminent!" Xuanyuan sneered, then personally pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it accurately towards the spot where Sutuhani had spoken.

Sutuhani was also a highly skilled martial artist. Suddenly, he saw a dark object flying down from the mountain. Naturally, he assumed it was some kind of hidden weapon. Instinctively, he drew his sword and slashed at it…

With a deafening bang, Sutuhani's severed limbs, accompanied by billowing black smoke, slowly fell from the sky, landing on the stunned and speechless Xiping soldiers. These Xiping soldiers were ruthless executioners; killing was no different to them than killing someone for money. Yet, even so, they were still terrified when they witnessed their general being blown away in an instant.

Before the terrified Xiping soldiers could recover, a barrage of bombings followed. Finally, screams of terror and the groans of the wounded and maimed mingled with the deafening roar of the bombs... Many Xiping soldiers who panicked and tried to retreat were pushed off the precipice by their own men; those who managed to escape were not pursued. But what awaited them was no good.

After the thunderous roar subsided, shouts of surrender finally echoed through the valley.

"Emperor Jinghe! Stop fighting, we surrender!"

Xuanyuan then waved his hand to Yuan Zheng, who was in charge of the grenades, to stop: