"Tomorrow, that would be good, that would be good." Huang Mang's mind was in turmoil. He casually pulled a woman into his arms and began to fondle her wantonly.
Just then, Si Xinian walked in, and he looked at his actions with disgust.
After a while, the woman's touch also made Huang Mang uneasy. When he saw Si Xinian enter the hall, he seemed to have found a vent for his anger and accused her: "You seem quite smug! Don't forget, once Tianjing falls, you will also be doomed."
Si Xinian bowed and asked, "What is the general's intention?"
"General Zhao's death is definitely related to you." At this moment, Huang Mang could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed the knife at his waist, wanting to kill this kid right now. But his words to Si Xinian were a warning that he knew everything and shouldn't try anything funny.
Si Xinian said, "What evidence points to me? Since General Huang is so worried, why not imprison me? Then I won't be able to escape."
Huang Mang's face immediately darkened. Was he trying to use the Crown Prince of the Northern Region to pressure him by imprisoning him at this time?
Now that Tianjing is in danger of being captured at any time, he is confident that he can escape, but he is still thinking about the territory Xie Jun is conquering in the rear.
This feeling of wanting to eat but being unable to swallow was really making him uncomfortable.
Huang Mang released his grip on the sword and immediately changed his tune, saying, "You'd better not run around anymore. Also, will Xie Ying personally lead the battle against the Northern Shi Kingdom?"
If Xie Ying were to personally take to the battlefield, the situation would change again. The best outcome would be a three-way war. His chances of survival would be greater, and he would be more highly regarded in the Northern Region.
Si Xinian said, "Xie Ying will not leave the Southern Region. The person you should be worried about now is Master Si."
"Still haven't found Master Si?" Huang Mang knew he was a threat, but compared to Xie Ying, Master Si was at most a fly.
"Where are they?" he asked his staff.
The aide was extremely guilty: "Reporting to the general, Lord Sibo has many friends. It's possible that one of the officials has hidden himself away. We are of low rank and dare not trespass..."
Si Xinian said, "It seems that there are disloyal people under General Huang's nose."
Huang Mang couldn't stand it any longer. Tomorrow was the last day, so he immediately sent people to investigate those who were close to Si Bogong and arrest anyone who had seen him.
This operation resulted in the arrest of twenty-three officials from the capital. One of them was a relative of Huang Mang.
Huang Mang learned that so many civil officials were related to Si Bogong, and that many of them wanted to pledge allegiance to Xie Ying.
The Duke of Zheng was also arrested, and his house was searched. Private letters between him and the Southern Regions were found, but the Duke of Sibo was nowhere to be found. The Duke of Zheng's son also disappeared.
He could no longer tolerate it and ordered these civil officials to be thrown into death row.
Once he leaves Tianjing, it will be the end for these people.
Huang Mang had dealt with the traitor, but his mind was still in turmoil. Looking at Si Xinian's calm demeanor, he suddenly said in a sinister tone, "Comparing all these things, do you think Xie Ying is being absurd, or is this general being absurd?!"
This question was a trap, and the listener was terrified. However, the person Huang Mang asked was Si Xinian.
Si Xinian replied, "Naturally, it is General Huang."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a messenger's voice came from outside the hall: "Report—Shi Kingdom Prefecture, Northern Region. One side has reached the gorge, and the other is at Nanxi; they have already headed south!!"
"Tomorrow, we will encircle the Southern Territory!"
Upon hearing that his two benefactors had taken action, Huang Mang slumped onto the dragon throne, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally, I don't have to live in fear anymore.
He also thought that if the Southern Region fell into chaos, Xie Ying's troops nearby would definitely come to his aid. Then he would have the opportunity to take over the four counties, attack the key areas of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Jin, and deeply control the grain routes between the Three Jin and the Northern Region Shi State. At that time, he would have another bargaining chip to get the Northern Region Shi State to unconditionally support his troops.
"Good, very good! Old Lord Shi Yang is indeed vigorous despite his age. The Khan of the Northern Region can keep his promise. From now on, I will only respect him!"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 17:27:09 on November 15, 2021 and 15:42:46 on November 18, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Hidden Uncle 53 1;
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Uncle Hidden 53 27 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 21 Tianjing Changes Hands to the Xie Family as New Master
"And Brother Yelü! Huang Mang has overthrown Xie Ying and become the ruler of the Three Jin states. He will never forget your kindness."
Si Xinian stood silently to the side.
As the north wind swept down from the south, two caravans of a hundred people each passed by. They were unaware that war could break out in the south at any moment; they were only thinking about trading furs for rice from the south to take back to their hometown of Yulan.
The rice of the Southern Region is renowned far and wide for its three annual harvests. Furthermore, with the Xie family in power, although the people's lives are not easy, at least they don't have to live in constant fear. Not to mention, Marshal Xie recently showed great compassion by distributing winter rations to every resident of the region, ensuring they can survive the winter. This is equivalent to saving millions of people; for those who survived the winter, Marshal Xie has become a benevolent ruler.
Before the rice could be exchanged, the ground suddenly trembled. It wasn't an earth dragon or a celestial anomaly; rather, it was as if dark clouds were pressing down on the city ahead, and hundreds of thousands of people hurriedly turned back from the north. The caravan was so frightened that it stood still, afraid to move.
"What happened?"
"That's a general under Marshal Xie."
"Is another war about to break out?!"
"I heard that Huang Ze betrayed the Grand Marshal and even kidnapped the King of Shanxi to hold him hostage, causing resentment among the people and officials of Shanxi. Now that the Grand Marshal is going to attack Tianjing, everyone is supporting her!"
"Then Marshal Xie is the one who wins the hearts of the people!"
At this moment, the person in the lead was Xie Guang.
Xie Guang circled back to the south from the north. He didn't know why the Grand Marshal was doing this. But when he passed through the north, he encountered troops from the Northern Region. Those dark-colored troops were stationed on distant mountain peaks. The leader of them glanced at them and then quickly disappeared from his sight.
Seeing Xie Guang leading troops that didn't match the intelligence reports back to the Southern Region, General Qiao Ji of the Northern Region specifically asked his scouts, "Huang Mang didn't send us hundreds of thousands of troops back!"
The scout reported, "Tianjing has been sealed off for three days, and there has been no new intelligence."
George sneered, "Then there's no need to fight this match."
"How should we explain this to the Khan?" the scout asked.
Qiao Ji watched as Xie Jun's troops, familiar with the routes, dispersed at various intersections below the mountain. Each time an army passed, they would begin cutting down trees, setting up defenses, and piling up earth and stones behind them—they were incredibly professional, and the Xie soldiers seemed to be working with great enthusiasm. If a battle broke out, they would certainly have the strength to fight.
Qiao Ji did not leave immediately, but instead instructed two men to secretly go down the mountain to observe Xie Jun, who was building fortifications.
As soon as the two men came down the mountain, Xie Jun dug a few ditches and then started to slack off. He took out salt water and biscuits from his waist bag and started eating.
One soldier, finding something amiss with the food, spat out, "Our southern rice is still the best! Look at this pancake, it's almost frozen solid."
Another soldier said, "It's good enough to have something to eat, why are you being picky? But don't tell me, we've only had cured meat three times along the way, and I've been craving meat for a long time."
"It's all because of that damned Shi Kingdom and the Northern Region. If it weren't for them, we would definitely be attacking Tianjing with General You, and we would be living the high life by now!"
Upon hearing this, the two quickly returned and reported the situation to George.
When Qiao Ji heard that even ordinary Xie soldiers could eat so well in the dead of winter, it was clear that their supplies were plentiful. Even when they were rushing back to reinforce, they weren't deprived of a good meal, and some even complained that the flatbread was unpalatable. Not to mention when they returned to defend the Southern Region, where, as their main base, there was plenty of good wine and meat to serve these Xie soldiers.
As long as they were well-fed and watered, the soldiers were full of fighting spirit; as the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame." In an era when everyone was risking their lives just to have enough to eat, how many people envied Xie Jun's life? How hard would Xie Jun have fought to maintain such a life?
Even in their northern region, these flatbreads are not something ordinary families can afford.
Qiao Ji said, "The Southern Region is indeed a land of auspicious geomancy! It's a pity it doesn't belong to us!"
"Let's retreat!"
The three armies of the Northern Region immediately exchanged messages and never descended the mountain again.
News of Xie Guang's return to the Southern Regions reached Chenxiang Mansion.
Xie Lanzhi was practicing her second calligraphy copybook when she heard her subordinate report the situation. She raised her hand and said, "When Xie Xia returns to the Southern Region, if the Shi Kingdom dares to make any further moves, we will declare war on Shi Yang directly!"
"Yes!" Xinbing replied excitedly.
For the Xie family, war was always exciting news.
In less than an afternoon, when Xie Xia returned with 100,000 men, Xinbing and the envoy were leading 1,000 men, carrying black battle flags, heading towards the border city with Shiguo Prefecture.
Just as Shi Yang of Shi State launched his attack, before he had even fully crossed the border of Shi State, he received war drums and smoke signals from Xie's army, all heading in the direction of Shi State.
Shi Yang was old and frail, and leading troops in the dead of winter was too much for him to endure. He looked down from the mountain on the border at Xie Jun, whose army numbered in the tens of thousands and was pressing down on the border.
It was obvious that Xie Ying was warning them that if they dared to leave Shiguofu, the Shiguofu they would see tomorrow would be a devastated and severely damaged hometown.
Since both Xie Ji and Xie Guang led their troops back to the Southern Region, Xie Guang's passage through the key routes of the Northern Region must have also alerted the Khan of the Northern Region to withdraw his troops.
Since the Northern Region isn't coming, the Shi Kingdom can only send a maximum of 300,000 men. To expect 300,000 men to defeat Xie Ying's 450,000 elite troops is simply wishful thinking.
In this way, the previous plan to undermine Xie Ying's position and seize control of Tianjing from Yi Sanjin can be considered a failure.
Xie Ying's strategy of encirclement without attack was a complete success.
Looking at the intelligence handed over by his informant, Shi Yang couldn't help but say warily, "There has been no conflict for two years, and this young man has reached the pinnacle of military strategy."
"If I remember correctly, when Xie Ying attacked us last time, she was still using blitzkrieg tactics. The Shi State government made many preparations to counter her blitzkrieg tactics and accumulated experience in dealing with Xie Ying's blitzkrieg methods. Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Xie Ying has abandoned the old methods and adopted new ones."
"Sigh, I've been preparing to deal with her for five years. Now... it seems I'm too old to keep up with her."
Shi Yang casually took off his sword, handed it to his son Shi Jian, and said, "Withdraw!"
Shi Jian looked at him with disbelief: "Father, what about Huang Mang? Our Shi State Mansion has a prior agreement with him. If we don't go, wouldn't that be like crossing the river and burning the bridge?"
“The ones who have turned their backs on us and betrayed our benefactor are not us, but Huang Mang. Even if Huang Mang were to tear open our handwritten letter, no one would believe him, given his own words and treachery. There’s no need to worry.” Shi Yang looked at his son’s belated realization and shook his head in disappointment: “You are two years older than Xie Ying, how come you are so different?”
Shi Yang looked again at the fertile land in the Southern Region, where rice could be harvested three times a year. This winter, while the surrounding prefectures and states were filled with starving corpses, only the Southern Region was brightly lit with lights and smoke rising from chimneys. Facing this dreamland that was so close yet unattainable, he couldn't help but sigh with regret: "Alas, at this moment, I must also praise, 'One should have a son like Xie Ying!'"
"By simply besieging without attacking, they resolved two crises and stabilized their position in the Southern Region. They are truly a force to be reckoned with!"
After the Shi Kingdom government issued a message to the outside world that it was mobilizing troops to strengthen border defenses, nothing came of it.
Only then did people inside and outside the Southern Region learn that the Shi Kingdom had mobilized 300,000 people near the Southern Region, intending to invade. Everyone in the Southern Region was terrified upon hearing this.
If it weren't for the Grand Marshal's timely order to reposition, the Southern Region would likely be engulfed in war, rife with danger—a truly masterful conspiracy of alliances and maneuvers. And the ultimate target was none other than the Southern Region!
The Xie family knew that Huang Mang had volunteered to lure them in in order to drag Marshal Xie into the mess.
Everyone was furious and wished they could kill Huang Mang to vent their anger.
Xie Guang and Xie Xia finally realized the Grand Marshal's intention. Xie Guang felt very ashamed and said, "If it weren't for the Grand Marshal's timely intervention, we probably wouldn't even have a home left."
"But after returning, only Xie Ji is left in Tianjing. And Shanxi is a hopeless case. I'm afraid he'll be a burden to Xie Ji. Is it too much to ask him to deal with Huang Mang's army of over 100,000 men by himself?" Xie Xia couldn't help but worry.
Xie Guang didn't speak, but he knew very well that if he replaced Xie Ji, he would definitely kill all the Yellow Bandits.
After Xie Lanzhi appeared at the Imperial Palace, Xie Guang and Xie Xia both stood up and bowed, saying, "Grand Marshal."
Xie Lanzhi had no time to explain. She immediately ordered the two men, "You guard the border of the Southern Region and do not allow anyone to enter or leave. Also, arrest any merchants from the Northern Region you see. Stop all trade with the Northern Region and order the surrounding counties to cease all contact with the Northern Region."
This was just one of the orders. As for why she didn't attack the Shi Kingdom, she had other plans. Because the Shi Kingdom was very close to the Southern Region, Shi Yang didn't dare to attack the Northern Region first, clearly indicating that he was still leaving room for maneuver. Shi Yang was a shrewd and calculating man; he knew the principle that the first bird to stick its head out gets shot.
The Northern Region dares to take the lead precisely because it is far from the Southern Region, which gives it confidence.