Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, watching the actions of the First and Second Kings within the formation. She knew of the deep bond between the four kings of Southern Xinjiang. If their opposing stances were disregarded, she might admire such brotherly affection, but now that they were enemies, she would show absolutely no mercy.
Even if a king could escape this formation and trap alive, he would certainly not be able to leave this place alive from her clutches.
"How could I abandon you?!" The first king roared at the second king, holding him tightly. But how could his already injured body, supporting an even more seriously injured person, possibly dodge the overwhelming barrage of hidden weapons?!
The first and second kings eventually ran out of energy and were shot in the back by a hidden weapon; they were on the verge of death.
Xuan Lou's empty eyes were veiled with a faint mist, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. He removed the surrounding array and led Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan to the First and Second Kings.
The two kings had already died from their injuries, while the first king, who had been shot and seriously wounded, was still alive.
"Where is the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and asked calmly.
"I don't know." The king gritted his teeth, his face pale, but he still looked at Shen Qianmo with arrogance. His eyes were filled with anger and resentment. If eyes could be turned into weapons, Shen Qianmo would probably have died a thousand times over.
Upon hearing the king's reply, Shen Qianmo calmly curled the corners of her lips, appearing unhurried. She glanced down at the king and said in a light tone, "I wonder if the Holy Son of Southern Border is someone who cares for his subordinates?"
He allowed the four kings of the Southern Frontier to deal with her. It's unclear whether he deliberately sent the four kings as a test, or if he placed too much trust in their abilities. If it's the former, then the Holy Son of the Southern Frontier would certainly not care about the life of a king; if it's the latter, then the Holy Son of the Southern Frontier should not ignore it.
She preferred to believe the latter. The power of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan couldn't possibly be so terrifying as to use such strength merely as a test. Furthermore, if the Southern Frontier Holy Son were truly ruthless and heartless, how could he have won the unwavering loyalty of the Four Kings?!
As expected, when the king heard Shen Qianmo's words, his expression immediately changed. He turned his head and wanted to take the poison, but Shen Qianmo quickly sealed all the acupoints on his body, making him completely unable to move.
"Oh. It seems the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang still cares about his subordinates?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, her dark eyes filled with calculation. The actions of the First King had already proven everything. Since that was the case, she would use the First King as bait to lure out the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang.
The king was completely immobilized by Shen Qianmo's acupoints, leaving only his eyes filled with deep resentment and unwillingness. Shen Qianmo, seeing the king's terrifying gaze, showed no sign of nervousness, instead looking at him with a faint smile.
"If you keep looking at Mo'er like that, I won't hesitate to gouge out your eyes!" Shen Qianmo showed no discomfort, but Situ Jingyan was enraged. He looked at the king with a cold expression and said.
One of the kings glanced at Situ Jingyan with disdain, as if to say, "Go ahead and kill me if you dare." Shen Qianmo smiled faintly and said softly, "Don't worry. We won't kill you."
These words, though seemingly comforting, actually fueled the king's resentment and despair. He was utterly useless; not only had he failed to kill Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan, but he had also been captured and used as leverage to threaten the Holy Son.
They imprisoned the king, setting up traps and mechanisms around him, waiting for anyone who wanted to rescue him to walk right into their trap. Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan spread the news of the king's capture throughout the southern borderlands, causing quite a stir there.
Without the Southern Frontier Holy Clan lurking in the shadows, and without the occasional poisoning and assassination attempts, Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan's days in Nancheng could be considered quite pleasant. However, with Linwei pressing Tianmo step by step and the Southern Frontier also showing signs of restlessness, time was running out for Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan to leisurely enjoy themselves in Nancheng.
"Planning to just wait like this?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow. This Holy Son was either too calm or simply didn't care about the life or death of a king. Two whole days had passed, and there hadn't been a single sound.
A slight ripple appeared in Situ Jingyan's dark eyes. He seemed bathed in sunlight, radiating a fiery and dazzling power. His smile was bold and confident, and his tone, though slow, carried a natural charm and domineering air. "Wait?! We can't wait. Since he won't come, we'll turn the tables and strike at his heart!"
Turning the tables and striking straight at the heart of the enemy?! Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow. Situ Jingyan meant to send troops to attack Southern Border?! But the Southern Border's Holy Son was still missing, perhaps still hiding in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment. Furthermore, Southern Border's strength should not be underestimated; Tianmo might not gain the upper hand in a war. Most importantly, to Tianmo's north, Linwei was also watching with predatory eyes!
At this time, isn't it risky to send troops to attack the southern border, putting Tianmo in a precarious situation of being attacked from both sides?! But Shen Qianmo knew that Situ Jingyan was not an impulsive person; there must be a reason why he proposed such a solution.
She raised an eyebrow. She didn't speak, simply waiting for Situ Jingyan to explain. Although she understood strategy, she was clueless about military tactics and warfare.
“If we don’t act soon, Linwei will make its move. Knowing Yan Xiuling as I do, he will definitely not let such a good opportunity slip by. Now that the Southern Frontier is holding our forces back, it couldn’t be better for him to attack at this time.” Situ Jingyan’s dark eyes were like a deep pool, unfathomable, and a cold smile played on his lips. “Since we can’t avoid a situation where we can’t attend to both sides, we might as well strike first and take over the Southern Frontier as quickly as possible.”
"If we can conquer Southern Xinjiang, the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang will naturally be forced to reveal himself." Shen Qianmo smiled calmly, a glint of light flashing in his dark eyes. The Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang has been hiding his whereabouts. Rather than waiting for him to reveal himself, it would be better to attack Southern Xinjiang directly and force him to show himself. Then we can wipe him out in one fell swoop, destroy Southern Xinjiang, and then turn around to deal with Linwei.
Situ Jingyan also smiled faintly, his tone slow and deliberate, yet each word carried an air of dominance, "I refuse to believe that after I destroy the Southern Frontier, the Holy Son of the Southern Frontier will not intervene!"
“That’s right! Rather than being held back, we should launch a major offensive!” Shen Qianmo smiled ruthlessly. These days, they were quite unhappy because they were hesitant to act, even though she didn’t understand military strategy. However, since Situ Jingyan dared to attack the Southern Frontier, he must be confident!
"Xuanlou, where is the weapon you promised me?" Situ Jingyan suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at Xuanlou, who had been sitting quietly to the side without saying a word, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
When Xuanlou heard Situ Jingyan ask about the weapons, he slowly raised his eyes and said in his usual gentle tone, "They have been prepared. However, they are all in the capital of Tianmo Kingdom."
A moment of hesitation crossed Xuan Lou's face. One hundred thousand weapons were no small number. One hundred thousand sharp weapons could indeed decide the outcome of a war. However, transporting one hundred thousand weapons from the capital of Tianmo Kingdom was not so easy.
Situ Jingyan's decision to attack Southern Xinjiang is all about speed. Once he takes action, Linwei will inevitably follow suit. To conquer Southern Xinjiang, Situ Jingyan will have to deploy most of Tianmo's forces south to deal with it, leaving less manpower to defend Linwei. If he's not quick enough, he might end up being attacked from both sides by Linwei before even conquering Southern Xinjiang.
"Ten thousand weapons. Smuggle them secretly to the capital of Qiyue." Situ Jingyan's expression remained unchanged, a bloodthirsty smile curling at the corner of his lips. He said, "A million-strong army against the Southern Frontier doesn't need those ten thousand weapons!"
A million-strong army. It turns out that Situ Jingyan had already begun transferring Tianmo's troops to the southern city. During these seemingly resting days, Situ Jingyan had been secretly plotting, and the fact that these troop movements had not leaked out at all was a testament to the well-trained nature of Tianmo's army and Situ Jingyan's prowess.
A million-strong army against the Southern Frontier doesn't need those 100,000 powerful weapons. This seemingly simple statement carries boundless dominance and confidence—a confidence that surveys the world with an air of invincibility, a confidence that no one dares to challenge.
If someone else had said this, Xuan Lou might have responded with a gentle smile, but inwardly he would have disagreed. However, since Situ Jingyan said it, Xuan Lou had no choice but to believe it.
"One hundred thousand Imperial Guards from the capital, can they really hold Tianmo?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow slightly. Situ Jingyan mobilized a million troops, so wouldn't that mean he only left one hundred thousand Imperial Guards from the capital to guard Tianmo? These one hundred thousand Imperial Guards were all personally trained by Situ Jingyan; their strength was extraordinary. But Linwei was no ordinary country, and Yan Xiuling was not someone to be trifled with. Did Situ Jingyan really have the confidence to hold Tianmo?!
A hint of domineering glint flashed in Situ Jingyan's dark eyes, and a slow smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Just hold the capital and wait for my return."
Upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Shen Qianmo immediately understood their meaning. There is no gain without sacrifice. To attack the Southern Frontier, one must first conquer it; to conquer the Southern Frontier, one must mobilize all of Tianmo's forces. If one wants to attack the Southern Frontier while simultaneously abandoning Linwei, then nothing will be accomplished.
Tianmo cannot deal with both Southern Xinjiang and Linwei simultaneously, so the best approach is to concentrate its forces on Southern Xinjiang first. Once Southern Xinjiang is recovered, then it can deploy troops to deal with Linwei. As for the attack on Linwei, all that's needed is to delay it. Once Situ Jingyan has conquered Southern Xinjiang, Tianmo can then march on Linwei. By then, having already annexed Southern Xinjiang, Tianmo will be a completely different entity.
Even if Linwei annexed some of Tianmo's cities, it wouldn't be a match for Tianmo. However, while some cities could be lost, a nation's faith and capital could not be abandoned. Therefore, Situ Jingyan left behind 100,000 Imperial Guards, whom he had personally trained, to guard Tianmo's capital.
As long as we can hold the capital, everything will be fine once Situ Jingyan returns. At that time, Tianmo will truly unify the world.
Originally, it was thought that the war between Tianmo and Linwei would break out first, but unexpectedly, the intervention of Nanjiang changed Situ Jingyan's plan. However, it is still the same: this world will belong to Situ Jingyan sooner or later!
"What courage." Xuan Lou showed a hint of appreciation upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, and said gently with a warm smile.
Anyone can spout grand principles. But not everyone has the same decisiveness as Situ Jingyan. It's a kind of overall control, and it's also Situ Jingyan's trust in the 100,000 Imperial Guards of Tianmo, and in the million-strong army of Tianmo.
It's important to understand that if the 100,000 Imperial Guards cannot defend Tianmo's capital, the situation will drastically change. The capital is the faith of a nation. If the capital falls, countless cities will surrender without a fight, and countless people will flock to Linwei. By then, even if Situ Jingyan occupies the Southern Frontier and returns to deal with Linwei, it will be too late.
Similarly, if Situ Jingyan cannot conquer Southern Xinjiang in the shortest possible time, not only will Southern Xinjiang fail to be conquered, but Tianmo will also face a pincer attack from both Linwei and Southern Xinjiang, making Tianmo's situation even more precarious.
Therefore, Situ Jingyan's decision involved a great risk and a huge gamble. That's why he said Situ Jingyan had great courage; if he won the gamble, Tianmo would be the biggest winner, with Southern Xinjiang and Linwei falling into his hands; if he lost, Tianmo would be attacked from both sides!
"Tianmo will not lose." As if seeing through Xuanlou's thoughts, Situ Jingyan smiled faintly, a smile that carried absolute domineering and confidence.
"Yes," Shen Qianmo smiled confidently. She didn't understand military strategy, nor did she know the troop strength comparison between Tianmo, Nanjiang, and Linwei, let alone how to conquer Nanjiang. But she trusted Situ Jingyan. Since Situ Jingyan said Tianmo wouldn't lose, then Tianmo wouldn't lose. Since Situ Jingyan chose to do this, he must have made thorough preparations.