"Senior Yan's injuries have fully healed, but Shi Mo's may not have yet."
Back in the reception room, Li Yunxiu said, "That leaves us with plenty of options."
By now, Gulanrena had taken an Azure Lotus Jade Ginseng Pill to settle her injuries and joined the meeting.
The Azure Lotus Jade Ginseng Pill was a medicine Wang Yu and the others had conveniently looted—er, acquired—er, graciously received as a gift from Baolun during their trip to the Western Regions. It possessed remarkable healing properties, but was useless to Wang Yu, making it perfect for Gulanrena right now.
"What do you propose?" Wang Yu asked.
Li Yunxiu looked at Yan Xiangxue. "That depends on whether Senior Yan is willing to resolve the matter of the Black Qiang once and for all."
Yan Xiangxue pondered for a moment. "Please speak plainly, Miss Li."
Li Yunxiu said, "I know Senior Yan treats both the Black Qiang and the White Qiang with equal benevolence. You would certainly be unwilling to initiate a war."
Yan Xiangxue nodded in silence.
Li Yunxiu continued, "Yet Shi Mo and the Black Qiang King have insatiable appetites. Once you pass away, they will inevitably move against the White Qiang. In the end, all you would achieve is out of sight, out of mind.
"You probably realize that you are merely buying time right now—drinking poison to quench your thirst. When the dam finally breaks, even more people might die," Li Yunxiu said softly.
Gulanrena hesitated, while Ardai glanced at Yan Xiangxue, not daring to speak.
Yan Xiangxue nodded and finally said, "Indeed."
Li Yunxiu continued, "In that case, so long as it is Shi Mo and the Black Qiang King who instigate the war, your conscience will be clear."
Yan Xiangxue looked up. "You want me to conceal my recovery and lure them into making a move?"
"Precisely." Li Yunxiu nodded. "If my husband accompanies you back to the White Qiang, Shi Mo will definitely act. Settling this once and for all might actually result in the fewest casualties."
Zhao Rong snapped his head around. "You want the prince to go to the White Qiang?"
Li Yunxiu said solemnly, "I will go as well!"
"If the prince and I go to the White Qiang together, the Black Qiang King and Shi Mo will never pass up this opportunity," Li Yunxiu said. "The Black Qiang will surely dispatch troops to attack the White Qiang."
Zhao Rong frowned. "And then the troops from Jinfeng Pass and Lingwu Pass will strike out together to catch the Black Qiang in a pincer attack?"
"No." Li Yunxiu shook her head. "If the Black Qiang send out an army, they will definitely keep a close watch on Jinfeng Pass and Lingwu Pass. Whether through couriers or delays along the way, we wouldn't be able to strike a decisive blow against them."
"Then what should we do?" Zhao Rong asked.
Wang Yu's eyes flashed, and he exchanged a glance with Li Yunxiu before they spoke in unison:
"Detour through Yumen Pass!"
Li Yunxiu offered a slight smile, gesturing for Wang Yu to explain.
"In the past, detouring through Yumen Pass would have been out of the question. But haven't we forged ties with General Wang Bin and improved relations with the Northwestern Army?"
Wang Yu smiled. "The Black Qiang have no idea about that. The Northwestern Army has limited numbers and has always defended territory rather than expanded it, so the Black Qiang will never pay attention to the northwest.
"Because of that, we can take the Xionglue Army and the Ding'an Army currently resting in Fengming Prefecture and send them on a detour through Yumen Pass. While the Black Qiang besiege the White Qiang and keep watch on Jinfeng and Lingwu passes, our forces can strike straight from the west into the Black Qiang homeland."
Zhao Rong's eyes lit up. "That way, with their homeland undefended, a single blow will shatter them!"
Wang Yu nodded. "The prerequisite, however, is that I must personally go to the White Qiang to enter the fray and act as bait."
Zhao Rong immediately frowned. "Can't we send a stand-in?"
Wang Yu chuckled. "Shi Mo isn't a fool."
Zhao Rong said gravely, "Still, Shi Mo is a Xiantian Grandmaster!"
Wang Yu gestured toward Yan Xiangxue. "Are you underestimating Senior Yan?"
Zhao Rong gave a wry smile. "Of course that's not what I meant."
Yan Xiangxue had personally taken up residence in the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, and her near-fatal injuries had been cured by Wang Yu. Furthermore, her consistent affinity for the Han lands over several decades gave her an impeccable reputation.
Even so, Zhao Rong remained uneasy. Wang Yu was, after all, the sole heir of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. "Aside from Shi Mo, there are also Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi."
Wang Yu pointed to himself. "I'm a Xiantian now, too."
Zhao Rong: "..."
Wang Yu had just attained the realm, and Zhao Rong had momentarily forgotten.
Zhao Rong counted on his fingers. The experts on the Black Qiang side were Shi Mo, Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi recruited from the Xingxiu Sea, and Shi Mo's disciple Qubi Amu. On their side, they had Yan Xiangxue, Wang Yu, and Gulanrena.
Among them, Shi Mo had been severely wounded by Ling Feiyun, and Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi were disabled, which would certainly impair their combat prowess. But on their own side, Gulanrena was somewhat weaker, and Wang Yu had only just broken through to Xiantian.
Moreover, the gap between Xiantian experts could be vast. Between a formidable Xiantian and a weakling Xiantian, a single move could decide the match—take Fang Shaobai's battle against Xin Yilong, for instance.
(Xin Yilong: *I'm not a weakling Xiantian, it's just that Fang Shaobai was too strong!*)
Thus, after calculating for a long while, Zhao Rong still couldn't tell which side held the advantage. In that case—
"I'll go as well," Zhao Rong said solemnly. "Back then, my elder brother swept across Mobei and dealt a heavy blow to the Black Qiang, yet he never truly crushed them. If this battle can settle it once and for all, it will be a momentous event shaping the entire northwest."
Wang Yu shook his head. "You do need to go, but not to the White Qiang."
Zhao Rong asked, "Where am I going, then?"
"To the Xionglue Army," Wang Yu said. "In case the Black Qiang homeland still harbors other masters, the Xionglue and Ding'an armies need you to oversee them."
"Then what about your side—"
Before Zhao Rong could finish, Wang Yu turned to Li Yunxiu. "Don't come with me either. I'm going there as bait; your presence won't serve much purpose. You'd be better off going to Jinfeng Pass or Lingwu Pass to await an opportunity."
Li Yunxiu's luminous eyes flickered, while Zhao Rong's brow knitted.
Before either could speak, Wang Yu turned back to Yan Xiangxue. "It works out well. I can discuss future border trade with the White Qiang King while seeing how the Black Qiang react.
"If the Black Qiang have no intention of attacking the White Qiang, we will call off all preparations, the Xionglue Army will march back, and all three sides can remain at peace.
"However, if the Black Qiang cannot resist sending troops, I ask Senior Yan to cast aside your mercy. Just as Yunxiu said, a short, sharp pain is better than lingering agony. Unifying the two Qiang might well cost fewer lives in the end."
Sitting in the head seat, Wang Yu appeared dignified, his gaze commanding, issuing orders with calm composure. Zhao Rong felt as if he were seeing his elder brother alive once more, and for a moment, he was awed by Wang Yu's presence and dared not speak.
Li Yunxiu looked at Wang Yu, a spark of admiration flashing deep within her bright eyes as her heart pounded anew.
Meeting Wang Yu's gaze, Yan Xiangxue reached out to stroke Ardai's soft hair. Catching the infatuated look in her disciple's eyes, she finally sighed. "The prince speaks with great wisdom. In truth, I have only been deceiving myself. Let us do as you say, Your Highness."
Wang Yu turned back to Zhao Rong and Li Yunxiu. "Do either of you have any other suggestions?"
Li Yunxiu shook her head. "None."
Zhao Rong opened his mouth to speak, but in the end shook his head as well. "None."
"Then it is decided." Wang Yu nodded, looking at Li Yunxiu. "Prepare the logistics and military deployments."
Li Yunxiu replied at once, "Last year, we bought up considerable farmland and had a bumper harvest. Combined with the Loulan treasure, we have ample provisions for an expedition beyond the frontier. As for the troop deployments—
"You will take three thousand Iron Eagle Cavalry to the White Qiang to draw the Black Qiang's attention. Uncle Rong will lead twenty thousand troops of the Xionglue and Ding'an armies on a detour through Yumen Pass to strike the Black Qiang homeland from behind. I will remain at Lingwu Pass to relieve pressure on you whenever needed."
Wang Yu shook his head. "I am going to the White Qiang as bait. What do I need the Iron Eagle Cavalry for?"
Li Yunxiu considered this. "Very well. Leave the Iron Eagle Cavalry with me, and take garrison troops from Lingwu Pass. You only need to hold firm and await reinforcements."
Zhao Rong asked, "If the bulk of the Black Qiang forces go to besiege the White Qiang, is it necessary for me to take twenty thousand men?"
Li Yunxiu replied, "It is. Once the Black Qiang learn their homeland has fallen, they will counterattack frantically. You must hold your ground. When the time comes, Jinfeng Pass can deploy its forces, and the prince and I can strike from behind. Caught in a three-pronged pincers, the Black Qiang will fall."
Zhao Rong fell silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Understood!"
Two days later, everyone set off on their respective routes.
Wang Yu traveled north to Lingwu Pass accompanied by Li Yunxiu, Yan Xiangxue, Ardai, and Gulanrena. Li Yunxiu remained behind with three thousand Iron Eagle Cavalry, while three thousand men from Lu Yunzhou's Chengyuan Army were mobilized to accompany Wang Yu beyond the pass.
Zhao Rong took the tiger tally and Wang Yu's handwritten letter to Fengming Prefecture to march with the army. With Feng Jing of the Ding'an Army as commander-in-chief and Zhao Jingjun of the Xionglue Army as vice commander, twenty thousand troops set out along the Anxi Circuit, exiting through Yumen Pass to detour into the northern borderlands.
At the same time, Zhao Yingjie was not idle either. Carrying Wang Yu's letter, he traveled to Ding'an Prefecture to visit Wang Bin and coordinate with the Northwestern Army, reassuring their various divisions and asking them to open Yumen Pass to grant passage.
Peng Hu, who had just rotated to garrison Jinfeng Pass, also received orders to hold the pass and await written orders from Feng Jing or Wang Yu before sallying forth to execute the three-pronged strike.
Only Yang Tianzhao of the Yangwei Army, who had rotated this year to guard Longshan Prefecture and protect the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, was left utterly baffled.
***
The grasslands, the third month.
It was spring. Streams gurgled across the steppe, gentle breezes blew, herds of cattle and sheep grazed, and lush grass flourished beneath the flight of songbirds.
"The last time we rode out through Jinfeng Pass, wasn't it also the third month?" Wang Yu asked suddenly.
"Indeed it was," Zhao Shan replied.
"We even killed one of Shi Mo's disciples back then," Zhao He chimed in.
On this journey to the White Qiang, Zhao Shan and Zhao He once again rode alongside Wang Yu.
Most guards in the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor were experts selected from the military, while others had been recruited from the jianghu or joined voluntarily, though clean backgrounds and verifiable origins were strictly required.
Because of these stringent standards, their martial masters might not match certain jianghu sects in sheer numbers, but loyalty was never in question.
There were several other first-rate experts like Zhao Shan and Zhao He in the manor, but a sprawling estate naturally required protection. If some third-rate scoundrel managed to sneak in and stir up trouble, the loss of face would be far too great.
Overhearing their conversation, Ardai reined in her horse and trotted over, asking curiously, "Brother Zhao, you clashed with Shi Mo as early as the third month of last year?"
Wang Yu nodded and recounted the events of the previous year. "Have you visited the collection room in my side wing? The eagle-beak mattocks in there were the spoils I took from that battle."
Ardai realized at once. "And here I thought that was just an armory for the manor guards!"
Wang Yu's collection room held quite a few trophies by now, ranging from Yuan Nahe's eagle-beak mattocks and Wei Honggang's refined iron staff early on, to Zhong Yulei's Fish-Scale Purple Gold Saber more recently.
Chattering casually, they soon saw the White Qiang Royal Court appearing in the distance.
A troop of riders galloped forward. At their head was a bearded elder who cupped his fists from afar, his voice carrying on the wind:
"Asuli of the White Qiang respectfully welcomes the Prince of Zhenxi!"
Chapter 109