Chapter 9: Openly saying one thing but secretly doing another

  At dawn, the sky is slightly bright.

  The Sungjin National Army's southern camp was bustling with activity. The soldiers were calmly and methodically taking roll call, preparing to depart at any moment.

  Inside the tent, candles were still lit. The generals waited inside. Several generals discussed the battle situation in front of them intermittently. Suddenly, the curtain opened and everyone turned their heads to look back.

  A petite woman in armor walked in, holding a black snake-skin whip. Her expressionless face was calm and unremarkable, but her cold eyes were heavy with murderous intent, unwavering and resolute. Originally small in stature, she now had an air of military firmness with this face and armor.

  It was Nalan Xianyu. The generals all looked at each other in dismay. The tent suddenly fell silent. No one greeted her, nor did they continue to discuss the battle situation.

  She had just walked into the tent when the curtain opened again. This time it was Dugu Han.

  Dugu Hansheng's legs were inconvenient to move, unable to go on stage. Still wearing a white robe, the White Tiger pushed a wheelchair. He came in and the generals all nodded their heads in greeting. Dugu Hansheng saw Nalan Xianyu's mourning attire, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

  For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent was somewhat eerie.

  Dugu Cold arrived at the hall. The soldiers came forward and spread out a map on the ground. A single map actually covered the entire floor. Nalan Xianyu looked down at the map. It was an enlarged local map, mainly showing the area of Shengjin South Pass and Jiangshui Pass.

  Shengjin Pass is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, while Jiangshui Pass is on the south bank. If one wants to attack Jiangshui Pass, they must take a water route.

  All the generals were quietly looking at the map, analyzing in their minds how to carry out the first offensive.

  General Chen was deep in thought. "The soldiers of the eight countries of Jiangnan are good at water battles. More than a decade ago, I once fought a small-scale battle with them. An army of 10,000 was defeated by their mere thousands of water soldiers and fled in disarray."

  General Chen did not avoid talking about his own defeat at all. He understood that past failures would be a good warning at this time, allowing everyone to know each other and not act rashly.

  General Zhao snorted coldly, "My Yellow Sea and Bohai Fleet are also famous for their bravery and combat skills. We have never lost a battle at sea. What's there to fear from those few pirates?"

  General Chen shook his head and said, "General Zhao doesn't know this, but this is exactly where they are formidable. My two naval fleets are indeed brave, but this river water is not the same as the open sea. On the high seas, we can engage in a direct confrontation with the enemy, at least we have some grasp of their movements. But on this river, they are like fish in the water, suddenly appearing and disappearing, their tactics are also extremely strange, always catching us off guard, making it impossible for us to react."

  "If they really can fight on the water, it would be good. Unfortunately, they probably won't come out to battle. They have almost exhausted all their forces in Jiangnan to defend the river pass. That red general is also very cunning and will not act rashly. The city of Jiangshui is easy to defend but hard to attack. If they defend to the death, we will be unable to enter no matter what. Moreover, if we cross the river to attack the city, our army's grain supplies will have to be transported on the river. What if they lay an ambush on the river and cut off our grain supplies?"

  Everyone nodded in agreement. In that case, this battle can only be won by strategy, not by brute force.

  General Chen said: "The first thing we need to do is to lure the snake out of its hole. But how?"

  Nalan Xixi quietly listened to them, with her status, it was not suitable for her to say much here and steal the spotlight. Especially this group of generals who didn't put her in their eyes at all, and had no good feelings towards her.

  She says whatever they will suspect her of hiding an ulterior motive.

  However, several generals seemed to have no intention of letting her off. General Chen turned back, looked at Nalan Xianuo with a hint of a smile and a tinge of sarcasm, and asked: "I wonder if Your Highness has any suggestions."

  Nalan Xixi raised her eyes and glanced at Dugu Han above. Dugu Han silently lifted his head, their eyes met, and there was undisguised tenderness in his gaze. He nodded slightly.

  Nalan Xixi nodded her head. Immediately, she calmly asked: "May I ask the various generals, why did the eight countries of Jiangnan send out 3 million troops to guard the Jiangshui Pass?"

  The generals looked at each other in dismay. General Zhao said, "Our Holy Gold has sent 700,000 troops to aid us. They are afraid that after Lenovo's defeat, they will be attacked and conquered all at once. So they have formed an alliance with Lenovo."

  Nalan Xixi nodded slightly and smiled faintly. "Gentlemen, if Holy Gold were to rise up in rebellion against Luo Tian now, with the current situation, what would the eight nations of Jiangnan and the United Association do?"

  General Wu was taken aback. "They will unite together to oppose Holy Gold."

  General Zhao was somewhat surprised. "You mean..."

  Nalan Xixi smiled. "Actually, the Crown Prince had plans long ago."

  Dugu's lips slightly curled up. Nalan Xiong continued, "Last night I fell into Huangfu Ling's trap. Fortunately, the Crown Prince arrived in time. The Crown Prince brought his troops to launch a surprise attack. I thought that since the Crown Prince personally led the army to come, it was assumed that the Sheng Jin army had broken through. Such news must have reached the ears of Hong and Hei two generals."

  The generals suddenly understood. No wonder their prince, as soon as he heard that she had fallen into Huangfu Ling's sinister plot, personally led the troops to go forward. It turned out that they had been preparing for today's battle long ago. He was indeed their prince, never doing anything unnecessary, and every step was well-planned.

  "At noon today, I pretended to be seriously injured and led the wounded soldiers from Luotian towards Jiangshui Pass. The general then sent men to pursue us closely, creating a scene of hot pursuit. I again sent men ahead to seek reinforcements at Jiangshui Pass."

  General Chen frowned. "But how can you be sure they will come out to rescue you?"

  Nalan Xixi smiled lightly. "If Luotian is conquered by Shengjin, the eight countries of Jiangnan will have only two outcomes. One is to be taken advantage of by Lianxiang and attacked. The other is to be sandwiched between Lianxiang and Shengjin on both sides. What they fear most is this. So, they would rather take a risk and try. If you believe me, at worst we'll lose a few ships and a few thousand soldiers. But if you don't believe me, what will be lost is the entire Jiangnan."

  The crowd suddenly realized and couldn't help but praise. The prejudice against Nalan Xingde in their hearts also decreased a bit.

  Nalan Xixi smiled lightly. This was something she had learned from Huangfu Ling yesterday.

  "Let's get started."

  Nalan Xixi looked at Dugu Han. He didn't have any special expression. As usual, he was calm and cold.

  He didn't say much more, but his calm and elegant demeanor carried an unshakeable confidence. However, this confidence was different from the overbearing aura of Nan Gong Jin. This confidence had transformed into a tranquil and serene quality in him.

  He always looks calm and collected, neither surprised nor delighted, neither arrogant nor restless. This is a unique emotion that only those in control can have. Everything is under control, no need to change expression.

  The same proud gaze at the heroes. Nan Gong Jin is someone who makes people involuntarily surrender, while he is someone who makes people unknowingly surrender.

  He didn't say much more. He didn't object to Nalan Xixi using herself as bait. Only because... he had enough confidence to keep her safe.

  At noon, Luo Tian rushed south along the river on horseback. Nalan Xianyu was covered in blood, with a team of wounded soldiers following behind her. Upon arriving at the riverbank, they boarded a warship and headed towards Jiang Water Pass.

  The sun was shining brightly. The warship-shaped shadow was swiftly sailing across the river surface, passing by the reed area. Nalan Xiong faintly heard the soft rustling sounds coming from within the reeds, growing farther and farther away. The scouts hiding here had returned to Jiang Water City.

  At this time, several warships sailed east of the Yangtze River towards this side. For a while, arrows fell like rain. The bowmen on the warship continuously shot arrows at Nalan Xianyu's location.

  Nalan Xixi swung the long whip in her hand, resisting the opponent's offensive.

  In the distance, a patrol boat was seen approaching from afar. Narlan Xizheno's face lit up with joy and he said, "Let's go."

  Behind him, the wounded soldier covered in blood jumped into the water and swam towards the patrol boat. Nalan Xianyu walked back to the cabin, where General Chen was drinking tea inside. Outside, long arrows were shooting onto the ship's board, making a dull thudding sound.

  Jiangshui City

  "...Report!" Outside the door, soldiers rushed in quickly.

  Hong and Hei Er are discussing something in the hall. Seeing him so anxious, their expressions all paused for a moment.

  "What's wrong?" asked General Hong.

  "Report, General. The patrol boat on the river has discovered enemy activity." The soldier said anxiously.

  "What...!" General Hei was shocked. Didn't expect Sheng Jin to arrive so quickly.

  "But it seems they're not here to attack us. The scout saw a warship ahead, with a woman on board and a team of wounded soldiers. The woman is badly injured, covered in blood, and won't last much longer."

  "Women." The Red General was lost in thought.

  "That woman is petite and unremarkable in appearance." General Hei pressed on.

  "That's right."

  "Nalan Xixiao..." General Hei looked at General Hong in surprise. "What's going on?"

  Yesterday, they just heard that Huangfu Ling's boundary bridge was destroyed again. Moreover, the Holy Golden Prince personally led the team to pursue and kill Huangfu Ling all the way to his camp. Today, he also pursued and killed Nalan Xianuo...

  "I understand." General Hei's face was filled with sudden realization. "That day, Nalan Xiong retreated and Saint King came to attack the city. Now they're attacking Huangfu Ling and Nalan Xiong again. It seems that Saint King is determined to unify the world during this opportunity."

  The Red Army hesitated somewhat. "I'm afraid there's a trap."

  "Quickly dispatch troops to rescue him! If Nalan Xiong dies, Luo Tian will collapse on its own... If Luo Tian falls, we'll be at the mercy of others..."

  Hong Jun's face turned pale upon hearing the words. What he said was right, the current situation is different from before. In the past, Luo Tian and Sheng Jin were allies, if they didn't send troops, the allied army would take them down in one fell swoop. Now that Sheng Jin has turned against the world, Huangfu Ling has no way out, and Luo Tian has been attacked again. If they don't make a move in time, there will be no more opportunities left.

  It is better to believe it exists than not to believe it does not exist.

  "Guest arrived."

  "In"

  The Red Army got up and said thoughtfully: "First send a thousand water soldiers to explore the situation."

  The soldier retreated with orders. General Hei hastily said: "What's the point of further scouting? I'll lead the troops there immediately."

  "Don't act rashly." Red General blocked the way.

  "Hei Jiangjun said with annoyance: 'You are indeed clever for a moment, but foolish for a lifetime. Let's not talk about other things for now. If we can take advantage of Nalan Xixi's serious injury and capture her, then at that time, we can use the emperor as a hostage to control the vassals. Luo Tian will be under our control. At that time, neither Sheng Jin nor Lianxiang will dare to attack us recklessly.'"

  The red general suddenly enlightened. However, he still felt that something was not quite right. Everything came too suddenly.

  However, before he could say anything else, General Hei had already left.

  Everyone is weaving their own web of deceit. Unbeknownst to them, they have quietly stepped into an even larger web. Loose yet impenetrable.

  Autumn days grow denser. Cold winds remain unchanged.