The Demon Lords

Chapter 455 56 The Disappeared Army_3

Chief Zheng returned to his camp, where everyone was already preparing the evening meal.

The devils sat together.

Xue Three was the first to speak, "What's going on today?"

The blind man didn't respond. Liang Cheng didn't respond either. They didn't answer because they also didn't know.

"He, he changed his mind at the last moment," Zheng Fan said. There must certainly be some factor that prompted Li Fusheng's change today.

Li Fusheng had been adamant about attacking the city last night. He might even have personally led the vanguard to assault the city walls. Today, however, he appeared extremely peaceful.

Finally, the blind man spoke, "It seems they are about to withdraw the troops."

Liang Cheng shook his head and rebutted, "If they were to withdraw, we would have received notice by now. But since we haven't, it proves the main army will continue to be stationed here tomorrow."

The evening meal ended amidst this strange atmosphere. In fact, many people must have been baffled by what happened on the battlefield today. Even the Qian commanders inside the city would be puzzled about what game the Yan people were playing.

At night, the blind man walked to Liang Cheng's tent and said, somewhat discontentedly, "I called for you to come over, so why did I have to come here instead?"

Liang Cheng said, "Isn't it because I was worried it might be inconvenient for you over there?"

The blind man and the young woman were now sharing one tent.

"HEH HEH."

Mental force lifted the curtain, revealing A Ming inside. The blind man said, "I was also worried it might be inconvenient for the two of you."

Liang Cheng and A Ming were sharing a tent.

The blind man bent over and entered the tent.

Liang Cheng picked up the waterskin, intending to pour some water for the blind man to drink.

The blind man quickly waved his hand, saying, "No, no, I won't drink your water."

"It's water," Liang Cheng said.

"No, no." Who knows what was stored in this waterskin before.

"What is it?" Liang Cheng asked.

The blind man took out a letter from his pocket, saying, "This is a letter sent by Wen Sutong."

Liang Cheng exclaimed, "I can't believe he was actually able to send it out!"

With everything in chaos, sending a letter through Nandou was no small feat.

"When I left," the blind man continued, "I assigned two savvy men to him. Since they were from Green Willow Fortress, even if they encountered the Yan Army while delivering the letter, nothing would happen to them. However, of the two people sent to deliver the letter, one was lost."

The cost of this letter was quite high. This couldn't be helped. Smooth information channels were always crucial; he considered it worth sacrificing a few knights for that.

"What did the letter say?" Liang Cheng asked.

"It mentioned the situation in Chuzhou city; basically, everything is calm," the blind man explained. "According to what My lord said, the Qian Emperor should have indeed issued an Imperial Edict prohibiting the three border armies from sending reinforcements. So Chuzhou city is still in our hands, and Wen Sutong and the others are still securely holding their positions as a turncoat army."

"Hmm," Liang Cheng acknowledged.

"However," the blind man continued, "what strikes me as strange is that at the end of the letter, he added one more thing."

"Speak," Liang Cheng prompted.

"Wen Sutong had sent people to contact nearby areas and persuade the garrisons of other cities in Shu Prefecture to surrender, but with little success."

"As expected," Liang Cheng remarked.

"Although Shu Prefecture had been overrun by the Yan Army," the blind man went on, "its fate was far from sealed by decree. After all, the Qian State's three border cavalry forces hadn't returned yet. According to the original plan, once the Qian State's reinforcements were defeated, the officials in the north of the Qian State would despair. Except for a few staunch loyalists, the rest would either flee south or surrender to Great Yan. Wen Sutong is an old fox. He didn't spell things out, but I understood his meaning."

"No need for him to spell it out," Liang Cheng said. "After all, you two—the old man and his son-in-law—are both foxes."

The blind man brushed off Liang Cheng's teasing and said, "Wen Sutong's sending people to notify the entire Shu Prefecture was, in fact, a kind of screening process. In the letter, he mentioned that apart from Chuzhou city—that is, the areas along our army's route—several towns in the western part of Shu Prefecture had also been attacked by our Yan Army. After our Yan Army replenished supplies and fodder there, they continued south. That contingent, judging by their direction of march, should be Li Bao's forces."

Hearing this, Liang Cheng's face suddenly turned serious; obviously, he realized the hidden message.

Liang Cheng nodded, saying, "Indeed, it's them. So, the problem arises."

"Yes, the problem arises," the blind man affirmed. "As a surrendered general, Wen Sutong wouldn't dare to openly inquire about our military plans or intentions. He could only hint at things subtly in this manner. But, he indeed did us a big favor."

"Yes, a welcome reassurance," Liang Cheng agreed.

Nearby, A Ming, who had been feigning sleep in the tent, spoke up, a bit dissatisfied, "Hey, I'm the only outsider in the tent. What's the point of you two speaking in riddles?"

Liang Cheng turned to look at A Ming, pointed at the letter in the blind man's hand, and said, "The meaning is simple: the Earl of North Border and Lord Jingnan, along with the 200,000 strong main force of iron cavalry they command, are gone."

"Gone?" A Ming was somewhat puzzled and subconsciously said, "They must be hiding, right?"

"Shu Prefecture is basically a plain with very few mountains," Liang Cheng explained. "A 200,000-strong army, men plus horses, totaling several hundred thousand living beings—how could they possibly hide completely? Previously, when entering Shu Prefecture, Li Fusheng's troops separated from the main force. We also know that another force, Li Bao's, was also heading south, just like us. But the problem is, after leaving Shu Prefecture, only these two forces have been engaging each other in combat. The main force hasn't appeared."

"Hey," A Ming interjected, "didn't you guys say before that they were hiding somewhere, waiting to ambush the Qian State reinforcements?"

Liang Cheng shook his head. "But there's one problem. You should know that for a 200,000-strong army, with so many warhorses—the provisions and fodder consumed daily by men and beasts represent an astronomical figure. However, according to Wen Sutong's letter, throughout Shu Prefecture, apart from our troops and Li Bao's—who attacked towns to obtain supplies—other parts of Shu Prefecture haven't seen that kind of widespread plundering."

A Ming fell silent.

The blind man licked his lips, saying, "Interesting, interesting."

"Indeed, it's very interesting," Liang Cheng continued. "The Qian Emperor saw through Great Yan's strategy early on. So, from the very beginning, he issued an Imperial Edict to the three border commands, forbidding even a single soldier from heading south. He intended to use this method to trap the Yan State's cavalry divisions. But in the end, from start to finish, only Li Fusheng's half-command and Li Bao's half-command were fighting. Combined, that's perhaps only around 60,000 cavalry.

And the main force of 200,000 iron cavalry, led by the Earl of North Border and Lord Jingnan...

...yet...

...they've vanished..."