By the end of April, Nangong Shi had led his army close to Golden Rooster Ridge.
Nangong Shi set up camp and summoned Ji Shuqian, Lei Zhenzi, and the other accompanying civil and military officers into the command tent to discuss their campaign.
Everyone took their seats inside the tent. Ji Shuqian was Ji Chang's twelfth son, with a temper as fierce as fire and exceptional martial skill. He wielded a long spear with great expertise and ranked among the best fighters of the hundred sons. In the original story, he had also achieved some impressive victories.
Pointing at the military map, he asked Nangong Shi, "How do you intend to deploy our forces this time, General?"
Nangong Shi did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he asked, "News of the late king's death should have reached Chaoge by now. Has there been any movement there?"
Ji Shuqian replied, "Nothing much. According to our scouts, Chaoge's civil and military officials are preparing for war, but there have been no major movements. King Zhou still seems gravely ill and rarely holds court. His ministers have merely submitted memorials on the campaign. King Zhou also bestowed a posthumous title on Father, but it was so long I couldn't remember it."
Nangong Shi frowned. "No changes to the garrisons anywhere?"
"None." Ji Shuqian shook his head. "Apart from the earlier transfer of Dou Rong to Sishui Pass, nothing has changed."
"How strange," Nangong Shi murmured to himself. "Has King Zhou truly become muddleheaded from illness? Though I'm not confident we can drive straight into Chaoge in a single campaign, taking two or three passes shouldn't be too difficult. Could he have some other scheme? Prime Minister Jiang suspects King Zhou is very likely feigning illness. Could all of this be part of