Invulnerable to swords and spears?
Wang Chengfei rolled his eyes. This was truly a case of rumors spreading like wildfire. If it continued to spread, Zhang Liao would probably ascend to immortality.
He said irritably, "Don't you know anything about what others say? Zhang Liao ordered three thousand sets of armor from the Heavenly Craft Workshop. He's covered in armor from head to toe, so naturally he's invulnerable to swords and spears."
"Oh, I see!"
Duan Yingxiong suddenly realized why Zhang Liao was impervious to swords and spears—he was covered in armor! He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Pu Yuan has been eyeing Cloud and Mist Mountain for ore all this time. So that's why! Zhang Liao has a good lord; that's why he's become famous All Under Heaven!"
Three thousand sets of full-body armor would probably cost hundreds of thousands of strings of cash; most people wouldn't have the luxury of such a sum.
It was only because they encountered Prince Lin Yi that they were so generous; others probably wouldn't have been so magnanimous.
Wang Chengfei shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I've seen Zhang Liao's Formation-Breaking Camp before, and they are indeed quite skilled, but I didn't expect them to become so powerful after adding armor. According to Zhou Cang, the Formation-Breaking Camp is invincible, and they even fought against Tuoba Yu's elite troops. It's truly exhilarating."
Although he wasn't a soldier, the thought of that scene still made his blood boil. It was truly damn domineering, something that inspired longing.
If it were me, it would surely bring glory to the Wang Clan.
Duan Yingxiong curled his lip in disdain and sneered, "In my opinion, Tuoba Yu is just overestimating himself. He thought the young master would be like Old Man Bai and settle things peacefully, which is why he was so arrogant. Tsk tsk, he's kicked a hornet's nest now. The young master still has Ma Chao under his command who hasn't even made a move yet, and Tuoba Yu has already fallen. He's simply a piece of trash."
Forehead!
Upon hearing this, Wang Chengfei couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
If Tuoba Yu is a good-for-nothing, then wouldn't the two of them be the worst of the worst? To put it bluntly, it's because their own young master is too powerful that Tuoba Yu appears so weak.
As for Bai Zizai's previous inaction, it was probably to maintain a balance among the three parties, so he deliberately let things slide, just to ensure a certain degree of control.
But the Crown Prince is different now. Not only does he want to completely occupy Xiliang Commandery, but he is also probably eyeing the other two families. This is no simple matter.
These days, resources in Xiliang Commandery have been mobilized frantically. Apart from heading towards Dayu County, the whereabouts of other supplies are unknown. He knew in his heart that the young master must have a big plan, which is why he made such a big show of it.
That's why he invited Duan Yingxiong out today; he and his two surrendered generals had to take the initiative, or they would fall behind.
Although the two of them had donated most of their wealth, it was still not enough; they needed more.
After thinking for a moment, he glanced around and whispered, "Old Duan, I think the Crown Prince is brewing a big plan. As his people, we must take a stand."
"A big plan?"
Upon hearing this, Duan Yingxiong nodded thoughtfully; that was quite possible.
Recently, the Crown Prince has significantly increased the number of personnel at the Cloud and Mist Mountain iron mine, clearly indicating a need for a large quantity of iron ore. There must be a larger plan behind this, but the specifics are unknown.
Although he is a carefree person, he is a sensible one.
He knew in his heart that although he and Wang Chengfei were both figures of some importance, they were still somewhat inferior to the Crown Prince.
Whether it's the cunning Jia Xu, the righteous Chen Qun, or the supposedly invulnerable Zhang Liao, they are all ruthless characters rarely seen in the All Under Heaven.
Compared to these people, I am still quite lacking.
That's why he didn't think about anything else and focused all his energy on helping the Crown Prince's people develop Cloud and Mist Mountain. He even used his own personal servants to help, all to let the Crown Prince know his value.
Now that Wang Chengfei had said those words, he took them to heart, thinking that perhaps he could be more proactive.
The Crown Prince is upright and honest. There are many things that are difficult to do, but he can do them himself.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but become interested and whispered, "You're well-informed, what's your story?"
"Hey-hey!"
Seeing Duan Yingxiong's expression, Wang Chengfei chuckled; this guy was indeed interested.
He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Now that the young master's most trusted confidants are all busy, don't you think there's one very important confidant who hasn't appeared yet? Why do you think that is?"
"Haven't been seen for a long time?"
Upon hearing this, Duan Yingxiong instantly understood.
Ma Chao!
This great hero who initially helped the Crown Prince pacify Xiliang Commandery has suddenly disappeared from public view. He's a ruthless man, and he also has a troop of cavalry under his command. He's probably up to something big.
This is a difficult matter. If we get too involved, it could easily offend the Crown Prince, and we might even suffer losses in the end.
However, if the key point isn't found, it's probably all for nothing, and it's a waste of effort.
He said in a deep voice, "This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. What do you plan to do?"
Hearing his words, Wang Chengfei laughed heartily and said confidently, "Haha, we may not be good at fighting, but we can do what we are good at."
"What we're good at?"
Duan Yingxiong's lips twitched. He used to be involved in all sorts of smuggling, and seemed to be good at reselling weapons and equipment and getting some food. These things didn't seem respectable at all.
Wang Chengfei nodded and said in a deep voice, "That's right, it's about food! Since the young master has a grand plan, he naturally needs sufficient provisions, and we must do our part!"
"Now, the Crown Prince has defeated Tuoba Yu's 70,000 men with only 3,000 men. His rise is unstoppable. In the future, the entire Dayu Pass will likely belong to him, making him the second Prince of Northern Liang. If we fall too far behind, we may become useless in the future. Therefore, we need to demonstrate our worth."
A useless person is someone who can be discarded at any time.
"That makes sense. So, how do we do it?"
"It's our old business. We'll get all sorts of essential supplies. Whatever Xiliang Commandery is lacking, we'll bring it over. No matter what situation the young master is in, he needs food, sugar, fruit, and even minerals!" Wang Chengfei said solemnly.
We're not good at fighting, but we're experts at making money and acquiring supplies—that's no problem for us.
He received information that the Crown Prince had many merchant caravans that were exploring markets in the Western Regions and the Great Ning market, constantly purchasing grain and other supplies from these places. Furthermore, members of the Net organization were searching for minerals everywhere, which indicated that the Crown Prince needed these things very much.
They might not be good at anything else, but they're definitely experts at this.
In this way, it would be exactly what the Crown Prince needs; this is definitely a brilliant move.