"General, has there been a reply from Jiangnan? What did they say?"
Ravens are incredibly fast, even faster than eagles, and can make a round trip in just an hour.
Tuoba Wu received the letter from Du Ya, opened it, his brow relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "The letter agrees to our request."
"They agreed?" Seeing that everything went so smoothly, the lieutenants all breathed a sigh of relief.
"He said he agreed," Tuoba Wu, a hint of worry still clearly in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" A lieutenant who knew him well noticed Tuoba Wu's expression and asked suspiciously, "Sir, do you suspect something's amiss?"
"To be honest, it's not impossible," Tuoba Wu said without much hesitation to his several lieutenants. "I recognize the handwriting in the reply; it's Tian Heng's."
" Tian Heng." Several deputy generals were taken aback upon hearing this, and their expressions immediately turned serious.
Tian Heng's reputation on the battlefield was not good. Back then, his small family was able to fight their way out in the Warring States period. Besides Tian Heng himself having some real skills, his ruthless methods were also the foundation for his survival in the chaotic world.
Back then, Tian Heng committed numerous crimes of swindling, murder, and kidnapping, especially in the early days when he first started out. He was a ruthless and lawless scoundrel. Other families had rules about not harming their own members, but he didn't. He would use anyone he could, and he often didn't even spare three-year-old children. His ruthless methods made him quite the target of jealousy and hatred at the time.
"He wouldn't have any reason to lie to us, would he?" one of the lieutenants asked hesitantly.
"If this letter was written by Chen Qing, I have no doubt whatsoever." Tuoba Wu said in a deep voice, "I haven't met Chen Qing much, but judging from his style of doing things, he is a man of principle. Even Princess Xiao Mingyue entrusted her son to him, which shows his character. But Tian Heng is different."
" Tian Heng is a newcomer to Chen Qing's faction, and since he's an outsider, Chen Qing treats him quite well. He really needs some tangible achievements to solidify his position and gain the respect of those around him, but since he joined Chen Qing, he hasn't had any notable accomplishments, so his situation is actually quite awkward."
"You mean he wants to take us?"
"It's not impossible," Tuoba Wu said darkly, glancing towards Jiangnan. "That guy is shrewd and calculating, and he knows how to assess the situation. Right now, the only legitimate rulers of the Central Plains are His Majesty and Chen Qing. It's been confirmed that demons are in power in Cloud Capital. His Majesty has lost the hearts of the people after using the Ghost Temple, and scholars and families everywhere are recording his faults. Once His Majesty's power is gone, the only legitimate ruler of the Central Plains will be Chen Qing!"
"Don't underestimate this point. The Central Plains represents great fortune, but it has always been a battleground since ancient times. Although Jiangnan is allied with us, it is not a permanent ally. It's not impossible that they would take this opportunity to kick us when we're down."
"Then what do we do?" The group of lieutenants panicked.
Tuoba Wu looked at the sky. If they set off now and the entire army marched at full speed, they could reach Jiangnan before nightfall. If Jiangnan was willing to wholeheartedly help them, all would be well. But what if they wanted to take advantage of their misfortune?
An army that has marched at full speed and is exhausted, and then encounters an ambush from the front and rear, is almost certainly doomed!
"We can split our forces into two groups," Tuoba Wu said, taking a breath. "We'll assemble an elite force of about five thousand cavalry, all equipped with powerful warhorses, and send them directly back to the capital to preserve His Majesty's last vestige of strength. The rest, I'll lead, to Jiangnan to take a gamble!"
" Laoda, you..." Everyone was stunned.
"If the commander-in-chief also runs away, the army is completely finished. Someone must lead them away, even if it's a dead end." Tuoba Wu turned to the other deputy generals. "You are different; you are just deputy generals. It's perfectly reasonable for you to return to the capital to report on urgent military matters. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."
"But."
"No buts! While there's still time, gather your troops now and leave immediately!!"
" Laoda, I'm not leaving." One of the lieutenants shook his head. "We can't have all the lieutenants leave, it'll arouse suspicion. The soldiers aren't stupid."
"That's right, let Xiao Gu go. He's stubborn, so he's less likely to cause trouble."
"What do you mean by 'stubborn'?" The lieutenant surnamed Gu immediately became furious. "You mean I'm stupid? I'm not leaving! If my father finds out I'm backing down in the face of battle, he'll beat me to death!"
"You guys." Tuoba Wu looked at his familiar comrades-in-arms and was filled with emotion. Even though they had abandoned their humanity and done some things that crossed the line, they were still good men in the past.
"No need to refuse anymore. Xiao Gu, Laosan, you two take five thousand elite troops back to the capital to leave some foundation for His Majesty. The rest of you, come with me to Jiangnan. Don't worry too much. Going to Jiangnan isn't necessarily a dead end. It's just that I have too much faith in Tian Heng's character."
"Relatively speaking, Chen Qing is the master there. He must also know that in the current situation, it's not easy for humans to kill each other."
" Laoda "
"Alright, that's enough. Stop arguing. We don't have enough time to keep going like this." Tuoba Wu glanced at the sky and said, "Brothers, going to the capital isn't necessarily a way out. None of us know the situation in the Northern Lands, how many Heavenly Python have come. If there are enough, they might even split into two groups. So don't let your guard down. Let's go quickly, don't waste any time."
"Alright." Seeing that things had come to this point, the lieutenants didn't refuse. " Laoda care, sir. You must come back alive."
"I can't guarantee that, but I can guarantee one thing," Tuoba Wu said with a cold laugh, looking towards Jiangnan, "That if Jiangnan really dares to do that, I'll risk dying a horrible death to skin them alive!"
--
Who are you?
Outside Jiangnan City, the entire Shen Family was mobilized, watching the woman in black robes below the city gate with extreme vigilance.
These individuals are all rulers of the Underworld, but none of them are on their own territories. The full power of a ruler of the Underworld cannot be used. And Wei Gongcheng, who should be the strongest force in Liuzhou, is in someone else's hands.
"Who's in charge here?" The person holding Wei Gongcheng was a woman, her voice soft and gentle, giving no indication that she was capable of holding Wei Gongcheng.
The Shen Family looked at each other, and finally it was the Shen Lao'er who stood up to speak.
At this time, Xu Hu went to North Sea City, and Tian Heng rushed to the Central Plains Pass. In Liuzhou City, Ziyue and Lord Chen Qing were not there, and even Chen Ying was not there. The only ones who could make decisions were the few of them.
Shen Lao'er coughed lightly and said, "Just tell us what you need, we can make the decision. Just don't hurt Lord Wei."
"Is that so?" the woman said coldly. "I'll just ask you one question: where is the Dragon Palace Grand Formation?"
" The Dragon Palace Grand Formation?" The group was taken aback. What did this woman mean?
"What are you referring to? The Blazing Yang Grand Formation?"
"Yan Yang?" The woman frowned, then immediately said, "Are you talking about the Blazing Fire Grand Formation used by your customs office? I didn't mean that."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm referring to the grand formation used to seal the entrance to the Dragon Palace, the one used to seal the Ancient Insect."
"You—" Shen Lao'er suddenly realized, "You mean... Nine Heavens Mirror Valley?"
"Oh? There are actually people who know the name of this formation." The woman looked at Shen Lao'er with a strange expression. "That's interesting. Just how much did my compatriot reveal to you?"
"Compatriot?" The Shen Family looked at the woman with serious expressions. "Who exactly are you?"