The Savage Lady Wants to Kill Me! Reborn on the Path of Cultivation

"Ah? Why is this?" Zhou Baiyuan widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"The identity of the team transporting the silver was accidentally revealed when they passed through Biqiu City. Now, a full 200,000 taels of silver has been intercepted by Duan Tianyang."

"This... How is this possible!" Zhou Baiyuan's face suddenly changed after hearing this. He stammered and could hardly utter a complete sentence: "Then... Our army is short of food and wages, and we also have plans to buy off the forces around Shengluo City..."

Jin Wu suddenly raised his voice and interrupted him: "Zhou Baiyuan!"

There was a sharp light in his eyes: "How much money have we given you since you joined our dynasty? And how much have you done for us?"

Zhou Baiyuan hurriedly defended himself: "Sir, every ounce of silver the court gave me was used for the right purpose. Everything I did was carried out in accordance with your wishes..."

Jin Wu sneered and said in a harsher tone: "I asked you to take over Xiguan, but who is in control of Xiguan now? You have never succeeded in any of the tasks I asked you to do. The only thing you are good at is asking for money. Why should I keep you?"

Jin Wu's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Zhou Baiyuan's heart. His legs softened and he instantly fell to his knees. He said in a trembling voice: "Sir, I am truly loyal to the court, and I have never had two hearts!"

Jin Wu said calmly, "A hundred thousand mediocre people cannot match a promising man. Your loyalty is worthless in my eyes. The wealth of the court is not easily obtained. If you are not competent, I will find someone else to replace you."

Zhou Baiyuan knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, begging: "Master, please show some mercy..."

Jin Wu's eyes gradually softened. In the realm of gods, a puppet had to be shaped just right before it could be used.

Being too smart is difficult to control, and being too stupid is useless.

He sighed softly and said in a deep voice: "Although the amount of silver withheld by Duan Tianyang is not small, it also allows us to see his true colors. Now, he has become a great enemy of our country entering Xiguan. Zhou Baiyuan, if you want to keep your position, you need to help me get rid of this great threat."

"Sir... May I ask, Sir, what do you want me to do?"

Jin Wu stood up coldly and said word by word: "Kill Duan Tianyang, no matter what means, I want him to disappear forever. Last time, Yi Shuirou slipped away right under your nose. If you make a mistake again, both you and I will be in danger. If I am recalled to the Kingdom of Jin, you will fight alone in Xiguan. How long do you think you can hold on?"

After saying that, he walked up to Zhou Baiyuan, pulled him up with one hand, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Kill Duan Tianyang, no matter what method you use. This is our last chance. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I... I understand." Zhou Baiyuan nodded hurriedly, with an extremely respectful attitude.

"You are the person I strongly recommend to the monarch. Please do not let me lose face in the court." Jin Wu said in a serious tone, gently patted Zhou Baiyuan's cheeks, and then turned and left, saying loudly: "Lord Zhou, there is no need to see me off. I will take my leave first."

Jin Wu left the room, leaving Zhou Baiyuan alone. He stood there in a daze, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

Under Jin Wu's coercion, Zhou Baiyuan was unwilling but had no choice but to do so.

Although he had not yet completely won over the rebel forces around Saint Luo City, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead his troops to attack the affiliated cities of Northwest Pass and attack the Hongxing Army led by Duan Tianyang.

Zhou Baiyuan gave his all in this expedition, personally leading the troops and commanding all the forces.

In addition to his own army of 100,000, there were also the Anqinshan rebels and Dongzhi rebels from the surrounding areas of Shengluo City as allied forces. Each side sent 30,000 troops, with a total strength of 160,000. They claimed to have 200,000 troops to the outside world.

The reason why An Qinshan and Dong Zhi sent troops to help Zhou Baiyuan was not because they had been conquered by Zhou Baiyuan, but because Zhou Baiyuan promised them that once they captured the Northwest Pass and eliminated Duan Tianyang, he would only take the two cities of Yunzhong and Xiguan, and the remaining affiliated cities would be divided equally between An Qinshan and Dong Zhi.

Zhou Baiyuan sent the most troops but took the least territory, which made An Qinshan and Dong Zhi very happy and they gladly accepted it.

The coalition forces composed of three rebel groups, with great momentum, rushed directly to the Northwest Pass, intending to capture it in one fell swoop.

Such a large-scale rebel action naturally did not escape the eyes of Tianyan Hall.

The spy quickly conveyed this urgent military information to Duan Tianyang in Biqiu City via carrier pigeon.

After receiving the spy's letter, Duan Tianyang immediately summoned his generals and advisers for discussion.

In the hall of the City Guard House, everyone carefully passed around the letter brought back by the spy.

Although the words are few, the situation is clear enough.

After reading it, everyone looked solemn. Zhou Baiyuan led an army of 200,000, while his own soldiers only numbered 100,000. One could imagine how difficult this battle would be.

Duan Tianyang looked around at everyone and asked, "What do you think of this battle?"

Wen Daozun and Li Jiu were silent, while Chi Xun smiled and said, "The enemy's advantage lies in their numbers. The strategy of war is to unite and divide, and to divide and defeat. This is exactly the strategy we can adopt at the moment."

After hearing this, Duan Tianyang nodded slightly and motioned Chi Xun to continue.

Chi Xun continued, "It is An Qinshan and Dong Zhi who have allied with Zhou Baiyuan, but the rebel forces around Shengluo City are not limited to them. Fang Quan's rebels, Yi Yun's rebels, and Wang Yi's rebels are also active. Among these rebels, Fang Quan's rebels are the most powerful. My lord, we may consider secretly negotiating an alliance with Fang Quan's rebels."

Duan Tianyang frowned slightly after hearing this suggestion and asked, "Form an alliance with Fang Quan's rebels?"

Chi Xun nodded in confirmation, but Wen Daozun shook his head in objection, "We are the army of justice, how can we form an alliance with the rebels?"

Guan Hu nodded solemnly and responded, "Mr. Wen is absolutely right. If we form an alliance with the rebels, wouldn't we be lowering our status and becoming their accomplices? This is undoubtedly tarnishing our own reputation."

Chi Xun said sternly: "All is fair in war. If you can't even save your life, what's the use of reputation? If you form an alliance with Fang Quan's rebels, he will have the opportunity to sneak attack An Qinshan and Dong Zhi's lair. If the two do not come back to rescue, the lair will be destroyed; if they come back to rescue, the pressure on our army will be greatly reduced."

Duan Tianyang's mind raced, and he asked, "What if Fang Quan refuses to form an alliance with our army?"

Chi Xun replied, "Your Excellency asked a good question. Regardless of whether or not we will form an alliance, as long as we pass on the news that Fang Quan may form an alliance with our army to An Qinshan and Dong Zhi, they will definitely have concerns. Even if they follow Zhou Baiyuan to Xiguan, they will not dare to go deep into it rashly, and will definitely be on guard against Fang Quan's surprise attack from the rear. In this way, the three rebel armies will be disconnected from each other, which is also a great benefit to us."

Not bad, not bad, that makes sense!

Duan Tianyang firmly believes in the truth that "the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit."

He admired Chi Xun because Chi Xun's suggestions were not bound by the worldly constraints of literati. Compared with Wen Daozun and Li Jiu, Chi Xun's thinking was more flexible and varied.

After deep thought, Duan Tianyang said concisely and clearly: "I agree with Mr. Chi's strategy."