Stellar Transformation-Chapter 80 - 10 A Sudden Change in the Situation
The setting sun dipped in the west, and on a plain official road leading to the Northern Domain Two Prefectures, an army stretched out like a meandering dragon, continuously advancing, its ranks so long they seemed endless. This mighty host marched four abreast at a brisk pace, eagerly covering ground.
These soldiers were full of vigor, each emanating a subtle killing intent—an established sign of the Qin Family’s regular army, which had battled beasts in the Primordial Wilderness for years. One such man’s presence was formidable, but what was truly terrifying was that the entire force of one hundred thousand bore the same aura.
Especially noteworthy were the two special forces units near General Zhao Yunxing—one being a thousand-man team trained according to the ’Extreme Training Method’ combined with Inner Strength, and the other a Personal Guard Team comprised of merely three hundred. These were Zhao Yunxing’s trump cards, and their strength was fearsome.
Between the two elite squads was a red-haired lion that seemed as if it were engulfed in flames. Zhao Yunxing rode this lion, controlling the vast situation from the heart of the army.
"General, in half an hour we’ll arrive at Lan Shan City. King Zhenbei has already prepared the barracks for us. Once we arrive, we can immediately settle and rest in Lan Shan City," a Scholar mounted on a chestnut horse said to Zhao Yunxing.
Zhao Yunxing nodded with a smile, "Xue Lan, being assigned to enter the Northern Domain Two Prefectures last seems to suggest the Prince has his own plans."
The Scholar nodded, "Of all the three legions passing through to enter the Northern Domain Two Prefectures, your troops undoubtedly have the strongest assault capability, yet the Prince allowed General Sima and General Ouyang’s forces to go ahead. Although their attack is not bad, they are famed for their defense. The Prince’s deployment must hold a deeper significance."
Zhao Yunxing nodded, "The Prince has his reasons for his arrangements. Many things we cannot discern now, but after a few months, we will understand the Prince’s profound intentions."
"The Prince has been preparing for this day for a long time. With the sudden betrayal by the Black Water Mountain Range and the absorption of the three hundred thousand Black Water Army into the Qin Family’s forces, the news has spread, and who would not admire the Prince to the utmost?" The Scholar clearly held Qin De in high esteem as well.
Subsequently, Zhao Yunxing’s army entered the Northern Domain Two Prefectures.
...
From that moment on, the first step of the ’pass-through’ plan covertly agreed upon by Qin De and Shangguan Hong was perfectly executed, with the three hundred thousand-strong army having completely entered the Northern Domain Two Prefectures. Of course, as Qin De said, Shangguan Hong did not need to provide troops to participate in the attack; it was sufficient just to supply some resources.
At this time, a new situation had also formed within the Chu Dynasty.
In the south,
The three hundred thousand Black Water Army occupied several cities in the southern part of Thunder Blood County, facing off against the Mu Family of the Southern Domain Three Counties. Although the Mu Family had six hundred thousand troops, many needed to remain stationed in their own territories, and at most, only three to four hundred thousand could be mobilized for an assault.
The Black Water Army’s mere defense made it virtually impossible for the Southern Domain Three Counties to overcome the three hundred thousand troops. After all, to be victorious in sieging a city, the attacking force often needs to be multiple times larger than the defenders.
In the west,
The armies led by Qin Feng, Fu Bing, and Jiang Tao were stationed in the western part of Thunder Blood County, bordering one of the Xiang Family’s four counties—Upper Sparrow County—as well as the Ba Chu County where the Xiang Family Capital was situated. The three hundred thousand-strong army confronted the Xiang Family. Meanwhile, fifty thousand troops from the Fierce Tiger Army also moved into Thunder Blood County.
As for the north,
In the Northern Domain Two Prefectures, Qin Family’s three hundred thousand strong army was continuously marching, borrowing the path through the Northern Domain Two Prefectures to head westward. Apparently, they were preparing to attack Zhenyang County, one of the Xiang Family’s four counties, from the north.
The Qin Family deployed troops from three sides, leaving only one hundred and fifty thousand troops in the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures. Within this force, fifty thousand were part of the Qin Family’s Imperial Guard, specifically for protecting the Qin Family’s ancestral land, and were also an extremely potent fighting force.
...
The Xiang Family, on the other hand, did not make much of a stir; their actions were simple: first, they increased the garrison in the cities bordering Thunder Blood County to four hundred thousand troops. Although they faced only three hundred and fifty thousand from the Qin Family, the latter boasted fearsome combat capabilities, which included the fifty thousand Fierce Tiger Army troops.
The Xiang Family also allocated two hundred thousand troops to Zhenyang County, which was close to the Northern Domain Two Prefectures.
As for the border with the Mu Family in Upper Sparrow County, they relaxed its defenses, with only thirty thousand troops stationed there. Most of the remaining nearly four hundred thousand Xiang Family troops were on the border with the Han Dynasty. Although the Han Dynasty had not yet intervened, they still needed to be prepared.
The Xiang Family had originally claimed to have eight hundred thousand troops, but in reality, it was one million, and this became apparent now.
Upon the plain, everywhere one looked, there were vast arrays of troops, and erected tents stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Inside a modest central tent,
"General Sima, General Ouyang, my lord has sent me to ask you both, now that the borders of the Xiang Family’s Zhenyang County are almost within reach, and only a day’s journey away, why have the two generals suddenly settled in and made camp, instead of launching an attack?" Zhuang Jun asked the two generals earnestly.
Zhuang Jun, the second in command of the Northern Two Counties and fiercely loyal to Shangguan Hong, had saved Shangguan Hong’s life multiple times.
General Sima Yang and Ouyang Zhi exchanged a glance, and then Ouyang Zhi stroked his beard and chuckled, "Brother Zhuang Jun, please inform your lord that this matter is a military secret of the Qin Family’s current campaign. It is not something we can disclose. After the war is over, your lord will come to understand."
Zhuang Jun frowned slightly—a military secret?
They just dismissed me with that?
"Generals Sima and Ouyang, my lord has said, if the Qin Family is not confident about capturing Zhenyang County, our Shangguan Family can provide an additional two hundred thousand troops."
Zhuang Jun finished, fixing his gaze on Sima and Ouyang. Yet, the two generals remained smiling, seemingly neither shocked nor concerned.
"Capturing Zhenyang County is not difficult. We stand still because it is a military secret. When to attack is for our Qin Family’s army to decide. King Zhenbei need not worry. But still, we thank King Zhenbei for his kind offer," General Sima Yang added.
Zhuang Jun, sensing the situation, could only leave with no recourse.
...
Ten days later, General Sima and General Ouyang’s forces, a combined two hundred thousand strong, were still encamped on the plain, making no move to advance. During these ten days, large amounts of food and resources were consumed.
Within the tent,
Zhuang Jun arrived yet again.
"Sima, General Ouyang, ten days have passed, a full ten days, and our 200,000-strong army hasn’t advanced a single step. My lord is now beginning to question the sincerity of your Qin Family. You are neither attacking nor retreating here. What exactly do you want to do? Could it be that your Qin Family has forgotten the initial agreement?" Zhuang Jun was slightly angry.
Sima Yang stood up with a smile and said, "Please sit down, Brother Zhuang Jun, there’s no need to be so angry. If our Qin Family had no sincerity, why would we come so far?"
After Zhuang Jun sat down, he continued, "Your Qin Family is now stationing a large force in Thunder Blood County without attacking. And your 200,000-strong army is also not moving. General Zhao Yunxing’s 100,000-strong army is also slowly advancing from behind. My lord suspects that you are negotiating with the Xiang Family behind the scenes, neglecting us in the Northern Two Counties in the process. You can leave at will. But we in the Northern Two Counties, being close to the Xiang Family, will then have to bear the brunt of their fury."
"Ha ha... Negotiating? Our Qin Family would never negotiate with the Xiang Family. You go back and tell Prince Zhen Dong to rest assured, within five days we will give him an explanation!" Ouyang Zhi said with a laugh.
"Five days?" Zhuang Jun frowned slightly, then nodded and said, "Alright, five days it is. My lord and I will await the good news from the two generals." Saying this, Zhuang Jun turned around to leave, followed by his personal guard.
"Five days? Ouyang, do we have a certainty in five days?" Sima Yang looked at Ouyang Zhi and asked.
Ouyang Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I’m not sure either, but since this is the Prince’s secret military order, we just need to follow it. The Prince must have other plans. Sima, our Prince is quite formidable!"
Sima Yang also nodded slightly.
Most generals of this generation were personally promoted by Qin De, and these people were extremely loyal to him.
Inside an unremarkable small courtyard in ’Snow Capital City,’ the stronghold of the Shangguan Family in the Northern Domain Two Prefectures, Zhuang Jun was currently in one of the rooms. This place was nothing extraordinary... In fact, it was where Shangguan Hong stashed his secret delights.
"Prince."
Zhuang Jun stood outside the beaded curtain, calling out respectfully. Through the beads, one could faintly see the luxurious bed inside, with someone sleeping beneath the canopy.
"Oh, it’s Zhuang Jun, wait for me to get dressed," Shangguan Hong’s voice came from within.
"Prince, sleep a little longer," a lazy voice sounded, and Shangguan Hong, with a laugh, consoled her, "Little Xue, stop making a fuss, I have important matters to attend to." After he finished speaking, the woman did not persist further.
After a moment, Shangguan Hong dressed himself and came out, and the woman also got dressed and came out with him. The face of the woman, who was hidden in Shangguan Hong’s golden house, was still flushed with afterglow, and her whole being radiated a lazy aura, like a little kitten, clinging to Shangguan Hong.
"Prince," Zhuang Jun subtly signaled with his eyes.
"Little Xue, go out and play for a bit, I have important matters to discuss with Zhuang Jun." Shangguan Hong patted Yan Xue’s hand, then casually took out a purple jade bracelet from his pocket and placed it in Yan Xue’s hand. After receiving the purple jade bracelet and giving Shangguan Hong a kiss, she left with a smile.
Suddenly the door was closed by the personal guards, and only Zhuang Jun and Shangguan Hong were left in the room.
"Prince, I’ve been to the military camp again to meet both General Ouyang and Sima," said Zhuang Jun.
"Oh, no movement for ten days. How did they explain it? Don’t tell me it’s some bullshit military secret," Shangguan Hong said with a cold smile. According to the secret plan he had with the Xiang Family, once the Qin Family’s army attacked Zhenyang County, the Shangguan Family would strike the Qin Family’s army from behind.
At that time, the Qin Family’s army would be engaged in fierce battle with the Xiang Family. A sudden betrayal from the Shangguan Family’s army would surely throw the Qin Family’s army into chaos, leading to a successful coup.
But now, with the Qin Family’s army just a day’s journey from Zhenyang County, they surprisingly made no move. This naturally worried Shangguan Hong, and he even feared that the Qin Family might have learned of the secret plan between the Shangguan and Xiang Families.
"Prince, they said that they will give you an answer within five days," Zhuang Jun said, bowing deeply.
"Five days?" Shangguan Hong’s brows deeply furrowed. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and he stood up, saying, "Let’s go, back to the Prince Mansion." At that moment, Shangguan Hong seemed to have thought of something and immediately strode toward the door.
Suddenly—
"Pfft!"
Shangguan Hong was completely stunned, his face turning deathly white, and he turned around incredulously to look at Zhuang Jun, saying, "You..."
At that moment, a dagger was embedded in Shangguan Hong’s waist—a dagger of Intermediate Immortal Item quality. With Zhuang Jun’s strength, having reached the Late Innate Stage, it was enough to pierce through Shangguan Hong’s armor and strike a vital point while Shangguan Hong was completely unaware.
"Clever." Zhuang Jun’s face bore a slight smile as he suddenly said, "The expert from the Ba Long Army above, it’s time to come out."
A figure flashed into view—a lean man appeared in the room with very peculiar eyes that shone with a green light. At the moment, this man was bristling with murderous intent, but Zhuang Jun was smiling at him, saying, "Do you hate me now? Your duty should have been to convey the messages between the Shangguan and Xiang Families, and also to protect Shangguan Hong. It’s a pity..."
The man with Green Eyes glanced at Shangguan Hong and knew that Shangguan Hong was severely injured and wouldn’t last much longer.
"You, are going to die," the man with Green Eyes said icily.
Just when Shangguan Hong was about to leave the room, walking by Zhuang Jun, Zhuang Jun struck without any warning. The man with Green Eyes had no time to react or stop the attack, and there it was—Shangguan Hong was struck at a vital point and was going to die.
"Zhuang Jun, why betray me? Haven’t I treated you well?" Shangguan Hong asked, feeling his life slipping away, still unable to believe.
There had been assassination attempts on Shangguan Hong in the past, and he had indeed nearly died, but Zhuang Jun saved him. This man who had saved him several times was now his killer, and that was something Shangguan Hong found hard to accept.
"Prince, you have been very good to me, but unfortunately, I am one of the three eagles in the Qin Family’s Flying Eagle plan. I have endured all this time for today. As for why I killed you, it’s because killing you now gives the Qin Family the confidence to take over the entire military of the Northern Two Counties!" Zhuang Jun said with a smile.
"Flying Eagle plan? One of the three eagles? Control over the military of the Northern Two Counties?"
At that moment, Shangguan Hong suddenly had many of his doubts cleared up, understanding everything. He knew that his sons were no match for Zhuang Jun; after all, Zhuang Jun had been his most trusted aide for many years, and behind him was the support of the Qin Family.
The most important thing was... just what was the Qin Family’s Flying Eagle plan? A Late-stage Innate Expert had infiltrated so deep, and even Zhuang Jun had killed some Qin Family experts.
"Qin Family, biding your time for hundreds of years, Black Water Mountain Bandits, Flying Eagle plan. I wonder what else is hidden, impressive, truly... impressive..." Shangguan Hong coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, following which he coughed up several more mouthfuls, and then he died.
Although there were such sounds in the room, strangely, not a single one of the Personal Guard Team outside came in.
