Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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On the way to Kaifeng, the Ninth Prince ordered the army to set up camp and wait for the battle report from Guancheng.
“Muyun is indeed as good as a god! The Jie people have already started to attack Guancheng. Fortunately, we moved fast.” The ninth prince took a piece of paper from the leg of the carrier pigeon, glanced at it, and then threw it into the fire and burned it to ashes.
“The Jie people are treacherous and cunning, so we must be on guard against them.” Zhuang Xu said with a smile, “We only need to wait for another half a day until Guancheng is breached, and then we can strike back. By then, the remnants of Le Zhengming will surely be dead, and the Jie people will be exhausted after two consecutive battles. We will be able to easily win by waiting for them to tire themselves out, and then we will pursue them and recapture Guancheng, Guandu, Qiuzhuang and other places…”
Before Zhuang Xu could finish, the Ninth Prince raised his head and laughed: “Great, great, Muyun’s plan is really brilliant! In this way, we can not only get rid of Le Zhengming, but can also destroy the main force of the Jie people. From now on, the army guarding the border will all be in my direct control, and when I will have recovered such a large piece of lost land, my father will definitely value me more. Great, it really is killing three birds with one stone!”
He was clearly the prince of Wei, but he didn’t care about the life and death of the people of Wei. When the Jie people broke through Guancheng, hundreds of thousands of people would suffer a devastating disaster, and this severe disaster was just a tool for him to gain power.
The more people died tragically, the greater the Ninth Prince’s merits. He had no world, no country, only selfish desires. How could such a person be qualified to be an emperor?
But Zhuang Ran did not think there was anything wrong with this inhumane plan. He stroked his beard and smiled at his son with appreciation. As the saying went, a general’s success was based on the sacrifices of thousands of men. A real man should be ruthless.
This was his and Yan Ran’s son, who was only sixteen years old but already so outstanding, unlike Zhuang Li, who only knew how to eat, drink, play, and cause trouble. It was better for him to die, so that he wouldn’t have to suffer in vain like his mother.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Ran couldn’t help but remind him: “Xu’er, remember to write a letter to your mother later to let her know that you are safe. Also, after you return to Guandu, remember to collect Zhuang Li’s body.”
“Zhuang Li?” The Ninth Prince looked askance and snorted, “Why collect the corpse of that bast**d? There’s no point in dirtying Muyun’s hands. Lord Zhuang, you say that Zhuang Li and Muyun are both your sons, so why is there such a big difference between them? One is full of wisdom and has amazing talent, while the other is as stupid as a pig?”
Zhuang Ran shook his head and smiled bitterly, avoiding the question.
Zhuang Xu waved his hand and said, “After all, he is also my father’s son—”
This extremely hypocritical remark was interrupted by a soldier who hurried into the tent before he could finish it: “Report! Great victory at Guancheng, great victory at Guandu! The 180,000 Jie troops were completely wiped out by our army!”
The Ninth Prince was stunned for a long time before he slammed the table and stood up: “What did you say?”
Zhuang Ran’s face was full of shock.
Zhuang Xu had just picked up a cup of hot tea when it fell to the ground with a clang. The boiling water scalded his knees and peeled off a layer of skin, but he didn’t feel anything.
“Your Highness the Ninth Prince, the spies just reported that there were great victories in Guancheng and Guandu. General Le Zhengming killed 180,000 Jie troops, leaving only 3,000 or 4,000 of them. They have now fled outside the Great Wall.” The soldier repeated.
The Ninth Prince was confused.
Zhuang Ran asked in a deep voice: “What is the specific situation?”
Zhuang Xu finally came to his senses and looked straight at the soldiers, but his mind was buzzing with confusion. He could never have imagined that in such a trap, Le Zhengming could escape successfully and kill the beast-like Jie people to only 3,000 or 4,000. Was he that powerful?
The soldier repeated in detail the intelligence brought by the spy.
The Ninth Prince was stunned when he heard about the Battle of Guandu where a small force won. He asked in shock and anger, “Where did he find this military advisor? There is such a powerful military advisor in the world, how come I don’t know about it!”
The soldier said again: “Zhuang Li is his military advisor.”
Zhuang Ran, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly swayed slightly and even felt dizzy.
Zhuang Xu stood up suddenly and shouted in a very inappropriate manner: “Zhuang Li is Le Zhengming’s military advisor? Impossible! He knows nothing!”
The soldier turned his head to look at him and said with certainty, “It’s really Zhuang Li. After the great victory at Guancheng, Le Zhengming carried Zhuang Li on his shoulders and walked around the camp three times, saying that all the victories were brought by Zhuang Li. At that time, some people did not believe it and questioned how Zhuang Li arranged the troops. Zhuang Li then used two piles of beans to deduce all the strange formations. Our spies were far away and did not hear clearly, but the few words they heard were quite terrifying. Zhuang Li is indeed Le Zhengming’s military advisor, otherwise he would not be able to control the dozens of fierce generals under Le Zhengming’s command.”
Zhuang Xu took several deep breaths before quickly saying, “Bring the map over here, and tell me how Le Zhengming fought the battle at Guandu.”
The soldier took out a map and explained it by pointing and marking.
Zhuang Xu listened attentively, not daring to miss a single word.
After the soldier finished speaking, he still frowned, as if he had not figured it out. After a while, he asked the soldier to bring two cans of beans, and imitated Zhuang Li’s actions to deduce the Battle of Guandu.
Following the spy’s information, he surrounded the red beans with green beans, then stared at the pile of beans with distinct layers and fell into deep thought.
The Ninth Prince did not dare to disturb him. He just kept breathing in and out, trying hard to suppress the anger and frustration in his heart.
Zhuang Ran walked to his son and asked in a low voice: “Don’t you understand Zhuang Li’s arrangement?”
Zhuang Xu nodded in frustration at first, then shook his head hastily after a moment of stunned silence. He picked out all the red beans in the inner circle, stared at the thin circle of red beans left with horror, clapped his hands and said, “I understand! So that’s how it is!”
The Ninth Prince asked anxiously, “How?”
Zhuang Xu explained the mystery in detail, and then he fell into a state of dejection. He sat back in his original position in a daze, with his hands on his knees, trying to support his shoulders that suddenly became extremely heavy, but he let out a low cry of pain.
It was not until then that he realized that his knees had been scalded by the tea.
Zhuang Ran pulled his hand away with concern and hurriedly summoned a military doctor.
The Ninth Prince, who had always been very caring towards Zhuang Xu, didn’t care about his pain at all. He just looked at the pile of beans with a flickering gaze, gritted his teeth and muttered: “Who said Zhuang Li knows nothing? His wisdom is simply unparalleled in the world!”
“It was just luck. It’s too early to say that he is unparalleled in the world.” Zhuang Ran retorted with a frown.
“Is there such luck in the world? Zhuang Xu, if I ask you to assist Le Zhengming in fighting this battle, what will you do? Duke Zhuang, what will you do? Don’t repeat what others have said, think carefully before answering me.” The Ninth Prince laughed angrily.
At the same time, he also supported his forehead, closed his eyes, and put himself in Zhuang Li’s position to conceive the strategy of the Battle of Guandu. Then he found that apart from the strategy formulated by Zhuang Li, he could only think of the four words “abandon the city and flee”.
For ordinary people, this battle was not worth fighting!
The Ninth Prince opened his eyes unwillingly and looked at Zhuang Xu, but saw that his face was pale and empty, and his eyes were full of frustration and confusion. It was obvious that he couldn’t think of a way out of the situation.
Zhuang Ran’s face was as gloomy as water, his eyes flickered, and he seemed to be at a loss as to what to do.
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