Chapter 332: Red Dowries (VI)

As the saying went, “There is no battle you will lose if you know yourself and your enemies well.”

The outcome of the battle did not depend solely on the strength of the army on both sides; it was also a battle of intelligence information collected about each other.

Why were the strategists of old so well respected? The crux laid there. A good strategist could accurately plot against an enemy, even with little information, thereby gaining an upper hand. They were sure to win.

From Jiang Pengji’s point of view, those people not only had exceptionally intelligent brains, but they could accurately diagnose the situation at hand and re-enact it well. It was shocking. When the people just started to see the beginning, their brains had already predicted the ending. That was the difference between an average person and a strategist.

But what if they had detailed, accurate, and real-time information? If an average person could see a few loopholes, so could an intelligent person with redoubled effort.

Thus, if Jiang Pengji wanted to use Chongzhou as a base to enter and strategize about how to conquer the Northern Borderline, she needed a detailed understanding of the Northern Borderline’s geography.

“I will write a letter to my father personally to ask him to send some men beforehand to collect information about the Northern Borderline…” Jiang Pengji said, “The royal family in the Northern Borderline has had joint marriages with Dongqing for almost three years. They have long passed the affectionate, honeymoon period. Hereafter, it is time for the real intentions to be revealed.”

The princess of the Northern Borderline, An Yina, married into Dongqing’s royal family without good intentions. Before her marriage, she was at the rock garden and met with the fourth prince… They appeared to have a very close relationship. Jiang Pengji witnessed that firsthand.

If one truly and sincerely wanted a joint marriage to improve the relationship between the two countries, would she have an affair with her future brother-in-law? After her marriage with the second prince, she would become the second princess consort. After all those years there was no lack in plotting evil schemes.

It was a pity for the Count of Zhenbei, who took the brunt of the incident.

Princess An Yina was undoubtedly the precious gem of the three tribes of the Northern Borderline. She was endowed with a lot of wisdom and intelligence. After she became the daughter-in-law of the royal family, she quickly gained control of her husband, the second prince, whose mother did not have a high status. She coaxed him well and made him her mouthpiece in Dongqing’s court.

The year Nansheng wanted to borrow troops from Dongqing to deter the enemy, the second prince followed princess An Yina’s strategy and recommended the Count of Zhenbei.

The other party’s reason was also logical and could not be refuted!

The Count of Zhenbei was skilful in war. The old Count was a military general who rarely lost. If the elite troops under the Count of Zhenbei’s personal command were to send help to Nansheng to resist the enemy, it would not only make clear Dongqing’s sincerity to Nansheng… But it would also flaunt Dongqing’s military might before the other countries.

There was nothing wrong with recommending the Count of Zhenbei. The problem was the person who prepared the logistics for the army provisions was the second prince, and the soldiers supervising were enemies of the eunuchs from the Count of Zhenbei’s residence!

The generals were killing at the forefront, while in the background, the army rations had insufficient supplies.

The backup army, who was supposed to come, was consistently late. The injured army men could not receive timely treatment, and the rations and the army were often lacking…

The personal elite troops under the Count of Zhenbei were tortured by the evil schemes, and as such, they were seriously injured and extremely tired.

The last war had a delay in relaying military information. Many elite troops went out, but only some returned.

The Count of Zhenbei led the defeated army back and was told off. He was demoted, and his token of command was confiscated.

Without the elite troops to rely on, the token of command, which the Emperor was cautious of, was also confiscated. The Count of Zhenbei was at his wits end; he was at the edge of a cliff and could fall anytime, which would be a horrible death.

If not for the Emperor, who was weary of his reputation, the Count of Zhenbei would have disappeared from Dongqing.

From that point of view, it seemed that princess An Yina did nothing… But Jiang Pengji didn’t belittle her.

The princess’ contributions to the present state of the Dongqing court had to be acknowledged.

Xu Ke knitted his brows, leaving a few faint creases. “The real intentions to be revealed?”

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Jiang Pengji sneered coldly. “Isn’t it so? Half of the elite troops belonging to the Count of Zhenbei were vanquished at the battlefield with Nansheng, which is equivalent to shaving off thirty to forty percent of Dongqing’s military might. The remaining military strengths are controlled by the Emperor, by the Meng family from Cang prefecture, and by Prince Changshou. These three groups of people are disunited.”

“You have spoken well. It is my thoughts that have deviated.” Xu Ke sighed and lifted his hands to rub his forehead, following Jiang Pengji’s train of thoughts to analyze the situation.

“The internal court of Dongqing has conflicting views. If it was reckless struggle, the three tribes of the Northern Borderline would have benefitted from the fighting. Currently, there is the threat from the south. Back then, the four countries rushed to the rescue of Nansheng, and the four factions of Nanman seized an opportunity for peace talks, gaining two to three years to recover. Now that they have recovered their strength, Nansheng ceded their territory in exchange for peace, losing a big piece of land. They were able to breathe, but how were they going to counter the powerful invasion from the four factions of Nanman?”

The four factions of Nanman had rested long enough. Now that their military troops and horses were full of might, Nansheng was struggling at death’s door. Their doom of extermination was near.

If Nansheng was lost, Dongqing would surely face invasion from both the three tribes of the Northern Borderline and the four factions of Nanman.

There were many external dangers, and the internal conflicts were endless. Based on the scenario, anyone could imagine that Dongqing would end up as the next Nansheng!

It was almost a dead-end with no solution, but Jiang Pengji wanted to walk through the dead-end to find life!

“This is our chance, Xiaoyu,” Jiang Pengji said calmly, “Whether we win or lose depends on this move.”

Who said the last to benefit from the fighting would be the three tribes of the Northern Borderline? It was only possible to open a way forward by conquering the three tribes of the Northern Borderline. That was the only way.

It had to be mentioned that it was a bold move, but since Jiang Pengji said so, she was confident of success.

Dongqing’s hinterland was mostly flat, suitable for an army on horses to go to war, which, in general, was easier to attack than defend. On the other hand, the three tribes at the Northern Borderline had many horse stables. They were skilful at riding horses. Once Chongzhou lost, they would ride into Dongqing. Based on the current situation, Dongqing did not have the ability to defend itself.

Jiang Pengji wanted to reign supreme in the world. The three tribes of the Northern Borderline were her best springboard to success.

She wanted to capture the Northern Borderline, destroy Dongqing, resist and even exterminate Nanman, then deal with the three countries to make claims as an equal.

To accomplish that goal, she needed an extremely important chess piece.

That needed to be someone with the ability to control the three tribes of the Northern Borderline, and who was currently a nail hidden in Dongqing––princess An Yina.

“All things have been prepared. What’s left is the fourth prince’s, Wuma Jun’s, wedding.”

Jiang Pengji laughed secretly with unfathomable intentions, while Xu Ke did not understand. What did that have to do with the fourth prince’s, Wuma Jun’s, wedding?

As he was about to open his mouth, Jiang Pengji’s eyes looked austere. He instinctively swallowed back his words.

After a while, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside.

“Langjun, everything is prepared.” Taxue’s gentle voice drifted in from the outside of the door.

Xu Ke responded to Jiang Pengji’s speechless picking of her brows by making a signal with his eyes. His Langjun was indeed smart. The sound of footsteps was far away, but the other party actually could hear them.

“Eh, I am tired. Please go prepare some hot soup and clean clothes. I will bathe later.”

Taxue bowed and meekly said, “Yes.”

Jiang Pengji’s pupils darkened in color. She retrieved a small box from the shelve in her study room. “Let’s end our proper business for now. It’s time to discuss personal matters.” Jiang Pengji pushed the small box towards Xu Ke and signaled for him to open it.

Xu Ke complied with her words by opening the box. There was no precious gold or jewelry inside. There was nothing expensive, only two dark yellow bamboo scrolls.

“This is…”