Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In Jiaoping District.

“Calm down. Talk slowly… Why is a man crying? What a Nancy boy…”

The leader of the Tsing Yi Army in Jiaoping District blustered. He was General Pingtian, one of the main chieftains of the Tsing Yi Army.

He received a message from a trooper saying that a few of their comrades from Chengan District were outside the city and they kept talking about the death of General Cangtian. Shocked, he hurriedly asked someone to let them in. It was true. They were really General Cangtian’s subordinates.

General Pingtian was speculative. He eagerly questioned them about the details of General Cangtian’s death.

When he had just started to speak, they were already crying piteously. Their faces were stained with tears. Moreover, as they had been travelling for days without washing, their faces were smudged with dirt. They looked extremely dirty and shabby, making people feel disgusted.

“… Our general… Our general was killed by a bunch of people. They’ve even captured Chengan District, swaggered through the district, settled down, and chased us out… Our general has died wrongfully…” The crying chieftain of the Tsing Yi Army was General Cangtian’s former subordinate who had beguiled him. He wanted to flee but he hated to give up his good life in the Tsing Yi Army, so he could only seek refuge with his ‘comrades’.

Chengan District was conquered?

Upon hearing the news, General Pingtian in Jiaoping District was frightened. He hurriedly made detailed inquiries.

“Don’t cry. Tell me, who’s the bastard who killed General Cangtian? How many people does he have?”

Chengan District was very close to Jiaoping District. By travelling at top speed, one could reach Jiaoping District after about a day by foot. Now that their enemy had conquered Jiaoping District, it was hard to guarantee that they would not have their eyes on Chengan District. If he were to dispatch troops, he must at least know the enemy’s background and be mentally prepared.

Hearing that General Pingtian was that concerned, the chieftains of the Tsing Yi Army who abandoned General Cangtian’s body and fled wailed even harder. Having firmly secured their grip on General Pingtian’s emotions, they hoped that they could obtain a good position here by relying on any favor left in General Pingtian.

They miserably described Jiang Pengji and her subordinates as extremely abhorrent people. They tried to enhance General Cangtian’s marvelous image, talking about how he sacrificed himself to protect others and delayed the invasion of the enemy in order to buy some valuable time for the members of the Tsing Yi Army to escape.

Hearing this praise, General Pingtian secretly pouted in a disdainful manner. Based on his understanding of General Cangtian, how could he not be familiar with his temperament? If he could abandon his subordinates in exchange for his life, he would definitely do it by fair means or foul. How was it possible for him to sacrifice himself to protect others?

However, he could not voice his thoughts. He gave a sad expression as if he was touched, acting in concert with their acting. After tricking them into talking, General Pingtian finally figured out the person who conquered Chengan District.

“Xiangyang District… It won’t be easy. It’s a tough nut to crack. No one could do it in the past six months.”

The Tsing Yi Army only knew how to plunder. How could they know how to build a district? No matter how good their cards were, they could only end up in a worst situation. Chengan District was utterly destroyed. It was so poverty-stricken that not even a piece of grain could be found.

General Pingtian knew how to restrain himself and did not drive the people in Jiaoping District to a dead end in one go. However, he got petty advantages at the expense of the people from time to time and plundered again and again. The people suffered miserably and they often wanted to escape. General Pingtian did not know about anything else, but he knew that if the Tsing Yi Army was the only one left in the district, how could he still be considered as a general?

Therefore, he cracked down on any attempt to escape and captured all the people who had fled. However, with their backs to the wall, even if they had to risk being killed by the Tsing Yi Army, there were still people who tried to flee.

In the face of this phenomenon, General Pingtian was so furious that he gnashed his teeth in anger. At the same time, he envied the nearby Xiangyang District.

However, Xiangyang District was like a tortoise’s shell. One did not know where to start. Hearing that Xiangyang District had taken the initiative to attack Chengan District, General Pingtian was extremely panicked.

“Do you know how many of them have gone to Chengan District?”

General Pingtian was secretly anxious, fearing that he would be Jiang Pengji’s next target. He had yet to fully enjoy the prestige of being a general.

“There are probably 6000 to 7000 of them… Perhaps it’s more than that…” The small chieftain of the Tsing Yi Army answered carefully. Of course, he did not know the exact number but he just guessed it according to his senses. How could the enemy be small in number when they could easily conquer Chengan District?

Little did he know that his wild speculation had stirred a greed in General Pingtian that he should not have.

Surprised, General Pingtian asked, “6000 to 7000? Are you sure that there are so many of them?”

“I think… I think so… There are too many of them, so I can’t tell immediately…”

The small chieftain of the Tsing Yi Army secretly pinched the corner of his clothes. He was extremely nervous.

“6000 to 7000… The total number of troops in Xiangyang District are less than 10000, right…”

General Pingtian’s heart jolted. A bold idea hovered over his heart. He was so excited that he could not even hold things steadily.

If the people in Xiangyang District really transferred 6000 to 7000 troops to attack Chengan District, this meant that there were at most 3000 to 4000 troops who were guarding Xiangyang District. It would be idiotic nonsense to guard a large district like Xiangyang District with that small a number of troops.

Perhaps… he could benefit from it?

General Pingtian was very sure about the situation in Chengan District. It was an absolute awful mess. It could definitely cause Jiang Pengji and the others to be stuck, giving them no time to take care of the situation in Xiangyang District. Thus, the rear of the army in Xiangyang District would be weak.

However, thinking about the loss suffered by the Tsing Yi Army in Xiangyang District in the previous year, General Pingtian dared not let down his guard. In order to conquer the city at the fastest speed, there must be a sufficient number of troops. Taking advantage of the weak rear of the army in Xiangyang District and the delay of their main forces in Chengan District, he could try his luck! Even if they noticed, Xiangyang District would have already changed hands. When their main forces rushed to the city, it would not make any difference.

Thinking of that, a fire began burning in General Pingtian’s heart. He originally just wanted to use 60 percent of his troops to strike Xiangyang District, but now he could not wait to drag all his troops away and conquer Xiangyang District at the fastest speed. He could not help but imagine the dumbfounded and resentful looks on the faces of Jiang Pengji’s main forces.

Thinking of this, he comforted the former subordinates of General Cangtian with a gentle voice. He was in a good mood. Although General Pingtian had looked down on General Cangtian who was fat and stupid, he wanted to annex the subordinates he had left behind. Small things should not be disregarded. If he could take in the Tsing Yi Army who was controlled by General Cangtian, he could grow his power further.

General Pingtian asked, “Apart from the few of you, are there any other men who have survived?”

The small chieftain of the Tsing Yi Army replied miserably, “Only a few hundred escaped by luck. The others have been killed.”

Some of them fled to Jiaoping District, whereas the others fled to Maolin District.

General Pingtian was shocked. He feared that the Tsing Yi Army in Maolin District could also picture the current weakness of the troops in Xiangyang District and dispatch their army to take advantage of the situation.

A sense of crisis grew.

He patted the shoulders of the former subordinates of General Cangtian and said with righteous indignation, “General Cangtian and I were close friends. Now that he’s killed by the enemy, how can I not avenge him as his brother? Don’t worry. I’ll gather my troops right away and destroy the enemy’s nest!”

Coincidentally, a similar scene was also happening in Maolin District.