Kays Translations

Just another Isekai Lover~

Chapter 153: Anyang “County” (Part 1)

This war came suddenly and ended just as abruptly! Truly, it arrived in haste and left in haste; only four days—just four days in total from start to finish! However, the various issues and consequences triggered by this war were enough to make someone like Yan Ze’an rack their brains.

But one thing was undeniably clear: the death knell for the Great Xia Kingdom had officially rung! Meanwhile, Anyang was bound to reap countless benefits from this campaign to suppress the rebellion.

Furthermore, the Kong family’s conduct during the war revealed their ambitions without reservation.

In this war, apart from the Li family stepping forward, no one else took action—not even the Crown Prince. It seemed as though everyone wanted to see the Great Xia Kingdom crumble so they could wage their own battles afterward!

After the war ended, Xu Ren immediately dispatched an airship to deliver messages to Li Yulong and Li Liang. The message for Li Liang also carried a scheme devised by Xu Ren.

The airship first headed to Li Liang, then to Li Yulong, and finally would carry Song Xing and others westward to inform Li Xian.

Only after the airship’s departure did Xu Ren send regular couriers to the imperial capital to report the victory—this was the “official notification.” Xu Ren’s meticulous approach left no room for anyone to pick out issues on the surface! At the same time, he sent the Imperial Inspector of Zhongshan Prefecture, Shi Chengsong, who had been “completely crippled in cultivation” but had regained consciousness, as well as Cai Guohonglu Temple Minister Ye Mingquan, to the capital.

Upon returning to the Anyang City Lord’s mansion, Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an decided to bypass Xia Qingqing altogether. They immediately mobilized troops southward to confront—or rather intercept—the sluggish Nanyang forces, which were effectively the strength of the Kong family in the rear of Zhongshan Prefecture.

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At this point, the operation was no longer about suppressing a rebellion but had started to take on the flavor of a warlord conflict, which is why Xia Qingqing was not notified.

Meanwhile, Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an jointly drafted two blank imperial edicts. The first was sent to Nanyang Prefecture, ordering the Kong family to withdraw from Zhongshan Prefecture immediately. The Great Xia Kingdom’s Eastern Governor, Li Xian, had already quelled the rebellion, and the Kong family was no longer needed.

The second edict was sent to Zhao Youdan in Luliang Prefecture, instructing him to dispatch troops southward to fortify defenses in Nanyang and Dongyuan Prefectures as much as possible. He was also to implement a scorched-earth strategy, evacuating all civilians to the northern parts of Luliang Prefecture. Xu Ren understood that Anyang’s current strength could not independently occupy all of Luliang and Zhongshan Prefectures. Therefore, the focus had to be on seizing the population.

After finishing all these tasks, Xu Ren sent Beichen Yuqing southward to Dongyuan Prefecture to negotiate with the Yuan family.

Additionally, to ensure the Yuan family’s “cooperation,” Xu Ren ordered three ironclad ships to continue sailing southward to display their might along the coast of Dongyuan Prefecture. He even replenished these ships with a large number of spirit stones, which had been recharged after their depletion in battle. Beichen Yuqing traveled south aboard one of these ironclad ships!

Turning back to Anyang, Yan Ze’an had already begun restoring order to the city, including handling funerals, distributing rewards, post-war reconstruction, and accelerating factory production. The tasks were numerous and complex, and Xu Ren found himself at a loss when it came to these details. Fortunately, Yan Ze’an was there! Skilled in handling such matters, Yan Ze’an’s efficiency left Xu Ren in awe.

Despite his busy schedule, Yan Ze’an did not forget about the 13 merchants who sacrificed their lives in Luliang Prefecture. He ensured their families received generous compensation and awarded them hero medals.

Additionally, Anyang seamlessly absorbed part of Zhongshan Prefecture’s surrendered troops, totaling about 50,000 soldiers. After slight reorganization, Xu Ren immediately deployed them southward to protect Zhongshan Prefecture, using the pretext of defending their homeland to temporarily rally their allegiance.

Everything unfolded under Xu Ren’s arrangements. While others were caught off guard, preparations for the expansion of Anyang had already been made.

The first to receive the news of Anyang’s victory was, of course, Li Liang. At the same time, Li Liang also received a scheme from Xu Ren, targeting those generals and others who had acted deaf and dumb during the previous war.

Upon reading the scheme, Li Liang finally showed a hint of savagery; the angry expression on his face instantly turned into a murderous intent! “At the crucial moment, they dragged us down. It’s time to settle the score after the harvest! You didn’t expect it, did you? The war would come to an abrupt halt!”

“Zou Hui, go and bring General Zuo here.”

A moment later, General Zuo of Kaiping County arrived at the Lord’s Mansion, strutting arrogantly with his personal guards. Upon seeing Li Liang, he sneered condescendingly, “What’s the matter? Is the front line too tight for you, Governor Li?”

This time, Li Liang remained calm. “Today, I only have one question for the general.”

“Go ahead!”

Li Xian suddenly raised his voice, “Is the general still loyal to His Majesty?”

General Zuo sensed something was wrong, but this question only had one answer: “Of course!”

Li Liang smiled. “Zhongshan County has rebelled, and Wuyang City has no available generals. The situation is precarious. Now, I ask the general to lead a thousand elite troops and immediately head to the imperial capital to protect His Majesty. You must not fail!”

“Ah…” General Zuo was immediately stunned. “Damn, if I leave my camp, won’t I become a commander with no troops?” But… he couldn’t refuse! Not only could he not refuse, but under Li Liang’s subtle coercion, he swore: “I will lead my elite soldiers and arrive at the imperial capital within two days.”

Thus, General Zuo set off, disgraced.

After General Zuo left, it was General You’s turn. General You had learned from his experience and immediately said: “I am, of course, loyal to His Majesty, but because I am loyal, I must guard the border.”

Unfortunately, no matter how wise General You was, he couldn’t compare to a strategist who played with brains. Li Liang, with righteous words, said: “General, don’t worry. As for the border, I, Li Liang, will take care of it. Besides, the Cai Kingdom has sworn not to send troops into the Great Xia Kingdom within five years.”

Thus, the speechless General You was also dismissed!

With both the left and right generals gone, the two biggest thorns disappeared, and Li Liang completely took control of Kaiping County, overseeing a radius of a hundred miles! Similarly, after the two thorns disappeared, the remaining small generals were all dispatched to the imperial capital to guard the royal city.

During this time, a few small generals were “very honest”—the Great Xia Kingdom was practically nonexistent, so what use was loyalty to His Majesty? At that moment, Li Liang revealed a fierce look, exterminated their families, and sent their heads to the imperial capital!

Taking advantage of the victory, Li Liang finally displayed the ruthless methods expected of a governor. When it was necessary to be harsh, he never hesitated. In just two days, he had completely taken control of Kaiping County and sent 30,000 troops to assist Anyang, driving the Kong family’s forces from Nanyang County to the south.

While Li Liang was busy, Beichen Yuqing was also hard at work.

Riding an ironclad ship, he hurried to the southern part of Luliang County, to Dongyuan County.

As soon as the ironclad ship arrived at the coastline of Dongyuan County, it was spotted by the local guards. However, the formidable performance of the ironclad ship in its battle with Luliang County had already raised the alert in Dongyuan County.

Beichen Yuqing flew down from the ironclad ship alone and headed toward the coastline. “I am Beichen Yuqing, military strategist of Anyang County. I have an important matter to discuss with the Governor of Dongyuan County and Lord Yuan Yong.”

Seeing that only Beichen Yuqing had arrived, the commanders briefly deliberated and then sent someone on horseback to escort Beichen Yuqing to the capital of Dongyuan County, Quwo Prefecture, located a hundred miles away.

With the help of a fast horse, Beichen Yuqing arrived at Quwo Prefecture an hour later.

The Governor of Dongyuan County, Yuan Zhong, and the Grand Minister Yuan Yong were brothers, with Yuan Yong being the older sibling.

Recent events had kept Yuan Zhong extremely busy. First, the northern neighbor, Luliang County, was invaded by Anyang, and the formidable fighting capabilities of Anyang had frightened Yuan Zhong. Then, to the northwest, Zhongshan County had actually rebelled! A few days ago, his older brother Yuan Yong had sent a message saying that he planned to expel Li Yulong from the imperial capital. However, a few days later, his brother returned to Dongyuan County, humiliated.

All of these events had left Yuan Zhong unsure of how to respond. It was all too chaotic, and he didn’t know how to react!

At that moment, Yuan Zhong, Yuan Yong, Yuan Yong’s youngest son, Yuan Zhao (who was also a “good brother” to Li Xian), and many other important figures from Dongyuan County were together studying a sand table. Yuan Zhong sighed, “The north must be in complete chaos by now. A small place like Anyang, yet it managed to withstand Zhongshan County’s frenzied attacks. That’s no small feat. But Anyang is still too small and will eventually be overrun. Should we send troops to assist Anyang, and maybe move the so-called Brilliant Stars Group over here?”