Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 296: Xiao Liming Deploys His Troops
Baofeng County, the First Prince is discussing the matter of this military campaign with his grandfather, Xiao Liming.
Xiao Liming joyfully said, “Very good, this is a great opportunity. When we deploy the troops, we must not only deploy troops, but a large force. One hundred thousand won’t be enough, we need two hundred thousand! We’ll need elite soldiers, not common laborers, and we’ll use the food and supplies we secretly stored outside Wuyang City!”
“Ah…” The First Prince was momentarily confused. “Are we really going to attack Songzhou County?”
The First Prince had never considered attacking Songzhou County! His thoughts were completely guessed by Shangguan Yong.
As for Xiao Liming? Xiao Liming smiled brightly, “Who said we’re going to attack Songzhou County? But attacking Songzhou County is indeed a good excuse and cover.
With this excuse, we can deceive Li Yulong’s plan; once the army reaches Songzhou County, we’ll immediately change course and attack northeast, catching Li Yulong off guard. In fact, if the situation allows, attacking Anyang wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Although Anyang seems stable now, it has just undergone a large battle, and emptiness is inevitable; attacking Anyang now gives us a fifty percent chance of achieving a glorious victory.”
“Attack Anyang?!” Upon hearing this plan, the First Prince’s first reaction was disapproval; preparations weren’t sufficient yet. Anyang’s previous battles had cost hundreds of thousands of lives, establishing its fame. Now, very few dared to attack Anyang, especially since it now had supersonic aircraft—these were powerful weapons, and one could imagine bombs dropping from above in the middle of the night.
Xiao Liming’s eyes were determined: “Precisely because no one dares to attack Anyang, if we do, we will have a great chance of victory!
Fortune favors the bold; to achieve great things, one must have the resolve and courage to take risks!”
The First Prince still didn’t want to take the risk. The cost of angering Anyang seemed too great—what if Anyang or Li Xian got furious and dropped bombs on Wufeng City?
Xiao Liming remained firm, even offering various reasons; eventually, he even mentioned Xia Qingqing—since Xia Qingqing was around, at least Li Xian wouldn’t harm the royal family.
Well, once his life was secured, the First Prince finally agreed to Xiao Liming’s plan to send troops.
Xiao Liming, seeing that the First Prince had agreed to send troops only after ensuring his own life was secure, felt a flash of disdain in his eyes.
Xiao Liming acted quickly, and by that afternoon, he had assembled a 200,000-strong army, marching toward the southeast in a grand formation, their banner declaring: “Punish the rebels!” The scope of “punishing the rebels” was broad, but in the southeast of Baofeng County, only Songzhou County fit the description. Xiao Liming personally led the army, which stretched five or six miles and extended over ten miles, surging toward the southeast like an unstoppable tidal wave.
Within the army, there were motor vehicles, cannons, airplanes (following from behind), and many “guns” that could serve as small artillery. Additionally, the technology for bombs wasn’t very advanced yet, so Baofeng County had invented “dynamite packs.”
Of course, aside from these, there were also many traditional items like charms and magical tools. Especially the one-time-use self-destructive magical tools, which were powerful, though expensive and in limited quantity.
………
In Nanyang County, Kong Donglai, slightly fatigued, was analyzing various pieces of intelligence, hoping to find the most beneficial information for himself, especially some hidden details that were inevitably leaked in the course of operations.
For instance, the fact that Xiao Liming was personally leading the army, with a force of 200,000, immediately raised suspicions in Kong Donglai’s mind—wasn’t that too responsible? Too enthusiastic? A windfall from the heavens? Did Baofeng County really want to swallow Songzhou County in one go?
At the same time, news from Nanguang Zhi also came in, reporting that the Songzhou County army and Guangling County seemed to be in disarray, no longer advancing, and even showing signs of retreat.
“Seems like everything is too perfect!” Kong Donglai may not understand military matters, but he certainly understood politics—this situation seemed too good, too perfect, with no obvious problems.
“There must be a problem!” Nanyang County’s civil official, Guo Hongyan, made a decisive statement.
Kong Yingzhi cautiously spoke, “Could we have General Nanguang attempt an attack, but not go too deep, just to test the situation?”
Kong Donglai thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes. Let Nanguang Zhi try, but be cautious of the enemy drawing us in.”
…………
In the northwest, Kaiping County, Li Yulong also received information that Xiao Liming had mobilized his troops. Li Yulong glanced at it and immediately laughed. He turned to the person beside him and asked, “What’s the opinion of the Left Chancellor?”
The Left Chancellor? That person turned out to be Yang Zhong — the “old servant” of the Li family.
But now, Yang Zhong was already the Left Chancellor. Hearing Li Yulong’s question, he immediately replied, “Your Majesty has seen it clearly. This Xiao Liming likely has ulterior motives beyond what he shows.”
Li Yulong laughed heartily. “Trying that trick on me — I don’t know where Xiao Liming gets his confidence from. From what I see, it’s not just that he has other intentions — the old guy can’t wait to jump onto the main stage. Let’s see just how far this old turtle who’s been hiding for decades can go.”
Then, Li Yulong turned to the guard beside him and said, “Tell the frontline Grand Marshal of the army, ‘Li Wei’, to roll out all the 150mm cannons. Try to break through the First Prince of Xia Kingdom’s defenses in Wuyang and Xin’an Counties in one go. All hidden Foundation Establishment stage experts are to strike as well. We must finish this quickly!”
Currently, the political and military powers of Li Yulong and Prince Xia Xu were arrayed along the defenses of Xin’an and Wuyang Counties. The Xin’an County defense line followed the original border between Xin’an and Kaiping Counties. But in Wuyang County, where Li Yulong was the later comer, he had gradually pushed the defensive line close to the imperial capital.
In Li Yulong’s eyes, Xiao Liming’s actions and motives were utterly transparent!
…
“Ahhhh…” Li Xian stretched lazily. After being busy for several days and meditating for a few more to stabilize his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, he had finally gotten the chance to sleep in last night. Although the Great Xia Kingdom was embroiled in war, Anyang City was filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.
Xia Qingqing had gotten up early. Li Xian shouted, “Wife, come help me get dressed!”
Xia Qingqing didn’t come in — instead, her maid Xiao Tao entered. The little girl stood timidly at the doorway and said, “My Lord, the Princess has already gone to the school. The school is expanding into a university, and Her Highness is currently arranging the distribution and retraining of the teaching staff.”
Li Xian rolled over. “Alright, got it. You can leave.”
“I’ll help the Prince get dressed…”
“Shoo, shoo, little girl, go play by yourself.”
Bang! Xiao Tao cheerfully shut the door behind her, leaving behind a string of bell-like laughter. Faintly, words like “You lost the bet” could still be heard.
Li Xian smiled helplessly. These little girls were getting spoiled. But he himself detested that rigid palace lifestyle — that wasn’t called living; it was prison. Aside from the ten extra maids added recently to clean and tend the flowers, there were only a few Nascent Soul stage experts stationed outside for protection.
When Li Xian eventually shuffled slowly to the doorway, Chen Jinbing had already been waiting for some time. “My Lord, Xu Ren is waiting in the main hall.”
“Oh.” Li Xian responded casually and continued at his unhurried pace. If it were something urgent, Xu Ren would’ve had one of the maids like Xiao Tao drag him out of bed. Since that hadn’t happened, it probably wasn’t too important.