My wife has a secret

Chapter 212: Gathering Strength
A bearded staff member, with a sullen face, said to Xiao Chong in the general's tent, "My lord, the terrain of Huangling Pass is not conducive to the deployment of the army. We don't know how long we will have to waste here. How will the 20,000 dan of food be enough?"

Saba moved his neck slightly, causing the fragments of chain mail hanging from his helmet to rustle.

The aide thought Xiao Chong had taken his advice to heart, so he continued, "Prince, we should send messengers back to Shangjing to contact the Liao Emperor to collect food and grass, even if... the means are a little violent."

Although increasing taxes and forcibly collecting food and fodder would trigger resistance in various places and even lead to uprisings.

But these 800,000 troops are the foundation of the State of Qi and no mistakes can be made.

"killed."

"Yes."

When the staff heard Xiao Chong's response, they thought they had misheard and were wondering which proposal had gone wrong... Then they saw a flash of cold light in the dim yellow space, and Saba raised his sword and put the Khitan's iconic scimitar back into the scabbard.

In an instant, a column of blood shot up into the sky.

The aide's upper body flew up more than half a foot, while the rest of his body remained standing until all the blood spurted out and he fell down.

The staff around were all frightened when they saw this scene. Although they knew Prince Xiao Chong's habits, the other party's behavior over the years had been relatively humble.

For some reason, this swift and decisive method was actually used in the general's tent today.

"I have had enough of your foolish advice."

Xiao Chong raised his lips, his eyes showing more disdain and contempt. "The Battle of Chenghe was the result of the suggestions of a bunch of you, the Liao army led by me, cowering on the river bank... Even a fool knows that the Jin army would send a small force to attack from the less turbulent downstream area. Why didn't anyone come forward to mention this?"

The staff looked at each other in shock, and they all felt that the Prince Xiao Chong in front of them was extremely unfamiliar.

The original Battle of Chenghe was a proposal put forward by everyone during discussions in the general's tent.

The one who nodded was Xiao Chong. How could they be made to take the blame for the defeat?
"Too stupid... Each of you is known as a think tank in your own country and region, and your intelligence is one in a million. How come you don't understand my intentions?"

Xiao Chong raised his head and looked around at the staff in the tent. The sharp light in his eyes forced these people not to look at him and they all knelt down.

"I didn't put any thought into the war with the Jin Kingdom. Those unimportant local battles only affected the gains and losses of a few cities and were of no help to the future of the Liao Kingdom."

Even though the staff were kneeling on the ground, they could still feel Xiao Chong's oppression. The tremendous pressure made them sweat on their foreheads and tremble all over.

However, they also did not understand Xiao Chong's words. What did he mean by a few cities were not important? The countries had been standing for a hundred years, and there were only a handful of generals in history who had expanded their territory. Such achievements would be recorded in history.

"The war between Liao and Jin has attracted everyone's attention. Qi, in particular, wants to use it to observe the size of our army, our logistics, and me... The Yang family has long regarded me as a thorn in their side. Every move in Jin will be studied and analyzed by them, so they want you to take over the command and show the enemy your weakness."

After hearing this, the staff suddenly understood why Xiao Chong, the ever-victorious general of Liao, suffered repeated defeats in his battles with Jin.

It turned out that he wanted to use the war examples between Liao and Jin to deceive the Yang family of Huangling Pass and create the illusion that he was inferior to others in skills.

From the beginning to the end, he was prepared to make a last-ditch effort to conquer the State of Qi.

"But even a wise man can make mistakes, and even a fool can gain something... You are right. Ten days' worth of food and fodder is indeed too much. Saba, give the order to double the rations starting tomorrow."

"Yes!"

After Saba responded, he stepped out of the tent with a nimble body and distributed the order to the messenger kneeling in front of the tent. After doing all this, he turned back to the tent and followed Prince Xiao Chong closely. Xiao Chong's face showed a sense of pride, and he said: "Look, this is the habit of my prince in leading the army to fight, only advancing and never retreating, and moving forward without hesitation."

The other staff members were first frightened by Xiao Chong's behavior, but then they realized that this desperate approach was also a last-ditch effort to stimulate the combat power and cohesion of the 800,000 men.

This was a war on which the fate of the nation was at stake; defeat would mean destruction, so Xiao Chong chose a more arrogant style of fighting.

"Continue to give orders. From now on, launch an attack on Huangling Pass."

"My Lord! The two countries have not officially declared war yet. There are still caravans passing through the road of Huangling Pass. If we fight like this..."

"Noisy!"

Xiao Chong uttered a cold and mocking voice, "After the country is destroyed, no one will remember this. Saba! Send out the vanguard troops I have selected to put pressure on Huangling Pass."

"Yes!"

Inside the general's tent, the staff dared not speak, only Saba, under the command of Xiao Chong, frequently went out of the tent to issue orders.

Outside the main tent, the army dominating the plain began to advance like a hissing venomous snake, rushing at full speed towards Huangling Pass not far away.

Looking down from above, the densely packed people formed a black mass, like ants, dyeing the plain black.

……

Huangling Pass, Yang Family.

In the hall of the Yang family sat the three Yang sisters and Xu Qing and his wife.

Shen Shuangxu, who usually remained calm, bit his lower lip tightly, his eyes flickering, obviously trying his best to suppress his emotions and stay calm.

But anyone who has seen her knows that her behavior is very different from her usual self.

The reason for all this was that Huangling Pass received news of the Liao army's assembly last night. Judging from the situation described in the letter, Xiao Chong had gathered more than 100,000 troops in just one night.

The Liao State assembled its army at a time when food was scarce, not to put pressure on the Qi State. It meant that a war between the two countries was imminent and there was a possibility of an accidental clash at any time.

All of this was a predictable result when everyone passed on military intelligence, and there was not much to worry about.

However, Xu Qing's father-in-law, Shen Nianyan, the division representative who was visiting the Liao Kingdom, was still in the Liao Kingdom and had not returned yet.

The letter that was previously sent to the capital was stamped with his father's official seal by Shen Shuangxu because he was worried that the military intelligence was not credible enough. However, Shen Nianyan himself was still in Shangjing City taking care of the affairs of the diplomatic envoys and had not yet set out.

If the two countries go to war, Shen Nianyan's situation will be dangerous.

"Based on the speed at which the Liao army assembled before, they will launch an attack in three days. I think we should send out a signal to indicate that war is about to happen, so that the passing caravans can speed up."

The first person to speak up and make a suggestion was the youngest sister of the Yang family, who rarely spoke during the meeting.

(End of this chapter)