Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 184 No. in the world
A moment later, Du Fuwei and the others left, and even the guards at the entrance of the Jianghuai camp returned to their own camp.

Xiao Ying waved her hand to clear away the tables, chairs, wine, and delicacies, then instructed her four maids:

"Immediately execute the agreement with the Jianghuai Commander, send word to the Empress to issue an edict, release the prisoners, and return the weapons and armor of the Black Cloud Cavalry."

"Yes!"

Qianhe and the others responded respectfully. Qianfeng hesitated for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Young Master, do you trust the Jianghuai General so much? What if they refuse to fulfill the agreement after taking over, or delay and do not withdraw their troops?"

"No! Otherwise, he wouldn't be the General Manager of Jianghuai! Besides, we're in a hurry, and they're in a hurry too. Neither side has much time to stand idly by at Chitai Mountain, which is the basis for peace talks. Peace talks are beneficial to both sides; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to reach an agreement!"

Xiao Ying paused for a moment, but still offered her explanation. She also took the opportunity to instruct the four maids, since many things around her would pass through their hands, such as intelligence, orders, and daily life.

In order to nurture and care for his four maids, Xiao Ying generously bestowed upon them four high-level or top-level star souls, making them responsible for four major aspects: life, military affairs, politics, and music!
"As mentioned earlier, the Jianghuai region is divided into the Wu and Chu factions. Nominally, King Du Fuwei of Wu is the supreme leader, but in reality, the Chu faction has established its own territory and commands its own army, showing signs of rivalry and even a potential power grab. Now that King Chu has just passed away, Du Fuwei needs to stabilize the morale of the army and the people as soon as possible, win over the Chu faction's troops and civilians, and regain control of the Jianghuai region, especially by subduing or eliminating the Chu generals and ministers. Otherwise, the Jianghuai region will fall into chaos on its own!"

Xiao Ying knew her explanation was rather vague, so she patiently explained in more detail, and then continued:
"Furthermore, to the west of Jianghuai lies the Wagang Army, which is closely following the Yuwen rebels; to the north is the Xia Ming King of Hebei, whose power is expanding and who is conquering new territories; to the east is the Fengming Army, which is currently attacking Hailing City; and to the south is our army. We are surrounded by enemies on all sides. If we fight a decisive battle here and the Jianghuai Army suffers too many casualties, the Wagang Army and the Xia Ming Army could invade Jianghuai territory at any time. Even if the Fengming Army cannot capture Hailing City, it could turn back west and attack Jianghuai instead, without regard for any alliance."

After speaking, Xiao Ying paused for a moment, then sighed, "This is the chaotic world, where kings rise and heroes vie for supremacy! No matter where you are, no matter which faction you belong to, as long as you show the slightest sign of weakness, the surrounding forces will take advantage of your misfortune and kick you when you're down. Just like a pack of wolves devouring a tiger, this is the way to survive in a chaotic world, a natural law. This is true for us, for the Jianghuai Army, and for other forces!"

"Indeed, young master is wise!" Qianfeng pondered, but her beautiful eyes sparkled as she praised him repeatedly, showing a hint of admiration.

Xiao Ying smiled and shook her head, not caring about Qian Feng's praise. As long as he could understand, it was enough that she hadn't wasted her breath!

The youngest and most lively Qianyun rolled her eyes and said with some envy and anticipation, "Young Master and the Jianghuai Chief Administrator are indeed destined to meet. Both times they met, they had pleasant conversations. Young Master even tried to recruit and persuade them to surrender, and the dignified Jianghuai Chief Administrator was not angry at all. Is this what they call mutual respect and appreciation among heroes?"

Upon hearing this, the others also looked at Xiao Ying with surprise and confusion.

It should be noted that the Jianghuai Army is recognized as the strongest force in the Jiangnan region. Whether in terms of territory size or the number of soldiers and civilians, it is the largest and most numerous in the Jiangnan region.

In most people's minds, trying to persuade or recruit Du Fuwei to surrender would be an offense, a contempt, and an insult to the overlord of Jianghuai, or rather, the overlord of Jiangnan. It might even be considered a curse.

Fortunately, Du Fuwei seemed quite magnanimous and had a good relationship with Prince Jingwu, Xiao Ying. If it were anyone else, they might have turned against him!

Xiao Ying smiled and replied, "It's all about knowing yourself and your enemy! However, Brother Du is indeed righteous and generous, with excellent character. Given time, if there are no conflicts between us, we might become good friends!"

It must be admitted that Xiao Ying and Du Fuwei's relationship was partly due to their compatible personalities, but mostly due to what they knew from their previous lives. For example, knowing that Du Fuwei was a good person, Xiao Ying dared to treat him honestly and give him enough trust, which are two extremely rare qualities between people.

Xiao Ying's offer to persuade Du Fuwei to surrender stemmed from her knowledge that Du Fuwei's ambitions were not too great. In his previous life, when the Tang Dynasty was powerful, he had decisively surrendered, saving the two sides from a great war. This was a great deed, as it reduced the casualties of both sides' soldiers and spared countless civilians from harm.
It can be said that Xiao Ying's memories from her previous life are a "golden finger" second only to the "Blood Demon Map". She can see many famous people clearly, know many trajectories in advance, and make appropriate responses!
"Then I hope Brother Du will surrender soon, so that Young Master can have another good friend!" Qian Yun blinked her big eyes and exclaimed in a crisp voice, also calling him "Brother Du" in a half-affectionate and half-joking way!
"How dare you be so rude!" Qianhe glared and scolded. Who was Du Fuwei? He was a local tyrant, how could a maid like Qianyun casually comment on or address him?
Qianyun stuck out her pink tongue, but under Qianhe's domineering presence, she dared not continue to act recklessly!

……

A moment later, Xiao Ying and the others returned to Chitai Mountain.

Seeing the reactions of Xiao Ying and the others, the generals knew that the peace talks had gone smoothly, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

This peace talks not only avoided a war with an uncertain outcome, but also temporarily removed a powerful enemy from our side, allowing us to have stronger military strength, more time, and more manpower to deal with other powerful enemies. It was a win-win situation and was widely expected, with no one having any objections.

Without Xiao Ying giving any instructions, the four maids relayed the order, which was quickly carried out. The prisoners from the Jianghuai Army, Taihang Mountain, Tuoluo Village, and Nanman forces were released, and they were allowed to take the Black Cloud Cavalry's weapons and armor.

Don't underestimate these weapons and armor; in some ways, they are even more important than the Black Cloud Cavalry themselves.

War always brings casualties. The Black Cloud Cavalry are seasoned veterans, and countless replacements have been made to date. The number of Black Cloud Cavalry is determined by their weapons and armor, with suitable personnel being a secondary factor.

Given the size of the Jianghuai Army, which occupies a million-square-kilometer territory and has millions of soldiers, it certainly has no shortage of suitable personnel.

The same applies to the Jingwu Guard of the Jingwu King. If there are enough weapons, armor, warhorses, etc., Xiao Ying can select enough personnel, let alone three thousand, even thirty thousand, with the help of the Blood Demon Diagram!

The Sui army has already taken the lead in implementing the peace agreement, but it will not withdraw its troops. It will wait for the Jianghuai army at the foot of the mountain to withdraw first before it can leave Chitai Mountain with peace of mind and decide whether to retreat to Hailing City or rush to the aid of Jiangdu.

The sun was setting in the west, its light languid and lazy.
Perhaps seeing the Prince of Jingwu's great trust in him, they readily fulfilled their promise. The Jianghuai camp was in great turmoil, and it was clearly visible that they began to break camp and reorganize their troops, preparing to leave.

When the scouts arrived with the report, Xiao Ying, Dugu Feng, and the other generals all breathed a sigh of relief, but secretly they began to speculate about the relationship between Prince Jingwu and the Jianghuai Governor!

After all, according to the agreement, there was also an imperial edict from Empress Xiao, in the name of the court, acknowledging Du Fuwei's status as the King of Wu. This was a major and very important condition for the peace talks.

For rebel kings in various regions, imperial edicts are still quite important, as they allow them to legitimately control their power and gain popular support.

Some anti-kings' "it doesn't matter" attitude, and even their cursing, ignoring or smearing of the court, are just sour grapes!

In times of chaos, the common people suffer the most.

The Sui Dynasty ruled the country for decades, ending centuries of darkness and chaos during the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and was still widely recognized by most people. Even now, with rebellions and bandits everywhere, most ordinary people are still grateful to or acknowledge the Sui Dynasty, still considering themselves subjects of the Sui Dynasty – this is legitimacy!
If Du Fuwei uses the "imperial edict" as a pretext to delay for a few days, Xiao Ying and no one else will be able to find fault. By then, the Fengming Army and the Yuwen rebels will likely have already begun their attack on the city, and may even have already breached it. At that point, it will be too late, and the significance of peace talks will be greatly diminished. Although Xiao Ying has repeatedly stated that both sides are anxious and that there is a basis for peace talks, ultimately, the Sui army is more anxious than the Jianghuai army!
The Jianghuai army's swift and early withdrawal indirectly gave Xiao Ying and the Sui army more time to react, which can be considered a great help to the Sui army.

This is a huge favor!

Of course, it would be good news for the Jianghuai Army to fight the Fengming Army and the Yuwen rebels as soon as possible, preferably to the point of mutual destruction. This would be of great help to the Jianghuai Army and would greatly reduce the pressure on them. It's a case of one side gaining at the expense of the other.

Xiao Ying decisively summoned his generals to discuss the matter. After the peace talks, the Sui army at Chitai Mountain could not simply withdraw. They needed to divide their forces into Hailing City and Jiangdu. Too many troops would be a waste, and too few would not be enough. They needed to treat the situation and make a careful choice.

The generals soon gathered at the main tent on Mount Chitai, which was also the royal tent where King Jingwu was located.

"In my opinion, Your Highness should personally lead the elite troops to reinforce Jiangdu, mainly to contain Yuwen Chengdu and the Xiaoguo Army, so as to prevent our side from suffering too many casualties; the rest of the army should return to reinforce Hailing City, and then we will see how things go... whether to hold our ground and wait for reinforcements, or to take the initiative to fight!"

After everyone took their seats, strategist Wang Caixuan was the first to offer her suggestions.

Everyone nodded in silence. This was something that was already tacitly agreed upon, but now it was Wang Caixuan who brought it up!

Seeing that no one had any objections, Xiao Ying said directly, "Then I will lead the Jingwu Guard and the Jingwu Army to reinforce Jiangdu, and the rest will go to Hailing City!"

Dugu Feng exclaimed softly, and spoke up impatiently, "Ah? Is Your Highness going alone? And General Hong too, that's not enough, is it? Yuwen Chengdu and the Xiaoguo Army are not so easy to deal with, this humble general will also go to Jiangdu!"

"Isn't that unnecessary? I believe I can still keep Yuwen Chengdu in check, so why bother with General Hong's help? That should be enough!"

Xiao Ying frowned and shook her head in rebuttal, adding, "The Fengming Army is already at the city gates and will probably launch an attack today, while the Yuwen rebels are only approaching Jiangdu and may not even attack. Sending too many reinforcements would be a waste of military resources!"

After saying that, Xiao Ying thought for a moment, then flattered Dugu Feng with a smile, saying, "Now that the 'Peerless Phoenix' is famous throughout the world and awe-inspiring in all directions, Hailing City needs General Phoenix to be in charge!"

Before obtaining the Star Soul of Marquis Wu Yun of Nanyang, Xiao Ying believed that he was no match for Yuwen Chengdu, and even with Dugu Feng by his side, he had little confidence.

Now, Xiao Ying is confident that with Wu Yunzhao's Star Soul assisting him, he is even stronger than fighting Dugu Feng in a two-on-one battle. Even if he cannot defeat Yuwen Chengdu, he can at least keep him in check.

"The gap between Yuwen Chengdu and Wu Yunzhao isn't more than one person's own, is it?"

Xiao Ying's assessment was so simple, yet the more she thought about it, the less confident she became!
Don't be fooled by the seemingly close power rankings of Yuwen Chengdu and Wu Yunzhao at the end of the Sui and beginning of the Tang dynasties. This world, similar to the novel "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," appears to be slightly stronger, albeit with a more complete and grander power system. "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," being a fantasy world, could make a world of difference even with just one ranking.

Take Li Yuanba as an example. Even if all the top ten players were combined, they might not be able to defeat him alone!

What about Yuwen Chengdu, who ranked second?
"How can there be..."

Hearing Xiao Ying's high praise, the usually dashing Dugu Feng blushed and became somewhat shy and bashful.

"Your Highness is wise! Although the Fengming Army is powerful, it lacks top-tier generals now that the Marquis of Nanyang is gone. Even renowned generals are few in number. Hailing City is guarded by generals such as Xu Qiubai and Consort Chen. If they can hold their ground, they may not be defeated. With our army's reinforcements, we are basically safe. The real threat is still Jiangdu!"

The strategist Li Baiyao pondered his words carefully before offering his advice, then quickly added, "After all, Yuwen Chengdu is widely recognized as the most powerful general in the world, and was even personally bestowed the title of 'Invincible General of the World' by the late emperor. He has never been defeated! The Xiaoguo Army is also recognized as the strongest military force in the world, so we must be wary of them!"

"We should definitely be on high alert!" Everyone agreed.

Although Empress Xiao and Prince Jingwu led the army to repel the Yuwen rebels, and Xiao Ying was even granted the title of prince and became famous throughout the land, partly due to the prestige gained by riding on the coattails of the Yuwen rebels, many people knew that the Yuwen rebels had withdrawn voluntarily, not because they were defeated and fled by the Sui army!
More importantly, Yuwen Chengdu did not appear in Yuwen's rebel army at that time. That was a completely different matter, and they might even be two elite forces of different levels!
"Your Highness should take General Phoenix with you, just in case!" Wang Caixuan dared not say she didn't think Xiao Ying could win against Yuwen Chengdu alone, but she earnestly suggested.

"And this humble general, I believe I can still put up a fight with Yuwen Chengdu..." Shen Lun eagerly volunteered for the challenge.

Long Tianxing was originally the fiercest general of the Shangliang army, sweeping across Jiangnan without being invincible, but he had never fought against Yuwen Chengdu, Wu Yunzhao and others.

After the Star Soul fusion, Shen Lun, whose combat power was already quite high, saw his combat power surge even more, making him arguably the number one general in the Sui army. However, he did not dare to challenge Xiao Ying and Dugu Feng, as none of the other generals were his match!
Xie Yingdeng, not to be outdone, volunteered, saying, "And there's my humble general! My iron arrows should pose a certain threat to both Yuwen Chengdu and the Xiaoguo Army!"

"This humble general..." Zhao Pojun, who had just surrendered, also spoke up, and Yang Qingxuan also looked tempted!
"Stop! Stop! Stop! I am gratified that everyone is so spirited and unafraid of a powerful enemy! However, Hailing City is also very important, and the Fengming Army should not be underestimated!"

Xiao Ying quickly waved her hand to stop everyone, and repeatedly reassured them. After a pause, she continued somewhat uncertainly, "Then let's add General Phoenix... and General Xie. The rest can return to Hailing City to provide reinforcements. There's no need to discuss it further!"

"Yes!" the crowd replied helplessly, especially Shen Lun, who was clearly unwilling and regretful.

The Battle of Jiangdu would be an excellent opportunity to make a name for oneself. The Fengming Army currently lacks any truly outstanding figures; it's estimated that only Fengming King Li Zitong himself is the strongest. Therefore, there's really nothing to boast about or gain fame from such a battle!

"Your Highness! The Purple-Faced Heavenly King and the Invincible Chaos King request to leave. Their attempts to persuade them to surrender have failed, and it seems unlikely they will be able to be persuaded in the future. Should we...?"

Li Baiyao hesitated for a moment, looked at Xiao Ying for instructions, and made a beheading gesture.

Xiao Ying was quite tempted. The success rate of killing the two was very high, and it would also add two more peerless generals to their side. Would Yuwen Chengdu still be the biggest threat?!
(End of this chapter)