Isolated town in northern border region

Jing State, Wen Shu City.

Jiang Jun sat at his desk in the imperial study, holding a secret report in his hand. Outside the window, the twilight of early winter was falling, and the sky was gradually darkening.

He read through the secret report, then gently placed it on the table and tapped the paper twice with his fingertips.

The eunuch beside him stood respectfully, occasionally bringing him a cup of hot tea.

"Zhou Xun was sent as an envoy to Yan and Shu..."

Jiang Jun's voice was not loud, as if he were talking to himself.

"Xiao Lie is going to attack the State of Chen."

Without waiting for anyone's reply, he stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the palace walls shrouded in twilight in the distance.

"If the three kingdoms join forces to invade our borders, any normal person would sue for peace."

"But with Xiao Lie's temperament... he'll definitely fight!"

"And they will definitely fight them to the death!"

He turned around and said to the eunuch.

"Go and invite the Grand Marshal."

The eunuch accepted the order and withdrew.

Jiang Jun sat back down at his desk, his fingers slowly tracing the edge of the confidential report, a smile playing on his lips.

Sima Yuanchen arrived faster than expected.

He was dressed in a black casual suit, with an old jade pendant hanging at his waist. He bowed as he entered, his posture neither humble nor arrogant.

"What brings Your Majesty to summon me?"

Jiang Jun stood up and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"Grand Marshal, Xiao Lie has sent envoys to Yan and Shu to negotiate peace."

Sima Yuanchen took the teacup but did not drink it.

"I am already aware of this."

Jiang Jun sat down opposite him.

"Does the Grand Marshal know why Xiao Lie wants to negotiate peace?"

Sima Yuanchen held a teacup.

"Given the Northern Frontier King's temperament, he must be trying to buy time so that he can concentrate his forces to attack the Chen Kingdom."

Jiang Jun nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.

"The Grand Marshal is indeed insightful!"

"Does the Grand Marshal think Xiao Lie can win?"

Sima Yuanchen remained silent for a moment.

"In terms of open field battles, the troops of the Chu state on the northern frontier are unparalleled in the world, and the Chen state may not be their match."

"But the commander of Chen is Yuan Jia, a mature and prudent man who is good at defense. If he holds firm and does not come out, and keeps Xiao Lie occupied, the predicament of Chu being attacked from three sides will not be resolved."

Jiang Jun picked up his cup of tea and took a sip.

"So, Grand Marshal, you believe the key to this battle lies in timing?"

Sima Yuanchen nodded.

"The longer it drags on, the more distressed Xiao Lie will be; the longer it drags on, the more likely the State of Chu will seek peace."

Jiang Jun put down his teacup, his voice neither loud nor soft.

"What if Xiao Lie wins?"

Sima Yuanchen's gaze sharpened slightly.

Jiang Jun continued speaking.

"He destroyed the State of Chen and obtained the entire wealth of Chen, so the State of Chu became rich."

"Now that he has money, will he still want to do business with the Grand Marshal?"

"Grand Marshal, think about it... He's cooperating with you because the State of Chu is short of money."

"Once he's not short of money, will he still let you take a cut in the middle?"

Sima Yuanchen did not answer, but the fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.

Jiang Jun continued speaking slowly and deliberately.

"If the Grand Marshal wants to continue this business in the long run, the best way is to keep the flames of war in Chu burning."

"The more he needs money, the more he can't live without you."

"If he wins, the State of Chu will have plenty of money, and you'll lose your bargaining chips."

"If he loses, the states of Yan and Shu will divide up the state of Chu, and the technology from the northern frontier will be lost, making your business worthless..."

"Therefore, the Grand Marshal can do his part for the State of Chen."

Sima Yuanchen put down his teacup, looked up at Jiang Jun, and scrutinized him.

"What does Your Majesty wish to say?"

Jiang Jun met his gaze, his voice as calm as if he were talking about the weather.

"If the Grand Marshal secretly helps the Chen Kingdom, for example... by selling them a batch of weapons."

Sima Yuanchen did not answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time, until the twilight outside the window darkened further.

Then he stood up.

"Your Majesty, I am old and do not quite understand these intricacies."

"As the Grand Marshal of Jing, I will serve Jing for the rest of my life!"

He bowed and took his leave. As he walked out of the imperial study, his steps were neither fast nor slow, but his lowered eyes betrayed his thoughts.

Jiang Jun did not try to stop him. He sat there and watched Sima Yuanchen's figure disappear into the twilight outside the door.

Only after the footsteps had completely faded away did he pick up the cup of tea, which had gone cold, and take a sip, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"That short-sighted old man, how can the loss of 30,000 warhorses be compensated by a single business deal?"

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the setting sun sinking below the horizon in the distance.

Xiao Lie wanted to destroy the Chen Kingdom, the Sima family wanted to make money, and the Chen Kingdom wanted to survive...

"I want to see who can play the role to the end in this play."

He raised his teacup and gently swirled it towards the setting sun.

"Whichever of you wins, I will be happy to see it."

At this moment, Sima Yuanchen was sitting in the carriage on his way back to the mansion, his eyes closed, his fingers tapping on his knees, as if he were silently manipulating an abacus in his mind.

About fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes and whispered an instruction to the guards accompanying him outside the carriage.

"Pass down the order to the workshops to prepare the newly forged weapons and armor, awaiting my instructions."

The guard responded, and the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance towards the workshop.

Sima Yuanchen closed his eyes again, and the carriage drove along the long street into the night.

On the other side, Xiao Lie stepped onto the land of Jingzhou in the morning light.

Before the sky was fully bright, morning mist shrouded the scorched earth, and the air was filled with the smell of burning and decay.

The scene before them silenced everyone.

Villages were burned down, fields were trampled, and corpses lay everywhere along the roadside. The Jing River was half blocked by the dead people, and the water was murky and black, emitting a foul stench.

He remained on horseback, not dismounting to look, but his gaze remained fixed on the distant bones scattered among the ruins.

Luo Daniu followed behind him, the veins on his hand gripping the reins bulging.

"That damned Chen Guo..."

His voice was muffled.

"This isn't a war, it's a massacre of an entire village!"

"Even back in northern Xinjiang, the barbarians never did this to me!"

Xiao Xiong didn't speak. He dismounted, walked to the side of a curled-up old man's body by the roadside, squatted down, and reached out to close his eyes.

His lips were pursed into a thin line when he stood up.

Xiao Lie finally spoke.

"How many troops have arrived?"

Xiao Xiong replied.

Thirty thousand.

"Three thousand elite troops, five thousand wolf cavalry, and the rest are infantry."

"Thirteen cannons have arrived, taken from the walls of Yongzhou. Chen Hu is escorting the remaining equipment and cannons on their way."

Xiao Lie nodded, his gaze falling on the map.

Where is Yuan Jia?

"They hid in the city of Jingzhou."

"That old bastard is too scared to come out!"

"The 30,000 troops defending Chen State remained entrenched and did not venture out."

"He swept away everything outside the city that could be burned, demolished, or destroyed."

"The grain has all been transported into the city, the official roads have been dug up, the wells have been filled in, and even the river water..."

As Xiao Xiong was speaking, he suddenly paused.

"Your Highness! I request permission to fight tomorrow morning!"

"If I don't kill that beast Yuan Jia, I'll bring you my head!"

Xiao Xiong pointed to the city of Jingzhou on the map, his brows furrowed.

"I will personally dismember him!"

Luo Daniu spat.

"You coward! Come out and fight if you dare!"

Xiao Lie didn't speak. He looked at the map and traced his finger along the outer perimeter of the city.

Plains to the east, plains to the north, and plains to the south...

West... His finger paused for a moment, then drew a circle in the west.

What's to the west?

Xiao Xiong leaned over and took a look.

"The foot of the Jingxiang Mountains is less than half a mile from the West City Gate."