Isolated town in northern border region

News of the Battle of Huxiaojiang struck like a thunderbolt from the south to the north.

The 120,000-strong Chen army was wiped out in one day, and the fate of Lord Wu'an Yan Que is unknown. Most of the elite troops of the Chen state were buried in the flood.

Carrier pigeons, fast horses, merchant caravans, and refugees—everyone was talking about the same name: Xiao Lie.

The people of Chu spread the news with great joy.

"Your Highness has won! The entire army of 120,000 Chen soldiers is wiped out!"

"Lord Wu'an, Yan Que, was swept away by the flood!"

"The destruction of this nation is imminent!"

The topic was being discussed everywhere—in teahouses, taverns, and fields.

Some say the prince is a god descended from heaven, capable of summoning floods to overwhelm the enemy army;

Some people exclaimed that the prince fought a very fierce battle, with a total of 120,000 men;

Some say that the State of Chen is doomed, and the State of Chu is about to become the most powerful state in the world.

An elderly man with white hair stood at the entrance of the village, listening to the news brought by a passing caravan, his hand holding a cane trembling slightly.

"Good...good...the people of Jingzhou can rest in peace now..."

He turned around, tears streaming down his face.

The imperial court was filled with jubilation.

The members of parliament gathered in the chamber, creating a lively atmosphere.

Shen Chongyuan slammed his hand on the table.

"The Prince's decisive victory has sealed the fate of the nation! The elite troops of the Chen Kingdom have been annihilated, leaving them with no power to resist!"

Wang Shouchang stroked his beard, a rare genuine smile appearing on his face.

"After this battle, the State of Chu will annex the State of Chen, and the world order will be completely rewritten."

Xie Anlan and Zheng Boyong exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded slightly. They knew in their hearts that after Xiao Lie finished this battle, the Chu Kingdom would have no more rivals.

In contrast, Chen Guo's reaction was almost completely silent.

When King Li Jiang of Chen heard the battle report, the teacup in his hand slipped and fell to the ground, the tea soaking the hem of his dragon robe.

With 120,000 elite troops wiped out, and the fate of Lord Wu'an Yan Que unknown, the remaining forces of the Chen state were only enough to defend the city, and they couldn't even muster a decent field army.

The court was filled with calls to surrender.

Some people knelt before the hall, weeping bitterly.

"Your Majesty! We can't fight anymore! If we continue, the Chen Kingdom will be destroyed!"

Someone wrote a letter of surrender overnight and carefully presented it to Li Jiang.

"Your Majesty, the State of Chu is powerful. If we sue for peace now, we might be able to preserve our ancestral temples..."

Li Jiang looked at the official letter, remained silent for a long time, and then waved his hand.

"Send it over."

Upon learning the news, the courts of Yan and Shu fell into a deathly silence.

After reading the battle report, Yan Ji remained silent for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before putting down the paper, his voice hoarse.

"The Chen Kingdom... an army of 120,000... overnight..."

"Is Xiao Lie truly a god descended to earth?!"

Yang Wei sat opposite him, his face as white as paper.

"Where is Yan Que?"

Yan Ji shook his head.

"Whereabouts unknown."

"Whether he lives or dies, the backbone of the Chen Kingdom has been broken."

Yang Wei gripped the teacup tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"So...should we still negotiate peace?"

When the news reached Wen Shu City in Jing State, Jiang Jun was reviewing memorials.

He read the secret report and remained silent for a full quarter of an hour.

The eunuch beside him waited a long time before he finally spoke.

"He used water attack."

The eunuch dared not respond.

Jiang Jun stood up and walked to the window.

"I thought he would continue to take on the task of conquering city by city, just like he did in Jingzhou, for at least two or three months."

"I never expected him to use this tactic!"

"He really knows how to cause trouble, flooding an army of 120,000 with the waters of the Tiger Roaring River!"

He stood there for a while, then turned to the eunuch and said.

"Summon the Grand Marshal to the palace. He says I wish to discuss military matters."

The eunuch accepted the order and left. Jiang Jun sat back down at his desk, his fingers slowly tapping on the surface.

He knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Once Xiao Lie annexes the Chen Kingdom, the balance of power in the world will be completely tilted.

He must pave the way for Jing's future before Xiao Lie completely assimilates Chen.

Sima Yuanchen arrived very quickly.

He was dressed in a brocade robe as always, and bowed as he entered.

"What brings Your Majesty to summon me?"

Jiang Jun stood up, but instead of letting him sit down, he turned and walked to the window.

"Grand Marshal, I have a question to ask you."

Sima Yuanchen looked up.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Jiang Jun looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Let's do it!"

The next moment, several arrows came from the shadows and pierced Sima Yuanchen's chest.

Sima Yuanchen's eyes widened suddenly, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but blood had already gushed from the corner of his mouth.

His body fell forward. Jiang Jun slowly walked up and touched the arrow that had pierced his chest.

"Grand Marshal, if you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place..."

Jiang Jun straightened up, wiped the blood off his hands, and spoke to the guards waiting outside the door.

"By imperial decree, Grand Marshal Sima Yuanchen has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country by privately selling military weapons to the State of Chen, with the intention of plotting a rebellion."

"I have executed him on the spot!"

"Immediately dispatch troops to surround and annihilate the Sima family, exterminate the entire clan, leave no one alive!"

At the same time, Jiang Jun released the evidence, and in the imperial court, those who needed to be appeased were appeased, and those who needed to be bribed were bribed.

The Sima family's assets were confiscated and distributed among the Sima family's former subordinates.

As for those die-hard fans... they can only rot in some unknown, stinking ditch.

The next day, in the Jing Kingdom's court, the evidence of the Sima family's treason was made public.

Records of weapons and armor leaving the country, confessions of Chen generals, and a secret letter "personally" written by Sima Yuanchen were all displayed.

The proof is like a mountain!

No one dared to speak up for the Sima family.

Those forces that had once been dependent on the Sima family changed their tune after receiving the assets that Jiang Jun had allocated to them.

"Your Majesty is wise! The Sima family harbors wolfish ambitions and deserves to die!"

Jiang Jun sat on the dragon throne, watching those people whose expressions changed faster than turning the pages of a book. He didn't say anything, but simply whispered something to the eunuch beside him.

"Send out the people from the Bureau of Folklore and tell the world... Xiao Lie massacred the city and built a mound of corpses; he is bloodthirsty by nature."

"After he conquered Chen, his next targets were Yan and Shu."

"Tell them that Zhou Xun has been delaying peace talks, waiting for Xiao Lieteng to make his move."

"Once Xiao Lie has destroyed the Chen Kingdom, the elite troops of the Northern Frontier will head north."

The eunuch bowed, accepted the order, and left.

The news surged in the opposite direction, like another wave.

Some people began to spread details of Xiao Lie's massacre of the city, saying that the mound of Jingguan outside Jingzhou was higher than the city wall.

It is said that Xiao Lie did not spare a single survivor after the water attack;

It is said that the 120,000-strong army of Chen was not drowned, but was killed by swords on Xiao Lie's orders.

The news, a mixture of truth and falsehood, spread like a layer of gray fog, slowly covering the northern sky.

Driven by these reports, the attitudes of the Yan and Shu states also shifted, and the debates in the court gradually subsided, replaced by an uneasy silence.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lie had already led his army south.

Within three days, he captured the first prefecture of the Chen Kingdom.

Wuzhou.

The flags of the Chen Kingdom on the city wall were torn down and replaced with the military flags of the Great Chu Kingdom.

Xiao Lie stood on the city wall, looking down at the city that had just been captured. His gaze fell on a tree growing at the foot of the city wall. The tree had dark brown bark and dense foliage. When the bark was cut open, a milky white liquid flowed out.

He squatted down, rubbed the white liquid between his fingers, spread it on his fingertips, then suddenly stood up and said to Luo Daniu beside him.

"Pass down the order: not a single tree in this city shall be moved."

Luo Daniu was stunned for a moment.

"Your Highness, what kind of tree is this?"

Xiao Lie looked at the grove of trees.

"Rubber trees! With these, the industry of Great Chu should take off!"

Just as he was gaining control of Wuzhou, the winds shifted in Xuzhou.

Yan Ji and Yang Wei received a new batch of supplies and a secret letter from Jing Guo.

The letter read, "Zhou Xun's head shall be the gift to celebrate the alliance."

After reading the letter, Yanji put it down, remained silent for a long time, and then stood up.

"Send the order to surround the Chu envoy's camp and capture him."

Zhou Xun was reading a book in his tent.

He heard more and more footsteps outside the tent, growing louder and closer.

He put down his book, looked at the tent flap, and then heard Tie Muyun draw his long sword from his waist with a whoosh.

The sound of the blade being drawn was exceptionally clear in the quiet tent.

She stood in front of him, holding a bow in one hand and a knife in the other, her eyes fixed like an eagle's on the curtain that could be lifted at any moment.

"You stand behind me."

"Anyone who dares to come in will have to get past me first."

Zhou Xun watched her back; her figure was slender and straight, casting a narrow shadow from the light filtering in from outside the tent.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He simply stood up from the couch, reached out, and gently pushed aside her arm that was across his face.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

He walked slowly to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and stood facing the tightening encirclement outside.

"Why are you two in such a hurry?"