You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The Daqian infiltration forces, who were already secretly colluding, seized the opportunity.

They gathered a large number of discontented people, young adults, vagrants, and even local thugs. No matter what your background was, as long as you had been bullied by the Qingzhou soldiers and had a lot of anger, that was enough.

There's no time to waste, because people get numb and adapt.

The Daqian's inside agents believe that they are now stuck at a threshold: too few people can't incite a fight, and too many people will give in.

The window for action is fleeting.

Although they were eager, they were never the type to act rashly. They had to rely on both internal and external forces to work together, so a steady stream of secret messages were delivered to the nearest city-state, Nanqiu.

Lu Bo was stunned when he saw the message. "They actually want me to decide on such an important matter!"

Time was tight, and there was no time to consult the temple.

All he could do was send out carrier pigeons and make an urgent report; the rest he had to do himself.

"Should we support their rebellion...?"

Lu Bo glanced around at the people in the city lord's mansion. Indeed, the letter explicitly mentioned that these inside agents believed the time was ripe to instigate a rebellion and hoped Nanqiu could send troops to support them. They weren't concerned with killing the enemy; creating chaos would be enough.

It also served as a means of self-preservation, since the Qingzhou regime was watching them closely and would catch them sooner or later.

but.

Their willingness to risk everything to join the Great Qian at a critical moment and take a gamble shows their courage; we must not let these people lose heart.

"Lord of the City, I support taking immediate action."

"Let the High Priest see our power, so as to make up for the impact of the last assassination attempt."

"Do it, sir."

Everyone expressed their support. On the one hand, the enemy had come right up to their faces and they had to fight back. On the other hand, it would also allow their superiors to make a name for themselves and get promoted. Why not?

The power to start a war was in Lü Bo's hands, which made him gasp, but he calmed down after a moment.

"The heavy burden of history has fallen on our shoulders. There is no need to hesitate. Send troops."

At his command, Nanqiu immediately mobilized his troops. Perhaps thanks to a blessing from heaven, the army was incredibly excited and their morale soared, completing their assembly at a speed they hadn't anticipated. With that in mind, there was nothing to fear.

at the same time.

Regardless of whether the plea for help is answered, the inside agents in Wangjiang City have no other choice; the Qingzhou soldiers and the city-state's garrison are about to raid the city.

The enemy is not so incompetent as to be completely unaware.

The reason they didn't eliminate them before was partly because they were afraid of the Great Qian Dynasty, but now that the situation has completely shifted to Qingzhou, it doesn't matter anymore.

Little did they know that while they were secretly plotting, the news had already leaked...

night.

Just as the two armies were heading to suppress the attack, they smelled a burning odor in the air. Flames were shooting into the sky, thick smoke filled the air, and the entire city was ablaze with countless flames.

The night sky over Wangjiang City was as bright as day.

Chapter 132: The Southern War Begins (6K)

Strike first to gain the upper hand.

It turned out that Daqian's intelligence network within Wangjiang City-State was far superior, having learned of the enemy's suppression plan in advance. So, they decided to go all in and set fire to their own mansion and houses, blowing them up in the process.

"Let the fire burn, burn it all, I've had enough of this place."

"It's summer, and the weather is dry. Let them go put out the fire, and we'll open the city gates."

"Hurry up and don't delay. Spread out under the cover of night."

The inside agent, who had decided on the plan long ago, began to act. At the same time, the fire spread, and the whole city was in chaos, with people panicking.

The army was blocked on its way.

It wasn't that they didn't want to force their way through, but the central sections of the road were heavily guarded, and the raging fire made it difficult to cross. Moreover, people running around disturbed the livestock, causing them to run back and forth.

In reality, if the Qingzhou soldiers hadn't been so tyrannical in requisitioning troops everywhere and causing chaos in the cities, the roads would at least be a little clearer.

"Damn it, should we chase or put out the fire?"

"They're just a bunch of spies, what good can they do? Let's focus on putting out fires."

"Those guys must have intelligence, like city defense maps or something. If they find out, we'll be in trouble."

"Yes, but now that we're not putting out the fire, nobody needs to worry about city defense."

This is really troublesome.

After much deliberation, they ultimately had no choice but to put out the fire. However, they weren't completely at a disadvantage, as they still dispatched a light cavalry force to pursue the enemy to the city gate. Sure enough, the spies left from there.

Arrows flew through the night, some unlucky ones were hit and fell on the spot, but many more disappeared into the woods.

“Pursue them, kill as many as you can, and you will be richly rewarded.”

When preparing for the operation, Lin Jian intended to make the punishment of these people a deterrent, so he promised a hefty reward, vowing to make these guys pay a heavy price as a warning to others.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Arrows streaked through the air, and several more spies fell, their lives ending.

They fought with increasing ferocity, galloping wildly on their horses.

However, a string of firelight appeared in the distance, which was the banner of the Southern Hill City-State. A large army rushed over, and the ground rumbled so loudly that it was almost impossible to stand. Was it a charge?

Lü Bo, who was personally leading the squadron, raised his whip and accelerated, clearly having already locked onto the enemy's position.

Oh no.

"Our equipment is inferior to theirs, and we are outnumbered. We must retreat."

Although I was very unwilling, I couldn't catch up with the traitors who had already run far away, and I should avoid starting a war if the city was on fire.

Sure enough, seeing their side make a move to restrain themselves, the Nanqiu army on the other side also slowed down; both sides had a tacit understanding. Now is not the time for a direct confrontation. Forget it, let's go back and declare victory to each side.

Wangjiang City took the initiative to back down.

This is undeniable, and it's also the most frustrating aspect. However, the base camp, beset by internal and external troubles, is in great danger. Rather than wasting time here, it's better to return sooner to revitalize the defenses.

Lu Bo breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the other party leave.

"Gather manpower, find the survivors, treat the wounded, and then we need to get back before dawn."

Yes, sir.

Fortunately, the people were not hard to find, and they were able to leave together with their inside contact in no time.

"Thank you for your help, Lord City Lord."

"It's alright, the main thing is that you set the fire to attract their attention. Let's go, we can't delay any longer, we have to hurry."

He rode back, his heart pounding with apprehension, wondering how the important figures in the temple would react.

----

The Imperial Study received a message from Nanqiu relaying information from an inside source.

Everyone present was a strategist, and they knew the officials in key positions very well. Even if the next letter had not yet arrived, they were certain that, given the usual style of the Lord of Nanqiu, he would most likely provide support.

Feng Tianyin quickly nodded, her eyes lighting up, confirming the news.

[Note: A military standoff has occurred between our troops stationed in Nanqiu and the troops defending Wangjiang. We have withdrawn after rescuing some personnel.]

Short but clear.

She immediately relayed to everyone, "We have already contacted most of our inside contacts. The fact that the enemy isn't relentlessly pursuing us suggests there's some kind of chaos within the city. In any case, there is, in fact, a military conflict between the two sides."

Feng Tianyin's assessment was also crucial, determining that the South was in a state of war.

He Wan immediately added:

"These people cannot be portrayed as spies or inside agents. They are all believers, loyal believers. They were persecuted, and it happened shortly after the Heavenly Dao Ritual. It must be a conspiracy by heretics who are plotting against the Great Qian."

“Yes, what do they take our priesthood for? We must strike hard,” Gergentana agreed.

We've already found a reason to start the war, so what else is there to say?

From the perspective of overall resource coordination, the Great Qian Dynasty has not yet met the conditions for war preparation that Feng Tianyin envisioned.

but.

What event in the world is ever fully prepared before it happens? We must be adaptable.

Qingzhou must have noticed her actions before rushing to support Wangjiang. If the enemy is allowed to continue to manage logistics and solidify the defenses of the strategically important Wangjiang, then even a 100,000-strong army will suffer a setback in the future.

"Order the southern garrison to act as the vanguard and send troops."

“We will be sending our elite forces from the central and northern regions soon, and I will also be there. This is a sign from the heavens.”

what?

The High Priest hasn't personally led an expedition in so long that he's almost forgotten his former glory. Is this a divinely appointed war? A war that even the most powerful figure values? Does he intend to conquer the south before resting?

That's right, only by presenting this achievement can we deserve the attention of Heaven.

"We understand."

The tacit understanding cultivated over many years of working together goes without saying; everyone present understands how to respond to the dispatch and it's time to activate the defense systems in various regions.

They will do everything in their power to mobilize their massive elite forces.

However, all of this will take time, and the first wave of challenges will be faced by the garrisons in the southern cities.

Simultaneously.

The fire in Wangjiang City at night made them realize that conflict had begun. Besides, they had been paying attention to this guy before and knew about the support from Qingzhou, so there was no need to hide it anymore.

When Feng Tianyin's order arrived at Nanyuan City, the garrison immediately began to move out.

General Du Shaoqian had already set up camp, waiting for his command; now the time was ripe.

"Pass down the order to assemble the troops."

He had waited too long for this day; finally, he could act freely.

Centered on the Southern Plains City-State, the surrounding faith-based city-states and those that had submitted to the Great Qian Dynasty in recent years each dispatched troops, creating a massive and overwhelming force, leaving only the Wangjiang City-State as the lone target of the heretics.