It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"This time, we are mainly focusing on acting. What we are learning now is to prepare for the future. If we really face off against Fan Qing in the future, it will be easier if we know some of his fighting styles in advance."

Lidd replied:

"Yeah...then you continue studying, I won't bother you anymore."

After saying that, Reed walked out directly.

Fang Shisan wanted to say something, but when he realized that the person had left, he didn't open his mouth.

Only Tira said while sulking:

"Thirteenth sister is really stupid. Recently, there are rumors outside that the lord beat Tiancheng to avenge Heyue. He dotes on that vixen so much. If Thirteenth sister doesn't take the initiative, the lord will be snatched away by that vixen..."

Fang Shisan still smiled faintly and did not reply.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside again. Lid came back with a cloth bag, dragged a chair and sat in front of Fang Shisan as if nothing had happened, and said to her:

"I know you're busy, so I went to the dessert shop and brought some back. Just listen to me and I'll feed you, okay?"

Tira, who was standing by, was stunned. After being glared at by Lid, he coughed and continued to read.

Fang Shisan clenched his hands nervously, then slowly released them after a moment and said softly:

"……it is good."

23. Scoring twice

The territory of Prince Huai: Jufeng City.

Perhaps the last negotiation left a certain psychological shadow on everyone present, and the atmosphere this time was obviously much more serious. The rumored Huai Wang Lord, who had been seriously ill, showed up in person and replaced Huai Wang's son Kaiya to preside over the negotiation. The envoys from other territories were similar to the previous ones, except that no one spoke before the meeting started this time. In the end, it was Huai Wang Lord who spoke first:

"Have you ever heard the story of the jungle tiger?"

Although everyone present vaguely knew what Lord Huai wanted to say, they all remained silent.

Lord Huai must be really ill. He still looks smart, but his cheeks are a little too sunken. When he closes his eyes, he looks like a fox with a fake smile:

"Legend has it that there was a forest a long time ago, and in the forest there lived a tiger. The tiger was born different from other species. It was docile and humble, respectful and friendly, and looked harmless to humans and animals. It even guarded the village gate like a dog. As a result, the villagers gradually relaxed their vigilance. No matter how the elders in the village warned them, they believed that the tiger would not pose any threat to them... In the end, the entire village was eaten to the bone."

Lord Huai paused and continued:

"A tiger is a tiger, and its nature of eating people will not change. Jungle tigers are more cunning than ordinary tigers. They can disguise themselves to let their opponents down, and then defeat them one by one."

After Lord Huai's words fell, the people present remained silent. It was obvious which territory these remarks were referring to: Yunyang had been helping Yongtian Kingdom guard the border of the demon tribe in the west, and Lide's Yuxi City was helping Yunyang guard the gate. The young man who had been unknown at the beginning now showed his fangs and turned into a tiger that came out of the forest and began to devour people.

However, Lord Huai's attitude made the envoys from other territories somewhat unhappy.

If you want to tell a story, you should tell it well. Why do you have to insert a paragraph like "no matter how the old people in the village warned", as if he already knew that Li De was so terrifying that he must not be kept alive. According to the story told by Lord Huai Wang, Li De is naturally the tiger in the jungle, and the Huai Wang family is the old man who keeps warning the villagers. Then are all the remaining stupid villagers in the other territories?

But what did you, the Huaiwang Territory, do? You set a trap in the capital to trap Li De, but ended up trapping yourself; when someone came to take away Liu Shi, the army of the territory did not dare to move.

If this is considered "unique vision", then the envoy of Yunhai Territory will tell you that they had planned to kill Lid a few years ago.

After a moment, the envoy of Yunhai Territory opened the mouth and said:

"Your Excellency is right. Jungle tigers and mountain wolves have always been ferocious and cunning animals. But there is a saying that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, not to mention that he is not a real dragon. I believe that under the leadership of your Excellency, we will be able to take back Tiancheng."

There was nothing wrong with what he said, but it sounded a bit sarcastic.

The envoys from the two territories of Zhaoxin and Shenghe seemed to be more worried. In particular, the envoy from Zhaoxin said bluntly:

"To be honest, what I'm more worried about is that if Tiancheng is controlled by Yunyang, the Yunyang lord will actually control three territories. Although the war is not about who has the larger territory, if the Yunyang lord really makes this 'momentum' happen, I don't know if we can stop him with our territories..."

He glanced at Lord Huai and Envoy Yunhai with a guilty conscience.

In fact, Lide's capture of Tiancheng was not a devastating blow to Prince Huai and Yunhai, but the problem was that it was a devastating blow to Zhaoxin. Zhaoxin and Shenghe were the two soft persimmons near Tiancheng, and Zhaoxin was obviously softer. Once Yunyang gained a foothold in Tiancheng, they would most likely be the next to be attacked.

Zhaoxin's army was frightened by the crazy people of Tiancheng. Now someone could drive those people to kill the Lord of Tiancheng. How terrifying must those people be? In any case, Zhaoxin Territory was unwilling to fight such an opponent again. They would rather pay money to ensure safety and let the territory that could fight do it.

Lord Huai said:

"Don't worry. The ownership of Tiancheng is related to the disputes in the western part of Yongtian Kingdom. Not only us, but many other eyes are watching. No one wants to see another monster like Lingwu in the western part of Yongtian Kingdom. Many forces, including the royal family, are suggesting that we act quickly. The power behind this is not something Yunyang can withstand."

Lord Huai put his hands on the table and said in a low voice:

"I believe Lid is also aware of this. Of course, if he is determined to persist, we will also fight for it by force. The Huaiwang territory will send out 100,000 elite troops, including 30,000 cavalry. Envoys, why don't you tell us, if that day really comes, what do you plan to do?"

The envoy of Zhaoxin Territory immediately spoke:

"We will send out 50,000 men, all at the command of the Lord!"

The envoy of Shenghe Territory glanced at him and said helplessly:

"We will probably send out 50,000 people, plus some baggage and supplies."

Lord Huai said:

"Every family has to contribute to the baggage and supplies. Shenghe's strength is even greater than Zhaoxin's. Isn't 50,000 people a little too few?"

The envoy from Shenghe Territory replied:

"This... I have to go back and discuss it. Anyway, the minimum is 50,000. Lord, you know that we are short of people in Shenghe, and the army has always been an elite force."

Lord Huai smiled, shifted his gaze away from Envoy Shenghe, and looked at Envoy Lian Zhao from Yunhai.

Lian Zhao smiled and said:

"I'm sorry, Lord. We never assign the soldiers of Yunhai to other generals. But we have also left 100,000 troops in the land north of Yunhai. When Lord Huai Wang makes a move, we will immediately go north and attack Tiancheng Territory from both sides. We think this is the best way to cooperate. What do you think, Lord?"

Lord Huai tapped his fingers on the table and replied:

"How can I trust you?"

Lian Zhao was still smiling, but this time his smile was a little more bitter:

"It's very simple, because Tiancheng is also very important to us Yunhai. For our own interests, we will also go all out, but we can't leave the soldiers to you to lead. I believe that the Lord naturally understands the tricks of this, so why ask me."

Lord Huai Wang then regained his original smile and said:

"Yes, Tiancheng is very important to us. I hope Lid can be more sensible..."

Before he finished speaking, the guard who was in charge of reporting last time ran over nervously and said:

"Lord Lord!"

Lord Huai turned his head and asked:

"Yunyang's envoy has arrived?"

The guard looked as if he had been constipated for three days, and said in pain:

"No...it's that businessman from last time...he's here again."

24. On the land created by nature

Everyone present had their own ulterior motives since the first meeting, but at this moment everyone's thoughts were surprisingly consistent.

The five or six people near the negotiation table sighed in unison as if they had one mouth:

"Grass!"

Is this something a human being can do?

The guard was unlucky. He had been in trouble last time because of this incident. He wanted to pass the blame to his other companions this time, but he didn't expect that his companions were even more cunning. They asked for leave on the day of the meeting, leaving him alone on duty. He was the one who took the blame. Facing the extremely unhappy Lord Huai and many envoys, the guard hesitated for a moment. After all, the businessman had come up with a sixteen-character mantra. Should he say it?

If I say it, the atmosphere will become worse; if I don’t say it, if something goes wrong, I’ll lose my head.

After thinking it over, the guard still brought the words back intact. The impact was also very significant. Lord Huai directly increased the number of troops to 150,000. Although the envoys from other territories did not increase the number, they also expressed that they would provide as much food and grass as possible. Once the battle on the front line went smoothly, they would also kill cattle and sheep to reward the soldiers.

The original feeling of alienation from each other gradually disappeared, and this time everyone finally became united in their hatred of the enemy.

This is what the coalition is like. If they can't unite internally first, then it might be better for them to fight on their own. In fact, the strength of the Huaiwang Territory and the Yunhai Territory is far more than what they have shown, but these two territories have the desire to compete for the world and are unwilling to use all their strength on Tiancheng. At the same time, they have some considerations in their hearts that they are unwilling to admit - that is, perhaps now a single territory can no longer completely suppress Yunyang, and none of them are willing to use the power of the entire territory to fight Yunyang to the death, so they chose the form of a coalition.

It would be best if we win the war, so that everyone can eat meat and drink soup, and we can become rich together through unity and development.

Even if they lose the battle, at least every territory will still retain the power to survive in the troubled times, and will not suffer such a devastating defeat in one go.

For them, the fate of the country can be gambled, but it should be saved until the battle with Lingwu. Gambling with Yunyang on the fate of the country is a bit outrageous no matter how you look at it. So they subconsciously saved a second life for themselves. No one can judge whether this decision is right or wrong at the moment, but at least in the eyes of these people, this decision is completely reasonable.

But for Yunyang, they have no way out and they only have one chance.

……

Outside Anning City, countless soldiers wiped their sweat while digging the land in front of them. Dust rose up and covered the sky. A cordon had been set up around them. Unrelated civilians had been sent away long ago, and no outsiders were allowed to approach. In fact, even those hard-working soldiers didn't know what they were doing. Most of them would gather together in their spare time to discuss seriously:

"I heard that the Huaiwang territory is rich in war horses, so the cavalry is very powerful. I guess this pit is prepared for the opposing cavalry. Just like setting traps to catch wild animals in our hometown, we will put some branches, leaves, and soil on the top of the pit to break their horse legs."

The guy next to him stuck his shovel into the soil, leaned on it to rest, and nodded repeatedly:

"That makes sense. I heard that in a war, the cavalry would charge and the infantry would follow. When the time comes, we will kill the cavalry in front, and the infantry behind will naturally be in disarray and flee in all directions. This is indeed a brilliant strategy to defeat the enemy without fighting."

A more rational elder brother also spoke up:

"I still think something is wrong... I've seen the army in Yunyang fight before, and they won't charge rashly. After they're stationed, they'll definitely send some soldiers to explore the way ahead, and only send out the army after they're sure there's no problem. We're mobilizing so many troops to dig the ground, it's impossible for the other side to not notice it..."

The guy who spoke first felt that he was being humiliated, so he was not happy and asked back:

"Okay, I've told you everything. So tell us what we are doing now?"

The more rational brother obviously couldn't answer this question, and after a long pause he replied:

"Maybe they're going to build a tower or something... they're digging the foundation..."

Everyone started laughing, and the recruits were filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Anyone with a little knowledge of construction could see that these circular tunnels were obviously not used for fortifications, otherwise they would have been dug deeper, and there was no need to wrap the entire city like they were doing now.

However, they have received strict training, and they have developed a good habit of obeying orders in the battle with Tiancheng. So even if they don't know what they are doing now, they are still working hard. A few days ago, I heard from the generals above that if everything goes well, they can go home for the New Year. The war has been going well so far. After the aristocracy of Tiancheng was defeated, they also got a lot of money. If they can go home for the New Year this year, it can be said to be a return home in glory.

For the people of Zhaochen, who have been suffering from exploitation and war, returning home in glory is really a luxury that they have never thought of. Now that this goal is getting closer and closer, their hearts, which have always been heavy, can't help but become eager.

After they finished digging the pit, another Yunyang army came and took over the scene.

The army gave people a very different feeling. They were not numerous, but they were dressed neatly, had cold eyes, and had a very fierce aura, which made the Zhaochen soldiers present subconsciously raise their chests and raise their heads, holding their breath and watching. It also made them realize for the first time the gap between themselves and the Yunyang army. After the handover between the two sides was completed, the Zhaochen army evacuated the scene. According to Juanbai's dispatch, they would go to the front line to support Fang Shisan, and then return to Zhaochen westward.

As for the dug pits, they were left to the army to deal with later.

Although they were very curious about the use of the pit they had dug for so long, the Zhaochen army had no choice but to pack up and prepare to set off after receiving the order.

A few days later, in the north-central area of ​​Tiancheng, Fang Shisan's army engaged in a direct battle with the 250,000-strong coalition forces of the three territories of Huai Wang, Shenghe, and Zhaoxin. The 100,000 Yunyang troops defended the key cities and launched a fierce attack on the coalition forces, but were eventually conquered because the cities were in disrepair. Before any major casualties occurred, Fang Shisan led the Yunyang troops to retreat. The coalition forces wanted to pursue but were obstructed by Zhaochen's army. In the end, the coalition forces occupied the strategic location, and Fang Shisan's troops withdrew in the direction of Anning City.

A few days later, Lid sent a letter to Lord Huai to "negotiate peace", but was rejected.

The coalition forces continued to move southward, while the sea of ​​clouds in the south also vaguely showed signs of mobilizing troops and seeking to move northward.

The situation of being attacked from both sides gradually took shape, and anyone could see that Tiancheng was already in a precarious situation.

25. Generals of the Allied Forces

The leader of the coalition forces is named Runji, 42 years old, and is the second in command of the military in the Huaiwang territory.

Compared to other generals, Runji is a person who is good at offensive battles rather than defensive battles. His talent points are almost completely opposite to the talents currently demonstrated by Fang Shisan: Runji is very good at playing with his prey, constantly exerting pressure to make the opponent reveal flaws, and then seizing the flaws to pursue and attack relentlessly, biting the opponent until the maximum benefit is obtained.

He possesses the talents that a general should have: clear mind, sharp observation, and the ability to share weal and woe with his subordinates. The only flaw is that he is relatively impatient and not suitable for sitting in one place and making dispatches, so most of the time he is sent out to fight foreign battles.

In the "Strategy" published by the royal family, Runji's name was not among the top ten generals, but many of the battles he fought were widely known. Internally, he dug the Huai River to flood Liuhe City, and attacked Longgu Mountain by making a feint to the east and attacking the west, making many contributions to the secret expansion of the Huai King's territory; externally, he led 200 cavalrymen to raid the battlefield for hundreds of miles in Chaobeixingli, and also carried out the "beheading plan" in the Nanyang expedition to kill the high-ranking members of the Ocean Clan.

In the central and northern part of Tiancheng, Runji and Fang Shisan fought for the first time.

After Fang Shisan took over Tiancheng, he quickly evacuated the people and used the city he controlled to build a defensive formation. Since the people of Tiancheng had not yet fully returned, Yunyang's army could not benefit from the protection of the territory when fighting in Tiancheng, and the battle between the two sides became a simple formation game. Runji repeatedly discovered the weaknesses of Fang Shisan's formation with a flash of inspiration, but Fang Shisan's formation was complex and changeable, and he repeatedly relied on his personal ability to escape danger.

"To be honest, it doesn't look like a formation set up by a blind and lame little girl at all."

This was Runji's first comment on Fang Shisan. One night, he specifically asked the deputy general beside him:

"That guy called Fang Shisan, he's not even 20 years old this year, right?"

The well-informed adjutant replied:

"Yes, I heard that he is younger than the Yunyang Lord. He is at most 18 or 19 years old this year. And Fang Shisan was brought back from Zhaochen by the Yunyang Lord himself. It is said that the Lord went to Zhaochen alone and took Fang Shisan back to Yunyang."

Runji smiled and said:

"No wonder she's so fierce. A girl who falls in love always has unimaginable strength. When my mother was young, she was a girl who didn't even have the strength to chop wood. Later, she encountered bandits. In order to protect my father who was always talking nonsense, she picked up a kitchen knife and chased a bandit for two blocks. She didn't care about her life. Although this formation is exquisite, the city wall has reached its limit. Let's attack it tomorrow morning. If you meet Fang Shisan in the chaos, you can spare her life."

Afterwards, Runji personally led the army to charge, and after nearly five hours of fighting, they forcibly occupied the city. Fang Shisan retreated to the defense line further south. The generals of Shenghe and Zhaoxin came to congratulate him, but Runji held his forehead and said while thinking:

"We have captured seven key cities in succession this time. There shouldn't be any strong cities to defend in the south, but I always feel something is wrong... Yunyang's army suffered too few losses in this war. It doesn't look like they were defeated. Instead, it seems like they retreated deliberately to lure us in."

The general smiled and said:

"Your Excellency is worrying too much. Although the battlefield is unpredictable, Yunyang started too late after all. They have invested almost all their resources in this battle, and even Zhaochen's new recruits have been brought in to help. There are no strong cities to defend further south, so this is a good opportunity for us to pursue the victory. What are you worried about?"

Shenghe's generals also said: