Chapter 105
Book 10 Chapter 08 – Sufficient Evidence
Xiang Shaolong rushed back to the Command Centre and caught Jing Jun and Teng Yi is a secret discussion. Jing Jun has just come in from the farm. Teng Yi has a serious look on his face. Witnessing his entry, he called out: "Third Brother, please listen to Little Jun’s report!"
Xiang Shaolong had the impression than Jing Jun slipped out to accompany his pretty village girl but is actually hard at work. Pleased, he remarked: "Let’s see what his observations are."
Jing Jun produced a rolled map and spread it open on the table. Although the map is slightly worn, you can catch a bird’s eye view of the Qi Army formation, the surrounding forests and hills.
Teng Yi scrutinised the map shortly and praised: "Dan Chu lives up to his reputation of being Qi’s famed general. Tall mountains covered his back and his camps lined up on two high grounds. From this, you can tell that he has substance." Pointing to the central camp, he added: "A source of water is crucial to a good campsite. They are camped near the water source..." Moving his hand down to the pastures and woods between three border camps and continued: "And they have gra.s.s to feed the warhorses. If they lay appropriate formations in the woods, it will be hard-pressed to attack them even with a much larger force. There are multiple rock formations within the camp and can be used for both attack and defence. Dan Chu is more than meets the eye. We must never let down our guard on them."
Xiang Shaolong inquired: "Did we discover any tunnelling?"
Jing Jun proudly reported: "Negative. I did question the neighbouring huntsmen. They told me the mountain behind the camp is named Back-Wind Mountain. It nicely blocks off the cold wind blowing from the north. Just beyond the camp, there is a natural cave that goes deep into the mountain. The exit is a secret hole at the mountain side. After my investigations, I detected Qi sentries at the exit. It is no wonder that the nearby Zhao soldiers have no idea about this."
Teng Yi pointed to a dense forest beside the mountain and checked: "Is it here? Have you entered the forest to see for yourself?"
Jing Jun answered: "It is right there. The forest runs for ten over miles straight to a point five miles north-west of Handan City. For those who are unaware of the cave, people can arrive at the city border without your detection."
Xiang Shaolong stood up: "Come! Let’s observe from the city wall. This beats talking over a piece of paper."
As the trio ascended the north tower sentry, city guards paid their respects. Chen s.h.i.+, the major in charge rushed over to accept his orders.
Xiang Shaolong acted uninterested and scanned the surroundings once. He made an excuse and got Chen s.h.i.+ to leave. Lowering his voice, he told the two: "It will be too risky if the Qi army is relying on internal traitors to open the City gates. The majority of the City guards are loyal men and the Qi army will be at a disadvantage if they queue up to enter the city. While the ten thousand of them is wasting time coming in, the border guards and the city guards can attack them on both sides. I believe that the Qi army has a secret way of entering the city. As long as they secure a few strategic locations and attack the palace, Handan City will belong to Tian Dan."
Teng Yi is moved: "Third Brother speaks with reason. If they come in head to head, it will earn the spite of Handan’s army and population. Everyone will sacrifice their lives to defend the city. The Qi army of ten thousand soldiers is insufficient to deal with such a situation."
Jing Jun imagined: "If I am Tian Dan, I will disguise my men as Zhao citizens. When they enter the city, I will dress them as palace guards. Collaborating with Zhao Mu, I will spread the rumour that Guo Kai and Cheng Xu rebelled. Zhao Mu and Empress Jing will rise to take over the court affairs. By then, Xiaocheng is dead and Third Brother is his subordinate. Other officials can only accept this takeover obediently."
Teng Yi became even more agitated.
Xiang Shaolong watched the dense forests beyond the city and plainly said: "Tian Dan will not be so foolish to help Zhao Mu and Empress Jing fulfil their fantasy. In addition, he will not trust this Dong Horse Fanatic or the Crown Prince. Caught off-guard, the border guards may not be able to return in time. Thus, he will control the entire situation. When the army is in chaos and Handan’s troops are mostly the old, weak or handicapped, there will not be a strong resistance."
Teng Yi frowned: "On what grounds can he prolong his control over Handan City? Will Li Mu let him off?"
Xiang Shaolong revealed his guess about Prince Wu Chen. He continued: "It will fall to Prince Wu’s responsibility. All he needs to do is to lead his men and the Qi army masquerading as Zhao army. He can kill Zhao Mu with a good reason and even push the death of Empress Jing and Crown Prince to him. When Li Mu is back, Prince Wu Chen is sitting on the throne with the backing of Qi and Chu. What can Li Mu do? If there is an internal strife, Tian Dan the conqueror will lead his huge army to attack Handan City. When that occurs, Lian Po is busy fighting Yan and Li Mu is fighting alone. Eliminating Zhao will be a piece of cake and Tian Dan will realise his ambition."
The sun setting the west sends out millions of rays across the wide gra.s.slands and forests.
Teng Yi heaved a deep breath: "It is good that we have figured out the intricacies or we might be annihilated. Even when we are in h.e.l.l, we have no idea what brought us there." Pointing to a building in the city, he proposed: "That is the North Command Centre under the command of Zhao Ming Xiong. If I am not mistaken, there might be a tunnel which leads outside the city, Why don’t Little Jun conduct some investigations on the tunnel’s entrance and exit?" To Xiang Shaolong, he enquired: "How you gotten the complete army seal?"
Xiang Shaolong patted his waist pouch happily: "Both the seal and decree are here! Let us deploy our troops now and fight to the last with Tian Dan and Zhao Mu. They may even act tonight!"
Teng Yi shook his head: "I can foresee that they are still working on the tunnel day and night. They must keep their silence when digging or they may leak out their activities. Otherwise, they need not drag for another day. The earlier they control Handan City, the better can they prepare for Li Mu’s return. When we can predict the day they complete the tunnel, we can predict the time when they will attack."
Jing Jun suddenly warned: "Careful!