Chapter 320: Making Plans

“At this moment, the overall situation in Dingzhou hinges entirely upon you, my lord!”

After pondering, Ge Jin began with a dramatic statement: “My lord commands an army of over ten thousand soldiers. If you support Wu Zhen, Dingyuan Commandery will surely fall, and Wu Zhi will certainly emerge victorious. If you side with the imperial court, the regional governor might still cling to power for a while. Therefore, I say that the fate of Dingzhou rests solely upon you!”

This was no joking matter.

Qi Lin’s Pingshan Army had long been mobilized, was battle-hardened, and numbered twelve thousand strong—far superior in quality to ordinary provincial or commandery troops.

To decide the future of Dingzhou was no exaggeration.

Hearing this, his subordinates—civil and military officials alike—felt slightly encouraged, but Qi Lin’s expression remained dark and uncertain: “And if I support neither?”

“It seems my lord still hasn’t abandoned thoughts of independence…”

Ge Jin sighed inwardly but spoke firmly: “If you support neither side, I fear we may face destruction and the annihilation of our entire clan!”

These words caused complete silence in the hall, broken only by Qi Lin’s heavy breathing.

All present broke into a cold sweat, too afraid to breathe loudly lest they incur Qi Lin’s wrath.

“Annihilation? Annihilation! Sigh…”

Qi Lin, initially furious, muttered to himself for a moment, then laughed bitterly: “Ge Jin, Ge Jin, you truly have great courage. If it weren’t for our old friendship, you wouldn’t leave this mansion alive after saying such words. Don’t speak of this again…”

He waved his hand: “You all may leave. Ge Jin shall remain.”

“Understood!”

The assembled ministers left as if granted a reprieve, leaving Ge Jin alone.

“Alright then… which side’s envoy has approached you?”

Qi Lin looked at his old friend, his expression showing a trace of helplessness.

Despite this, Ge Jin already had sweat forming on his forehead as he knelt: “My lord! No one has ever bribed me. Everything I’ve said is for your benefit!”

“For my benefit?!”

“Indeed!”

Ge Jin took a deep breath, knowing his life hung upon his next words: “Even though you now hold the key to Dingzhou’s fate and both sides are eager to appease you, if you delay too long, you will displease both sides and cut off all avenues of retreat!”

“At present, my lord remains confident and unafraid… If your chronic illness remains uncured, even if I am but a humble scholar, I would gladly take up a three-chi sword and help you conquer Dingzhou. But now, do you truly believe you still have a chance at success?”

“If we can succeed, there is nothing to fear. But if not, once either the imperial court or Wu Zhi prevails, they will surely seek retribution. How then do you intend to respond?”

These words struck like cold water dousing hot embers, leaving Qi Lin momentarily stunned.

After a long silence, he laughed bitterly: “Ge Jin… your words truly chill my heart!”

With this fatal weakness exposed, even Qi Lin had to admit defeat and abandon his final ambitions of contending for supremacy among rival warlords.

Slumping into his seat, he asked: “Then according to you, which side should I support?”

This was effectively asking which faction he should back.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Ge Jin bowed: “This is a decision that belongs solely to you, my lord. Where is there room for a subordinate to offer opinions? However, I do have a few humble suggestions for your consideration.”

“Speaking in terms of closeness, Lady Wu Zhi, the military governor of Nantian Army, has always maintained good relations with us. We have exchanged gifts frequently in the past and cooperated against Dinghou. However, from my observation, although her governance and military strategies are impressive, and she would easily qualify as a king ruling Dingzhou if she were a man, her greatest weakness remains her gender. It is difficult for a woman to lead.”

“Hmph!”

Qi Lin snorted coldly through his nose: “So according to you, we should pledge allegiance to the imperial court?”

“Pledging allegiance to the court first ensures moral legitimacy. With five commanderies attacking two, victory is certain… Although our relationship with Dinghou would be somewhat awkward, this could be resolved.”

“At present, Dinghou faces a life-or-death crisis. Compared to that, our previous grievances are trivial. I am confident that as long as we send an envoy, no matter what conditions we propose, he will accept them.”

“But the real difficulty lies with the imperial court itself!”

“The imperial court?”

“Precisely! My lord, do you believe the current regional governor still has the mandate to rule?”

Ge Jin asked coldly.

Such words bordered on treason, but as established warlords, they spoke freely without restraint.

“Shang Dynasty may last a thousand years, but I never imagined that Zhou Dynasty’s rule over the realm would last merely three hundred years!”

Previously, Qi Lin might have believed in the sanctity of Zhou Dynasty and the possibility of a revival under a capable ruler, but now he had completely abandoned such thoughts.

Wu Zhi’s rise and usurpation of the military governorship had only drawn verbal reprimands from the court, effectively tearing away the last vestige of imperial dignity in Dingzhou.

Moreover, judging from the recent mobilizations of commandery and provincial troops, the imperial forces had become thoroughly corrupt to the core.

Qi Lin even suspected that if he remained neutral, Wu Zhi’s Southern Phoenix Army of merely twenty thousand might easily defeat several tens of thousands of provincial troops and conquer Dingyuan Commandery.

“Therefore, choosing the imperial court may seem easy at first but will become increasingly difficult later. We have finally freed ourselves from their control. To willingly place ourselves under their yoke again would make future escape extremely difficult!”

This was a reshuffling of power within the province. Regardless of the outcome between the two sides, Dinghou’s days were numbered. Even if his title and fief were not stripped away afterward, he would be severely weakened. Should the imperial court prevail, the regional governor, commandery inspectors, and the Minister of Justice would certainly gain significantly more power.

At that time, Qi Lin’s position as the sole remaining independent and defiant warlord would inevitably face an unfavorable fate.

Qi Lin frowned and sneered: “Then choosing Wu Zhi would be difficult at first but easy later?”

“Not so!”

Ge Jin shook his head: “Wu Zhi possesses tremendous ambition, but she challenges long-standing conventions. It will be difficult at first and remain difficult afterward. Even if she achieves great victory this time and conquers Dingzhou, her chances of unifying the realm would be less than ten percent!”

Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh bitterly: “I thought you were highly optimistic about her to suggest this…”

“Hehe…”

Ge Jin’s expression softened slightly as he bowed: “Of course I’m not optimistic about Wu Zhi. Rather, seeing her reminds me of you, my lord, back in your early days!”

Qi Lin fell silent, lost in thought.

In those days, when he first assumed command, young and successful, he had the air of a man ready to command the world and challenge the heroes.

But after being selected as a Cycle Walker, he had become somewhat dispirited and could never recapture that former glory.

Where had that young commander gone?

Staring down at Ge Jin, Qi Lin sighed again: “Zi Yu! You’ve grown gray-haired too. We’ve grown old… Time spares no one!”

“Zi Yu” was Ge Jin’s courtesy name. He and Qi Lin had grown up together since childhood, and this address was rarely used.

They exchanged glances, understanding each other without words, and both smiled.

Old warhorses still yearn for a thousand-mile journey; warriors in their twilight years still harbor ambitions undiminished!

…

Further ahead from Pingshi County, entering Dingyuan Commandery, lay Mengxia County.

Wu Zhi personally led fifteen thousand troops to join forces with Chen Jingzong, leaving three thousand to defend the city, and publicly claimed a force of fifty thousand advancing toward Mengxia County.

Dinghou Shi Tai mobilized his entire army, gathering in Mengxia County to resist, determined to fight to the last soldier and officer to ensure Wu Zhi’s campaign would end in failure.

Outside Mengxia County, military tents stretched endlessly, banners blotting out the sun, exuding an aura of grim determination.

Wu Zhi, clad in golden phoenix armor, her eyes sharp with authority, listened intently to the military reports.

“Greetings, my lady!”

At this moment, Chen Jingzong entered and bowed.

“General Chen, you’ve arrived just in time!”

Wu Zhi smiled: “Your nephew has done well as acting county magistrate. His initiative to launch a preemptive strike dealt a significant blow to the commandery troops, forcing the governor to retreat. This is a major achievement!”

“My lady flatters him!”

Chen Jingzong bowed, secretly sweating and cursing Chen Shuncheng for recklessly launching the attack. Fortunately, it had resulted in a great victory; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“With the threat from the commandery troops eliminated, our only concern for the next month will be the forces from Dingyuan Commandery…”

Wu Zhi murmured.

At present, the provincial forces had not yet fully mobilized. Judging by the imperial court’s usual pace, even arriving within a month would be considered remarkably swift.

The only remaining factor that could influence the battle was Qi Lin alone!

“Actually, I came precisely to report on this matter!”

Chen Jingzong said: “Our scouts have confirmed that Mengxia County currently has ten thousand troops, personally commanded by Dinghou Shi Tai, including five thousand elite Jinwu soldiers.”

“Haha! Finally, that timid Shi Tai has shown some courage!”

Wu Zhi smiled: “I thought he would abandon the surrounding counties, fortify the commandery capital, and stall until the provincial forces arrived.”

She handed a document to Chen Jingzong: “Take a look…”

Chen Jingzong scanned it briefly, his eyes narrowing.

This was an intelligence report detailing the provincial troops’ training, equipment, troop numbers, and morale in great detail.

Just from this, it seemed she had complete control over the provincial forces.

“The Wu family, being a prestigious local clan, naturally has connections within the province. Their network of spies far surpasses that of any hastily established warlords…”

Chen Jingzong sighed inwardly, recognizing the depth of aristocratic resources. His gaze fell upon the total troop numbers, and his brows furrowed again: “Thirty thousand combat troops?”

“Yes. After all, they are the imperial court’s veteran forces. Once unleashed, their scale is formidable! Moreover, the commanding general has been decided—Zhang Wenzhen!”

“Among the provincial generals, most are mediocre, but Zhang Wenzhen possesses some talent and ambition. His deployment here to oppose me… Hehe! The regional governor has actually done something useful for once!”

Wu Zhi sneered.

“He will be a formidable opponent!”

Chen Jingzong immediately said: “If we cannot capture Dingyuan Commandery before the provincial forces arrive, the consequences… will depend on Pingshan’s military governor!”

His insight quickly identified the key to breaking the stalemate.

“Precisely! As long as Qi Lin is willing to join forces with me, Dingyuan Commandery will be nothing but chickens and dogs!”

Wu Zhi slightly reclined, and immediately a Fire Phoenix Guard brought a steaming hot towel. However, Wu Zhi did not take it but instead stood up and began pacing: “Envoys have already been dispatched, and our terms have been lowered to the minimum. We cannot pin all our hopes on others at this point. We must capture Mengxia County and inflict a heavy defeat upon Dinghou’s forces!”