章節 241: The Army Marches

A ruse of self-inflicted pain?

Hearing these words from Hu Zongxian, the generals who were originally from Yunzhou City immediately believed him.

However, the generals who had arrived with Crown Prince Wanli as reinforcements sneered.

They had already chosen sides, their flattery directed solely at Wanli, distancing themselves from the Yunzhou faction. They wouldn't support Hu Zongxian's assessment.

"A ruse of self-inflicted pain?" Crown Prince Wanli chuckled coldly.

"You are indeed a veteran of the military, Grand Coordinator, experienced and insightful. You've never even met Fan Li, yet you can see through his scheme?

This Prince met Fan Li outside Mount Yunmeng, and I didn't find him particularly capable. If not for his good fortune, he would have perished at my hands."

Hu Zongxian frowned. He could retort, but any argument would only enrage Crown Prince Wanli.

After all, it was common knowledge that Wanli had pursued Fan Li outside Mount Yunmeng, only to suffer a devastating defeat, his entire army was annihilated.

Seeing Hu Zongxian's silence, Wanli assumed he had been rendered speechless. His arrogance grew.

"Assemble the troops!"

"This Grand General will personally lead the army and annihilate the three hundred thousand enemy troops outside the city!"

"Grand Coordinator Hu Zongxian, you will lead your fifty thousand troops and defend Yunzhou City to prevent the enemy from infiltrating our defenses!"

At least one thing in Fan Li's letter was accurate. Wanli did resemble the Ming Taizu in one aspect – his skill in manipulating and controlling others.

Yunzhou City had four hundred and fifty thousand troops. The allied forces of Wei, Han, and Wu outside the city numbered only three hundred thousand.

They had the advantage in numbers. Victory was certain.

Wanli was going to feast on the spoils of war, leaving Hu Zongxian with nothing but scraps.

Once the battle was over, the fifty thousand Yunzhou troops, having achieved no merit and already burdened by their previous defeat, would face severe consequences from the Great Ming Ministry of War.

Hu Zongxian understood the Prince's intentions. He sighed inwardly. "Greedy for glory, petty, arrogant, treating his own soldiers like enemies! Is this truly the future Emperor of the Great Ming?"

…

"Han Yue, please let me explain! I didn't intentionally peek at you bathing! It's all Zhao Tieniu's fault! He said he heard you calling my name, so I…"

Fan Li wanted to disappear. He was probably the first man in the world to accidentally walk in on a Sage Ruler from the Brahma Sound Pure Land bathing.

But how could he have known that she would decide to bathe in the tent he had just set up for her the previous day?

"You… You should leave."

Han Yue hugged herself while submerged in the water and avoiding his gaze. Her voice was tense but lacked any anger.

Fan Li asked tentatively, "You're not angry?"

Seeing that he hadn't moved, still rooted to the spot, she laughed wryly. "I'm not angry at you, really. Please leave."

Fan Li breathed a sigh of relief. At least his clone's life was spared. He quickly exited the tent, catching Zhao Tieniu chatting with his three brothers.

"I heard her calling for our lord with my own ears. I thought they were a couple, but it seems they're just friends?

If she just made a move, our lord wouldn't be able to resist… Ow! Who kicked my ass?! Don't you know I just received a beating? My ass is injured!"

Zhao Tieniu turned around, seeing Fan Li standing behind him.

"Uh, My Lord, why did you kick me? It hurts."

Fan Li glared at him. "Which foot did you use to enter my tent today?"

"My right foot! My right foot!" Zhao Tieniu quickly replied.

He had learned his lesson.

The previous time he had entered with his left foot, he had received one hundred lashes. Since then, he always entered with his right foot.

"Excellent!" Fan Li sneered. "Since Zhao Tieniu dared to enter my tent with his right foot today, he shall receive two hundred lashes!"

Zhao Tieniu: "???"

Zhao Jinniu patted his brother on the shoulder and sighed. "Our lord is merciful. He's only punishing you with lashes. If it were someone else, we'd be burying you next year."

Two hundred lashes would kill an ordinary man.

But Zhao Tieniu was at the fifth rank of the Golden Core realm. Two hundred lashes would only leave his backside bruised and bloody. He wouldn't die.

The sound of the heavy rod striking flesh echoed through the camp, accompanied by Zhao Tieniu's screams.

Inside the tent, Han Yue was still bathing.

"What should I do? If I make a big deal out of this, will Fan Li dislike me? But if I ignore it, will he think I'm shameless?

Sigh… Elder Sister forbade us from contacting her. She has important matters to attend to. I shouldn't bother her with such trivial things."

The "Elder Sister" in her thoughts was the close friend she had mentioned to Fan Li, the only person she confided in.

…

After a long time, Han Yue finished bathing. Dressed in a white robe as pure as moonlight, she walked slowly towards Fan Li's tent. He was studying a map.

Han Yue recognized it. It depicted the area surrounding Yunzhou City, incredibly detailed.

"Are you busy?" she asked softly.

Fan Li felt a surge of awkwardness, but he forced himself to remain calm. "The battle is about to begin. I'm choosing a suitable location for an ambush."

With the battle imminent, there was no need to hide his intentions. Besides, a victory against the Great Ming army would only benefit the Great Ci Dynasty. Surely Han Yue wouldn't oppose him at a time like this.

"I don't understand military matters," she said honestly. "But I can definitely help you with my strength. Would you like me to participate?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Fan Li choked, coughing violently.

Participate?

How?

"I've been planning this for a long time. Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, and Guo Jia are also assisting me. Don't worry. Victory is certain."

"Oh."

Han Yue was relieved. She had absolute confidence in Fan Li.

Back in the Han capital, Chang'an, although she hadn't witnessed it firsthand, Fan Li had assisted Emperor Liu Xie in defeating Dong Zhuo.

Later, she had heard that he had gone to Mount Yunmeng and even outsmarted Crown Prince Wanli of the Great Ming.

And he had helped her comprehend the Sword Intent of the Four Swords of Zhu Xian. At some point, she had come to believe that anything Fan Li set his mind to, he would achieve.

"Fan Li."

"Yes?"

"Why are we fighting this battle?"

She was simply curious. She had no understanding of military or political matters. Even in the Great Ci Dynasty, she held no official position, only the esteemed title of Sage Ruler.

"Because if we don't fight, our nations will be destroyed."

His answer surprised her.

Fan Li explained, "Emperor Jiajing of the Great Ming has obtained the Investiture of the Gods. He's convincing the world that he is the rightful heir to the Mandate of Heaven. If this continues, everyone will flock to the Great Ming. The Five Kingdoms will crumble without even fighting."

Seeing her confusion, he sighed. "It's like Emperor Yao Guang using the Holy Yin Scripture to lure women from the Great Chu, Wei, Han, and Wu to join the Great Ci Dynasty."

Han Yue's face flushed. "Elder Sister is sharing her teachings and guiding women towards enlightenment, helping them escape a life of suffering…" She could only repeat the Pure Land's official stance.

Fan Li sneered inwardly, but his expression remained neutral.

"Han Yue."

"Yes?"

"If one day, I were to create a 'Pure Land' of my own, attracting citizens from the Great Ci Dynasty, would you stand by and watch them leave, or would you draw your sword and kill me, eliminating this threat to the Great Ci?"