The Empress LivestreamThe Empress Livestream
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Cheng Jing lowered his eyes and gave it some thought. He analyzed his train of thought with clarity. “If it wasn’t Xu Bei, then it must be Xu Fei. No one else could have achieved this. They brought the most soldiers with them, a total of 100,000 elite troops who were far better than the laid-back, incompetent alliance army. If neither of them emerges as the alliance chief, I’m afraid neither will accept it. Moreover, if they leave in angst, the alliance army’s will be nothing more than an empty shell… If that happens, we will fall right into our enemy’s hands.”
An alliance army of 40,000 men was ready to protect the emperor. It sounded awe-inspiring and grand. In reality, half of the soldiers were novices who were there purely to make up the numbers.
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As for the second half of the elite troops, the brothers in the Xu family made up 60% of the headcount.
If they left, the mission to defend the Emperor would be meaningless.
The topic of military strength caused Huang Song to become frustrated.
In fact, the candidate he had the highest hopes for was Liu She. His age was ideal, he had a renowned reputation, his official status was well-established, and his family background was also noteworthy. He was certainly more dependable than those two younglings from the Xu family. However, Liu She was not acting as expected. As magistrate of Chongzhou, he’d only brought 20,000 soldiers to protect the emperor.
It was noteworthy that even a youth like Huang Song had managed to gather 25,000 men.
When someone asked Liu She if it was perilous taking so few men with him, he smiled widely and retorted, “I am the magistrate of Chongzhou. The safety of the Chongzhou people is my priority. Chongzhou is known for being a bitter and cold place because it’s close to the three tribes of the northern borders. Those barbarians of the three tribes are closely eyeing Dongqing’s hinterland every day and night, ready to invade at any given opportunity. If I were to dispatch most of the troops to protect the emperor, the North borders would take advantage of the situation and charge southwards to attack the borders of Chongzhou. What then? It is important to protect the emperor, but matters must be prioritized and acted on accordingly. As an official, I strongly believe that the safety of the country must come first. The rest is secondary.”
With such eloquent words spoken in that setting, who would dare to mock Liu She’s army with its lack of manpower?
Huang Song and Cheng Jing returned to camp. Feng Jue was hard at work. When he heard the commotion from outside, he happened to see the two men enter.
“The lord and Youmo have returned. How are things going over there?”
Both shook their heads.
Huang Song answered, “Liu She is too cunning. It’s hard to outwit him. He lives up to his name as the former county chief of Hu County.”
Feng Jue listened to the details provided by both. He then frowned, deep in thought.
“I think you might have forgotten someone.”
Fighting head-on with Liu She was obviously a foolish idea.
To pull this cunning fox down, they didn’t have to do it directly. Instead, the way of the wise would be to go the roundabout way.
“Who did we forget?” Cheng Jing asked.
“Liu Xi.”
Feng Jue laughed coldly as he heard the name.
Huang Song shook his head vigorously like a rattled drum.
“This can’t be. If we implicate Liu Xi, that pair of father and son will not forgive me.”
Feng Jue explained, “Jue did not mean it that way.”
Cheng Jing furrowed his brows. He seemed to understand Feng Jue’s strategy.
“You mean if the alliance army… if the two Langjuns of the Xu family cease to fight, we can switch our allegiance to Liu Xi?”
Feng Jue nodded in reply. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. If Xu Bei and Xu Fei continue to compete with each other, it will certainly affect the unity of the alliance army. When that time comes, the hearts of the people will be divided, aiding Prince Changshou’s cause. If that occurs, let’s seize the opportunity while they continue to compete against each other to put Liu Xi on the throne as the alliance chief. Although Liu Xi is only a district magistrate, he has great ambitions. I fear that all of Wanzhou is already in his hands. With Wanzhou, Chongzhou, and Hu counties already in Liu She’s hands, what power in Dongqing can go against them? If both the Langjuns from the Xu family are discontented, they will have no choice but to submit.”
Huang Song brooded it over and decided that it was indeed a good solution.
Except…
He was rather apprehensive. He shrugged his shoulders and frowned with a bitter face.
“I’m afraid Liu Xi will strangle me to death.”
Both could be deemed as mercenary friends. They had not met for many years. If he schemed against Liu Xi soon after they reunited, he was afraid that Liu Xi would pin him to the ground and bash him violently.
Feng Jue and Cheng Jing looked at Huang Song in silence. There was an incomprehensible ray of light in his eyes.
While it seemed pitiful, it was also embarrassing.
Would he dare to do something more terrifying?
The three of them plotted meticulously. Everything was in place. Now, they just needed to wait for Liu Xi’s arrival.
Yet they’d never expected Liu Xi to live up to his status as Liu She’s biological “son.”
As a father, he’d only taken 20,000 soldiers with him to protect the emperor.
His “son” had surpassed him with even fewer troops. Notably, she’d only brought 10,000 with her to watch how the events would unfold.
Liu She and Jiang Pengji’s trains of thought were mystically aligned. Since one would bring along more soldiers than the other, there was no need to show off.
She’d brought 10,000 soldiers and horses along. This number consisted of 6,000 elite troops while the remaining 4,000 had just finished their training.
As she hurried to her destination, Jiang Pengji brought with her 10,000 men. They all arrived at the alliance meeting place of Huangshui.
The frail and sickly Feng Zhen was frozen cold. He was flat on his back on top of the horse carriage and refusing to come down.
Yang Si sneered at him. “Look at how useless you are.”
Although he spoke mercilessly, Yang Si’s actions were very honest. He did not wish to get off the carriage to ride the horse.
Jiang Pengji witnessed how the two grown men had grown so lazy. With both her brows raised, she mocked them both equally. “Look at you two useless fools.”
Now that the weather was perfect, these two men were huddled in the horse carriage and refusing to get out. They’d even asked to have their meals in the carriage. Jiang Pengji could not tolerate it anymore.
Yang Si remarked, “My age is catching up to me. I am no longer young and brimming with energy.”
Feng Zhen commented, “I am already so old that half my life is gone. I plead with the lord to have pity on me.”
Perfect, these two strategists had successfully disgusted Jiang Pengji until she left them alone.
After Jiang Pengji departed majestically on Little White, Feng Zhen attempted to snatch Yang Si’s heat bag from him.
“Stealing from a sickly man! Yang Jing Rong, your morals are declining as you age.”
Yang Si wasn’t someone who would surrender easily.
“You claim to be sick, yet you are full of energy now. Who believes that you are sickly? Comparing our ages, I am your elder. You must revere the senior.”
“Then why don’t you love the young?” Feng Zhen was exasperated.
From within the carriage, she could hear them sharing their problems. She apathetically rolled her eyes.
Why had she chosen Feng Zhen and Yang Si to follow the army?
When either of them followed alone, they were alright. However, when they were together, a mysterious chemical reaction occurred, causing them to constantly be at odds with each other.
Their combined age was over 60, yet they were both still so immature.
As she rode Little White, she scrolled through the bullet screen in the live streaming room, intending to seek entertainment there.
The ignorant audience was still as clueless as always. The bullet screen was bustling with commotion.
Yewu Shanmu: “This is so boring. We have to watch these two master strategists’ love-hate relationship to pass time every day.”
Counterfeit Mud Doll: “#propschin There are bets on Yang Si versus Feng Zhen over there. You are welcome to try.”
Shushan Yali: “You people of the evil cult. With your rotten eyes, you look down on others. On the contrary, I feel both are walking further and further from the path of the comedian.”
Qiao Sang: “Their personalities are thusly. If it were either Feng Jin or Wei Ci, perhaps the atmosphere would continue to remain awkward.”
Laosiji Lianmeng: “Are you so laidback that you need to scroll through couple pairings to pass time? Speaking of which, when will they reach Huangshui?”
Guicai Guofengxiao: “I second that question, the wait is testing my patience. If they don’t reach Huangshui soon, Yang Si and Feng Zhen will be doomed.”
Jiang Pengji bent her head to study the map. Based on their chosen path, there was still more than half a day’s journey to make before the would arrive at Huangshui.
After a while, a scout came riding towards them at great speed.
“My lord, there is an unknown scout up ahead.”
Jiang Pengji acknowledged the report and calmed her heart. She answered, “It could be the scout from our alliance’s army. Let’s not alert him and monitor the situation.”