#561 - Cut off their retreat
Noon, fifty li outside Huailing City.
A stretch of low mountains no longer belonged to the Western Desert Gobi. Standing on the mountaintop, one could vaguely see Huailing City in the distance, as large as a chessboard.
“Young Master, Du Chang said he can arrive by tonight at the latest.”
Standing behind Wei Changtian, Zhang San asked in a low voice, “What should we do now?”
“Hmm.”
Wei Changtian retracted his gaze from the distance, pondered for a moment, and then turned to look at Yang Liushi, who was bending over to tease a small wild rabbit not far away.
“Liushi, can your illusion deceive the soldiers guarding the city?”
Wei Changtian nodded and instructed: “Zhang San, you stay here and wait for Du Chang. Liushi and I will go into the city first to investigate the situation.”
“Okay, Young Master, feel free to go.”
Zhang San didn’t say any nonsense: “As soon as Du Chang arrives, I will immediately notify Young Master.”
“Okay, you stay here.”
Wei Changtian patted Zhang San’s shoulder, then turned to Yang Liushi and said, “Liushi, let’s go!”
“Okay.”
...
In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared on the mountaintop, leaving only Zhang San alone, quietly waiting for the arrival of Du Chang and the Tiangou Army.
That’s right, just as Wei Yanyu had guessed, Wei Changtian’s visit to Huailing this time was not for Li Wutong or Li Qi at all, nor was it for the survival of the Da Feng.
Or rather, these were just incidental matters.
Most importantly, he was here to block Ning Yongnian’s retreat.
How to kill the emperor was a question that had been discussed before.
Wei Changtian’s conclusion at the time was to first take away his “most cherished thing”.
And for an emperor, nothing is more important than the “throne”.
That’s why Wei Changtian took advantage of Ning Yongnian’s departure from the capital to suddenly launch an attack, and in one fell swoop, he pushed Ning Wenjun onto the dragon throne.
In this way, Da Ning would become Ning Yongnian’s “hometown that he can’t return to”, and he and his 400,000 troops would be in a dilemma.
To advance is to return to Da Ning, but Da Ning already has a new emperor, and the road to “returning home” is bound to be fraught with difficulties.
To retreat is to stay in Da Feng, but how can the people of Da Feng tolerate such a hostile force wreaking havoc in their country?
At that time, these 400,000 people will be like a group of lonely ghosts, without supplies or reinforcements, dying one less at a time, and sooner or later they will be exhausted.
And Ning Yongnian, without soldiers or power, will no longer have any “emperor buff”.
Just an ordinary Son of Heaven, wouldn’t he be at my mercy?
The idea was good, and the plan was theoretically feasible.
However, Wei Changtian also knew that it would not be easy to complete the entire plan.
Take now for example.
Although Ning Wenjun is only one step away from successfully ascending the throne, it will still take some time to fully control Da Ning and secure the throne.
Especially during this recent period, there must be many dissenting voices everywhere.
Therefore, Ning Yongnian must not bring his army back in “glorious return” at this time.
But as long as he can delay for ten days or half a month, and wait for Ning Wenjun to temporarily stabilize the situation in Da Ning, then the subsequent matters will be easy to handle.
Ning Wenjun, who has secured the throne, will definitely use all means to prevent Ning Yongnian from returning, and Da Feng will also be stimulated to have the will to “fight to the end”.
With both sides exerting their strength, Ning Yongnian, who is seeking survival in the cracks, will have no chance to turn over.
Of course, Ning Yongnian himself will definitely be able to think of this, and it is estimated that he will soon try to lead his troops back to the capital to regain the throne.
As for whether he can eventually return...
That depends on Wei Changtian’s ability.
At the first quarter of noon, the south of Huailing City.
A deserted alley was full of snow, and there were two rows of shallow footprints constantly extending on the snow.
Only footprints were seen, but no people were seen. If such a scene were seen by someone, they would definitely think they had encountered a ghost.
However, until Wei Changtian and Yang Liushi slowly appeared, no one appeared around.
“Good heavens, why is there so much snow in Huailing City?”
Turning his head to look around, Wei Changtian, with a veil covering his face, muttered in a low voice: “I didn’t see any snow along the way.”
“Yes, this should be what the saying goes, ten li different sky.”
Yang Liushi gently echoed, the black veil swaying slightly: “Young Master, where are we going now?”
“First find a place to stay, and then go see the Freemasonry’s spies in the city.”
Wei Changtian pondered for a moment, and stepped out of the alley: “If there is still time afterwards, then go to the government office to take a look.”
“Okay... Young Master, wait a moment.”
Yang Liushi suddenly tugged at Wei Changtian’s sleeve, and then, in the latter’s surprised eyes, she flashed into a nearby house, and soon “took” out two cotton-padded coats.
They were the most ordinary styles worn by ordinary people. Only by careful observation could subtle differences be found. One should be for a man, and the other for a woman.
“Young Master, put it on, it’s cold.”
Handing the slightly larger cotton-padded coat to Wei Changtian, Yang Liushi smiled and said: “Otherwise, we would be too conspicuous.”
“Uh...”
Looking at his thin clothes and Yang Liushi’s long skirt, Wei Changtian realized that he had indeed overlooked this.
With their mismatched attire, compared to the current temperature in Huailing, it was really “one is like summer, one is like autumn”.
Taking the cotton-padded coat, he quickly put it on, and turned to look at Yang Liushi, who had also become “bloated”.
The two looked at each other, and then couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahahaha, you look like a peasant woman now.”
“Hehehe, Young Master is not much better, almost like a porter walking the streets.”
“That’s the effect we want... Eh? Speaking of which, couldn’t you just use illusion to change our appearance?”
“What is appearance?”
“Oh, it means the same as looks.”
“That’s right... But I can’t maintain the illusion for too long.”
“Nonsense, the last time at the lakeside pavilion, didn’t you maintain it for more than an hour?”
“Young Master is really shameless, if it wasn’t for you not...”
“...”
The voices of the two became smaller and smaller, and soon disappeared into the alley.
And just as they were talking and laughing, preparing to find an inn to stay, the government office in the north of the city was deathly silent.
“Eunuch Li.”
Outside a quiet room, Wu Ding looked at Li Huaizhong approaching from a distance with a complicated expression, and asked in a low voice: “Are you here to find the Emperor?”
“Yes, I wonder if the Emperor is in the room?”
Li Huaizhong also lowered his voice and said: “This humble servant has important matters to report.”
“Good news or bad news?”
Wu Ding turned his head and glanced at the closed door: “If it’s bad news... then Eunuch should first think about how to say it.”
“...”
Subconsciously swallowing, Li Huaizhong smiled bitterly and nodded after a long while.
“Okay, thank you General for the reminder, then this humble servant will first...”
“If you have something to say, get in here and say it!”
Suddenly, a roar from the room interrupted Li Huaizhong’s words.
“Don’t you forget!”
“I am still the Emperor of Da Ning!!!”
