Chapter 147: Jiang Chen's Scheme

Xu Qian's head hung limply. He faced the direction from which they had come, his thoughts, even at the final, fading moment of his life, still anchored to the territory that rightfully belonged to Great Qian.

Jiang Chen and his companions had no time for grief. After hastily burying the fallen man, they pressed on without pause.

For Jiang Chen, he had witnessed too much life and death on the battlefield, and his heart had long since grown numb, but his deep respect for brave men would never fade.

After the troop had marched northward for roughly seventy li, their pace slowed noticeably. Such high-intensity movement inevitably consumed a vast amount of physical stamina, and they were now forced to stop and rest.

They carried no food or water whatsoever. Many collapsed directly onto the snow, stuffing a few handfuls of snow into their mouths to soothe throats so parched they felt as though they were smoking.

The veteran soldier approached Jiang Chen and asked, "From here, we are still about forty li away from Liao City. But given our current condition, there is no way we can make it before dawn."

"Who said we were going to Liao City?"

Jiang Chen replied, "The reason we kept heading north earlier was to let Xiao Tong know we intended to go to Liao City. But from here on, we will head east. That is the only path to survival."

The veteran asked in confusion, "Isn't it safer to enter Liao City as early as possible? If we head east, who knows how far we will have to walk before we reach the end? Everyone's stamina cannot hold out for that long."

His concern was valid, but Jiang Chen made it explicitly clear to everyone that Liao City had already fallen into the hands of the Northern Yan people. Rushing to Liao City now would be a dead end.

"Think about it. If Northern Yan hadn't occupied Liao City, would they dare to boldly surround Qiwu Mountain with such a heavy force?"

"If our army were to strike their rear, even if we lacked the capability to engage them in a direct frontal clash, cutting off their supply lines would have been effortless. The only reason this hasn't happened is because Liao City is no longer under our control."

Jiang Chen had not received any definitive news from Liao City, but based on the intelligence at hand, he drew this conclusion with absolute certainty, convincing everyone present.

"Rest quickly. The enemy will not give us much breathing room."

"Oh no, there seems to be movement behind us!" From not far away, the scout left on rear guard duty issued a warning. It seemed the pursuers were closing in, and unusual sounds could be faintly heard.

Across the open snowfield, coupled with the quiet of night, sound could travel very far. Thus, Jiang Chen did not feel excessive pressure; instead, he calmly arranged for everyone to advance in an orderly fashion while giving instructions to the few who still had the strength to shoulder greater responsibilities.

"Xiao Tong's primary target is me. Therefore, when they close in, I can draw Xiao Tong away. Afterward, the enemy will inevitably split into two groups: one to continue pursuing the main body, and the other led by Xiao Tong with the sole purpose of hunting me down."

Jiang Chen paused for a moment, then continued, "If he hadn't pursued us so relentlessly, I might not have felt compelled to kill him. But since he is pressing us this hard, I won't be polite to him either."

"From here on, you just need to head straight east. Remember, only the east holds a way to survive. As for how far you must walk, someone will naturally tell you in due time."

Everyone placed immense trust in Jiang Chen's arrangements. Their time together thus far was more than enough to show them what a deeply reliable man Jiang Chen was.

However, they simultaneously objected to his plan to leave the group alone, as it was simply too dangerous. Since they were moving, they should all stick together; if they failed, they would simply die as one.

The veteran patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder and said solemnly, "I, E Feibai, have not admired many people in my life, but brother, you are certainly one of them."

"Although I don't know how you plan to deal with Xiao Tong, doing so is bound to be fraught with peril. Come with us instead. As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood."

E Feibai's advice was entirely pragmatic. The top priority right now was to get away from this place; once they were out of danger, everything could be replanned. Why insist on fighting a bloody battle against the enemy all by oneself?

Yet Jiang Chen had his own considerations for making this choice.

"Killing Xiao Tong was something I considered when I first set out. As for whether to go through with it, it entirely depends on the circumstances. In my view, that opportunity is right before me now, and I will not let him go."

"Have you ever thought about it? Northern Yan and our Great Qian want peace talks, but how long can peace bought by ceding territory and paying tributes actually last? Whether it succeeds or fails, it will be a tremendous blow to Great Qian. I firmly oppose negotiating with Northern Yan."

Jiang Chen picked up a piece of dead wood from the ground and snapped it in two.

"Northern Yan is demanding that Great Qian cede the entire northern territory of Jizhou, a total of six cities and twelve prefectures. For hundreds of years, these lands have served as a barrier against Northern Yan and have been bitterly contested by military strategists. If we cede them away so easily, how can we ever take them back?"

"We will inevitably have to pay a price ten or a hundred times greater!"

E Feibai's expression turned grim. He had spent the better part of his life fighting the Northern Yan people in the north. Over the decades, the two nations had traded victories and defeats, but overall, Great Qian had maintained a firm upper hand.

Yet, starting God knows when, Great Qian's national power had declined, its former prestige lost, and now it was reduced to ceding the entire Jizhou just to beg for peace. This was something he found utterly unacceptable.

"The people of Northern Yan are insatiable. Once we give them Jizhou, they will demand even more benefits. Is Great Qian going to hand over the entire empire on a silver platter?"

Jiang Chen used a twig to sketch a simple map of Great Qian's territory in the snow. The portion representing the northern frontier was ruthlessly carved out with straight lines, making it look all the more stark and eye-catching.

"If soldiers cannot protect their homeland, we might as well die!" a young soldier said, his face filled with righteous indignation.

Everyone shared the exact same sentiment. Only after awakening this sense of humiliation in them did Jiang Chen reveal his true objective.

"If we do not wish to see such a fate befall us, we must find a way to halt the peace talks. What the Emperor fears most is that the frontline troops cannot withstand the offensive of the Northern Yan army. In the end, even if we refuse to compromise, the northern territory will still be lost."

"Rather than that, he would rather use this territory to buy a brief period of peace, buying time to reorganize the military and prepare for another war. That is the calculation in the Emperor's mind."

Jiang Chen suddenly drew a saber in the snow, its tip pointing directly at Qiwu Mountain, where the main force of Northern Yan was stationed.

"If the Northern Yan general Xiao Tong dies, their army will plunge into a state of chaos without a leader. They will lack the strength to continue their southern invasion and can only wait for the Northern Yan court to make its next decision before taking action."

"This is the time I am winning for Great Qian!"

E Feibai nodded heavily in deep agreement, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a defiant, unruly smile.

"Brother Jiang, how could you leave me out of such a glorious undertaking?"