Chapter 156: Lord of the Northern Territory

Shen Yinglong showered lavish praise on the Moonlight Brew, declaring it to be the finest wine in the world today, which greatly pleased Jiang Chen.

He felt a strong urge to tell this young master of the Shen family that the person who brewed this exquisite wine was none other than himself, but he forcefully swallowed the words back just as they reached his lips.

"Forget it, what is the point of showing off about this to him? It would just be like playing the lute to a cow."

Given that Jiang Chen could personally brew such marvelous wine, his appreciation for it was naturally at an exceptionally profound level. Shen Yinglong’s earlier rambling talk was nothing more than showing off one's slight skill before an expert.

In Jiang Chen's eyes, Shen Yinglong was essentially an outsider lacking the knack to enter the inner sanctum, merely feigning refinement. Discussing wine with such a low-level person would simply be a waste of time.

Thinking of this, he could not help but recall the scene when he parted ways with that old beggar in Jinyang City.

When drinking with a bosom friend, a thousand cups are still too few. How true those words were! Jiang Chen felt that no matter what he chatted about with that old man, it was always thoroughly enjoyable and time never seemed enough, yet sitting across from Shen Yinglong now, he only felt a sense of dullness.

Having finally bypassed the topic of wine, Shen Yinglong began to praise Wangchuan City to Jiang Chen's face, describing how impregnable and unbreakable its walls and moat were.

Jiang Chen finally lost his patience and asked, "So impressive, can it hold off the Northern Yan grand army?"

The atmosphere froze almost instantly. The laugh Shen Yinglong subsequently let out broke the rigid situation, but both of them realized in their hearts that since the drinking had reached this point, it was time to discuss some serious business.

Shen Yinglong took the lead and said, "Brother Jiang, Northern Yan is powerful, and having suffered a recent defeat, they will inevitably make a comeback and launch a massive invasion. I wonder what plans you have moving forward?"

"If you camp in the plains northwest of Wangchuan, you will definitely not be able to stop the Northern Yan cavalry. A single charge from them would leave those remnants from Qishan slaughtered to the last man, without even a scrap of armor remaining."

At this point, Shen Yinglong paused at just the right moment, watching Jiang Chen's reaction closely.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Chen nodded heavily in deep agreement and said approvingly, "Exactly, I am also worrying about this very matter."

"Although I know that camping in such a place offers no defensive terrain and once the enemy attacks we will inevitably find ourselves isolated and helpless, unfortunately there is no other way. Perhaps Young Master Shen can help us resolve this urgent crisis."

Shen Yinglong let out a light laugh. "Brother Jiang, you engineered a scheme at Qiwu Mountain to lure out the Northern Yan general Xiao Tong, and even beheaded him on the spot. For you, this is a glorious military achievement destined to endure through the ages."

"However, because of this, any possibility of peace talks between Great Qian and Northern Yan is completely severed. The enemy army holds Liao City like a crouching tiger, with strong ambitions to swallow up the entire northern frontier. Is such a situation truly good for the Great Qian imperial court?"

Jiang Chen remained silent and did not speak.

"To be honest, I am full of doubt regarding whether the imperial court has the ability to withstand the invasion of Northern Yan. Even if everyone in the Qishan camp is willing to fight to the death, that is ultimately only the strength of a single army, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—it will not end well."

Shen Yinglong earnestly offered bitter words of advice. His attitude was already very clear: he hoped that Great Qian and Northern Yan could conclude peace talks so that the northern frontier could at least be spared the calamities of war for a short time.

In his words, he also exposed his dissatisfaction with Jiang Chen's luring and killing of Xiao Tong this time, which had harmed the interests of the entire northern frontier, or perhaps affected the interests of the Shen family.

Patiently waiting for Shen Yinglong to finish, Jiang Chen calmly and leisurely began to speak, "Young Master Shen must have misunderstood. I am not a man of Qishan; what they wish to do, or when they wish to do it, is not something I can control."

"I simply had some personal grievances with Xiao Tong. When certain matters developed to that point, it was entirely unavoidable due to circumstances."

Jiang Chen shook his head in absolute helplessness and suddenly asked Shen Yinglong, "Things have reached this stage, and Young Master Shen is surely not someone who dwells on the past. Is there any other way out now besides uniting to resist the enemy?"

"Therefore, the reason I came this time is also to ask your Shen family: Wangchuan City is the last barrier of the northern frontier. Allowing the army outside the city to enter is mutually beneficial for both sides. Why do you insist on refusing?"

Unexpectedly, Shen Yinglong burst into loud laughter. "Could Brother Jiang have some misunderstanding? How could my Shen family have the capability to prevent the army from entering the city? You are truly wronging us."

Shen Yinglong flatly denied that such a thing had happened. He even stated on the spot that the Shen family was merely a local prominent clan, and currently, the number of family members serving in the imperial court could be counted on one's fingers, with the highest-ranking official being merely a Junior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

May one ask how the Shen family could possibly possess such immense influence that they could call the shots in Wangchuan and refuse entry to the Great Qian army?

Despite how grand and seemingly reasonable this young man's words sounded, with logic and evidence, he was actually playing the pig to eat the tiger, taking the opportunity to block Jiang Chen's mouth.

Bouts between masters were often just this interesting. Although the two sat drinking opposite each other, exchanging cheerful banter and appearing as close as lifelong bosom friends, they were actually trading verbal blows and quietly competing in secret.

Jiang Chen did not expose Shen Yinglong either, but instead asked, "This shows how ill-informed I am. People always say the Shen family is the foremost noble clan of the northern frontier, so how could they tolerate anyone else calling the shots in Wangchuan City?"

"That would naturally be the Lord Prefecture Governor."

Shen Yinglong stated that although the situation in the northern frontier was somewhat special, the entire territory of Jizhou was still ultimately decided by the Lord Prefecture Governor. As for whether the army should be allowed to enter the city, it naturally had to be requested of the local highest official.

"Lord Jiang, I think we might as well do this: I shall act as your introducer and arrange for you to meet the Lord Prefecture Governor tonight. As long as he nods and agrees to this matter, the Qishan army can enter Wangchuan City at any time."

"Then I must trouble you." Outwardly, Jiang Chen was polite, but he still harbored doubts about Shen Yinglong's proactive and cooperative attitude.

On the map of Great Qian, the northern frontier belonged to the territory of Jizhou. Naturally, there was also a prefecture governor appointed by the imperial court here, who was in charge of the affairs of the entire province.

However, a mighty dragon struggles to suppress a local serpent, and officials dispatched to assume office as the Jizhou governor always had to keep their tails tucked between their legs. The most crucial matter in the hearts of officials serving in the northern frontier was not figuring out how to bring welfare and prosperity to the local people's livelihood, but rather racking their brains to handle their relationships with the numerous noble clans.

What use was being the head of a province, or a high-ranking frontier official?

Although Jiang Chen was not an official in the court, he saw right through these underlying matters. Now that Shen Yinglong had casually kicked the troublesome issue away and directly dumped it onto the prefecture governor, would the prefecture governor actually dare to make a sound?

Without a nod from the Shen family, the prefecture governor would never dare to make a decision on his own authority.

Therefore, Jiang Chen anticipated that upon meeting the Jizhou Governor tonight, this matter would ultimately end up unresolved, and it would simply be a waste of time. Yet, he still had to accept Shen Yinglong's goodwill; rejecting someone's hospitality would make things even harder to discuss.

Jiang Chen's ultimate goal was to make Wangchuan City open its gates to welcome the Qishan army inside. By doing so, over fifty thousand men would be stationed within Wangchuan City, allowing them to defend the city against the incoming Northern Yan grand army and ensuring the enemy could not easily capture it.

Thus, Shen Yinglong set the time and place, instructing Jiang Chen to go directly and have an audience with the Jizhou Governor at the appointed hour. Such an arrangement could be described as meticulous and thoughtful.