Chapter 7 The Impending War

  The dream of the thief was temporarily shattered. Qian Buli's first thing to do when he returned to his room was to take off his clothes and put on that pale yellow long gown. A question had been lingering in Qian Buli's mind: Ji Shengqing princess wasn't a foolish woman, but why did she easily believe those not-so-clever lies of his? Did she really think he was that Emperor Qianlong or something?

  Let's think about it later, Qian Buli's thoughts turned to that 'emergency military situation', and like all war maniacs, as soon as he heard the word 'military', his emotions began to soar. Since that woman trusted him so much, he would help her this time. Qian Buli found a reasonable excuse for his stay.

  The hall was brightly lit, with dozens of soldiers holding torches outside, forming a neat row. The atmosphere seemed very tense. Qian Buli strode forward, just as he reached the door, a military officer in his thirties, dressed in armor, emerged from inside. There was an unbandaged wound on his head, and fresh blood dripped down his cheek onto his chest.

  "Halt!" The soldier suddenly stretched out his hand and stopped Qian Buding: "There is a military meeting going on inside, no outsiders are allowed to enter!"

  "My surname is not Xian!" Qian replied calmly and continued walking forward.

  "Damn nobles!" The soldier muttered in a very low voice, and seemed to unintentionally bump into Qian Buli with his shoulder.

  Qian didn't leave lightly, flashing to the opponent's side and back, then crossing one step diagonally, using his knee to bump into the soldier's leg bend, his arm pushed back, and the soldier fell to the ground with a thud.

  "What a well-mannered good kid!" Qian said with a smile, pushing open the door and walking into the conference hall.

  The soldier turned his head to stare at the back of Qian Buli, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion, while the surrounding soldiers couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile.

  As soon as he entered, Qian Buli's attention was drawn to the thing on the long table in the middle of the room - it was a sandbox! It was actually a sandbox! In this world, there was actually a sandbox! A wave of sourness rose up in Qian Buli's heart, thinking that back then, he had not had few dealings with sandboxes as a staff officer. He really hadn't expected to run into an old friend here!

  Ji Shengqing and Jia Tianxiang exchanged a glance, and Jia Tianxiang smiled: "Mr. Qian, have you ever seen something like this before?"

  "Of course!" Qian didn't lift his head or move closer, intently observing the sand table.

  "Hmph!" A military officer-like man spoke up, "The sand table was first created by Emperor Qianlong a hundred years ago. Later, although it was imitated and learned by spies from several countries, becoming one of the essential treasures for generals of various nations, ordinary people would not be able to see one even if they spent their entire lives searching. Have you really seen one?"

  "Nonsense!" Qian was most annoyed when others interrupted his train of thought, and at this moment his tone was not polite at all: "I've seen this kind of thing many times before!"

  Ji Shengqin couldn't help but smile sweetly again. When a woman worships a man, that man becomes a perfect being without any flaws in her eyes. Even Qian Buli's roughness seems to have a special charm to Ji Shengqin, what a majestic man! Ji Shengqin believes in Qian Buli, this kind of thing was pioneered by him, he must have seen many many times before...

  That military officer was furious, just about to erupt, but saw Earl Jia Tianxiang staring at him coldly. He hastily lowered his head. How unjust! He had clearly stood up to mock that man because of his disrespect towards the earl, yet the earl didn't appreciate his efforts!

  After a good while, Qian Buli finally lifted his head, the excitement generated by the sand table had already dissipated, and Qian Buli's gaze was very calm: "What happened?"

  "I'll introduce you to Mr. Qian." Jia Tianxiang stood up from his chair and pointed at the sand table: "In this area of the Heavenly Ice River, it belongs to the Grassland Flying Eagle Tribe. In the past, when Ji Zhou Guo and the Flying Eagle Tribe had conflicts, the battlefield was often near Xigu Valley, more than 200 kilometers away from Snowy City. But this time, they actually jumped over the Heavenly Ice River and launched a surprise attack on my territory in Snowy City!"

  "Be more specific." Qian said calmly, his words sounding very natural, as if the other party should follow his orders.

  There is something in the world called "momentum"! The dragon swims freely in the ocean, the tiger roams horizontally in the deep mountains, the snake hides quietly in the grass, and the horse gallops swiftly on the plains! This is their "momentum"!

  Qian Buli's 'aura' is a decisive battle, it's war! In other words, he's a genius! Qian Buli, who manipulates the battlefield, is both frantic and calm! Even Qian Lao Yezi, who has been in the military for decades, was shocked by Qian Buli's performance.

  If Qian Buli was still hesitant about whether to leave or stay before entering the door, now he no longer needs to make any choices, because he has finally grasped the elusive 'momentum'!

  As a staff officer without military power, Qian Buli could only use his grandfather's influence to participate in every military exercise, no matter how big or small. If there were no exercises, he would immerse himself in the study of past and present battles from China and abroad. Unfortunately, these were all just empty gestures, and Qian Buli couldn't find any sense of satisfaction. It was like drinking only a sip of wine or touching a woman's skin for just a moment - the brief stimulation only led to deeper frustration.

  At this moment, Qian Buli will never let go again!

  Get out of my way!

  He's crazy!

  People always like to use the word 'madman' to describe some war fanatics, but strangely, countless clever people have become the remnants that madmen trample underfoot without deigning to notice. Perhaps only another madman can defeat a madman!

  Jia Tianxiang gazed at Qian Buli, but he couldn't see anything from Qian's eyes. However, he inexplicably felt a kind of frenzy, and Jia Tianxiang found himself panting slightly, subconsciously taking a step back.

  "What are you? How dare you be rude to Earl-sama!" Another military officer stood up in anger.

  "Shut up!" Ji Shengqing and Jia Tianxiang shouted in unison, Ji Shengqing still looked at Qian Buli with concern, fearing that Qian Buli would get angry, Qian Buli was her mainstay!

  Qian didn't even glance at Wu Jiang, his eyes still fixed on Jia Tianxiang, waiting for an answer.

  Jia Tianxiang calmed down and pointed to the sand table, "Here at the Heavenly Ice River, there is a long ice crevice that stretches for hundreds of miles, over thirty feet wide, and bottomless. If the Flying Eagle tribe wants to sneak past here, it would be very difficult. Moreover, fighting on the ice river wouldn't allow the grassland light cavalry to exert their power, they're not even as good as regular heavy infantry. That's why Snowy City has been peaceful for hundreds of years, and in the past, we only needed to send out patrol teams for routine inspections."

  "This time, the Flying Eagle tribe actually built a suspension bridge over the rift. Fortunately, it was discovered by our patrol team." As he said this, Jia Tianxiang revealed a hint of admiration: "The leader of the patrol team is my nephew, Wang Rui. He discovered the suspension bridge and didn't rush to attack until evening when he seized an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and destroy the bridge. However... out of the 90-man patrol team, including Wang Rui, only two people escaped with their lives! They used their own lives to protect our territory! This is good news for us - in a short period of time, the Flying Eagle tribe won't be able to build another suspension bridge like that. They have no reinforcements or supplies!"

  "Is there good news and bad news?" Qian Buli's eyebrows rose slightly.

  "Yes, the leader of the Flying Eagle tribe, Jamukha and his brother Khulan, along with their elite light cavalry, have infiltrated our ranks. Upon discovering that their plan had been exposed, they immediately launched a surprise attack on our gold mine's garrison! Wang Rui had sent out two groups of six people each to report the alarm to the gold mine and Snowy City, but... we haven't received any warning signals." Jia Tianxiang revealed a bitter smile: "If nothing unexpected happens, the three thousand heavy infantry guarding the gold mine should have been completely annihilated. The light cavalry that escaped back had over three hundred people, all of them wounded, it's clear that the battle was extremely intense."

  Qian Buli fell silent for a moment, then suddenly revealed a sarcastic smile: "I don't know what words to use to describe you, you actually missed something right under your noses!" Qian Buli's tone shifted: "Where is our hero? Where is the hero who destroyed the suspension bridge? I want to see him."

  Jia Tianxiang looked at Qian Buli with a puzzled expression, but unfortunately, Qian Buli didn't seem to have any intention of explaining. Helpless, Jia Tianxiang could only instruct someone to go and fetch his nephew first.

  Before long, the martial artist who had a run-in with Qian Buli was brought in. Qian Buli didn't mince words: "You're Wang Rui?"

  Wang Rui looked at Jia Tianxiang with a puzzled expression, then looked at Princess Ji Shengqing and replied in a low voice: "Yes."

  "Do your patrol teams follow a fixed route every time they patrol?"

  "Yes."

  "Who was in charge of patrol yesterday?"

  "It wasn't me, it was Guli An. But yesterday when Guli An returned to the city, a civilian startled his horse and he crashed into the city gate. He's still unconscious now. According to regulations, my patrol team won't be relieved until tomorrow. Seeing Guli An injured like this, I thought I could bear the hardship for one more day. Who knew... who knew my brothers would end up like this..." Wang Ruiyue said, his expression growing increasingly somber, revealing a close relationship between him and his subordinates.

  "Princess, you should have time to go and worship at the city gate, its merits are not smaller than Wang Rui's!" Qian Buli coldly smiled: "Earl, I'd like to ask a question, if you want to build a suspension bridge on a rift, working day and night, how long would it take at least?"

  One word awakened the dreamer! Jia Tianxiang had been worried about how to confront the Flying Eagle tribe's most elite light cavalry, and at this moment he suddenly understood, his face turning pale: "Even if I don't make any excuses, it will take at least five days to build with all my might!"

  "Suppose that Guri An wasn't a traitor, he still can't escape the crime of being lazy and slow with military information. However, maybe my words are too absolute, I don't know how your patrol teams are dispatched." Qian Buli said coldly.

  "No, your words are correct!" Jia Tianxiang's eyes shot out flames of anger: "Along the entire crack, there are four sections with flat terrain and small height differences between the two banks, suitable for setting up suspension bridges. Every day, there will be four patrol teams conducting routine inspections. If it were due to negligence or slowness, it would not have led to such consequences!"

  Jia Tianxiang paced back and forth a few steps: "General Ren!"

  A military general suddenly stood up: "Yes."

  "You immediately take people to capture Guli An and all personnel of his patrol team, don't let one escape!"

  "Yes!" Ren Shuai responded with a single word and turned his head to leave.

  Qian Bu Li stared at the sand table marked with the location of the gold mine: "How many close guards light cavalry does the Flying Eagle tribe have?"

  "According to the soldiers who escaped and returned, there should be about 5,000 cavalrymen and less than 1,000 infantrymen."

  "Infantry? How can the Prairie Tribe have infantry?"

  "This I know." Wang Rui replied, "Although the terrain of the Heavenly Ice River is not as treacherous as that of the Kunlun Ice River, it's still very unsuitable for large-scale troop movements. When I was ambushing, I saw with my own eyes that their warhorses kept falling into the ice river and dying, and many people also died. Those infantrymen should be soldiers who lost their warhorses during the march, right?"

  Qian looked at Wang Rui with a puzzled expression: "Then how did you patrol? On foot?"

  "We have sleds, sir." Wang Rui's attitude became increasingly respectful. Seeing the noble princess and Earl Jia Tianxiang silent, only this man kept asking questions. Even a fool could see that this man was of high status: "Our Ji Zhou Kingdom's military dogs are the best on the continent, and in snowy terrain, sleds can travel much faster than horses! However, there aren't many military dogs, just enough to equip our patrol teams."

  Qian Buli turned to Jia Tianxiang: "The first person who came back to report the crime seemed to be riding a horse, right?"

  "That's right, sir." Wang Rui said: "The endurance of the sled dogs is not as good as that of horses. When I arrived at a sentry post, the sled dogs were almost exhausted. I changed to the war horse at the sentry post and rushed back."

  Qian did not leave the deep thought for a long time, and muttered: "It's strange... ... The Flying Eagle tribe just marched and caused such a big loss. Their losses on the other side of the glacier can be imagined. They also need to mobilize a large number of people to build suspension bridges. The first batch of people who passed through the suspension bridge are still the most elite light cavalry of the Flying Eagle tribe... ... This gives me a feeling of betting everything! I don't understand, what is here that makes them so desperate?"

  Jia Tianxiang sighed: "Let me tell you this! Our emperor is a wise and just ruler, he was not willing to suffer repeated harassment from the grassland nations, so ten years ago, the emperor formulated a plan to counter cavalry with cavalry! However, building a large-scale elite cavalry requires a huge amount of wealth, and it's hard to persuade the cabinet to pass this resolution. The emperor's plan would cost the entire Zhou Kingdom its total income for five whole years, the expenditure is really too great."

  "What's most important is that the current Qi Zhou country has signed a military agreement with the British Empire, the Russian Empire and the United States of America on the mainland. For the sake of security and peace on the mainland, no country is allowed to expand its military forces without permission. If Qi Zhou country's expansion of military forces were to be exposed, it would inevitably trigger a huge wave! In case war breaks out, the entire mainland will be drawn into it."

  However, Your Majesty was not willing to give up his own plan. It just so happened that at that time, a large gold mine with extremely rich deposits was discovered near the Heavenly Ice River, which is now the Snowy Gold Mine. His Majesty thought this was a heaven-sent opportunity and ordered me to conceal the output of the gold mine and hide the excess gold for future use!

  "In fact, the yield of Xueyuan Gold Mine is even higher than that of Alaska Gold Mine, which is the world's number one gold mine. I only submitted a tenth to the cabinet and it has already made Xueyuan Gold Mine rank among the top ten in the world!"

  "What?!?!" Everyone except the princess let out a cry of surprise.

  Jia Tianxiang's gaze turned cold, scanning the several people in the hall: "This is a heaven-sized secret, you are all my confidants, I trust you, today I reveal the secret to prepare you, if the Flying Eagle tribe comes for gold, the war will be unprecedentedly brutal! If anyone leaks this secret, the price... You know how great it will be! Traitors are enemies of our entire Zhou Kingdom!! You can betray me, but please don't betray the country!"

  "Sir!" A tall and majestic general with a hint of elegance on his face stood up abruptly: "I swear on the name of my entire family! I will never betray you, Sir, nor will I betray our country!!"

  Under his influence, several officers stood up, "I swear..." "I swear..."

  "Alright, please sit down." Jia Tianxiang waved his hand somewhat tiredly: "Unfortunately, the longer a secret exists, the more likely it is to leak out. Just a few years ago, rumors had already begun to circulate in the capital, but were all skillfully deflected by Your Majesty. This time... if I'm not mistaken..."

  "It must be some big shot in the Imperial City who has a connection with the Flying Eagle Tribe!" Qian Buli added calmly.

  "Yes!" Jia Tianxiang showed a look of admiration, before this, he only admired the other's past 'achievements', now he was deeply convinced by Qian Buli's quick wit.

  Qian Buli smiled and continued to stare at the sand table.

  "I also have a somewhat immature guess." Jia Tianxiang sighed: "They didn't just come for the gold, they should have another goal, that is... to catch our princess!"

  "Princess?" Qian Buli's gaze shifted from the sand table to Jia Tianxiang: "I admit that the princess is beautiful and noble, but... if the goal of a war is just a woman, it seems a bit childish." Qian Buli always liked to get straight to the point at critical moments, as being overly sentimental would often ruin things. Although his words were hurtful, a wise princess would understand herself. Qian Buli needed the truth, because accurate judgment came from the truth!

  Jia Tianxiang smiled slightly, without answering Qian Buli's question, but just smiled at the princess silently. The low-key Jia Tianxiang knew when to restrain his own brilliance, especially not to occupy the princess's stage!

  "My uncle is the commander of the Qi Valley Pass, I only have this one uncle, he has always been very fond of me." Ji Shengqin smiled gratefully at Jia Tianxiang: "If they really caught me and used my identity to attack from both sides...". Ji Shengqin didn't say it too bluntly, she believed that with the ability of 'Qianlong Emperor', he could completely understand her implied meaning. The fate of a female captive is imaginable, no matter how noble her status is, not to mention whether her uncle would go crazy and lose his mind, but just the blow to the morale of the entire defending army would be fatal!

  "I get it!" Qian's right hand clenched into a fist, and he lightly tapped his left palm several times, his eyes gleaming: "A staggering fortune, a key that reaches deep into the heart of China - if I were in their shoes, I'd also bet everything on one throw!"