The Wilderness to the west, bathed in orange-yellow sunlight, saw the wind sweeping up the yellow sand, howling fiercely, tearing through the endless desert as if pulling a curtain, causing the flat sand surface to ripple like water.
Five words describe it—”The solitary smoke rises straight in the vast desert.”
Under the setting sun, a caravan rode camels across the desert.
The leader, wrapped in a face scarf, revealed only a pair of cloudy but sharp eyes hidden under a wide-brimmed hat.
Jiang Canghai adjusted his face scarf and sighed:
“The Buddhist Kingdom is desolate. The people living here must struggle against the heavens and other people just to survive. Life is difficult, so they need a belief to support them, which provides the soil for Zen to take root and grow.”
Riding alongside Jiang Canghai was another camel. Lin Lu, dressed as a caravan guard, kept his hand on the hilt of his simple knife, always vigilant, and transmitted his voice:
“Prime Minister, I have always had a question and would like you to clarify.”
“Why did you choose the Buddhist Kingdom as the target for a surprise attack? Everyone knows the Buddhist Kingdom is secretive and has been hidden for thousands of years, making it hard to find.”
“No matter how you look at it, the Northern Sejong Alliance is the best choice for a blitzkrieg. The family sects huddle together for warmth; we only need to penetrate their heartland and strike with thunderous force to severely damage them.”
Jiang Canghai removed his face scarf, brushed the sand from his beard, took out a water bottle, drank a sip, wiped the water from his mouth, and said:
“What you can think of, the Northern Sejong Alliance and the Western Buddhist Kingdom can’t think of?”
“A blitzkrieg relies on surprise, a swift, precise, and lethal strike. The Northern Sejong Alliance has always been wary of Great Jin, with many spies in their army. They must already know about the million-strong army quietly leaving the borders, so they will surely be on guard.”
Jiang Canghai paused, not continuing further.
Lin Lu did not press on, knowing the Prime Minister intended to test him. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes brightened, and he said:
“So, Prime Minister, you chose to attack the Western Buddhist Kingdom to catch them off guard, making them careless, and to make the Northern Sejong Alliance paranoid, unable to spare any effort to cause trouble.”
Lin Lu gave a thumbs-up, almost blurting out a crude compliment, but after a moment of brewing, he managed to say in a slightly more refined manner, “Prime Minister, you are truly a genius.”
Jiang Canghai smiled and shook his head, squinting ahead. In the swirling yellow sand, a figure slowly emerged—a monk with a staff, holding a scripture in one hand, walking towards the caravan.
Seeing this person, Jiang Canghai’s smile slowly faded. He made no indication and continued speaking to Lin Lu:
“Actually, you are wrong.”
Lin Lu’s knife was half-drawn, his eyes vigilant on the monk ahead. He turned his head in confusion and asked, “What?”
“You got one thing wrong. Since we entered the Buddhist Kingdom, the hidden manipulators of the Buddhist Kingdom have already known.” Jiang Canghai said calmly.
Lin Lu was bewildered, utterly confused, “Prime Minister, what do you mean?”
“I mean…”
Jiang Canghai exhaled a breath of turbid air, his smile ambiguous, and said:
“Our isolated force is neither the main force nor here to conduct a blitzkrieg. This is just a smokescreen for outsiders. What we need to do is very simple, yet very difficult.”
Lin Lu looked at the Prime Minister’s smile and suddenly felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart. He asked in some fear, “What exactly are we here to do?”
Jiang Canghai turned his head, staring directly at Lin Lu, his smile disappearing, his face serious, and said word by word:
“Hold off the Buddhist Kingdom, so Her Majesty can annihilate the Sejong Alliance!”
…
“If I were the Empress, I would certainly choose to attack the Sejong Alliance, but not too obviously, so I would release some false information to confuse the enemy. Of course, just false information is not enough; the act must be convincing!”
Meng Qingzhou stood up, his voice firm and powerful:
“Great Jin’s ambition for unification is known to all! The Northern Sejong Alliance and the Western Buddhist Kingdom are both wary of us. They understand the principle of ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.’ No matter which side we choose to attack, the other side will surely interfere, hoping to see both sides suffer, so they can reap the benefits.”
“Jiang Canghai mobilized a million troops, seemingly quietly, but I think… it’s more like a show, a spy within a spy. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Northern Sejong Alliance is the weaker side, so logically, we would attack the Northern Sejong Alliance!”
“So, the Northern side must be heavily fortified, but after a few days, they will find that Jiang Canghai has not appeared and instead shows up in the Western Buddhist Kingdom. The Northern Sejong Alliance will surely let down their guard.”
Su Qingqiu popped up, raising her hand and asked:
“Master, how can you be sure that the Northern Sejong Alliance will let down their guard when they see the Prime Minister in the Western Buddhist Kingdom?”
Meng Qingzhou smiled faintly, with deep meaning, “A million elite troops, plus a pillar of the state, if they are lost, Great Jin will suffer a heavy blow. Who wouldn’t believe it?”
“Who would dare to believe that Jiang Canghai’s sinister plan could be so mad?”
Even the naive and innocent Sword Immortal felt a chill upon hearing Meng Qingzhou’s increasingly cold tone.
Such a vicious strategy!
Cruel to the enemy, even crueler to oneself!
Dongfang Liuli fell silent, a look of deep thought flashing in her phoenix eyes. Actually, Jiang Canghai had not explained anything to her, and she was also guessing his actions.
What Meng Qingzhou said coincided with her own thoughts!
“Continue.” Dongfang Liuli said.
Meng Qingzhou paused slightly, combining the book’s description of Jiang Canghai’s character, his actions, and the entire plan. The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it became. After a long pause, he continued:
“The Western Buddhist Kingdom also couldn’t imagine that Great Jin would be foolish enough to fight them to the death. The Wilderness is now a tripartite, with the Northern Sejong Alliance being the weakest. No matter how you look at it, if you want to unify the Wilderness, you should kick this guy out first, then have a one-on-one showdown.”
Su Qingqiu brought a small stool, sat upright like a primary school student, and raised her hand again, asking in a soft voice, “What does ‘showdown’ mean?”
Meng Qingzhou was speechless, explaining, “It means a duel.”
“Oh.”
“Shall I continue?”
“Please, Master.”
…
Meng Qingzhou coughed, his voice heavy:
“So, the Western Buddhist Kingdom was also caught off guard, thinking Great Jin would fight them to the end. They wouldn’t dare to stake everything on one battle, which gives the Prime Minister enough time to drag the Western Buddhist Kingdom into a quagmire of war.”
Dongfang Liuli suddenly interjected, “What about Pudu Buddha? With him around, Jiang Canghai’s million troops are just a bunch of chickens and dogs.”
“To my knowledge, Pudu Buddha should be in seclusion, as he is only a step away from the Sky-Reaching Realm. Even if the sky falls, he won’t care.” Meng Qingzhou said.
Dongfang Liuli nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
Finally, some good news.
Meng Qingzhou took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued his analysis:
“The Western Buddhist Kingdom is held back, and everyone thinks that’s the main battlefield. The Northern Sejong Alliance will also be misled, thinking they are mere spectators and might even try to cause some trouble…”
“At this time, it’s the Empress of Great Jin’s turn… to make her move.”
Dongfang Liuli blinked her beautiful eyes, looking at Meng Qingzhou.
“What should the Empress of Great Jin do?”
Meng Qingzhou rubbed his fingers together, his tone casual but like a thunderclap:
“Of course, annihilate the Sejong Alliance. Have you forgotten Great Jin’s tradition? To sustain war with war, annihilate the Sejong Alliance to replenish military resources and continue investing in the Western battlefield.”
“And by then, the delaying battle led by Jiang Canghai will immediately become the main battlefield! The final battle can begin!”
“The overlord of the Wilderness will be decided on the Western main battlefield!”
…
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