Chapter Six of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: A Careless Move

page views:1 Publication date:2023-06-01 08:14:59

These past few days, Gilmans had been overjoyed, as his messengers had been bringing back a constant stream of exciting news.

Thanks to the Dark Knights, the local powers in the three southern states of the Fast Empire had changed their stance and sided with him. With their strong support, the territory of the three southern states naturally fell into Gilmans' hands.

From April 8th, the southwest gate of Wuling City remained wide open for seven days, with large and small powerful clans from Fenglin, Changli, and Guangxing states constantly arriving with their recruited troops to join Gilmans's cause.

It should be said that the governors of the three southern states were very cunning. They didn't actually appear in person, but rather had their own powerful clans act on their behalf. This allowed them to maneuver freely.

They didn't want to truly offend the power of Yunaya. If Gilmans succeeded, they would naturally be credited for their strong support; if Yunaya won the final victory, they could use the excuse of their own powerful clans acting privately to absolve themselves of responsibility.

Moreover, they possessed a very respectable pretext—these powerful clans were marching to the capital to serve the emperor, driven by their loyalty and patriotism, with the aim of protecting the Fast royal family.

Furthermore, to ensure success, while sending powerful clans from their states to join Gilimans's forces, they also secretly dispatched trusted confidants to pay homage to Yunaya, proactively ingratiating themselves and acknowledging Yunaya's dominant position within the Fast Empire.

It's no wonder the governors of the three states acted this way, as the three southern states held a special position within the Fast Empire; their governors were all appointed from among the local powerful clans. This was an agreement reached with the local powerful clans when the Fast Empire annexed the three states.

All they did was for their own benefit. Therefore, although Gilimans inwardly cursed the governors of the three states as the most cunning old foxes, he was quite satisfied to have the support of the powerful clans of the three states when he needed it most.

"I am Lusala from Fenglin Prefecture. Today, I have come to Wuling City to join your ranks on the orders of the prefectural governor. Please allow us to follow you."

"I am Samrila from Changli Prefecture. Today, I have come in response to the call of the Left Chancellor. Please allow us to follow you to the capital to eliminate the usurper Ye Tianlong."

"I am Rihstein from Guangxing Prefecture. I have led a righteous army composed of the brave men of my prefecture to report for duty. Please allow us to join your banner."

Thus, these powerful clans, introducing themselves and their recruited and maintained private armies, arrived in Wuling City under Gilimans.

Leaving their large numbers of soldiers outside the city, the clans, led by their chieftains and accompanied by their trusted followers, came before Gilimans.

The three men mentioned above were the leaders of the powerful clans from the three southern states who had come to join Gilmans. Although they held no official positions in the Fast Empire, the governors of the three states were often influenced by them.

On April 16th, Gilmans hosted a grand banquet in Wuling City, warmly welcoming these powerful figures from the three southern states.

In the luxurious hall of Gilmans's mansion, fine wines were served in abundance, and the powerful figures from the three states enjoyed not only a feast for the palate but also a feast for the eyes. There were song and dance performances, and beautiful women accompanying them; the whole scene was extremely lively.

However, in the most luxurious flower hall inside the main hall, besides the leaders of the three states, only Gilmans and a few of his confidants were present, and the atmosphere was not as lively as in the outer hall.

After several rounds of drinks, they finally began to get down to business. After all, what they cared about most was the current situation.

"Lord Gilmans, I've heard that the newly formed Holy Temple Legion is marching towards Wuling City, and the vanguard has already reached Quyang City."

The speaker was Samrilla from Changli Prefecture, a middle-aged man over thirty-five years old with a robust physique and dignified bearing; his hair and beard were dark gray.

"That's right, this rabble actually dares to attack Wuling City."

Setting down his wine cup, a chilling glint of murderous intent flashed in Gilmans' eyes. He didn't conceal anything, telling all the intelligence he possessed to the three clan leaders at the table.

"This time, the force attacking us is the Holy Wind Knights of the Holy Temple Legion, with a strength of around sixty thousand, arguably the Holy Temple Legion's main force at present."

"Only sixty thousand men? Not many, not many."

Lusala, of medium height with a full beard, poured the entire cup of wine into his mouth, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, and spoke with unrestrained pride.

"The troops we three have brought are enough to wipe them all out."

"With your combined efforts, I believe we will definitely defeat the Temple Legion. General Nightblade of the Dark Knights will also lead six hundred men to fully assist you."

Gilmans' round face shone. He had originally intended for the noble armies of these three states to go and fight the Temple Legion, but now that they had brought it up themselves, he didn't need to waste any more words.

"Good, with the help of General Nightblade and his men, we are even more confident in defeating the enemy."

Rihstein chimed in from the side. He was a middle-aged man with wolf-like eyes, which were said to emit a ghostly blue light when he was angry, chilling those who saw them.

"However, we have a problem."

Samrilla's words made Gilmans' eyes change slightly.

"That is, in the battle against the Temple's army, our soldiers currently lack some courage and fighting spirit."

Upon hearing this, Gilmans' eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in them.

"Without courage and fighting spirit, what kind of battle is this? You must be joking..."

"Your Excellency, haven't you heard the military motto, 'A generous reward brings forth brave men'?"

Unfazed by Gilemans's words and expression, Rihstein chimed in with a grin. A greedy glint shone on his face, which Gilemans and his trusted advisors secretly despised.

"No problem, this is a small matter. I thought it was something serious!"

Gilemans's expression changed swiftly, and he laughed heartily. After laughing, he readily agreed to their request and immediately ordered 100,000 gold coins to be allocated from the treasury to the armies of the powerful clans.

"If you defeat the Temple Legion, I will reward you even more handsomely. Furthermore, I have prepared some additional gifts for the three generals."

With that, Gilemans clapped his hands, and three beautiful and alluring women appeared from behind him. A uniform layer of snow-white gauze concealed their bodies, revealing high, firm breasts, slender waists, and full hips. Their skin was fair, and their shapely curves were faintly visible beneath the veil, utterly alluring.

Each of these beauties carried a long box, undoubtedly containing something of immense value.

"Five-colored jewels, worth a fortune, please accept them, esteemed generals,"

Gilemans said, his face gleaming. With a soft shout, the beauties simultaneously flipped open the lids of their boxes, instantly revealing a dazzling array of jewels.

As the three clan leaders were captivated, Gilemans coughed softly.

Sitting beside Gilimans, his trusted advisor, Mr. Ying, smiled and said to the three tribal leaders, "They are all beauties meticulously trained by Gongsun Sanniang. On the continent, it's almost impossible to find a better trainer than Gongsun Sanniang. If the three generals wish, let them serve and care for you."

Samrira and the other two were naturally overjoyed and quickly stood up to thank Gilimans. They had long heard of Gongsun Sanniang's reputation and knew that the beauties trained by her were all unparalleled lovers in bed.

"We have yet to achieve anything, and yet we have received such favor from you, sir. We are truly ashamed. We can only offer our utmost service to Lord Zuo Zai."

Led by Samrira, the three tribal leaders bowed to Gilimans in gratitude, making a solemn promise.

With a faint smile, Gilimans waved his hand, gesturing for Samrira and the others to sit down. Then, he raised his wine cup.

"Here, I first wish the three generals a resounding victory and swift success!"

The crowd responded enthusiastically, raising their glasses. Samrilla and the other two tribal leaders were especially excited.

Gilemans's generosity gave them even more hope for the future.

News of Gilemans's army's movements quickly reached Ye Tianlong in Esnia. With Yue Ru's addition, Tianlong's spies had spread across the entire continent in a very short time.

Upon learning that Gilemans had gained the support of the tribal leaders of the three southern states, Ye Tianlong immediately led Yu Zhu and Cynthia to Banan Prefecture.

Zuo Lanxin, who was inspecting the various temples, had also interrupted her journey and arrived early in Banan Prefecture, under the control of the Holy Temple Legion, to await Ye Tianlong's arrival. Although she hadn't completed all her inspection tasks this time, she had achieved excellent results, having essentially covered all the major parishes in the south.

In a small town on the border of Banan Prefecture, when Ye Tianlong and his group of more than ten riders quietly arrived at the Ruyi Inn, Zuo Lanxin, who had traveled light and simply, was already waiting in this pre-arranged town.

Actually, this ordinary inn, with its flag embroidered with the blue Ruyi symbol, belonged to the "Mingyu Pavilion" and served as their secret contact point in Banan Prefecture. Chen Yue had only given Ye Tianlong this location because of the needs of his operation.

Accompanied by two goddess warriors, Zuo Lanxin, guided by the secret mark left by Ye Tianlong, found the courtyard where Ye Tianlong and his group were staying.

"Has Gilemans' army been mobilized?"

Ye Tianlong asked immediately upon seeing Zuo Lanxin. At this moment, the two goddess warriors who were with Zuo Lanxin bowed to Ye Tianlong and then returned to Cynthia's group.

“Yes, we just received a military report from the front. An army of Gilimans has arrived at Krakow, a small border town of Luzhou. In about a day and a half, the Holy Wind Knights of the Holy Temple Legion will make contact with them.”

Kneeling at Ye Tianlong’s feet, Zuo Lanxin completely lacked the majesty and imposing presence of a High Priestess. Her humble and submissive attitude made her look exactly like a lowly female slave.

“It seems everything is proceeding according to our plan. I hope the Holy Wind Knights will perform well.”

Ye Tianlong nodded in satisfaction and then inquired about Zuo Lanxin’s recent inspection of the various southern dioceses. When he heard that several southern dioceses had been completely subdued by Zuo Lanxin through a combination of persuasion and coercion, becoming her true allies in the south, he was immediately delighted.

"I didn't expect such results. Your performance was excellent."

Hearing Ye Tianlong's praise, Zuo Lanxin replied humbly, "This is all thanks to Sisters Jia Yao and Ya Gesdan. It was thanks to their powerful display that I was able to win over those white-robed bishops."

"Hmm..."

Ye Tianlong was about to speak when he suddenly sensed someone approaching from the courtyard outside and immediately stopped talking.

At this moment, Yu Zhu and Cynthia's expressions also changed slightly. Clearly, they had also sensed the intrusion and turned their gazes to Ye Tianlong.

With Ye Tianlong's wave of his hand, Yu Zhu and Cynthia, along with several goddess warriors, slipped out of the room and began to cautiously look around.

Soon, several shouts and curses came from the northwest corner of the courtyard, followed by the sound of clashing weapons.

"I didn't expect that we'd been discovered so soon after arriving here,"

Ye Tianlong muttered to himself with a cold laugh, sitting upright in his chair. He wasn't worried, however, as he had complete faith in Yu Zhu and Cynthia's abilities.

Sure enough, within moments, Yu Zhu and Cynthia returned to report.

The captured individuals were three spies who had infiltrated the inn. Because these spies used martial arts techniques of the Dark Clan, they clearly had a direct connection to the Dark Knights.

The three spies brought before Ye Tianlong obediently revealed the truth under Yu Zhu's soul-searching technique.

These three spies were all members of the Dark Knights, belonging to the 25th Battalion, whose captain was a man named Ye Feng. They had noticed something unusual about Zuo Lanxin's group and had infiltrated to investigate.

“Ye Feng, so it was him.”

Upon hearing Ye Feng’s name, Yu Zhu couldn’t help but smile bitterly, because she recognized him. He was not only from the same clan as Yu Zhu, but they had also studied dark martial arts together under the clan elders.

It was actually the Dark Knights led by a member of the Dark Clan! Ye Tianlong’s heart skipped a beat. Since the Dark Knights’ reach had extended to this place, it was clear that members of the Dark Knights were active throughout the entire Banan Prefecture.

Recalling the intelligence he had gathered regarding Gilimans’ troop movements, it seemed that his actions weren’t solely for defending against the Temple Legion’s attack.

The army was moving, but the spies were already on the move; this was the Dark Knights’ role. In other words, Gilimans’ army was about to launch an offensive against Banan Prefecture, which was why the Dark Knights’ spies were operating so extensively there.

Thinking of this, Ye Tianlong immediately said to Zuo Lanxin, "Immediately send a message to the Holy Wind Knights at the front, telling them to be wary of a sneak attack from Gilimans."

"You mean Gilimans will counterattack Banan Prefecture?"

Zuo Lanxin was slightly taken aback and blurted out. Because of the constraints imposed by the Luzhou Temple forces, most of Gilimans's army was unable to move, hence Zuo Lanxin's reaction.

"That's right. Gilimans isn't the kind of person to sit idly by and wait for death. He won't watch the Temple Legion invade his stronghold of Luzhou. Moreover, he now has the support of three southern prefectures, and his military strength has surpassed that of the Temple Legion. How could he obediently stay in Luzhou and let the Temple Legion attack him?"

Saying this, Ye Tianlong suddenly stood up from his chair and took a few steps around the room.

"Moreover, given the current situation, Gilmans has ample opportunity to expand his territory. If he doesn't take advantage of the Eagle Legion's conflict with us to strengthen his own power, what right does Gilmans have to compete for the throne in the Fast Empire?"

Ye Tianlong's calm analysis surprised Zuo Lanxin. Her obedience stemmed from witnessing the man's unparalleled power and terrifying methods, which instilled fear in her and rendered her unable to resist. However, Ye Tianlong now displayed the talent of a resourceful and wise commander.

In reality, south of Fast, it's just the Temple and Gilimans clashing. In other words, the Temple has become Gilimans' biggest enemy, making its elimination their primary objective.

While the Temple's harassment poses a significant threat, simply dealing with the harassment won't eradicate it. Only by targeting the Temple's core and eliminating its leaders can their subordinates scatter.

The Temple's center is currently located near Hemenba in Banan province. To attack Hemenba, Banan province must first be conquered. Moreover, the Temple has only recently gained control of Banan; if they aren't attacked before their power is fully consolidated, conquering Banan will become increasingly difficult.

From another perspective, the Temple's legion is still in its infancy, its power waning. If the Temple and its legion aren't dealt with soon, they will become even more powerful, making the situation even more challenging.

“However, Gilimans doesn’t have that many troops right now! After the great battle with Haiyingyang, he has less than 50,000 troops at his disposal. How can he launch a counterattack against us?”

After thinking for a moment, Zuo Lanxin was still somewhat doubtful, so she continued to say to Ye Tianlong, who was standing in front of her, “A few days ago, the elders’ council of Heimamba City received a secret report from the governors of the three southern states, saying that they would send local powerful clans to form a militia to Luzhou, ostensibly to join Gilimans’s forces, but secretly to act as spies for our temple. They also said that when the temple legions attack Luzhou, their people can cooperate with us from the inside and defeat Gilimans in one fell swoop.”

“Are you sure? If the actual situation is not what you know, and the governors of the three southern states have truly joined Gilimans’s camp, their secret report to the temple may just be part of Gilimans’s entire offensive plan, used to mislead the temple.” Ye Tianlong sat back down in his chair and said coldly to Zuo Lanxin.

"I hadn't considered that at all."

Ye Tianlong's words jolted her awake, and Zuo Lanxin grew increasingly alarmed. Indeed, upon closer examination, the reasons for the Southern Three States' governors to aid the Temple were insufficient.

Whether considering the Temple's current influence or future profit distribution, the Southern Three States were far more likely to join the Gilemans camp than the Temple itself.

"The Elders' Council may have been blinded by the recent smooth progress. They didn't anticipate a Gilemans counterattack, and even ordered the Holy Wind Knights to split into two groups: the main force to attack Gilemans' army, while the other, with the help of the Southern Three States' rebel forces, to conquer various parts of Luzhou."

At this point, Zuo Lanxin couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. She was, in fact, a very intelligent and shrewd woman, but she hadn't considered things carefully enough because things had gone so smoothly before.

“If the Holy Wind Knights fall into Gilimans’s trap, it could cripple the newly formed Temple Legion, bringing even more terrible consequences to the Temple.”

“Yes, it could very well allow Gilimans to regain the initiative over the Temple. After all, many Temple members have good relations with Gilimans, and some are even his henchmen.”

Ye Tianlong snorted coldly and immediately ordered Zuo Lanxin to change the Holy Wind Knights’ battle plan.

However, before Zuo Lanxin could issue the order, an urgent military report arrived from the front.

The Holy Wind Knights had been ambushed by the enemy, some soldiers had already retreated, and the remaining main force was currently trapped in Linji City, Banan Prefecture, by Gilimans’s army.

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