Chen Ping's Sword

"Change course, dock, and head straight for Qiuluo City."

Yan Beifei stood on the high deck of the tower ship, shaking the silk scroll in his hand, his expression stern.

He passed the silk scroll among his subordinates and said in a deep voice, "The original plan was to directly enter Wuxing Prefecture and then instigate a mutiny to take control of the Vice Capital. Now it seems this won’t work.

I originally thought Ji Changfeng was a formidable figure with seasoned soldiers and ample supplies, a very difficult opponent.

Unexpectedly, against Chen Ping, he was utterly defeated, losing the foundation he had secretly accumulated over a decade in a single morning, easily taken by Chen Ping. It’s truly ridiculous."

Yan Beifei let out two dry laughs, yet his eyes showed no amusement. This time, he carried a vital mission heading south; all preparations were aimed at dealing with the Vice Capital, especially considering how to outwit True Martial King Ji Changfeng, ensuring to quell his rebellious intentions.

He had even prepared for a prolonged battle.

After all, the Vice Capital is a historical city of a thousand years. Over the years, True Martial King has managed to quietly replace key positions with his people.

However, the Great Li Dynasty’s legitimacy still remains, and there are always some loyal ministers and generals whose hearts align with the north.

On the surface, that ancient city has been tightly controlled by True Martial King, but Grand Governor Yan knows some people may seem harmless but could suddenly cause dramatic changes in this old city.

The outcome would undoubtedly shock Ji Changfeng.

Apart from the hidden maneuvers in the Vice Capital, the court has also placed many operatives in various areas in Jiangnan.

Moreover, the Imperial Forest Brave Cavalry brought by Yan Beifei this time does not number twenty to thirty thousand as rumored, but a full fifty thousand.

Every cavalryman is an elite warrior forged at great expense.

He actually believed that with just his cavalry, he could face off against True Martial King’s army of over two hundred thousand on the open battlefield. Other tactics were only backup.

They might not even need to act.

But what he did not expect was that when over twenty tower ships sailed southward down the river and just entered Jiangnan waters, they received such an absurd piece of news.

Yes, to him.

Chen Ping, with three thousand men against sixty thousand, slaying nine Grandmasters and defeating and capturing sixty thousand troops is absurdly laughable information.

Incredibly unreal.

However, his trust in his intelligence system made Yan Beifei understand.

No matter how absurd the information, once it’s delivered to him, it must have been verified.

Even if it stated that True Martial King is a pig and Chen Ping a dragon, he could only believe it.

In this case, the original plan is infeasible.

According to reports, True Martial King, with a combat power among the top of the Celestial List, possessing the Stinging Dragon Skill and Celestial Dragon Nine Swords, was beheaded by Chen Ping within three moves.

The rest, including the Pei Family, Liu Family, Shenxiao Sword Sect, and various guild masters, were annihilated in a single battle.

Even when they saw the unfavorable situation and attempted to flee, they couldn’t escape, being slain to the last by Chen Ping alone.

The battle report sounded like a tale from a heavenly book.

Almost made Yan Beifei think that the Lord of Xingqing is more than a Unity Realm Grandmaster; he may have quietly broken through to the Divine Martial Realm.

Only such a realm suppression could result in such an outcome.

Otherwise, it’s entirely unreasonable.

For a general, one must consider defeat before victory...

The wise see through the world, the enlightened understand themselves; only then can one avoid being blinded by the fog of war, and compose a calm strategy, achieving victory in every battle.

Yan Beifei, entrusted with secret orders and important responsibilities, is obviously no fool.

On the contrary, the name of Grand Governor has long resounded across the world, making all prefectures and counties regard him as a god. Under his command, aside from some officials and wealthy merchants, there is the blood of three princes, proving his formidable presence and fierce spirit.

Such a person does not act rigidly, adapting by time and situation is basic operation.

Now changing the plan has become inevitable.

"Grand Governor, if we are to destroy the Seven Fiends Army, we will surely miss the opportunity. Once Chen Ping stabilizes the Vice Capital and dominates Jiangnan, he will be harder to deal with."

A scholar at Yan Beifei’s side forcibly suppressed the inner turbulence and calmed his shocking emotions from the battle report outside Xingqing City and disagreed with Yan Beifei’s command.

"It would be better to accelerate the march, strike swiftly, and take the Vice Capital directly before it’s settled. There is a seventy percent chance of victory."

His view also has some merit.

Precisely because the opponent is excessively powerful, one cannot give them time to recuperate and grow but should suppress them swiftly and decisively.

According to the battle report, except for Chen Ping, the commanders in Xingqing Prefecture achieved nothing. If Grand Governor Yan can suppress him, the rest wouldn’t be a significant concern.

"Mr. Shenping is not entirely wrong, however, all your scheming relies solely on Grand Governor Yan’s martial force.

But have you considered, if Chen Ping has numerous contingencies and is not easy to defeat, where will the battle turn to?

At that time, we strategists might barely preserve our lives, but Grand Governor Yan..."

Beside him, Ruan Lin shook his head, smiling slightly, disagreeing with Shenping’s words.

This suggestion of aggressive advance has a hint of putting the Grand Governor at a disadvantage.

If not for knowing Shenping’s character, he would suspect Shenping of trying to get Yan Beifei killed with such a lousy idea.

Swift military action is important indeed.

But one must also consider the situation.