Chen Ping's Sword

The human heart is ever-changing, and cannot be viewed with a static perspective.

The past Beizhou and the current Beizhou may not be the same.

For example, encountering a lone wolf in the mountain wilderness, it might start probing, trailing... but if it truly sees a flaw, sees the weakness and vulnerability of the target, it will indeed attack.

The Beizhou Barbarians are naturally the same.

Why, without having conquered Yujing, and without having completely occupied the Central Plains, would they hurriedly split off a contingent to head south, intending to seize the Southern Region?

This is also a test, probing whether they can take control of this land entirely.

No longer just looting and pillaging.

"In the past, I was short-sighted, thinking of leveraging the Beizhou Barbarians to prosper our family in the Southern lands. When reflecting on it now, it’s laughable."

Cui Huchen sighed, his face full of regret and remorse.

Chen Ping’s gaze flickered.

He knew this old fox Cui Huchen was making a statement to him.

Wanting to tell him that once their Cui Family truly surrenders, they would never stand with the Beizhou Barbarians, and would fight them to the death.

As for whether he truly thought that way inside, it actually didn’t matter at all.

Because, Chen Ping already knew that in the eyes of these great families, the downtrodden were not considered people; only those with wealth, fame, cultivation, and power were the people worth their attention and efforts to win over.

Among those present, at least half were not greatly moved by the brutal acts of the Beizhou Barbarians.

In their hearts, they probably felt the Hann People and the Barbarians were the same, even knowing that the Barbarians intended to propagate their seed, turning lands and nations into hybrids, infiltrating by bloodline.

Because the Barbarians were not fools and would not touch these influential and wooable noble families, they only oppressed the downtrodden.

"I just don’t understand, the Three Prefectures are well-stocked with troops and provisions, and have walls for defense. Looking at the final outcomes of their Chief Officials, it doesn’t seem that they colluded with the Barbarians for a quick victory. Why did they fall so quickly?"

Chen Ping was somewhat perplexed.

In ancient wars, it wasn’t like in the past life, where a call could rapidly mobilize forces.

Here, logistics were cumbersome, with myriad complexities, especially in siege warfare, which required extensive preparation; attacking a well-fortified city would be unthinkable without a month or overwhelming forces.

The Three Prefectures, twenty-eight counties, all fell. Considering the fall of Celestial Gate Pass to now, it hasn’t even been a month.

The Barbarians were cavalry; no matter how skilled, they couldn’t possibly conquer at such a speed.

Was it as if the road ahead was vast and unimpeded, without any resistance?

The Silver Seal Chief Constable Shang Zhen held steady in several events, earning the people’s trust as an experienced Chief Constable.

His cultivation wasn’t low either, reaching Mid-Stage Innate Realm.

Therefore, Chen Ping entrusted the task of intelligence gathering to him.

It’s about specialization in expertise.

And dispatched some experts to assist.

Under Shang Zhen’s command, the newly established intelligence department "Feiyi" performed remarkably well.

At this moment, the latest news was brought to the meeting.

Shang Zhen organized his words and stood up to speak:

"The intelligence clearly states, in the lands of the Three Prefectures, the main army retreated and fled the cities before the Barbarians arrived.

As a result, Wenyuan and Wuyan Prefects were caught off guard, with no option but to meet death.

As for Ling Mountain Prefecture, the Lord and the commanding generals all fled in abject terror, abandoning the entire city populace."

"Who are the Commanding Generals? How can they be so cowardly and shameless?" Han Xiaoru could no longer hold back.

Earlier, she refrained from speaking as the younger generation, but listening to Yuo Qiu enraged her, her teeth grinding. How can such people be called generals?

Not an arrow shot, not a sword swung, just deserted like that."

"There were many, as many as twenty-eight generals, led by Tongg Dazhong, Zhang Mingdao, and Fang Gui. Each leading over five thousand cavalry, they retreated to the coastline to form a camp and create an angle with the Jinghai Army, arranging an array."

"Did all these twenty-eight generals go?"

"Yes, they all went, with thirty-seven thousand cavalry and one hundred twenty thousand infantry, all elite from various cities."

Shang Yinzhang’s gaze held something unnamed, decisively said: "In my humble opinion, these generals and troops were likely concealed forces preemptively placed by King Jinghai Ji Changlie, secretly cultivating confidants in the Three Prefectures. Preparing to act at a critical moment, yet didn’t anticipate that even before taking action, the Beizhou Hu Cavalry came first...

To preserve strength, there was no choice but to gather these forces under his banner."

"So that’s how it is."

"King Jinghai already harbored treacherous intentions... At this moment, he must be attempting to stay aloof, awaiting opportunity."

Everyone understood.

King Jinghai, back in the day along the Southern coastal regions, under the banner of Jinghai, had a formidable military presence, well-stocked with troops and provisions.

Using the banner of Jinghai to mask maritime commerce, situated in the fertile Jiangnan, one can imagine his wealth and military strength were quite substantial.

Yet, with the court recovering Royal Family troops, harshly suppressing local real-power Princes.

King Jinghai, despite unwillingness, had to hand over his military authority, becoming a titular Prince, raised by the court like a fattened pig.