Chapter 504.2: Perfect Solution
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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Gu Jiao asked, "You’re not the villagers living here?"
The young man lamented, "The villagers here were killed long ago by them. We were all captured later. Our families were taken away by them too. If we don't obey, they torture our families, or worse, send them here to die."
Gu Jiao looked at him and questioned, "What about you? Why are you being disobedient?"
"I have no family." The young man's mood became somber. His family was all killed by the remnants of the previous dynasty.
That explained it.
Gu Jiao paused and asked, "Do the soldiers do anything else besides bringing food everyday? For example, checking on you?"
The young man shook his head, "No, they don't dare to get close. You're the first. Honestly, aren't you afraid of getting infected? Or... have you already been infected?"
"I haven't been infected." Gu Jiao replied.
The young man urged, "Then you should leave quickly! In a little over an hour, they'll come to deliver dinner. If they find you here and discover you’ve killed their people, they won't spare you!"
"What's your name?" Gu Jiao inquired.
"I'm called Shen Xuan. My parents called me Little Shitou." The young man replied.
Gu Jiao looked at him firmly, "Little Shitou, can I trust you?"
……
An hour had passed since leaving Lingguan City. Gu Changqing and Gu Jiao found the woods where they had hidden their horses and led the two horses out.
"Are you sure everything’s fine?" Gu Changqing asked.
He was asking about her health.
However, Gu Jiao misunderstood, thinking he was concerned about the situation in the village.
She replied, "The soldiers just drop off the food and leave every time. They never check to see if the people inside are still there. When they deliver the meal, the death warrior would knock on his own door. This is his signal that he's still alive. As long as the soldiers know he's alive, they won't question what's happening inside the village. Little Shitou will move to the death warrior's hut, and from now on, he'll be the one to knock on the door every day."
Gu Changqing continued, "What about the others? Won’t they sell him out?"
"If they want to keep themselves and their families alive, they won't." Gu Jiao replied.
She promised to save their families and left them enough medicine. As long as they took the medication seriously and on time, they wouldn't die from the plague.
In addition, Gu Jiao informed them that the Gu Family Army had arrived at the border. The person standing on the wooden bridge was the young master of the Gu Family Army.
The imperial court hadn't abandoned the territory of the State of Zhao, especially not the people on the border.
Gu Changqing was deeply moved. His sister was indeed very capable.
"How long does the treatment take?" Gu Changqing asked.
"Seven to ten days." Gu Jiao answered. "During these days, Little Shitou will carefully plan the escape route. If our side plans to attack the city, we'll inform him in advance. He'll escape with the people from the village. They won't flee to crowded places, as he understands the contagious nature of the plague."
Gu Changqing pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, we won't have much to worry about."
The original plan was to attack Lingguan City first. Lingguan City’s geographical position was rather special, forming a triangle with Yuegu City and Ye City. Capturing it would enable a pincer movement against Ye City from both sides.
Of course, attacking Lingguan City meant the risk of being caught between the remnants of the previous dynasty and the State of Chen's army from Ye City.
However, Gu Changqing wasn't afraid of the alliance between the enemy forces in these two cities. He had already gathered intelligence on their military strength. There were 30,000 garrisons in Lingguan City, and 30,000 in Ye City, while the Gu Family Army numbered 100,000. Even if they faced an attack from both sides, they wouldn't fear it.
Beiyang City lay on the other side of Ye City. As long as they acted swiftly, the enemy forces from Beiyang City wouldn't arrive that quickly.
"There’s a sign of reinforcements in Beiyang City." Gu Jiao mentioned.
"There's something like that?" Gu Changqing frowned slightly.
Gu Jiao nodded, "Yes, Little Shitou said so. When he was taken to the Prefect's Mansion, he accidentally overheard a conversation between the Imperial Son-in-law and a general from the State of Chen."
Originally, the State of Chen had 80,000 troops stationed at the border. Upon hearing that the 100,000 Gu Family Army was marching towards the border, Bo Qinwang also mobilized an additional 100,000 troops from various regions of the State of Chen.
The State of Chen's army had already suffered losses of 20,000 from its original 80,000, plus the remnants of the previous dynasty's 30,000 soldiers, leaving them with a remaining force of 90,000. As long as there was no outbreak of the plague, dealing with 90,000 troops would be relatively easy for the Gu Family Army.
But if the 100,000 reinforcements from the State of Chen arrived, it might be a different story.
Gu Changqing nodded, “If that’s the case, the 30,000 troops in Beiyang City aren't much of a threat."
The real threat lay in the 100,000 troops on the way.
Gu Jiao said, "But if we consistently use the tactic of ‘many bullying the few’, we can minimize the casualties of the Gu Family Army to the greatest extent. Even if the State of Chen's reinforcements arrive, there might still be a chance of winning."
Gu Changqing: Why does ‘many bullying the few’ suddenly feel like a good strategy?
What Gu Jiao didn't say was that, compared to dealing with the 100,000 reinforcements from the State of Chen, she was more eager to quickly find the previous dynasty's death warrior lurking in the shadows.
Without the incident of the plague, Gu Changqing wouldn't go searching for medicine. Then, when would that death warrior find an opportunity to attack Gu Changqing?
The two returned to Yuegu City together. Upon entering the city, they headed straight to the military camp.
As they reached the camp's entrance, they spotted Prefect Cheng, his face filled with excitement.
Prefect Cheng was covered in snowflakes, indicating that Yuegu City had experienced a snowfall after their departure. It seemed this man surnamed Cheng had been waiting in the heavy snow.
"General Gu! Physician Gu!" Prefect Cheng's eyes lit up upon seeing Gu Changqing and Gu Jiao. He bowed respectfully and hurried over.
He already knew the identities of Gu Chengfeng and Gu Jiao and was immensely relieved that he hadn't offended the two.
Gu Changqing glanced at him and calmly asked, "What's the matter?"
"Ah..." Prefect Cheng felt his heart thump at Gu Changqing's somewhat serious tone. He suddenly realized that Gu Changqing might be questioning why he had left his post and appeared here.
Yuegu City had just finished a battle, and there were many matters to attend to. As the Prefect of Yuegu City, he should have been managing the resettlement of the people.
“This humble one just came from the relief station." He couldn’t help sweating a little. Fortunately, he had indeed spent the afternoon helping the disaster victims, braving the wind and snow. “This humble one is here to report the situation to General Gu."
"It's cold outside. You go inside first." Gu Changqing parted the tent's curtain and gestured for Gu Jiao to enter. His tone was gentle now, a stark contrast to the seriousness displayed moments ago.
Once Gu Jiao entered the tent, Gu Changqing's tone went back to usual, "You don't need to report your own routine matters to me."
"Oh...Yes, yes!"
General Gu's change of demeanor is faster than flipping a page of a book!
Prefect Cheng thought to himself, but maintained a sheepish smile on his face and said, "There's another matter this humble one needs to report to General Gu."
"What is it?" Gu Changqing inquired.
"Old Marquis has awakened!" Prefect Cheng said with a smile.
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