Losing both wife and army

Opening the battle report, the smile on Feng Pu's face gradually vanished, soon replaced by violent rage.

"Bang!"

Feng Pu slammed the battle report onto the desk and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Bitch, rebel! Someone, seize these rebels of the Xian Family for me."

Several members of the Xian Family were struck with terror and repeatedly begged for mercy.

"Great King, spare us! We are loyal and devoted!"

"Hmph, loyal and devoted? Look at this..."

Feng Pu threw the battle report in his hand at Xian Jun's face.

Xian Jun shoved aside the soldiers holding him, picked up the report from the ground with trembling hands, and after just one glance, his face turned deathly pale as he knelt directly on the floor.

"Great King, please see clearly! That bitch and Xian Xing were both born of concubines; they were never of one heart with us..."

The others also realized that something had gone wrong with Xian Ying and Xian Xing, and they all hurriedly knelt down as well.

"Great King, please see clearly! If we had truly conspired with those two, how would we have dared to follow the Great King to Chenzhou!"

Feng Pu also knew that this matter likely had nothing to do with these direct descendants of the Xian Family before him; he was simply venting his anger.

He sat back down, his gaze fixed on them like lightning.

"When did that bitch and Xian Xing hook up with Gao Yuan? Do you know?"

The several men looked at each other; after all, they certainly couldn't tell Feng Pu about those previous matters.

Could they tell Feng Pu, 'You were our backup choice, and we only sought you out because Gao Yuan didn't know what was good for him'?

If they did, their heads would likely roll immediately.

Xian Jun's mind worked quickly, and he immediately concocted a reasonable explanation.

"I heard that the bitch went to Coastal Defense several times to manage business, so presumably..."

The people beside him chimed in repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes! I heard that Gao Yuan is quite handsome, so she must have hooked up with him in adultery long ago."

Feng Pu's facial muscles twitched as he listened; he had long since lost his vigor, so he had little interest in or affection for that stunning woman.

However, she was still his official, lawfully wedded wife on the surface.

At the thought that the woman was likely moaning in pleasure beneath Gao Yuan at this very moment, he couldn't help but feel as though he were wearing a massive green hat.

Furthermore, thinking about how he had lost two prefectures and thousands of troops, the feeling was indescribably stifling.

Just as he was looking for a way to vent his fury, another piece of intelligence arrived, becoming the straw that broke the camel's back.

"What? Say that to me again!"

"Gao Yuan has already taken over the Region Governors Office; Governor Wang Chuan and Wang Fu have disappeared."

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Feng Pu truly lost his composure; he hadn't expected Governor Wang Chuan and Wang Fu to actually hand over Region directly.

Originally, after raising his army, he had two directions for development: one was to first crush the easy target of Region.

But he felt he should take advantage of Mao Biao's absence to head north first, then turn back to consume that soft and delicious 'dessert.'

He never expected that Gao Yuan would end up taking such a huge advantage, which left him utterly devastated.

That night, noises continued throughout the Chenzhou Governors Office, with occasional screams heard.

The next day, when the group went to the Governors Office to discuss matters, they found that all the tables and chairs in the main hall had been replaced.

Not only that, but even the two maidservants responsible for serving tea had been changed.

Recalling Feng Pu's reputation for brutality, everyone roughly guessed what had happened, and each of them was as terrified as a quail, not daring to make a sound.

Feng Pu sat in the main seat with a dark expression.

"Now that there is a fire in our backyard, do you all think our army should return to help or continue north?"

Having said that, he shot a hawk-like gaze toward the Xian Family members represented by Xian Jun.

Xian Jun immediately felt a cold shiver run through his body.

"I have already sent someone overnight to inform the clan elders of this matter; I'm sure they will give the Great King an explanation soon."

Only then did Feng Pu nod in satisfaction.

"I limit your Xian Family to one month to raise three thousand troops and one hundred thousand dan of grain to be sent to Duan Prefecture and handed to my son, Chengdao; otherwise, do not blame me for being cold-blooded and heartless."

Only then did Xian Jun realize that today wasn't a meeting at all; it was clearly a move to bleed the Xian Family dry.

But he understood that the Xian Family was currently in the wrong and there was no room for maneuver, so he could only bow helplessly.

"I understand. I will write a letter to inform my family immediately."

However, things were not nearly as simple as they thought; when they wanted to take out money and grain to recruit troops, they discovered that the manor's warehouse had already been emptied.

A group of old fogies looked at the warehouse, which was empty enough to starve a mouse, their faces flushed with rage and their bodies trembling.

"It must be that little bitch Xian Ying; it must be her who emptied the treasury!"

"Who else could it be but her? That ungrateful bitch actually used the family's money and grain to please her lover!"

"When the Great King returns his army, I will certainly ask the Great King to send troops to tear that bitch and that pretty boy Gao Yuan into ten thousand pieces!"

...The group expressed their indignation toward Gao Yuan with powerless rage, but what use could any of it be?

Failing to produce the money and grain now meant that they, the entire Xian Family, were about to face a great disaster.

In desperation, they could only use the last of the family's reserves and sell some fertile land to finally scrape together the funds and grain.

However, this made their already struggling household even worse, and even the stipends for the family's younger generation were cut by thirty percent.

Because of this, the Xian Family members hated those two traitors even more intensely.

They not only publicly declared that they would kick Xian Xing's branch out of the genealogy but also stripped the two of their surnames.

But none of this affected Xian Xing and Xian Ying at all; the siblings had already settled into their new home in Region.

As for Gao Yuan, he returned to Guchang County with great satisfaction.

He now had ten thousand elite mobile troops and five hundred iron cavalry under his command; his army was strong and well-supplied.

If it weren't for the lack of a legitimate reason, he would even dare to march directly into the Jiannan Circuit.

As for Feng Pu, Gao Yuan had no intention of fighting him at all; he wished Feng Pu would just keep pushing forward.

As a nominal subject of the Great Qian, as long as the Great Qian court still existed, his desire to actively expand his territory would be considered illegitimate.

But if it were a place previously occupied by rebels, then his deployment of troops would be reclaiming lost territory, making him a great hero.

So, although he didn't send an envoy, he had reached a sort of tacit understanding with Feng Pu.

Feng Pu was a shrewd old fox and naturally saw through Gao Yuan's intentions.

In December, Feng Pu drafted troops from Duan Prefecture and other places, preparing to launch an attack on Hengzhou, a strategic town in the Jiangnan West Circuit.

Mao Biao took the initiative to abandon Chenzhou, consolidated his forces, and gathered over thirty thousand troops, preparing for a decisive battle with Feng Pu.

That year, although the Qian Army in other regions was retreating step by step, their defenses became somewhat impregnable once their lines were tightened.

The rebel forces in various places had developed too quickly, their foundations were unstable, and the pace of their expansion had ground to a halt.

In this situation, this decisive battle concerning the fate of the Jiangnan West Circuit, and even the entire South of the Ranges, suddenly became the focus of all parties.

However, Gao Yuan had no mind to pay attention to these things; he was currently holding a combat plan in his hand.

This combat plan was just submitted by Liu Rengui, who had returned to County to report on his duties.

Hearing that Gao Yuan had acquired ten thousand elite troops, Liu Rengui's restless heart could no longer be suppressed.

This plan could be said to be perfect, but unfortunately, it couldn't be executed for the time being.

Gao Yuan put down the plan in his hand and rubbed his temples as he spoke of his difficulties.

"Liu Renguis courtesy name, it's not that I don't trust you, but I am truly powerless;"

"We didn't get much grain from this campaign, but rather consumed a lot. There are wars in the Jiannan Circuit and Lingnan Circuit, so we couldn't buy much grain either..."

Liu Rengui, however, was full of confidence.

"My lord can rest assured on this point; This humble general has calculated that only two hundred thousand dan of grain will be enough;"

"As long as we take Ayutthaya and Bangkok as quickly as possible, the grain problem will be easily resolved." "}],