Chapter 1270 - 314: Sword Saint Leaves the City

Chapter 1270: Chapter 314: Sword Saint Leaves the City

The black-clad man is a brave hero unafraid of death;

thus, he exchanged the information he knew for a painless death.

......

In a dilapidated compound within a deserted village,

a woman with a good-looking face dressed as a village wife sat by the well, holding a basket, chewing on petals.

Before her, a man knelt, having just finished reporting; he glanced at the woman’s bare feet with a flicker of desire in his eyes, quickly suppressing it.

The woman before him was mesmerizing, yet he dared not desecrate her.

Because she was the leader of Cherishing Thoughts Manor in Chu, Qin Yueyue.

In the past, among the four powerful states in the East, the strongest agent bureau was Qian’s Silver Armored Guard, which excelled at both internal surveillance and external infiltration.

Compared to Yan State’s Spy Bureau and Chu State’s Phoenix Nest, they paled in comparison;

The reason is simple; the growth of Qian State’s scholar-bureaucrat class, despite leading to the decline of military officials’ status, has to some extent maintained a relatively unified state.

The Zhong Family relied on the West Army Division to control the Southwest region but never counted as a feudal lord, because the scholar-bureaucrats kept a close watch on them.

As a result, the Silver Armored Guard in Qian State is a unified government office, unlike the past Yan State and present Chu State, where one was hindered by noble clans and the other by grand nobles’ domains, causing the development environment for the imperial spy bureau affiliated with the court and emperor to be very restricted.

Cherishing Thoughts Manor, secretly aligned with Phoenix Nest, operates as a street sect outwardly, occasionally taking on street tasks, enjoying considerable autonomy.

However, with the backdrop of national war, Cherishing Thoughts Manor sided with the court.

Additionally, there have been rumors outside that Qin Yueyue once had an undisclosed relationship with the Regent, and it was only due to the Empress Dowager’s disapproval that Qin Yueyue couldn’t enter the palace.

Previously, when the Eldest Prince rose, he contacted Cherishing Thoughts Manor, who agreed to assist him; however, when the Fourth Prince dispatched troops against the Eldest Prince, Cherishing Thoughts Manor betrayed the Eldest Prince, resulting in the Eldest Prince, who was the most influential among the princes save for the Fourth Prince, being directly captured and brought back to the capital by General Nian Yao.

"Sigh, it’s strange; in the past few days, a squad has been lost daily, which shouldn’t happen."

While eating the petals, Qin Yueyue pondered.

A squad actually consisted of few people, but this time, Cherishing Thoughts Manor, led personally by her, included elite members from the Manor, among them skilled individuals.

Though this is the Yan people’s territory and the Snow Sea military stands there, should large troops be dispatched, those well-trained scouts can detect and evade in advance;

If it were small skirmishes between scouts, they should be able to advance and retreat freely.

It’s unlikely for an entire squad to be lost at once.

"Send orders to the other squads, tell them to retreat; since it’s known that Li Fusheng’s division and a group of Jin camp soldiers have entered the Snow Sea Pass, they must be under Prince Jingnan’s command, likely preparing to sweep the wild people in the snowfield before the war."

"Leader, does the Yan people’s daring to split their forces to scour the snowfield now mean..."

"Foolish."

"Subordinate..."

"The Yan people’s actions are not disregarding the invasion of Chu but rather intending to temporarily eliminate existing threats to focus wholeheartedly on engaging Chu.

This time, the Yan people are investing heavily; hurry and convey this information back, stating the Yan people are truly intending to wage national war."

"Yes, leader."

Once this subordinate left,

Qin Yueyue continued sitting by the well.

In the well lay the corpse of a Yan messenger soldier, who she interrogated last night.

She knew her task in infiltrating Jin; gathering intelligence on troop movements wasn’t their primary role. Nevertheless, having that information would be better, but failing to gather it wouldn’t affect much.

Since the Yan people wouldn’t be mad enough to advance from Mong Mountain; small troop infiltration might work, but large armies couldn’t manage logistical challenges posed by Mong Mountain’s winding paths. Besides, as long as Chu stationed a brigade to guard the Mong Mountain exit, Yan could neither advance nor retreat.

Moreover, the Qu Clan was organizing to ensure foolproof security, with dedicated troops watching the Liang State line. While Liang State might remain unconquered for now, the Yan people cannot repeat their past tactic of borrowing Qian’s route to open Jin.

Regardless of troop maneuvering prowess, in the end, they must set foot at Town South Pass.

Both Yan and Chu are well aware of this.

If Town South Pass holds, Chu’s borders remain secure; if Town South Pass falls, Chu would become like Qian State’s Yinlang County under Yan cavalry, with no hundred-year-old tri-border foundation for support.

Qin Yueyue remembered what she said to him during the princes’ revolt; she was willing to help pare down the power of the Chu nobles.

Because she knew what he wanted, especially after the Yan Emperor trampled over the noble clans; he drank the night away;

but he ultimately chose to negotiate with the nobles, holding a grand ceremony for domestic stability, while Qu TianNan, the Zhuguai, commanded Blue Luan forces northward.