Chapter 148: Explanation Plan

More than two months later, Zhu Yu once again set foot on the land of Gusu and stayed at the same inn as before. The only difference was that his personal guards had been switched from the Eastern Depot to the Western Depot.

Halfway through the journey, the number of accompanying personnel from the Western Depot gradually exceeded five hundred, which directly startled Zhu Yu.

When Yu Huatian had previously claimed that the Western Depot would deploy its entire force, Zhu Yu assumed he was just exaggerating to secure the opportunity to leave the palace with him. Now, however, it seemed that statement might actually be true.

Seeing that the headcount was still growing, Zhu Yu felt a headache coming on and quickly ordered Yu Huatian to withdraw the excess men, stating that he would only keep a maximum of thirty guards by his side.

Back at the Tongfu Inn, after Yu Huatian presented his views on the plan, Zhu Yu had given him a free hand to execute it. Yet, looking at the current situation, how was the execution deviating so far from his expectations?

Zhu Yu called Yu Huatian to his side and asked, "Did the Western Depot really deploy its entire force? How many men have you mobilized?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Western Depot has dispatched a total of over one-seventy men this time, and none of them are below the lower-tier second-rate martial arts realm."

"This... Is this what I told you to do? Do you even understand what sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight means? What are you trying to accomplish by sending so many people? Are you planning a full-scale assault? Give me an explanation."

Upon hearing Yu Huatian's words, Zhu Yu was utterly speechless. He had merely acted on a whim to trip up the enemy, but how had handing the matter over to Yu Huatian turned it into something resembling an imminent war in just a short while?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, because the plan involves too many people and variables, this subordinate mobilized these forces just in case. If we find any flaws or omissions in the plan along the way, I will have enough men to patch them up."

At this, Zhu Yu rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Are you deliberately trying to infuriate me, or are you just playing with me?"

"This subordinate wouldn't dare."

"Hah, you wouldn't dare? Come on, tell me, where did I say the outbreak point of this plan was?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is Xingqing Prefecture."

"Are you done? Where is Xingqing Prefecture?"

"It is... it is the capital of Western Xia."

"Oh, so you do know that Xingqing Prefecture is the capital of Western Xia? Then why on earth did you send so many men from the Western Depot there? Why go through all this trouble? You might as well just send the regular army for a straightforward, open battle. What need is there for any plan?"

"This... This subordinate knows his wrong."

"Hmph! I will give you one more chance. All these thousand-plus men, send them back where they came from. Let me make it clear to you again: it would be best if this plan succeeds, but there is no great loss even if it fails.

Even if the plan falls through, it will still inflict a certain degree of impact on Western Xia. Most importantly, ensure that outsiders do not suspect the Jing Dynasty is behind this. If they find out, it is not a fatal issue, but absolutely do not leave them with any tangible leverage against us. Do you understand?"

"This subordinate obeys the imperial edict."

"Fine, you are dismissed." Zhu Yu waved his hand, signaling Yu Huatian to withdraw.

However, upon hearing Zhu Yu's words, Yu Huatian not only failed to retreat, but after hesitating repeatedly, he spoke up instead.

"Your Majesty, the reason this subordinate deployed so many men, aside from preparing for contingencies, is that I have another, albeit immature, idea."

Seeing that Yu Huatian did not bow and withdraw as he usually did, Zhu Yu felt a hint of surprise. Hearing what followed, he found it rather intriguing: "Let's hear it then."

"The Jianghu wanderers, the martial arts sects, and the Khitan state—combined, these three factions can indeed exert immense pressure on Western Xia.

However, all three are drawn by the Grandmaster's treasure. Subjectively, none of them wish to come into direct conflict with Western Xia. While Western Xia is wary of them, the situation hasn't reached the point where Western Xia feels compelled to strike first.

To spark a conflict between them, we need a catalyst. The hypothetical treasure location we proposed can indeed serve as a catalyst, but that location is far too sensitive.

Once those three factions discover the location, a large portion of them will inevitably withdraw. If that happens, even if the plan succeeds, it will not achieve the maximum desired effect.

The reason this subordinate deployed so many men is to take the opportunity to create a new catalyst before those people can withdraw. That way, the plan will not only succeed, but it will also inflict devastating losses on Western Xia.

If handled well, the Western Depot's forces could even take advantage of the chaos to bring back substantial wealth for the Jing Dynasty."

To be honest, Zhu Yu was tempted upon hearing this.

"Are you certain? What kind of catalyst are you planning to create?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate is quite confident. As for the catalyst itself, it is currently just an idea and will need to be tailored according to the circumstances."

Hearing this, Zhu Yu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Even so, seventeen hundred men is simply too many. I will give you at most two hundred men. How well you manage to pull this off will depend entirely on your own competence."

Seeing that Zhu Yu had no intention of relenting, Yu Huatian felt a trace of disappointment. He sighed inwardly, bowed, and withdrew.

After leaving Zhu Yu's presence, Yu Huatian looked up at the sun, a flicker of resentment arising in his heart toward Zhu Yu for failing to live up to his ambitions. If the plan had followed his design, smoothly erasing Western Xia from the map might not have been entirely out of the question!

Most importantly, if this matter had been executed brilliantly enough, the standing and scale of the Western Depot and the Eastern Depot would have had to be swapped.

Yet now, it seemed all his grandiose daydreams had vanished like soap bubbles.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Zhu Yu naturally remained oblivious to Yu Huatian's inner thoughts. His sole sentiment at the moment was that this fellow Yu Huatian was far too audacious.

It was supposed to be nothing more than a plan to sap the national strength of Western Xia, conceived merely as a retaliatory measure because Western Xia had pillaged the borders of the Jing Dynasty.

Yet Yu Huatian had quietly nearly schemed it into a grand master plan to completely annihilate a sovereign nation. Had Zhu Yu not taken the initiative to inquire, he probably wouldn't have found out until the dust had already settled.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yu felt a lingering fear.

Had they followed Yu Huatian's full-scale plan and failed, the Western Depot would certainly have been finished. Furthermore, it would not only provoke hostility toward the Jing Dynasty from surrounding nations, but also plunge the entire Jianghu into utter chaos.

One must remember that those martial arts sects were mostly rooted within the territory of the Jing Dynasty. If the plan failed and leaked, a riot by the martial arts sects alone would give the Jing Dynasty a massive headache.

And even if the plan succeeded and Western Xia was destroyed, how much actual benefit would the Jing Dynasty reap? If Western Xia fell, did they honestly think the Jing Dynasty would be the only one feasting on that piece of meat?

That wasn't even the most crucial issue. What Zhu Yu feared most was the chain reaction the destruction of Western Xia might trigger. If the fires of war engulfed the entire world, the mere thought of it made Zhu Yu's head feel like it was about to explode.

Wasn't eating, drinking, and enjoying life better? Why must everyone insist on fighting and killing?

Therefore, sticking to Yu Huatian's grand scheme offered little tangible benefit to the Jing Dynasty regardless of success or failure. It was far safer to proceed with the original, modest plan.

Just as he was pondering, a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter."

"Your Majesty, we have made contact with my mother. She says we can head straight to the Mandara Villa tomorrow."

With a trace of joy on her face, Wang Yuyan entered the room and reported to Zhu Yu.