【1119】Verification

The sound of the chilling wind echoed through the towering trees outside the military office.
Rustling sounds filled the grand hall inside the office.
The generals had no objections and nodded to acknowledge the command.
They had refrained from doing so before because without the cavalry and airborne troops, pursuing the enemy on land in the dense forests of Dongying Province would be risky and not worth the effort.
Now, troops from various regions have been arriving one after another, including many aerial cavalry and airborne forces. Thanks to the presence of Spring Han and others, the northern front line has stood firm and is not to be feared. The strategy of simultaneous two-line warfare at Mount Shuo is no longer needed, and we can continue to push the enemy back and advance.
These past few months, I have been in a constant defensive position, suppressing my anger.
All the generals are eager to go, hoping for the enemy to attack soon so they can defeat them cleanly.
Just as they were getting excited, Yan Luo Wang announced another order from Xiao Shi Zhu. He instructed the generals with a baffling command: "However, Lord does not wish for us to completely annihilate them."
The Yama King paused for a moment and picked up a rolled parchment by his side. Unrolling it, he began to read it aloud to the troops: "A decree from our Lord."
Perplexed, the soldiers immediately stood up straight upon hearing these words.
"King Yanluo, you should eat your food bite by bite instead of trying to become overweight in one bite. Be careful not to eat yourself to death."
After finishing the announcement, King Yanluo handed the order to his subordinates and instructed them to distribute it among the officers.
Everyone took a look and indeed, it was Xiao Shizhu's handwriting. The contents were exactly the same as what Yan Luowang had just said, without a single deviation.
The look of confusion in their eyes only grew, rather than diminish.
Turning his head one after another, he saw Yama, the King of the Underworld, but only witnessed a slight smile from him, without any intention to explain.
Yama knew what Xiao Stone Bamboo meant. Strategically, they intended to deplete the forces of the Green Hill Fox Kingdom. By devouring the approaching enemy forces near Shuo Mountain in one go, the Green Hill Fox Kingdom might adjust its strategy. Only with a large number of enemy troops pressed here, requiring long-distance supplies every day, could they achieve the goal of continuous consumption in terms of manpower and resources for the Green Hill Fox Kingdom.
Moreover, after years of prolonged warfare, the Nine Underworld Kingdom's hard-earned savings are running out. Eliminating the enemy will surely result in a large number of prisoners of war, and the daily expenses of feeding and maintaining them will have to be borne by the Nine Underworld Kingdom. The burden will only fall on the Nine Underworld Kingdom's side.
Gradually wearing down the enemy forces is the best choice.
Even if the two countries officially go to war in the future, the defense line currently established in the Duoshuo Mountain area will not be the main direction of attack.
Obviously, King Yama approved of Xiao Shizhu's strategy, but he had no intention of explaining it to the confused generals, so he remained silent and smiled.
"Does our lord think that our soldiers have sacrificed too little?" This time, Luo Qing also didn't understand, so he immediately lost his temper and blurted out disrespectful words without thinking.
"General Luo, be cautious with your words." Yan Luo Wang, who had withdrawn his smile, looked solemn and immediately interrupted Luo Qing's complaints. "Our lord has his own considerations. We are to act upon orders."
With this remark, Luo Qing also reacted and realized that he had indeed gotten too excited. After giving himself a resounding slap in the face, he sat back down.
"The Lord considers the overall situation and has his own considerations, rather than being indifferent to our efforts," Yan Luo Wang looked around at the generals and slowly said, "I hope everyone will not speak without thinking and disrupt the morale of the army.".
"Yes," the generals replied in unison.
The cold wind picked up, rustling nonstop.
A new topic had already begun in the hall.
It was the discussion about military actions in the vicinity of Mount Shuo between the Yama King and the generals. Meanwhile, in the distant city of Yuque, Lin Cong received a confidential letter. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.
These years, the spies of the Nine You Nation have spread all over the ten continents and six seas. Lin Cong, the chief ghost investigator appointed by Xiao Shizhu, is no longer the same as before. He has numerous talented subordinates, and he no longer personally handles many confidential letters.
However, there are still several important ghost hunters who have direct contact with him, and are always controlled by Lin Cong himself.
However, these ghost hunters usually remain dormant and do not easily send private letters to Lin Cong in order to ensure they are not exposed.
Once a confidential letter arrives, it must be something important.
Sitting in the main hall of his own yamen on duty, Lin Cong only saw the familiar outer shell of the confidential letter and the mechanism on the box to prevent peeking. Lin Cong knew that the contents of the letter in the box must not be underestimated.
After getting up and closing the main door, he sat down at the desk and performed a mysterious technique by shaping his hands. With a flash of blue light, he successfully unlocked the mechanism seal on the box.
"Ka cha."
With a subtle sound, Lin Cong opened the secret letter box and took out the encrypted letter, unfolding it to examine it carefully.
A trace of solemnity flashed across Lin Cong's calm face.
With a wave of his hand, the clandestine letter crumpled into a ball and he held it tightly, channeling sinister energy in his palm. In an instant, a pale green flame emerged out of thin air, completely incinerating the letter in his hand, leaving no trace of ash behind.
"He Feng." Then Lin Cong got up, walked to the door and shouted, "Come here."
After shouting, he returned to the main hall and stood by the desk. Reply: Transliteration: "
After a while, accompanied by hurried footsteps, a slim and dark young man rushed in and stood in front of Lin Cong. He quickly asked, "What's the matter, Mr. Lin?" Translated: "
Even though this person came running all the way, their soul is not out of breath, no sweat, with a smiling face.
"Recently, have you received any information about the harbor in the Six Days Continent from your ghost detectives under your command?" Lin Cong glanced at the door, made sure no one was paying attention, and asked in a low voice. Reply: No matches have been found for the translated content.
Just asking suddenly, the young man named He Feng was slightly stunned by his question, then pondered and recalled the information he had read in his mind.
Lin Cong did not urge him, but just put his hand on the desk and waited quietly.
The intelligence is complex, and there are only a few keywords, so He Feng doesn't know where to start. After a while, he finally replies, "Yes, there is some, and quite a lot actually."
With a pause, he looks up at Lin Cong, whose face remains calm, and asks, "What exactly do you want to know, sir?"
"Military mobilization, gathering at the port." Lin Cong spoke sparingly, only mentioning this one sentence.
There was no further mention of other content.
"So we can only fortify the pass, the military movement in this area has been frequent for quite some time. Apart from the military, a large number of conscripted laborers are also being transferred here. The expansion and reinforcement of the pass have been underway for almost a year now."
This time, He Feng didn't think too much and directly gave the answer to Lin Cong, "In other ports, there are no military mobilizations anymore. At most, they transport supplies and weapons."
After a momentary pause, He Feng asked again, "Sir, do you need me to fetch detailed information for you?"
Lin Cong shook his head slowly, indicating that it was not necessary, and dismissed He Feng.
Without saying a word, and without much curiosity, I have no questions for my boss when I see them. I just slightly bow and leave the room.
It seems that Lin Cong already has an answer; the content of the confidential letter is not something else, but rather the crucial news that fifteen days ago the support to Dongying Island from Fengdu has been halted. Translated:
The troops previously sent will not be withdrawn. However, starting from fifteen days ago, the Fēngdū court has completely abandoned the Dongyīng continent. The confidential letter provides detailed explanations: the Fēngdū court believes that using the Dongyīng continent to hold back the Jiǔyōu nation and deplete their resources and development has already been accomplished.
Next, we must use the agreement signed with the Nine Nether Country to enter a period of rest and recuperation, and start accumulating strength.
Our goal is to become the leading figure in Fengdu's imperial court, observing the power struggles from the sidelines.
This is both a good and a bad thing for the Nine Nether Country. The good part is that they will no longer provide support to the East Sea Continent, which means less pressure on the Nine Nether Country. The bad part is that the Fengdu court has only stopped supporting troops, but the supply of weapons and resources continues.
Moreover, this way, Fengdu can also rest and recover. If there is another battle between Jiuyou and Fengdu in the future, it will be another arduous fight.
However, these troubles are not within Lin Cong's realm of intervention. What he needs to do now is to quickly confirm the authenticity of this information and then inform Guimu and Xiaofuling.
As for how to adjust the strategy, this is the responsibility and obligation of the high-level officials in the Nine Ghosts' Imperial Court.
Lin Cong only needs to do his job well, confirm the accuracy of the intelligence, and ensure that there are no incidents that could mislead the judgment of the high-level officials.
The first verification has been completed now, but such matters cannot be taken lightly. Lin Cong has to proceed with the second verification immediately.
After pondering for a moment, he rushed out the door.
The place where he works, in front of the main hall, is surrounded by a side room without any flowers or plants. It is a small and clear courtyard, different from the other government offices in the Jiuyou Kingdom. Here, it is delicate and compact, and the yard is not very large. The gate is not tall either, without any majesty, but it has a touch of tranquility.
Going further, beyond the gate, there is a wide and magnificent waterfall, blocking the way.
Regardless of entering or leaving this yamen, one must pass through that waterfall.
And on the left and right sides of the main hall, there are small doors leading to other small courtyards. Lin Cong continues on, turning right in the front courtyard of the main hall, passing through the doorways of the row of side rooms, and arrives at this side's side courtyard.
Here is another small square courtyard surrounded by single-story buildings, similar to the main courtyard mentioned earlier. The surrounding buildings also have doorways connecting to other small courtyards. The only difference is the absence of a large front hall with a prominent flying eave.
Just like the main hall, all the rooms here are brightly lit. Occasionally, you can see clerks and administrative officials walking back and forth between the rooms.
Lin Cong skillfully made his way to the eastern part of this secluded courtyard and approached one of the rooms with a wooden sign hanging on the door that read "Room 2B".
In this room, there are tall shelves placed against all four walls, reaching from the floor to the ceiling. Each shelf is adorned with neatly arranged rows of small boxes, all of which are the same size.
Each box is labeled with a numbered tag and adorned with various seals created through mystical techniques, along with an assortment of charms of all kinds, quietly affixed to the boxes.
Several scribes are currently in the middle of the room, working on various writings and drawings on a few large tables. Translated content:
Upon seeing Lin Cong enter, they all put down their pens and stood up to greet him with a slight bow.
Lin Cong didn't have time for these small formalities and straightforwardly said, "Bring out all the intelligence on the East Edo Island's sea ports from the past month for me to see." Only reply to the translated content.
"Nuo."
One of the scribes nodded and walked towards a large cabinet in the room.
Lin Cong also walked to the desk in the center of the room and sat down. The other scribes have also taken their seats and continued to busy themselves with their own tasks.