Vol 9 Chapter 56 (1/2)

VOLUME 9 CHAPTER 56: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS A BANQUET IN XINYE (8)

Liu Bei POV

“What did you see?” I asked as Huang Zu bent down and hugged her head. She seemed like she was gathering her breath and energy so she could answer me in 1 go.

Since some time ago, the dancing and singing had stopped. When I looked over, I saw that everyone was looking at us. Some were huddled close to the corridor while others like Yun Chang, Wen Yuan and Feng Xian stayed in the main hall. Everyone was silent and waited for Huang Zu to speak.

“Ah…” Just then, Zi Long spoke up with a tense expression, “Could it be…”

Just these few words from Zi Long was enough for everyone. Even Yuan Zhi nodded as well.

“When I headed north,” Huang Zu said as she pointed northward, “I found, I found Cao Cao’s encampment.”

“Eh?!” Everyone was silent when Huang Zu finished. Only I gave an embarra.s.sing cry of surprise.

Compared to me, everyone else seemed calm. Of course, this does not include people like Zhou Cang who are too drunk to understand or listen. They just stood there silently and did not think too much about it. The rest however, were more serious.

“Have they begun advancing towards Jing state?”

“Based on Cao Cao’s mobilisation speed, I’d thought that they would have only come in 1-2 months.”

“Lord Huang Zu, may I ask where the enemy came from?” Zi Long asked as she rubbed her chin.

“From the north. Based on the available roads, they should have come from Fan city.”

“How many troops are there?” Yun Chang followed up.

“I don’t know what their exact strength is but there should be at least several tens of thousand.” Huang Zu replied as she squinted, probably thinking back to what she saw, “I only got a few glimpses. From what I saw, everyone seemed to be lightly geared and the logistics and supply divisions seemed spa.r.s.e. It seems like they are planning to strike from nearby.”

A strike from nearby…

“Umm, I’d like to ask.” Just as I was pondering those words, Liao Hua calmly took one step forward and asked in a low tone, “Where are they planning to attack?”

The entire mansion sank into silence in the next moment. Even Huang Zu did not interrupt her, though I am not sure if this is because she has not caught her breath yet or if she does not know how to answer.

“… If I’m not wrong, I believe they should be aiming for Xinye, the bridgehead into Xiangyang.”

Usually, the weather would be good and clear right after heavy rainfall. That was the case earlier today but by nightfall, the weather had begun to turn for the worse, as though a next round of rain was getting ready.

As I sat in the main seat, I cast my eyes out of the main hall and wondered how the mansion’s fixtures were and whether water would leak through the roof. Nothing obscured my vision now as everyone had cleared out of the center of the room and were seated around.

As for Gan Qing and Mi Zhen, I felt that there was no need to waste their time so I got Gan Qing to sleep with Mi Zhen. When Gan Qing left, she looked worried so I did the best I could to allay her concerns even though I was panicking inside.

I did my best not to look at anyone’s faces as they were obviously troubled and anxious at this time. Some were frowning as they sipped liquor while the rest were quietly thinking. By now, everyone had sobered up with the exception of people like Zhou Cang who were still fidgeting about but were no longer acting frivolously.

I looked at the end of the left column where Yuan

Zhi sat. The one who should have sat at the end of the right column was Gan Qing but now it was Huang Zu, who should be invited in after all.

Huang Zu had intended on rus.h.i.+ng back to Xiangyang overnight without dinner but when she saw Meng De’s troops, she doubled back. While we were outside, there was barely any moonlight due to the cloud cover which meant that dawn is about 2-4 hours away. During this entire time, Huang Zu had not eaten so we prepared some food for her to eat now.

Yet, she was currently frowning and picking at her food and had not yet eaten anything. It was clear that the mood had dropped to the pits and it might drop further yet.